The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman
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Web ID: 15058478Fantastic thriller with a WILD twist.
The Lost Girls of Willowbrook completely pulled me in—dark, gripping, and emotionally intense from start to finish. I had never read anything by Ellen Marie Wiseman before, but this book definitely put her on my radar. Set against the chilling real-life backdrop of the infamous Willowbrook State School, the story follows Sage as she unravels the mystery of her sister’s disappearance—and what she discovers is way more twisted and terrifying than she ever imagined. The writing is immersive, and the pacing kept me turning pages late into the night. What really blew me away was the twist near the end—I did not see it coming, and it totally re-shaped how I saw the story. Highly recommend if you’re into historical thrillers with emotional weight and a real sense of danger. This one had me hooked, and I’ll definitely be checking out more of Wiseman’s work!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
I love this book one of my favorite books ever
I bought this book last year it is one of my favorite books ever I finished this book in less than a weak I love the story one of the most interesting stories I have read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Dark, Suspenseful, Unexpected
I decided to read this book going into it blind. I did not read the description when I bought it. Instead I was drawn in by the cover and title; which although simple, held enough of a story to instantly draw me in. This book was rough. Not the writing and not the story; no, it's rough because you are painted a picture of the whole story through the entire book that is so vivid, it's emotional, intense, dark, twisted, scary, and sad. And on top of that, you go through this range of emotions like a rollercoaster; up, down, side to side, upside down. You just never know while you're gripped in it's pages. I was glad I gave this book a chance. It deserves to be read. Because although it is a work of fiction, it is influenced by things that really happened; by things that should be brought to light, and people educated about it. The Lost Girls of Willowbrook sure was an intense thriller. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. You think you know what happening, and then you're thrown for a loop. Keeps you on your toes. If you are up to the challenge of reading an intensely dark thriller mystery, I highly suggest this book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
chilling tale
The Lost girls of willow brook by Ellen Marie Wiseman This story starts out with Sage and she learns her sister who's like a twin to her is really alive. She had been told her died from pneumonia years ago. She's been living at the state institution Willow Brook and now she's gone missing. Their mother is dead now and they live with Alan, who's not their father. She plans to head to the woods nearby the building and look for any clues about Rosemary. Love that the mother named her daughters after herbs: Sage and Rosemary. I received this review book from The Kensington Books and this is my honest opinion. Bit creepy and very scary for me but a good story. Like simple things like making fairy things from twigs and things found on forest floor. So sad when she shows up to ask about her missing sister they capture her, inject her and now she's Rosemary. The state school is described to every detail that is so chilling it's a horror to me. With help from a janitor they find the real Rosemary. You wonder if she will ever be released as she's not the one that needs to be in there. She only has a few people she trusts.... You also wonder what else is going to happen as things seem calm again...til more show up dead. so creepy and horrid. I received this review book from The Kensington Between The Chapters Review Books and this is my honest opinion.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great read highly recommend
Wow – great historical fiction you won’t regret reading. Ms. Wiseman is a gifted storyteller. This story is based on a real place and the atrocities that took place there. Sage learns that her twin, Rosemary, has been reported missing, and is not dead, as she was told, but was placed into the Willowbrook State School, an institution for those with physical and mental disabilities. Without going into great detail, Sage goes to Willowbrook to insist that a search be made for her missing twin. Upon arrival she is mistaken for her twin and taken back in as a patient. Join her as she tries to: survive, learn about her sister and how she went missing, and convince the staff that she is not Rosemary. The graphic descriptions about the conditions and treatment of the patients and staff at Willowbrook and the fact that it is based on fact – that people actually were treated like this made this a difficult read at times. This book calls to light the horrible way that our society treated the physically and mentally handicapped.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Phenomenal suspenseful read
This book is an intense, edge of your seat, hang on every word page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed this noval and how the author expertly intertwined fact and fiction. The author did an exceptional job of articulating the real life deplorable conditions in which the residents were living. Overall, a captivating read I couldn't put down.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great idea, hindered by simple plot
5/5 for background, 2/5 for plot, 1/5 for character development. The historical context was great, but the climax/resolution was far too simplistic and short-lived.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Heartbreaking but wonderful!
I became a huge fan of Ellen Marie Wiseman after reading The Orphan Collector. That story blew me away. I waited with baited breath for her next one. The Lost Girls of Willowbrook is also an amazing read. Although the situations in this story are very disturbing, they were very real and show the circumstances that 'undesirable' children, and adults, had to endure. Wiseman brings the traumatic truths to life with the story of Sage and her twin sister, Rosemary. What the two girls had to endure is shocking but the same things happened to others, over and over. Woven into the story of life at Willowbrook is the mystery of what happened to Rosemary. As Sage tries to uncover the truth about her twin sister, she finds herself thrown into a world she never could have imagined. Like Wiseman's other books, this one opened my eyes to a world that I knew very little about and served as reminder that people need to be compassionate to all. Based on a true-life place, the Willowbrook State School, it is hard to imagine that people were treated like this. Thankfully the truth was uncovered and people's situations became better. Wiseman does a wonderful job of taking a very hard and disturbing time in our history and creating an enjoyable story that educates us all. I highly recommend The Lost Girls of Willowbrook.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com