If Wayward Girls isn’t on your radar, add it to your TBR immediately. Female friendship, pain, tragedy, deception, and more all tied beautifully together into a story that is at times heartbreaking and so hopeful at others. A tremendous read!

In 1969, teenager Maren is busy being a young woman, hanging with her friends, having her first date with a boy, etc. But when her stepfather gets creepy and blames it on her, he and her mother send her to a “school” for wayward girls. Disguised as taking care of these women and teaching them, it’s really just forced labor and closed adopting out their babies to “good” families. Maren and her friends mount an eacape, but it goes wrong and they get separated. Years later, they reunite and seek to uncover the truth about the home and others like it.

The first part of this was better for me than the second. In the modern portion, the dialogue and writing felt kind of hokey. Maybe it was that way in the first half, but I didn’t notice. I liked the story of young Maren and the women she formed bonds with in the reform school, and I liked the kdea of all of them coming together as old ladies to right past wrongs, but that part just fell flat for me.

The book felt long, and a lot of things felt glossed over. Kind of like just summing up years in their lives several times in between the action moments.

If you like your historical fiction feminist and appreciate a little bit of rep in supporting characters (queer, brown, black), then you might enjoy this one.

After loving Welcome To Beach Town by Susan Wiggs, I was eager to read her latest, Wayward Girls.

The secrecy and shame surrounding 485 Best Street Buffalo, NY - the Good Shephard - is palpable, frightening and unrelenting. I was instantly hooked to Wiggs's powerful story, which is woven in such a quilt-like fashion. Multiple perspectives provide many unique versions of wayward girls, and I was incredibly moved by the comparison and contrast between the Catholic reform school and the Vietnam War draft.

Although I have previously read a few books featuring wayward girls, birthing homes and forced adoptions, I'm so happy these books exist to pull this dark part of history out into the light. I found Wiggs's version to cast a new and fresh perspective as central character Mairin is not pregnant (nor an unwed mother), though she was still forced into the institution. Mairin is such a feisty and determined underdog heroine, instantly becoming a character to root for.

Jane Oppenheimer and Cynthia Farrell narrated this audiobook with distinct voices and phenomenal accents for the various characters, reflecting an appropriate level of disgust and fear, along with triumph and accomplishment.  The Author's Note and Acknowledgements are read by Wiggs, which I always appreciate hearing direct from the author. At the end of this audiobook there is a special discussion between Wiggs and her editor, Rachel Kahan, which was incredibly informative and enlightening.

A power and moving story, Wayward Girls is not to be missed.

Thank you UpLit Reads, NetGalley, Libro.fm, HarperAudio and William Morrow for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs is a historical fiction novel set in 1968 and the end 50 years later. I have read many novels concerning the Magdalene laundries run by the Catholic church and the harsh treatment of girls. Most of these novels told about the laundries in Ireland and Canada.. I wasn't aware that they existed in the U.S. in Buffalo and that were still in existence in the 1960s. The girls lived under terrible conditions. They were not allowed any contact with their families, received no education and could not leave until they were 18. Many were there because of pregnancies or other trouble at home. These places would accept any girls with any reason their parents gave as they needed free labor to make money through the laundries and adoption. The characters are well written. 50 years later when some of the women meet again is a different twist than the other novels I have read. I have read other books by Susan Wigg my favorite being the Lost and Found Bookshop.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The Wayward Girls written by Susan Wiggs is an historical fiction story about the Magdalene laundries, a part of history I had not read about. The laundries were run by the church. The Good Shepherd Institute in Buffalo, New York took in Wayward girls, some pregnant, others from families who did not want them. At the laundries there were nuns and doctors that raped and abused the young girls. They stole their babies and put them up for adoption telling the mothers their babies died. This book is based on the stories of the young girls that were scarred for life from the years they were living at these institutions. The pain and suffering they endured is so deep yet the experience gave some of them the physical and mental strength to endure.

I have some conflict going on, on how to rate this book. While reading the first half of the book it felt like the author was just getting information into the book without developing an emotional story. At times I felt the book was written more like an outline, I took this thought from another reviewer because she stated what I was having a hard time expressing. By the end of the book I felt totally invested and decided to rate this book 4 stars. I became invested in the women finding justice and seeing where they ended up in their journey. I love when I learn something about our world’s past. It is so important to document events like this.

The authors note at the end of the book states that “Between 1945 and 1973, an estimated 1.5 million to 4 million women in the United States lost their children to unauthorized, irregular, or forced adoption.” This is hard to digest and comprehend.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Please check out the Facebook page listed by the author in her notes. You can read stories from the actual women that were affected by the Magdalene laundries in Buffalo.

Oh y’all!! This book!! Fantastic!

In 1968 we meet six teens confined at the Good Shepherd—a dark and secretive institution controlled by Sisters of Charity nuns—locked away merely for being gay, pregnant, or simply unruly.

I just don’t know where to start writing this review without it going off the rails. This book, these characters, their situations will take you on a ride that will keep you thinking about them for days to come.

All of these young ladies face their own trauma and life has beaten them down at a young age. Then they are sent to the Good Shepherd where they are abused in more ways than one.

Mairin is the main young lady and she is tough as nails and even this “school”takes its toll on her. She is sent to this horrible place because her step dad tried to make moves on her. Her mother was trying to keep her safe…y’all just read it!!

This story will make you mad, sad, and gasp with the tragic situations these young ladies endure. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Need an emotional tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

🎧 Audiobook +📗 E-book: Wayward Girls-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Susan Wiggs-new to me author

📃Page Count: 400

📅Publication date: 7-15-25 | Read: 7-17-25

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 15:47

🌎 Setting: Buffalo, NY 1968

👆🏾POV: multiple, 3rd person

Genre: Women's Fic, LGBTQIA+, Historical

Tropes: sisterhood/female friendship, Vietnam era, Catholic reform school, foster care, adoption, redemption, survival

⚠️TW: S/A, racism, homophobia, misogyny, religious abuse, teen pregnancy, abortion-just mentioned, starvation, suicide ideation

🗣️Narrator: Susan Wiggs, Jane Oppenheimer, and Cynthia Farrell voice all the characters with standouts from Mairin, Angela, and Sister Bernadette. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrators worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrators paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

Summary: Six girls are confined to the Good Shepherd (GS) institute run by the Sisters of Charity nuns. They are punished by forced labor in the laundry because of their sexual orientation, race, pregnancy, or bad behavior.

👩🏾 Heroines:

Mairin O'Hara— 15, daughter of Irish immigrants + Liam-her older brother drafted to the Vietnam war. Stepfather Colm Davis-an abusive predator. Her biological father Patrick died a hero at his power company job. Her Mam-Deirdra has secrets of her own.

Angela Denny— 17, caught by grandmother making out with a girl Tonya and sent to the nuns but became a S/A victim. Has a disastrous pregnancy and birth.

Helen Mei—her parents were detained in Communist China because of the Cultural Revolution. She was sent by parents to Good Shepherd and was abandoned for years.

Odessa Bailey—She was caught by police and punished for helping someone while she and her church members protested racial inequality. She loves singing and wants to move to CA.

Denise—sentenced for fighting in a foster home. She is the most guarded and cynical who often bullies the other girls.

Janice—deeply insecure, snitched on the other girls, but was protective of Kay.

Kay- would never grow up because she has a mental disability and speech impediment.

Sister Bernadette/Genesee—18, "rescued" at 12 years old by GS from a childhood of hunger and filth. She felt she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even though she knew things weren't right.

🎭 Side Characters:
*Fiona Gallagher-Mairin's BFF, was sent away after she got pregnant
*Flynn-Fiona's older brother
*Liam-Mairin's brother
*The staff at GS: Mother Superior-Sister Rotrude, Sister Gerard, Dr. Gilroy

🤔 My Thoughts: This book was another one that will stay with me awhile. It was a great historical that triggered me a little having attended Catholic school for 8 years. The nuns and priests were creepy to me, they practiced corporal punishment, and who knows what else. I loved how the girls became accomplished women even with so much trauma. A spectacular read!

*Rating:5/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, Harper Audio Adult |Harper Audio, and Susan Wiggs for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

WAYWARD GIRLS by Susan Wiggs hooked me right from the very first page and never let me go! The characters just grabbed my heart and I was instantly emotionally invested in every single one of them. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad to the point of tears, the story pulls you in. Hang on my friends, because these girls are about to learn some hard life lessons. WAYWARD GIRLS takes place in Buffalo, New York in the 1960s. Susan Wiggs has definitely become a favorite author of mine.

Not soon after WAYWARD GIRLS starts, tragedy strikes! Mairin is devastated, depressed, and can’t believe what a mess life has become. All she did was go to the movies with a boy behind her mother’s back and now her mother is enrolling her in Good Shepherd. That really isn’t the reason why, but Mairin doesn’t know it yet. Good Shepherd had nothing to do with education. It was more like free labor for the church. What these poor girls went through at Good Shepherd is so tragic and honestly I didn’t even know that places like this actually existed. I had no idea what a Magdalene laundry was, but now I want to know more. I knew places like this existed, but thought it was only in Ireland. The way that the girls came together and tried to protect each other was amazing.

WAYWARD GIRLS is a heart breaking story with very relatable characters and a plot that has many twists and turns. I still can’t believe how this story captured my attention and never let me go and now I will happily look up Susan Wiggs other books and read every last one of them. Susan Wiggs knows just how much information to put on each page to keep the reader flipping the pages and soon you will find yourself unable to put it down. I am so impressed with the amount of research by the author to write this novel. It is an extremely powerful and moving story that will stay with the reader long after they finish reading.

The book starts off slow, but around the 25% point it picks up. Also, it is incredibly long, but there isn't anything to cut that would make sense for the overall story, so prepare to settle in for a bit with this one.

This is also a heavy read, and it seems wrong to say that I enjoyed it, but it was a good read. It is also a necessary read. This is a part of our history that often gets overlooked and ignored. Diving into topics like this for historical fiction is how we uncover the truth and expose the ugly parts of our history that need to be learned about.

found Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs to be a well written, very well researched novel that was based on actual events in history. This is my favorite type of historical fiction novel. This book contains themes of found sisterhood, trauma, and resilience. I highly recommend it!

Synopsis:
In 1968 we meet six teens confined at the Good Shepherd—a dark and secretive institution controlled by Sisters of Charity nuns—locked away merely for being gay, pregnant, or simply unruly.

Mairin— free-spirited daughter of Irish immigrants, committed to keep her safe from her stepfather.

Angela—denounced for her attraction to girls, sent to the nuns for reform, but instead found herself the victim of a predator.

Helen—the daughter of intellectuals detained in Communist China, she saw her “temporary” stay at the Good Shepherd stretch in to years.

Odessa—caught up in a police dragnet over a racial incident, she found the physical and mental toughness to endure her sentence.

Denise—sentenced for brawling in a foster home, she dared to dream of a better life.

Janice—deeply insecure, she couldn’t decide where her loyalty lay—except when it came to her friend Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency.

Sister Bernadette—rescued from a dreadful childhood, she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even as her conscience weighed on her.

Wayward Girls is a haunting but thrilling tale of hope, solidarity, and the enduring strength of young women who find the courage to break free and find redemption...and justice.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced digital copy of the book.

Reading this novel it’s almost difficult to believe that is based on the tragic reality that many women faced. And even more so that it wasn’t all that long ago! I think the home this story was based on closed in the 1970’s. Susan Wiggs tells the story of several young women, just teenagers, that were sent to what is essentially a workhouse for various offenses. The fact that these workhouses were supported and run by the Church is even more appalling. These homes frequently held unmarried women and teenage girls that were forced to give up their babies never knowing what became of the baby. Not that the records were really maintained for the babies either. A tragic bit of history that I’m sure is only just the tip of what really happened in these homes.

Powerful, captivating story by Susan Wiggs- her best yet! Wayward Girls is the #1 book I am now recommending to everyone I know- I could not put it down!
This book is based on a compilation of true stories- the author’s research was clearly thorough and she does an amazing job bringing them to life through the characters in this story. Wayward Girls
This book tells the story of a group of teenage girls in 1960s Buffalo, NY who all find themselves essentially as prisoners at a Catholic reform school. Behind the facade of the church and nun sponsored “school”, the reality these girls face is one of hopelessness, cruelty, and abuse. The story is of the lives and journey of the girls- and how they survive their ordeal together. Their informal leader is Mairin, a spirited girl who never stops fighting for their rights and to escape. The story of the girls time there is gut wrenching to read but their hope and friendships are inspiring. We then get to see them in the current day- and how their lives continue to be impacted by their early trauma. Despite the hard content, the book is full of hope and triumph and redemption. Highly recommend!
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this amazing story!

This was a very compelling story. Based on true events but is fiction. It's very realistic and heartfelt. It's so obvious the author did great research into this. A tough subject matter too. Fiction but based on the truth. Based on what happened way to often by Nuns in the Catholic churches. In the homes they kept for girls who needed love and understanding, not abuse and shame.

I've said it many times after reading this kind of book but will say again: I do not understand how NUNS can be so mean and cruel. So horrible to young girls and teens. For that matter how can priests do the things they have done. It's heartbreaking what happened between the pages of this novel. But it happened and I'm sure it still happens now in many places. We are suppose to protect the innocent but demean and demoralize them. Abuse them.

This is the story of a group of teens in a home run by nuns. Sent there for different reasons they are all treated the same. Not in a good way either. The main character, Mairin, was sent because her stepdad tried to molest her. Her mother it seems sided with the stepdad. That hit me right straight in my heart. I almost could not continue this book while reading that part. If not for Mairin's brother there is no telling what the stepdad would have done. Yes, Mairin was sent to the Good Shepard house because she was an innocent fifteen year old who needed protecting.

There are six girls you read about in this book. Each has a story. Some are worse then others. But they are all bad. The nuns were so abusive. Using these girls like slaves. Locking them in a small closet if they dared so much as speak to each other. No schooling. No exercise. No good food. There was some abuses that happened that made my blood boil. A girl gets pregnant and the nuns accuse her of being a seductress. Of luring a delivery man or a worker into a relationship. They didn't care that she was a child and that it was one of their own, in a way, that caused this. And then took away the baby because she was doomed to hell forever because she was an unwed mother.

There is a lot. A lot of tears. A few chuckles in places when you see some of the antics from Mairin. She was so strong willed. So determined to get away. But also so caring toward her friends at the home. She tried to teach them some things to help them.

These girls were lifelong friends. They agreed to meet again on a certain date but Mairin was the only one to show up year after year. Until she wasn't. When one came along. Then when others emerged. When there was a chance at getting back at the nuns for what they did. There was one nun that some I'm sure liked or felt sorry for. Not me. I despised her as much as the others. Sister Bernadette. She was not so innocent. She wasn't much older than they were so she should have been more understanding. I didn't like her until the end. At the end I finally decided she was ok. But it's because of something she did.

How can a religious group treat human beings this way. There are ways to discipline that does not include abuse. There are things besides slave labor for profit. There are other ways to help girls who are unwanted, abused, pregnant, angry, unruly, and just there because the system has turned on them. Treating them as human beings would be a good start.

This book made me have so many feelings. Anger was a big on. Sadness and horror too. I cried my eyes out in places. I loved the ending though. It was great. This author has a new fan now. I'll be reading more of her books.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC.

1 have read many books by Susan Wiggs but her latest novel Wayward Girls, she has out done herself. Base on true events that took place in institutions known as the Magdalene laundries, this one in particular was in Buffalo, NY.

Buffalo, New York, it is 1968, the Vietnam War rages on, it is a time of hippies, drugs and free love but for six young teenage girls they will be spending their time in a place called the Good Shepherd, a place of cruelty, free labor and harsh living conditions, a place where the nuns would brutally punish these girls both physically and mentally. Why? Because grandma did not like that you were gay or mam thought she was protecting you from your stepfather or a parent thought this would be a good place for your safety or because of a riot arrest and you were black or a fighting in your foster home. So, for Mairin, Angela, Helen, Odessa, Denise and Janice the next year or so the nuns are going to make their lives a living hell.

As much as the Wayward Girls is a heartbreaking and haunting story to read, it is also one of hope, the bond of friendship and the power of the human spirit to endure and finding the courage to escape. It is about finding love, learning to forgive and finding justice and taking first steps on a path to atonement. I love these girls; their strength and spirit to survive, to be true to themselves and to make themselves person they were always meant to be.

Thank you, Susan Wiggs, William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is classic Susan Wiggs - page turning, informative, and just the right amount of emotional. A story I won't soon forget.

I read everything Susan Wiggs writes sight unseen. This was another winner. I was unable to set it down, I just wanted to keep reading it.
I was swept away and stayed there with them. This book will remain with you. It radiates with the power of women's strength and power.
There are several powerful stories in this book.

I enjoyed reading Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺, 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦.

I had never heard of the Magdalene laundries, nor did I know they existed outside Ireland and here in the States. Susan Wiggs has written a historical fiction novel that follows six young girls who are forced into these “reform schools” run by the Catholic Church. It’s not a school, though - these girls are put to work, doing laundry, and are treated horribly. Plus, many of these young girls were pregnant!

Told between two timelines, we see the atrocities these girls had to face, the nuns were cruel, as were others, and those who had babies were never given a choice about what happened to their children.

Later in life, these women, despite the aftereffects of their trauma, displayed remarkable resilience. Some of them continued to fight for justice. While the book is heavy and at times sad, the girls’ unwavering bond of true friendship and love, plus their resilience, was truly uplifting.

4.5 ⭐️


Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the #gifted ebook via #NetGalley. #epictastemakers

This book takes place beginning in 1968, where young men are getting drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, and girls who are considered anything other than "good girls" are condemned to forced labor in the laundry of a Catholic reform school. The novel follows the lives of six of those girls - each sent to the Good Shepherd Reform School for different reasons. Mairin was too free-spirited & then her step-father began to make moves on her and her mother didn't know any other way to ensure her safety. Angela was denounced for her attraction to girls. Helen was sent to stay there temporarily while her parents went back to Communist China to care for a relative, and then that stay stretched into years because they were unable to return. Odessa was caught in a police dragnet over a racial incident. Denise was sentenced for brawling in a foster home. Then Janice, who was so insecure she couldn't decide where her loyalty lay, and the only friend she truly let in was Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency.. These girls started out as complete strangers, but by the end they were the best of friends.

This book was really good. It was depressing at times, but there were also times it made me laugh. I was cheering each of those girls on, wanting them to escape from there, and get a better life. I really loved Mairin. She was a force to be reckoned with. She had so much spunk, but she also had so much love to give, and she was the reason they all became such good friends. I love the way it ended with them all together as senior citizens, and seeing where they all ended up. If you enjoy historical fiction, or just love a good heartwarming story, then this is the book for you.

In another critical look at the Catholic Church, this book tells of the abuse on young pregnant and/or defiant women in the US. Very similar to the situations in the Magdalena laundries in Ireland, these women were held captive and forced to do laundry to enrich the sisterhoods and church. Abuse, obviously, was rampant. I did not enjoy the disgusting treatment by the nuns, but I enjoyed reading about the bonds developed between the young women in their "care." That was the highlight for me. Many other aspects of the book felt a bit too perfect or coincidental, but I recognize that people want a happy ending.