I won a copy of this historical mystery thriller from the publisher via Goodreads. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
by Marie Ellen Wiseman
Published by Kensington Books
on August 30, 2023
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 355 pages
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Synopsis:
Fact, fiction, and urban legend blend in this haunting story about a young woman mistakenly imprisoned at Willowbrook State School, the real-life institution later shuttered for its horrendous abuses.
Sage Winters always knew her sister was a little different even though they were identical twins. They loved the same things and shared a deep understanding, but Rosemary--awake to every emotion, easily moved to joy or tears--seemed to need more protection from the world.
Six years after Rosemary's death from pneumonia, Sage, now sixteen, still misses her deeply. Their mother perished in a car crash, and Sage's stepfather, Alan, resents being burdened by a responsibility he never wanted. Yet despite living as near strangers in their Staten Island apartment, Sage is stunned to discover that Alan has kept a shocking secret: Rosemary didn't die. She was committed to Willowbrook State School and has lingered there until just a few days ago, when she went missing.
Sage knows little about Willowbrook. It's always been a place shrouded in rumor and mystery. A place local parents threaten to send misbehaving kids. Wish no idea what to expect, Sage secretly sets out for Willowbrook, determined to find Rosemary. What she learns, once she steps through its doors and is mistakenly believed to be her sister, will change her life in ways never could have imagined...
My Thoughts:
The Lost Girls of Willowbrook is a historical thriller starring Sage Winters, a sixteen-year-old girl who thought her twin sister had died of pneumonia six years before. Having also lost her mom in a car crash, Sage lives with her not-so-friendly stepdad, Alan, in his Staten Island apartment. When she overhears a phone call about her twin missing from Willowbrook, a state-run mental institution, Sage runs off to join the search and finds herself mistaken for her very alive twin and is committed to one of the worst places a girl could find herself.
The author based this story off of the very real state-run institution for mentally and physically disabled youth which was eventually exposed in the 1970s for severe neglect, overcrowding, abuse, unethical practices, and medical experiments. It was eventually shut down a decade later.
This novel really captures the horror of what it was like to be a patient at Willowbrook but also has a thrilling plot that horror/thriller lovers would enjoy. It had me on the edge of my seat, tense, and disturbed the entire read.
Additional thoughts:
I'm not sure how I feel about the cover. When I first saw it, I definitely thought of historical fiction and nothing more, and then promptly set it aside for preferred genres at the time. I'm beating myself up about it a bit now.
On the other hand, I think this book ultimately blew me away because I really wasn't expecting it to go so dark and disturbing!
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