THE GIRLS WHO GREW BIG
By Leila Mottley

This is a raw and emotional read portraying teenage motherhood in a small town on the Florida panhandle. Centered around three young women navigating the complexities of raising children while they are basically children themselves. Young girls making decisions they shouldn’t have to be making at their age. You see the struggles and hardships they face, but also the sisterhood, bonds, and hopes they share. Each of these young mothers share their perspectives, thus making their experiences raw and authentic. A character driven story that does not shy away from the heart-wrenching hardships, but also shows the hopes along the way. The choices these girls and young men make are extremely frustrating and you feel for them and their children. Also frustrating is that they don’t have the parental guidance or understanding, especially from society, that they so desperately need. I didn’t relate to these girls and the circumstances of their day-to-day living, but I did care about them and their children. I felt I wanted to lecture them and also hug them. Will they mature and find their path and their way to happiness? You will be rooting for each of these young women as you read their story by this young author who skillfully writes an emotional, powerful, and painful read portraying them. Leila Mottley’s writing is vivid, poetic, lyrical, raw and authentic, and reflects on both trauma and beauty in her language. She writes with such depth and skill beyond her young age — there is no doubt she will have a remarkable future ahead. I am going to go back and read her debut, Nightcrawling; I started this and because it is about marginalized lives in Oakland, it was a difficult read. Her debut was written at 17-years-old and published at 19-years-old.


Touching upon young mothers, young fathers, family, choices, self-esteem, relationships, hardships, compassion, and hope.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor | Knopf for the ARC ebook

Amazing!

Is it heavy? Yes. Is it a necessary read, especially for women and parents young girls? Absolutely.

This was such a well written and thorough read. The different characters and the descriptive scenes were perfect. This will go in my 2025 top favorite reads!

The Girls Who Grew Big will be a top read of 2025 for me! Using gorgeous prose, Mottley tells a raw and unforgettable story of the reality of teenage motherhood and self-discovery in the South. This reading experience was extra vivid for me as I live in the Florida panhandle where the story is set. This authentic coming-of-age story is worth your time, and if you haven’t read Mottley’s debut, Nightcrawling, add that to your TBR! The Girls will live on in my mind for years to come and I am grateful to have read this achingly beautiful story. Leila Mottley is officially an auto-buy author for me and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

THE GIRLS WHO GREW BIG is a lush, lyrical coming-of-age novel set against the sweltering backdrop of Padua Beach, Florida. When Adela Woods is cast out of her privileged home after becoming pregnant, she’s sent to live with her grandmother and finds unexpected solidarity in a group of teenage mothers who call themselves The Girls.

Defiant and unbothered by society’s expectations of what it means to be a “good” mother, these young women raise their children from the back of a pickup truck, navigating shame, betrayal, and the weight of girlhood turned too quickly into adulthood. With poetic prose and unflinching honesty, Motley crafts a story of joyful rebellion and the fierce hope born in the margins.

Perfect for readers who crave literary fiction that doesn’t flinch from the hard stuff and finds beauty anyway.

Read this if you:
-Love rooting for scrappy, resilient women who refuse to be counted out
-Were blown away by Nightcrawling and want more from Leila Mottley
-Know what it feels like to be underestimated and rise anyway

Many thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was worried that Leila Mottley would not be able to top her debut title, but I was absolutely blown away by The Girls Who Grew Big. Such a tender, thoughtful, emotional take on motherhood. It captured the intricacies of becoming a mother, the experience of being a mother, and the expectations cast upon a mother. I would read this over and over again.

Real. Raw. Beautiful. Authentic. Painful
The Girls Who Grew Big is all of the above. Leila Mottley gets inside the heads of 3 teenager girls (Simone, Adela, and Emory) that have been left to make some huge decisions and sacrifices after becoming pregnant. Family have kicked some of these girls out of their homes, the fathers of the children are either non existent or have very little to do with the children and education is a whole other subject that they still want to tackle. But these girls will do whatever it takes to survive and hopefully thrive in their own way. Even come together as some sort of raggedy supportive community.

Set in the oft forgotten Padua Beach, Florida, we follow a group of young mothers and 1 pregnant one as they navigate life and motherhood. Told from Simone, Adela and Emory's POV, we get to see how these 3 different girls with 3 hugely different personalities in 3 different stages of motherhood come to make the decisions they do. It was heartbreaking to read, but so real. Mottley fleshed out these characters and gave them life within a town that wanted to forget them. These girls were resilient, even when they were hit with obstacle after obstacle.

The author created a world that was easy to envision with the 3 main teenage moms and the Florida setting. These girls were basically "babies raising babies", but they honestly showed so much growth over the course of the story. Simone came off as the "mother" of the group since she was a little older than the others and her children were twin toddlers. She may not have been book smart, but she was street smart and knew how to survive and get by. Emory was book smart and still wanted to attend college, but found herself with a newborn that her family did not want to help with. The father was in the picture, but was young himself. She wanted education to be in her future, but everyone tried to derail her at every turn. Lastly, we have Emory who was an extraordinary athlete sent to Padua Beach by her parents to grow her baby and give it up. But she got herself caught up in a mess that eventually led her to making a decision that she felt was right for her.

The Girls Who Grew Big is a complex and real story of teenage mothers and the community they built. These young girls are flawed but are resilient and learn to survive with what they are given. I liked that Mottley set the story up by trimesters and we get to experience how each girls story intertwines with one another. The writing was lyrical with a rawness to it that flowed from chapter to chapter and showed how the girls matured over the months, leading to an ending that was beautiful in its own right.

If you were a fan of the show 16 and pregnant, I think this story may appeal to you. It's smartly written by a young voice in literature that is knocking down barriers.

In 2022, Leila Mottley became the youngest ever nominee for the Booker Prize when her debut, NIGHTCRAWLING, was longlisted. She was just 17 years old when she wrote it! Since then, I have been eager to see what she wrote next and THE GIRLS WHO GREW BIG was worth the wait!

GIRLS is about three young mothers who have all been failed by their parents, their men, themselves, and society. In our current culture, teen moms are generally looked down upon; Mottley tackles those stigmas with clear empathy and compassion quietly challenging beliefs surrounding sexual health and education, abortion access, and pregnancy care. It’s a beautiful tribute to motherhood and its transformative power, regardless of age.

What they can’t get or find from their parents, the Girls find amongst themselves - community, trust, hope, and support. Even though their friendship isn’t perfect, they continue to show up and offer the help and support they each desperately need. And while the book is centered around young girls, this is a story about womanhood in general…the unspoken ways women stand up for one another during life’s most difficult times, lending a helping hand, and a shoulder to lean on.

“I was just a fragile thing in a sharp world, like every other girl is before they meet themselves.”

In the end, they did it - they grew and learned, they created a support network of found family, and they found themselves! It was powerful, emotional, and beautiful. I couldn’t help but want the best for each of these characters - for their innocence to be transformed into strength and resilience. It all came together perfectly and it’s clear that Mottley is an author that transforms her readers!

Mottley is such an incredible writer-- the heartbreak and community and personality she imbues in not only every story, but every paragraph and sentence, is masterful. I love reading the stories she weaves. Like her first novel, this book is hard to read at times and a reminder of some of the worst person who exist. But it is also about survival and existence. The setting itself is incredible and really sets this novel up for success.

This book won’t be for everyone. It was raw, powerful, and in your face about realities that we choose to ignore. It was also tender, exposed, and an ode to all mothers—poor, rich, good, bad, young, or older. When you give birth to a child, you become…someone’s mother. 

I read Leila Mottley’s first novel, Nightcrawling. At that time, I was unaware that she wrote that book when she was only 18 years old. Now, she is out with her second book, and her writing hits hard with a sledgehammer to a hardcore truth…babies are having babies. (My words, not hers.)

This is the story of ‘The Girls.’ All in their teens when they get pregnant, living in Padua, Florida, near Pensacola in the panhandle.

Simone is the oldest and just had her twins in the back of her truck while the father, Tooth, looked on. When her parents found out that she was pregnant, they kicked her out of the trailer she was living in with her father, mother, brother, and twin siblings. She is on her own now, with two babies in a truck.

Emory is smart, a senior in high school. She was left with her grandparents at the age of five because her mother was a drug addict and wanted to do her thing. Emory, a white teen, INTENTIONALLY got pregnant with Simone’s brother, because she wanted to be unconditionally loved. She thought she could go to school and have her baby. But her grandparents are disappointed and don’t like the baby’s father...he’s Black.

Adela. Adela lived in Indiana, went to an upscale school, and was on track to go to the 2028 Olympics in swimming. Until one night at a party, she caught the attention of a boy she was fascinated with. They had sex, and she ended up pregnant. One time only. Now, she is in Padua, sent to live with her grandmother until the baby is born.

Three girls… trying to navigate babies, motherhood, insecurities, school, work, and each other…everything that seems impossibly difficult, even when you plan a pregnancy!
This YOUNG author nailed the emotions of frustration and exhaustion that are felt every day. But she also lays out the unconditional love, worry, and compassion that are held in a mother's heart. 

PLEASE know the trigger warnings of this book. (DM me if you need to know.) There are some difficult situations.

Thank you, NetGalley and Leila Mottley, for an advanced copy of this book. I really enjoyed this eye-opening novel of teen pregnancy (and I loved the characters)! I am completely a fan of this author, and I know she will have a lifetime of success!

I will continue to read anything this author writes because she so talented, but some logistical things took me out of this story. The characters weren’t always believable and read too similarly.

Leila Mottley’s The Girls Who Grew Big is a breathtaking, heart-wrenching story that grabs you by the soul and doesn’t let go. The writing almost feels like poetry as Mottley paints a raw portrait of teen pregnancy, poverty, and resilience in a tight group of teenage mothers.

What stunned me most was the sheer emotional honesty of this story. Mottley doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities her characters face—the weight of impossible choices the girls make, from everyday parenting choices to deciding whether to defer their dreams of bigger and better lives, and the fierce love that blooms even in the hardest places, but amid the all the struggles, there is such a beauty in her writing.

I kept forgetting this was written by a 23-year-old— Leila Mottley’s wisdom and insight feel timeless. She writes with the depth of a seasoned storyteller, weaving together pain and hope in a way that lingers long after the last page.

This isn’t just a book; it’s an experience, and I can't wait to read more Leila Mottley. Nightcrawling is next on my TBR.

I am thankful to have been given the ARC of this book from Knopf from Netgalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

Oh, what a beautiful story! Lovely, vivid writing. These characters felt REAL real. I’m old enough to be their mother and I just wanted to give them all a big hug. Highly recommend!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A heartwarming novel about young mothers in a small Florida town. I loved the friendships and the life lessons.

Thank you NetGalley,Publisher and author,Leila Mottley for the opportunity to read the arc ebook,The Girls Who Grew Big. Initially I had a hard time getting into this book but decided to keep reading. I’m so glad I did! Interesting story mainly about three girls,Simone,Adela,and Emory. They are all very young girls who have gotten pregnant and are rejected by their parents/grandparents that are raising them in a small forgotten town in Florida. They find strength to help each other at their time of need,especially with the help of Simone who little by little takes in several other young teens and their babies. They sleep in a pick-up truck at a mostly deserted beach and stay on that beach mainly everyday. It’s a fast read with lots of sorrow,anger,happiness and close friendships.It has a surprise ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc copy! Here are my thoughts:

I’m honestly still in awe that Leila Mottley is only 23 years old and wrote something this fantastic. The Girls Who Grew Big is stunning. There’s something so raw and beautiful about how it captures what it truly means to be a girl. From the characters to the setting to the waves of emotion it pulled from me, I loved every part of this book. It’s definitely not something I’d normally reach for at a bookstore, but the cover caught my eye and I just had a feeling I needed to read it. I’m so glad I followed that instinct. Mottley’s writing is gorgeous, and I’ll be reading whatever she publishes next. Highly recommend.

This book ripped me apart, I LOVED this book! Every mother, myself included, can see pieces of herself in the Girls. I laughed, I cried so many times, I wanted to reach through the pages and give everyone in this book the biggest hug and never let them go. A must read!!

Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and Netgalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Leila Mottley's The Girls Who Grew Big unfolds the interconnected stories of three young women navigating teenage motherhood. The narrative is shared through the distinct perspectives of Simone (20, with twin toddlers, and the leader of a supportive group of young mothers, many disowned by their families), Emory (a college senior with a baby son), and Adela (a high school junior sent to live with her grandmother after becoming pregnant).

Mottley gives each of the three protagonists a unique voice and evolving perspective. As young women finding their way, some of their initial thoughts reflect their immaturity. However, it's rewarding to see them grow, with their inner monologues and the wisdom they share with each other becoming increasingly poetic and philosophic by the story's end.

The narrative momentum builds in the last third of the book. Simone's generosity is a beacon, and the way these young women—often let down by caregivers or partners—support and educate one another as they forge their own paths is heartwarming.

The Girls Who Grew Big is a powerful and ultimately hopeful novel about the communities we build for ourselves.

I only read 15% but this was just not what I thought it was going to be. A lot of other reviews I read said it was a story, but nothing really happened. It is not a book I feel like reading right now but maybe will give it another chance in the future.

This powerfully written tale about unwed mothers was far better than I expected! It is the tale of strong young women working their way through pregnancy under less than ideal circumstances, while planning a future for themselves and their babies. The characters are well developed and absolutely believable, and the plot is brilliant and beautifully executed. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

What a deep and gripping story this was! Narrated from 3 POVs (Simone, Emory and Adela), we are following a group of teenagers living in the Florida swamps (Padua Beach) who are (soon-to-be) young mothers. It was refreshing to hear their story from their own POV; how did they get there, how they handle the pregnancy, how they made the decision to keep the baby or not, how they faced their families' reactions, did the daddy stay around or not, did they drop out of school or not,.. so many cliches that were handled by this super talented author Leila Mottley sometimes with heart and other times with guts.
This book is definitely a must read. Personally, it did put some things into perspective, it gave me hope, and it also gave me a better understanding of a situation I was never confronted with. Life is not easy, but we must be aware that we create our own destiny.

A much-deserved 5-star rating <3