This debut novel about the tragic death of a teenager in as small Massachusetts coastal town was actually a series of 10 vignettes by people who had knew her. The unique format, introduced these characters, and developed their issues - trauma, poverty, sadness, regrets, etc. via internal dialogues and descriptions of their connection with her. Each character's point of view was different but there was no resolution to the reason for this student's death - was it an accident, a murder, or suicide? The novel as a whole was too meandering and disjointed for me to care about their backstories and I felt that each one was damaged. I felt that the ending was too abrupt and it lacked closure for me.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I gave Women and Children First 3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you Net Galley and Zando Publishing for the ARC for this book. These opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading Women and Children First. It was a little confusing at first, as there are several characters and points of view. I felt like that made it hard to get into (and may cause some readers to put it down). But stick with it!

Around 30%-40% into the book, it starts getting unraveled and things start making much more sense. It was hard to develop a feel for each character because there wasn’t much time spent on each of them, but in the end, you find out that it was more about developing a feel for the overall premise and those “bit” characters were only necessary for the story to go forward.

Overall, a good read!

Alina Grabowski's novel, "Women and Children First," explores the lives of several women connected to a local student's death. While I admire Grabowski's ambition, I found the use of 10 different viewpoints overwhelming. Focusing on fewer characters would have allowed for a more cohesive and engaging story.
Additionally, I appreciate the emphasis on female characters. But, their portrayal often reinforced negative stereotypes and internalized misogyny. It made me enjoy the book less, as the dialogue and interactions felt overly harsh and unrealistic.
I felt disconnected due to the execution and portrayal of characters in "Women and Children First." So, I can't in good conscience recommend this one.

This book tore me up. I sympathize with all the towns people, as I grew up in a small town and learned at an early age that everything and everyone is connected. Including shared grief.
If you have lost a child, or sibling, I would take my time with this one and if you can't finish it than put it down because it is HEAVY reading but if you do make it all the way through (with tears in your eyes) you should feel the same way I do. That this novel is a 5 star read of complex feelings come at you from multiple points of view.
I know some readers who have issues with reading a novel with multiple points of view, but if you can keep track of everyone you will root for someone to have a have some happiness in Nashquitten.

Women and Children first is probably the best debut I've read in 2024 so far. Our setting is a small Massachusetts town that is rapidly decaying and then a young woman suspiciously dies at a house party. The community is shaking from both their loss of job stability and then this jarring event. Our story is really the story of ten women of this town that are affected, in some way, by these events. We get into the heads of these ten women as they experience the grief, loss, and attempts at solving the puzzle of what happened.

I loved this book. Not because of the mystery, but because of the way these ten lives were interconnected and the way the community's story was told. The bad reviews I've seen have said this was "disconnected", but I could not disagree more. Yes, we do move from POV to POV and yes, I sometimes wanted to stay with one woman longer than Grabowski allowed us, but this is very much a story of interconnectedness and her structure highlighted that brilliantly. I was gripped from the beginning and sad to leave the world created behind. This was so sharp and so beautiful.

Read if you liked Disappearing Earth or want to piece together a puzzle slowly, carefully, and with some bite and a lot of heart.

Step into the heart of a small Massachusetts town, where grief, love, and the unbreakable bonds between women intertwine in Alina Grabowski's captivating novel, "Women and Children First." When tragedy strikes at a house party, the lives of ten local women become intricately entwined as they navigate their own personal struggles and confront the weight of loss and longing.

Through alternating perspectives, Grabowski paints a vivid portrait of these women, each chapter offering a window into their innermost thoughts and emotions. From the grieving mother to the resilient teacher, from the betrayed friend to the mysterious confidante, every character adds layers of depth to the poignant narrative of community and connection.

With lyrical prose and raw honesty, Grabowski skillfully captures the essence of a town bound by history, secrets, and shared pain. As the story unfolds, readers are drawn into a powerful meditation on the fragility of life and the enduring resilience of the human spirit.

"Women and Children First" is more than just a novel—it's an immersive journey into the complexities of grief, love, and the ties that bind us together. With its beautifully crafted narrative and rich character development, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers, reminding us of the profound impact of tragedy and the transformative power of human connection.

Wow. I have a lot to say about this one.

I couldn’t put this down, seriously. I was invested in every single character and their memories, life, and emotions. This is a fantastic exploration of interconnectedness and the effects of death and grief. By using multiple perspectives, we get to see the same conversations replayed from different angles - it’s extremely fascinating and makes you think pretty hard about the importance of perception.

The truth is, there are so many small towns drowning in sorrow induced by natural disasters, crime, addiction, etc. There’s limitless pain, and it can make life feel like a storm that will never end. This story is hyper-realistic, and it left me feeling intensely lonely and melancholic. There is so, so much to love here. The “post” side of the novel is especially heartbreaking, and some of it was quite hard to stomach.

I hesitate to add what I didn’t like to this review because I really don’t want to take away from the positives of this book, but here we go. I was bothered by the author’s use of quotes; they were only there about half of the time when there was dialogue. Using “he said” or “she noted” makes it clear that the lines are spoken when quotation marks aren’t present, but it’s a pet peeve of mine. I think the idea is that the character memories don’t have quotes because they’re being replayed in thought, not out loud, but it reads strangely.

Other than that small complaint, I found the writing a bit odd at times. Some of the literary device usage felt weird to me, and because of that, the prose didn’t hit me in the poetic way that I feel it was supposed to. There were definitely awkward moments. In Jane’s chapter for example, the Dunkin’ Donuts scene feels quite clunky. Wet socks are mentioned way too many times and phrases such as “skin peeled like tape” or “slapped against my ankles like dead fish” are unconformable against otherwise wonderful writing. I will say, however, that the strange writing notably decreased with each chapter, which is interesting.

Overall though, the book is truly a triumph - a powerful experiment in style. It’s an easy recommend for me.

4.5.

Alina Grabowksi hit it out of the park with Women and Children First. My one wish is that I read this in a physical copy rather than electronically, so I could easily look back in the book.

Women and Children takes an event — the death of a student, Lucy, a student at a Nashquitten, Massachusetts high school. Lucy dies at a house party and this story line is threaded through the stories (each a chapter) of 10 women living in the town. There are other students, adults, Lucy’s mothers each have a voice in this coming-of-age story of loss and living in a decaying costal town.

At first, I wasn’t shore I would be able to stay into the narrative with 10 different voices — that’s a lot of perspective changing in one book. But, at three chapters in, it worked for me. Why? The women are so different that their voices are different even though some of them are the same age. This is a quiet impactful book that won’t be for everyone, but I loved it so much.

A really smart and compelling debut, perfect for fans of Otessa Moshfegh. Throughout the book, we examine the death of Lucy from the points of view of several women in her crumbling coastal home town.
The different narrators were, at first, confusing, so a more marked difference in voice would have been good but it soon went in and became seamless. A wonderful, character driven novel which takes on several themes. Beautifully written and full of absolutely stunning, lyrical passages, I think this will be one to watch this year!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: A well written debut novel about the death of a teenaged girl, Lucy, as experienced by multiple women who were connected to her. The many narrators did cause some confusion for me, but some of the voices--especially Layla the school counselor--were compelling and the many connections build throughout the book. Ultimately, the question of the truth and the impact are different for all of the narrators. A strong debut.

A chorus of ten diverse women — residents of Nashquitten, Massachusetts, a decaying coastal beach town that tourist season cannot resuscitate — address their lives in a claustrophobic small town that coalesce in the circumstances surrounding the mysterious death of a young woman, Lucy Anderson, at a house party. Alina Grabowski unspools the story through artfully crafted vignettes told from each characters’ perspective. Layla is the interim counselor at the local high school. She has suspicions about the new math teacher, Rob, who seems to enjoy the attention of students “who make him feel valuable whereas women his own age do not.” But, Layla may be too sensitive because, as a high school student, she dropped out of soccer, a sport she had excelled in, when her coach started paying her “special attention.” Jane is an industrious student who works and tends to her mother’s mysterious ailments while enjoying thrills and risks. She is having a clandestine affair with the math teacher, but she seems unaffected by the inequitable relationship: “Everything with Rob is an experiment. I learn what I like and what I don’t. And I know that he, unlike the boys at school, won’t tell a single person.” Mona’s parents gifted her with the home where Layla is renting a room. Mona has been unsuccessful in her attempts to be accepted into a graduate program. When her co-worker, Marina, a teenager with aspirations to become a gynecologist shows up on the periphery of Mona’s yard, accompanied by a friend whose dress is spattered in blood, Mona takes no action.

Grabowski fully immerses the reader in each of the novel’s first-person sections so that the characters and their thwarted dreams are come alive. She addresses some powerful themes, including complicated mother-daughter relationships, grooming and sexual abuse, the misuse of social media, and the impact of status and wealth. Grabowski has created a deeply affecting and smart debut novel that explores how a seemingly tight-knit community can fall short. Thank you Zando Project and Net Galley for an advance copy of this fabulous read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

This story is told by different women and teenagers, in vignettes. A high school student dies, and all the perspectives relate to this. As the book unfolds, you learn more about the circumstances of the death, although I'm not sure that I, even now, still clearly understand what happened. It's a very emotionally depressing book. There is no happiness here; every character is stuck in some way. If you like character-driven novels, you will enjoy this one.

I loved this book so much and marveled in the authors talent in regards to being able to tie together ten POVs! Very enjoyable read, very distinct voices and I found myself missing some of the characters when their piece was over.
Human beings are so complicated and the characters in this book are both good and bad and it was so interesting to get the POV of what other's thought of them and then right after get into their heads to see what's really going on.
Alina Grabowski deserves the positive feedback she's getting. Women and Children first is a five star read. Please read this book. You won't regret it.

“Women and Children First” investigates contemporary womanhood via several female viewpoints with the death of a teenager as the unifying concept.

While the cover states that this book is a novel, I would say it’s more of a collection of linked stories because each chapter introduces a new character who offers her perceptions of life in a New England community. This is definitely for people who enjoy character-centered books: don’t expect a strong narrative arc or closure. If you accept these parameters, you will be rewarded with beautiful, insightful prose and entertaining perspectives. There were so many times when I thought, “Yes! That’s exactly how it is.”

This is definitely a book that is up Reese's Book Club's alley. The alternating P.O.Vs of different women—each one receives a single chapter—provide insight on what happened to Lucy Anderson that fateful May night. The characters range from the inner circle to the outer while the details surrounding the mystery build. I was skeptical of the continually changing P.O.V. premise, but it really grew on me after I got into the rhythm. This was a great casual read, but if you are affected by media like 13 Reasons Why, this is your trigger warning.

I will say, though the flashbacks and constantly moving timeline kept me on my toes, sometimes it felt a little bit like whiplash with some flashbacks occurring right in the middle of a conversation with no italics or warning sign. Overall, I thought this was a very inventive and fresh writing style. I would also note that there are many expletives smattered throughout. I did feel like the ending lacked closure and resolve, but my working theory is that it was supposed to end on this note to mimic the sleepy town and the fact that many tragedies of this nature lack closure.

This book is great for fans of Kukafka's Notes on an Execution, with less emphasis on the central incident itself and more on what caused it and the events leading up. The writing was beautiful, there were many poignant quotes that I found myself highlighting and each character becomes real as you read. I thought the lengths of each character's story could be only slightly tedious at times, but all of the details helped to patch together a story. It was like a short story collection where it all connects, and it was very pleasurable to read! I absolutely devoured this book.

What an immersive story! From the first lines of Alina Grabowski's WOMEN AND CHILDREN, I fell into the shore town of Nashquitten, Massachusetts. Told through the views of 10 different women of the town following a drowning death at a party, the story is tightly drawn, taut tension, and beautifully told. Every view felt genuine, heartfelt, and deeply convincing -- even as the people in the town pull together, yank apart, or try to deny the tragedy that has forever changed them. While the subjects were so close to my heart, I deeply admire and applaud an exceptional talent telling a tale that tells us who we are through the make-believe, utterly convincing tale of make-believe events. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Great premise; unfortunately so poorly written that you quickly lose the plot and can never really find it again

I liked the premise of this book but I did not like how it was presented. Told in multiple POV's about a young woman dying. Was it suicide or an accident or was it murder. The more you listened to what the different people said the more you could get an understanding of what really happened to Lucy. It was an interesting concept but I think that maybe if the author would have put a timeline on the the different POV"s it would have been easier to understand. There were so many characters I had a hard time figuring out who was who. I will say that Lucy did have an impact on each of the character's life and it was a very compelling read.
Thanks to #netgalley, #SLPlit and @alinagrabowski_ for an ARC of this book

When the sudden death of a young teen girl at a house party affects a small coastal Massachusetts town, WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST tells the impact it has on ten different women/girls (that knew her-or-of her) in that community. The story deals with grief, coping, sexuality, family and relationships. Each characters story is told in one chapter, giving you a small glimpse into their life. All overlap in another’s POV.. very typical of small town life. Her death touches everyone in different ways, showing their lives before and after it happens, some not caring at all to others feeling their own connection to what it means to lose someone they cared for. This is very character driven (which I love) but even so I never fully got the chance to understand/relate to the characters as it felt disjointed due to the many characters and short glimpses of them. Sadly it ended abruptly and left me wanting more. 3 stars — Pub. 5/7/24

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.