Grady Hendrix’s Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a delightful, quirky romp that combines horror, humor, and nostalgia in a way that only Hendrix can pull off. Set in the 1980s, the story follows a group of outcast girls who come together to form a witchcraft coven, hoping to find a sense of power and belonging in a world that has always overlooked them. As they navigate the ups and downs of adolescence, they inadvertently summon real magic—and the consequences of their spells soon spiral out of control.

What I loved most about this book is Hendrix’s unique ability to blend humor and horror. The witchcraft and supernatural elements are creepy and unpredictable, but there’s also a sharp wit that runs through the narrative, making the darker moments easier to stomach. The characters are equally compelling: they’re flawed, relatable, and each girl’s backstory is rich with detail. Their bond as a coven, as well as their individual struggles, feel real and heartfelt.

While the plot is fun and engaging, there were moments where the pacing felt uneven, especially in the latter half of the book. Some plot points seemed to meander a bit, and certain twists felt a little predictable. That said, the overall ride was enjoyable, and the book definitely picks up steam toward the end with a satisfying conclusion.

This one took me so long to finish... Frankly, I was going to DNF but then this ended up becoming the thing I read a few chapters of before bed. It’s not that I hated it or anything but it just wasn’t really working for me. Grady Hendrix and I are a bit hit or miss. This was so slow and not as witchy as I wanted. But I did come to care about the characters eventually and enjoyed the classic Hendrix camp mixed with some sharp social commentary.

An atmospheric and addictive read from master storyteller Grady Hendricks. Showcasing the often erased experiences of pregnant unwed mothers during a time when bigotry and condemnation was the established norm. This narrative weaves elements of the supernatural into a story that is ultimately about power. What's a teenager girl to do when life has left her powerless and a seemingly kind book mobile librarian gives her a book on witchcraft? The answer lies in this gripping portrayal of what happens to girls who must go way for the summer to "take care of a sick aunt."

Fern is 15 and pregnant in the 1970s. She is sent away to a house for unwed mothers where she will have her baby in secret and then go back to her life as if nothing had happened. Things are mostly going well when Fern and a few of her friends are gifted a book on witchcraft. They use the spell book to help with morning sickness and other minor inconveniences. But they discover bigger issues that they want to fix. And all things come with a cost. But are the girls willing to pay the cost? I enjoyed this book but it was harder to get into than some of Grady Hendrix's other books. I liked it more when I realized it took some themes from Rosemary's Baby.

Wow. This book is EMOTIONAL. Took my heart, crushed it, held it and spoke sweet to it, and then did that all over again. Let me tell you, this book is NOT for the faint of heart and NOT for the squeamish. These girls stories are probably so much more common than any of us want to believe of admit (minus the witchcraft, I hope), and Grady Hendrix did their stories SUCH justice. The ending made me sob like a BABY (no pun intended).

Plot: A pregnant, fifteen year old Neva (later called Fern in order to protect her identity in the home) is sent to Wellwood Home in order to have her baby in secret, getting to return back to her normal life after as if nothing happened. What follows is anything but normal and showcases the harrowing brutality that befell unwed mothers in the late 60s. Each girl in the home has her own story and revelations while in the house that shook me to my core. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE... throughout the struggles of these pregnant children in a deeply religious home is a witch lurking in the woods (and a bookmobile, of course) promising them safety and their worst nightmares at the same time.

I will be thinking about this book and holding it close to my chest for a long time. It is SO MUCH MORE than a horror book and is so important, especially at such a pivotal time in history. Thank you, Grady for bringing these stories to life.

AGAIN, if you are freaked out by gore or squeamish at all, this book is not for you. Pregnancy is HORRIFYING. Hendrix does not shy away from this.

Thanks:
Thank you to NetGalley, Grady Hendrix, and Berkeley publishing for this ARC.

This was not what I was expecting, but it was a great read. Hendrix has a way of making me feel everything. The characters were interesting and the story heartbreaking and powerful. I don't trust everyone can get these kinds of stories to feel real or correct while also adding in magic, but it works and as usual Hendrix writes it well.

"There's power in a book...

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they're sent to Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, to 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. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There's Rose, a hippie who insists she's going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who plans to marry her baby's father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they're allowed to talk about 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."

Hopefully the blood of their oppressors!

Neva is a pregnant 15 year old in 1970 Alabama. She is taken by her father to stay with her aunt for the summer, but in reality she is taken to Wellwood House. Wellwood is a home for unwed mothers that cares for the them until they give birth, then puts the baby up for adoption so they can return home as if nothing happened. After a chance encounter with the local librarian, the girls start casting spells to make their lives easier.

I was hooked on the story until the spell casting got out of hand and I wasn’t a fan of that part of the story. The book is well written and will appeal to those who loved Grady Hendrix’s other novels.

First line: Sit.

Summary: In St. Augustine, Florida, there is a home for wayward girls just like “Fern”, a young girl who is sent away by her family to deal with her shame in secret. When Fern arrives at the home she meets a dozen other girls in the same position. They have all been sent away to have their babies and forget that this ever happened. Miss Wellwood and her staff control every aspect of the girls’ lives because they believe they know best. That is until the day a librarian appears giving Fern a book on witchcraft and now the girls with no power have discovered that they can wield power against those who control them. But like with all things this power comes with a price.

My Thoughts: I have come to love Grady Hendrix’s books. He writes some truly creepy stories that don’t have to be bloody. And while he does that again here he also veers into something unlike he’s written before. Dealing with the stigma of unwed teenagers in the 1970s is a heartbreaking subject but I think he did it in such a great way. He shows how demonized the girls were and the lack of consequences for the male partner in the situation. In a post Roe era this really seems to be a book for the time.

Besides the horrible treatment of these girls he brings in a paranormal aspect too. The girls get their hands on a book for witches where they see a chance to gain some power in a powerless place. It seems rather innocent until they encounter other witches. From the beginning we know that the promises they make will not end well. Hendrix writes some absolutely spine-tingling scenes of suspense as the girls deal with backing out of their promises. I loved every word of those moments.

I found the characters very easy to sympathize with. The girls all had dreams but found that the world around them is tipped against them. The women around them seem to be there to help but many do not. It is a world that unfortunately was too real at the time. I would highly recommend this but be prepared to deal with some truly heartbreaking moments. It is not your normal Grady Hendrix but it is executed beautifully and worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my gifted advanced copy.

As a diehard Grady Hendrix fan, this pains me. It took me nearly two months to read this. I just couldn't latch onto the story or the characters. It felt like Hendrix was trying to write a retelling of The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke without the excitement. I was hoping for more Witchcraft and female rage 🤷‍♀️ I don't mind slow burns, but this pacing was just far too slow for me.

If Orange Is the New Black, American Horror Story Asylum and The Craft had a literary fiction baby, it would be this book. We're following a pregnant teen in the 1970s who gets sent off to an asylum for pregnant teens. Without giving much away, witchcraft ensues.

I have been a fan of Grady Hendrix's other books, but this one felt a bit off. The first half of the story was incredibly slow (90+ pages before witchcraft was even mentioned). I enjoyed the witchcraft/spell elements, but I didn't feel that there was enough of it throughout. There were moments of horror/gore, but it was more of a horrific real-life literary story about pregnancy, agency, parental rights, medical pressure and coercion. It wasn't what I was expecting and I can't say that I truly enjoyed it in it's entirety. The ending did get me a little teary-eyed though, so I'm bumping it up to a 3 star read.

I'd still recommend this to fans of Grady Hendrix's other books with the forewarning that it is quite slow in the beginning, feels like literary fiction, and has a much more serious tone than his other books.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Grady Hendrix novel after hearing about him from my coworkers for years. I feel… a little disappointed with this one. I liked the campy atmosphere that the novel has and the horror scenes were written pretty well. Even the surgical scenes were visceral and horrific in a way of their own, which I appreciated. Ultimately, what dampened all that down for me was the pacing of the book and the lack of character development. I love to see character growth throughout books but I felt like there really want much of that until the end. That being said, I’d still like to try reading some of his other, more esteemed works!

The biggest thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

Power is a fickle thing, something that’s often controlled and kept from others on the basis of fear. And what if that power is discovered by those who have been kept in the dark? Grady Hendrix’s latest novel, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, is a close examination of these ideas of female empowerment and what this power looks like for every woman, not just all women. In the humid swamps of Florida, Wellwood Home exists as a place for “wayward” girls – pregnant, unwed, girls. The process is “simple”; a wayward girl is delivered by her family, she works for the Wellwood Home to earn her keep, she has her child who is then adopted, and the wayward girl returns to her life as she knew it before. But “before” is never as it really was, a truth that becomes apparent to many of the girls of Wellwood. This all changes when one group of girls discovers the possible power of witchcraft, the ability to alter their circumstances beyond normal means. Of course, all actions have consequences as these girls soon find out, leaving them with unthinkable choices to make. Hendrix crafts an emotional, moving examination of women’s empowerment through this lens, demonstrating the power of choices and those who make them.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is Grady Hendrix’s longest novel, knocking on around 500 pages in length. With this vast space, Hendrix chooses to leave no stone unturned concerning the inequalities women must suffer, especially expecting, unwed mothers. While the book is set in the 1970s, there is an unfortunate amount of truth to be found in these pages regarding the treatment of women in the world today, making Witchcraft another painfully timely read. I won’t lie and say this is a breezy, fun read from Hendrix; rather, this is an unflinching look at what happens when autonomy and choices are stripped away from individuals. Sure, there are still some signature Hendrix moments of levity, but on the whole, this feels like one of his more earnest, serious contributions.

This harrowing atmosphere is made possible through the character work implemented in these pages, with unique life breathed into the girls of Wellwood, chiefly Fern, Rose, Zinnia, and Holly. Most important of all, not one of these girls is written the same as another, each with their own personal wants, desires, and motivations. Through this diversity, we find so much to relate to with each girl who craves a different outcome for themselves and their unborn children. This feels like the most touching sentiment of all, this recognition of differences among women that does not take away from their essence of being a person, the bonds they forge with one another.

Of course, the horrors of this story can be found in the treatment of these girls as their lifestyle at Wellwood measures close to cruelty. Even more harrowing are the attitudes of those outside the home and their treatment of these girls in the real world. Yet, most horrifying of all is the withholding of information from these girls in regards to how their own bodies function, the falsehood perpetuated regarding their own being. Of course, to drive the true essence of horror home, Hendrix never shies away from body horror with no shortage of gore, blood, bile, and other stomach-churning bodily functions.

For all this horror, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is an emotionally fueled story with an ending that brought me to tears. Fern, Holly, Zinnia, and Rose share a relationship with one another that is cemented in the trenches of trauma, loss, and love. The final fifty or so pages of this novel contain poignant, heartfelt portraits of these female friendships, the ties that still bind these women together in ways that feel otherworldly. It’s powerful prose, a sentiment of beauty that drives this whole thing home and may even impart a little hope for a better tomorrow thanks to the helping hands of those just like us.

I enjoyed parts of this book, especially learning about the homes they had for unwed young girls and the thoughts they would put in their heads and the things they would say and teach them to think about themselves. It still is unreal to me how the men never had any backlash just the women. I enjoyed meeting the characters and all the different stories on how they got in their predicaments. But the book got too long in the middle for me. I could have cut out about five chapters and cut to the chase. Grady Hendrix books are a wild ride, that I enjoy getting on but this one for me was just too long and drawn out. Still enjoyable, creepy and I could picture it like a movie- just like his other books. So read it just be ready to get settled in.

1970s witchcraft? Sign me up!

I’ve always been a big fan of Grady Hendrix and this book did not disappoint. I’m not a big fan of how slow paced the first few chapters are but glad I kept with it because once I got past those chapters I couldn’t put this book down. This book also has a few graphic scenes so keep that in mind before reading.

This book surprised me in all the right ways. I went in expecting a straightforward horror story with witches and the paranormal, but what I found was a much deeper, more emotional narrative. Set in the 1970s, it’s a raw and thought-provoking look at how young women were silenced and controlled, especially those labeled “wayward.”

The story centers on Fern, a 15-year-old sent to the Wellwood Home for unwed mothers. Through her, we meet a cast of unforgettable girls—Rose, Zinnia, Holly—each navigating their own heartbreaking circumstances. Hendrix gives these characters such depth that it’s impossible not to care about them. Their friendships, fears, and small acts of rebellion are the heart of the book.

While there are paranormal elements and moments of genuine unease, the horror takes a backseat to the intense emotional journey. That said, the atmosphere is masterfully crafted, with the oppressive environment of the home adding to the tension. Be warned: the childbirth scenes are graphic and visceral, but they’re handled with unflinching honesty.

This is a slower burn than I expected, but it stayed with me long after I turned the last page. It’s less about scares and more about resilience, power, and the cost of taking control. A haunting and memorable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls resonates as another deliciously horrifying entry to the Grady Hendrix canon. Both historical and disturbingly apt in the post-Roe landscape, the novel finds 15 year old Fern (not her real name) in the southern gothic nightmare of a home for unwed mothers in Florida in the 1970s. Faced with unimaginable decisions, Fern and her friends take an unorthodox approach to surviving their pregnancies... with some help from a local librarian.

Witchcraft For Wayward Girls is a love song for women's rights and what it means to have the freedom to choose your own path in life. The book was hilarious, sad, thrilling as hell and even had some pretty grotesque body horror thrown in. I think it could have been fifty pages shorter and there should have been Waaaay more witchy scenes, but it was a great fun and original read with a stellar message 😁 ✨ 🔮

Ann Patchett's Patron Saint of Liars mixed with The Craft: this book is an overall good read with a few very graphic scenes and a theme of oppression and neglect throughout.

The descriptions of the horrors of teenage pregnancy before Roe v. Wade were heartbreaking. The families send the girls (some as young as 13) away to wait out the pregnancy and give birth to immediately surrender the baby.

No one talks about the fathers - it is the girls' fault for getting themselves into this situation, which they are constantly reminded of by the very people who are supposed to care for them. At times, I thought there is no way the hospital staff was that brutal to them. Then I realized it is still the case in many countries, like my native Russia, where punitive gynecology is very much a reality, no matter the marital status of the woman (but probably much worse for unwed young mothers).

The witchy parts left me a bit confused. I thought the magic would be an escape for the girls who seem to have so very few ways to protect themselves and advocate for their health and future. There are some moments where that's the case, but then, for pages and pages, the witches seemed like just another awful power the main characters had to fight against. I guess it goes with the logic that nothing is inherently good or evil, and everything is a tool that can heal or harm depending on the hand that wields it.

What made me rate the book as I did:
- the motivations of the girls are not always clear, which made it hard to root for them at times
- the plot lags in some spots, with pointless or repetitive scenes, which slowed the pace
- the ending seemed rushed

Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it one of the better witchy novels I've read recently.

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for sharing an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. The book is out on January 14.

I received an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. This new Grady Hendrix book is a must read.

With his intense characters and captivating scenes, he hooks you right from the start. In this book, it is 1970 and a young 15 girl, Neva is pregnant. Due to the times, her parents send her to a home for wayward girls in Florida, so she can have her baby and give it up. Here she meets a group of girls also in this situation, which is a dirty little secret to cover up. However, when the librarian of the bookmobile gives Neva a book on witchcraft, Things start to really take off. The girls stay at the home becomes more interesting and powerful. Emotions are high and Hendrix knows just how to create the perfect scenes making this book unforgettable.