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.

Going to preface this that it's probably worth checking trigger warnings before reading this book as it deals with some heavy subjects that could be triggering to folks. I also went into this thinking wooo new Grady Hendrix horror about witches and not even needing to read a summary and being a bit turned around by the setting/scenario itself.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls centers on a house where parents send their children to carry their out-of-wedlock babies to term, have them adopted out and return home as of nothing ever happened. We follow Neva a.k.a Fern (all girls get given a new name to hide their identities at the house) who was unwillingly brought to the home. Here she meets others such as Rose, Zinnia & Holly and together they form a coven after receiving a copy of 'How To Be A Groovy Witch'. They test it out on reversing morning sickness on an uncaring doctor and things escalate from there involving bargains made and debts to pay.

Overall, despite this not being the book I expected from the title, I did enjoy the read and it flowed really well. There's also a rather poignant remark in the epilogue which makes this book a rather relevant read especially in the States. I struggled to put it down but I did look away and have to skip a few scenes. This felt a bit more serious than Hendrix's other books though it was still definitely in his style.

Not enough witchcraft! Grady Hendrix has become a must-read author a while ago so naturally I was excited about his new book. Alas, just like his previous novel, How to Sell a Haunted House (which I didn’t like), this one has a great title and sounds good on paper, but the execution is poor and disappointing.

Hendrix focuses mostly on a group of teenage pregnant girls and witchcraft seems like an afterthought and it’s not really explored. I’m not sure whether I feel the way I feel about this book because I have just had my baby a few weeks ago, but I can’t enjoy long, exaggerated, graphic - and vastly unrealistic / simply silly - scenes of birth written by a man who just wants to shock his readers. The characters, including our protagonist Fern, are stereotypical, one dimensional and not very memorable. I did like the ending and what Hendrix did there, though.

Still, I will look forward to whatever he writes next, because I do like his writing and I'm always curious about his ideas.

Finally a Hendrix book I enjoyed almost as much as The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires!

I do think pacing-wise it could have been tighter. There were definitely some slow spells (pun intended, of course) but, overall, what a wonderful and empowering read. As in Southern Book Club, the real strength of this story is in the fantastic cast of characters and the dialogue between them. They absolutely drive the book, carrying it through any slower periods and making it necessary for me to find out what happens to them.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is set in 1970 and is a fabulous indictment of slut-shaming, religious hypocrisy and the homes for unwed mothers that used to be commonplace-- what Fern calls "a machine that took in wayward girls and put out adoptable babies". These were horrific places, with high rates of abuse, where young women and girls were bullied into repenting their sins and handing over their babies to wealthy couples.

(I should probably say at this point that the book contains grisly and gruesome depictions of pregnancy and labour and is not one I’d recommend for those currently pregnant.)

What I especially loved (and hated with a blinding fury) about Southern Book Club that I think this book also captures is what it feels like to be dismissed, to be powerless and have more powerful figures talk over you and make decisions without your input. Fern, Rose, Zinnia and Holly have been let down. By their families, by their church, by the whole stupid system. When dabbling in witchcraft offers them the chance to reclaim some control over their lives... well, wouldn't you take it?

While Hendrix doesn’t explicitly mention the recent attack on reproductive rights in the US, he throws in a mention of how these horrific homes disappeared after Roe. Ultimately, the true villain of this book is any person, church or government that believes they have a right to make decisions about women's bodies.

So I thought this was a great book. Very emotional and empathetic, often funny, occasionally scary, with villains almost as complex as the heroines.

Unfortunately this book was a big miss for me. The first 30% was so slow that i was debating putting the book down. Towards the end it definitely improved but overall i just don't think the storyline was gripping or fast paced enough for me, especially not for a horror/thriller. It felt more like a historical drama about how horrific life was for unwed pregnant girls in the 70s.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, the first I have read from this author! I would recommend to friends but make sure to read trigger warnings first.

Witches huh? Not normally my thing, but I'll give it a go...

...and I'm glad I did!

To be honest, I'm still not sure how important the witch part really was. Sure, there are spooky goings on as some young girls get involved in witchcraft, but the more powerful aspect of the narrative is the horribly real indignities and injustices visited on these young women due to them being unmarried and pregnant in the late 60s/early 70s. The girls are sent to a home for the 'wayward' to have their children, with their babies being put up for adoption and passed on at birth.

The book doesn't really feel like a horror for the most part, but is full of real-world horrors. There's a warts and all description of child-birth that I've noted other reviewers think is too much, especially as the author is a man, but for me, there was huge power in this scene and it was a fundamental part of this story.

The author's gender is interesting actually. I didn't know much about Grady Hendrix and assumed it was a man before reading. But during the book, I started to think it might be a female author. I've seen others suggest the same thing, which I guess is a real compliment to Hendrix's ability to write women.

The book isn't perfect; I found some of the characters a little one-dimensional and the supporting girls in the house all melded into one for me, even though I think I was meant to know recognise some of them. But the main characters such as Fern, Rose, Miss Parcae and Hagar, were all excellently drawn.

Humorous, dark, emotional and powerful, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls packed a real punch.

Description:
Fern's a teenager in 1970, pregnant and unwed. Her family ship her off to a home to wait out her pregnancy and adopt out the baby without bringing them (more) shame. But the home and the heat are oppressive, and soon Fern and her friends are getting involved in matters beyond their comprehension...

Liked:
As a historical novel it feels both realistic and horrific - the absolute hypocrisy of the society these girls exist in is all-pervasive and well explored. There's an intrinsic body horror element to the premise and this is explored pretty fully: it's a lot. The sense of place is great and the oppressive atmosphere and weather are well realised. There aren't many books where I can see the main characters utterly damning themselves and feel like I'd probably do the same in their position... this is one of them. A few of the characters were sinister but nuanced in ways which hinted at depth.

Disliked:
This didn't feel particularly well-constructed... the plot bumbles along from one catastrophe to the next. You could argue that that's representative of the girls' situation, but it doesn't make for particularly satisfying reading. There were A LOT of characters and most of them were almost completely unfleshed out, including the aforementioned ones with hints of depth, who'd I'd honestly have loved to have learned more about.

Would recommend. This is my first Grady Hendrix and I was expecting something a lot less substantial, if I’m honest. This is pulpy, for sure, but the historical grounding makes it feel much more worthwhile. It’s an easy and quick read - worth checking out.