Loved this! Definitely a reminder of how things have changed in our world, but also an indication of how much farther we have to go! The story was so sad and tragic, with just enough happy added in.

Mairin is just doing her best growing up in the Vietnam era as the child of a strict Irish Catholic mother and a good-for-nothing stepfather. When her brother is drafted and it becomes clear that it is no longer safe for her reside in the same home as her stepfather, Mairin is essentially incarcerated at a Catholic reform school for, you guessed it, wayward girls. In this context, "wayward" means anything from pregnant out of wedlock to being raised in the turbulence of foster care to showing signs of same sex attractions and more. While there, they live under the strict conditions and abuse of the nuns and forced to work instead of being educated. Although in the very beginning, Mairin doesn't come across as particularly strong-willed, once she is left at Our Lady of Charity Refuge, her personality seems to change. She is stubborn rabble-rouser, and constantly trying to escape or plan an escape. The story follows her bonds with her fellow wayward girls, their various trajectories, and how some of them come together in the future. It's a story of strength, justice, and survival.

This book started slow for me, as it isn't typical for Susan Wiggs and not what I expected. BUT, I got drawn in and absolutely loved it. I had never heard anything about these places and was appalled that they existed in the United States. Wonderful story and I loved learning something new.

Susan Wiggs tells the powerful story of a group of young girls confined to Good Shepherd, a dark and secret institution controlled by the Sisters of Charity nuns. These girls all of different backgrounds and history find themselves having to trust and rely on each other to survive. This book is sometimes a difficult read due to the horror that these girls went through. This is definitely a moving and sometime heart wrenching book, but Susan Wiggs does a wonderful job showing that friendship can withstand anything. The Wayward Girls should definitely be on your read list. Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Susan Wiggs for this ARC for my honest review.

This book was so touching, and so sad, but also I felt so happy for the Wayward girls. I loved reading about strong female characters, stuck in a time and place where they were not treated well, listened to, and held accountable for actions not their own. Even though I hated the suffering they endured from the nuns, I also felt like it created a friendship and bond with each other that helped them become better versions of themselves. I loved the writing; I felt I understood the characters and they each had a piece I could recognize in myself. THANK YOU for the opportunity to read this! Truly a masterpiece.

First off, I really enjoyed this book! I could really tell how much work went into writing this, including research, and I love when you can tell that an author really put their whole heart into making the story good, but also correct. This book was amazing, and afterwards I actually decided to look into the specific place that the book was based on, and found so many interesting facts about it. This book really opened my eyes to the darker side of religion, and overall it was a great read!

WAYWARD GIRLS, the newest novel by Susan Wiggs, explores the role of Magdalene Laundries, so well known in Ireland, but far less noticed here in the US. Magdalene Laundries accepted ‘wayward girls’ from Catholic families and ostensibly educated them ‘back’ to being ‘normal.’ In fact, the Laundries were a racket run by religious orders to abuse desperate young women and force them to wash clothes and linens for community endeavors. The girls were essentially forced labor without any workplace protections. Most of the girls were unmarried and pregnant, and to add further injury and abuse, their babies were stolen and transported for adoption elsewhere; the girls were often told their babies had died at birth. Into this sordid tale, one teenaged girl is sent to the Laundry in Buffalo to protect her from a stepfather bent on abusing her. The tale involves the efforts of the girls to escape and their lives once they leave the Laundry. The early part of this book is difficult to read for the hopelessness it describes. The girls’ later years are fascinating. This is a fast moving and gripping tale of ultimate survival. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

What an emotionally, captivating story of hope, abuse, survival, and friendship.
When Fiona and Mairin were young, they loved Tiger Beat, walking to school, and sharing their dreams. They had no idea the direction their lives would take, and the consequenses of the decisions the adults in their lives made.
This book focusses on Mairin, and what she endures once her mom and step father send her to live at a reform school. The abuse, fear, endless hours of labor, and cruelty she and the others endured was painful, and hard to read about. Her strength, courage, and determination were inspiring. While the characters were fiction, the book gives the reader a glimpse of what life was like for "Wayward Girls" in the 60s and 70s.
Susan Wiggs writes a wonderful story about a horrible time in history. I couldn't put it down once I started.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I always enjoy learning about things I was unaware of. Author Susan Wiggs tells an amazing story of the Magdalene Laundries which was a prison of sorts for young alleged wayward girls. Several of these girls formed a friendship and were able to find comfort in each other. You will want to put this on your must read list!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I have never felt anything so powerful from a book. This historical fiction had so much truth to it and that definitely came through in the pages. Six girls, and definitely more, were institutionalized in a Catholic prison really. Their stories of torture, survival and waging a friendship that ultimately bonded them as more than just friends. My heart was wrenching tears on more than one occasion. What culminates in the end is nothing short of miraculous. Susan Wiggs shows another side to her writing that just proves masterful.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected eproof ARC of 'Wayward Girls' by Susan Wiggs - expected release date of 07/15/2025

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a deep dive into the lives of 6 young women, forced against their will, to live at a reform school being run by the Catholic church. The reasons the girls were there were all different, and the book was told from each of their perspectives. While it was hard to keep the character's storylines straight, it wasn't hard to feel disgust and sadness over what they endured. This is a book of fiction, but we all know things like this did actually go down back in this era, and it wasn't OK. Great job to Wiggs for telling this story and bringing light to such a terrible time in women's history.

This book was great in the beginning, but randomly turned into what felt like a Lifetime movie script, but then would still show pockets of greatness. The ending began to drag. However, this was still a decent read.

This book starts a little slow and it is a very hard subject to read about. How do you rate the horrors these girls went through, I know it's fiction but there is a lot of truth in there too. My heart went out to every character in this story and the millions of girls who suffered at the hands of the Church. This book did not suck me in like a few other books on the same subject did, it's not a book that nestles into my soul either. But it is a good historical fiction account of the horrible atrocities and dishonesty that went on in the church and Catholic Charities. If you are looking for a story about this time period that leans more towards historical or history, this is a great option. If you are looking more for the story of a single girl or less historical, I preferred The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church.

If you live in Buffalo New York in 1960 and you find yourself a pregnant girl with no attachment you are forced into a girls home
These ladies have one thing in common and not much else, but they form bonds and look out for each other
I was very invested in these characters and their strength, well some of the story was hard to read. It is a definite must read

I have read other Susan Wiggs novels and always enjoyed them, which made me hopeful that Wayward Girls would be a terrific novel and an enjoyable read. Perhaps my familiarity with this author is why I am so disappointed. The primary characters--Mairin, Odessa, Angela, Helen, Denise, Janice, and Kay--are interesting and well-developed, but unfortunately, this novel is filled with clichés, such as these same characters, who are one of every ethnicity, appearance, and background. Additionally, there are cruel abusive nuns, a single sympathetic nun, an abusive doctor, instead of a an abusive priest. Too many of the characters are archetypes. Only the young girls are individuals.

The Magdalene laundries have been the subject of multiple novels, nonfiction texts, documentary films, and popular films. The story has been done over and over again. It was disappointing to find Wiggs squandering her talents on a novel that could have been taken from the documentary, The Madeleine Sisters. I read Wiggs' authorial note about her interest in an abandoned Magdalene laundry, with which she was acquainted. The theme of shared trauma, the deception, the escape, the dishonesty about money, are all familiar themes in the stories associated with the laundries.

Wayward Girls will likely appeal more to readers who know nothing about the laundries, but for me, Wayward Girls was well-written repetition. Thank you To William Morris publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my review. These comments reflect my honest appraisal.

3 stars

This was an incredible story that follows a group of girls who survived imprisonment at a horrific “reform school” in the late ‘60s. It’s a hard and emotional read but it was very moving. I enjoyed the different point of views because it allowed me to understand each character in a deeper way. Definitely recommend this book and be sure to read the authors note!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this ARC!

Historical fiction based in truth, following the lives of several young women forced to live in a Catholic laundry in the 1960s in Buffalo, NY.
And exploration of trauma, found sisterhood, and how the past shapes your future. Beautifully written and touching story.

When NetGalley approved my request to read this book I was thrilled. I have read many books written by Susan Wiggs and enjoyed them tremendously. I knew she decided to end her Nantucket stories and the book was certainly a different genre. I found it very slow and hard to get into but I made myself a promise to finish the book because it was by one of my favorite authors. If it were any other author I would not have plotted through. It is about girls who are sent to a Catholic reform school and the horrors they endure A group of them escape and it tells the story of what happens to them in their lives. It probably wasn't until the last quarter of the book when it all started to come together that it held my interest.

I predict this novel will be a top book club pick for ‘25-‘26.
This is a historical novel, based on true stories, and there are a mountain of topics in these pages to discuss, unpack and research!
Set in the Vietnam war era in Buffalo , NY, this is the story of teen girls, who after some minor indiscretion, or having brought “shame” to their families, were “sent to the nuns” to “Catholic School” for reformation.
Essentially they were tossed aside like garbage by their families, the very people that were supposed to protect them and advocate for them.
And the only education they received at these so-called schools was how to endure hard labor and brutal punishment.
This book really broke my heart , because of the evil and inequality these vulnerable characters, and so many women of this era faced.
And , oh wow , these characters! So beautifully constructed, I was so invested in all of them. Diverse and interesting backgrounds, all facing their own individual hell on earth. They all had a mountain of obstacles to overcome and survive.
The music of the time period was woven throughout the chapters, fully embedding you into the era. The mentioning of different songs and bands brought emotion and atmosphere to the story and compelled me to make my own Wayward Girls playlist on Spotify.
I am so grateful to Susan Wiggs and William Morrow books, and so many other authors and publishers, who continue to shed light on some difficult subjects. This was a story that needed to be told! Well done, thank you!

Susan Wiggs tells unforgettable stories. Wayward girls was written in a way that pulled you in and you didn't want to stop reading until you finished the book. The fictional characters were woven into a historical event. They became human and the horrors they survived were felt in the stort. Highly recommend.