Outstanding! A little slow in the beginning, possibly because I went into the book with some trepidation. The subject matter, women having babies without men? I was concerned it would be all scientific or just stupidly off the wall. It was fantasy thriller for me. Had witchcraft and lots of mystery and edge of my seat moments. So glad I picked this book up. I did end up reading it non-stop. It was very absorbing and a great escape. Very much a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

GIRL ONE's comp is Orphan Black and it fits the story so well. I requested the book because of that since there are two things that make me read a book is robots and clones.

The novel is set in the 90s which gives the story a lot of beats. There is the constant need for pay phones when cell phones weren't readily available at the time. There is the inability to check up on people and their addresses because smartphones aren't around. CCTV isn't widely distributed so a lot of actions by some of the characters can't be tracks. But most important, cloning. The story about Dolly the sheep being born as a clone was in the late 90s so setting this in the early 90s was rather awesome.

There are a few things that were predictable but they didn't bug me. They're mostly spoilers so I'm not going to mention them there.

By the time you get halfway through, you start to wonder how it's going to end. This book could have been made into a duology but I prefer its one book premise. Though I was a little let down by the ending (more of its abruptness than anything else), I wouldn't have been able to sit through a dragged down, tedious book 2 to get to the story's conclusion.

Girl One is the fascinating book of women having babies without any biological help from men.
The daughters of those women and their mothers, and the lives they led after escaping from the mastermind of the doctor that created them.
It will blow your mind at the possibility.

I loved everything about this book. Fast-paced, powerful girls, mystery, sci-fi, excellent writing, interesting characters, and feminist AF.

I’ve seen “Girl One” compared to “The Power” in a few reviews — IT IS BETTER

This would be an excellent book club pick.

* longer IG review TK on @leavemetomybooks in late May, closer to pub date

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read and review this book.

When I started, I will admit that I wasn’t sure I would be able to get into the story as this usually is not my genre or type of story. But I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself really getting involved in Girl Ones story and life. I loved the way each character brought more back story and we got to see them all come together and empower each other. Definitely worth picking up even if it’s not your usual type of read.

This is a great book. I was hooked by the first chapter mainly due to the author’s superb writing style. Lots of scientific detail made me this novel both interesting and entertaining. Lots of twists and turns and nail biting suspense made this a solid read for me, highly recommend!

This was my favorite read of 2020! A hybrid of genres with a healthy serving of Orphan Black, Black Mirror feels and Girl One mixes Sci-Fi, Feminism, Gender roles, Family, Motherhood and Cults into a giant pot of thriller soup. The story begins with idea of Parthenogenesis, or women giving birth without the DNA input of men, no longer out of reach for humans. Murphy brings to life the scientific principles of this genetic "miracle" to 9 human women who each give birth to a daughter. These women begin raising their daughters in a commune until a shocking event tears them apart and scatters the family pairs across the US. When Girl One's mother goes missing, she leaves her life in Chicago to investigate her disappearance and find her mother, stumbling across fracturing secrets, betrayals and uncovering even more questions about what really took place on the Homestead. Girl One, Josephine Morrow, reacquaints herself with her "sisters" AND with a complex past which helps her come to terms with her even more complicated present. I couldn't put this book down, was constantly on the edge of my seat, poised to learn about the fate of the Homestead Miracle Girls. This book immediately needs to be made into a comic book series, and movie or TV series. Murphy's ideas are absolutely made to be available in multiple forms of media!

I was provided with an electronic copy of Girl One in return for an honest review. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this title and absolutely cannot wait to devour Sara Flannery Murphy's other titles....and probably to immediately re-read Girl One!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Let's start with the cover. I honestly don't like it, but that's just me being picky / particular I suppose. I just feel like they could have been a bit more creative with it.

This was my first book by this author, so I wasn't too sure of what to expect from them.
I was pleasantly surprised, honestly.
I love books that utilize commune / cult / etc types of settings, so when I saw the summary for this book, I just knew I had to read it.
Their writing style is great.
The storyline flowed easily and was easy to follow.
The plot idea was fairly unique. I personally haven't read anything like it.
The characters were well-developed and easy to relate to or like.

I'll definitely be looking out for other work by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for sending me an ARC of Girl One in exchange for an honest review.

Josephine “Josie” Morrow, known to the world as “Girl One,” was born in 1971 as the first person conceived with only DNA from her mother. Over the next few years, Dr. Joseph Bellanger brought eight more “Miracle Babies” into the world, from eight other women, on a farm known as The Homestead. But in 1977, one of the Mothers died, and then others began to move away, until tragedy struck and Dr. Bellanger and the youngest Girl were killed—and his research lost—when an arsonist burned down The Homestead.

In 1994, when this story takes place, Josie is now a first-year medical student, planning to try to rediscover her father figure’s research. But when her mother disappears under suspicious circumstances, Josie’s search will lead her on a cross country trip and reunite her with the other surviving Girls and Mothers. Along the way, Josie learns new information that challenges her beliefs about everyone, including herself, who was at The Homestead—and what really happened there—all those years ago.

To say anything more specific would spoil this entertaining thriller. Josie, the first-person narrator, is a fully developed character with a distinctive voice: wary, inquisitive, confused as things she accepted as fundamental truths are turned upside down. The sexual tension between her and her love interest is very well written. The story is long but well plotted, with new characters introduced consistently throughout to provide new information and/or place old information into a new context. There’s a good mix of scenes built on dialogue and action set pieces, and the story builds to a satisfying climax. Indeed, the book has a very cinematic feel, and I can easily imagine it being turned into either a movie or, even better, a Netflix series.

Girl One is the first book I’ve seen that openly compares itself to Naomi Alderman's The Power, one of the best books I’ve read in the last few years. It’s a bold but fair comparison, as both books use a science fiction thriller to tell a feminist story about women literally being stronger together. I can only hope more stories are written claiming both of these books as inspirations. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Girl One.

The premise was so interesting and I was excited when my request was approved.

What a great read! I could barely put it down and I can't say that for many of the books I've read this year.

Josephine Morrow is a miracle. Or an abomination, depending on your perspective. The first child created without a father, a product of parthenogenesis, performed by a controversial doctor.

Girl One was raised on the commune along with her sisters, also products of parthenogenesis, but when a tragedy struck, killing the doctor and a young girl, all the women went their separate ways.

Many years later, Josephine is a medical student and her mother, Margaret, disappears, leaving behind cryptic clues and it is up to Girl One to discover the meaning behind them and to find her mother.

Josie's journey of self discovery will lead her to the other girls, her sisters, the truth behind their miraculous origins and reawakening abilities she had never known lay inside of her, until she had the power of sisterhood standing with her.

This was a powerful tale of love, sisters, motherhood and empowerment. The author weaves what sounds like a familiar premise; a radical doctor performing experiments to change the field of reproduction, but underneath it all lies the truth.

Josie's journey is multilayered; she is not just searching for her mother, but for her own identity. She has grown up believing in the myth of the powerful doctor, believing she was special because she is Girl One, and in the belief that her self worth was tied up with his creations, namely she and her sisters.

But, Josie will eventually discover that women are powerful, especially she and her sisters, stronger together than apart.

My favorite element of Girl One was how each Girl manifested unique abilities, sort of like a family X-Men.

Yet, they were not boastful about it, slowly coming to terms with their abilities as they progressed, protective of their newfound skills and mindful that they were all connected together in a deep emotional and psychological way.

The story is told from Josie's POV and she is a strong, relatable character, as are her sisters, Cate and Isabelle. Their individual voices shine through and decent character development is paid to each of them, enough that you get to know a little about them yet they still retain a bit of mystery since this is, after all, Josie's story.

I enjoyed joining Josie, Cate, Isabelle and Tom on the road trip; finding out who they were but especially who their mothers used to be.

Josie learns her mother was not who she imagined; Margaret was fierce, opinionated, open minded and progressive but in some ways constrained because she was a woman with no formal education despite the big ideas she had.

The doctor represents the patriarchal society, greedy and selfish, eager to take what he feels is owed to him because he's a man. He is jealous and petty; broken and desperate, and he never deserved the Girls or their mothers. He never did.

There are many themes woven in the story; feminism, empowerment, strength and belief in shared experiences, but the most profound takeaway is belief in yourself, as seen in the final chapter in Margaret's letter to her partner.

I highly recommend Girl One to anyone who enjoys a story with strong female characters and science fiction/supernatural elements done right.

This was a really enjoyable read, with a little bit of everything: sci-fi, mystery, paranormal, strong relationships, and girl power. Readers who enjoyed The Power by Naomi Alderman will love this. I'm looking forward to recommending it to customers in the bookstore where I work.

Orphan Black is one of my all-time favorite shows, so as soon as I read the summary and comp titles, I knew I had to request this book and was thrilled to be approved.

Josephine Morrow is Girl One, the first of a set of nine miracle babies born through a complicated genetic process that removes male DNA from conception. Her entire identity is wrapped up in this experiment, and she's determined to make it her life's work, until she learns that her mother has gone missing. Returning home proves to be more challenging than she anticipated, however, and what follows is a journey to not only find her mother, but the truth about herself and the other Homestead girls.

I really liked this book.

To start, Josephine is a wonderful protagonist. I enjoyed seeing her progression as she ventures further into her past, putting pieces together in a way that encourages her to reflect internally. These were my favorite moments, and while I won't give spoilers, I will say that her conflict really drives the course of the plot.

And speaking of plot: there is *a lot* going on here in the best possible way. Multiple backgrounds and settings, overlapping conflicts that span decades, ulterior motivations and a never-ending supply of questions. On top of that, you get some pretty smart commentary on boiler plate social topics like conception, autonomy, science versus religion, sexuality and gender roles, and I especially appreciated the focus on family. What defines a family? Are the relationships we forge on our own inferior to the ones we're obligated to have by blood? Or are they more meaningful because we choose to nurture them? So many times you see toxic family dynamics continue because of an implied sense of loyalty based on genetics, but we see Josephine navigating some pretty tricky situations to make up her own mind, and I loved that.

I had some issues with the way the investigative plot unfolds, and I thought some motivations could've been simplified to make it work cleaner. Some of the twists felt predictable, but others were structured and executed nicely, so I think many readers will be engrossed in the mystery.

Overall, Girl One is a smart, energetic thriller with supernatural twists and a fresh take on the dangers of ambition. I'd recommend to fans of Orphan Black, Firestarter, Black Mirror, or anyone who's looking for an insightful thriller-sci-fi blend with heart.

Huge thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy is a superb read with well-defined characters and plotline. Definitely a page turner and well worth a read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Wow a lot happened in Girl One. Josie Morrow is Girl One, one of nine girls conceived without male DNA on a commune called the Homestead. When the Homestead burns down, all the mothers and daughters scatter throughout the country.

Taking place in 1994, Josie is now a 23 year old medical student trying to replicate the science that created her and her sisters. She learns that her mother is missing in mysterious circumstances and sets off on a cross country road trip visiting the other women from the Homestead. As Josie meets up with her fellow miracle babies, she learns a lot of truths along the way.

I don’t want to say too much and give things away. Lots of twists and turns. Fantastic unique story line that covers so much yet it all ties together and builds a great novel. You really come to like the main characters. While this is a girl power/empowerment book, every male character seems to show only a dark side.

I highly recommend this engaging and interesting book.

This is a super book, a thoughtful meditation on technology and the media and identity and the power of women's friendships and support for one another. Josephine and her sisters and an unlikely ally set out on an emotionally difficult and physically dangerous quest to locate Josephine's mother; this turns into a mystery involving deception and the twisting of the truth and some very long car rides and a lovely romance. Given the issues of reproduction, sexuality, and gender roles and power that are the heart of the book, I think this will be a great choice for book clubs and literature classes.

Girl One is fine reading, complete with twists and turns. The loved the pulsing nature of the prose, and would recommend this author’s work. Gripping and well-developed.

A well-written thriller with a feminist Frankenstein twist. The story is stronger when it leans on the Girls and their past rather than the present-day thriller tropes, but both parts work well as a whole. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

Josephine Morrow is Girl One, the first of nine “Miracle Babies” conceived without male DNA, raised on an experimental commune known as the Homestead. Years later, her mother goes missing, and she sets off on a quest to find her mother, and answers.

I read this book in one feverish sitting. Perfectly paced, this book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It's a thriller, fantasy, and mystery rolled into one, and Murphy truly takes us on a wild ride. I absolutely loved this book. The writing, plot, pace - all fantastic. I cannot wait for this book to be out.