𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐭
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫
𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
True Crime writer Alex Kelly is struggling after her last book tanked her career. Now she’s received an opportunity to ghost write a book about Coram House, a former Orphanage.

The rumours of Coram House are that children were abused and then silenced about their abuse by those that were supposed to protect them.

I didn’t realise this was a debut book, it’s 100% captivating. I was invested in solving this mystery alongside our main character, Alex, a complex yet great FMC.

I really enjoyed the mixed media throughout.

I guessed the twist but it doesn’t take away from the storytelling. I really enjoyed the build up and how atmospheric this book was. I just expected a little more with the ending.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵 𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩’𝘴 𝘖𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵

Thanks to NetGalley for this eArc

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟑.𝟓 ⭐️

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Debut novels don't get much better than this. I loved the way the story was told, in a linear, not flip - flop way. An orphanage beside a lake, long abandoned but now undergoing extensive renovations. Obviously its past forms the scaffolding of the story but the thing about orphanages is, those children grow up and become members of the community and for their whole lives, carry the scars with them. Alex Kelly is tasked to ghost write a book about the orphanage; Coram House. Her failure as a true crime writer was why she was hired, in an effort project a different narrative for an elderly lawyer's swan song. Things however, don't quite go as the lawyer would wish.
Atmospheric and brooding, I loved every minute of reading it and along with Alex Kelly, uncovering the truth about Coram House.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for approving me to read this, I’m rating it 3.5 stars.

This book had a great atmosphere, it had twists and turns with a satisfying ending. I feel like parts were a little slow, but I can appreciate this is a mystery, and we were moving at the pace of the main character as she unraveled the clues and connected the dots.

I highly recommend for murder mystery lovers who enjoy a steady paced story.

After a bit of a reading slump, I was looking for a book that I could get my teeth into, and Coram House certainly stepped up to the mark. This novel is based loosely on a true story and follows Alex, a true crime writer, as she investigates the mystery of two deaths. They’re decades apart but centre around a disused orphanage in Vermont. It’s a dark and atmospheric tale that gradually builds the tension as the body count rises. Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC and the author for the chance to review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and Raven Books for the advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Trigger warning - this book contains child sexual abuse and child abuse. Please read this with caution if these things will be triggering to you.

I feel like the last 20% of this book was much quicker than the first 80%, and it's around that point that I felt like I finally got into a groove with reading it, and that's not to say that most of the book was bad, it was just a slow burner.

From the start I was drawn into the story, the authors writing was a big draw for me, the words flowed onto the pages and I liked the way it was broken up with excerpts from interviews, bringing the story forward by using the past.

The author did a brilliant job of submerging us in the atmosphere of the whole place too, I felt so drawn in as if I was there with Alex.

I did find the characters a bit difficult to like, and I feel like because they were such a big part of the story it put a small dampner on my enjoyment of the book. I particullarly would find myself getting irritated with Alex, and seeing as she was the main character it did spoil things a little for me.

I also did sort of figure out the ending for myself, quite a way before we got there.

However, there were still some parts that were a shock to me and I feel like knowing what I had figured out didn't really make that much of a difference to my reading experience to be honest.

On the whole, Coram House was a really atmospheric read that definitely creeped me out and left me with a very heavy feeling after finishing. I likely won't reread this, namely because it's not the kind of story you forget and so the twists and turns wouldn't hit the same way.

I loved this book. It had a great storyline, really compelling with the true crime element. Plenty of twists and turns it kept me hooked.

JGreat book. Was up all night reading it. I loved the characters & the storyline. I totally recommend reading this book straight away, the twists and turns are fab. Definitely 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this book. An absolute page turning book.

A widow writer takes on a new job to find the story about Coram House for another writer. Little did she know when taking on the job of the harrowing tales that would come out from this past children's home and the nun' that ran the home. I felt that the ending seemed a bit hurried and really took away from the excellent story so far.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

Lex is a crime writer and a widow looking for a fresh start, and wouldn’t you know it, the perfect story just seems to fall right into her lap.

Set in Burlington, Vermont, with its snow-covered streets and quiet charm, Alex is about to settle in for a six-month stay. But what starts as a simple writing retreat soon has her straying from her own story, getting caught up in the mystery of two deaths that happened years apart.

The author takes us on a cold, shadowy journey, dropping little clues along the way that keep you itching to uncover the truth behind what happened to young Tommy all those years ago. But Alex Kelley better watch her step as she pulls at the threads of this tangled web—if she’s not careful, she might just end up as the next victim. 👀

This tale was masterfully done, with plenty of clever writing that keeps you hooked. My only gripe is that the ending didn’t quite pack the punch I was hoping for, but still, I really enjoyed the book from start to finish

Alex, a bestselling true-crime writer, is going through a dry patch after her previous novel caused controversy and following the death of her husband. She takes the job as a ghostwriter for a lawyer, agreeing to spend six months in Vermont to write up his notes and transcripts. The lawyer’s project is about the settlement he secured for several people who suffered abuse at Coram House, a Roman Catholic orphanage in the sixties and seventies.
Alex goes through transcripts of interviews the lawyer conducted with the victims. As soon as Alex starts reading the huge stacks of files, she sees more than the documented cruelty the lawyer wants in the book. Some statements from former residents of Coram House refer to “accidents” and disappearances. The lawyer says there’s no proof, and witness statements are conflicting. He wants Alex to stick to his brief, but Alex’s gut tells her that’s not where the real story lies. Despite a hostile reception from police and locals, she intends to investigate possible crimes committed at Coram House 50 years earlier.
Most chapters were from Alex’s viewpoint. Her narration was rich in description of the snowy surroundings, and of how she planned her research, and provided an engaging insight into her personality and backstory. She came across as a likeable, rounded protagonist – both tenacious and shambolic. When I spotted the whopping clue the author dropped for the reader, I was willing Alex to pick up on it, but she ignored it. I had a shrewd idea what the story outcome would be although it came as a shock to beleaguered Alex.
The author did a good job of building suspense and making those Vermont pathways twisting as will as icy. The occasional transcripts of witness statements were natural-sounding, intriguing and moved the story forward.
This was a pacy, enjoyable novel and a likely contender for my top-ten reads of the year.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
Upon publication, I will post this review on my blog, GoodReads and Amazon.

Overworn tropes of necking alcohol, coffee, not eating + being irresistible overused. 3.5

This irritably pulled my rating down. Which was a great shame, as the narrative itself is good, and the central character, a grief-stricken ghostwriter with a book which plummeted her credibility was a great idea.

The subject matter of historical child abuse (not only sexual) in an orphanage school with church connection was based on (or springboarded by) a real Burlington, Vermont establishment, and real abuse.

But…somehow these overworked tropes as detailed above pull away from the seriousness of the subject matter, and made that too slightly seem like a ‘timely marketing’ idea, and, on reflection, made me feel a little queasy, serving this up as thriller fodder.

On that ‘overworn tropes’ factor : sure I understood from the off that Alex, the grief-stricken ghostwriter was, well, deeply depressed and, using her assignment also as a way of coping. Sure, there were deadlines, it was a harsh winter in Vermont (beautifully described) but the endless repetition of the amount of alcohol and coffee she was imbibing, the amount of food she wasn’t eating (often because of the morning after the night or day before alcohol and coffee on empty stomach) made two other tropes less likely – firstly, her apparent irresistibility to the only attractive men in town – she would have STUNK!!! – and secondly, her ability to manage the other useful way of stumbling upon dead bodies – the isolated and difficult long distance run – pretty difficult.

Finally I must mention, (without any spoilers) a tremendous twist which not only I didn’t see, but made absolute sense.

Firstly I really like the cover of this book and the lime green writing 👀 the pacing was pretty good in this book and I enjoyed that some of it was told through interview excerpts. I felt like the last 25% or so is what let it down just became a bit anticlimactic.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was gripped by this thriller, about a struggling true-crime writer who has one last shot at redeeming her career. But the case she is investigating is far from simple, involving a children's home in the sixties, and rumours of terrible abuse and murder. The characters (especially Alex the writer) were excellently drawn, the setting was perfectly rendered - I loved all the ice and storms - and the atmosphere of the whole novel was ominous and sinister and gripping. Great stuff!

When disgraced true crime author Alex is commissioned to ghost-write a story about the abuse that happened in the religious orphanage of Coram House, she sees it as a chance to redeem herself. She soon discovers that a lot of the people involved in the scandal seem intent on making sure the past stays buried…

Coram House is an atmospheric thriller and the setting of the old orphanage with its creepy attic and statues really drew me in. I was perhaps expecting more scenes to take place in the house itself, but this is very much a crime thriller rather than a horror, with Alex interviewing people and dealing with new developments. The book starts with transcripts of interviews from people who lived there describing an incident they witnessed on the lake – this really hooked me in from the outset. It is quite a slow-burn thriller though, and there are some points in the book where particular phrasing of mundane activities (taking a shower, for example) is repeated – I think it would benefit from a tighter edit before publication.

Alex is a complex character and makes some odd decisions in places, but I enjoyed her backstory – making a previous mistake trying to help with a case, which strengthened her motivations. The case has plenty of red herrings and a nice twist at the end which I didn’t see coming. At the end of the day Coram House is about child abuse and set in a religious orphanage, so it’s a dark read and some of the topics may be triggering for readers.

Overall, Coram House is a beautifully written and atmospheric crime thriller. Thank you to NetGalley & Bloomsbury Publishing – Raven Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off strong and fast-paced, though it slowed down considerably in the middle. However, the ending redeemed it. I’ve deducted a star because I felt the middle section dragged, and with some trimming, the pacing would have made for a tighter, more engaging mystery.

The setting was vivid, I truly felt like I was in snowy Burlington, Vermont, investigating alongside Alex. For a debut novel, Bailey Seybolt has done a fantastic job, and I believe this deserves four stars.

The story follows Alex, a recently widowed crime author whose novels are based on historical true crimes. While her first book was a huge success, her second struggled following her husband’s death. She is invited to Burlington, Vermont, for six months to ghostwrite a book about Coram House, an orphanage where abuse was known to have occurred. However, she veers from her brief and begins investigating the mysterious deaths of two individuals that happened years apart. Soon after her arrival, people connected to the original deaths start dying under suspicious circumstances.

Trigger warning: The story addresses themes of sexual and physical abuse within a church-run orphanage.

I must admit, I became so engrossed in the narrative that I fell into a kind of tunnel vision; I didn’t see the twist coming at all, and the ending completely took me by surprise. I was expecting something completely different. The grim atmospheric setting is perfectly captured but somehow I couldn’t help but wish that Alex had managed to reach more people, unveiling more dark secrets or maybe different perspectives through additional witness testimonies.
Overall, Coram House is an engaging, character-rich mystery with an eerie charm. A solid 4‑star read that will undoubtedly appeal to fans of true crime and atmospheric thrillers alike.

An interesting and compelling thriller with a dark subject. Interesting characters & a good plot twist. Highly recommended!

#NetGalley #CoramHouse

After her latest true crime novel pointed to the wrong perpetrator, Alex sees the invitation to ghostwrite a novel about Coram House as a second chance.

A former orphanage now being turned into luxury flats, Coram House has rumours of a sinister past which led to a mass settlement in the late eighties. Some of the orphans still live in the area – including the developer of the new building.

Chasing rumours of the drowning of a little boy, Alex finds herself blocked at every turn. Is she looking for something which doesn’t exist or are the ghosts of Coram House still haunting the town?

A clever thriller with plenty of twists and turns. A brilliant debut.

Fantastic written book and found the characters to be really interesting.
Thank you NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review

Set in a bitter winter, an otherwise scenic town holds some terrible secrets.

Writer Alex Kelly – struggling both with the mistakes of her last true crime investigation and book, and the death of her partner – is offered a steady wage to ghost-write the story of Coram House. Her client, a lawyer involved in a legal case against the church about the abuse of children at Coram House when it was an orphanage, is commanding and secretive, setting Alex on an investigative course where she cannot know who to trust. When Alex finds a woman dead in the woods around Coram House, she begins to fall into conspiracy theories that raise questions about her own conduct by the police.

The setting and themes are well chosen, atmospheric, and believable, and the interweaving of research materials with the narrative itself makes for an engaging structure. To my mind, the tech billionaire type who asks Alex for a date and provides her what may (or may not) be valuable clues in her unofficial investigation is the only off-key note in an otherwise excellent and complex symphony of characters, each contending with their own half-buried misery and small-town grievances. I think this is a commentary on wealthy outsiders and their transformation of small towns' character, but it's a distraction from the main plot and felt a little bit like unnecessary comic relief.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this novel and would love to see its main character appear again. True-crime authors/podcasters make for really fun investigators, helping to avoid some of the artificiality that often comes with having to establish an unofficial detective in these sorts of stories. The tension with the police and the official detectives is something I always really enjoy.