Set in Buffalo in the 1950’s, a group of young girls find themselves at the Home of the Good Shepherd, where the nuns are dedicated to controlling and saving their souls.

As many historical fictions about the darker sides of history, it’s difficult to read at times, but true to our history. Young women in the 60’s, evil nuns, and the cultural breakthrough of the time period, the story is very entertaining. While most takes place in the home with the nuns, we get glimpses of the outside culture, including Vietnam, the protests, and hippie counter culture. I loved that a good portion of the ending was dedicated to closure.

“She was utterly and completely alone now. She didn’t know a blessed soul in this place, and there was nothing about these strange nuns that inspired hope or made her feel safe.”

Wayward Girls comes out 7/15.

Thank you NetGalley, Williammorrow and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

“The Magdalene Laundries”
Oh, my goodness….the horrors revealed in this story are just heartbreaking and intense.
The Wayward Girls gives us insight into what millions of girls suffered at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church.
What atrocities!
This story was hard for me to read and comprehend…it is so emotional and heartbreaking. A story about finding hope and strength to find justice.

My anger and my blood pressure spike every time I hear the words, Magdalene Laundry. I know nothing good is going to be written about it and the same is true for the Home of the Good Shepard. Run by The Sisters of Charity, I knew I would want to throw the book across the room at some point. I controlled myself and my book stayed firmly in my hand. Susan Wiggs does an amazing job of diving deep into 1960s. Vietnam is the focus for most families as their young sons are drafted, the power of music is at an all-time high, feminism is really starting to take hold. For some girls this was not in their mind, and they become wrapped up in the old country's way of life, Irish Catholics will not let these new beliefs or way of thoughts cloud their minds.

Mairin and Fiona are fifteen years old. Working at the local orchard, picking fruit, listening to music, and beginning to notice boys. Fiona already has a boyfriend and is blossoming before her friends' eyes. Mairin has been asked on her first date. She is nervous to ask her mom if she can go. Her Mam is strict and still reeling from the death of her husband. Her second husband is a useless drunk and lets his eyes trail down Mairin. When Fiona finds herself pregnant. Her parents send her to her aunts. Mairin is destroyed that they would just send Fiona away like that. Why doesn't anything happen to the boy? The first day of school Mairin is dressed and ready when her Mam and stepdad stop her and drive her to the Home of the Good Shepard. What is waiting for her is traumatizing and will stick with her for the rest of her life. The nuns hit, pull hair, make you sit in a small closet for hours, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. They work the girls to the bone at the laundry. Mairin is beyond mad, scared, and disappointed. She will do anything to break out of this prison.

This is told in a dual timeline. During the girl's time at the home and fifty years later. The characters are layered, troubled, having to grow up fast. They opened their hearts to me. Their stories wreaking havoc on my mind and soul. Thank you to Susan Wiggs, William Morrow for my gifted copy.

Wayward Girls tells the stories of six young women who, for various reasons, were sent to an institution in Buffalo, New York that was much like Ireland's Magdalen Laundries. These were places were vulnerable young girls, many times the victims of others, were sent when they became pregnant when they were single or otherwise were not conforming to society's rules. Even worse, one character was sent to this hell, when it was her stepfather who was the offending party. The men often seemed to be able to continue as they had been with little consequence for their mistreatment of their victims.

Anyone who wonders about the historic (lack of) rights for young women will be justifiably appalled by what happened to these girls who were further victimized and judged by those who should have helped them. Readers will very much hope that somehow these six young women will be able to go on to better lives post institution. Their friendships should help.

Disclosure: I have worked with birth mothers from this time and know many of their stories. This made a book, that was excellent, very difficult for me to read.

One note: The story begins with a girl who says that she needs a pre-adoption certificate to get a passport. I have never heard of that requirement.

Kudos to Wiggs for bravely showing readers what life was like for some young women. I believe that she hopes that a time like this will not come again.

This is definitely a worthwhile read. It is not all depressing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC for my honest review. This is a very emotional story. It is about young girls in boarding school and the trauma they went through. It will definitely pull at your heartstrings and bring tears to your eyes. The girls journeys are long and hard. However, they make it with the friendships they make and the support they give each other. So if you like books about injustice….this is the book for you.

This was an interesting read. I found myself interested in what each of the girls was going through - however I think that this book struggled from too much. What I mean by that, is that there were too many characters. It felt hard to remember who was who and I do not want to have to take notes, just in order to read and enjoy my book. If this isn't a problem for you, then you may enjoy this more than I did.

🦬 Wayward Girls - Susan Wiggs

4.25 ⭐️ - This is one of those tough subject books that is done so well I have no choice but to say I enjoyed it and recommend it, even though it feels hard to say that? Well done, Susan Wiggs - this difficult subject matter book was informative, heartbreaking, yet complete and heartwarming? It was a wild mix of emotions.

What a truly heart wrenching story of survival and friendship. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my review. I highly recommend this page turner.

As a big fan of historical fiction, I was excited to read this book! Set in the late 1960s-early 1970s to the present day, the story follows the harrowing experiences of six teenagers who are sent to a reform school run by nuns to ‘cure’ them of various behaviors that were seen as problematic. The girls create strong bonds with one another as they survive trauma and mistreatment at the hands of the nuns and staff of the reform school, which is not a school at all. I became so invested in the lives and experiences of these characters. Susan Wiggs does a wonderful job of telling the story from their perspectives, shifting and changing with their age and resilience as they make it through challenge after challenge.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for an early copy of this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

If I am being honest, this was a very hard book for me to read/rate. I know this book was kind of written purposefully to be hard to read, but it still needs to be stated. I almost wish this book came with a list of trigger warnings.

With that being said, Susan Wiggs is a fantastic writer, and even though this book has a lot of heavy moments, it also still has a lot of heart to it. I loved following along with the story of the girls, and I needed to know that they were going to be ok.

Furthermore, Jane Oppenheimer and Cynthia Farrell do a great job with the narration of this story.

Even though I am only rating this book 3 stars, I still think this is a must-read book, and if anything is very important to read especially in our current history.

Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs is a highly recommended historical fiction novel set mainly in 1968 with the opening and ending in more contemporary times. The bulk of the novel is set in the Good Shepard Refuge in Buffalo, NY. It claimed to be a reform school but was really a Magdalene laundry where the girls there were forced to work and treated cruelly by the Sisters of Charity nuns in charge.

There is a list of the main characters in the description to help readers follow who is who. The novel mainly focuses on six teens. Mairin is the main character and the bulk of the novel unfolds through her point-of-view. After her brother is drafted, she is committed there when she is 15 by her mother and stepfather to keep her safe from her stepfather. The five other teens introduced include Angela, Helen, Odessa, Denise, and Janice. The reasons the girls were sent there does feel a bit like boxes needed to be checked for current sensibilities. There are also chapters following the point-of-view of a young nun, Sister Bernadette.

The novel is compelling, especially following the ordeals the girls experienced while at Good Shepard as it is based on a real place. Later in the novel, after the teens get out, the plot is still interesting but loses much of it's intensity. Now it is a young woman determined to find her way to a future but without much of the ardor displayed earlier. It also becomes more of a women's fiction novel. You will want the women to get some justice for what happened to them as teens.

Wayward Girls will be best appreciated by readers who enjoy women's historical fiction. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs is a compelling tale. The story goes from 1968 to the present day. The author captured the late 1960s when men were being drafted for the Vietnam War, Catholic schools were popular, nuns could do no wrong, communes popped up in the countryside, and unwed pregnant girls brought shame to their families. I thought the story was well written with realistic characters. I liked the main character, Mairin O’Hara who was spirited and determined. I felt for the girls and the horrible atrocities that they suffered. I was shocked that parents would stick their children in this “school” (a Magdalena laundry) and then never visit them. What the girls suffered was heartbreaking. The author did a terrific job at handling these traumatic topics. I like how the girls became friends and helped each other. We get to see how childhood/teenage experiences shape their future. I did feel that a smidgeon of the dialogue ventured over the line into cheesy while some felt a tad forced. I liked the movie and book references in the story. The ending was realistic. Wayward Girls is a fascinating narrative with a protective big brother, best friend with bad news, loads of laundry, a dark closet, a wild ride, a frantic call, and friends forever.

If you are a woman of a certain age, you're going to immediately relate to the music and the time period. It's familiar, but also unfamiliar in that it portrays what they used to call "wayward" girls. Again, if you are of a certain age, you may know girls who mysteriously disappeared or went to visit and aunt--and came back, somehow different. In this book Wiggs portrays what must have been one of the worst situations a girl could find herself in. And the fact that it is based on the very real Magdalene Laundries makes it even more fascinating. Not just Ireland, but America, too?
You'll be rooting all the way for the girls. Their dramatic escape is thrilling and the ending is just right, though the reader does not want it to end.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It would be perfect for a book club!

Historical fiction readers will like this eye-opening novel based on true events. The tragic abuse of young women during this time period is astonishing, especially with the cover-up from the Catholic Church. Well researched. L9ved the author's note. It's hard to read but worth it. Highly recommended!

This was my first Susan Wiggs book, and I found it interesting. The main characters have good character development, but I found it a little long. I knew of the Madgalen Laundries in Ireland, but did not know they existed in the USA. The subject matter is dark, but the redemption story is hopeful.

I received an ARC for free and gave my honest opinion voluntarily.

Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs is such a beautifully written story. Based on actual institutions for “wayward” girls, this richly re-imagined book brings to life the atrocities meted out by Catholic nuns and complicit parents in the 1940s - 1970s. It is at the same time, a tale of survival and fierce commitment to truth and justice for those who suffered during this time. A stirring must-read!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Wayward Girls is a story inspired by true events and brought to the page beautifully. We meet six girls who are sent to the Good Shepherd, a catholic reform school. We see these young ladies fight, bond, and grow. We see not only the experiences at Good Shepherd, but how their time there shaped them. This is a masterful blend of historical fiction and the strength of sisterhood.

Wayward Girls is a story inspired by true events set in Buffalo, New York in the 1960's. Six young women are confined to the Good Shepherd, a Catholic reform school for wayward girls. Marin, Angela, Helen, Odessa, Denise, and Janice, are all sent for various reasons. Marin's mother sends her to protect her from her predatory stepfather. Angela is sent because she is attracted to girls, but faces a more harrowing experience than the nuns reform. Helen's parents have been detained in China and her stay is not the temporary solution originally planned. Odessa was involved in a racial incident with police. Living in a foster home, Denise was in a fight and thought the Good Shepherd may be a better alternative than foster care. Janice originally deemed a tattle tale is deeply loyal to the girls and in particular her friend, Kay. The book follows the young girls heart-wrenching experiences while confined there, but also as mature, aged women. This is a story of friendship and survival and the strong bonds made during difficult times. It is a must read one of my top reads of the year! I will always think of these girls when I see a Bookmobile. I did not want to put this one down. Add this to your list and get a copy on July 15, 2025

Like most books about wayward girls, you follow a group of girls that were sent to a home. Mairin was sent because it was safer than being at home. Angela showed lesbian tendencies. Helen was a Chinese girls who was supposed to be there temporarily. Odessa assaulted a cop and then Denise was an unruly type. What I liked is that it showed more than just pregnant girls were sent to these types of homes. You get to see the girls bond and rise above their conditions. They are all very resilient. What I LOVED about the book is that this story follows them all the way to adulthood. You get to see how they thrived and it ties up some loose ends that other wayward girl books did not.

intricate and well-written book about a group of girls, who, through various reasons, wound up sealed in a Catholic home for wayward girls. a rough and tearjerking read. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.