Not traditional horror but terrifying all the same, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls brings readers to Wellwood House, a home for unwed teen mothers in St. Augustine, Florida in the sweltering summer of 1970. Filled with girls who have been cast aside by their families and society until they can be delivered of their mistakes and everyone can pretend it didn't happen, they lose their names and identities and become flowers in Miss Wellwood's "garden." Stripped of agency, privacy, and autonomy, they are expected to do chores and follow orders until they give birth and go back to their former lives. When fifteen year old Fern is abandoned to the Home by her father, who can't even stand to say goodbye, she meets other girls in the same situation as herself, including silent Holly, rebellious Rose, and refined Zinnia. Though they slowly adjust to life at the Home, it isn't until the bookmobile arrives and a librarian hands them an unexpected book that things start to change. Finally, they have the means to some control over their lives! But with power come consequences, and none of them are quite prepared for what they will be asked to pay.

This is a departure from Hendrix typical horror, though there is still plenty of body horror thanks to both the pregnant girls and their magic working. Instead, Hendrix focuses on the real-life horror of losing your bodily autonomy and freedom because of pregnancy, age, and social expectations. The claustrophobia of the Home and the casual cruelty of the adults around them, combined with their bodies changing and becoming strange and ungovernable brings home the horror of the girls' situation. Though Hendrix always does well writing women, this one is above and beyond in its empathy, compassion, and realism (minus the witchcraft, of course). Emotional, heartbreaking, and powerful.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Witchcraft for Wayward Girls early in exchange for a review.

This was my first Grady Hendrix and it didn't disappoint - the storyline was engaging, and the characters were well developed. I did like how the stories of each of the girls came out individually as you got to know them on a deeper level. However, some of the writing - specifically chapter to chapter felt disjointed as there were POV shifts. Would definitely recommend!

How can a man write so clearly what it’s like to be a woman? It's kind of aggravating.

Neva is an unwed mother in 1970 Alabama. She gets sent Wellwood House in Florida where she's given the name Fern, to hide away with other young girls in her "situation" until she can give birth, have her baby taken away, and then be sent back to go on with her life as if it never happened. As Fern learns about the girls around her and feels increasingly powerless. A local librarian gives Fern a book and opens a door to the opportunities witchcraft might provide...but it's not a favor, it's something offered with strings and a high price attached.

This is a painful and emotional book. My feelings about it are complicated, but it does highlight the way in which women were, and still are, shoved down and made to hide, taken advantage of by men and the men experience no consequences, and how it's so easy to ignore a teenage girl even when she screaming the truth to power.

I had a summary all typed out, but I just deleted it. Every review I’ve read so far provided one, so I’m not going to. Plus, I went into this book almost blind and I honestly think that’s the best way to go into it. If you know Grady Hendrix’s work and you love it, you will love this one, even though this was unlike any book I’ve ever read by him. Hendrix is known for his humor and while there is some, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is more serious in tone than anything I’ve read by him before.

It’s not unusual for me to feel as if I’m not very good at writing reviews of books but I love to share the reading experience with others so much! I honestly feel a loss of words when it comes to this book. It is already so dear to me. See, I was the result of a teenage pregnancy. My mom was 17, my dad 18, when I was born. I was kept and raised by my father, then my grandparents, after he passed away when I was 8. So, to me, this felt a little like a tiny glimpse of what might have happened. And it’s heartbreaking. And, I’m sure part of the reason I was immediately so invested. Also, given how life in America is going with the end of Roe, I can’t help but feel like this story is an indictment of what is happening to women across the nation. The loss of power and autonomy the girls in this novel experience is familiar.

It is surprising to me how extremely well Hendrix gets into the mindset of a teenage, unwed mother. The confusion and terror, helplessness and powerlessness they experience, feels so real. It does not come as a surprise that they are tempted to look outside of themselves for help. Are the witches dangerous? Are any of the adults? Is anyone going to help them? Or will they have to help themselves? Obviously, I’m not going to tell you but I hope I have encouraged you to give Witchcraft for Wayward Girls a read. It’s more than worth it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced reader's copy.

A huge thank you to @PRHaudio for the ALC! This was one of my most anticipated books of 2025. I truly enjoyed this book, but I can foresee a lot of people being disappointed because they expect more campy horror and pure horror and a heavy dose of witchcraft - while this book certainly has those elements in spades, it's also very heavy on the historical fiction. I was surprised to love a book with themes of feminism, classism, and race that was written by a privileged white man, but this was clearly well-researched and handled with care. The characters were compelling, the horror aspects (so much body horror, dear God) were satisfying and the campy bits were great. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and definitely it whether you enjoy historical fiction or not and regardless of if you loved Hendrix's other novels or not.
Finally, the narrative touches (3 distinct narrators) was
*chef's kiss*. It enhanced the story and added immersion.

Ohhh boy. How to rate this? I really enjoyed getting to know the girls of Wellwood House. And they were GIRLS...which added a bit to my discomfort reading this. Our main characters are all pregnant girls who are sent (against their wills) to stay at Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida to hide away during the later months of their pregnancies. Every minute of their day is controlled. Every meal is prescribed. And no one is honest with them about the process of childbirth or what their rights are as mothers.

Desperate for information, they encounter an eccentric librarian that loans them a book about witchcraft...and then things get interesting. And graphic. And a bit scary.

Grady Hendrix does an amazing job of portraying the total desperation of these characters. So much about this book is heartbreaking. I didn't enjoy the childbirth scenes. They went on far too long and had sooo many graphic details. I understand there was a point to describing what these girls went through, but it felt like SO much. I am glad he didn't sugar coat the horrible way many of them were treated. It was tough to read, but important to include.

It's definitely not going to be for everyone, but if you can get through the naked dancing witches and the gruesome after-effects of their spells, and the childbirth(s)...it's a fascinating story.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced reader's copy.

"Fast girls, loose girls, emotionally immature girls, wayward girls. Whatever you wanted to call us, we were children. And we had to make terrible choices."

I think this is probably Grady Hendrix's best book. This really toes the line of horror mixed with the horror of reality and I think that made it more impactful. Honestly, the horror elements were pretty minimal, some body horror, some supernatural. The most horrible scenes though were just real life.

The main characters are teenagers, some as young as 14, living together as unwed mothers waiting to give birth to give their babies up for adoption. This by itself is such a scary situation. They're alone, they don't have any family or friends, just each other. They're children making very adult decisions without any adult guidance. Society shuns them, shames them, and refuses to listen to them. It's definitely a tough read in places, I cried quite a few times. Just keep in mind going into this that it feels a little bit more like speculative fiction than horror, but regardless it was a really good read.

eARC REVIEW

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5


Wow….


I don’t even know where to begin. I have had so many of this authors books recommended to me, but never picked one up. Then I saw this arc and decided why not and was so happy to get it. I devoured this book in a day and it was not what I was expecting at all.


I am blown away by the horror women had to go through back then. Definitely check trigger warnings, as some of the things are pretty graphic. I cannot believe they did those things to kids back then! I am appalled at how society and views on women were back then. Neva and the rest of the girls story was so eye opening and I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the witchcraft aspect that Grady intertwined into their lives as well. I was also very happy about the ending, and how everything turned out with the girls lives individually and together. I am pleasantly surprised with this book and will definitely read more of this work. I definitely recommend to any reader.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for letting me read and review this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange fir my honest review.

I am a huge fan of Grady Hendrix, and books about magic and witchcraft, so I was stoked to read this book. And it did not disappoint!

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls opens in 1970, with 15 year old Fern getting dropped off at Wellwood House, a Home for unwed pregnant teen girls to have their babies "out of sight, out of mind". Fern meets other girls in the same "situation" as her, and forms a close bond with Rose, Holly, and Zinnia. Under Miss Wellwood's strict rules the girls long to escape, each for different reasons. Rose wants to keep her baby and go to a commune; Zinnia wants to return and marry her baby's father; Holly, mute, doesn't want to return to her bad life situation, and Fern just wants her old life back, the way it was. But none of the girls realize what they're in for when it's time for their babies to arrive, and must trust the adults around them that they're making the right choice.

Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her a special book, an introduction to Witchcraft, who says it will help the girls solve their problems. At first, everything goes OK, and the spells are mostly harmless. But as they tread deeper into the book, they finally realize what must be done to save themselves. And the price comes with a lot of blood, and heartache.

I really loved this book! The author did a great job of developing the characters and making you truly feel their stories and root for them the whole way through to fight against the patriarchy, and a society that has judged them and cast them out for their "sins". I could never imagine having to be in a situation like that and having to give up a baby. I loved that witchcraft gave them power to fight back and get what they want. Not everyone gets a happy ending, but the "epilogue" was very satisfying and made me a little teary.

I will definitely be recommending this book to my book club!

I was very scared going into this one given the subject matter. While this book lacks the usual humor Grady incorporates into his books, it replaces it with so much heart. A story of helplessness, being forced to take matters into your own hands when you aren't ready for it, not being allowed to make your own decisions and standing by while others make them for you.

This is an excellent time for this book to come out given the current attack on women's rights and the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

I went into this one thinking it was going to be akin to Harry Potter with pregnant teens. I couldn't have been more wrong. It was heart-wrenching, suspenseful, harrowing, and entirely more emotional than I expected, or even really wanted. Having read a few of Grady Hendrix's previous novels, I was ready for a fun, not-light-hearted-but-not-too-dark entertaining few hours. Instead I finished and felt...so emotionally drained. Heart-broken. Bleak. Exhausted. But also with a glimmer of hope. The spark of empowerment that slowly washed over me after reading the last lines of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is nothing short of energizing. Renewing. Ready for the upcoming battles we all face every day. Four stars!

Thank you Berkley for my free ARC of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix — available Jan 14!

» SYNOPSIS «
Our newly-christened Fern finds herself at a home for "wayward" girls, since unwed mothers who find themselves expecting are not deemed socially appropriate in the 1970s. But she's not alone, and through their daily chores and trials, Fern and the other girls will form precarious friendships. Until the day Fern discovers a book about witchcraft, which will bind the girls closer together than they'd ever dreamed—closer than blood, even.

» REVIEW «
Alright, I will preface this by saying Grady is hit or miss for me, and this landed somewhere in the middle. It's not traditional horror, but a kind of slow, psychological commentary on society and medicine and how we treat some of our most vulnerable members. I enjoyed the buildup, despite the glacial pace, but am still waiting for a bit of action, which I felt was rushed in the final scenes. And, honestly, extremely little "witchcraft" for a book with that word in the title? The witchy bits we did get fall into, yet again, the magical negro trope, which is something I find personally repulsive in my fiction.

I also struggled with the fact that most of the "horrific" scenes in here revolved entirely around the process of childbirth, which I (again, personally) feel is doing a disservice to the act of love and sacrifice it truly is. I don't think we should be encouraging anyone to view it in connection with horror. I will say, I chatted to some friends about this particular bit and they had ideas about it that differed from mine, so this is just my gut reaction to those scenes and maybe I missed the broader sense of "what is horrific here is not the act itself but the treatment of the women" and whatnot as I was reading those scenes. Overall, somewhere in the middle for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grady Hendrix is great at weaving nostalgia, horror, comedy, and powerful themes into his books, and this one deals with motherhood and loneliness. I found myself drawing parallels to Girl Interrupted, which is a book and film I think many loner millennial females like myself revered.

You get differing viewpoints and emotions in the book when it comes to birth, motherhood, adoption, etc., which is quite a feat when you think about how hard it is to write a book that fits within a certain genre, especially horror.

I thought it flowed super well and I really couldn't have predicted the ending!

Although it wasn't a favorite Hendrix book, still super cool and enjoyable. The cover may be one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. Go check it out, fellow witch girlies!

2025 just started and I feel like I might have just finished my favorite book of the year. Grady Hendrix CRUSHED IT. Here is my non-spoiler review.

Title/Author: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Page Count: 496

Publisher: Berkley

Format: NetGalley ebook

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: All of them.

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9780593548981

Release Date: January 14th, 2025

General Genre: Paranormal Horror, Suspense/Thriller, Historical

Sub-Genre/Themes: Feminist, coming-of-age, witches & witchcraft, crisis pregnancies, home for "unwed teen mothers", childbirth, motherhood, pregnancy, child SA (off-page and mentioned, no real-time violence)

Writing Style: STRONG character-driven storytelling, young protagonist POV, short chapters, some interludes, urgent/compelling, HORROR + HUMOR + HEART, high stakes/high investment

What You Need to Know: A story about a home in Florida in the 1970s, that accepts teen girls in a crisis pregnancy to facilitate their prenatal care, room, and board, assist in childbirth, and help find an adoptive family for the baby

My Reading Experience: I'm so overcome with love for this book and enjoyed my reading experience so much, that it's difficult to know where to start. I began reading on Friday the 3rd and here I am Sunday morning already finished with a 500-page novel. The investment in the main protagonist, "Fern", is immediate. This book is not even out yet so I'm not going to get into the details of the storyline but Hendrix draws the reader in with high stakes, emotional investment right there in chapter one. Then, once Fern arrives at her destination where she will live during her pregnancy, she meets a cast of girls who are in a similar situation plus the woman who owns the house for "wayward girls" and her staff, Hagar (who is a new all-time favorite character) and Hagar's sister.
Getting to know these girls is my favorite aspect of coming-of-age stories. The dialog is perfect and of course, Grady knows how to develop personalities through his impeccable cleverness and humor. I fell in love with everyone.
I am in awe of the way he filled this book up with vibrant, full-of-life, women and girls of all ages. He navigated an entire cast of young moms in various stages of pregnancy in detail. Childbirth, in detail. The way adults look at girls who are pregnant, if they even choose to see them at all.
I just honestly can't believe he managed to capture the essence of so many different kinds of women and girls in various stages of life so realistically.
Again, I don't want to go too far with plot details but there are some truly magical aspects to this story. I HAVE TOO MANY THOUGHTS!! TOO MANY!
It was so sweet and endearing, and tragic...these girls who either made a wrong choice or had someone else's wrong choices inflicted upon them wind up bearing all the consequences. And then they are treated like they deserve all the pain, all the suffering, all the penalties, and judgment, and physical trauma, psychological trauma...and now they are faced with more hard choices with no support, nobody to hold their hand and tell them it will be OK, that they can do this, I just...there were times where I was reading this through tears, my heart breaking for the injustice of it all. So much happens in this book.
The character arcs are incredibly intense.
Fern, Holly, Rose, Zinnia, and Hagar will be in my Reader's heart FOREVER. I love them and I loved going on this journey with them.
Hagar is a new personal favorite. What a fucking rock star. I love her. And the ENDING OH MY GOD

Final Recommendation: This is now my favorite Grady book. It used to be My Best Friend's Exorcism, then it was How to Sell A Haunted House, and now it's the one. Anyhoo, this is a gold-standard book for me. This is how you win a million hearts.

Comps: The Ghost Woods by C. J. Cooke (for a similar scenario of a home for unwed, young mothers but no other similarities) there's nothing else like this

I was a little apprehensive going into this one, wondering if a story centered around unwed pregnant teenagers in 1970 could possibly be written accurately and sensitively by a man, but the highest compliment I can give this book is that I couldn't tell that it was. It made my feminine rage boil, especially when you realize this wasn't all that long ago, and in many places, the attitudes are still the same.

Neva is 15 years old and in trouble when her father drops her off at Wellwood House in St. Augustine, FL, a home for girls like herself to spend the rest of their pregnancies, surrender their babies, then go home and forget anything ever happened. Once there, the sanctimonious and hypocritical owner Miss Wellwood renames the girls for their own protection, and Neva becomes Fern. The girls are forced to work for their room and board, treated like criminals by the doctors and nurses, and are convinced to give up their babies even if they thought they might want to risk being ostracized and go it alone. Infuriatingly, this is all the girls fault, and no consideration is given to the thought that it takes two to tango. When Fern and her roommates are given a mysterious book by the traveling librarian, they try to take back some agency and control over their own bodies, but magic always comes with a price. This one read much more like a historical fiction than a horror book, since the witchcraft aspect was minimal, and despite a few appropriately gruesome birth scenes (accurate) and a few other bloody scenes, it wasn't particularly gory either. What it did succeed in was making me angry, and the fact that this was all made possible because of living in a society where Roe didn't exist was not lost on me. A look into the not so distant past and perhaps a cautionary tale that history always repeats itself, this was a rallying cry for women to band together and protect themselves, to take back their autonomy and fight against oppression, using whatever means necessary.

This book definitely went in a different direction than I was expecting. Although the book depicted young girls using witchcraft, it was done out of desperation rather than for fun or for nefarious reasons. It was scary to think how realistic their situation was considering how unwed girls of this age were handle at that time with essentially little to no options. The author did a great job detailing their hopelessness when faced with a future with or without their baby.

Grady Hendrix dives deep into feminist themes with this book about pregnant teens and their efforts to gain autonomy. Given the opportunity to use dark magic in order to have some power over their own lives and the lives of their babies, three teens risk their very souls in order to take down an self-righteous, patriarchal leader of a home for unwed mothers.

I was thrilled to receive an eARC of this book, having always enjoyed Hendrix’s books, especially after reading How To Sell A Haunted House - which was a blast & my top favorite so far! However, this book takes on a more serious tone, differing from his usual comedic style. It focuses more on the real-life terrors experienced by actual girls who were subjected to these “homes for unwed mothers” in the 1970s, with the supernatural element taking more of a backseat.

Hendrix did an excellent job of developing these characters and providing them with heart-wrenching backstories that deliver an emotional punch. It's devastating to consider the traumatic experiences of these young girls, who faced not only unsupportive partners, evil predators and dismissive doctors, but also parents who coerced them into giving up their babies for adoption and then deny the entire ordeal. What's even more unsettling is that the same issues of restricting women's reproductive rights persist today, and the author tackles these real issues with sensitivity.

As for the supernatural witchy element, it fell a bit flat for me. While I appreciated the hope it gave the girls and the enjoyable witchcraft scenes of casting spells, I found myself underwhelmed and unimpressed by the antagonist. A greater sense of mystery and surprise would have elevated the story for me, instead we’re just going along for the ride - which is fine but not very exciting.

Overall, I thought it was a solid read. There’s a strong horror element, especially when it came to the birthing scenes but it wasn’t always perfectly balanced. This isn’t a new favorite but I appreciated Hendrix’s approach to crafting something different.

Creepy and witchy! I am a huge Grady Hendrix fan so it should be no surprise I really enjoyed this one. It’s got all the old school horror feels very much like other Hendrix books.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. I was sucked in from the very beginning. These poor girls didn’t deserve the way they were treated. You fall in the love with the characters so fast. They are written so well. I went through every emotion while reading this book. These poor girls. The way Grady describes some of the scenes in here like the finger nail scene, if you know you know, had me so disgusted. This book is long but I was so invested in the story I didn’t even care. The end of this book had me bawling my eyes out at 1 in the morning. What a beautiful ending to a heart wrenching story. What a way to start off my 2025 reading year.
5/5 Stars

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review.