DNF @ 15%

I was at a bit of a reading crossroads when I requested The Mad Girls of New York. I had spent years reading literary and historical fiction, and I was intrigued about reading about an investigative journalist who went undercover in an asylum.

But I hit a wall with my reading about human suffering, and made a big swing into reading predominantly romances. I enjoy reading books where women have full agency and sexism isn’t quite so prominent.

This is definitely for you if you find the premise interesting, and like to read about plucky young women who want to defy the gender roles of her time period

The Mad Girls of New York by Maya Rodale is a thrilling and empowering read that is perfect for fans of historical fiction, mystery, and strong female protagonists, who will be captivated by the fearless and determined Nellie Bly's courageous quest to expose the dark secrets of Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum and fight for women's rights in 19th century New York City.

The historical facts are set within an adventurous quest to shed light on the fate of the women deemed too inconvenient for society. THE MAD GIRLS OF NEW YORK kept me entertained as I learned the perils women faced in mental health institutions of 19th century America.

Oh man this was a fast paced read. Nellie Bly was such a brave and ambitious person.The horrors and fear of Blackwell island was how she was going to get her foot in the door at the newspaper as a journalist. But once she was there no one would listen to her. Luckily, someone scooped her as she pitched the idea in front of him and the world was cheering for her while she was trying to survive inside.

It’s ridiculous how many they misdiagnosed under the massive hysteria umbrella and basically let them die in horrid conditions. Without ambitious reporters trying to make their name would we know more than we know?

Thank you Berkeley for the e-ARC

A pitch-perfect read. Nellie Bly comes to life on the page through Rodale's expertly crafted narrative. I cannot wait to see if there is a second book in this series.

This was a fun novelization of actual historical events and a real historical figure, with a little flair thrown in. My book club has gravitated to fiction set on real events so they can still get the entertainment of fiction, but also enjoy digging into something to see what was real and was either fabricated or a bit exaggerated to make a good story.

Nellie was so fascinating and her passion and dedication to her career was evident. I loved the exploration of women, insanity, and health told through this historical lens, especially when compared to the way we view these same topics toady.

My book club has a wide range of ages from 30s to 80s, so each person kind of found their own unique takeaway and it made for such a great discussion!

I really liked this book, and learned so much in the process. Historical fiction using real life humans as characters, so I feel like I got a really fun inside look at what Nellie Bly’s days may have been in NYC in her day.

I love Nellie Bly and feel she often is overlooked in women’s history but I loved this fun tale that highlighted her courageous work.

First off, what a gorgeous cover!!! Absolutely what drew me to this book as mystery novels are not really my favorite. However, I love history and badass woman so I decided to try it, and I am so glad I did! Rodale did a fantastic job with Bly's story, I was so invested in her story and wanted to prove all those sexist newspaper men wrong! I loved getting to know the "mad girls" who really weren't all that mad at all but rather inconvenient woman sent away or with no other options. The conditions in the asylum were reprehensible and the woman's mistreatment simply appalling and Rodale did an amazing job describing it. The book wasn't just about Nellie Bly and the asylum, we also met other trailblazing woman, a cute journalist rival with his own motivations, and there was mystery/scandal ready to rock New York society

"The Mad Girls of New York: A Nellie Bly Novel" by Maya Rodale is a gripping historical fiction novel that follows the life of Nellie Bly, a groundbreaking female journalist, and her quest to expose the inhumane treatment of women in a New York City asylum.

The novel is well-researched, and the author does an excellent job of depicting the harsh reality of life in the asylum for these women. The story is both heart-wrenching and infuriating as Nellie witnesses the horrific abuse and neglect of the patients, including physical and sexual assault, unsanitary conditions, and mistreatment by the staff.

This is an engrossing and thought-provoking read. It is perfect for anyone interested in women's rights, journalism, or the history of mental health care in the United States.

A fun and somewhat fanciful historical fiction about the not-so-fictional journalist Nellie Bly and how she made her name on what started out as a stunt to get a job--getting into an institution for "mad" women" that was anything but therapeutic, and where the real stories of the girls and women there affected her life. Even though details about her institutional "stay" and some of the people in her life were fudged in this novel, it was an engrossing and poignant read, and made me want to know more about the real Nellie Bly and women like her.

Stevie‘s review of The Mad Girls of New York (Nellie Bly, Book 1) by Maya Rodale
Historical Mystery published by Berkley 26 Apr 22

I was only faintly aware of the name Nellie Bly when I picked up this book, but I’m always fascinated to read about trailblazers, be they real, fictional, or a combination of the two. Nellie arrives in New York in 1887, having already worked as a journalist in Pittsburgh, and also travelled in Mexico. She finds the New York newspaper editors to be hostile, however, with none of them wanting a woman writing for them unless it’s for the ladies’ pages – one of the career options Nellie left Pittsburgh to avoid. Nellie’s luck starts to change when she meets a close-knit group of female journalists, who work on a combination of society reporting for the ladies’ pages and ‘stunt journalism’ – undercover work to expose injustices perpetrated by big institutions on vulnerable women.


Nellie decides she wants to emulate her new friends and write an expose piece for one of the big papers. One of her new friends gets her through the door at the New York World and gives her the name of the man she needs to see. Arriving at the same time as a male investigative reporter who really does have an appointment with the deputy editor, Nellie manages to bluff her way into the office with him and sets out her plans to the two men. Having been rebuffed for her initial story ideas, Nellie takes a chance and offers to go undercover as a patient at the notorious Blackwell’s Island asylum. This gets both men’s attention, and the deputy editor agrees to run the story if Nellie can get it.

After a discussion with her new friends, Nellie moves into a new set of lodgings, where no one knows her, and sets about making herself inconvenient to those around her, forcing herself to stay awake all night in order to appear more dishevelled. The next day, Nellie is escorted out of her lodgings by the police and taken to the courthouse, where she has no trouble convincing the authorities of her insanity and being sent to Blackwell’s as a consequence.

Blackwell’s turns out to be even worse than Nellie was anticipating, and she soon learns that many of the women there were admitted on far more spurious reasoning than she had tried to fake. Most are soon beaten down by the system, and a number start to believe their only way out is death. At first, Nellie wonders how she will manage to stick things out for the full seven days that she had agreed with the New York World, but as the days pass, and then go beyond the first week, she starts to despair of ever getting out. Many of the staff are no less defeated by the oppressive system, and those who aren’t appear cruel and unfeeling; all are determined that anything Nellie tells them is a facet of her condition and not to be believed under any circumstances. Fortunately, Nellie’s contacts in New York haven’t forgotten her and plot ways in which they might rescue her.

This was a really vivid account of a true story, with some fascinating characters – particularly those Nellie encounters in Blackwell’s and learns more about after her eventual release. There is also a mystery to the full reasons behind Nellie’s departure from Pittsburgh, which I hope we learn more about in subsequent books. I am definitely keen to read more about Nellie and her friends when the series continues.

Grade: B

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Mad Girls of New York by Maya Rodale.
A fictional story about the life of Nellie Bly and how she went undercover to expose conditions of the Blackwell Island Insane Asylum. This was a fascinating story that taught me a lot about the time period and Nellie Bly.

I was a little familiar with Nellie Bly, a NYC reporter who went undercover to do an expose on Blackwell's Island Asylum. I really appreciated this book and Maya Rodale for giving me a deeper glimpse into Bly's determination and grit. Rodale helped me to imagine what it would have been like to come to New York with big dreams and have the door closed over and over again. Bly never gave up though. She fought hard for her place in journalism. I loved seeing the female friendships Bly developed in this story and hearing a bit of their experiences as well.

Then add to that the shocking and disgusting side of things that was Blackwell's Island. It was shocking how easy it was for Nellie Bly to get committed and then very eye opening and sad to see how these women were treated. Their humanity and dignity was stripped from them on a daily basis. It was quite harrowing to read about.

I found myself feeling lots of things while reading this, which is a testament to Rodale's writing. She really drew me into the story and these characters. I wasn't sure how I felt about the other storyline that runs through. At first I found it jarring to follow the other female reporter here and there, but I did like how it all tied together in the end.

I enjoyed this read and would recommend it to other historical fiction lovers.

This was an interesting read based on a woman who was one of the forerunner's of investigative journalism. The story was intriguing and well written - and kept me interested right until the end.

I appreciated the history explored in the book, and I understand why the author chose to write the book in such an old-fashioned style (to echo the historical setting), but Nellie's voice felt flat to me, and Maya Rodale's storytelling lacked any emotional punch. For example, when one of Nellie's friends in the asylum died, I didn't feel any sort of impact. I was definitely rooting for Nellie, but her impulsive nature was exasperating and often lead her to ridiculous actions which left me rolling my eyes. While the content of the story was interesting, the tone felt too light to support the weight of the abuse of women and the misogyny of the time.

3 out of 5 stars - It was ok

I enjoyed the story, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if there'd been less literary license taken. It was hard to know what was real, and based on Nellie Bly's reporting versus what some something completely made up or moved in time. While some was cleared up at the end of the book, it was still something that bothered me throughout.

Unfortunately, I was unable to read this in the time allotted. It remains on my “to be read” list for the future.

This was a really well done read! Maya Rodale doesn't miss! Definitely look forward to reading more from her
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

This is the beginning of a series featuring intrepid female news reporter Nellie Bly. In this book we meet Nellie and watch her struggle with trying to find a position as a newspaper writer in New York City. Nellie has recently arrived from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and she has been writing for the Pittsburgh Dispatch for several years, but she really aspires to see her name on the front page of a major newspaper. Spending several months trying to find a job on Newspaper Row and being constantly turned away because she is a woman, she is desperate to make a name for herself. When the opportunity presents itself for her to find a way to be committed to Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum for women, she takes the bull by the horns and takes on the challenge of a lifetime.

At this time, little is known about the treatment and lives of the patients confined to the asylum. No reporter has ever been allowed on the premises and no one knows what the day-to-day life is like. Nellie is determined to report to the world all of the details. She is astonished by the living conditions, how the women are treated and the lack of attention to medical care and basic every day needs. Nellie is determined to expose the asylum for what it is and to shine a light on the injustices of the women confined there. Nellie’s story sends shockwaves through New York City and beyond and she seeks to use her voice to improve the conditions for the inhabitants so that they have a chance for a better life behind the asylum’s walls.

In this book, I felt that the author did a great job of telling Nellie’s story and sticking to the real facts of her life. The author did a wonderful job of creating a voice for Nellie that resonates well with the reader. Nellie was an interesting character to read about and to see how she bucks the constraints against women in the Gilded Age. It’s hard to imagine the struggle in our age as women are heavily engaged in the work force, but this author did a great job of showcasing how Nellie Bly was responsible for helping to break the glass ceiling for women everywhere. A delightful read that I couldn’t put down. I look forward to the future installments in this series and how Nellie continues to make a name for herself throughout history.

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars
Author: Maya Rodale

Series: Nellie Bly #1

Publisher: Berkeley

Publication Date: April 26, 2022

Pages: 334

Genre: Historical Fiction

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.