This read was a captivating, dark, atmospheric thriller. Very creepy, especially if you find the supernatural and ghosts scary!

The Wayward Girls by Amanda Mason is a haunting and atmospheric thriller set in a small town in the 1970s. The story follows two sisters, Loo and Bee, who are living a simple life in their run-down cottage with their artistic parents and siblings. But the summer months bring unexpected and eerie events that drive the family to the brink of destruction.

Decades later, Loo, now known as Lucy, returns home to confront the truth of what happened in her family’s past. Amanda Mason’s debut novel weaves a mysterious and spooky narrative that builds tension until the explosive and heart-stopping finale. The characters are vividly written and Mason captures the complexities of family dynamics and relationships expertly.

If you’re looking for a thrilling, captivating and darkly atmospheric read, The Wayward Girls by Amanda Mason is the perfect book for you. An ideal read for those dark winter nights, The Wayward Girls will leave you spellbound until the very last page.

The Wayward Girls is a beautiful and haunting book.

It's a story told across two times, the long, hot summer of 1976 and the present day. (Appropriate given how much people have been talking about that summer in the present heatwave.)

In 1976, a family living on a fairly remote farm are being haunted, starting with knocking on the walls, but quickly escalating to objects being thrown around and more. Specialist paranormal investigators and a photographer come in to try and find out what's happening and to gather proof. At the centre of the supernatural events are two young girls, Bee (Bianca) and Loo (Lucia).

In the present day narrative a group of students have gone to the house, now empty and derelict, with cameras and other equipment to look for their own proof. Loo, now Lucy, tries to dissuade them and then joins them as they uncover evidence of the paranormal.

There's such a slow, eerie revealing of events from 1976 as the two narratives play out together. There are hints and suggestions about some of what happened but it takes its time playing out, teasing the reader in a way that had me gripped.

There's an almost ethereal, whimsical quality to it, a haunting beauty that reminded me of things like Picnic at Hanging Rock or Virgin Suicides, as events slowly but surely build up to tragedy over the course of many long, hot summer days. There's a real subtlety to it as well, relationships left unclear, often little more than lingering glances or jealous looks.

And like all great ghost stories, I was left wondering what had been real.

This is a must read for fans of The Haunting of Hill House, The Enfield Haunting and The Conjuring, creepy, atmospheric, The Wayward Girls is ideal reading for the Autumn nights.

In the hot summer of 1976 the Corvino family start to experience weird things inside their remote cottage on Iron Sike Farm. Although they are a family of seven the phenomena seems to be centred around sisters Bee and Loo, so their mother Kathy calls the police in fear for them. As news of a haunting at the farm spreads, a team of paranormal investigators descends on the house to try to get to the bottom of it all.. Fast forward to the present and Lucy is grown, having moved far away from the place, vowing never to return. That is until she finds out her elderly mum has been contacted by another group looking to reopen the investigation. Will she go back to the farm and face up to what happened all those years ago? And will she survive a second time?

I’ve had this on my shelf to read for a while but now wish I’d read this sooner - The Wayward Girls is brilliant! It’s a gripping, fast-paced story of a haunting and that is my absolutely favourite type of book. I always worry that novels like this won’t be wrapped up properly and that I’ll have wasted my time but I think Mason pulls it off here. I do still have unanswered questions but on the whole I really liked the way it all came to a head and was rounded off.

The characters are all suspicious in their own ways and none are particularly likeable, though you do feel for young Loo at times. The 1976 half of the story put me in mind of The Conjuring 2 and I love that 70s vibe; when kids weren’t watched so closely and could get up to all sorts in dark and dreary houses, as a setting it works really well for a haunting. The present day storyline mixes it up a little though, so I loved the fact that the chapters jumped back and forth in time. It really added to the tension and each time I finished one I couldn’t put the book down as I wanted to read on and find out what happened!

Overall I really enjoyed it and am so glad I gave it a chance! I would’ve given it five stars had it not been for the few unanswered questions that remain but It’s a great horror/thriller that I’d definitely recommend, it is gripping!

It's great to be in a position to recommend much more diverse books to our young people at school. Building the senior school library as a place where students actually come and find books that they want to read as opposed to books that teachers think they ought to read is an important responsibility and one we take really seriously.
Books like this are such a positive move as they will appeal to a broader set of readers than we are usually attracting. Dealing with modern issues in a clear and captivating way with a strong narrative voice and characters that the students can relate to is critical as we move forwards. This book is both an intelligent and compelling read that will hold even the most reluctant reader's attention and keep them turning the pages long into the night. It keeps the reader on their toes and ensures that you give it your full attention too. I found myself thinking about its characters and events even when I wasn't reading it and looking forward to snatching kore time with it and I hope that my students feel the same. An accessible, gripping and engrossing read that I can't recommend highly enough. Will absolutely be buying a copy for the library and heartily recommending it to both staff and students.

The Wayward Girls is an eerie, enticing read where the house is just as much a character as the people in the novel. With two timelines, one following Loo and Bee as children, and one with Loo as an adult, Lucy, the constant switching back and forth builds tension and adds layers of creepiness to this mystery with a supernatural kick to it.

As usual for me with dual plot lines, I was definitely more interested in one of them than the other – this time being the ‘Then’ storyline of the sisters as children. The ‘Now’ timeline felt a bit at times like it was lacking in that spooky, haunting atmosphere that the other half had. However, towards the end, when things started ramping up, I felt both timelines were just as compelling as the other and I ended up not being able to put the book down.

Even for a certified wimp like me, this wasn’t too scary for me to read, even though it definitely was creepy and a bit unnerving at times.

Was auto approved for this and I don’t have interest in reading it. I tried it and DNFd it, so will give it a neutral rating but not write a full review at this time. If I do end up finishing it, I will come back a amend this review at a later date.

Back in 1976, Loo, her sister Bee and the rest of their family live in a run-down cottage on a secluded farm. Isolated and shunned by their neighbours, the family start experiencing unexplained noises and disturbances in the house, resulting in a group of paranormal investigators setting up camp on the farm and observing the house and the family, particularly Loo and Bee. Years later, Loo, now going by Lucy, is called back to the farm to accompany a young team of investigators who are determined to uncover the truth about the house and what really happened there.

The Wayward Girls centers around Lucy and her experiences at the farm both as a child and later as an adult. The story is told in chapters alternating between timelines focusing on Now and Then. I felt that things unravelled quite slowly for the first half of the book, and it would definitely be fitting to describe it as a slow-burner, but it was captivating and atmospheric throughout. It was impossible to guess what the truth behind the haunting was going to be, and the need for answers made it difficult to put down.

Not many paranormal/horror books have much of an effect on me. I find them entertaining, but I am rarely unsettled by them. The Wayward Girls gave me real chills and even had me hearing noises during the night – not one to read alone in the dark! The last part of the book happened rather quickly and, having finished it, I’m still not sure whether the farm was haunted or not. This could be taken as a criticism, and I’m sure some would put it down to poor writing, but I actually found that the uncertainty really added to the spine-tingling creepiness of the whole story.

Highly recommended to anyone looking for something gothic and spooky to read.

Confession - I had a nightmare reading this book! (it's that good!)
It's the 1970s, sisters tween Loo and teen Bee move - along with their three siblings - to a remote cottage in the middle of nowhere. Mum Cathy had planned what sounds like off grid living and home educating the kids. But when things don't go to plan and her husband has to work away to earn cash for the family - unexplained happenings begin. Strange knockings on the wall, marbles falling from the ceiling, chairs moving across the room. Loo and Bee are frightened and mum Cathy gets the police involved - and that's when paranormal experts enter the family's life.
Today Mum Cathy is in a nursing home and 'sees' a girl outside her window. Are the hauntings happening again? Daughter Loo, now known as Lucy, visits her mum to try to put her fears at rest. Yet she discovers another paranormal group want to find out what really happened in the 70s and Lucy, really, really doesn't want to go back to the now abandoned cottage;
Scary, tense, genuinely eery - I LOVED this.

This was a brilliantly spooky tale set over two timeframes. The narrative cleverly flipped between the girls as children and decades later, and I enjoyed the ghostly plot line that haunted both narratives. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about paranormal investigators, and this element was fascinating. The horror built to a satisfyingly dark conclusion, and I was sorry this book had to end.

DNF. I couldn't connect with this book at all and found it really hard to get into. I had high hopes for this, which is a shame.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book by Amanda Mason


a whopping 4 star read, it was so gripping, hooking and i read it within 1 day!! Such a thriller which i really enjoyed well done Amanda Mason!! Well done for writing this in such a great way!!

I really enjoyed this haunting tale of family secrets and teenage girls, with its gothic undertones. The writing is excellent, really evocative and chilling, and I could visualise the farmhouse in my head as I read. The book switches between the two timelines with ease, drifting between characters in the past and present. While I often figure out what's going on in books, this one remained a mystery until the end.

This was a good read; well-written although slightly predictable at times. It dragged a little at points. Would recommend.

I am not usually a fan of horror/thriller books. But I can safely say I loved this book, and how it made me feel. Not quite scared or on edge, but also not entirely comfortable.

The story has plenty of unexpected events and twists, without it becoming too hard to follow, and it was overall a very easy and enjoyable book to read.

With thanks to Netgalley and Bonner Zaffre

The wayward girls by Amanda Mason

I had heard so much about this book that I wanted to really enjoy this book, but sadly I found myself plodding thought it as if I was in a mudpit. The first 150 pages were good but then it just didn't hold my attention..sorry

A well-written and often sad story. This book is not my normal genre a little too creepy for me. I will read more books from this author though I enjoyed this.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

An enjoyable mystery with a paranormal twist. Takes place in a “then and now” form. Sisters Loo and Bee live with their mom and dad and siblings in a rambling farm in the 1970s. Their parents are considered “outsiders” in their small communities. The kids are home schooled, the dad’s an artist. The mom wanted an easier life, and while it seems ideal on the front, it’s doesn’t sound as easy as it looked in the idea stage.

During one summer strange things start happening in the house and before long a slew of paranormal experts and professors, reporter and a medium are on the property interviewing the family, trying to get to the bottom of the mystery.

In the present day, the mom, Cathy, is now in a care home and Loo has been called home to come and see to Cathy’s care and needs. At the same time a modern day team of university students are conducting a paranormal research investigation Loo and Cathy’s former house which has been empty for many years now.

The chapters flip back and forth between what happened back then and what’s happening present day. It’s been a while since I read it so I can’t remember too much of the intricacies of the plot. Lots of characters, can’t remember anything that particularly stood out. It was a well written mystery that kept the pages turning.

Intriguing more in the past stages for me than the present. The present day sounded like a thousand other ghost hunter books/tv shows/movies but it was interesting in comparing the temperament of adult Loo to the child Loo in the past along with how she dealt with things back then and what she’s thinking/feeling now as the recent events unfold.

There were a few twists at various points which I had already guessed, however, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the novel. The twists were believable and the errors involved human and understandable, given the circumstances. Some good family and relationship dynamics added into the mix.

All in all a very enjoyable read and definitely an author I would read again.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for approving my request to view the title.

I can’t lie.
I struggled with this.

It’s a book I’ve had since last year. I tried reading it then, but I couldn’t connect.
So I put it down intending to pick it up again. I thought it might be my mood or something as in theory this sounds like a book I would love.

Sadly, I put it down and forgot.

Again this year I promised myself I’d read my backlist of books in and out and remembered this one.

Ding dong, I had an idea. I’ll listen to it on audio.

I didn’t like the narrators voice at all. Too grinding for me. So that didn’t work.

I went back to reading it.

So many characters to retain and work out.

Ok I plodded on.

The twist.....was that it?

The writing was ok, but this story just wasn’t a good match for me.