"Women and Children First" by Alina Grabowski is a powerful and evocative exploration of resilience, community, and the bonds that hold us together in times of crisis. Grabowski's vivid storytelling and richly drawn characters create an immersive reading experience that lingers long after the final page. This book is a compelling testament to the strength and complexity of the human spirit.

I genuinely wish that I had enjoyed this book the way that I thought I would. It had so much potential, but the rotating door of introducing new characters with no time to truly connect with them fell so flat. It became incredibly confusing after a while and I began to forget characters that were introduced early on and the impact/connection they had to the story. I anticipated there to be an “aha” moment where everything came together, but it never really happened. This book was sad and showcased real life, but was too disjointed for me and I felt more confused at the end than I did the beginning, which did not seem intentional at all with the style of writing in the book.

Alina Grabowski is a beautiful writer, I would certainly try reading another story, this one just didn’t have the connection a story of this magnitude should have

I did not have time to read this book before the publish date but now that I have I gave it 3 stars.

Beautifully written story of the death of a young women in a small decaying coastal town. What makes the story so unusual is that it is told from the perspectives of 10 other town women. A realistic look into the relationships that develop in a group of women.

This book had a different writing approach than most of the others I’ve read recently. The story is told from ten different points of view. Somehow the author managed to weave all of these POVs into a coherent and compelling story. Recommended!

This story is told through multiple characters, centering around the death of a teenage girl and the consequences to her friends, family, and teachers. The writing is excellent and the different timelines and voices are skillfully woven with texture and emotional depth. There are ten character points of view, and I truly admire the author’s ability to make them all sound different. It’s a literary crime novel and a women’s fiction novel—dark and hopeful both. I had a hard time putting this one down and letting it go once I finished it. Highly recommended.

The book goes between POV and timelines but I really did not enjoy this one. Maybe it was the subject matter but it took a lot for me to finish it. It was hard for me to finish but I did.

4.5 rounded up

The only reason that they say “Women and children first” is to test the strength of the lifeboats.
- UNKNOWN (quote at the beginning of the book)

I bought this and then read it right away, and I’m so glad I did. So happy it didn’t sit languishing on my shelf.

This is a slower, meandering novel with absolutely stunning writing in it. I think I saved more passages here than anything else I’ve read so far this year. Told through multiple POV, each chapter from a different girl or woman in this small seaside town. A teenager dies at a party—and each person is connected to her in some way. I found every perspective so authentic to each character’s voice, almost like a short story in itself, I found myself wishing some would never end. It was clever to see how different people view the same people and situations differently and also the ways in which memory and experience can be so absolutely subjective, and how the truth of existence lies somewhere in the middle, between people, and we can never really touch it.

The mystery is at the crux of the novel, but it’s more about the character studies along the way. A literary fiction mystery, which are some of my favourite things to read. I loved this book, the setting, the writing. I think the only reason it wasn’t a five star read for me was because going from POV to POV takes some situating each time, can feel a bit uncomfortable to me. I think the structure was absolutely intentional to make a point but that doesn’t mean it’s the best reading experience it could have been. I’d have liked to read this book from shifting multiple POVs from just three of the characters I think. I’d have enjoyed spending more time with certain people instead of only getting glimpses of who they are.

But, that’s small potatoes. This book is excellent. Highly recommend to fans of slow going lit fic.

Women and Children First is an intricately, carefully webbed net cast over a barely-fictional coastal Massachusetts town at the time of its latest tragedy. We see the story through the perspectives of a varyingly-yet-undeniably connected group of women and girls, bearing witness to their inner worlds and their relationships. There are many fantastic meditations on grief and so much keen-eyed metaphorical language, though at several points I was pulled from the story by an awkward or inaccurate phrase (so much chin touching... how many people get someone else's attention by grabbing/lifting/etc that person's chin? Everyone in Nashquitten apparently. And a warm glass of wine wouldn't sweat!). Regardless of these small faults, I thoroughly enjoyed living in the world of this book--and it's not just because I live maybe 45 miles from where I'd place Nashquitten MA on a map.

Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski was a good read told from different perspectives. This book has deep themes and emotional pathways which lead to a well written story and fully realized characters.

I would like to thank NetGalley and SJP Lit for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

There were quite a few deeper themes present in this book. Social class, abuse, friends, family, etc. I enjoyed the 10 different chapters from each character’s perspective. This was quite an emotional character driven novel. I enjoyed it!

Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the first chapter of this book. While the writing was descriptive and lush, I couldn't bring myself to be invested in the characters and story. A very slow start, the prose is quite beautiful.

Set in the fictional seaside town of Nashquitten, Massachusetts, Alina Grabowski’s debut novel "Women and Children First" unfolds with a sense of foreboding. The mysterious death of teenager Lucy Anderson sets the stage for a gripping narrative that weaves together the lives of ten girls and women.

Grabowski deftly constructs a constellation of connections, and each character’s perspective reveals layers of complexity, vulnerability, and the intricate web of relationships that bind them. Among them is Jane, Lucy's classmate who is grappling with forbidden desire and the burden of caring for her ailing mother. Natalie, who escaped Nashquitten, finds herself ensnared in the cutthroat world of a San Francisco startup. Her return home to care for her sick mother forces her to confront past choices. Mona, Natalie’s best friend, harbors her own secrets. When she encounters two girls who witnessed Lucy’s accident, she faces a moral dilemma: intervene or remain silent.

“Women and Children First,” hints at the sacrifices and betrayals that ripple through these intertwined lives and explores how women suffer not only at the hands of predatory men but also from their own actions. The lascivious math teacher and the abusive coach represent external threats, but it’s the internal conflicts that resonate. Maureen, the high school PTA president, epitomizes this struggle as she organizes a memorial for Lucy, while contending with her daughter’s cruelty and her own moral compromise. Grabowski masterfully portrays the complexities of female relationships—the bonds, the betrayals, and the silent complicity.

Each first-person section immerses us in the dreams and frustrations of its narrator, exploring their unfulfilled desires and the paths not taken. Girls and women inflict damage on one another—sometimes unwittingly—by being too close, and by failing to recognize their own agency. Disrupting systems of male privilege is no easy task, and Grabowski’s exploration of this struggle adds depth to the narrative. As secrets unravel and alliances fracture, the community’s shortcomings come into sharp focus.

“Women and Children First” is a smart, propulsive novel that delves into the complexities of womanhood, vulnerability, and the choices we make. Grabowski’s writing is both incisive and compassionate, leaving readers pondering the delicate balance between loyalty and self-preservation.

This book starts with the death of young woman at a house party. The story could be set in any small town in America and I think that is why it is so compelling. The author tells the story from a fresh perspective with 10 different women telling their stories and their connection to what has happened. A worthy read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book and I weren't a good fit.

The mothers were awful. The daughters were understandably screwed up. And the men... don't even get me started.

The stories lacked the depth I needed in order to care about anything that was happening, which wasn't actually much.

I'm sure many readers will love this one, but I'm moving on.

DNF

In the small, sparse town of Nashquitten, MA, a host of characters struggle with life as the town crumbles under the lies of its residents and a mystery. When a young high school girl dies at a house party, the murky tale of what happened starts to unravel. Through ten different female characters--each with a distinctive voice and personality--we slowly learn what happened.

At first I was a little frustrated with the switching narrators, but eventually I came to really like it. Grabowski does a wonderful job making each woman singular and complex. I will admit, at times I didn't like certain characters and the way they acted, but, eventually I realized it was real and true to the human experience. The mystery was engaging and the characters strong. My one complaint would be that at times the story dragged on, especially considering the mystery element. I wanted to be on the edge of my seat and, at too many moments, I wasn't.

If you're a fan of mysteries and complex, even at times unlikeable female characters, give this novel a try.

Thanks to Zando Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted eBook in exchange for a review.

This is different from what I usually expect in this genre, but the story was beautiful. It was a little harder to follow at first, but it did start to come together by the end.

I found myself absolute lost in this book. A captivating tale with unforgettable characters. Strongly recommend. Will pick up her other books.

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC. I was excited to begin this book & thought maybe it was a slow starting story. But the writing was very disjointed & I found myself spending too much time trying to figure out what was really going on. Also, by the end it seems like we are never sure what the big mystery was.