The Temple House Vanishing by Rachel Donohue is quite stunning. In 1990 a male Teacher and a 16 year-old student disappear from the all-girl Temple House Catholic Girl's Boarding School . While there are many theories and the case attracts media attention over the years the fate of both remains unknown. On the 25th anniversary of the disappearance a journalist, coincidentally a near neighbour of the vanished schoolgirl,who once babysat her, decides to investigate and hopefully bring the case to resolution.
The books run with 2 timelines,from the death of one of the main characters to the first day 25 years earlier of another, Louisa, at Temple House to take up the place she has won via a scholarship..
Louisa isn't ready for the class-ridden ,parochial atmosphere of a school and feels like an outsider from the start. She finds herself drawn into the orbit of handsome young art teacher Mr Lavelle and his doting disciple Victoria while hovering in the background is the similarly smitten Helen, Head Prefect of the school.
There is so much explored in this book, class,religion, convenient truth, loyalty (sometimes misplaced) ,infatuation and how the sins of the past never really goes away. Ms Donohue nails the sheer nastiness that teenage girls are capable of in the same that Tana French did in The Secret Place with Louisa being an innocent thrown into a nest of vipers, the scholarship girl who will never,ever fit in and is constantly reminded of the fact. The 1990 part of the story is told from her perspective so the reader ,like her,on;y has the unreliable Victoria's version of her relationship with Lavelle. so it's up to the reader to decide on his motivations and character..
If you're looking for action and thrills this book isn't for you. If you appreciate good writing and insight, a book that you will remember for a very long time this one ticks the boxes.
The ending isn't the kind of thing I usually find convincing but it's very moving and a happy ending of sorts.
Overall a great read that I really enjoyed and I'm sure we'll hear a lot more of Rachel Donohoe

Big thanks to Rachel Donohoe, Atlantic Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I was really excited to be picked to read this book but I have to admit that I am sadly disappointed.
I found the book to be too long and to be honest, I found I got bored with it. Too much time was spent in the past at the school and a lot of the content just wasn’t needed.
I have given the book 3 stars as although the book didn’t work for me, I can certainly appreciate the work and effort that the author has put into it.

A suicide, linked to the disappearance of a young schoolgirl and her teacher many years previously. Much of the story takes place at a run-down private school run by nuns, with the focus on a group of girls and their male art teacher whose philosophy and teaching style appear at odds with the school's ethos (echoes of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie).

After such a jarring opening, events seem to meander for much of the book. Teenage longings and immature philosophising dominate the narrative. The inappropriate behaviour of the teacher seems unusually ignored until events come to a head shortly before the disappearance of the couple.

There is some tension towards the end of the book but there is little sympathy for the fate of a group of characters who seem shallow and antipathic. The ending comes as something of a letdown because of an authorial deception. The epilogue (perhaps inserted to validate said deceptions?) is unnecessary and anticlimactic.

(I was given an advance copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review)

This was an enjoyable read, with nice pacing and a convincing glimpse into teenage romantic obsessions. I particularly liked the school setting, which meant I preferred Louisa's own narrative to that of the journalist covering the case.

A very good book and definitely worth reading.
Not one of my usual reads (police crime thriller) but about a mystery that has lasted 25 years. I have to admit I found it hard to believe that teenage girls had such word expression skills and twisted emotions. But then given I am a male in my 70s then I'm sure that there are many readers who will say - yes this sums up how girls can be.
I can't say the ending, for me, was satisfying but it is so hard to finish a book of this type in a black and white manner.
I really enjoyed it

This is a story of forbidden love, lust and jealousy. Louisa is a scholarship student sent to a posh girls convent where she befriends the mysterious Victoria, add the attractive art teacher, Mr Lavelle, and sparks fly. This is a mystery, what happened to Mr Lavelle and Louisa. The story is told through the eyes of Louisa and the journalist who will not stop until she exposes the truth.

Not sure why, but I wasn’t expecting to get into this book - how wrong I was! What appears to be a teenage infatuation is so much deeper and more compelling. As we get to know the characters they become less childlike and more complex, and the setting of a girls’ boarding school is perfect for the drama that is playing out - in fact the school itself becomes an important character in the book. This is well written and paced with the upper layers of the story always accompanied by a dark undercurrent that makes it difficult to leave the book until the end. A chilling, compulsive read.

The book itself was well written. I just didn't enjoy it and found myself skimming. It's a book about young love and grooming and religion. The world was well crafted and the writing was evocative.

Louisa has got a scholarship to Temple House School, where no-one seems to want to tell her the rules but will judge her for breaking them. One of the few bright spots is Victoria, who shares her art lessons with the charismatic Mr Lavelle and becomes her closest friend. But Victoria is in love with Mr Lavelle, and intense relationships have a tendency to go wrong.

Years later, a journalist is running a series of stories on "what happened at Temple House", and it becomes clear that the accepted narrative is not what it seemed to be. Old prejudices are still at work, and Victoria may have more answers than she's been prepared to give so far.

It's absorbing, and whilst my suspicions grew over the book as to what had happened, it was still tense throughout. I liked the over-whelming teenage friendship that was the heart of the book, although I found myself wanting to shake both of them thoroughly at times - but if that had happened in the story, none of the rest of it would have! I really enjoyed this, and will be keeping an eye out for more books from Rachel Donohue.

A well written debut novel on the age old topic of first love and the deep emotions it can invoke. I didn't feel the ending worked for me though and that the first person narrative was almost taking an easy way out of solving the disappearance of Louisa. However, I look forward to reading further books by Ms Donohue as I enjoyed her style of writing.
Thank you to netgalley and Atlantic books for an advance copy of this book

Power. Jealousy. Desire

When Louisa arrives at Temple House, an elite Catholic boarding school she quickly finds herself drawn to sophisticated fellow pupil Victoria and their young bohemian art teacher Mr Lavelle. They find each other great distractions from the repressive routine of the nuns. Until one day Louisa and Mr Lavelle vanish without a trace. That is until years later a journalist tries to resolve the mystery and in doing so uncovers a story of tragedy and long lost secrets.

This book had me hooked from the very first page. The descriptions of the school came across as evocative but somewhat sinister in equal measure. It was atmospheric and I had a love hate relationship with the characters who are full of intrigue. It is written with such clean prose but is also chilling to the core. I loved every single thing about this book. Such a fantastic debut and is definitely a book you will become absorbed in as it keeps you in such suspense from start to finish.

Thank you very much to Convus - Atlantic Books for an advanced reading copy of this book in return for an honest review.

You can get your copy on 20th February 2020 or pre-order now at Amazon

Janine at Jewellbooks

The Temple House Vanishing promised to be a tale of unrequited longing, dark obsession and uneasy consequences. Whilst an easy read I did find it lacked pace and I wasn’t a fan of either the writing style or the characters. I’m sure others will love this but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atlantic Books and the author for the chance to review.

A thoughtful, non-sensational, coming of age novel, exploring the past of two teenage girls at a strict and hierarchical boarding school. The plot moves between then and the present day, where the mystery waits to be solved, but not by any Cold Case policing, just the sensitive yet persistent piecing together by a young female journalist.

The Temple House Vanishing is a very cleverly written book about teenage love and obsession .The Temple House is a private school set in a cliff side and run by Nuns .The story is about Louisa ,Victoria and Mr Lavelle the Art Teacher .Though I found the story a little slow to start with it soon picked up and I was gripped with the characters .Set in 1990 Louisa and Lavelle disappear,it is assumed they ran off together and 25 years later a journalist who used to live opposite Louisa as a child decides to investigate and find out what happened .I think the star of the story is the creepy atmospheric Temple House I could almost feel I was there with the waves crashing nearby . I didn't realise this was the Authors debut book I look forward to reading more from Rachel Donohue.I liked the ending very much and this is one of those books that you don't forget .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my preview copy in return for an honest review .

Twenty-five years ago, a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl and her charismatic teacher disappeared without trace…
The Temple House Vanishing left me with a tiny scar in my soul after reading it. It is intriguing and mysterious, it is real and delusional. The next time when I mention a special mystery, with a cruel end – this will be the first book that pops in my mind.

Louisa and Victoria are two friends that study in a Catholic girls’ boarding school. Both of them have something unique about themselves. They can both see the world in a different light and disobey the rules slightly.

They both also manage to become intrigued with their young, bohemian teacher and act in silly ways when they are around him. Until, one night, he and Louisa suddenly disappear.

Twenty-five years later, one journalist dives into the story again, hoping to finally find out the truth. The search for truth will uncover many buried secrets and a suppressed desire. It will break hearts and lay a lost soul to rest.

This novel might be the most intense novel I have read in 2019, right next to The Silent Patient. And The Devil Aspect. To witness the life of Louisa, and be aware of what is happening around her is quite intense. As soon as she meets Victoria, they click, and they both know they will become best friends. But even Louisa can feel that there is something odd about Victoria. After all, her last best friend left the school and no one knows what happened.

On that subject – why didn’t we find out what happened to this girl?

One friendship, and a very interestingly weird love triangle. I felt so bad for Louisa, because all she ever cared about was Victoria. And all she ever wanted to do is to help in any way. She loved Victoria, but she should’ve said something. If she spoke – everything would now be different.

The teacher reminded me of one of my high-school teachers. The type of person that will show you that the world isn’t how you’ve always known it. There is a meaning behind it all, and there is a purpose for everything. My teacher, she could make me feel like I was able to achieve everything. Anything was possible, if we only followed the right path. Mr Lavelle made all the girls feel like this, and counting his beautiful face as well, it’s no surprise that most of them fell in love with him. But he encouraged them, in his own subtle way. Sweet look in the eyes, gentle touch on the shoulder, and that is all it takes to confuse a teenage girl.

What I loved most in this book was the fact that I had so many theories whilst reading it. I was certain I knew how it all ended. But I was wrong. I didn’t have a clue on what was actually happening until the very end, and I was still surprised. After finishing the book and having a little think, as I always do with books that amaze me – I realised something. The clues were there from the very beginning. But unless you already know the ending I doubt you will notice them. And that is the great masterpiece of writing. And for that, I salute you, Rachel Donohue.

If you love mysteries, thrillers, disappearances and unpredictable endings – I will guarantee you will love this book. And not only that, but you will also devour it in a day!

The title of Rachel Donoghue's debut novel suggests a mystery and there is indeed the unresolved incident of a student who disappeared from the Catholic girls school 25 years ago. There's another kind of mystery here however in The Temple House Vanishing and that's the mystery of feelings that it's possible only to reflect on and understand to some extent much later and at a distance, but by then of course it's too late to do anything to change what has happened.

There are two parts then or two mysteries to be resolved in The Temple House Vanishing. In one of the sections Louisa recounts her first impressions and experience of arriving at Temple House, a Catholic girls boarding school. It's 1990, but the rather Victorian building and wild coastal location on the edge of a cliff seems to be firmly rooted in the past. It's not just the nuns that run the school according to strict rules, but the prefects also have an authoritarian hand in making Louisa's life uncomfortable.

It was always going to be difficult for Lousia. She doesn't come from a wealthy family like the rest of the students, but is there at Temple House on a scholarship as an exceptionally bright student. When she attends the art class of the rather young, good looking and bohemian Mr Lavelle however, Louisa finds an environment that appeals to her, finding there a like-minded friend or soul-mate in Victoria, a fellow student who seems to have a close easy-going connection with the charming Mr Lavelle.

After reading these impressions of a 16 year old girl on a voyage of self-discovery, it comes as a bit of a surprise to discover suddenly that after only a few months at Temple House, Louisa is the missing schoolgirl who disappeared at the same time as Mr Lavelle. Nothing has been heard about either of them ever again. but 25 years later in 2015, a journalist tries to contact people who knew Louisa and who were at Temple House at the time, of her disappearance to try and understand what might have happened.

After such a long time with no trace of Louisa or Mr Lavelle, it seems like the mystery of their vanishing is unlikely to ever be resolved at least as far as the journalist is concerned. For the reader however, Louisa's story continues and the whole entanglement of feelings and events that led up to her disappearance are all laid out. And there is someone else who knows what happened who can lead the journalist closer to the truth, but after all this time would they?

Although there is very definitely an intriguing mystery to resolve in the disappearance of Louisa, the strengths of The Temple House Vanishing don't lie so much in the conventional thriller genre. It is very much more interested in the mystery of understanding life, feelings, making mistakes and learning to cope or live with them. Donoghue's writing explores this beautifully, without romanticism, using that reflection of making the past present to put everything perfectly into place without losing any of the raw youthful emotions that are overwhelmed by life-changing feelings and events.

I just loved this brilliant debut novel from Rachel Donohue it was full of atmosphere and a story that I was so totally immersed in that I ploughed through the book at a rate of knots. It’s a story set in a boarding school run by nuns and full of full of mystery, teenage love, inappropriate behaviour with a whole lot more besides and I just couldn’t put the goddam book down!!
We know from the beginning that the teacher Edward Lavelle and his pupil Louisa disappeared 25 years ago but what exactly happened, a journalist takes on the story and from here on in we are drawn into a story of passion, religion and it’s intense.
A beautifully crafted read I can highly recommend and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Books, Corvus for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I found this book a little difficult to get into at first due to the two different narrators - once you push through this the novel gets gripping, however, was not completely to my taste. Enjoyable read for fans of mysteries and thrillers with a slight gothic slant.

Well written and an interesting read, although a little predictable. As a debut novel it was good, and I would be interested in reading more from this author

The title and the cover attracted me, and I’m a sucker for stories set in schools, even if the basic plot - teenage girls, a charismatic male teacher - didn’t sound, on the face of it, all that original.

We open - shockingly - with the suicide of one character, before moving back in time to 1990 when Louisa, a clever sixteen year old, wins a scholarship place - as a weekly boarder - at Temple House, an elite convent boarding school. Set on a cliff top, it’s all “Victorian turreted austerity”. The nuns who run it, Louisa observes, are the opposite of what they should be, favouring the richest girls and requiring adherence to a list of often absurd rules. Basically, the school is not a great place to be, particularly for the new scholarship girls - an “experiment” who are constantly reminded of their lesser position in the hierarchy.

Things soon look up for Louisa when she meets art teacher Mr Lavelle (young, handsome and charismatic - what were those nuns thinking?) and intense fellow student Victoria. The two girls form an almost immediate, powerful friendship which becomes the only thing sustaining Louisa through the many challenges of life at the repressive Temple House. However, things will come to a dramatic end when one of the girls and a teacher inexplicably disappear.

In the present day, an unnamed journalist becomes fascinated by the unsolved mystery and determines to find out more about what happened.

It’s beautifully written with many evocative phrases and descriptions - the atmosphere of the school and its often overwrought inhabitants powerfully rendered.

For a story largely set in a school, there are really rather few characters here: Louisa, Victoria, head girl Helen and Mr Lavelle are the only ones with a significant role to play, along with “the journalist” in the present day. (I’m mildly annoyed that we never learn her name.)

Ultimately the somewhat weak and vain Mr Lavelle is rather irrelevant; this is Louisa and Victoria’s story. And the end, when it comes, feels unusual and in some way beautiful.

An entrancing read.