I absolutely love the story that sets the plot in motion in this book. It's about a group of girls born without male DNA on a commune. Of course, this kind of science is highly pioneering and so considered dangerous and immoral but some. Someone later sets fire to the commune, killing the doctor who did the experiment. The girls and their parents scatter across the country and lose touch as people do. Some live in the shadows, some out loud. But when one of the moms disappears, the remaining people from the experiment must band together to find her. In the process, they reckon with their unnatural origins and what it might mean for humanity. I think if a man had written this, it would have been boys instead of girls, and this could have devolved into some kind of action book. Instead, we get nuanced, emotional characters who give complexity and depth to the narrative. Even those these women aren't completely like the rest of us, we can relate to so much of what they feel. A great, emotional read.

5 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 16 May 2021.


Perhaps my favorite book of 2021 so far.


Josephine is a med student at the University of Chicago working on parthenogenesis. Truth be told, she chose this field of study because Josephine herself is a product of parthenogenesis. Her mother Margaret was part of an unconventional medical experiment in the 70s called the Homestead. Women lived there and were able to give birth without any male DNA. Josephine was the first, Girl One.

In total, nine baby girls were conceived at the Homestead, under the watchful eye of Dr. Bellanger. By the time Girl Nine was born, things had gone sour, and all the women fled the Homestead to other places in the US, only to lose touch. Josephine and her mother had different feelings about her origin, Josephine wanted to know everything and continue Dr. Bellanger’s research. Margaret wanted to live a simple life and pretend as though the Homestead had never happened.

Then Margaret goes missing, sending Josephine on a wild goose chase around the States looking for her mother. What she learns along the way will change her ideas about the Homestead forever.

I loved this book. Every single page. Every single word. So well written and put together, it leaves you wondering what next for Josephine and her search for her mother and her past. The initial blurb about it being similar to Orphan Black is what led me to want to read this. There are similarities, but it is still very different. It is compelling, especially to see what happens when women are given power to reproduce without needing men or sperm. Crazy, possible, fabulous. Not enough adjectives to describe what a wild, fun ride with Josephine and her comrades this is.

If you love twisty looks a side of feminism, the ln girl one is for you! The entire time I was on the edge of my seat and usually when books compare them to other books I have a hard time seeing it. However girl one really is an amazing combination of orphan Black and the handmaid's tale. I easily read this book in a day

“Orphan Black meets Margaret Atwood.” Talk about unrealistic expectations.

Suffice it to say that it was an unusual story that I would only recommend to a limited number of people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

With a dab of The Girl with All the Gifts and a sprinkling of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar children, this book was a sometimes exciting fantastical buddy adventure with some road trip elements.  Like the books I mentioned that became films, I could see this book as a movie easily. 

Overall not a bad novel.  With the understanding I was reading an ARC, there were some light editing issues and it could use a little thinning out.  Also, some characters just disappeared, not sure if this was leading the way to a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well darn it! This book was so original and had such a good premise. Nine different women who all conceived a child without a man. This was done with the help of an outliner doctor, who had problems of his own.
What I found the most frustrating was this story was simply too long. I found myself constantly looking at how far I had progressed. By the time I got to the end I found myself not caring. Nine different women and their children were also difficult to follow as to who was who.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Josephine Morrow is infamously known as "Girl One" She is one of nine babies born without male DNA in the 70's and raised in a commune like structure called "The Homestead." At the start of the novel, we quickly learn tha Josephine's mother has gone missing. They had a fractured relationship and this event has caused Josephine to reflect on her old Homestead life and her true origins.

Joining up with a local reporter, she is no longer sure who she can trust as she slowly tracks down the other miracle babies . As she gets closer to the answers she seeks, she discovers that there is a killer tracking down the other girls from Homestead as well. Can she find her mother? Who can she trust? What are the real secrets behind the mysterious virgin births?

A bit of science fiction, but primarily a slow burning thriller. I recommend this book to all those interested in cults, communes, and mysteries. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the galley prior to publication in turn for a unbiased review.

This is a very interesting story. However, it does leave a lot of questions at the end. As the story revolved around Bellanger and his remarkable science project where women can reproduce without men, there was no back story to Bellanger or how his project began. Knowing that this is completely fiction, I didn't expect a lot of science behind it. However, the mere made-up explanation as to why was it that these women only had girls was never explained. None of the characters had any back story. The idea of this new science is very interesting as many animals in nature do reproduce without the need for a male species. In the end, there were more questions than answers that made me not enjoy it as much.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for letting me read this interesting ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an interesting concept - parthenogenesis. And while the concept of women reproducing without men caught my attention, this novel is really about female power and the bonds of sisterhood.

Nine women came together in the 1970s to participate in an experiment with parthenogenesis. Dr. Bellanger unlocked the secret. All 9 women had baby daughters. Now it's the 1990s and they are all grown up. Josephine, Girl One, is in medical school, thinking she wants to follow in Bellanger's footsteps when her mother goes missing. On her search, she meets and reconnects with some of her "sister" and they set off across the country to find the rest of the mother/daughter pairs. Lives will be changed, secrets will be revealed, and all the young women will find power within themselves, and learn that together they are stronger than they are apart.

"Josephine Morrow is Girl One, the first of nine “Miracle Babies” conceived without male DNA, raised on an experimental commune known as the Homestead. When a suspicious fire destroys the commune and claims the lives of two of the Homesteaders, the remaining Girls and their Mothers scatter across the United States and lose touch.

Years later, Margaret Morrow goes missing, and Josie sets off on a desperate road trip, tracking down her estranged sisters who seem to hold the keys to her mother’s disappearance. Tracing the clues Margaret left behind, Josie joins forces with the other Girls, facing down those who seek to eradicate their very existence while uncovering secrets about their origins and unlocking devastating abilities they never knew they had."

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are mine alone.

The description had me at Orphan Black..IF you like/love that show you should definitely read this book!
I could totally see this book becoming a movie or TV show, and I would absolutley watch it.

This book was a definite page turner, from the moment we meet Josie I was hooked.. and read it in one sitting, I just had to know what was going to happen next. It

Even though she hasnt spoken to her mother in about a year when she finds out from the news that her childhood home has caught fire and her mother is missing, Josie drops everything and goes home... We know from the synopsis that Josie is the first born of nine girls that were born without using sperm.. They were all famous, especially after a fire at the homestead (where they all lived) broke out and killed their doctor and one of the children, the youngest Fiona..
.
Josie knows that her mothers dissapearance has something to do with the past.. Especially after she finds some papers that her mother has hidden.. Josie decides to follow her mothers footsteps and track down the other 7 girls and their mothers that Josie grew up with.. She doesn't expect the secrets she and the others uncover about her mother and their own pasts..

I loved this book, and ill definitely be buying a physical copy when it comes out!

Girl One
by Sara Flannery Murphy
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this extraordinary book! This book is going in my favorite folder! I just can't explain how much I love this book!

This book is about nine girls that were conceived without male DNA. A scientific breakthrough lead by a doctor that the lead character, Josie or Girl One, always had loved like a father. These girls were not well received in the public. They were threatened by religious groups, bullied, and had to live in hiding most of their lives.

The doctor and the youngest girl was killed. Before that, the mothers and daughters lived together on a property away from the public. Now they were scattered.
The story starts with Josie going to find her mom. There was a fire at her mom's house and her mom is missing. A reporter says he will help her. She is reluctant but agrees. Someone is trying to kill them as they travel.

What they find as they try to find her mom, by tracking down the other girls, opens up a new world. Her life has been a lie. Her mother has lied to her. The doctor lied to her. But things will change now.

The girls have powers now. They are no longer helpless!

Girl One was a fast-paced read for me. I didn't want to put it down. The premise was unique and there were several twists and turns that I did not see coming! There was an underlying feminist thread throughout the novel, which I personally enjoyed as it was not overdone. I recommend this novel for anyone who enjoys science/tech thrillers with strong female characters.

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<p>Review copy provided by the publisher.</p>
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<p>The characters and pacey thriller voice of this one sucked me in from page one. Josie is a compelling heroine, impatient, driven, fallible. Her relationships with the other people in her life weave through this story in ways that I found compelling. I am a pretty relationship-focused writer/reader, and this one got me good.</p>
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<p>This is very much structured like a thriller--the chapters range from reasonably short to incredibly short, and there's a lot of action, a lot of suspense. The central conceit is a science fictional one: nine women have born children through parthogenesis, over the course of the 1970s, living on a commune together, visited by the scientist who is building his fame through their babies. That's the past of the story, the backstory--or half of it, because the commune burns and the surviving mothers and children scatter.</p>
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<p>The present is the 1990s, when the babies are now adult women developing talents and interests and lives of their own. Josie is the first of the babies, now a student, trying to follow in her creator's path. She is Girl One, the first of the parthogenetic births, giving interviews to talk shows and magazines as she tries to unravel the mysteries of her own existence. Both the '70s and the '90s are very well-drawn, with a perspective on each that is neither overly nostalgic nor overly cynical, and they're a perfect combination of tone for the story that begins when Josie's mother disappears and things start to get really dangerous.</p>
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<p>This book has a modern thriller focus on several major science fiction concerns of the '70s. It goes fast with a keen eye for social details. If those are things you've missed or wished would be updated--welcome, this one's for you.</p>
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I love a book that is different. This was so interesting! The blurb doesn't do it much justice, there is SO MUCH happening in this book. Lots of twists and turns, and a good climatic ending. Go read it!

First, I like to thank NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an ARC for a honest review.

When I read the summary of Girl One, I was intrigued by the tagline "Orphan Black meets Margaret Atwood in this twisty supernatural thriller about female power and the bonds of sisterhood." I will have to say that it wasn't entirely too far off. There's similarities to Orphan Black, but mainly with the sisterly bonds between the different Girls in this book. I hate calling them "girls" because in the book majority of them are in their very early 20s or late teens, and it seems reductive to call them girls when they're not. The use of calling them girls throughout the novel wasn't lost on me. It was done purposefully to diminish them as young women, young women with agency and self-worth by the other, mostly men, characters. This story isn't just about girls born without the use of sperm, but how in a world that continues to view women as objects and lesser than men. This is how these "girls" took back the narrative of their own story and refused to allow another man tell it.

We see the story unfold through Josephine Morrow's point of view. She is Girl One. She is stuck in this nostalgic world view when she thinks back on her life at the Homestead with her mother and the other girls and their mothers. Her personal opinions of their "creator", Dr. Joseph Bellanger, were colored by how favored she felt by him. She hinged her worth on following the man she considered a father and his work. She wanted to make him proud. It was interesting to see Josie's thoughts and world view shift with each bit of knowledge she discovered throughout her journey to find her mother. I enjoyed how she literally came into her own, owning her worth and how she didn't need to have the opinion of someone who betrayed not just her, but her fellow Girls and their mothers.

It's about all the girls, the ones who are the primary focal point of the novel, come into their own and how through their bonds, they were able to become stronger. I wouldn't say that this novel is very anti-man, but it does demonstrate how when we women are bit characters in something only we can do, and that is give birth. When the idea of needing a man for reproduction becomes obsolete, we see in this novel how men bulk at the idea and fight to keep their dominance in order. We saw it with the group from Kithiria, and as the story progressed, with Dr. Bellanger. I enjoyed how very much "Men ruin everything" this book was, because it wasn't too far off. One of my favorite lines throughout the novel was, "From where I stand, a lot of good things in this world are destroyed by simple men." How very true this is.

I would have liked to have a more concrete ending. I'd have liked to see Josephine, Cate, Isabelle, and Fiona go and get Emily so she was with her own. I wanted to see where Josephine's journey took her now that she left her past in ashes (literally), but perhaps that wasn't the point of the story. I did enjoy, however, the beginning of the book starting with a letter to Josie from Dr. Bellanger and ending with a letter from her mother to her best friend, Patricia. How they were both convinced that Josie was going to change the world, yet I don't think neither of them knew the extent.

This was a fun book, and all the little twists and turns kept me engaged. If you like Sci-fi, and if like where women kick ass, I'd recommend this book.

Girl One was born in 1971, the first of 9 daughters, conceived without male DNA.

She was being raised in an experimental commune called “The Homestead” with her creator, Dr. Joseph Bellanger, and the other mothers and daughters, until a suspicious fire takes two lives, and those remaining scatter across the USA, choosing to distance themselves from the experiment and each other.

In 1994, Josephine (Girl One) is studying in Chicago with the hope of following in her “father’s” footsteps, until she learns of her mother Margaret’s disappearance on the news. She returns to her mother’s home and finds that again there has been a fire, and her mother’s car and purse are there even though she is not.

The only clue to her whereabouts-a phone # for a reporter from the Kansas City Telegraph-named Thomas Abbott. With little else to go on-the pair team up to try and trace her mother’s last footsteps, taking them on a cross country road trip which leads to the other mother /daughter duos, most of who would have preferred to stay hidden.

And, many new discoveries which will have them question if they are indeed, just ordinary or extraordinary young women.

Every so often I am intrigued by a plot which changes or challenges the status quo of society so this caught my attention.

I was surprised to discover that it was not Dystopian but rather, set in the past where this concept would have some in society observing this experiment and others wanting to record what happened, but most FEARING the ramifications of not needing men to conceive or fathers in their traditional family roles.

But despite my interest, I found the pace slow-bogged down by long chapters and most of the revelations being shared through conversations rather than any action especially in the first half!

The pace picked up some in the second half, but I never found myself fully invested in this one-I had not connected with the characters enough to care about the outcome.

Still, books resonate differently with each of us, and I encourage you to read several reviews to see if this might be a better fit for you. This was another buddy read with DeAnn, so be sure to watch for her perspective in her (always wonderful) review !

I would like to thank the publisher for providing a gifted copy through NetGalley!
It was my pleasure to provide a candid review!

Available June 1, 2021

I really liked this premise! This had very interesting ideas with parthenogenesis and developing mysterious powers. The general mysteries of where Josie's mother has gone and what actually happened at Homestead were enjoyable to follow. The writing was pretty easy to read. I did guess some things but not all!

I did like how this has a found family of sorts with the Girls! It's great to see them discover strength in each other. There are some lesbian characters, so it was nice to see that representation. Josie is a pretty solid main character. I liked how dedicated she is to finding her mother. Along the way, she definitely has to deal with situations being different from what she thinks, so this was very satisfying to see how she comes to terms with this. The side characters were decent, but I do think that several of the Girls and their Mothers blend together.

Unfortunately, I did find myself getting bored at times. There's a lot of repetitive traveling around to see different Mother/Girl pairs, and I did start to lose interest as the book progressed. It also took longer than I expected for the supernatural parts to come in. I was a little disappointed with this because I thought that this would be more prevalent throughout the book. I also didn't love that the powers the Girls develop come about after being threatened by men.

While this wasn't a perfect book for me, I still had a good time with it overall.

I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.

My video review can be seen on my channel (around minutes 3:36-6:32 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuF4y7WfGZY

So, the whole "Orphan Black meets Handmaid's Tale" is not where I would have gone. I would've said "Orphan Black as written by Gillian Flynn, with a dash of Umbrella Academy (the show, not the comic)." I like books where there are obvious twists that are meant to make you the reader think you're smart and then, twist, oh, did you think you were smart? Whereas everything that surprises the main character makes perfect sense for that character. Anyway, stayed up all night with it and now I must sleep. Great job.

This was a wild, weird, Orphan Black-feeling book that I really enjoyed. Murphy did a fantastic job creating a rabbit hole of a world that grabbed me early on and left me chasing around for answers as frantically as her characters... The pacing occasionally slowed more than I wanted, with description outweighing action, but there were secrets and lies and science and red herrings everywhere and I really enjoyed watching it all unfold!

I loved this book! So unique and interesting. It was a great adventure. I really hope there will be a sequel!