This turned out to be the first novel I've read by Grady Hendrix, although when I picked it up I thought I recognized the author and thought I had read books he had written with a co-author. Apparently I was wrong, but no matter because I enjoyed the book.

Description:
They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. There, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to keep her baby and escape to a commune. Zinnia, a budding musician who plans to marry her baby’s father. And Holly, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Every moment of their waking day is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid . . . and it’s usually paid in blood.

My Thoughts:
There has always been a stigma about unwed mothers. Socitey doesn't play fair and even more so when the pregnant woman is young and only in her teens. My heart went out to all the characters in the book who were in this situation. The women always suffer and the men just go their merry way. This book has a paranormal twist with witchcraft being brought into the mix. But there is always a price to pay for magic - and these girls learn that.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group through Netgalley for an advance copy.

While the narrator got pregnant at 15 as Neva in Alabama, once she arrived at Miss Wellwood's home in Florida, she was Fern from Boston. She was supposed to forget about her life from before until she had her baby, gave it away, and went back home like none of this ever happened.

The relationships Fern makes with the other girls in the home are everything. She doesn't know much about who the girls were before they arrived, just like they don't know her. But their personalities are very distinct, and it's easy for them to imagine lives outside for each other.

Soon, the girls end up with a book about witchcraft, and an adult they should be able to trust leads them to believe that maybe, there are solutions to their problems besides what Miss Wellwood, the social worker who practically insists they give away their babies, and the creepy doctor. But sometimes when something seems too good to be true, well, we know how that goes.

I loved this book, and especially the epilogue about the girls in adulthood. This was my first Grady Hendrix book, and it simmered my rage just right. I could imagine a little of myself in each of the characters, and appreciated the treatment of the girls/women in childbirth. The book earned 5 out of 5 stars, and I would recommend it to those who enjoy witch stories, stories from the 1970s or so, and strong female characters.

I love Grady Hendrix. I don’t love witch stuff. The marriage of the two landed about where I thought it might, in the middling recesses of my literary preferences.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC, and the opportunity to provide an honest review.

I thought this book was boring. It wasn’t for me. It has many of the archetypal Grady Hendrix imprints, but lacked the charm of his other books I love. I do appreciate the care with which he handled a difficult set of issues. I think he demonstrated a willingness that most male authors wouldn’t to take on an empathetic and authentically female perspective. This is to be commended.

But, this book was not fun in any way, and that’s what I come to Grady Hendrix books for. I want to feel that indescribable, campy, preposterous, funkiness that his stories exude.

The good…
I mean the man can write. There’s no doubt about his mastery of the craft. He somehow manages to put an elegant shape to a story that’s told in an unassuming form. He rarely delves into the interiority of any character, yet you somehow come to know them. He knows how to wrap a B-movie story into blockbuster packaging.

The less good…
I was frustrated by all the indecisiveness by this “coven”. Either witch or get off the pot. I also didn’t need to spend so many pages detailing the spells themselves. Eaaaaowooow wooodooo bollygog. Not necessary for me. This book was 100 pages too long. Way too much time spent on non-propulsive plot events.

And hail. So much hail.

To read, or not to read…
I think this book will hit different for most than it did for me. You should read anything this man puts out. I’m just being grumpy about witches… and hail apparently.

I thought I would like this book more than I did, especially since I LOVED “How to Sell a Haunted House.” Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the racial stereotypes used to describe the black women in this book- “dark as midnight,” and “dark skinned woman built like a football player.” This is distasteful.

The term “colored” was often used to describe the black characters. I understand the setting is 1970, but by this time, that racial term was still considered derogatory. I would have appreciated if “Black” were used (but that’s just my opinion/preference).

Beyond that, Zinnia was my favorite character. Fern was a close second. I enjoyed the relationship the girls developed throughout the story as they gained power through witchcraft.
Hendrix did a good job portraying how unwed pregnant girls were treated, I just wanted a bit more magic. The childbirth scenes were very graphic/detailed… so be prepared.

Torn between 3-3.5⭐️

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Fast girls, loose girls, emotionally immature girls, wayward girls. Whatever you wanted to call us, we were children. And we had to make terrible choices."

Phew, this was heavy one. It is one thing to ‘know’ that pre-Roe American women were treated poorly and shunned for becoming pregnant; but in this novel, Hendrix takes you into Wellwood’s Home for teen mothers and *forces* you to FEEL every horrifying experience of these GIRLS. Every adult in the book from the home owner, the doctor, the nurse, the social worker, and the local townspeople strip these girls of any autonomy, agency, or power. With no empathy or consent the girls are prodded, lied to, and forced to give up their babies. Is there any surprise that amongst their desperation the girls might turn to witchcraft?

There are multiple times when I simply had to set this one aside due to the on page body horror, and graphic depictions of childbirth. Additionally, as a mother to 3, including a 13 year old girl, it nearly broke me that this book is rooted in real occurrences while remaining urgently relevant to current attacks on women’s rights to body autonomy. Please ensure you check all content warnings before reading!

As a Hendrix Stan, I can tell you the humor in this book if far less campy than others. Additionally, besides the body horror, there is also less traditional horror in this book, so level expectations- to me this read more as historical speculative fiction. Readers will completely fall for these girls, their found family/‘coven’, and root for them, weep for them, and mourn with them. Incredible writing will ensure you do not miss one emotions of this book.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls follows Fern and her friends as they navigate teenage pregnancy, giving birth, witchcraft, abuse, and a society that treats unwed mothers like they are useless.

The beginning of this had me immediately hooked and I was super interested in the trajectory of the story. But, as I got further in, the story became increasingly more tedious and difficult to get through- not only because of the length, but also because some of the scenes were so visceral, descriptive, and disgusting. Most of this book read like historical fiction, but when the horror scenes took place, they were definitely horrifying. The commentary is incredibly interesting and thought provoking. And though the subject matter is sensitive and often times uncomfortable to read, the author handles it with tact.

This is a book that will work for a lot of people, as long as you go in with the right expectations (slow paced, historical setting, very few horror/ witchcraft scenes, etc.).

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own**

I LOVED this 1970s feminist paranormal fiction book about a group of young unwed mothers who experiment with witchcraft. Sent to hide in shame after becoming pregnant out of wedlock, the main chararcter is given the alias "Fern". To protect their privacy, all the girls are named after plants and flowers. But as Fern's pregnancy progresses and she starts to chafe at the unfairness of her situation, she gets drawn into witchcraft.

This book felt divided in two: it started out as historical fiction, and then transitioned into a paranormal suspense story. But I really enjoyed it!

I want to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix in exchange for an honest review.

This story hit many different emotions and feelings! Once I started reading, I could not put it down.
Grady Hendrix takes you on a journey back to the 1970’s. His rich imagery and storytelling transport you into the story and you feel like you are one of the young girls at the Wellwood house in Florida. The Wellwood house is a place where young girls who are pregnant and unwed are forced to go and are wait out their pregnancy in secret to not bring shame to their families. They are forced to give up their babies for adoption to waiting families as compensation for the room and board. The girls are given new names (a name of a flower) as to keep them anonymous. The girls are put on restrictive diets, forced to do chores, and basically have no say in any decision they want to make. One character in particular named “Fern” meets a Librarian witch who gives her a book on spells and along with three of the other girls in the house are introduced to the Occult where they find that this book gives them power and some freedom over their lives that they did not have until then. This new freedom and power unfortunately do come with a cost……
If you were a fan of his other works The Final Girl Support group, and A Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires, you will not be disappointed with this book. There were moments where I laughed out loud and moments where I felt sadness and anger. The horror aspect of the book was more of the daily lives of the girls and their treatment at the house and with their families, restrictions, and lack of decisions then with the supernatural aspect. The witches were not horror inducing and considering the title, I felt there was not a strong witch presence in the book. The witch librarian, Ms. Parcae did not come across as scary or threatening to me nor did I have to read this book with the lights on like I did with his other book “How to Sell a Haunted House”. Grady Hendrix did a great job on making the real world seem more horrific and terrifying than the witches. If books with very descriptive, graphic natural births make you squeamish or you are looking for a true supernatural witch horror book, this might not be the right fit for you.

Run, don't walk, to get this book! This is not your typical offering from Grady Hendrix, but it is a book that every woman should read, and every patriarchal misogynist should fear.
In 1971, Neva is 15 and pregnant. There were no sex-ed classes, no prenatal clinics, and no rights for unwed, underage girls. Instead, they were dirty secrets to be sent to live with an "aunt" for a few months and then return home as if nothing had happened. But in reality, their lives and souls have been broken and bruised, with no support or care offered. So when Neva is secreted off to Wellwood House, it is with the understanding that she can come back when the baby is born and given up for adoption. But in reality, she is given a fake name, forced to work to pay off her room and board, and attends mandatory clinic visits with the resident doctor to make sure the baby stays healthy and she doesn't gain too much weight. But when Neva, aka Fern, meets Rose, Holly, and Zinnia, she finds out that she can be more than an obedient incubator for the next 3 months - she can learn, she can grow, and she can FIGHT! With the help of a resident librarian and two local women with knowledge of root magic, Neva might just be able to survive her time at Wellwood House.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

My review of this title is heavily colored by its subject matter - namely the author's choice to focus on pregnant teens. This wasn't really a horror novel, more of a slow burn historical southern gothic. I don't really understand why a male author picked this topic, it felt a little flippant throughout. Though perhaps that went along with the treatment of these girls historically. I wanted more magic and witchiness, less pregnancy. This was a departure from Grady Hendrix's kitschy horror and I hope we return to it soon.

Gahh this is such a brutal book... this may actually be some of the most graphic and horrific imagery that Grady Hendrix has ever written.

This is a book that is firmly rooted in the realistic horrors of the time period in which it is set with some slight supernatural elements brought in. There is talk of witchcraft in the course of the story, for sure, but it feels imperative to point out that this is not a horror novel about witches - this is a horror novel about injustice and the brutalization of female bodies. As per usual, Grady Hendrix does an incredible job building a found family/friend group that has you rooting for them from the very start. I fell so hard for these girls. There were numerous times while reading that I was literally holding my breath and full of anxiety because I was so worried about how the girls were going to get out of the situations they were in. There are also birth scenes in this book that are going to live rent free in my head for the rest of my life and I don't quite know how I feel about that.

Ultimately, this is a book that aims to spotlight a period of time in US history where young girls were being, essentially, kidnapped and confined to "homes" for the duration of their unplanned pregnancies and then forced to abandon their children upon birth. Hendrix does not approach this with kid gloves. The descriptions of how these girls are treated both emotionally and physically by every adult they cross paths with is stomach turning. Even the people that are there to "help", who may provide some salvation and mercy to these girls, are monsters in disguise. We are exploring the idea of power and privilege and female agency. These children are at the mercy of those with more power than them - adults, men, doctors and they lose complete control over their bodies because of it. They are never asked for consent, never have anything explained to them, and are provided no efforts at comfort or care. However, another major aspect of this book is this notion of girlhood. The idea of building a "coven" if you will around you of girls who will defend and uplift you in ways that no one else can. This is something that Fern, our main character, discovers in her time at the home and was the tiniest breath of air you could get when reading a story as stifling and hard to stomach as this one. I did enjoy the cathartic release of feminine rage that we got in the last part of the book which helped the story to end on a satisfying note instead of feeling so bleak.

The horror elements in this were well done but far less campy than in a lot of the author's other books. I would put this novel more in the camp of The Final Girl Support Group than My Best Friend's Exorcism or The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. The witchcraft element really only served a way to boost the social commentary and present a reclamation of power so those looking for a deeply supernatural horror may be left a little disappointed. This isn't my new favorite Grady book but it didn't fall short for me either.

Responsibility.

Whether an unwanted pregnancy is the result of rape or a night of consensual pleasure . . . it always seems to be the woman's fault. Why didn't she just say no? Why didn't she use birth control? Why didn't she keep her legs crossed? For centuries, men have walked away scot-free while women face the consequences. (Just ask Hester Prynne.)

In Hendrix's latest, we meet a gang of girls destined to pay the price for their . . . indiscretions. Some of them will pay a heavier price than others.

"In this world there is one truth: everything has a price, and every price must be paid. Perhaps you will not pay it today, maybe you can put it off until tomorrow, but one day there will be a knock at your door in the middle of the night, a voice in the darkness beside your bed, a letter laid upon the table when you believe yourself to be alone, and it will contain a bill that must be paid, and you will pay it in blood."

This is a different fit for our Grady. As he admits in his fine afterward, teen pregnancy is a strange choice for a childless, middle-aged man. I suspect many of his fans will bemoan the lack of extreme horror. And, true, this is not as terrifying as some of his earlier stuff. I loved it, though; the characters had me hooked. The ending is, dare I say, touching, and more than a little sad. What these girls endured, even the ones who didn't dabble in witchcraft, is the true sin.

How sad that over half the country seems in a hurry to venture back to those dark, dark days.

Unfortunately for to 15% into the book and didn’t really see the story going anywhere. The first 15% of the book was way too slow and no real suspense.

This was my first Grady Hendix book and I was looking forward to it. However, after reading 15%, I decided to not finish it. There are lots of triggers for pregnancy and child birth. I am usually fine reading dark books with heavy themes but be sure to really look into the trigger warnings before diving into this one. This book was just not for me. Hard pass!

Anything author Grady Hendrix writes is a guarantee must read for me. I don’t even remember how I started reading his books because they are definitely different for me. My first book was Horrorstór and I was addicted. His books are usually pretty gory and heavy on details but that’s what makes them so different. I actually picked two of his books for book club because they are the perfect October reads.
In Witchcraft for Wayward Girls the story follows Neva who is 17 and 26 weeks pregnant. She finds herself at the Wellwood House for unwed girls. Everyone thinks she’s spending the summer at drama camp and once she delivers the baby she’ll get to go home, like nothing ever happened. Neva is renamed Fern and meets a cast of characters all awaiting the birth of their babies. Somethings wrong with the system and soon Fern and her friends will rebel against the system. The mobile book library that comes will offer Ferm a book that will change all of their lives forever. Some for good and some not so much.
Friendship, witchery, family and lies….the girls of the Wellwood House will never be the same.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review!
4.5 stars, rounded up.

TL:DR - this was a pretty damn brilliant book that seems like it's about witchcraft, but is really about the patriarchy and current events regarding women and historical treatment of women and girls. The horror is there - and it's real.

This felt like an omen. As my other reviews state, I've been filled with frustration and anxiety about women's rights in the last 6 or so months, and this book fueled those two things. It is about teen girls - pregnant teen girls - in the 1970s who are sent to a home where they are expected to stay for the duration of their pregnancy, and then birth their baby, give it up for adoption, and leave, never mentioning the experience again. For four teens in the home, though, some witchcraft horror begins to make itself known, and the plot kicks off from there.

Grady Hendrix always has just enough humor in his stories to offset the (scathing) social commentary and creepy vibes that his stories often contain. [book:My Best Friend's Exorcism|41015038] and [book:The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires|44074800] are books that I FULLY enjoyed that contain these elements - humor, critique, horror. It's a great recipe, and this book follows it.

Except, it doesn't really. While those things are present, the true horror in the book was the lack of agency that Fern and her friends had over their lives, bodies, choices, etc. The book involved supernatural elements, sure, and I LOVE a librarian witch (for obvious reason), but the main scary part, for me, wasn't the vampire or the demon or any supernatural thing. It was the way the story felt like an omen or a warning, and for that, I loved it.

Outside of that, I also loved the characters - they felt really developed and real and tangible and behaved exactly like teenagers often do (I work with them, so I can attest). The creepy elements were really creepy, and the body horror got me (I have never been so glad to be child-free, I'll tell you that right now).

The beginning took a hot minute, and I wasn't hooked immediately. Additionally, some chunks of the dialogue (especially from Rose) was a bit cheesy, but I can overlook that because the rest of the book was so engaging and I think it'll stick with me for a long while.

If you're someone who enjoys campy horror-ish story - especially one involving coming-of-age-y themes and social issues - this is a good choice. If you want strong characters and an interesting story-telling style, you'd like this, too. If you're looking for a true supernatural horror about witches, though, there are better picks than this. Additionally, if graphic childbirth scenes are going to bother you, this is probably a bad pick.

Wow. Just wow. Reading this 7 months pregnant made the horror incredibly more real. Wayward girls getting sent off to homes to silently and quietly have their babies away from the pressuring spotlight of societal acceptances?! Ouch. That’s the late 60s though I guess.

I am so thankful to PRH Audio, Berkley books, Grady Hendrix, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to yet another amazing horror tale before this baby hits bookshelves everywhere on January 14, 2025.

I think it’s evident to say this is definitely Hendrix’s most raw and heartbreaking novel yet, because the true horrors don’t lie in the witches and monsters and spell-cast treachery, yet in the real world experiences these teens felt and took on as they tried to navigate life — getting put in a stereotypical box to be ridiculed and neglected both physically, mentally, and emotionally.

In the 60s, women’s health was so overlooked, and gosh, thinking about it now, it hasn’t really changed too much. Society still underestimates the level of pain and strife pregnant women endure on a daily basis, pre and post partum. The rage bait this book instilled in me was INSANE — hormones and whatnot.

Our crew of wayward girls team together to be crutches for each other, and yes they do dabble in witchcraft to bypass some irritating symptoms, but this declaration of devotion to the dark side, opens them up to a world of support and sisterhood for time to come.

Very well done. 4/5 stars.

I received a gifted galley of WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS by Grady Hendrix for an honest review. Thank you to PRH Audio, Berkley Publishing Group, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS is a historical horror/fantasy novel. The book follows a fifteen-year-old called Fern. She is unmarried and pregnant and has been sent to the Wellwood Home in Florida who are there to take care of pregnant teens and adopt out their babies. At the home, Fern meets other girls in the same situation as her, and together they deal with the strict rules and uncomfortable medical procedures meant to guarantee the health of their babies.

When she meets the librarian of the bookmobile, Fern gets a book on the occult. This gives her and her fellow Wellwood residents their first taste of freedom after having every moment of every day regulated by those in charge of the home. Freedom and agency feel good, but it comes with strings attached and a rough road ahead for these young women.

I have really loved Grady Hendrix’s books, so I went into this one with high hopes even though I had reservations. A book about pregnant teens written by a male author gave me some pause, but I do feel like the subject and the mistreatments and the bodily realities of pregnancy were well written (coming from someone who has never had a baby). I was also a bit worried about this feeling like historical fiction which hasn’t been my favorite genre of late and that’s where I did wind up having a few hang-ups.

I think the book is well written and I think it has a lot of great discussions about the pressures put on young women in this type of situation and the way they are left with very little agency in their lives and those of their unborn children. I did, however, find it very slow to engage me in the beginning. I am not someone who rushes to pick up horror related to pregnancy and this book’s horror is very much tied to that, especially in the beginning. It takes quite a while to get to the book of occult and the changes that brings into things.

The second half of the book does pick up the pace a bit and I appreciated that. Getting into the consequences of working with the book and the occult were more interesting to me, but in general this wasn’t a ‘for me’ type of read. I found that the girls’ lack of agency was frustrating, though probably realistic. I think going into this one, you need to be prepared for a very slow burn, weird and disturbing read.

Overall, I did wind up liking this book, but it does feel very different from what I’ve read from this author before. WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS is out on Tuesday!

This was my first Grady Hendrix novel and I will certainly read more from this author! Not to say that it is never done, but I was pleasantly surprised with this male author's ability to so accurately capture the experience of being a woman, a young woman, a pregnant woman. The connection between women and the feminine rage experienced through this storytelling was exquisite. I felt connected to each and every main character in some fashion. My one drawback with this book was that Hendrix used the "Black woman as savior" trope for every Black female character in this story. I do hope that, based on the feedback received concerning this point, the author examines his depiction of Black characters more closely in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC of this book.

I was willing to make a deal with a witch to get my hands on this one for several reasons. #1 – Grady Hendrix. I’ve dug several of his previous offerings so I wasn’t about to hit snooze on his latest. #2 – a pregnant girls’ home??? Ummmm, yes please. And #3 . . . . FLORIDA! The penis of America! You set a book in Florida and somehow it just works out that Imma like it.

As I said before, this book is about a group of pregnant girls who have all been sent away “to tend to an ill aunt” which actually is code for Wellwood House . . . .

“You are here for a single purpose, which is to shed your sin and face your future.”

Although strongly encouraged to never disclose any information about their personal lives – so much so that each girl is given a false name to go by – they manage to form the strongest of bonds while each awaiting their due date. Forced to stay out of sight in the confines of the Home, the only thing to look forward to is the visit from the Bookmobile every couple of weeks. And that is where Fern, Rose, Zinnia and Holly are given a special loaner that opens up opportunities they never could have imagined . . . .

And that’s all you get.

I will stand by my pretty firm belief that nearly no book ever needs to be 500 pages long, but boy was this a good one!

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