In St. Augustine, Florida, Wellwood Home stands, a home for unwed mothers, where girls are hidden away by their families so they can have their babies, put them up for adoption and everyone can forget the horrible sin they committed, and the families don't need to live with the shame of having a loose daughter.

Fern arrives at Wellwood Home on the summer of 1970 and is promptly abandoned there by her father, there she meets lots of other girls in her same predicament, like Rose, a hippie that insist she will keep her baby and have a home far away from the society that shuns them, Zinnia, a musician that knows she will go back home and marry her baby daddy and Holly, a mute girl barely 14 years old, pregnant by a stranger.

The home is oppressive, the rules too hard, and the girls are treated barely better than criminals. No one cares how they feel, no cares of this is the very first experience they have of strangers having access to their bodies… They were loose enough to get themselves “in trouble”, so anything that happens to them is their own fault.

So when they find a witchcraft book that promises to give them power, to finally give them the control over their lives and bodies, they take it without questions. Even if the price to pay for the power is more steep than they believe.


This is such a powerful book.
I am a huge Hendrix fan, so of course I was very excited when I got this book and I have to say that it did not disappoint.

I was expecting the descriptions and the gory details, I was expecting the dreadful horrors… I was not expecting for this story to resonate so much. And there lies the true horror of this book. People, you better ready your hearts because this book will scratch you up inside and it will hurt. The disrespect, the medical violence, the audacity of everyone treating these girls the way they do, controlling them, manipulating them, lying to them… It made me seethe, it nauseated me, it filled me with rage.

I have to be frank and say that many times I struggled reading from Fern's POV. Many of her choices are questionable, but then I had to take a step back and think that she is just a 15-year-old girl, a scared girl, an abandoned girl, a dirty shameful secret… And then I was feeling her powerlessness and how scared she was, and in all that you could understand her deep desperation to endure this ordeal so that everything can go back to “normal”.

This was a tough read, but I loved it, it is a well crafted story, it has enough horror to please the fans and a very realistic ending that hurts, but it's satisfying.

I'm quickly becoming a fan of Hendrix's horror style, so it was a no-brainer I was going to enjoy this.

The story follows Fern in the 1970's after she's been banished out of society's sight to a secluded 'Home' where pregnant unmarried teenagers give birth. I found the political insight into this generation of missing mothers really interesting, and for the first part of the novel, enjoyed it enough to completely forget about the witchy magic coming up. When things started to get deeper into the witchcraft, I found myself thinking how much I preferred the novel without it. I saw a review saying this would've been better as a literary fiction, and I am inclined to agree. It had enough legs to stand on as a literary fiction, whereas the coven of witches felt vague and unexplored in comparison.

Fern lacked as a main character until the last quarter of the novel, however characters such as Holly and Rose kept things interesting and the pace fast with their stories and fierceness. All the girls serve as harrowing depictions of our everyday lives, no matter the time period, and are uncomfortably relatable in their grief and rage. In comparison to others, Fern appeared almost dissociative of the whole experience until the last quarter - however this may have been intentional given how traumatising living in the Home must have been. In a time where women's rights are under siege, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a shining spotlight on why women's stories matter, no matter how much they deviate from the narrative of what is expected of us.

One thing to say about Hendrix, however, is how well they write gory horror. Whether you have a phobia of pregnancy and childbirth or not, this novel is not for the faint hearted when it comes to descriptions of birth and body horror. It would be impressive, if I was not reading with one eye closed!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to review! All opinions are my own :)

With his usual dry humour, excellent description and gripping horror story this is Hendrix at the top of his game.

Grady Hendrix has recently become one of my auto buy authors - Horrorstor and The Southern Bookclub's guide to vampire slaying were absolutely epic so I had to request this book on Netgalley when I saw it.

I'm a recent horror convert, but I've come to love to adrenaline rush from speeding through the chapters where the final combat or conflict is happening. However, when the Southern Bookclub book got to a part where the character had literal insects crawling on them and then IN REAL LIFE a spider fell onto my face - I was a little bit freaked out to say the least. It added an entirely new dimension to the writing I was engrossed in.

I loved witchcraft for wayward girls nearly as much, and honestly the only thing holding me back from giving this book five stars was the face that I think it was slightly mis-genre'd (not a word). Pesonally, I'd class this book as a spooky witchcraft book with a dash of horror, not an entirely horror book itself.

Don't get me wrong I love that genre of books too - spooky witchcraft is the vibe of my life, and not just around Halloween. But being told this was a horror did make me feel like I was waiting for the big bad to jump out of the shadows at me, and nothing really hit the levels of horror-film vibes as I've got in Grady Hendrix's other novels. It hit 'eerie thriller' at the max maybe.

But it was a great read, aside from that issue. Seeing girls in the 60s who are pregnant and unmarried and what they had to go through at the time felt especially relevant in today's political climate. It fuelled my feminist rage.

The twists and manipulations they bombard these girls with to convince them that they're unfit and shouldn't keep their own babies was frustrating to say the least. And so many characters were built so well they all felt very 3d, with their own failings and good parts to make them seem especially real to me.

Honestly, if I were in the situation these girls were in, I could see the appeal that the witchcraft held to them too. The power that they had stripped of them in life, returned to them in a very different way.

This is a perfect read for someone looking for a feminist, witchy, and spooky read to sink into in the colder months. Just don't expect it to be at the super scary level of horror.

The Wellwood House for Unwed Mothers is home to multiple girls who are expecting a baby. All of them have been sent there to have their child, give it up for adoption, and then go back home and act like nothing happened. Wellwood House has seen more than its fair share of teenagers, and when Fern arrives, she’s just another Jane Doe to be added to a long list of Doe’s before her.

It’s 1970 and the middle of summer in Florida. Despite the situation she’s in, Fern finds friends amongst the other girls, all trying to make their time at the home pass as quickly as possible. Under strict control by the adults, no real names or details about their lives back home are to be shared. Remaining anonymous leaves them free to return to their lives afterwards, and so each girl is named after flowers or plants.

Each day is the same, until Fern meets a librarian, who gives her a book that is not so innocent as it would like to appear to be. From then on, Fern and her friends are quick to snatch the power available, unawares of the true cost of it. Every debt must be paid, because power like this doesn’t come for free.

This was my first Grady Hendrix book. I’ve had a few of his books on my TBR for ages, and when I received an ARC of this, I knew it was finally time to dive into one of his books.

It started off so well, really sucking me in and giving me all the details I needed about the house, the time it was set, and the people who helped run it. I was so invested in what was to come, sure this was going to be my next 5 star read. Except the middle was a slog. Everything seemed to slow right down to a point I considered DNF-ing. Instead, I skim read until it picked up again because I needed to know the ending, and a big chunk had to be skimmed to get near it.

The ending felt in the same tone as the beginning, but it wasn’t enough for me to have really enjoyed this book and forgiven the middle. I finished the book with very mixed feelings, because it started so well, with the middle such a let down, and the ending being just okay. I wanted a lot more from it, going into it with high hopes, but it just didn’t deliver unfortunately.



Did I like the book? Overall, no.

Did I love it? In the beginning.

Would I recommend it? If you’ve read and enjoyed any of his previous books, then maybe. If not, no.

Loved this book! Grady Hendrix is a master of the slow burn horror genre.
I’ve only read one of his books previously (My Best Friend’s Exorcism) and I loved that so I went into this with high expectations and it did not disappoint!

I have read so many Grady Hendrix books before and when I got the ARC of his latest novel, which will be released next year, I was so ecstatic!

The Witchcraft of Wayward Girls follows the story set in 1970--when abortion was illegal and underage pregnant girls were whisked to a place in Florida called The Home run by a Miss Wellwood. Neva is one of those girls when she was dropped off to the Home. Her name was changed to Fern and she meets other girls who are like herself--Holly, Zinnia and Rose. Miss Wellwood basically controls everything in the house--from what the girls eat to what the girls should do and read. When Fern comes across a book about the witchcraft, Fern and the three girls decide to use some of the spells mentioned in the book. The spells became successful but then while using these spells, comes a price as well...

This was quiet an interesting read actually. Nearly half of the book describes about the girls' life in the house, particularly when they were forced to give up on their babies and controlling the things that they should eat and do. But when the girls start coming across the witchcraft book then things started to get interesting. Though the whole story was fictional, the situation that these girls faced when they become pregnant out of wedlock and underage was emotionally disturbing--the child birth scenes are also a bit disturbing to read as well. I am not sure if the early 1970's were like that mentioned in the book but nonetheless, the author had done some research about the life of girls in the 1970's. In my opinion, this was one of the author's best books. This book portrays about how society has a way of dictating and controlling the women's life in every possible way which makes it also sad that it used to be like that back in the early 1970's.

Above all, besides the emotional and disturbing parts, there were funny parts as well. Though it is a horror book, there wasn't much scary or jump scare moments in the book in my opinion.

I enjoyed reading this book and give 4 stars to this book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I really love Grady Hendrix as a writer so was excited to get an early copy of this new book. A group of teenage girls are taken to a home for unmarried mothers by their parents when they fall pregnant. The plan is to tell people at home they're at summer camp or wherever, the babies will be given up for adoption and they will return home like nothing has happened. The girls aren't treated well in the home and they are given a book by a mysterious woman that leads them down the path of witchcraft. It's a fun concept and there are some really good moments in this book but it's quite long drawn out and not as gripping as it should be at times. It's still a decent read though not the best I've read by this author.

I previously read and enjoyed Grady Hendrix's books so when I came across this one, I immediately requested it. Grady Hendrix's synopses are always so interesting and make you want to pick up the book. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is about teenage unwed pregnant girls who are sent to a home and anonymously give birth and continue with their lives. In a way, this home offers these girls a second chance. I found the pacing of this book to be slower than his other novels. While the plot was interesting, I was expecting more witchy elements. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I think that this particular story wasn't quite for me. However, if you liked the author's previous works, I definitely recommend giving this one a try as well. Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor Nightfire for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Firstly thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this book early. It's actually my first book by Grady Hendrix and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author after this fantastic book.

This book is about unwed pregnant young girls in the 1970's.The young girls are sent away to a home for Weyward girls, where they give birth and then return to their families like nothing happened, a second chance at life. Their children adopted to others families more worthy to bring up.

We follow these girls as they develop friendships,
try to help one another face their problems.
Part way through the book the MFC Fern discovers a book for witches and they try to take some power back against the situation they find themselves in.

I found this book both heartwarming and heartbreaking and full of feminine rage with an undercurrent of witchy vibes.

I found Grady's writing style, unique plot and storytelling remarkable. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and their back stories, especially Fern, Rose and Ms Parcae.

The book initial pacing is quite slow but still has the power to drag you in from the start. But once the pace picks up you won't be able to put it down.

I don't want to give anything away, so there you have it, you just need to read it for yourself!

I've heard that Grady Hendrix can be quite hit-or-miss as an author and I've definitely found that to be the truth in my case too - with the 3 books I've read being a 5 star, a 3 star and now a DNF. This could have been such a different experience for me had I felt any kind of connection to the characters in here. They fell very flat - particulary our main character, Fern and I had a difficult time distinguishing between characters because their voices didn't feel unique enough. I know Grady Hendrix can write teenage relationships and drama well; I've seen it in My Best Friend's Exorcism. I know he can make me feel tense and on edge like he did in The Final Girl Support Group. So why were those things lacking so much here? Not to mention, the first 30% is incredibly slow, which left me feeling no desire to go back into the story and cementing my decision to DNF. Overall, a big miss for me.

At once surprisingly original and comfortingly familiar, this fantasy-horror is akin to a young-adult version of the Handmaid's Tale.
A school where pregnant mothers can give birth - and 'cleanse' themselves - in anonymity. The girls who don't have anything to go back to, and the magic they find.
What I liked: the girls themselves. Most of them are fiery, brave amidst the horrors of their lives, and determined to make it out alive. The camaderie between them, eventually, was nice to read about.
What could've been better: the role of the magic in the story felt a bit forced, because it didn't do anything except fill the space between the girls' birthing. Also, for a book about childbirth, it had a very strongly anti-childbirth stance that some readers might find uncomfortable to read about. Additionally, the one coloured character in here felt a lot like she was thrown in for the sake of it - I really wanted to like her and was glad to see the representation but as the book progressed the more it felt like she was underdeveloped compared to the other side characters.

Ooh this is so good

The first section of the book set up the story of a group of girls and utterly powerless in a mother and baby Home in the 60s it’s very naturalistic and immediately got my attention. As the book progresses the magical reality is added as the girls tired of their repression meets the local witch and learn some spells which ultimately get out of hand.
I’m a little worried that some of the pregnancy timeline advice is incorrect whilst this may have come from 60s centric books I think it’s important that we don’t give incorrect advice perhaps without meaning to some readers might take the advice literally for example there are comments about bloodstained vagina discharge and itching both of which are not normal signs in pregnancy and medical help should be sought
I like the fact that the story is timed around a pregnancy. There’s an element of the story gestating and coming to fruition along with the main characters pregnancy
The scene with the fingernails made me feel physically sick and I’m a doctor
The birth scenes, however very accurate descriptions of normal birth and shoulder dystopia very real
What a brilliant ending the book is tied up so perfectly in the last chapter which whizzes along at a million miles and a minute and ties it all together perfectly
Reading this book I never imagined from moment that the author was a man probably add to its triumph as it really is a female voice
The timing of this book is perfect as the USA repeals Roe versus wade and young women again face the possibility unwanted pregnancies having to go to term and facing the possibility of having to handover their newborns at birth
I read a copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published on the 16th of January 2025 by Pan McMillan.

This review would appear on NetGalley UK Goodreads, Storyville and my book blog bionicSarahsbooks.wordpress.com. after publication it will also appear on Amazon UK.

1970s. Florida. Unwed pregnant children and trauma. So much trauma. And so much room for the kind of hell and fury promised from scorned women (children, I must stress AGAIN). What a sad and frustrating book.

I wanted more witchery.

Like, Grady Hendrix, I love your campy style of horror but please can you not write on things that you will not provide a satisfy resolution for. The premise was there. The characters had a lot of potential. As a mother, I found a lot of the worries relatable. And yet, I did not get the kind of ending I needed. It was just sad. And real. Too real.

He’s done it again!!!

Grady always knocks it out of the park for me and this was no exception. The atmosphere, the setting, the girls and their bid for revenge was nothing short of fantastic writing. It’s interesting to read about places like this in a fiction setting as even though they were popular back in 50s and 60s you never really come across them in books so it was refreshing to read the struggles and how girls were forced to get rid if they got pregnant (after they’ve gone through the hardship of pregnancy and birth!)

I can’t wait to see what Grady brings out next

Unwed pregnant girls need to be invisible from the society and give up their children for adoption.
These same girls go through hell before, during and after their pregnancies.

Themes 5/5
Writing 4/5
The congregation of horror-fantasy and societal issues is a great take.

I wanted to love this book; I feel like there is a book in this which I would have loved. The pacing is slow for my tastes. We are introduced to the many girls in their new accommodation, which established the setting and tone, however I wish there were more and clearly-defined character arcs, clearly distinguishable characters and the horror mix happened sooner.

Despite finding the pacing slow at times, I found the overall book gripping, and was engaged with the topics and the experiences of the characters.

CW: multiple warnings; read the list provided by the publisher before you go into this book. I found the majority of the depictions suitable for the story.

I had to take a couple of days to fully process all the emotions I felt while reading this book (that literally started with the first line I read). Because I got angry SO many times. And I sobbed like a baby reading the last chapter. I also laughed a lot and a few scenes grossed me out but hey, it's horror. I wouldn't have it any other way. As a summary, I would say this is a 5-star read.

Because I got an early copy of this book, I get to write this review in 2024. This is the year when what's, in my opinion, one of the best movies I've ever seen was released: The Substance. And this book reminded me of the movie in quite a few ways. The main one? This book, the same as the movie, wears its theme on its sleeve. Subtlety won't be found here. The few quotes that open the book make it crystal clear and I love that. I don't mind having to think a bit more when reading a book. I love reading between the lines or guessing if there's more than the superficial meaning to whatever message a book is sending. However, I also like it when it's obvious and straight to the point. And I think with a topic such as the one covered in this book, subtlety isn't needed. We all know what we're talking about.

In this book, we find a Home for unwed teenage girls who are pregnant. And right from the beginning, we get the clear message that what matters is them being unwed. That's the scary part, not a little girl having to face a pregnancy she's not ready for at such a young age. If she was married...all good. You just can't be subtle when it comes to something like that. And I say all of this because I know some people misunderstand (sometimes on purpose) Grady Hendrix's books due to the lack of subtlety or the satire. I love them because of that, amongst many other things. One of them is the camp element this book has too.
But back to the topic. We have all these teenage girls being sent to the Home where they'll stay until they give birth and that baby will be given to a married couple who they're told can look after the baby like they can't. The girls, of course, are not asked whether they want things to happen that way. They're sinners so who cares about their opinions? I could write so many quotes I highlighted while reading...but some will be a spoiler. What's not a spoiler, because reading the premise of the book makes it clear, is that this book is about body autonomy and how women's bodies have always been controlled. How they're still controlled. The quotes that open the book show us very old quotes...and one from 2005. We all know what's happening right now in many countries, not just the US. And it's all infuriating.

So we got the criticism of how women's bodies are policed, the commentary about the hypocrisy of how a wedding ring on the right finger makes a situation change completely, ...but what else is covered in this book? Well, very obviously the lack of sex education. How many of those pregnancies could have been avoided if the girls knew how their bodies actually work? Most of them. The narrator says it "we were too young to understand" and those who should have helped them just demonise them for something so natural. Their sin had to be hidden and then forgotten. And whatever effect that had on the girl's mental health was irrelevant, of course.
So those girls found themselves together in the Home and, naturally, they bonded. They asked questions that everyone refused to answer and so they found in magic and witches the only way to try and find answers and solutions. But every action has a consequence. And here's where the witchy part of the book comes. As a 90's kid, I couldn't stop comparing this to another movie: The Craft. Those teenage girls also used magic to try and fit in or to solve problems. But soon found out it's not so easy. Also, as a 90's kid, I grew up wanting to become a witch so that nostalgia element also added another aspect I loved to the book.

The topic of adoption is also a tricky one when it comes to that time in history. All the babies that were taken from their mothers against their will or the ones who were robbed cannot be forgotten. Pretending the mother didn't exist or that she was a Jane Doe doesn't solve the problem. Done right, adoption is 100% the best way to help children get a better life and for some couples to be able to raise a child. It wasn't done right in the Home portrayed in this book.
Also, I don't think anyone barbaric enough to support surrogacy can read this book and enjoy it.

I don't think I've ever written a review where my thoughts were so scattered but it's how this book genuinely makes me feel. In the best way possible. Also, I have to give credit to Grady Hendrix for writing this story this way. Had I not known who the author was, I would have assumed it was a woman. Yes, a man can write about female experiences and a woman can write about male experiences. They just have to know what they're talking about and be respectful.

I felt that the story had a lot of potential but it couldn't really deliver fully. The premise was scary enough because of how real it was, and the historical aspects made it truly terrifying before the addition of any supernatural elements. I did find the book a bit slow and wasn't sure about the need of certain scenes and descriptions which didn't seem to add anything to the book except some shock value.

4-4.5 stars.
My first Grady Hendrix and it did not disappoint.
This is the story of a group of young women/girls, brought together at a home for unwed mothers-to-be, where they are hidden away until they’ve given birth, surrendered their babies for adoption and can be returned to their families as if nothing has happened. Until (there’s always an until…) one of the girls is given a book on witchcraft by a travelling librarian and all hell breaks loose.
This was a gripping mix of southern gothic horror, female rage, and social commentary. The character portrayal and development was excellent - my only (small) criticism is that some of the strong, minor characters, such as Zinnia and Miriam, could have been a little more developed and given bigger roles. I could have done with a little less technical description in the ‘giving birth’ scenes: “Using chromic catgut 000, Dr Jensen took a curved cutting needle and used four interrupted sutures to close the incision in the patient’s levator ani muscle. Then he put three running sutures of the same catgut in the bulbocavernous sphincter…” You get the idea. There was also a scene where the girls are being terrorised by an unknown presence outside the house and the author decided to capitalise all the noises: “ Nurse Kent started toward the front door. She passed under the chandelier, then the silent fan in the hall, and was about to disappear from view when the banging SLAMMED to life, front doors RATTLING in their frame, knobs SHAKING frantically back and forth, someone POUNDING to get in … The KNOCKING turned into BANGING, whatever was outside DRUMMING on the door, SHAKING it in a rage” etc etc. A minor point but IRRITATING, Mr Hendrix. These small gripes aside though, I thought this was a compelling page-turner of a horror/witchy read.
I’m not a massive fan of body horror, so the birth scenes, and a couple of other scenes where the girls and house are under attack, made me a little uncomfortable, but overall I found the ‘gore’ bearable - if you are really creeped out or triggered by pregnancy/giving birth, then you might want to give this a miss.

Overall, a gripping, spooky, thoroughly compelling read.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is an intense read. We follow Neve as she moves into Wellwood House for the final few months of her pregnancy. Neve is immediately given a new name, Fern, because girls here aren’t allowed to use their real names, or speak about their lives back home.

We’re introduced to the other girls, almost too many to keep track, and learn a little about how they came to be at Wellwood. They’re all pregnant and unwed, and absolutely will not be taking their babies back home with them.

The one thing Fern looks forward to whilst in the home is the book mobile, the travelling library that visits once every couple of weeks in the summer. One day, she leaves the library with a copy of “How To Be A Groovy Witch”, and the rest is history.

Fern and her friends are thrust into a world of which they have little understanding, and all they really want is to use their newfound powers to finally be free.

The book features some pretty gruesome descriptions of pregnancy and labour, which are even more horrifying when you remember that these girls still just kids.