Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs feels like a departure from her usual style, shifting into the realm of historical fiction. This coming-of-age story follows a group of girls who somehow survive their time at a Catholic reform school, a place that’s truly the stuff of nightmares. Mairin is a main character you won’t forget—strong, resilient, and unforgettable. All of the supporting characters are extremely well-written. The book is compelling, plot-driven, and filled with incredible characters that keep you hooked. As a must-read author for me, Susan Wiggs delivers another fantastic story. It’s a perfect pick for book clubs and is highly recommended for readers who love historical fiction, women’s fiction, and coming-of-age stories. I look forward to what is next from Susan Wiggs.

Wow! This was incredible. I learned so much about a piece of history I knew nothing about before this. This is a tough read, but it ends in a beautifully hopeful spot. Such an incredible look at trauma and the different, but connected, ways girls and women are belittled, exploited, blamed, and silenced.

Wayward Girls
by Susan Wiggs
Pub Date: July 15, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
From New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs, a wrenching but life-affirming novel based on a true story of survival, friendship, and redemption. Set in the turbulent Vietnam era in the All-American city of Buffalo, New York, six girls are condemned to forced labor in the laundry of a Catholic reform school. Perfect for fans of Before We Were Yours, Orphan Train, and The Berry Pickers.

In 1968 we meet six teens confined at the Good Shepherd—a dark and secretive institution controlled by Sisters of Charity nuns—locked away merely for being gay, pregnant, or simply unruly.

Mairin— free-spirited daughter of Irish immigrants, committed to keep her safe from her stepfather.

Angela—denounced for her attraction to girls, sent to the nuns for reform, but instead found herself the victim of a predator.

Helen—the daughter of intellectuals detained in Communist China, she saw her “temporary” stay at the Good Shepherd stretch into years.

Odessa—caught up in a police dragnet over a racial incident, she found the physical and mental toughness to endure her sentence.

Denise—sentenced for brawling in a foster home, she dared to dream of a better life.

Janice—deeply insecure, she couldn’t decide where her loyalty lay—except when it came to her friend Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency.

Sister Bernadette—rescued from a dreadful childhood, she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even as her conscience weighed on her.

Wayward Girls is a haunting but thrilling tale of hope, solidarity, and the enduring strength of young women who find the courage to break free and find redemption...and justice. Put this at the top of your to be read books! Very powerful!

3.5 stars!

I definitely enjoyed this but I'm a lot more conflicted about it than I expected. Still, pretty good for my first Susan Wiggs novel!

It's 1968 and Mairin O'Hara life is forever change when he brother is drafted, her step-father creeps on her, and her mother sends her to a Catholic reform institution where she meets other so-called wayward girls. The abuses they suffer bring the girls together and ripple throughout their lives, as they part and reunite to share their story. Premise-wise, I really loved this. It was really special to see how the girls connected with one another, both despite and because of the diversity of their backgrounds. Following them later in life and seeing how that kind of trauma stays with you. At the end of the day, I love to see stories about strong female friendships and women finding joy and success despite their circumstances. Mechanically, this book was a lot more problematic for me. The start felt really slow for me and until about a 1/3rd of the way through it was really hard for me to pick it up. The pacing felt really off throughout the whole thing, and I think more time could have been given to the girls developing their friendships in the institution. The writing was also a little hard for me to follow and I had to go back and reread because I kept having to catch up.

It's a very mixed bag for me. I think the same story with a different writing style could have really hit the mark, but I'm definitely not mad about reading it!

Thank you to Susan Wiggs and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

Growing up in Buffalo, NY which is the setting for the Wayward Girls, by Susan Wiggs, made it an exciting read for me. The streets, places mentioned ,were a reminder of my childhood growing up there. The book has many references to today's events occurring with the Catholic churches there. Many of the churches have had to close due to the bankruptcy of the dioceses due to the scandal of the abuse of the priests to young children. The girls who were forced to go to the Good Shepherd reform school for many reasons- unwed pregnant girls, girls who had been in trouble with the law, families who couldn't afford to raise the girl, and girls from troubled families. A parent didn't realize what their child was subject to during their stay. They were forced to do labor that was abusive; they were not allowed to talk; or go to school, and locked in a closet for punishment with no food. Mairin was one of the pupils who attended the reform school because her mother wanted to protect her daughter from her stepfathers sexual advances. She is determined to escape from there and after many attempts succeeded masterminding an escape with four other girls. The book explains what the girls faced during their stay and their adult lifes. This book made me want to cry. I hope you will find this book powerful and want to address the cruelty of these places.

Wayward Girls is the story of six teenage girls who were residents in a Catholic girls reform school in the 1960's. Girls were sent to this school for a variety of reasons, but once they were inside, they didn't leave until they were 18 years old. They performed free labor for a laundry service that the Sister of Charity nuns ran. They were to live a quiet and contemplative life, but rebellion bubbled up with some of the young women and different scandals were uncovered. While this story touches on some difficult topics such as abuse, it is a story about the strength of these young women as they deal with their situation and work towards freedom and redemption.

The author did a superb job of describing all aspects of the story. Though this book may not be for the faint of heart it is an excellent historical fiction novel that everyone should read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Another great read from Ms. Wiggs. This one was different from her usual reads I felt. The book starts with Everly (who was adopted as a baby) trying to find out about her birth mother. There are no records she can find. Then we go back to the 1960's and meet Mairin. Mairin is a teenage girl living with her mother, stepfather and brother in New York. Mairin is sent to a Catholic school for wayward girls after an unpleasant incident with her stepfather. From the moment she arrives Mairin tries to find a way to escape from the "school". The "school" is actually a Magdalene laundry and the girls are forced to work in them for no wages and received no schooling of any kind while they are there. Mairin makes friends with several girls during her time there including one girl who becomes pregnant while at the school. The story continues with Mairin and her friends time at the "school". Near the end of the book we switch back to modern times and continue on with Mairin's story and find out what eventually happened to her friends from the "school". Read this interesting book to learn more about what happened to the girls at the "school" and if Mairin ever escapes; how Mairin's friend becomes pregnant while at the school and what happens to her baby and what eventually happens to the "school". Pick this one up in July 2025.

This is definitely an emotionally charged book following Maririn who is sent to The Good Shepherd Institute in Buffalo NY by her mother and step-father because she was a “wayward girl” and needed discipline from the nuns. The girls at the institute were treated like slaves and received extreme punishments for infractions. It was hard to read and learn about the shocking treatment the girls received at the hands of the nuns in charge. The characters in the book are fiction but the Good Shepherd Institutes were real and the atrocities perpetuated there are outlined in court documents. The author did a superb job of describing all aspects of the story. Though this book may not be for the faint of heart it is an excellent historical fiction novel that everyone should read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Wayward Girls is a poignant historical fiction novel set in 1968 Buffalo, NY. Free-spirited Mairin O'Hara is unexpectedly sent to Good Shepherd, a Catholic-run institution, to keep her safe from her predatory stepfather. When she arrives, she meets six other girls her age who have been sent away for various reasons.

There’s Angela, a head-turning beauty who was condemned for her attraction to girls; Helen, the daughter of imprisoned Chinese intellectuals; Odessa, who struck a racist cop during a protest; Denise, who grew up in the foster system; and a pair of friends named Janice and Kay. Kay was born with developmental disabilities and is unable to live independently, so Janice looks after her.

This was not an easy read- the situation these girls are in is truly horrifying, At Good Shepherd, they are forced into manual labor for little pay and locked in their rooms at night. Any show of defiance is punished harshly, but Mairin, the protagonist, is especially determined to escape.

Wayward Girls touches upon many societal issues of the 1960s, but these issues are certainly not exclusive to the time period. Racism, homophobia, sexual abuse, teen pregnancy and adoption, the foster system, conversion therapy, and religious abuse are all major themes.

One thing I wasn't expecting was the dual timeline, and to be honest, I wasn't a fan. The second part of the story takes place in the present day. Even though the survivors are now in their late 60s, their voices still came across very young. I can appreciate what the author was trying to do, but it took me out of the story a little.

Before I begin absolutely raving about this book, I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for supplying me with an eARC. I can’t believe I have to wait until July for others to be able to read and discuss this story.
Set in Buffalo in the late 1960s, Wayward Girls is a novel about the power of friendship, the sinister tendrils of complacency by allowing tradition and faith to cloud decisions, what justice can look like for those who have been so utterly wronged by an institution, and about many different kinds of grief.
Mairin O’Hara is a delightful protagonist. After she is sent away to a laundry disguised as a Catholic School for wayward girls, she does everything she can to create a better life for herself and the friends she makes within those prison-like walls.
Each girl is thoughtfully written and you root for all of them. I was on the edge of my seat for several parts of this novel. Some of the subject matter is upsetting, but these stories are based on things that, unfortunately, did happen. Honoring and holding space for the experiences of those who were unlucky enough to be send to the Good Shephard is what we all need to do. The abuse was rampant and horrible. The adoption process akin to human trafficking. The scars, both mental and physical, that these poor women have had to nurse in silence for all these years.
This book was full to the brim with loveable characters, heartbreaking moments, moxie and grit, and people learning to have grace and patience with one another. An absolutely beautiful novel. Highly, highly recommend.

Based on the true story of a Catholic GIrl's Reform School in Buffalo, this story will haunt you for days. Why were these places allow to exist? What happened to all the girls who were placed there? A novel involving several girls and their experiences there and how it affected the rest of their lives is told by one of my favorite authors. Tragedy, frienships and forgiveness are all themes covered in this book that will keep you reading until the end.
Highly recommended.

Well, I don’t know what to say. This book was shocking in many ways to actually find out there were places such as this in existence well into the 1900’s. The treatment these girls went through was cruel and barbaric.

This was different for Wiggs but it was truly good. I didn't want to put it down. The true tale of honest friendship based on trials lived together

I enjoyed this story overall, although I felt that it dragged at times. A really interesting look into some fairly recent times where women’s rights were severely lacking.

I've heard of the horrors of the Magdalene laundries in Ireland, but was very shocked that they existed in the US and as recently as the 1960"s. Susan Wiggs tells the powerful story of a group of young women confined to such a home in Buffalo, NY. Wayward Girls is fiction, but based on one of these homes, is a well-written and gripping novel. The lead character have been committed for a variety of reasons everything from being gay to being poor to just being unwanted. The tales of the home are horrifying, but the story of friendship and strength make this a great read. Wayward Girls is perfect for your next book group read.

thank you netgalley, susan wiggs & publisher for the e arc.

i enjoyed some parts of this story, but felt that certain parts dragged and the book could have been even 50-70 pages shorter while still leaving an impact in regards to the topics covered in here. there are also some trigger warnings that should be made a bit more known at least imo. overall, enjoyed but not my favorite!

"Wayward Girls" is a remarkable work of historical fiction that delves into the troubling reality of Catholic laundries, establishments intended to provide refuge for young girls facing unplanned pregnancies or those deemed uncontrollable by their families. Contrary to their intended purpose, these institutions were characterized by darkness and abuse, predominantly operated under the auspices of the Catholic Church.

The protagonist, Mairin, captivates readers as she navigates her life after being placed in such a facility through no fault of her own. The year she spent there casts a long shadow over her existence, leaving lasting emotional scars. The narrative follows Mairin and several other individuals as they strive to rebuild their lives following their harrowing experiences within those walls. This compelling tale is one that readers will find hard to put down.

2.5
I wanted to like this so much more than I did… the premise and backstory sounded so promising, but the execution just didn’t work for me. The POV bounced around between characters, but none of the voices felt very distinct to me. The time periods felt off too—I get that in the Home they obviously didn’t have amenities etc, but it felt like it was set in the 1940s and then there would be a modern reference that would take me out. I think particularly in the “current” timeline; these women would've been 67/68 years old but their voices still came across as teens.

I also just didn’t feel the emotion behind everything. These girls went through something horrific and it just felt very surface level with throwaway comments about therapy and PTSD but we were just told all of this information instead of shown. The whole story felt entirely too long and more like an in depth outline of a book rather than a full fledged plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

4.5 stars
I love everything Susan Wiggs has written and this one was no different. It drew me in from page one and I could not put it down. Mairin's story and that of the other “wayward girls” were heartbreaking, yet I couldn’t stop reading to see what would happen to them—finished it in a day and a half. Highly recommend!