An exceptional debut.

Ostensibly, this is a novel about a local high school girl‘s death. It is told - in ten chapters divided into two parts, pre and post Lucy‘s death - through the eyes of ten different women who knew Lucy, some better than others. And yet Lucy, and what happens to her, is never the focus of the novel; especially in the first part of the book, she is often mentioned merely in passing, by people not especially close to her. The more the book progresses - and especially in the aftermath of her death -, the closer the narrators were to Lucy, going from mere acquaintance or school guidance counselor to Lucy‘s best friend, and finally, her mom, spiraling inevitably towards those whose lives are shattered the most by her death.

While Lucy‘s death is the central point towards which and from which these stories grow and these women evolve, Lucy herself is still, at best, a side character. Center stage take three groups of women who interacted with her to varying degrees and whose lives are intertwined in the way those of people living in a small town generally are: teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, their mothers, and young, childless women still finding their way. The men, if mentioned at all, are often useless, sometimes downright predatory.

The idea behind the old maritime saying „women and children first“ - that is, to first save those viewed as more vulnerable and, at the time when the phrase was coined, less capable - is put on its head in this book because here, it‘s the women, young and older, who shoulder it all: the secrets, the blame, the responsibilities, the grief, the shame.

„Women and Children First“ deals with heavy subjects such ad death, sexual abuse, substance abuse, and abandonment without ever feeling too dark, or unrealistic. I was stunned by this book. It is wholly original and captured in poised, vivid, beautiful writing. Truly remarkable debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and SJP Lit for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes difficult
to follow varied voices,
wonderfully written.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I write haiku reviews on Instagram but am happy to provide more feedback.

Women and Child First was a wonderful debut novel. You'll become quickly immersed in this series of intertwined stories about the lives and relationships of mothers, daughters, sisters and friends in a Massachusetts coastal town. At the center of the book is Lucy, a high school student and budding artist who is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The structure of the book was very unique and provides a firm foundation for the telling of Lucy's story. It's divided into Pre- and Post sections, with each having five chapters about different women in Lucy's life. They're of varying ages and different stages in their lives and their connections to Lucy range as well. I especially loved the voices of the teen age characters. It may seem at the onset that there are too many characters, but the author did a wonderful job of developing each of their stories and tying them together. I would have actually been interested in learning more about one additional character (Jane's mother).
I saw the book described as a blend of an Elizabeth Strout book (Anything is Possible) and a Celeste Ng novel (Everything I Never Told You) and have to agree. I'm looking forward to what Ms. Grabowski shares with us next!
Thanks to Netgalley and Zando Projects for the opportunity to read Women and Children First in exchange for an honest review.

3.75, a quiet and well-written novel featuring the voices of ten women in a small seaside town where a tragedy has taken place. I enjoyed seeing different facets of the terrible incident in question and its aftermath and the way the characters fit together from all the different perspectives. It could have used a little more of a drive shaft, maybe, but that's not really the kind of book this is. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

I liked the writing in this book about a small New England town and ten young women who live there somewhat affected by the death of a high school girl. I say somewhat because at times the connection is rather tenuous. Some reviewers felt there were too many characters and the interconnections too hard to follow. I did not have that problem although at first I kept notes on the first three characters but abandoned that when I found it totally unnecessary. Certain characters I clicked with and others I found rather bland, but such is life. Overall, I enjoyed the book and its snapshots, via the ten, into small town life. Yes, I would recommend the book.

This book is quiet perfection. From the way Grabowski structured this story, to the glimpses of the different lives we're allowed to see because of this structure, there is so much feeling and emotion weaved throughout the pages.

This book is told from the perspectives of 10 women; each one only has one section or chapter, but they do overlap in each other's POVs because of the essence of small town life. Each POV deals with events before and leading up to the book's central and inciting "conflict" and what happens after. A tragedy at a high school party leads the friends and family and even almost strangers to grapple with what it means to lose someone, and to ask themselves the question: why?

Each character could have a book of their own and I'd gladly gobble them all up. But I truly liked the smaller glimpses of each character as we went along and discovering how they were connected to Lucy, our center point. There are ancillary ways -- one witnesses a parent's horror and grief, another regrets not bothering to ask questions of two teen girls she finds on her property late at night, obviously in distress -- and there are the characters most affected like the girl's mother and best friend; each POV peels back the curtain into their lives just enough to understand them, and to see how this affects a small town already so touched by death.

Wow! A powerful novel that grips and holds on tight. This novel weaves the story through 10 different women and their connections and perspectives of the death of Lucy. Alina Grabowski understands grief deeply and reminds us why as women we need to hold each other up. The book is well written and immersive and there are lines that hit hard and give goose bumps. This is not an easy read but a worthwhile one. This is a book that will sit with you for awhile and you will be grateful for the opportunity to read. Thank you Net Galley but more importantly - thank you Alina Grabowski . This is a 4.75 in my books!

“Women and Children First” is a must read debut novel, a literary cousin of Dennis Lehane’s “Mystic River”.

The book is about a crime (the lead up to it, the crime itself, and the aftermath) without really being a mystery. Instead it tells the story through the perspective of ten women living in the small town who are in some way connected to the event.

I really liked what the author was trying to do here. I liked the setting and the way the story was structured. Where it fell slightly flat for me was in the final execution – moving through so many perspectives meant that I was unable to fully understand the story of any one of the female narrators. Just as I’d start to connect with one, the perspective would shift again.

In addition to feeling rushed (although also felt fairly slow at the beginning!), it also prevented me from fully understanding the plot and what led up to the crime. And that made it hard to understand the ending. But maybe that was the point? I have the feeling it was meant to be fairly ambiguous.

Anyway, while it didn’t fully work for me, I still enjoyed this read and would recommend it to readers who enjoy character driven stories and are comfortable with ambiguity.

One story told through the eyes of ten women. Each woman gives her viewpoint of a different part of the story. An interesting perspective, for sure.

Do not expect from this book’s title that it is a comforting, sweet story about protecting the most vulnerable from catastrophe. This extraordinary novel is a heart-breaking mystery, the weaving together of the connections between a teenage girl who dies suddenly, and several females who knew her. As the author quotes in her prologue, ”The only reason that they say, ‘Women and children first’ is to test the strength of the lifeboats.”


The multiple first person narratives, spoken by friends, family, and teachers close to the deceased, reveal the character of each narrator, relationship with the deceased, observations about others, and occasional inconsistencies. For the reader, it’s a challenge to decide if the words of these young women are reliable, as they waiver in their own sense of selves and their relationships with life. They have the judgment , emotions and impulses of children despite inhabiting adult bodies. While this danger has long existed, Grabowski suggests that it is amplified today because teenagers can drift anonymously online for any information they want. They no longer need to ask questions of anyone - friends, parents, teachers, librarians, clergy etc., with the perilous consequence that no one might truly know where their innermost thoughts and emotions are wandering. The lifeboats leak.


I initially had some difficulty following the threads of this book, and found that it helped to make notes to follow the relationships and the timeline. Once I did, it became a gripping page-turner to see how, or if, all the pieces would fit together. Descriptions of the decaying New England town were vividly painted and added dimension, but this tragic, universal tale could be placed anywhere. The story and writing were so intricately plotted and developed that it’s hard to believe this exceptional book is a debut novel.


Thank you to Net Galley and Zando for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞. 𝐀 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐭. 𝐀 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐲.”

i really wanted to like this. and i think, i almost did. reading Women and Children First felt like the second before you get submerged under ocean water. You can feel the shortness of breath, the pull of the water - the trepidation that soon, all of you, all of your sense are gonna be engulfed.

but sadly, that's where it ended for me. i kept waiting for the tides to get higher but they only reached my chin and receded.

i think my biggest gripe with this book is that there were simply too many characters in order for me to feel connected to anyone. i kept losing track of them and having to go back to make sure that i wasn't mixing them up - which definitely took me out of the story. at some point i realized i was just so focused on keeping track of the POVs that i wasn't enjoying the story anymore.

yet i kept reading, holding my breath and bracing for that punch i've been waiting for. and it did not come. maybe that's on me. the majority seem to have been moved by the book in its entirety but i just kept swiping on my kindle thinking: no way? where's the rest of the book?

all of this to say: maybe this book was simply not for me - something the last pages sealed for me. i guess i was waiting for an explanation, anything to wrap it up whilst the author clearly meant for it to be more of an exploration of grief and human nature.

The story is about how the death of a high school student, Lucy, affects 10 women connected to her in some way. The story is told from the point of view of each of the ten women. Unless they really stand out in some way, it’s easy to mix the characters up. At several points, I had to remind myself of the name of the character I was reading about and who their main connections were. There’s little action - it’s mostly internal dialogues and conversations between characters, several of whom appear in more than one narrative. It all builds up to nothing, unfortunately. Readers expecting a resolution will be disappointed and I feel they should know before choosing to read the story. Not just regarding the death of Lucy, but other scandals like the teacher abusing students and all those who know about it but take no action. It’s certainly not empowering for women.

To me, the story believes itself to be bigger and more powerful than it is. It didn’t strike me as an epic sweeping tale of women, life, death, etc. It just doesn’t have that extra something that makes a story stand out for its beauty or timelessness. It’s too long of a book to leave you with so little.

The synopsis for this book sounded really interesting and complex, but it didn’t quite meet the expectations I had built up for it.

I think the main problem for me was that with so many POVs, it was hard to get a deeper understanding of the characters. We’re introduced to them all without a ton of background, so it was sometimes hard for me to remember who was who and what relationship they had to each other. Along with this, the timeline bounces around a little, and overall I just found myself confused more times that I liked. That said, I did like the idea of looking at this story from so many different angles. I feel like getting the less-obvious POVs made things more interesting, and added some more depth that was needed.

This was such a gripping, beautifully written story! WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST transports readers to the sleepy coastal town of Nashquitten, Massachusetts. When a young woman, Lucy, dies at a party under mysterious circumstances, the lives of those in this close-knit community are turned upside down. Told from several different perspectives, the story draws readers into the worlds of ten very different women, all with varying connections to Lucy and each other, providing a clearer picture of the town, of their lives, of Lucy herself...and of the truth about what really happened on that awful night.

This book had me captivated from start to finish—Alina Grabowski is clearly such a talented writer, and I was so absorbed in the setting she created, following these complex women and their lives in this small town. This isn't always an easy read, mainly due to the heavy subject matter, but the writing will have you hooked nonetheless. I also thought the narrative structure was so interesting, how as we learn more about each character, we're also progressively getting closer to Lucy with every chapter, seeing her through the eyes of people who knew and loved her. The multiple perspectives were similarly well-done, and I enjoyed seeing how the characters' journeys intersected throughout the story, like there was always a common thread pulling their lives together somehow. Overall, I thought WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST was a fantastic debut, and look forward to seeing what Grabowski writes next! Thank you to NetGalley, Zando, and SJP Lit for the ARC.

Women and children first centres around the death of a young woman. The narration tells the story of the death from the perspective of many others in the town who know the woman. The impact of the death is long reaching and all stories have a connection (be it big or small) with Lucy that they then need to dig deeper into.

10 vignettes of women who have been in Lucy's life create a full view of Lucy's life and the town. Read independently the narration is fast paced and involving. Read together you see a wider picture of everyone involved which is meaningful and powerful.

I received an ARC of this book from Zando via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I am honestly kind of mystified how to rate it. Ms. Grabowski is very clearly (IMO) a talented writer. Every chapter kept my interest, and the format is quite unique. I enjoyed reading about every single character - I didn't find anyone boring or repetitive.

However, I had a hard time keeping track of who was who and how they were related to Lucy. I think most characters who later had a voice were mentioned in other characters' chapters. But further on in the book, some of them I wasn't sure if J had heard mentioned at all, which got confusing - who is speaking???

I also thought we would have more of a conclusion/ reveal/ answer to what happened, and unless I missed it, we did not. That always frustrates me.

Ultimately, I am rating 3.5 stars rounded down.

Beautiful writing - I loved this and wanted to spend more time with each character.

Multiple perspectives can be a hit or miss in storytelling and this was done so well - ten chapters, each told from the point of view from a different woman living in a small Northeastern town. How each character is connected to the central plot (a young woman dies at a party) is not always clear from the start of a chapter. The author does a lovely job of revealing how all of the women’s lives are intertwined as the story unfolds.

Thank you very much to Zando and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this excellent debut.

Women and Children First is told the perspective of 10 different woman in a small New England town, with the death of one character Lucy the basis for their stories.
To me the book reads more like a collection of short stories with a thread that connects them through out. I’m not sure why some of the chapters were relevant to what the author was trying to convey.
That being said the characters were well delevoped and the author had important things to say about living in a small town and how women are treated.
Thanks net galley for providing me this book in advance in exchange for an honest review.

How we all are connected as women is examined in Women and Children First through the eyes of those most affected by the death of local teen, Lucy. Mothers, teachers, siblings, friends speak in first person to their relationship to Lucy no matter how small that connection seem to be. All the women featured have some sort of tie-in with one another such as roommates, co-workers, and friends.
The secrets each person holds about Lucy or that she held about them are revealed and show the complicated world in which women navigate.
At times a bit overwhelming as so many characters and even more side characters that the loss of Lucy and who she was gets lost in the story until closer to the end. I had to reread sections as I got confused as to who a character was referring to or who was speaking. So, clarity of prose was an issue for me which guided my rating.

Ultimately I understood the message of what it is to walk in this world as a woman.

3.5 Stars

Thank you to Zando and SJP Lit for access to an early e-copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

f women and children first by @alinagrabowski_ isn't on your radar, then it should be.

this novel took me by surprise in the best way and i absolutely loved it. the writing is stunning, immersive and gripping.

WACF unpacks the events of a teenage girl's murder, told through the perspective of 10 different women and its impact on them. each chapter also has its own unique voice because each one is told from the perspective of a different character.

i loved this novel so much, the writing is gripping and beautiful and i loved the different perspectives of each of the characters and how they intersected.

if you like a fast-paced novel, you won't find that here but because there are several different POVs, it keeps it interesting.

even with several different POVs, the novel doesn't get confusing.

if you love a lit-fic heavy novel with elements of mystery, WACF is absolutely worth picking up.

thank you @alinagrabowski_ for the gifted copy! WACF comes out on may 7.