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.

I so wanted to like this. I typically love anything Sarah Jessica Parker recommends, but this just doesn't work for me.

I thought the writing was confusing and at times was rushed. It was really hard for me to keep up and understand what exactly was happening. It moves really quickly and that made it hard to follow the characters,

When I finished I was confused.

Thank you NetGalley and SJP Lit for the arc.

Thanks, Zando and SJP Lit, for the advanced review copy via NetGalley. (Available now)

A teenage girl, Lucy, dies at a house party. Through ten different points of view (Lucy’s classmates, school employees, family, and connected people on her periphery), we catch glimpses of life in her rundown coastal town before and after Lucy’s demise.

The publisher called this debut novel a “literary puzzle,” and with 10 points of view and 40 characters, this puzzle feels like one of those 1000-piece ones. But also, like a good puzzle, I couldn’t stop picking up pieces to see where they fit, often feeling like the meat of the story was just beyond my fingertips. Even after finishing the book, I doubted I saw the whole picture. I was fascinated. Captivated. Curious. I just couldn’t get the story out of my head.

It was clear that I needed professional help, and I knew that @onelitchick was the perfect person to provide it. We met via Google Meeting to pick apart the interconnected storylines, friendships, frenemies, relationships, and broken dreams. The conversation helped me lock in my opinion: I loved this book. It challenged me and kept me engaged. I was fully invested in the characters, and they stayed with me long after I turned the last page.

I can’t wait to see what this debut author writes next.

I had a hard time sticking with this book and would set it aside for days at a time. The story seemed so disjointed that I would often go back and reread sections trying to figure out how it all went together. At the end, the book just stopped abruptly with no explanation. The characters, in and of themselves, were interesting and basically well written, but their stories seemed to go nowhere. It was just brief sketches of individuals & grief in a small town. Readers who like character studies might like this, but it just left me wanting way more.

Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski is a poignant exploration of grief and interconnectedness within a small Massachusetts town. The novel begins with the tragic death of Lucy Anderson, a local teenager, at a house party, sending shockwaves through the community of Nashquitten. Structured in ten chapters, the story alternates between "Pre" and "Post" Lucy's death, offering perspectives from various women and children in the town. Each chapter is narrated by a different character, from Lucy's grieving mother and best friend to the town's guidance counselor and the president of the PTA. The novel delves into themes of social class, ambition, family dynamics, friendship, gender identity, sexuality, abuse, guilt, and grief. While Lucy's death is the catalyst, the narrative focuses on how this tragedy impacts the lives of those left behind, revealing their personal struggles, secrets, and the interconnectedness of their small-town lives.

The novel's strength lies in its character-driven approach and the emotional depth with which each perspective is explored. Grabowski's powerful prose captures the essence of a community grappling with loss and the complexities of human relationships. However, the narrative's slow pace and the fragmented structure may not appeal to all readers. Some may find the first half disjointed and the ending abrupt, leaving unanswered questions. Despite these flaws, Women and Children First is an impressive debut that offers a thought-provoking and immersive reading experience. The portrayal of flawed, realistic characters and the atmospheric depiction of a coastal town in mourning make it a compelling read. I look forward to seeing more from Alina Grabowski in the future. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.