LOVED LOVED LOVED this one!!!! You can tell the author did his research to accurately represent societal pressures on girls and women. The ending was quite satisfying and I was rooting for the main character the entire time.

When I opened Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, I was immediately drawn into Fern’s story. It’s the summer of 1970, and she’s sent to Wellwood House in Florida—a hideous place where unwed pregnant girls are hidden away, controlled, and shamed until their babies are taken from them. The atmosphere of judgment and silence was chilling on its own.

As Fern meets Rose, Zinnia, Holly, and the others, I found myself pulled into each of their stories, all shaped by the same system but uniquely personal. The moment a librarian places a book on witchcraft in Fern’s hands, the story takes a turn that I loved—it gave these girls a glimpse of power in a world that had stripped them of nearly everything.

What made the book hit hardest for me was how the real horror wasn’t only in the spells or supernatural elements, but in the stark reminder of what society allowed to happen to vulnerable girls. The magic gave them agency, but the cruelty of the world around them lingered as the most terrifying part.

Thoughts:
This story isn’t just about ghosts or monsters—it’s about the very real horror of shame, trauma, and having your power taken away. The setting, with its maternity homes and the treatment of unwed pregnant teens, felt both chilling and heartbreakingly real. What really stayed with me were the friendships between the girls. Their small rebellions, their desperation, and the way they leaned on witchcraft—even in imperfect ways—gave the story its emotional weight. It made their fight for agency feel raw and so deeply human. This is not a light read. The themes of forced adoption, childbirth trauma, and loss of bodily autonomy hit hard, and I had to sit with some of the heaviness after I finished. But that’s also what made it powerful.

In the end, I found this raw, heart-aching, and unforgettable. If you want horror that lingers and makes you uncomfortable in ways that matter, this is one to read with your heart wide open.


Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the gifted arc!

It was an engaging read that kept me entertained throughout. It was suspenseful, and it was amazing to see a male author really empathize with women's issues. I will definitely be reading his books

This was the first Grady Hendrix book I have read. Period pieces are hit or miss for me but once I got into this book, I really enjoyed it. You could feel the mix between the historical reality that these homes played in real life mixed with the more supernatural themes. The supernatural elements gave the girls some level of agency that real life never did.

This book was not what I expected of a Grady Hendrix book. Definitely not horror, though there are some fantastical/witchy elements. It was more a dark drama about the horrors of being young and pregnant in the 1950s and stashed away in a "home" that effectively steals the babies and sends them off for adoption while fully insulting, infantilizing, demeaning, and attempting to destroy the girls who have found themselves here. I fully could have done without the vivid details of childbirth, however. The witch stuff was meh, and if I'd known what the actual trajectory of the book was I would have skipped this one altogether. There's a r*ped 8-year old girl who is pregnant at this home, and no one gives a crap. Pretty awful, more so because these things happened and still happen all the time.

Trust me, no one was more surprised than me when I received an acceptance email for an ARC of Witchcraft For Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix! Obviously, the only possible thing to do was to start reading the book immediately!

After finishing, I sat there crying, feeling as though my heart had been ripped out, fondled (lovingly!?) and put back inside me. I was left bewildered in the best possible way, wondering how this book is so messed up, yet so truthful that it cut right to my core!

How does one come up with a plot like this? A plot that is raw, real and emotional, yet disturbing, cutting edge and of course, horrific.

This is a tough book and it is not for the faint of heart. I'm not sure it would be good to read it if you were expecting a baby, or in those hazy post-partum days... but then again, I am now only slightly more than five years past those times, and really, what do I know!?

It's a slow burn about a gang of wayward misfit girls, who do the unthinkable... and come out the other side so much stronger than they ever were before.

That's all you're getting from me! If you're a Hendrix fan, just trust that feeling and go into this one a little blind!

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Berkley for the complimentary copy to read and review.

I have read every one of Grady Hendrix's books and loved all of them. This one is no exception. In this book, we follow a group of girls who are sent to live at the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida. This is a house for pregnant unwed mothers. Everything that the girls do and say is monitored by the people at this house. Until one of the girls, Fern, is given a book about the occult.
This book was amazing. I love anything that Hendrix writes, but this was so good! I loved all of the characters, and the horror was the slow, creeping kind. It's a slow build, and I loved that. If you're a Hendrix fan, then definitely check this out!

Incredible. Riley sager never fails to grip the reader in this book about witchcraft and pregnant teens, two things I never thought would go together. This book was incredible, just the right amount of mysterious and realistic. Extremely fun read.

Grady Hendrix’s Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a haunting, pulpy horror novel set in 1970s Florida, where a group of pregnant teens—cast off by society—discover a book of spells and begin to reclaim their power. As with all Hendrix books, I find myself wanting more!

A riotous, razor-sharp horror comedy that casts teenage rebellion as literal witchcraft. Hendrix conjures chaos, charm, and cheerfully creepy thrills.

Set in the 1970s Florida, as the story follows a group of unwed mothers-to-be at the Wellwood Home for Girls.

I’ve enjoyed so many of Grady’s books for the quirky characters and over the top storylines and was looking forward to this one. While it wasn’t my favorite, I still enjoyed the audio listen.

*many thanks to Berkley Pub PRH audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I've read a good handful of Grady Hendrix's stuff, and I always feel that it's 100% in the pitch and about 80% in the execution. We'll bump Witchcraft up to like 89%. I really enjoyed this one, but I'm a sucker for a teen story & nicknames & weird girls in weird situations. I really liked the 70s backdrop for this one & hope he does more modern-ish period pieces in the future. No need to mention how topical this is, but it feels more necessary than other Hendrix titles have in the past. Will read again/recommend.

Another home run for Grady Hendrix! I will recommend and feature in Horror promotions at the library.

It’s the summer of 1970 in the sticky heat of St. Augustine, Florida, and fifteen-year-old Fern finds herself pregnant, alone, and shipped off to Wellwood House, a place meant to hide girls like her until they give up their babies and quietly disappear. There, under the oppressive control of Miss Wellwood, Fern meets other girls in similarly heartbreaking situations. But when an old book of witchcraft lands in their hands, Fern and the others begin to awaken something ancient, powerful, and vengeful. In a house built to strip them of agency, the girls are about to reclaim it, with blood, fire, and a reckoning centuries in the making.

Themes
* Found family among outcasts
* Feminist horror
* Historical institutional horror
* Teen girls reclaiming power
* Dark magic with a price
* “Girls like us don’t get happy endings”(but maybe this time, they do)
* Haunting Southern Gothic atmosphere
* Magic that feels dangerous, real, and earned
* Emotional resonance wrapped in occult shadows

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is Grady Hendrix at his most unflinching and evocative. This is not just a horror novel; it’s a battle cry for every girl who’s ever been punished for being too much. Hendrix writes with brutal clarity and dark tenderness, giving voice to girls who have been historically erased. The horror here isn’t just supernatural: it’s systemic, institutional, and deeply human. But in Fern and her fellow wayward girls, Hendrix crafts a cast of unforgettable characters who take back their stories through spells, fire, and sisterhood. It’s haunting, furious, and quietly beautiful. This one lingers like smoke in your lungs.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I read this book soo fast, especially given the length being a little bit on the longer side. I love Grady Hendrix’s writing and I was hooked from the first page. I was listening to a podcast recently where women were speaking about their experiences in these homes for unwed mothers as recently as the 2000s. So disturbing and makes for a great setting for a horror book.

I really enjoyed the condemnation of slut shaming in this book. It’s something I haven’t seen touched on in a lot of books. I found myself rooting for Fern and the other girls and I’m always a fan of anything witchy. The body horror was great in this book but I did find myself wishing for a little more horror.

All in all, a great read that I’d definitely recommend! 💜

Grady Hendrix is probably my favorite horror author overall. I have been trying to read and collect all his books and this one did not disappoint.

I like the "take back the power" plot with the girls literally being handed the power to take back their lives. It's a nice concept even if it doesn't work out the way they hoped.

This book was fast paced, engaging, and un-put-downable . Hendrix has done it again and will probably continue to do it (write compelling and engaging horror books to devour).

I really enjoyed this one! The time period is great, I loved the cast of characters that were all facing such difficult circumstances and trying to find ways to take back some power over their lives. I love that Bookmobile Librarian as well! I will definitely recommend this one of patrons and friends.

This is probably my new favorite Hendrix novel! This was just fantastically, compelling. I read it in three days.

So I know from reading another Grady Hendrix book to expect the unexpected and this definitely delivered that. This book focuses on Fern who is pregnant at 15 and sent to a home for wayward girls. When she gets there, its a very strict environment but also filled with other interesting pregnant girls with heartbreaking backstories. Fern becomes close to the other girls and meets a librarian who comes by on the Bookmobile. When one of the girls desperately needs help for her situation the girls think they've found it in a book of witchcraft they get from the librarian. Lots of strange and graphic scenes as you would expect from a GH novel. The birth scenes were something else. The character development is really strong here and the witchcraft was a bit less than expected. You feel horrible for all of these girls but I really enjoyed this book.