3 stars. A haunting, fragmented look at collective grief and societal rot, some moments hit hard, but the style felt too disjointed to fully land for me.

Started this a long time ago and put it away. So, I thought I would give it another chance. The story is told through the voices of 10 characters. I had to flip back and forth many times to keep everyone straight. I found this book too disjointed and then the ending felt rushed.
Thank you #NetGalley, #Zando, #AllinaGrabowski and #WomenandChildrenFirst for the ebook for my opinion.

“Your choices have to mean something, even if they mean something terrible.”

I’ve been trying to find the right way to describe this novel, told from the first-person perspectives of multiple girls and women, each narrative revolving around the death of a local teenage girl. It wasn’t until the final sentence—one I won’t spoil—that the perfect description hit me, thanks to the author’s own words. The story feels like a kaleidoscope—fragmented and colorful, yet somehow coming together in unexpected patterns, with Lucy, the girl who died, at its heart.

It took me a while to fully immerse myself in the story, especially with the constant shifts between 10 different POVs. But honestly, that’s what makes this book so unique—it’s like piecing together a puzzle. Who knows who? How do they all connect? Oh, this person did that, and now it all makes sense...

Each character’s perspective was done so well. The author did an incredible job bringing each one to life, which I’m sure was a challenge, but she nailed it.

I’m still left with a few unanswered questions, but I think that’s part of the story’s beauty. Death and grief often leave us with more questions than answers.

It’s a dark and emotional read, but it also contains moments of real beauty. I’d highly recommend it if you enjoy character-driven stories about a close-knit community coming together, told through the perspectives of its women and teens.

The tragic death of a young girl sends shockwaves throughout a seaside Massachusetts town in Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski. From multiple perspectives, you learn how the death affects many people linked to the teenager, including her friends, teachers, her mom, and more. Each character has their own take and their own feelings about the events leading up to the death and the aftermath when everyone must reconcile what happened or what they think happened. There is some uncertainty as to how she died from the characters' perspectives. Luckily, it seems clear at the end what did happen.

I had high hopes for this book because I loved the idea of a number of diverse characters coping with the mysterious death of one of their own and sharing what they felt and their experience. Unfortunately, the book was very slow, and I could not keep up with the characters. It wasn't the number of characters--it was the fact that, for the most part, I could not tell how some of them related to the girl who died. Some of the stories were so loosely related that I wondered why they were even told. I had trouble telling some of them apart, and I couldn't make myself feel anything for them. It would have helped if I had some type of list of characters and their relationship to the girl.

The stories were very diverse, but some dragged on and seemed pointless. Many that supposedly were linked did not appear to be cohesive in the way that they were arranged and written. Some actually held my interest, and I read some passages that were engaging and lyrically written, but those were few and far between. It seemed that when I was coming closer to the end of the book, it picked up but not enough and, frankly, it was too late. I just wasn't feeling the characters and kept wondering if I should just ditch the book but wanted to give it a fair shake.

I hate to write a review like this because I can imagine how it feels to receive this kind of feedback, but the book just didn't resonate with me. The promises in the summary about the book didn't seem to materialize. Unfortunately, I probably would not recommend the book or seek out this author again.

This book offers a thorough exploration of survival resilience, vulnerabilities and the complexities of human relationships under unimaginable circumstances. It combines emotional depth with engaging narratives, making it a thought provoking read from start to finish.

The characters are meticulously crafted, each with distinct voices and motives that give purpose to the story. The narrative examines the challenges of navigating difficult times and interweaves various people's stories around a tragic event in their town. Although the pacing is occasionally slow with some scenes that appear slightly extended, the overall tension steadily builds as readers discover how these individuals' lives intertwine. Themes of hope, sacrifice, and personal growth are addressed in ways that are both poignant and uplifting.


Overall, Women and Children First is a compelling work that will resonate with readers who appreciate tales of resilience in the face of adversity. It is thought-provoking and memorable, leaving a lasting impression despite some slower moments and intense character development. I loved how each point of view was a puzzle piece to be put together slowly to reveal the bigger picture. This is undoubtedly a book worth delving into.

I appreciate Zando Publishing and SJP Lit for providing me with a digital copy of this engaging book via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book completely drew me in. It’s an emotional, beautifully written story about survival, resilience, and the complicated roles women play in times of crisis. The characters felt so real—flawed, strong, and deeply human—and their stories stayed with me long after I finished. The historical details are rich but never overwhelming, making it feel both immersive and intimate. If you love historical fiction with depth and heart, this one is definitely worth reading!

Happy Sunday friends! I hope you’ve had a great weekend.

So: here’s a debut that I really enjoyed that you should know about because a strong first novel is always a wonderful surprise.

It’s called Women and Children First and it’s by Alina Grabowski - she’s already been raved about by Sarah Jessica Parker and Lorrie Moore and Oprah, and now I’m throwing my own Very Important endorsement in because I know you probably don’t trust those guys (lol.)

I guess calling it a novel is a little misleading - more accurately, it’s ten interlinked stores focusing on different women and girls who live in a small, coastal Massachusetts town, a run-down place where everyone knows everyone and you have to work hard to keep your secrets.

A teenage girl has died at a house party in circumstances as yet undetermined - was it an accident? A murder? A suicide? This is the thread that binds the stories in the book together: we hear from her friends, schoolmates, her teacher and mother, and sometimes women that are only on the periphery. So yes, it’s a book interested in grief for sure, but also the complex nature of girlhood and womanhood, and that point in time where you transition from one to the other. And it’s about working class people, and mistakes, and regret.

I’m making the vibe sound really depressing and of course there are layers of sadness here. But this is actually a very readable book, and the interconnection of these lives, the slice of life feeling we get when we’re dropped as readers in and out of them, is done really well.

There ARE moments of love and hope, but the point really is that human beings are fallible, and that sometimes you do things without fully understanding how that might impact someone else, for reasons that feel justified to you at the time even if later you have to question that..

And I find thorny explorations like that interesting because human beings AREN’T perfect, and there’s so many grey areas in life that I think we wish we could apply a binary too when we can’t.

Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski is a poignant and intricately woven exploration of grief, community, and the secrets that bind us. Set in the decaying coastal town of Nashquitten, MA, the novel follows the aftermath of a young woman’s suspicious death at a house party, as seen through the eyes of ten local women. Each voice brings a unique perspective on loss, from a grieving mother to a disillusioned teacher, unraveling the layers of blame, hidden truths, and emotional complexity that follow the tragedy. Grabowski deftly addresses themes of womanhood, class, and sexuality, crafting a deeply human portrait of interconnected lives. With its rich, empathetic narrative, this novel is a striking meditation on how we are all, in some way, shaped by the lives of those around us.

Brillliant!!! By the end of the third chapter I was totally drawn in. I ended up getting a hardcopy of this book through my monthly book subscription with Wellread - a wonderful choice to start the year’s reading. It has great character development and plot and I felt I was in the thick of it! Wonderful literary fiction!

Women and Children first was an engaging story that kept me entertained. The writing was great and the story was well told.

I struggled to get through this series of interconnected stories around a small town girl's death. While the idea was fascinating, the execution was confusing and disjointed.

a little difficult to follow this plot. the story feels very rushed and hard to connect with all of the various characters.

Women and Children First is a moving tale about the death of a teenage at a party, but it's told from the perspective of ten different women. The timeline is fascinating and the way the author used it in their storytelling was powerful, I ADORE feminine rage and Women and Children First opens with a quote that sets that tone.

I will admit, I wasn't into the first chapter, so I was concerned about the rest of the book, but the second chapter really pulled me in. The prose is great and I felt that each POV had its own distinct voice. The pace was medium, but appropriate for the story.

Overall, this is a 4/5 for me. It's described as a "literary puzzle" and I find that to be accurate, but maybe not for everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought this book would be a solid four for me as multiple pov is normally the underlining to all of my favorites. This one just didn’t meet my expectations. The point of view shifts were too sudden to gain any real insight into any of the characters. Once I was finished with the book, I couldn’t actually tell you a single character’s name. I feel like this was the authors intention, for all the focus to be on the centralized character, Lucy, but I think readers needed another 100 pages divided up to actually have that happen. I would give this author another try, but this book has had no lasting impact on me.

Thanks to Net Galley and Zando | SJP Lit for the advanced reader copy of this book.
On paper, this book sounded like something I would love. A young girl's death is explored through 10 different women who are impacted by it.
This read more like a collection of loosely connected short stories. For me, someone who loves character development, it was tough to get involved in one character's life, but then abruptly move on to a different character's perspective.
I think this one is best read in a short time period so that you can remember the connections. I took a break in the middle and by the time I went to finish, I had forgotten most of the character names and how they were connected.
Unfortunately, this one didn't work so well for me, and the emotional impact of these characters didn't connect for me.

Women and Children First was a really interesting read. I liked that the author revealed more secrets as the POVs went on. Very engaging writing.

An interesting literary puzzle told in the voices of 10 women as they confront a tragedy. The story tells of a mysterious death and how it impacts these women. The novel is a slow burner and character driven, but I have unanswered questions after finishing.
Many thanks to Zando and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

This has a good premise- the death of a woman is told told from the POV of 10 people involved. I know a lot of people liked this but I never connected with it. I am more of a character driven reader and never sunk into the story.

Women and Children First
Alina Grabowski

I was excited to read this book as I follow SJP Lit and had seen the author interviewed. I am also from the area where this is set and could imagine the town in my mind. However, this wasn't a hit for me. I thought the format would work for me (each chapter told from a different character), but I found it lacking...never being allowed to dive into the character. The story/weight of the story never landed for me.
An unfortunate miss.

Told through the eyes of ten local women, Grabowski’s Women and Children First is an amazing portrait of grief and a powerful reminder of life’s resilience, and strength. Touching on womanhood, class, ambition, disappointment, and tragedy, this novel is a beautiful story of love and loss, empathy, and humor.