Wonderful story development, rich characters, and a plot that hooks you and never lets you go. I love it when I can immerse myself within a book and just forget about real life for awhile and “become” a part of the story. This book totally delivered!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. I have to admit this is a different read for me but I loved the premise of the book-“Orphan Black meets Handmaid’s Tale”. When an inspiring dr on the verge of a scientific massive discovery meets a young woman who wants to prove women don’t need men, even for childbirth then a cult like community begins, and 9 miracle children are born to virgin mothers. Fast forward to 17 years later and we meet Girl One as her story unfolds in the search for her missing mother. She discovers her “sisters” and their powers and then sets out on an unexpected trip filled with surprises, discoveries, violence, friendship, and romance. Great twist on a coming of age story that will leave you rooting for these highly interesting and well developed characters!

This story was based on a very interesting premise. Nine girls were born with only the mother’s DNA. Josephine, who was the first one and is called Girl One is on a search for her mother. A fire destroyed the commune where they all lived and two from the commune died including Joseph, the scientist who created the girls. Many years later Josephine is in medical school wanting to carry on the work of the scientist. But she learns her mother is missing and begins a journey to find her, learning many other things on her way.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

"Girl One," by Sara Flannery Murphy captured me right from the opening pages and never let go. When her mother Margaret disappears, Josephine Morrow--the first of nine baby girls conceived without male DNA--embarks on a desperate trip across the country to find her other sisters and discover if they have any clues about what happened to Margaret. Along the way, we meet each girl (all of whom are fully developed and interesting characters) and learn about their lives and their relationships with each other. Part road trip and part sci-fi novel, "Girl One" is also a well-plotted mystery, but for me it was most compellingly a novel about family--what makes a family, what family means to different people, and the many different forms a family can take.

One small weakness is that I never felt like I really got to know Margaret very well. Josie fills in her mother's history throughout the story, but there are some decisions we learn that Margaret made that don't get fully explained. The mother characters in general are not as fully developed as their daughters, which is a shame given how much I enjoyed learning about the girls. These are small quibbles, however, with what was an engaging pageturner.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

This novel, for me, may have suffered from blurb hype. It would be hard to live up to the promise of being compared to Margaret Atwood and The Power. The Orphan Black comparison seemed the most apt for me here. Overall, pretty good, but not as nuanced as the books this one was compared to. Tension was created, but that was the crux of the plot and left more development in characters to be wanting.

I think where this one book is concerned I'm doomed to be the odd one out. The sole voice of dissent.

I thought I'd like this book. After all, the blurb promises "Orphan Black meets Margaret Atwood". And while I'm only familiar with Atwood's stories through shows like The Handmaid's Tale and Alias Grace (both of which I found frustrating, gripping and thought provoking in equal measures), I've watched and enjoyed almost all of Orphan Black. So I think it's fair to say that even though I'm not an expert, I'm familiar enough with the territory.

When I read "twisty supernatural thriller about female power and the bonds of sisterhood", I expected something more along the lines of Jaymin Eve's "Walker" saga meets the science fiction-y elements of Orphan Black and the dark thriller elements of Margaret Atwood's work. There were "sisters", there was science fiction and there were certain dark thriller elements. But the execution was nothing like I was expecting.

Honestly, for me, this book was a pain to get through. By the halfway point, the fact that everyone had suspicious behaviors had me exhausted. Everyone and everything being so sus made me low key paranoid and had me constantly on edge, and not in a good way. It did not make for a pleasant reading experience.

I like thrillers, but when you're constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, the plot twists lose all the surprise element because you were already expecting them, and you may even grow completely desensitized to everything that's happening and lose all empathy for all characters. Both things ended up happening to me. I cared up to a certain point, and then I just grew tired of constantly worrying about everything and stopped caring altogether.

Also, even though this is a book with strong feminist vibes, or at least a commentary on the patriarchy, and how all men suck and are evil beings hell bent on controlling, using and/or oppressing women, and women would thrive without them, the one character I ended up liking and finding the most relatable, the most empathetic, was Tom (one of the two prominent male characters this story has). I just hate the current of feminism that isn't about equality but female supremacy. I don't like chauvinism either way. Continuously pitting women against men won't lead anywhere good. For example, from the very first moment, Cate, Girl Three, was extremely confrontational and hostile towards Tom apparently for no other reason than his genetic make-up. He had no nefarious intentions, no evil schemes, and still she was constantly just so mean to him. Why?

I know this review is all over the place, but that is how my brain feels right now. Too many threads were left untied, too many questions unanswered. Characters left up in the air, like Emily, Girl Five, or Tom. Or even Fiona, the Last Girl. Topics I felt uncomfortable with, standings I didn't agree with. Unlikable, or unsympathetic characters. Pacing issues and abusing the inherent mystery of thrillers to the point of nullifying it. I wanted and expected to love this book. Sadly, it was not meant to be.

**I received an advanced e-copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and the author for the opportunity**

Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy is an amazing, imaginative book. It's truly stunning and disturbing, I loved it!

Girl One and its unique premise made me curious enough to read the book, though science fiction is not my usual fare. The story centers around a group of women who deliver babies via parthenogenesis, or virgin birth, and their relationships with their daughters, each other, and the male scientist who designs and facilitates the experiment. This book is a saga of adventure and discovery when Josephine, Girl One, sets out to find the others like her after years of separation. The book has supernatural elements that I enjoyed, and though it's marketed as Mystery and Thriller, I see this novel as more science fiction than thriller due to its subject matter and pacing.

Girl One raises interesting questions about Mother-Daughter relationships, Women's relationship to Men, and whether we'll see a future that includes re-creation without male DNA. Thank you to Faurrar, Strauss and Giroux and NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review.

Not the type f book I would normally read. I hope a movie is never made. They can’t do the book justice. Story was interesting. Took e a while to get into it because I wasn’t sure where it was going. At times it reminded me of the Wizard of Oz, which she did reference later on in the book. Characterization was good but I would get confused with the characters. Not sure if I would read anything by Ms Murphy again but I’m glad I gave this one a try.

Excellent book! Very well-paced, the plot was very interesting and it was told in easily digestible prose. I really got behind the heroine(s) of this novel and their fight to find their mother and the subsequent turmoil they went through.

Would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Sci-fi, thrillers, mystery and whodunnits.

Gripping and utterly captivating, this sci-fi-thriller blend is a powerful and lyrical acclamation of love, sisterhood, feminism and empowerment.

Girl One follows Josie Morrow, one of nine “Miracle Babies” conceived without male DNA (parthenogenesis). After a suspicious fire destroys the commune she was raised on, she and her mother, as well as the others who lived there, scatter and lose touch. But now Josie’s mother has disappeared. Josie sets off on a desperate mission to find her, tracking down her estranged sisters who seem to hold the keys to finding her mother.

Each of these sisters holds a unique ability, a superpower, sort of like a family of X-Men. Throughout this journey of self-discovery and meaning, they soon learn that they are more powerful together than apart.

While I don’t usually read sci-fi, the unique premise and the perfect blending of thriller with sci-fi, had me hooked from the start. A slow-burn, deep-dive into our protagonist’s character, we explore the themes of self-empowerment and the idea of parthenogenesis.

This fascinating sci-fi twist on the suspense genre is irresistible and intriguing.

I received a copy of Girl One from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

OH WOW! This is a must read!! This one grabs you from the first page and I devoured it in one sitting! The concept of conception and child birth without male involvement is fascinating and it although I have never been really big into sci-fi, this is a perfect mix of sci-fi and thriller (heavier on the thriller)

This novel had the feeling of a grand, sweeping epic. After following the protagonists on their journey of self discovery and meaning, I felt like I made friends and didn't want the story to end.
It wasn't a quick read, but the suspense was handled so well that it keeps the plot moving and interesting. There was depth to this story and it's one I'm likely to reread (which is something I don't do often). Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys their suspense with a healthy dose of science!
Thank you to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, as well as NetGalley, for the digital copy to review.

Wow, that was a book! Such an unexpected yet thoroughly thought out and interesting topic. This is a solid read of sci-fi, which isn’t my typical genre, and it kept the pages turning. Josie is the first of nine babies conceived without a man’s biology. The girls’ and their mothers’ histories are all tied up with Dr. Bellanger and “the homestead”. The story she’s always known starts unraveling as Josie goes in search of her mother. You’ll curve and swerve with the twisty plot lines and come to intimately know the characters.
There’s room for a sequel, which I will gladly read. I’m interested in the rest of Tom’s story, among others. A strong 4.5 stars.

The description "Orphan Black meets Margaret Atwood" piqued my interest in Girl One, and it was an apt description of what to expect. Hard to put down!

This was a really good read. Reminded me a lot of The Power, which I quite enjoyed. Honestly I wasn't sure if I would like this book, but ended up enjoying it quite a bit. A fun, action/adventure read.

I thought I was going to enjoy this book cause it was compared to Orphan Black. But it wasn't as interesting as that series was. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it just didn't click for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was thrilling to read, with unexpected plot twists interwoven with a deeply meaningful emotional story about family ties and women’s relationships with one another. I don’t tend to read sci-fi, but the description intrigued me and I’m so glad I gave it a go, as it offers much more than just sci-fi. I also liked how the concept was rooted in scientific ideas which do actually exist (albeit, not in humans), making it easy to engage with and believe the story. There were moments which had my heart racing and others which were incredibly poignant, all in all making this a great read.

I have to say I was pretty impressed with how the author made the characters mysterious until the end and everything came together. What happened in the past does affect the future. Our main character is Girl One, who is part of the homestead and is the one who was the first virgin birth (the one born without male DNA); she wants to bring back to the forefront the work of the scientist who created her and the other girls. Yet, this is when the mystery starts. Her mother is missing, and it is up to Josie to try and find her. What she uncovers is more than she thought could be possible. Supernatural powers, a cult, and so much more are uncovered. In the end, can Josie and her miracle sisters learn who they are and put an end to a mad cult leader? I liked how the author had Josie torn between learning information and what she was told, as it was not just straightforward. I feel like the author could make another story with how the homestead affected the women who lived there and what they went through, and their relationships.