I don’t understand all the hype, this book is absolutely awful. It is poorly written with one-dime signal characters. It was a struggle to finish.

What a powerful book! A story of teenage mothers in the Florida panhandle who create a community within themselves. This is a must read!

As a teen mom myself, this book hit home in a way that few others have. The Girls Who Grew Big is a beautifully raw and deeply moving story about resilience, sisterhood, and the complicated, messy, confusing world of young motherhood.

Adela's journey—from being banished by her parents to finding her own strength in Padua Beach—felt painfully real and incredibly inspiring. The friendships she forms with Emory, Simone, and the rest of the Girls were the heart of the book for me. Each of them was lovable and frustrating in equal measure, making them all the more authentic. Their struggles, their triumphs, and the way they supported each other had me rooting for them from start to finish.

This book is full of heart, hope, and hard truths. If you’ve ever felt underestimated or had to fight for your future, you’ll see yourself in these pages. Highly recommend!

This is a good book. It is interesting to follow The Girls to see how each of them handles their unwanted pregnancy. Many of them were not given of choice of abortion. These girls all gave up so much because of their pregnancy.

I had a hard time getting past a couple of things which kept me from enjoying the book more. I kept wondering where Simone was getting her money to live. She lived in her truck but she would need to pay for gas and groceries for her and her twins. I think that is just personal thing for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the ebook. This novel was surprising in that it’s such a fun riot of a novel. Not that there aren’t very serious matters, like having to grow up way too early with teenage pregnancy and motherhood, but the young women of this novel are no one’s victims. The book follows a group of teen moms in Padua Beach, Florida, who have banded together and give friendship, advice and genuinely watch each other’s back. We follow Adele, banished from her upper middle class life, and Olympic swimming dreams put on hold, while she lives with her grandmother. We follow Emory who has a brilliant high school career that she refuses to ignore, even with a newborn going with her to every class. Then there’s the leader of the group, Simone, who lives with her twins in the back of her red truck. The book is a wild ride of sex and fights and many self realizations. I wanted to spend much more time with them all.

Leila Mottley is the 2018 Oakland, California Youth Poet Laureate….. (makes me proud — I was born and raised in Oakland, too)!
Sh is also a New York Times Best Seller — and the author of the explosive debut “Nightcrawling”… which she wrote at age sixteen….which later became an Oprah’s Book Club pick….
…. [a book I read months before Leila Mottley became a household name in the literature world].
I love Leila Mottley….and I’m a stand and advocate for the work she manifests in the world! What an inspirational young woman and writer.

In this new novel by Mottley, “The Girls Who Grew Big”…..(contemporary/literary fiction), we meet Simone, Adela, and Emory (teenage mothers), in the wasteland-forgotten town Padua Beach. …the Panhandle of Florida.
Each girl has a distinct voice and a story to tell. They also become each other’s allies.

The experiential world Mottley creates is raw …. intimate (endless gripping storytelling scenes).
At different times, each of our three young mothers — and even their small children- deal with anxiety, depression, fear, financial instability and poverty, medical needs, and other psychological and psychosocial stressors. From family abandonment — lack of partner (Daddy) support - and other survival struggles — these girls face real hardship challenges.
But each of “The Girls” are easily likable — with kickass personalities and dispositions — we root for in the same way they root for themselves.

. . . It’s true, nobody ever warned you about the placenta . . .
Simone - (ringleader of the Girls), age sixteen - gave birth to twins in the back of the pick up truck. The boyfriend, Tooth, had a filthy pocket knife. The choice was going to be between the dirtiest pocket knife to cut the umbilical cord or Simone’s teeth. (I’ll spare which was chosen and the graphic details)….😁… readers will get to discover themselves what happened….(which of course I highly recommend) ….

Ongoing and ongoing we hear how ‘the Girls’ find their fight, find their power, their hope, and resilience.
The Girls valued their little womanhood, motherhood community bonds together — which helped feeling completely isolated- and alone. They had to develop confidence….’learn-on-a-dime’ how to manage their lives as new mothers ….as well as other duel roles (education and work).
When most of society offered no more than pity, shame, and other cruel judgments — these girls grew sturdiness, wisdom, and efficaciousness.

“The difference between a mother who’s forgivable and a mother who’s not is whether she gives enough of a shit to try to redeem herself in the first place. Apologize and do different. And I would’ve given anything to be better for them”.

“So even when we havin’ a hard time, you just remember the world gon’ send you some treasures when you need it most, even if it takes hundreds of years to see ‘em shine”.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a different one, for sure. Such a young author, but she nailed it.

The Girls Who Grew Big is a powerful, beautiful and tragic novel that follows four different teen moms as they come of age, and come to terms with their newfound role as mothers while still trying to find their place in this world.

I am completely in awe that Leila Mottley is only 23 years old. I was awestruck by her writing in Nightcrawling and this Novel did not disappoint either. She writes with meaning and feeling. Her characters are so powerful, often raw and painful, frequently heartbreaking and it has an authentic tone throughout the storytelling.

Overall, this novel is VERY serious in it's themes, but written with warmth and empathy towards the characters, reinforcing the idea of resisting the rush to judgement and to stereotype. Some of the thought processes of these girls I found so haunting and disturbing, but also so realistic of the teenage maturity level. Even though the girls are faced with such difficult circumstances, the overall tone and arc is hopeful. I loved the depictions of friendship and sisterhood.

This was anexcellent read. I was all in from page one. I finished the book in 3 days. Never was I bored, always eager to see where the went. The story was wrapped up excellently.

So, the term "grew big" references pregnancy. This novel is set in the Florida Panhandle in a poor, beachside town where a group of "Girls"—young, unmarried, pregnant or new moms, some somewhat intentionally but often not—come together in a sort of commune to support each other after their families, friends and other residents of the town shun and look down on them. The story is told in rotating chapters, written in the voice of three Girls. Life is hard and bleak for these young women, yet their sisterhood and their love for their children and desire for a better, bigger life is fierce. At times, it was hard to keep the characters straight (for me) and I am not sure that the ending really nailed it. Can't say I loved it (3-1/2 stars), but boy, it did give me a perspective I did not have—and makes me want to be an even stronger advocate for reproductive rights (in all forms).

Leila Mottley is masterful. This is her first work of fiction - she created a beautiful community of four young women, their children, and the family they create with eachother. Thank you NetGalley & Knopf for my early copy. I’ve read everything that Leila has written and will continue to do so forever.

"The Girls Who Grew Big" By Leila Mottley follows three girls living in Florida and they're experiences with motherhood. Adela was the best swimmer at her school, nationals were within her grasp this coming season, but now she is pregnant and living with her Noni in Florida after her parents sent her away to "save her reputation. Emory is a teen mom and doing her best to give her son a good life while following her own dreams of going to college. Simone had twins in high school and is just trying to do right by them and the Girls. The Girls are a group of young moms doing their best when all odds are working against them. They breathe together, sleep together and care for their children together. They may be the societal outcasts but they have what they need in each other. A heartbreaking, inspiring story of girls bound by more than just motherhood but by a will to prosper.

Mottley writes such emotionally loaded stories with such care and kindness to her characters. You will feel for these girls and their experiences, they are deeply flawed but fierce. I found myself completely immersed in their world and stories, each one so unique yet connected.

This is a book that pulls you in completely and doesn’t let you go until it’s over. The chapters change between characters/mothers and we get a glimpse of the differing points of motherhood: pregnancy, new motherhood, mothering with toddlers & all from the perspective of teen/young mothers in a small town.

It was emotional - capturing wholly girlhood, friendship, and sacrifice.

The Girls Who Grew Big is a book about motherless, literally and figuratively, teens who become young mothers and bond together to survive. The story centers the leader of the group Simone, her pseudo sister-in-law Emory and new comer to their small, poor, Florida community Adela. The girls learn how to mother their children and each other to survive in a world that doesn't deem them worthy. The story was totally engrossing and I cared about the characters and the outcome of their choices. Ms. Mottley's writing is exceptional and reminds me of Jesmyn Ward in the best way. I highly recommend this book and am already looking forward to the next one by Ms. Mottley.

The Girls Who Grew Big is a raw, poignant, and beautifully written novel that explores the intersection of girlhood and motherhood with unflinching honesty. Leila Mottley delivers a moving story about resilience, friendship, and the strength of young women determined to carve out their own futures.

At sixteen, Adela Woods finds herself pregnant and exiled from her comfortable Indiana home to live with her grandmother in the small town of Padua Beach, Florida. There, she meets a group of young mothers—Emory, who brings her newborn to high school as she fights to graduate; Simone, already raising twins and facing another unexpected pregnancy; and the rest of the Girls, a tight-knit crew of outcasts raising their children together in the back of Simone’s red truck. Though the town dismisses them, these young women create their own version of family, bound by shared struggles, love, and the relentless pursuit of a better life.

Mottley captures the raw emotions of teenage motherhood with lyrical prose and depth, painting an intimate portrait of the joys and hardships these girls face. The novel is equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, filled with secrets, betrayals, and the fierce determination to survive. While some parts feel heavy, the story’s heart and authenticity shine through, making it a deeply affecting read.

For readers who love powerful, character-driven stories about female resilience and unconventional family bonds, The Girls Who Grew Big is a novel that lingers long after the final page.

The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley comes out on June 24th, 2025 so a big thank you to Net Galley for this ARC!!

The Girls Who Grew Big follows two young mothers and one soon-to-mother in a small country town in Florida. The novel touches on the judgment and adversity that teen/young/single mothers often face, and has themes of friendship and found family.

The writing was beautiful and after recently finishing Nightcrawling, Leila Mottley’s debut novel, I expected nothing less.

The only thing I wish was a little bit fuller was the character development of Emory and Adela. Both characters are called out at the beginning of the book for thinking themselves better than the others, whether that be due to education or class. While their characters do grow by the end, it’s not as fully realized and reflected on as I think it could’ve been. Especially with Emory, who was raised in a deeply racist and religious family. I didn’t find her likeable and I feel like her character would’ve benefited from more character growth. She only denounces her grandparents racism after they kick her out and doesn’t really acknowledge the shame engrained in her about her sexuality.

Overall, this was a 3.75 star read for me. My review can be found on Goodreads, Fable, and StoryGraph

This story gives a glimpse into the tumultuous world of girl/woman/motherhood from a unique angle with the perfect blend of power and delicacy. There’s a mirror for everyone in this book. How? Well, Leila Mottley is a genius, but also, she’s created both a believable world and characters that paint vivid pictures of real life complexities. The Girls are precious. Their stories touched my heart and conjured up renewed feelings of gratitude for many women I know who were once just girls. Excellent novel!

Leila Mottley was able to weave a strong story and was able to create realistic characters that I cared about. It had a strong story going on and was invested in what was happening in this story. It was written well and was invested in what was happening with the characters, the characters worked well overall.

I did not love this book in anyway… it actually made me quite mad. I will concede the ending was worth it. As a mom of a 15 and 18 girl, if they were ever in the situation as “the girls” I would never treat them as they were treated. Very likely girls are still looked upon this way, but just not one I enjoyed

The Girls Who Grew Big is my first Leila Mottley foray, but I’ve quickly added Nightcrawling to my list. After finishing this one, though, here are some things I’ve learned that are not surprising to me in retrospect: Mottley is a poet as well as a novelist, she’s young, and she’s incredibly well-received. After reading The Girls Who Grew Big, all of this checks out. A deeply lyrical voice, a cleverly constructed story with three very distinct protagonists trading off chapters. Teenage girls written honestly and warmly. Vivid natural imagery. Truly all the ingredients for success. I said in another review that I thought Isola would be every book club on Earth’s March pick: if that’s true, then everyone will be reading this in June. You heard it here first!