This was sadly not the book for me. I was super excited for a new Grady Hendrix title and it sounded like perfection however, it just fell flat.

Thoroughly disappointed by this read.

What I expected to be a clever, spooky read of wayward girls getting their power back in a sense was ultimately an over simplified, drawn out read that leaves much to be desired.

In the beginning. I empathized with the characters and wanted somehow for their presumed endings to end happily. And while they had each other, this quickly became trauma after trauma. The first half of the book was compelling in a sense, but plots changed, character's personalities & motives change, and we come out with a confusing execution despite an interesting premise.

I can't understand Fern's decisions (which I get, she's 15 and overwhelmed, so give her some grace), but the use of token black characters and the Magical Negro Trope made her decisions and their outcomes 10X worse.

I don't think we leave these characters better than we find them. While I can commend the author's themes of choice and the need for women and girls' to have it, that message gets lost somewhere along the way with hysterical librarians, problematic caregivers, and characters of colors having to pick up the pieces.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who is afraid of childbirth, this book was true horror for me. It feels particularly terrifying to read about pre-Roe America in the era of post-Roe America. I loved and hated the characters. Sometimes their choices and inner monologues made me want to SCREAM, but I also could see how they made the best choices they could under absolutely impossible circumstances. The way they were ignored and overlooked and ridiculed at every turn for something none of them knew a single thing about broke my heart and again made me understand why they thought the way they did. It starts off a little slow, but this gives you a chance to really get to know the characters and feel their helplessness. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it as long as you don’t get too squeamish over descriptions of childbirth.

This is pretty light on the horror. I would probably even count it as YA, since the protagonist is a teen.

A teen is sent to a home for unwed mothers where she meets a group of other girls that have an assortment of issues. The girls turn to witchcraft to deal with their "caretakers" and attempt to sort out their lives. The time period is Vietnam War era pre-Roe v. Wade. This is right before women started getting reproductive rights. And in a backhanded way, it shows what could happen when those rights are rescinded. Plus witchcraft. This would not be Grady Hendrix without anything supernatural. I was actually sort of impressed with this, but maybe his message was just less subtle than normal.

I definitely recommend this. I was sucked into the girls' story. This is also acceptable for horror weenies. This book should not be able to keep you awake at night. At least not with the supernatural elements.

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

I was so thrilled to be accepted for this one as Grady Hendrix is one of my favorite authors. I devoured this in a little over a day, which is kind of insane considering the length. The beginning is a little slow, but you really learn to connect to the characters through it. I felt like the depiction of teen pregnancy and abuse was unfortunately startingly accurate (there were several points where I felt myself tearing up at the injustices these girls faced).

I was a bit nervous about the horror aspect of this novel as I typically don't like witchy stories but this didn't feel like one. The depictions of magic were super creepy and unsettling. The real horror definitely lies in the way childbirth is described and as realistic as it is, I was a bit nauseous by the end of it.

I loved these characters, I loved this story. The entire time I was rooting for the girls to win out and I felt like it was resolved so beautifully. I cried when it was finished. Pick this one up as soon as you can.

I was not prepared for this book. I don't think I'll ever find the right words to describe my thoughts and feelings. There's so much that can be argued and analyzed in this. The story is about a home for unwed girls to deliver and give away their babies. With crazy witches in the woods and small minds everywhere else. Thank goodness for women like Hagar and Miriam. I can't think of what else to say--I feel like a deer in headlights. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

My biggest takeaway immediately after finishing this book: Wow, those were some very graphic birth scenes. Disturbing to read, but stellar birth control.

I love witch-y stories and I love Grady Hendrix, so I was especially excited for this. It was enjoyable, but fell a bit flat. I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up.

If I hadn’t already made my decision to be childfree, then this book would have done it for me. It has some seriously upsetting content. I’ve been pretty vocal about my dislike of the pregnancy trope, and this wasn’t an exception, but I think the fact that the story takes place in a “home for unwed mothers” setting, as opposed to a pregnancy to further a romance, definitely helped. There were parts of this book that were well done and I enjoyed, I really wanted to love it, but it mostly just left a bad taste in my mouth. Too much pregnancy, not enough witchcraft. It frustrated me, and rubbed me the wrong way. It will certainly have its fans, I’m sure, but I’m not one of them.

This is the first time I have read a book from this author, Hendrix. I had heard about her before, and I was looking forward to reading it. From what I had heard, this book was so far removed from what I was expecting. This was a emotional book. It covered some darker material involving teenage pregnancy in the 70s. I do believe that it could have used some trigger warnings because some of the material was really hard to get through. I will admit this was a tough read, but it was well written. I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you Net Galley and Berkely Publishing ARC.

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 and Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary copy to read and review.

This really captured the time well and the nuances of what women were dealing with. That running away with witches and witchcraft as a distraction for dealing with an unwanted pregnancy made sense. Well written and engaging

This is definitely is my top 3 of best Grady Hendrix books! I was immediately drawn in from the very first chapter & just kept wanting to know more about Fern and her story within Wellwood house. Once witchcraft became involved, the story really took off and I almost felt like I couldn’t put it down. There were so many heartbreaking moments in this horror novel shockingly & I felt the ending was done pretty perfectly. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy to add to my Hendrix collection when this releases! Thank you NetGalley & Berkley publishing for the early release.

DNF @ 20% - I just don't think this is for me. Very slow burn, will try another Grady Hendrix in the future for sure.
Wish I liked this one - I also heard there is graphic birth scenes and I'm not sure that would bode well with me.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC ❤️

Wayward girls a.k.a. girls that managed to get pregnant in their teens without being married. For Fern and the girls under the care of Miss Wellwood, everything they say, do, and eat are all carefully watched. When the girls meet Miss Parcre, they pledge allegiance to her to learn witchcraft and how to use it. As the girls see what the witchcraft can do, they get bolder. However, what will it cost them in the end?
Growing up in the 80s, I knew of some girls like Fern and the other "wayward" girls. You would hear about them moving to a "private school" and then returning several months later or the next school year. As a librarian, I love Grady's inclusion of the book mobile and the librarian that has all the answers that the girls didn't know they needed. Grady's books are not for the queasy. This book contained a few graphic scenes of childbirth.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is January 14, 2025.

I have loved reading Grady Hendrix for a long while now and was so excited to hear a new book was coming! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.
I will start off by saying that this is not like Mr. Hendrix previous books, this is not to say that this book is any less brilliant; as a matter of fact I had to sit with the story for a few days before I could calm my emotions and gather my thoughts . Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a feminist rallying cry, it is a reminder that in our not so distant past we women were treated poorly (to say the very least) we had no rights without a father or husband, and any transgression from perfect good girl could have gotten you in major trouble, and if it were major trouble that gets you sent away. This is that story. The story of feeling hopeless, helpless and powerless, the story of how being stripped of everything will either make you crumble or make you rage hot with indignation. Hang on tight!
Mr. Grady is the king of descriptive writing, and boy can he make you feel like you are there, you are walking through the halls, you are smelling the smells, you are feeling the sweat drip down your back from the humidity and most importantly you are feel the impotency of the girls, I swear I couldn't breathe during some key moments..
I don't want to go on, you enjoy the tale, the story is solid, it moves quickly, it will move you, it is scary and cringy and I loved every moment of it. I received a Kindle edition and I will be purchasing the hard cover as soon as it comes out, I'd like to read it again, flipping through pages.

As a Grady Hendrix fan, I was eagerly awaiting his newest book, and he has once again delivered an original, thought-provoking, and disturbing (in a good way) read.

The book tackles teenage pregnancy from a 1970's viewpoint, and does a good job in covering all the possible opinions these girls faced at that time. It also talks about most of the ways these pregnancies might have happened: good, bad, or horrifying. Just about any trigger warning around the trip from conception to birth is applicable, so proceed cautiously.

It is difficult for a male author to write in a female voice, especially about this topic, but Hendrix does a good job. I think his descriptions of childbirth are more graphic than a female might write, but this isn't a bad thing.

I'm still trying to process how I feel about this book, and look forward to being able to discuss it with others. As a librarian, I wasn't wild about the portrayal of one of the antagonists, but access to these girls was so limited that making her a librarian made sense. I am also looking forward to hearing from witches about how witchcraft and covens are presented.

Overall, enjoyable but perhaps a little long.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

Grady Hendrix cannot go wrong. This one was a bit different, but still good. An interesting premise.

Possibly Grady Hendrix’s best work. A fascinating book that combines horror of the supernatural and the very real. An excellent, upsetting book that show cases female rage and oppression.

Wow, this one blew me away. I've read every Grady Hendrix book. Some I've loved, some have let me down. This one took a bit for me to warm up to, because tonally, it's easily the least horror of his horror novels. It comes across more as a coming-of-age novel, with likeable but powerless main characters, cruel adults, and a streak of supernatural here and there. Where the real terror starts is how this book reads in a post Roe-versus-Wade world: how these girls are controlled and punished for their pregnancies, and how that cycle is perpetrated on the next generation. I wasn't certain how I felt about this one while reading it - it kept be hooked, but I kept waiting for it to get "scary". Nah - the real scares are in our country right now. Hendrix knew that.

This is a such a powerful book that will stay with you after you've finished reading. It starts off slow in 170 as we meet teenage Neva, on her way to a home for pregnant, unwed mothers in Florida. After her angry father hastily drops her off, she meets Miss Wellwood, the puritanical owner of the home, who renames her Fern. All the girls are named after flowers and never referred to by government names. Their time at the home isn't something to be remembered. They'll deliver their babies at a hospital as Jane Doe and sign the rights over to adoptive families. Then, return to their lives and names as if nothing ever happened.

If they even think about keeping the babies, they're guilt-tripped by the social worker, who also works at the home. The girls work for room and board and are put on strict diets by the uncaring doctor and Miss Wellwood. During the summer, they're visited by an old librarian driving a bookmobile. The librarian provides Fern with a book about witchcraft, which Fern and the other girls (Holly, Rose, and Zinnia) read through and attempt spells.

When their first spell works against the doctor, the girls start to delve deeper into the book. However, they realize that spells have serious consequences and everything comes at a price. This book is masterfully written and the characters will haunt you for a long time, particularly Holly. I would highly recommend this book.