I thoroughly enjoyed this book, particularly the characters. I kept reading because I cared for them. I did have some issues with the pacing of the novel and certain scenes seeming superfluous to the story.

I'm quickly becoming a Grady Hendrix fan! I see why our patrons love his books so much and will be buying this for our collection. We may even use it for a bookclub read.

I am a huge Grady Hendrix fan already but Witchcraft for Wayward Girls may be one of my top two favorites by him. I adored the characters in this book, Hagar was one of my favorites. There were times I laughed, wanted to cry, was horrified and at one point even scared. This book had it all and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for myself along with some for my store.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is rooted in real - not supernatural - evil. It explores the villains and wrongdoings of 1970s homes for pregnant teens - the predatory adoptions, lack of bodily autonomy, the unscathed the young (and old) men who impregnated them, the societal norms that forced shame on young girls without the information to protect themselves. Of course, wayward girls like Fern, Holly, Rose and Zinnia would turn to a mysterious book about witchcraft for solace. And since this is a Grady Hendrix book, of course the witchcraft is real. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is another solid horror book from Hendrix, who is an expert at weaving horror tropes with social commentary. Lots of body horror throughout - though strangely the most nauseating descriptions were of natural things such as a very, very, very long section detailing a complicated birth. While I appreciated this title, it didn't keep me as captivated as his other works.

I’m a big fan of Grady Hendrix’s books so I was very excited about this one and really didn’t even read the description first and went in blind. It tells the story of a teenage girl who gets pregnant and is sent to a home for “wayward” girls in 1970. Fern and the girls she meets have differing stories of how they got into this situation and some are worse than others. But they meet a Bookmobile librarian that gives them a book that might change their situations.

I was honestly expecting more horror and paranormal. As a woman who's had a child, this unfortunately is more real life horror. Unmarried pregnant women were treated like crap in this time frame and there were and are still really awful ways young girls find themselves pregnant. The witch aspect wasn’t as much of the villain as the adults and society these girls lived in. Overall it was an interesting read but not my favorite of Hendrix’s books.

This author deserves all the praise they get. Every book is different but maintains the humor and heart. Will buy upon release. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read early and let people know it’s coming.

I usually end up waiting until closer to pub date to get around to ARCs, but as soon as I was approved for this one, I dove right in.

When fifteen year-old Neva finds herself pregnant, her family takes her to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida. Renamed for anonymity and prohibited from sharing her name and other details of her life with the other girls, Fern makes friends and settles into the daily life at this home for wayward girls. When a librarian offers her a book on witchcraft and spells, the girls initially just want to take morning sickness away and give it to an unsympathetic doctor, but when it actually works, they’ll find themselves deep into something they don’t understand.

Though this isn’t my favorite Grady Hendrix book, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I appreciated the backdrop and story of this often forgotten part of American History, when young girls were sent away, convinced to give up their babies, and then plopped back down into their lives like nothing ever happened. There is a fair amount of body horror, particularly related to childbirth, which is one of the things that skeeves me out the most, but it’s appropriate and adds to the horror story of these young women. Sometimes, the real stuff is more horrifying than the paranormal stuff, and I love it when horror touches on that.

It’s out in January, the perfect start to your 2025 year of reading!

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a captivating book set in the suffocating heat of St. Augustine, Florida in 1970. Unwed mothers sent to the Wellwood Home are concealed from society to give birth, compelled to use fake names, pressured into giving up their babies for adoption, and then expected to move on as if nothing happened. After striking up a conversation with the bookmobile librarian, one of the young women is given a book about witchcraft. The young women, who have been deprived of all of their autonomy, decide to reclaim some of their power not realizing that there is a price to pay. The tension in the story is expertly crafted, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Fern a young pregnant girl in the 1970s sent to a home for wayward girls in Florida . She plans to have her baby and go back home and everything will be normal again . Until the day she checks out a book about witchcraft from the book mobile . Things start to change . Full of thrills, horror , suspense , horror and emotion this book is absolutely Unputdownable ! you will love and empathize with the fully realized characters . . 10s across the board

This book hooked me in from the very beginning and kept me hooked the entire time! This was my first by this author, I really, really enjoyed it!

Definitely a book for library purchase. Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Being approved to read this in advance was such a fortuitous opportunity for me, as we are having Grady Hendrix in attendance for a Southern Gothic Festival we are having at our library. I have been wanting to read at least one of his titles prior to his arrival. I love reading anything about witches, so I was thrilled to be able to start my Grady Hendrix adventure with "Witchcraft for Wayward Girls." The story started out as a slow burn, but I was quickly hooked into the storyline and the devasting lives of the pregnant teens at Wellwood House. Hendrix crafted the story well, pushing the reader in one direction (witchcraft is going to save the day and send retribution to the evil adults in charge!) then switching to another (the girls are doomed for using witchcraft!) to another direction still. It was an emotional rollercoaster, but a terrific ride nonetheless. This book is classified as horror, but the true horror depicted in this story is how these poor pregnant girls are treated, robbed of name, choice, and dignity.

This book was a surprise. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t even read the synopsis. I saw Grady Hendrix and said, “yes, please!”. That said, the beginning of this book was slow for me. There were numerous characters and it took time to build their relationships. Once it got going though I was invested. Those relationships run deep and carry the entire book. I appreciate this look back to our not so distant past to see what women had to endure. How much changed with Roe V Wade and in turn how much things have changed again in our current political climate. I do hope this book doesn’t serve as a prediction of our future. The end of this book had me in tears. Just beautiful. It’s well worth the read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, just wow!! Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! What a powerful read, Grady Hendrix is amazing! What these female characters go thru is unbelievable and heartbreaking at times. This book had me turning pages to know what happened next. My eyes were filled with tears at times because as a female I could relate to these girls and what they felt. This is a must read!

A cozy horror novel with a witchy librarian and teen girls trying to make sense of the times. One of the best parts of this novel is that the reader is never sure who the bad guy is - is it the other girls at the home? Or the nurse? Or the cook? Perhaps the librarian? This lack of clearly defined bad vs good characters keeps the plot moving and interesting and wonderfully complex.

Like many young girls in the 1960's and early 1970's, a pregnant 15 year old Nova is sent to a Home to quietly have her baby. Renamed Fern (all the girls are blossoming flowers in the Home's garden) the young mother endures abuse and indignities from the staff, which encourages her and her fellow unwed mothers to turn to a mysterious librarian, who promises power and freedom when they're at their most vulnerable. Groovy and at times chilling, Hendrix transports the reader into the deep south of the near past. A great read for the Halloween season.

What I expected and what I got with Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix were two different things. I expected delinquent teen girls meddling with magic and getting in over their heads. What I got was teen girls who society had sent away to deal with unwanted pregnancies. I saw teen girls who, when faced with little choice, turned to witchcraft to try and take back control of their lives and bodies. At times sad, hilarious, graphic, and suspenseful- this story delivered a little horror, a lot of heart, and plenty of suspense to make it a page turner.

This is my first book by Grady Hendrix, but won't be my last. I'm a sucker for witches, and this creepy gothic was perfect for fall. At times the plot got a little too grotesque for my taste, but I loved the complex themes of girlhood, motherhood, and power.

Absolutely fantastic Grady Henrdrix book! Spooky, horror, witchy. What more could you want?! This was a quick read and I loved that. There are a couple of birth scenes that may be tough for some but it didn't bother me. The characters were done so perfectly! There wasn't a part of this book I didn't like!

This was an interesting take on witchcraft and power. Would definitely recommend to grades 9-12. Would have really resonated with me at that age. Some of the plot was slow, but it did add to how slow time must have moved for the characters.