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kellyvandamme's review against another edition
5.0
Hi and welcome to my review of A Ruined Girl!
After Lock Me In and Kate Simants short story in Afraid of the Light, I didn’t think twice about requesting A Ruined Girl on NetGalley. Still I found I was unprepared for what was to come…
Prologue
Trees. Night. Drizzle. A spade hitting the earth, again and again. A boy. A man. A girl. A pit.
Before
Luke is a teenager living in a children’s home. His mum has been institutionalised and he and his older brother Rob are at a loss. Through Luke’s eyes we get a glimpse of the care system, the people who work tirelessly and the ones who take advantage. Luke broke my heart as he struggles to make his mum happy, to make something of himself, to protect the girl he loves, Paige, who lives in the same home. But Luke is just a teenager and he can only do so much. The night everything comes to a head, Rob and Paige break into the house of her school counsellor. Rob is arrested, Paige is never seen again.
Now
Rob is out on probation and probation officer Wren Reynolds is in charge of Rob’s rehabilitation. Within the scope of the Community Atonement Programme, they visit victims and acquaintances, so Rob can atone for his past mistakes. But there is more to it than that. They both have an agenda. And they might not even be the only ones who have an agenda. As Wren becomes more and more obsessed with finding out what happened to Paige, she puts her own life on hold and in doing so, her own relationship in jeopardy.
Alternating between before and now, A Ruined Girl gripped me and didn’t let me go to the point where I was thinking about it when I wasn’t reading. Nothing seemed to make sense. Who were there on that fateful night in the prologue? What was the point of the burglary? Where is Luke now? What is Rob hiding? Why is Wren so obsessed? So many questions and Ms Simants made me wait an awfully long time for the answers! Some secrets I saw unravel and I realised before their reveal, others had me gasping when they came to light.
In the race to the finale, I fully grasped how much I cared about these characters, my heart was in my throat the entire time, and the highly satisfying conclusion had me in bits. All the suspense and all the feels, what a brilliant book, highly recommended!
Huge thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own
After Lock Me In and Kate Simants short story in Afraid of the Light, I didn’t think twice about requesting A Ruined Girl on NetGalley. Still I found I was unprepared for what was to come…
Prologue
Trees. Night. Drizzle. A spade hitting the earth, again and again. A boy. A man. A girl. A pit.
Before
Luke is a teenager living in a children’s home. His mum has been institutionalised and he and his older brother Rob are at a loss. Through Luke’s eyes we get a glimpse of the care system, the people who work tirelessly and the ones who take advantage. Luke broke my heart as he struggles to make his mum happy, to make something of himself, to protect the girl he loves, Paige, who lives in the same home. But Luke is just a teenager and he can only do so much. The night everything comes to a head, Rob and Paige break into the house of her school counsellor. Rob is arrested, Paige is never seen again.
Now
Rob is out on probation and probation officer Wren Reynolds is in charge of Rob’s rehabilitation. Within the scope of the Community Atonement Programme, they visit victims and acquaintances, so Rob can atone for his past mistakes. But there is more to it than that. They both have an agenda. And they might not even be the only ones who have an agenda. As Wren becomes more and more obsessed with finding out what happened to Paige, she puts her own life on hold and in doing so, her own relationship in jeopardy.
Alternating between before and now, A Ruined Girl gripped me and didn’t let me go to the point where I was thinking about it when I wasn’t reading. Nothing seemed to make sense. Who were there on that fateful night in the prologue? What was the point of the burglary? Where is Luke now? What is Rob hiding? Why is Wren so obsessed? So many questions and Ms Simants made me wait an awfully long time for the answers! Some secrets I saw unravel and I realised before their reveal, others had me gasping when they came to light.
In the race to the finale, I fully grasped how much I cared about these characters, my heart was in my throat the entire time, and the highly satisfying conclusion had me in bits. All the suspense and all the feels, what a brilliant book, highly recommended!
Huge thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own
ktmcken's review against another edition
5.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller. An easy read but tightly plotted with a clever twist.
noveldeelights's review against another edition
4.0
Full of thought-provoking moments, A Ruined Girl is a psychological thriller that travels between the past and the present in order to solve the mystery of “what on earth happened to Paige?”. Paige disappeared two years ago after breaking into her school counsellor’s house with her friend, Rob. Rob has been behind bars ever since but now, a government scheme set on reducing the population of the overcrowded prisons means Rob is released early. Probation officer Wren Reynolds has been tasked with his rehabilitation. Wren is convinced Rob knows more about Paige’s disappearance.
This is a tough one to review because every single sentence I type seems to sound like a spoiler so I end up deleting everything because I really don’t want to give anything away. What I can say is that the intriguing plot pulled me in right away and I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth between the “now” and the “before” as I tried to find the clues between the teasers in an attempt to figure it all out before it was revealed to me. Some of it I got quite easily, some of it I didn’t see coming at all.
However, I must admit there were moments in the book where my interest started to wane and I was desperately longing for something, anything, to happen and shake things up. But the latter part of the book more than made up for that when it felt as if everything was suddenly happening all at once and I feared I might end up with whiplash trying to keep up with it all.
All in all, A Ruined Girl is a cleverly plotted psychological thriller that ended up on a much deeper level than I was expecting. This was my first time reading a book by Kate Simants but it won’t be the last time. One to watch!
This is a tough one to review because every single sentence I type seems to sound like a spoiler so I end up deleting everything because I really don’t want to give anything away. What I can say is that the intriguing plot pulled me in right away and I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth between the “now” and the “before” as I tried to find the clues between the teasers in an attempt to figure it all out before it was revealed to me. Some of it I got quite easily, some of it I didn’t see coming at all.
However, I must admit there were moments in the book where my interest started to wane and I was desperately longing for something, anything, to happen and shake things up. But the latter part of the book more than made up for that when it felt as if everything was suddenly happening all at once and I feared I might end up with whiplash trying to keep up with it all.
All in all, A Ruined Girl is a cleverly plotted psychological thriller that ended up on a much deeper level than I was expecting. This was my first time reading a book by Kate Simants but it won’t be the last time. One to watch!
thisisadebut's review against another edition
3.0
A Ruined Girl, Kate Simants.
Two boys loved her. Which one killed her? One dark night Rob & Paige break into a house, the beat and traumatise the occupants, leave, taking only a bracelet. Nobody knows why, not even Luke, Robs brother and Paige’s closest friend. Paige vanished that night and Rob ended up in prison. Now Rob is free, Wren Reynolds has been tasked with helping Rob make amends with those he wronged as part of his probation. But Wren knows something else is going on, what does Rob know about where Paige went? Why was Wren so desperate to take Rob on as a client? And with everyone keeping secrets, how many is Wren keeping?
This book is one of the few crime thrillers that is impossible to figure out, with so many threads to follow, you, like Wren will find yourself tangled very quickly.
With a flickering narrative between past and present this novel also exposes the flaws and let downs in our fostering systems. Paige and Luke are devastating characters, Wren and Rob too are brutally let down by systems designed to protect and help them and so a cycle of destruction and abuse continues. Luckily, with Wren we see a flawed but ultimately, successful character who is desperate to rebuild her life and make amends.
A well written, clever, devastating book that is well worth a read. There is much more to this story than just your average thrill.
Instagram @laurenslittlebookcase
Two boys loved her. Which one killed her? One dark night Rob & Paige break into a house, the beat and traumatise the occupants, leave, taking only a bracelet. Nobody knows why, not even Luke, Robs brother and Paige’s closest friend. Paige vanished that night and Rob ended up in prison. Now Rob is free, Wren Reynolds has been tasked with helping Rob make amends with those he wronged as part of his probation. But Wren knows something else is going on, what does Rob know about where Paige went? Why was Wren so desperate to take Rob on as a client? And with everyone keeping secrets, how many is Wren keeping?
This book is one of the few crime thrillers that is impossible to figure out, with so many threads to follow, you, like Wren will find yourself tangled very quickly.
With a flickering narrative between past and present this novel also exposes the flaws and let downs in our fostering systems. Paige and Luke are devastating characters, Wren and Rob too are brutally let down by systems designed to protect and help them and so a cycle of destruction and abuse continues. Luckily, with Wren we see a flawed but ultimately, successful character who is desperate to rebuild her life and make amends.
A well written, clever, devastating book that is well worth a read. There is much more to this story than just your average thrill.
Instagram @laurenslittlebookcase
hels08's review against another edition
5.0
This book had me hooked, definitely recommend!! The twists!!!
Paige and luke are in care. Luke loves paige. Likes brother Rob has a plan to get luke out of care and their mum out of hospital. However something happens, robs arrested and paige disappears.
Wren is robs probation officer on a new scheme where Rob gets out early. But wren is fixated on what happened to paige.
Great book.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Paige and luke are in care. Luke loves paige. Likes brother Rob has a plan to get luke out of care and their mum out of hospital. However something happens, robs arrested and paige disappears.
Wren is robs probation officer on a new scheme where Rob gets out early. But wren is fixated on what happened to paige.
Great book.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
steph1rothwell's review against another edition
4.0
I read many books, mostly crime fiction, but The Ruined Girl was the first that I have read that concerns a children’s home and the probation services. I was both fascinated and heartbroken. It was a crime novel that really pulled on the heartstrings.
There are two narrators, Wren in the ‘now’ and Luke in ‘before’. It switches back and forth repeatedly and each worked perfectly. But it was Luke who I wanted to read about more. His story portrayed the frustration and hurt he felt perfectly. the loyalty he felt towards his mother, brother and Paige had me reading in silence, unable to put the book down. It was the type of narrative that made me think about the type of society we live in during the times I couldn’t read. How many children are there in this country who experience what the ones in this novel did. And how do they cope with adult life when they are left on their own.
There are plenty of twists, some I saw, many I didn’t but this novel wasn’t about the eventual outcome for me. Instead it was the determination of the younger characters to do the right thing, even if it wasn’t necessarily the better way. Rob wanting to protect Luke, Luke wanting to protect Paige.
It is a long time since I have felt touched by so many. Not just Luke, Rob and Paige. But also the minor characters, some who were determined to put their childhood behind them and those who couldn’t.
A Ruined Girl was the perfect book for me, it made me thing about other events outside of strange world we currently live in.
There are two narrators, Wren in the ‘now’ and Luke in ‘before’. It switches back and forth repeatedly and each worked perfectly. But it was Luke who I wanted to read about more. His story portrayed the frustration and hurt he felt perfectly. the loyalty he felt towards his mother, brother and Paige had me reading in silence, unable to put the book down. It was the type of narrative that made me think about the type of society we live in during the times I couldn’t read. How many children are there in this country who experience what the ones in this novel did. And how do they cope with adult life when they are left on their own.
There are plenty of twists, some I saw, many I didn’t but this novel wasn’t about the eventual outcome for me. Instead it was the determination of the younger characters to do the right thing, even if it wasn’t necessarily the better way. Rob wanting to protect Luke, Luke wanting to protect Paige.
It is a long time since I have felt touched by so many. Not just Luke, Rob and Paige. But also the minor characters, some who were determined to put their childhood behind them and those who couldn’t.
A Ruined Girl was the perfect book for me, it made me thing about other events outside of strange world we currently live in.
panicatthebookstore's review against another edition
3.0
"He doesn't know it yet, but what he's doing now, it's going to be the cage around every dream he'll have for the rest of his life."
I struggled to get into this one to start with. The first 60% of the book was pretty slow and at times I thought I was going to mark it as DNF.
But eventually the story picked up and I'm glad I stuck with it.
Not the best book I've read but certainly not the worst.
I struggled to get into this one to start with. The first 60% of the book was pretty slow and at times I thought I was going to mark it as DNF.
But eventually the story picked up and I'm glad I stuck with it.
Not the best book I've read but certainly not the worst.
meggyroussel's review against another edition
4.0
There was no way I was going to miss Kate Simants’ novel A Ruined Girl. Just reading the title gave me goosebumps. So when the blog tour invite came up, I ran, jumped, and grabbed my place on it! Call it gut feeling, but I knew I would enjoy the book.
Was I right?
Do you even need to ask???
Viper Books have quickly become one of my favorite publishers. If you are not following them, do it now.
Now on the book… I went in innocent and sweet; absolutely blind as I had not read the blurb. I find that doing this helps me dive into a story without putting pressure on the story. This time, I was rewarded with an absolutely gorgeous reading time. There are thrillers, and thrillers. A Ruined Girl gives it all – the brain food, the questions, the thrill, the chills. Kate Simants sparkles emotions on every pages. The result is a breathtaking, perfectly wrought tale of intertwined lives heavy with pain and the numbness of grey childhoods.
I have to say it: this prologue is top-notch. You’re plunged in the dark of the night and of hearts with a man, a boy, and a body. No names, no details, but neither are needed to reel you in and hook you. The enthralling writing is enough! I was mesmerized by what I was reading. Kate Simants cast a spell on me!
What’s next?
Wren Reynolds was a probation officer and is now part of a team with a new challenge – rehabilitate offenders through a carefully-laid plan. It allows them to get the ‘you’re out of jail’ card sooner but they have to visit those affected by their crimes and apologize… How do you deal with overflowing prisons? You send some guys home! The author really captured the bureaucracy ensnaring the prisons issue. Tight funds, too few workers, not enough hours in the day, the scrutiny from the population and politicians. I felt the frustration! Wren’s first case is Rob. Two years ago, Rob and another teenager, Paige, broke into Paige’s counsellor’s house. Rob was arrested but Paige was never seen again.
Why? What? How? If Wren’s job description doesn’t include answers to those questions, she is still determined to get them. I immediately felt how personally Wren was taking this case, but I couldn’t figure out her motive.
Slowly, to the rhythm of Before and Now chapters, we are invited into the lives of Rob, his brother Luke, Paige, and all the people involved around Paige’s disappearance. I felt I was running a marathon for answers. The past was catching up with the present, threatening it, and the present was hurling forward in a desperate attempt to escape the scars of the years…
Kate Simants masters the laws of dealing with difficult subjects while maintaining a high tension and strong characterization. She doesn’t use child abuse, drugs, and other atrocities faced by children in care, on top of those feelings of being aloof, apart, forgotten. She delicately and painfully knitted a web around simple needs – warmth, a family, protection, atonement from mistakes.
Wren is a fantastic character. Her partner Suzy is heavily pregnant, and part of the police force. I felt she was the safe line saving Wren from herself. Indeed, Wren goes above and beyond to understand what happened to Paige, putting her life with Suzy, and her job, at risk.
A Ruined Girl is an outstanding read – dealing with some very dark pearls allowed to shine through the author’s excellent writing. A true thriller with that little X-factor that makes it different and unforgettable!
Was I right?
Do you even need to ask???
Viper Books have quickly become one of my favorite publishers. If you are not following them, do it now.
Now on the book… I went in innocent and sweet; absolutely blind as I had not read the blurb. I find that doing this helps me dive into a story without putting pressure on the story. This time, I was rewarded with an absolutely gorgeous reading time. There are thrillers, and thrillers. A Ruined Girl gives it all – the brain food, the questions, the thrill, the chills. Kate Simants sparkles emotions on every pages. The result is a breathtaking, perfectly wrought tale of intertwined lives heavy with pain and the numbness of grey childhoods.
I have to say it: this prologue is top-notch. You’re plunged in the dark of the night and of hearts with a man, a boy, and a body. No names, no details, but neither are needed to reel you in and hook you. The enthralling writing is enough! I was mesmerized by what I was reading. Kate Simants cast a spell on me!
What’s next?
Wren Reynolds was a probation officer and is now part of a team with a new challenge – rehabilitate offenders through a carefully-laid plan. It allows them to get the ‘you’re out of jail’ card sooner but they have to visit those affected by their crimes and apologize… How do you deal with overflowing prisons? You send some guys home! The author really captured the bureaucracy ensnaring the prisons issue. Tight funds, too few workers, not enough hours in the day, the scrutiny from the population and politicians. I felt the frustration! Wren’s first case is Rob. Two years ago, Rob and another teenager, Paige, broke into Paige’s counsellor’s house. Rob was arrested but Paige was never seen again.
Why? What? How? If Wren’s job description doesn’t include answers to those questions, she is still determined to get them. I immediately felt how personally Wren was taking this case, but I couldn’t figure out her motive.
Slowly, to the rhythm of Before and Now chapters, we are invited into the lives of Rob, his brother Luke, Paige, and all the people involved around Paige’s disappearance. I felt I was running a marathon for answers. The past was catching up with the present, threatening it, and the present was hurling forward in a desperate attempt to escape the scars of the years…
Kate Simants masters the laws of dealing with difficult subjects while maintaining a high tension and strong characterization. She doesn’t use child abuse, drugs, and other atrocities faced by children in care, on top of those feelings of being aloof, apart, forgotten. She delicately and painfully knitted a web around simple needs – warmth, a family, protection, atonement from mistakes.
Wren is a fantastic character. Her partner Suzy is heavily pregnant, and part of the police force. I felt she was the safe line saving Wren from herself. Indeed, Wren goes above and beyond to understand what happened to Paige, putting her life with Suzy, and her job, at risk.
A Ruined Girl is an outstanding read – dealing with some very dark pearls allowed to shine through the author’s excellent writing. A true thriller with that little X-factor that makes it different and unforgettable!
jaydoingstuff's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i really enjoyed this one, a super quick read with a reveal i didn't see coming! (i saw a few of the reveals coming but one totally took me by surprise!). would definitely read more from the author
riannereads's review
3.0
3.5/5
This was a solid young adult thriller. I won't lie, I wasn't very enticed to read the first 60/70%, when I was reading it I was enjoying it, but when I'd put it down, there wasn't much enticing me to pick it back up. However, the final third is what brought this book up for me.
We follow Wren, a probation officer, who has to help Rob integrate back into society after he spent 3 years in prison for aggravated burglary, interspliced with Luke's story, Rob's younger brother, leading up to the burglary.
I think the main reason I struggled to find the motivation to continue was the characters, especially Wren. She is a typical thriller protagonist who puts her work above all else, including her 8 month pregnant partner. While this is explained in the finale, I think it still made Wren quite unlikable, as for me family should come above everything else. I did like Luke, and felt bad for him, especially as he's just a kid who ended up in a bad situation because of circumstances he couldn't control.
I definitely think this was a solid read, but I can't imagine it is one that will stick with me for long after reading it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Viper for an ARC copy for review.
This was a solid young adult thriller. I won't lie, I wasn't very enticed to read the first 60/70%, when I was reading it I was enjoying it, but when I'd put it down, there wasn't much enticing me to pick it back up. However, the final third is what brought this book up for me.
We follow Wren, a probation officer, who has to help Rob integrate back into society after he spent 3 years in prison for aggravated burglary, interspliced with Luke's story, Rob's younger brother, leading up to the burglary.
I think the main reason I struggled to find the motivation to continue was the characters, especially Wren. She is a typical thriller protagonist who puts her work above all else, including her 8 month pregnant partner. While this is explained in the finale, I think it still made Wren quite unlikable, as for me family should come above everything else. I did like Luke, and felt bad for him, especially as he's just a kid who ended up in a bad situation because of circumstances he couldn't control.
I definitely think this was a solid read, but I can't imagine it is one that will stick with me for long after reading it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Viper for an ARC copy for review.
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