This book was nothing like I thought it was going to be. Which was not a bad thing. I felt this was more categorized as a historical fiction than a sci-fi suspense. This book is a slow-burn, thought-provoking young adult fiction with horror and supernatural elements. I ended up feeling so bad for these girls. These girls are trapped in this house by circumstances adults forced upon them. A lot of the horror was from the graphic telling of their childbirth experiences. Be forewarned that this book includes some very graphic childbirth scenes.

I rated this novel 3.5 stars. I think what dropped it down for me was the fact that I was expecting something else. It was not necessarily a bad book. I wanted more horror and witchcraft. I think the most horrifying part of the book was the descriptions of birth, more so than the witch attacks. The birth is told realistically; the description of the pain the young women endure makes you shiver, reminding you of your own birth experiences. It's really shaking you to the core.

Yes yes!! Grady is an insta-read author for me, and this book did not disappoint. I can honestly say this is the first book I have read with 4 pregnant teenagers are the main characters and I was worried I wouldn't relate to the characters but I was wrong there. Such a great book, masterful. Can't wait to see him tour this one!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This is by far his greatest book to date. I loved everything about it and was so glad that I was approved for the ARC. I couldn't put it down, but Hendrix novels are just like that for me. They are considered horror but there is always a bit of humor to lighten the story up a bit. So let's get in it. (I will give a warning some of the book is quite graphic especially during the birthing.)

The Wellwood Home is for girls that are considered loose, wayward, or girls that were pushed into adulthood before they were ready, these girls are unwed mothers that are sent away to hid while they have their babies and give them up for adoption in the swampland of St. Augustine, Florida.
Fern is sent there in the summer of 1970 when she is only fifteen years old and pregnant. Miss Wellwood is in charge of the home for unwed mothers and they have strict rules. Everything the girls eat, every moment of their day is accounted for, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them... There are other girls there who are expecting including Rose, a hippie, Zinnia, a musician, and Holly, a mute who is barely fourteen years old.
Fern then meets the librarian, Ms Parcae. She gives Fern a book about witchcraft and now the girls have the power to punish those that have mistreated them, but there is a price to be paid for witchcraft and they may have gotten more than they bargained for.

*Magical Negro Alert!*

I enjoy the author so much usually. I was so ready to love this – the vibes from The Craft, the way we treat teen mothers and women in general, the dark, witchy vibes.

But man, I wish the author had just…not…when it came to his Black characters.

We have:
• One non-entity teen
• One barely there sister of our Magical Negro
• A Stepin Fetchit Driver
• And our Magical Negro who serves up warm food, magical advice and saves white lives – all with a touch of grumpy Black sass.

So. Freaking. Unnecessary.

I really thought we had moved past this. I just wanted to enjoy our horror – both human and other. Instead, I was feeling like, just like our characters, I was living in the past.

Just do better.

*ARC via Publisher
v

Grady Hendrix's new book is a bloody good time. He has this gift for writing such bad ass women with accuracy. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls goes into how unwed, teenage girls were treated in the 70s. It is about feeling hopeless and lonely but also about female bonds and turning away from the patriarchy. This book doesn't feel as much horror as his previous books, but don't be fooled; there are moments of creepiness. I am also once again hit in the feels with how these girls were treated and what they went through with their babies. This story will stick with me for awhile.

_Witchcraft for Wayward Girls_ by Grady Hendrix is an unputdownable and disturbing horror read with authentic characters. Teenage Fern is pregnant in the summer of 1970 when her father drops her off at the Wellwood Home for unwed mothers in Florida. Girls sent to the home must adhere to a regimented routine as well as give birth, give up their babies, and return to their normal lives like nothing happened. When the scheduled bookmobile visits the home, Fern and her close friends meet a local witch and discover a way to gain power back in their lives, but they soon learn that there is a cost to that power. Hendrix creates a wonderfully descriptive atmosphere of real and paranormal horror.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkeley Press, and Grady Hendrix for this ARC!

This would was pleasantly nothing like I expected it to be. I kept trying to predict the plot but was unable to follow the next move. It was a unique telling of witches and feminism, which I thought was brave for a male author to tackle. Grady Hendrix is one of my favorite authors ever, and I was so delighted to get this ARC.

STOP READING TO AVOID SPOILERS!

Rose was my favorite character in this book. She was so funny, brash, and full of life. I expected her to come back and save Holly but I loved her ending, it was very fitting. The setting was very sad and Holly’s story made me sick to my stomach. Overall it was a gorgeous journey of sisterhood between girls who didn’t even know one another’s names. The descriptions of birth were horrific and beautiful, as were the gory descriptions. I will be recommending this book to many friends!

Nobody, I mean nobody, gets me to power through a “horror” genre book like Grady Hendrix. The whole time I was reading this book, as a new mom, unwed, but in my thirties I am so grateful to live in this day and age. My heart felt for these girls, and I was so invested in this book from the very beginning. I mostly read this during my baby’s night feedings and found myself staying awake for way longer than I should have, but I just couldn’t stop.

I LOVE GRADY HENDRIX! I seriously love everything he writes! This was the most original storyline I have read in years. So many stories are the same basic plot points presented in different ways, but this was unlike anything I’ve ever read. It handled serious and heartbreaking subject matter but was also fast paced and intriguing. I loved the character growth and thought it was beautifully written.

The sheer amount of research and care put into Hendrix's works are why I constantly return to them.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is poignant and brutal.

When I had first heard about this book in its early stages from Hendrix himself at the National Book fair, I had a feeling that this one would be up there in my ranking of his work.

There are sections of this text that are so stylistically unlike anything that Hendrix has done before and it is really a wonder.

I think that readers who expect horror like he has written before are going to find themselves at a loss. This is more emotional horror- of course there are some gross out and winceworthy moments in this but they are not the point. They're fleeting moments of the expected genre, what lasts in the text is the strong historical foundation paired with characters whose dialogue is written accurately for the time and whose careful construction adds to the many working layers of the narrative.

Is it clear that I like this book? I should hope so. It's a five star read in that I have literally no notes for things I would have improved upon or nitpicks. I

Last side note: I miss the era when Hendrix had the covers of his books styled to look like other objects/books, i.e. the Rolling Stone cover of We Sold our Souls and Horrorstor. No spoilers but if they ever release an alt cover of this one based on a certain description in here it's an immediate buy.

I really love Hendrix’s writing style and this story’s plot is extremely compelling, but the graphic scenes were a bit too much for me and I could not finish. I will definitely try and come back to this, maybe as an audiobook, but right now it’s a bit much for me

Another hit from Grady Hendrix. Here’s another story with complex characters, social commentary (particularly about women) and a unique twist on one of horror’s favorite topics: witches. I’m constantly astounded by how much research Hendrix does to put himself in the heads of his characters and to accurately depict the scenes and situations. I mean, check this out: The characters are pregnant teens in the 70’s who get sent to a wayward girls home in Florida. Overall, it’s an emotional ride that will thrill you, scare you and leave you with a new spot on your heart. Another great entry in Hendrix’s works, which now includes witches.

Dang. I did not expect to end this book in tears--I spent most of it in horror! How did a man write this book, a beautiful testament to the goddess that is woman, a potent raging against the evils of patriarchy, a terrifying portrayal of pregnancy and childbirth?

Grady Hendrix might, himself, be a witch. He's definitely a wordsmith, and his style and craft create the perfect horror books for me. They're scary, yes, even gory, but the metaphors of his monsters carry truth and resonate in my soul. This book was not a sensational read, but a transformational reading experience.

From the book: "...this little girl that they had pulled out of [her] body together and she knew that all the magic the witches had ever done was only a pale imitation of what had happened here tonight."

I don't want to give context for that quote to avoid spoilers, but the juxtaposition of witchcraft and the creative powers of a mother cast a spell on me. The witches are powerful, but a mother's power comes from nature more pure and powerful than any enchantment. Hendrix's story went straight to my heart without any sentimentality, and this book is perfect. Horror fans must read this!

Thank you @berkleypub for the advance copy of the ebook. I'm going to buy a physical copy as soon as it publishes in January.

If you’re reading this review on Netgalley, please note that I do have spoilers listed, but they are hidden behind a spoiler tag on Goodreads! Thank you.

I need to make it clear that I am a Grady Hendrix fan generally, though I didn’t love “How to Sell a Haunted House.” I have really enjoyed everything else I’ve read by him and I was absolutely thrilled and grateful to get an ARC of this one.

For starters, I think I expected something different going into this novel. “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” is not a fun book. It’s not really about mischievous teenage girls having a great time doing witchcraft together. It’s about underage pregnant teens being treated like absolute trash by everyone around them and desperately trying to save themselves. It is bleak and upsetting, and most of the horror comes from their hopeless circumstances rather than supernatural elements. For me, if was also a constant reminder of our current political climate, which I typically read to escape from.

I couldn’t believe this was the same author who wrote “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” and “My Best Friend’s Exorcism,” two amazing books that are both great horror stories and beautiful testaments to the everlasting bonds of friendship between women of different age groups.

For much of the story, friendship means fuck all in this book. By the time I got to the end, I realized that I didn’t like Fern very much at all and that Zinnia was the real MVP. There’s not even an adult to be found here who can be bothered to care about these girls or treat them with sympathy. One or two of them eventually come somewhat close, but only when forced into a corner, and they do it under a thick veil of anger and inconvenience.

It’s definitely a thing in Hendrix’s novels for his main characters to be put through the ringer, but in this one bad stuff happens and then it gets worse, and then bad stuff happens again, etc, etc. It’s the whole book.

The wayward girls are allowed to smoke like chimneys, but their diets are heavily restricted. None of the caretakers actually give a fuck if the babies turn out healthy or not. The girls are also forced to do hard manual labor every day and if they don’t feel well, tough. Complaining only gets them into more trouble. And don’t get me started on the medical staff at the hospital.

Once the actual witchcraft finally kicks in, that’s when things get more interesting. But it takes a while, so patience may be required. It definitely was for me. I was 100% here for the witchcraft and the fact that it was a book by Hendrix. I wanted to see spells and revenge and creepy things happening. Full disclosure: there wasn’t enough of that for me.

I think that the message of the story may have gotten a bit muddled. And a few things didn't sit right with me, either. <spoiler>For one thing, Rose wanted to use witchcraft to punish Miss Wellwood and to make her experience what Rose did, but what she meant by that was that Rose lost something she wanted dearly. Instead, Miss Wellwood suffers through an incredibly painful and nightmarish labor and births eels. She is punished by the act of childbirth itself. Perhaps this is simply supposed to show that Miss Parcae is, in fact, a liar and a villain and that her brand of magic is deceitful. But what is the point overall of demonizing pregnancy/labor/birth?

There are two more awful birthing scenes later that also go on forever. Hendrix repeatedly tries to show that these characters learn to love their babies and decide that they want to keep them, that the suffering is worth it if they can raise their children as their own. So why use labor as a source of horror not once but three times in this book? During Fern's experience she is reduced to a victim of a cruel system and even her name and identity are taken away. (For a second time!) She is simply "the patient," a piece of meat from which a baby is violently ripped.

The actual witchcraft in this witchcraft book is fairly minimal. Look, I could see what Hendrix was ultimately trying to say, “The REAL magic is creating LIFE!” But he had a funny way of showing it, by having little girls begging for their lives while writhing around in agony and regretting their choices. (Holly.)

Also confusing: Are we supposed to be rooting for the witches or not? Miss Parcae swoops in to help the girls at first, then we learn that the spells are harmful and deceptive and Miss Parcae becomes predatory towards Fern. But THEN, the witches end up as Holly’s last hope. Though despite this, Holly clearly says she would rather “become a MONSTER than go back home.” (Rude?) And finally, at the very end Fern refers to herself as a witch like it’s this beautiful and heartwarming thing that she was proud of all along. My head was SPINNING. </spoiler>

So what did I like?
- Obsessed with that cover! 10/10
- A lot of it gave me “Girl, Interrupted” vibes. Yes, I realize that one was nonfiction but the comparison still stands.
- The ending made up for *some of the things that bothered me about the rest of the book, even if the ending caused its own problems
- Whenever actual witchcraft happened, it was done in an interesting and organic way. I wanted to see more of it.
- The Bookmobile
- Rose and Zinnia

I can see this really working for some people. I just didn’t have a great time with it.

2.5 rounded up to a 3.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

TW: Misogyny, Smoking while pregnant, Miscarriage, Racism, Description of Attempted Abortion, Mention of Child Sexual Assault, Domestic Abuse, Suicidal Ideations, Self-Harm, Graphic birth scenes, Bodyshaming

Grady Hendrix cannot miss.

This was the perfect combo of paranormal, and reality being almost scarier than paranormal. It started as a slow burn but is worth the wait in its storytelling. Honestly I wanted to be a witch but maybe it is not for me after reading this!

I am such a fan of Grady Hendrix. Every book I have read of his I have enjoyed and this book is no different! Though a serious book with serious topics and issues, I found it to still have some of the mirth I associate with Hendrix books. It was at times long, at times slow, at times upsetting.... But I think all of that was intentional. You felt for and with these girls, in the time and in the place where they were. I was so glad to get my hands on this one early and I was not disappointed.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC!

Good book! I like this author. I really enjoy how he can describe a mundane average day and then add something scary into it that feels very realistic. I enjoyed the book- but I want more answers! There should definitely be another one. Overall a good read!

On the surface, this book is about friendship and magic. But this book is also a good look into how we treat women and girls, particularly mothers. I liked the storyline and enjoyed the characters, and there was still some comedic relief despite the serious topics that were addressed. All in all, I really enjoyed this book. My only problem was with the extremely graphic birth scenes, but I think Grady was trying to really showcase how absolutely horrific childbirth can be and what women go through during this momentous experience. I think this book is worth a read and I will definitely be purchasing this for my library!

Grady Hendrix is one of my favorite horror authors. There's something campy yet disturbing about his stories, and I've been obsessed ever since I read Horrostor. Seeing his new title on NetGalley AND getting approved for it made me so happy!

I loved the premise of this book. The 70s? Pregnant teenagers? Witchcraft? Yes to all of these. I love Neva/Fern and all of her friends. Their stories were heartbreaking and the situations with Fern, Rose, and Holly's babies was heartbreaking. As a mom to two young girls, I really felt that one.

Personally, I wish Fern had been a little more ruthless in the end, but I get that wasn't true to her character. Kinda wish she'd gone more down the Rose path, but that probably would've felt jarring. That said, the ending felt kind of mellow to me. There was this big, drawn out conflict with Parcea, and then the rest of the coven manages to talk her out of it? It was underwhelming to me, but I still enjoyed the book overall.

Could not put this down. So good! From the weather to pain, to hopelessness - everything was described so clearly - I could feel it. And likewise, I could feel the power of the characters, of their very will to have control over their circumstances.

The witch librarian is too good (and bad) to be trusted. The descriptions of the lava lamp, the huge dogs, and the rituals the girls attempt...it felt so REAL. It played like a movie in my mind. Just fascinating and ever changing.

Fern, Rose, Holly, and Zinnia will live in my head and my heart for a long, long time.