I saw some great reviews of this, and the synopsis sounded amazing! Keep in mind it’s listed as General Fiction & Women’s Fiction on NetGalley, not Mystery & Thriller. So keep that in mind if you choose to pick it up. 

📖: Author Alex Kelley has a new project in the works. She left her home in NYC to investigate and write about the history of Coram House, an orphanage in Vermont. As she digs into her research, she has more questions than answers about what happened to the children of Coram House, especially a boy named Tommy who some say was drowned, some say ran away, and others say never existed at all. 

🤝: This may be a good fit if you enjoy:
books about orphanages with a sketchy past 
authors digging into cold cases
slower burn, more emotional suspense

💭: This was a slower burn for me, but the creepy orphanage concept kept me turning pages. At first I didn’t love the major “whodunnit” reveal, but after some thought I think the emotional piece made sense and was quite heartbreaking. 

Note: I’m not usually one to nitpick or be overly dramatic about a line in a book, but I didn’t appreciate a line that compared a police officer’s gun to a pit bull, calling it “ugly and threatening”. Ick. Not necessary. After last November, I committed to speaking up more. Here’s a small step. 

RATING: I liked it! (3.5)

Pub Day: April 15th, 2025

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook early in exchange for an honest review!