Disclosure: I received a free audiobook to review. Post contains referral links; I may earn credit if you click on the link. Opinions shared are mine.

The Temple House Vanishing was the book version of “It was a dark and stormy night.” Think of it as Mean Girls, elite Catholic boarding school style. Of course, you’d expect tons of angsty drama, cliques, and major crushes on the cute young art teacher.

Readers who didn’t grow up in the 1990s might not understand how different things were in that era. Adults were trusted simply because they were in authority — not because they were particularly trustworthy. In The Temple House Vanishing, author Rachel Donahue brings into focus the social and economic differences between Louisa and her peers. Louisa has a strong voice within the academic bounds, while she has no voice within her own family. It’s a strong statement that mostly feels refreshing and unique. In an alternate timeline, a journalist catches wind of a mystery and dedicates herself to finding out what happened.

I listened to this on audiobook at 1.3x speed, thanks to Libro.fm. It took a long time for the story to pick up pace. In a way, it felt like that mirrored Louisa’s drifting life. It was a good debut and I’d read more from this author if given the opportunity.