A riotous, razor-sharp horror comedy that casts teenage rebellion as literal witchcraft. Hendrix conjures chaos, charm, and cheerfully creepy thrills.

Set in the 1970s Florida, as the story follows a group of unwed mothers-to-be at the Wellwood Home for Girls.

I’ve enjoyed so many of Grady’s books for the quirky characters and over the top storylines and was looking forward to this one. While it wasn’t my favorite, I still enjoyed the audio listen.

*many thanks to Berkley Pub PRH audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I've read a good handful of Grady Hendrix's stuff, and I always feel that it's 100% in the pitch and about 80% in the execution. We'll bump Witchcraft up to like 89%. I really enjoyed this one, but I'm a sucker for a teen story & nicknames & weird girls in weird situations. I really liked the 70s backdrop for this one & hope he does more modern-ish period pieces in the future. No need to mention how topical this is, but it feels more necessary than other Hendrix titles have in the past. Will read again/recommend.

Another home run for Grady Hendrix! I will recommend and feature in Horror promotions at the library.

It’s the summer of 1970 in the sticky heat of St. Augustine, Florida, and fifteen-year-old Fern finds herself pregnant, alone, and shipped off to Wellwood House, a place meant to hide girls like her until they give up their babies and quietly disappear. There, under the oppressive control of Miss Wellwood, Fern meets other girls in similarly heartbreaking situations. But when an old book of witchcraft lands in their hands, Fern and the others begin to awaken something ancient, powerful, and vengeful. In a house built to strip them of agency, the girls are about to reclaim it, with blood, fire, and a reckoning centuries in the making.

Themes
* Found family among outcasts
* Feminist horror
* Historical institutional horror
* Teen girls reclaiming power
* Dark magic with a price
* “Girls like us don’t get happy endings”(but maybe this time, they do)
* Haunting Southern Gothic atmosphere
* Magic that feels dangerous, real, and earned
* Emotional resonance wrapped in occult shadows

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is Grady Hendrix at his most unflinching and evocative. This is not just a horror novel; it’s a battle cry for every girl who’s ever been punished for being too much. Hendrix writes with brutal clarity and dark tenderness, giving voice to girls who have been historically erased. The horror here isn’t just supernatural: it’s systemic, institutional, and deeply human. But in Fern and her fellow wayward girls, Hendrix crafts a cast of unforgettable characters who take back their stories through spells, fire, and sisterhood. It’s haunting, furious, and quietly beautiful. This one lingers like smoke in your lungs.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I read this book soo fast, especially given the length being a little bit on the longer side. I love Grady Hendrix’s writing and I was hooked from the first page. I was listening to a podcast recently where women were speaking about their experiences in these homes for unwed mothers as recently as the 2000s. So disturbing and makes for a great setting for a horror book.

I really enjoyed the condemnation of slut shaming in this book. It’s something I haven’t seen touched on in a lot of books. I found myself rooting for Fern and the other girls and I’m always a fan of anything witchy. The body horror was great in this book but I did find myself wishing for a little more horror.

All in all, a great read that I’d definitely recommend! 💜

Grady Hendrix is probably my favorite horror author overall. I have been trying to read and collect all his books and this one did not disappoint.

I like the "take back the power" plot with the girls literally being handed the power to take back their lives. It's a nice concept even if it doesn't work out the way they hoped.

This book was fast paced, engaging, and un-put-downable . Hendrix has done it again and will probably continue to do it (write compelling and engaging horror books to devour).

I really enjoyed this one! The time period is great, I loved the cast of characters that were all facing such difficult circumstances and trying to find ways to take back some power over their lives. I love that Bookmobile Librarian as well! I will definitely recommend this one of patrons and friends.

This is probably my new favorite Hendrix novel! This was just fantastically, compelling. I read it in three days.

So I know from reading another Grady Hendrix book to expect the unexpected and this definitely delivered that. This book focuses on Fern who is pregnant at 15 and sent to a home for wayward girls. When she gets there, its a very strict environment but also filled with other interesting pregnant girls with heartbreaking backstories. Fern becomes close to the other girls and meets a librarian who comes by on the Bookmobile. When one of the girls desperately needs help for her situation the girls think they've found it in a book of witchcraft they get from the librarian. Lots of strange and graphic scenes as you would expect from a GH novel. The birth scenes were something else. The character development is really strong here and the witchcraft was a bit less than expected. You feel horrible for all of these girls but I really enjoyed this book.

Grady Hendrix is such a unique novelist. I loved Witchcraft for Wayward Girls and its compelling characters and it's immersive world.

I really enjoy Grady Hendrix's books, and while this one may not be my favorite of them, it's still a pretty solid entry in his ouevre.

I loved the quality of the actual historical research and care that went into creating this fictional (but oh-too-plausible, as so many real places like it did exist) Home for Unwed Mothers. The characters, even the side characters, all had distinct personalities and traits, and while there of course was that element of witchcraft and fantasy and magic, the problems that these girls went through were very real.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am a forever fan of Hendrix and this book is one I won’t soon forget. I read it in January and I actually remember what happened. This says a lot, trust me😊 Since it has been out a while I won’t leave you with a wordy review, just a few thoughts beyond “I loved it!”❤️

What will you find in these pages?
Found family
Feminist magic
Female empowerment
Set in the 1970s in a home for unwed mothers

This is more serious and emotional than his previous work, in my opinion, and honestly not a ton of witchcraft, so know that going in.
Some of the birthing scenes were so
visceral, raw and accurate that I had to stop and remember a man wrote them. They left me speechless.

There is a lot of rage to go around lately and this book is a great choice if you are feeling some kinda way about men in power🔪🍆

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

“𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏,” 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. “𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒎, 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏, 𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒖, 𝑱𝒆𝒘—𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒖𝒔. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔,”

this is as much a book about feminine rage as it is about witch craft. i loved how different the plot of this one is and how angry i felt for the characters. the egregious experience these girls went through and the horror of having their babies, essentially alone & scared, is horrific.

the book also mentions roe v. wade and how it transformed these homes into non-essentials because abortion was a safe, healthcare procedure. i had to pause and cry because when i think of the loss we've incurred from the removal of abortion access it makes me sick. abortion is healthcare, end of story.

the witch craft was fun & eerie. i really enjoyed how well it worked for

This one just didn’t quite do it for me. I liked the idea of the story but the execution just fell a little short for me. I did like how it wrapped up at the end though.

I DNFd this book when learning that Hendrix is a highly problematic author. I do not want to support this author on my channels.

I love Grady Hendrix, he really has a way with words. He can make any scene play out like a movie and tug on your emotions. I fell in love with Fern but I feel like the witch part of the book was an afterthought.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls was high on my list when I first requested it. Unfortunately, I have tried picking this one up more than once but just find I am not connecting to it. I adored The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires was a favorite of mine though.

Grady Hendrix’s Witchcraft for Wayward Girls lands heavy—both in its creep factor and its emotional resonance. Set in a 1970s maternity home for unwed teens, the audiobook pulls you into a brutal reality: forced separations, erasure of identity, and desperation. Hendrix layers that real-world horror with occult undertones, and Leslie Howard, Hillary Huber, and Sara Morsey deliver strong performances that bring both fragility and fury to the teenage voices.

That mix of historical cruelties and witchcraft could have felt gimmicky, but Hendrix approaches it with real empathy. The girls aren’t just vessels for terror—they’re individuals with pain, dreams, and righteous anger. The writing reflects their humanity in moments of reclaiming agency, and the folklore elements feel earned when power enters their hands—for better or worse.

Still, it’s not flawless. Some listeners, like a Redditor, found the tone “schlock and a cash grab,” arguing that the girls are sometimes reduced to symbols rather than full characters . I hear that. At times, the witchcraft riffs can feel forced, and there are pacing lulls where the narrative hits inertia.

Yet, the audiobook earned praise elsewhere. One reviewer called it “a perfect horror for our imperfect age” . Another appreciated how Hendrix dug into emotive foundations—anger, helplessness, rebellion—calling the book **“heart-wrenching, suspenseful, and memorable”** . The cast’s reading earns bonus points: the emotional beats land genuinely, and the shared narration builds a sense of solidarity among the girls.

Final Take: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is unsettling and primal—part period drama, part folk horror, all emotion. It sometimes fumbles its supernatural threads and simplifies characters, but it never shies from its core truth: these are real stories about girls forced into silence—and trying to fight back. If you're drawn to horror that doesn’t flinch from social pain, this audiobook bites deep.