This was such an amazing, infuriating, and heartbreaking read. Maya Rodale did a great job fictionalizing Nellie Bly's Ten Days in a Mad-House (which I read right after finishing this book). It is really a heart wrenching story of how women and those with mental health issues were treated. There were times I had to stop reading because I was so infuriated at how the "medical professionals" were treating these women. But also really poignant, and shows how far, and not far, we have come when it comes to mental healthcare. Also really excited to see where Rodale is going to take this series.

Nellie Bly was a real reporter who took the world by storm at a time when women had few opportunities in journalism. This series opener fictionalizes Nellie's sensational undercover work in a women's asylum that launched her career. Using details from Nellie's articles about her experience, the author reconstructs what it may have been like for Nellie to go into an asylum during a period when women could be sent there against their will for even the most minor social infractions or emotional disturbances. She meets women of all kinds of backgrounds, sent to the asylum for all kinds of reasons. None want to be at Blackwell, and any protests of sanity are ignored. In the "care" of brutal, underpaid nurses and indifferent, overconfident doctors, the women suffer physical and verbal abuse as well as assault on their well-being, dignity, and humanity. They are left to stew in enforced boredom, punished for speaking, and kept in the lowliest of conditions.

I think that just as Nellie's original story shed light on the conditions women in the asylum faced, this novel serves as a reminder for a new generation. It depicts not only a specific example of gendered suffering in history, but also draws attention to sexist patterns of demeaning women, taking their power, offering subpar healthcare, and using lazy medical explanations to control women's bodies and actions. The author also attempts to use fictional characters to offer perspectives Nellie could not. Women of color, immigrants, and queer characters demonstrate the intersectional compounding of injustices at the asylum and in the world of journalism. There is also commentary on the role of socioeconomic status in determining a woman's fate.

My main concern while reading was that some of the conversations about privilege felt stilted and like an attempt to check a box rather than a natural or personal account of lived experiences. I appreciated the message, regardless. I also am not sure how to react to the emphasis on Nellie's heroism. On the one hand, she was a trailblazer for women in journalism, and she struck a significant blow against a horrific institution with her story. On the other, I had complicated feelings about her ambition and the way her self-interest co-existed uneasily with her moral compass.

Overall, I think this is the start of an intriguing series with a singular protagonist and a lot of fascinating material for future adventures. I look forward to seeing what other investigations are featured. Thanks to Berkley for my copy to read and review!

Nellie Bly is one of America's most recognizable female journalists. In this novel, Nellie Blu is an aspiring journalist who has recently moved to New York. Because she wants to work for the regular papers and not for pages solely for the ladies, she is constantly rejected. However, she impresses an editor when she claims she could get the juicy story of the horrible conditions of Blackwell Asylum, a place for women that allows no visitors. Nellie proposes to go undercover for a week to learn the asylum’s dark secrets. Once she arrives, she learns that the conditions of Blackwell Asylum are more horrible than one can imagine. As she is mistreated and abused every day, Nellie starts to question her sanity.

Nellie is a very admirable character. She is a very compassionate person and believes herself to be a champion for women’s rights. I found her very courageous and daring. She is also a genius because she is able to convince many people that she is mad. Nellie wants to be a journalist because she believes that journalism is a stepping stone for change in society. She believes that once certain issues are brought to light through media, then there can be small changes to society. Therefore, this novel shows Nellie as a passionate woman who wants to help the women around her. This made her a very lovable character.

Overall, this novel is about truth, justice, and change. All of the characters were very well-developed and likable. I especially enjoyed Nellie’s rival and the women in the asylum. Many of these women have very interesting stories. Mrs. Rodale portrayed these women as downtrodden and hard on their luck. I also like how the author features other successful female journalists in this novel. This made for a very compelling read! The only thing I did not like about the book was that there were times the story tended to drag. Still, The Mad Girls of New York was a very engrossing read that had a hint of romance, humor, and mystery! I can’t wait to read the sequel to read more about Nellie’s adventures! I recommend this novel for fans of What Girls are Good For, The Alchemy of Murder, and Emmy Nation: Undercover Suffragette!

Wonderful topic but a slow start and I had trouble keeping going with this book. I like historical fiction. But this wasn’t a good style for me and I didn’t finish.

This is a fast paced, easy read that highlights the historic step that Nellie Bly took in order to make her mark in New York City as a newspaper reporter. Rodale doesn't sugar coat the atrocities but ensures that readers grasp the severity of treatment that the patients of Blackwell Island had to endure. The book also keenly highlights the scandalous misappropriation of resources at the Island. In addition to Nellie's story, there is a mystery that has high stakes repercussions in the political sphere. As this book is labelled as #1 readers can look forward to Rodale exploring the further exploits of Nellie Bly and her amazing career.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

This is a really interesting book in which we get a fictionalized account of the real life female journalist Nellie Bly who was a journalist during the gilded age. To just see how a female journalist would have to work harder and if I expectations during this time. It’s fascinating. Rodale manages to write an intriguing story about Nelly but at the same time also the story that Nelly is investigating is fascinating as well. Mad girls refers to women that society said we’re crazy but in fact generally we’re not. It was intriguing to see how Rodale mixed in Nelly‘s quest for stories along with her personal relationships along the way . All in all it’s a fun rollicking look into the Gilded Age and I highly recommend this book.

Really great kick off to the series! I am excited to see more of tenacious Nellie.

This novel is based on the real life of reporter extraordinaire Nellie Bly who gained fame for her report on Blackwell’s island as well as later circumnavigating the world in less than 80 days.

1887 and Nellie is seeking a job at a paper and preferably not on the ladies pages. She wants to work for The World and when an opportunity comes up she pitches it and seeks to get herself committed.

I feel like what this did really well was give a picture of how Nellie may have been inspired to pursue the story and also it fleshes out the stories of the women, in broad strokes, and what could have led them to where they were.

I also went to read Nellie’s article- to get a feel for similarities and differences.

This was a really cool historical. I previously had only heard or thought of Nellie Bly in passing, book references here and there, so to see a novel about her was a treat.

I really enjoyed this and I hope others will too!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for the opportunity to review!

More and more I fall in love with period pieces and this one was another one I just adore and I have actually read about Nellie Bly before so this was so interesting to me and I had to get my hands on it.
Although Nellie Bly is real, Rodale’s novel is a fictionalized story based on what Bly uncovered during her time at the asylum.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and have been talking to my husband about it since I finished. I do hope you’ll pick it up!!

In 1887, journalist Nellie Bly moves from Pittsburg—where she got a job at the paper after writing a letter to the editor—to New York City. There, she anticipates taking the city by storm, seeing her byline on the most famous of papers. Instead, editors reject her, providing a litany of reasons why women can’t be reporters. Finally, out of money, Nellie devises a bold plan—she offers to go undercover as a Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum for Women to expose the conditions at the facility.

Fooling a series of doctors, she’s admitted, and the situation is worse than she imagined. While some women are mentally ill, others are just unable to speak English or physically ill with no one to care for them. What’s worse, they are fed small, moldy portions of food, kept in freezing rooms, and treated abhorrently by the nurses and staff. Nellie only has to wait ten days for her editor to come sign her out—but can she stand it that long before descending into madness herself?

At the time, if women worked for papers, they wrote for the women’s section. Nellie’s courage and determination shone an important light on the reality at Blackwell’s and introduced a period of “stunt journalism.” Even though Bly was quite famous in her day, details of her life are not as familiar to contemporary readers, and I loved that this book both tells Nellie’s story and illustrates the living conditions of women in New York City in the 1880s—both inside and outside the asylum.

Maya Rodale provides a comprehensive author’s note that explains how she approached the topic and the characters she invented for the book.

I believe this is the first in a series, and I look forward to future volumes! Anyone who enjoys historical fiction or women’s history with scrappy protagonists will enjoy THE MAD WOMEN OF NEW YORK .

Nelly Bly is a journalist in 1887 New York City. She's tired of writing for the "ladies pages" and wants something more. Nelly gets a chance interview with the head of the New York World and in order to impress him, she suggests to go undercover in the infamous Blackwell Asylum. The rumors around Blackwell have been well-known for many years, but no one has ever gone to investigate them. So, Nelly gets herself committed and is supposed to stay for an agreed-upon seven days; then someone from the World will come for her release. Nelly gets so much more than she ever expected. Deplorable conditions, abuse, no heat, poor clothing, and barely any food are just some of what Nelly experiences within her first few hours at Blackwell. However unbeknownst to Nelly, two rival reporters are also trying to get the inside scoop on the asylum and steal Nelly's story. Will Nelly survive Blackwell Asylum long enough to write her expose?

This book was so hard to read at time. To know that these events, while fictionalized here, most likely happened to real people when asylums existed is heartbreaking. Women were sent to asylums for the most benign reasons or even just because their husbands or families wanted to be rid of them. My only issue with this book was the fact that Nelly is introduced as being a very independent woman who wants to focus on her career and doesn't want to be tired to marriage and motherhood. However, there are several instances where she becomes "affected" by pretty much any male she encounters. It's fine if she gets a crush on on character, but it just seemed like it was any male character. Overall, this was a sad, heartbreaking, and somewhat educational look into what asylums were like in the 19th century.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for my e-book of The Mad Girls of New York by Maya Rodale.

I have previously read books by Nelly Bly so The Mad Girls of New York peaked my interest right away. Plus that title and the book cover drew me in as well. "Fearless reporter Nellie Bly will stop at nothing to chase down stories that expose injustices against women—even if it comes at the risk of her own life and freedom—in this exciting novel inspired by the true story of one remarkable woman."

There's many reports of poor conditions at Blackwell Island Insane Asylum for Women, though no one can actually get in to see for themselves. Until Nellie Bly comes along and feigns insanity so she can get a first hand look at whats really going on in there and report back. IF she can get out!

This was a very interesting book and I really enjoyed the story and Maya Rodale's writing. I hope to read more from her in the future.

Set in 1887 New York City, The Mad Girls of New York is a work of fiction. It is based in part on Americas most famous 19th century female reporter - Nellie Bly. She was just in her early 20s when she left he job at the Pittsburg Dispatch and headed for New York City determined to make a name for herself as a reporter. Nellie met with many obstacles in this male dominated field but, she wasn't about to give up without a fight. After speaking with several other professional females she comes up with an idea that only a female would be able to handle. Her stunt is to go under cover at an insane asylum on Blackwell Island but, first she had to get herself committed.

This is the first book of a new series and I thought it was pretty good but, it took a while to get going. The other women she meets along the way were interesting, the conditions at the asylum horrific. Many of the reasons other women found themselves there were tragic but not surprising. Some were committed by spouses because they were inconvenient to have around. Other women did not fit into what men expected of them, a conformist kind of behavior of no personal desires outside of marriage and motherhood. This book wasn't perfect but, I would still be interested enough to see what book #2 in the series has to offer.

Loved The Mad Girls of New York! Strong female characters, especially the main woman, Nellie Bly. Nellie has spunk and she is certainly not afraid of a challenge. In 1887, Nellie struggles to get a job as a reporter in New York City because all the newspapers she goes to "already have a woman", she resorts to desperate measures. First she takes over a man's interview and then agrees to go undercover as an insane woman to check out the conditions at Blackwell's, the city's notorious asylum for women.

Nellie spends 10 days at Blackwell's during which time she is manhandled, mistreated, poorly fed and clothed but is able to connect with a number of women who are committed and simply trying to survive. It is quickly apparent that it is very easy to commit a woman as insane because women had no power over their own lives, they belonged to their fathers and then their husbands.

You don't find any sympathetic characters in the staff at Blackwell's. The nurses are mean or boy crazy and even the one doctor who knows things could be better doesn't do anything about it.

Nellie Bly was a real life reporter and Maya Rodale has done a great job combining the known facts of her life with fictionalized characters around her. I highly recommend the book!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

A great historical fiction novel inspired by the real life of Nellie Bly - an intrepid 20th century New York City woman journalist who exposed the horrors of the Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum for Women. Trying to secure a job on Newspaper Row, Bly goes undercover at the insane asylum discovering horrible living conditions and a cadre of women who have been wrongly imprisoned for too many reasons to count. The first in a new series set to follow the life of Nellie Bly, I can't wait to see where the authors takes the character next. Much thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed! What isn't to love? Women infiltrating mad houses, women journalists, friendships, intrigue and suspense! It all came together so well. And I cannot wait for the 2nd book (because there better be a second book!) It ended in such a way that a 2nd is inevitable. And it is going to be amazing!

I know, I know. It’s not my typical read. I do read other genres when it appeals to me, though. And when Berkley gave me the chance to read this book before a pub date, I took the chance. I find myself intrigued with Nellie's journey to becoming a journalist when all of the odds are against her.

I know that it was a struggle for all women to be anything when the system was against us. So I am very intrigued to know how Nellie will defeat the system when no one will give her a chance to be a journalist in their newspaper. But she has the chance to be a journalist if she goes undercover in a women's asylum.

I have to give it to Nellie. She is so ambitious and determined to be a journalist that she is more than willing to go undercover in a women’s asylum. I would not because I already know that there is something shady happening. Nellie will find out when she goes undercover.

I won’t spoil it, but this book is a must-read. If you like historical women’s fiction read with investigating pieces, then you will enjoy reading this book.

I just finished reading this book, and it was so well-done. I adore historical fiction, and being able to learn about a woman who paved the way for investigative journalism kept me so engaged with the story.

This story follows Nellie Bly as she gets herself admitted to an insane asylum for women in order to get a story and secure a place for herself among the journalists in New York.

This story is so fascinating. It really makes you think about how women were so mistreated in the past, even someone who appears normal, like Nellie, starts to question herself when everyone around her is treating her a certain way.

One thing that i really loved about this story is that it’s based on true events! I had no idea Nellie Bly was more than a fictional character until I read this but I’m excited to go learn more about her!

4⭐️ for The Mad Girls of New York by @mayarodale

Thank you to @letstalkbookspromo, @netgalley, @mayarodale, & @berkleypub for allowing me to read The Mad Girls of New York.

Blurb: In 1887 New York City, Nellie Bly has ambitions beyond writing for the ladies pages, but all the editors on Newspaper Row think women are too emotional, respectable and delicate to do the job. But then the New York World challenges her to an assignment she’d be mad to accept and mad to refuse: go undercover as a patient at Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum for Women.

For months, rumors have been swirling about deplorable conditions at Blackwell’s, but no reporter can get in—that is, until Nellie feigns insanity, gets committed and attempts to survive ten days in the madhouse. Inside, she discovers horrors beyond comprehension. It’s an investigation that could make her career—if she can get out to tell it before two rival reporters scoop her story.

This was an interesting historical fiction read. Nellie was a headstrong, competitive young woman who wanted to make a name for herself in a world where women weren’t supposed to make their own names. Journalism was not what it is today in the 1800’s. Nellie showed that she had gumption & confidence in herself as both a female & journalist when she entered Blackwell Insane Asylum. Her story was able to shed light on all the wrong that were being committed.

This was my first exposure to Nellie Bly, and I really enjoyed this fictionalized story of her journalist career. She is a fearless reporter in the 1880s who chases down a story to expose the injustices against women at a mental hospital.

I loved Nellie's commitment to proving she can do anything a man can do, and following her journey as she gets herself committed to an insane asylum to report on the conditions there. We get a glimpse of what journalism looked like in those days and the fight from women to prove their worth. We get to witness Nellie's bravery as she does whatever she can to cover a story and lift the voices of the women around her.

I enjoyed it overall and recommend picking it up if you want a fresh setting for a historical fiction story.

Thank you Berkley and PRH Audio for my copies in exchange for a review.