Girl One is a sci-fi thriller about miraculous 'virgin' births - nine children born without any male involvement or DNA.

The story focuses on the first of these children, Girl One, now an adult, as she tries to find her missing mother. Her journey leads her to meet the other miracle girls and she slowly uncovers the true story of their heritage.

The pros:
*There's an intriguing mystery at the heart of the story and the author unravels it at a nice pace.
*The main character was engaging and likeable
*The romantic element was well done - it didn't overpower the paranormal mystery elements but also didn't feel tacked on
*I liked that the book went full on fantastical, it wasn't shy about being a genre piece and was strong for it

The cons:
*The structure was slightly repetitive at times - Girl One visits Girl Two finds out some info, then visits Girl three, finds out some info, then visits Girl 4...etc
*An antagonist behaves in a somewhat silly way towards the end, becoming a buffoonish all out sexist in a slightly heavy-handed way (it felt like he might shout "everyone knows women need men to think for them, bwah, hah, hah!")

Overall, a fun read.

This is an incredible book, I devoured it! Once I started to read I couldn’t stop. It was such an amazing experience reading about Josephine becoming her own woman and realising her full potential.
There were so many twists and turns in this book it kept me captivated even when I had to put the book down to sleep.
I cannot recommend this book enough

Josephine Morrow is Girl One: The first of nine miracle babies conceived without male DNA. When the commune they were raised on is burned down in a suspicious fire, claiming the life of their creator Dr Bellanger and the youngest miracle daughter, the remaining Mothers and Girls scatter across the States and attempt to build new lives for themselves, separately. Years later, Margaret Morrow disappears and Josie sets off on a trip across America, tracking down her estranged sisters in a desperate search for her mother, but there’s a lot she doesn’t know about where she came from.

Girl One is nothing like anything I’ve read before. The story is a fantastic mix of sci-fi thriller and magical fantasy which was totally unexpected. To elaborate on this further would ruin the surprise, but it definitely isn’t the typical feminist thriller novel that it appears to be.

I really enjoyed Josie and the other characters she meets along the way, especially Cate and Isobelle. All of them are brilliantly developed and well-rounded characters, even the ones that only appear in one or two chapters. There are quite a lot of characters that appear throughout the book, but I felt that they all played a key role and were easily distinguishable from one another.

I can see this making a really exciting TV series, as there are a lot of twists and the plot is completely unpredictable, but still makes total sense by the end when all has been revealed. It’s definitely the best book in the “feminist fiction” genre that I’ve read so far.

This book took me longer to finish than anticipated, which should in no way be construed as me not enjoying it. On the contrary, I spent quite a bit of time figuring out a way of reading my advance copy, as the formatting was completely messed up on my kindle. I ended up having to read it on my computer. I hate reading on my computer. And yet, I persevered (I only discovered when I was well into it that the book had in fact already been published by this time). It was completely worth it.

I requested this book because Jenny Lawson categorised it as Orphan Black with a sort of supernatural twist, which sounded amazing, and turned out to be a rather apt description/comparison.

Josephine Morrow, Girl One, is one of nine babies conceived through parthenogenesis - a process in which an egg turns into an embryo without being fertilised by sperm. This also means that the girls, having only their mothers' DNA, are essentially their clones. The mothers and daughters all live on a compound together in the 1970s under the guidance and supervision of Dr Bellanger - the mastermind behind the so-called virgin births. However, in 1977 when our Girl One is six years old, the compound burns down - believed to have been the work of religious extremists - killing both Bellanger and the youngest of the nine miracle babies - Fiona.

Our story is set in 1994, as Josephine Morrow is studying at the university of Chicago, determined to carry on the lost work of her hero and - as she calls him - "brainfather", Dr Bellanger. Her studies are interrupted when she learns that her mother has gone missing and that there has been another fire. Josie hits the road with the few clues the wreckage of yet another burnt down home provides her with, determined to find her mother. In order to unravel what has happened in the present, Josie is forced to revisit the past, and the remaining miracle babies and mothers, to find out what really happened back in the 70s and what bearing it has on her mother's disappearance.

As layer after layer of Josie's carefully constructed origin story is peeled back, she is forced to re-examine both Bellanger and her mother, and even herself. There are quite a few twists and turns in this story - none particularly shocking to me as a reader, but they were enjoyable and felt organic, which is a hard task to master. I find this shows real storytelling craftsmanship from the author.

The language is beautiful and even poetic at times, though some of the metaphors and similes didn't quite work for me. Overall though it was vivid and immersive.

The women and girls have not all had an easy time of it after re-entering the "real world" in the wake of the fire. The births through parthenogenesis naturally caused headlines, and there was more than a little interest going their way that was not exactly benign (read: creepy and disturbing). A certain type of men are fearful of these women and girls, because they see a future where they are no longer necessary for the reproduction of the species, which naturally feels threatening. I thought this was an interesting idea, and it made sense that there would be men (not even necessarily religious fanatics) that would react this way. However, I would have liked to see more complex male characters, as I feel the book veers too much towards "women = good, men = evil".

I also feel the book would maybe have been stronger if there had been say six miracle babies instead of nine, and we had dwelt more on each character, as now it became quite hard to remember who was who - particularly since some have died and some are only met with briefly. That being said, I still felt connected to Josie and the other main characters in the narrative, and was eager to not only uncover more of the past but to see how things would ultimately turn out for them.

At some point there is a little loss of suspense due to

<spoiler>

the superhero problem. AKA, if someone has special powers where they can more or less control reality and bend it to their will, you pretty much know they're going to come out on top. Particularly in a case such as this one where only one side in the battle has powers.

</spoiler>

Even so, I found the story engaging, exciting and fresh, and would definitely recommend it.

This is an absolute dense novel.

Its dense in that its long read; but also in that there are a lot of characters in it, and a lot of things happening.

Sometimes I felt like I was getting stuck in the plot and was not sure how things were going. Or who was talking to who and even who some of the characters were.. The plot and the build up is very slow paced and at times it feels stifling as if nothing is happening. And then suddenly its very quick paced and there is a lot happening and I found myself having to go back and re-read one particular scene as a lot happens very quickly and you miss things.

The pace works well though and I came away feeling very satisfied by the plot twists and I think I would enjoy this as a Netflix series or something like that as its very visual which I think might have got a bit lost in the descriptions.

Josie Morrow's mother goes missing after a housefire. Josie is no ordinary girl. She is the product of a social experiment that resulted in 9 virgin births. A fact that Josie's mother Margaret has tried to move away from but it seems that their past may have finally caught up with them.

There is very little in the science here and more in the social aspect. 9 woman living in a crowded commune together. One egotistical male yearning for fame. Supporters of science on one side, creationists on the other. Josie goes on a road trip to link up with the other virgin births to try to solve the puzzle of where Margaret has gone.

There is a strong feminist undercurrent here. One of the themes is patriarchy and female empowerment. Every man in the novel seems to let the girls down in some manner and form. All set against the backdrop on 1994 and the death of Kurt Cobain. The girls couldn't just send a text or ring their cell phones.

Thank you to the publisher, and to Netgalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review. This is a really decent read and I am looking forward to watching a TV or film adaptation.

I was so excited by the idea of this. I am a huge fan of dystopian stories and couldn’t wait to find out the answer to all my questions before I read the book. I read it quite quickly and it answered all my questions. It mixed between fast paced and slow paced and I will admit at times the slow paced bits dragged a bit for me.
The story idea is that Girl One is one of nine who is born with no “help” from men. Girl One sets out to find her mum who has disappeared and then finds out a lot of things about her past. The way the book is written, from the point of view of Josie (girl one), which means it focuses a lot on her feelings and interpretation of the events. I found sometimes this took away from the events happening. When she finds the other 9 girls it becomes apparent that they have special abilities. This was a part of the story I was not overly expecting. But have an extra dimension of being persecuted by a group of people.
I think this plot was a brilliant idea but I feel it could have been developed more by perhaps being written in the third person or from multiple points of view. On the whole a readable book but could have been better given how excited I was by the premise.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I pretty much inhaled this book - the plot is so sharp and fast-paced that you barely want to stop reading. I saw a few of the twists coming but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the overall narrative. The story is so contemporary and interesting, and I loved the sci fi element. A great read.

Ive just spent over a week with Josephine, Catherine, and Isabelle, three of nine girls born without any male DNA. The girls were raised on a commune until events forced them to scatter in different directions. They lose contact until circumstances as adults draw them together again and everything they thought they knew comes into question..
This tale about miracle babies is long and drawn out. In my opinion it was not fast paced enough, too completed with too many characters, too many one dimensional characters,and too many loose ends. This book had the potential to be so much more.

A thriller-turned-fantasy novel based on nine ‘miracle babies’ who were conceived without men by a controversial Dr. Bellanger. In the modern day, Girl One - Josie - finds her mother missing and their house burned down and seeks to find her, but ends up finding a lot more.

The premise of this book is excellent, but it lost me a little with the fantasy element. I also worked out the twists right at the beginning and so was reading on to check I was right! I did like the feminist and unexpected LGBTQ+ angle to this book though. If you enjoy fantasy and enjoy a good old feminist tale, this one’s for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The blurb sounded interesting and I really like Orphan Black so I went for it... However, it drags too much and I keep checking how far I was on the book. I even left it for a bit and came back to it but sadly this title is not for me

Wow! what a read!

This book provided lots to think about regards Women's power, strength and potential, and of course, Women's historical struggle to be heard and seen.

The story follows 'Girl One' - Josephine Morrow, who is the first baby to be born of a 'virgin birth' ; apparently masterminded by a male scientist who then pushed his scientific prowess to see another 8 'miracle babies' enter the World.

Josephine who has always seemed comfortable with her entry into the world and her understanding of her origin story, see's everything she thought she knew turned upside down when a fire spreads through her childhood home and her Mother is missing.

A road trip like none other ensues to find 'Mother A' and unlock the secrets of the 'miracle babies' past.

I really enjoyed this book, incredibly well written, the author draws us on an incredible journey of suspense and discovery whilst also challenging some incredibly important elements of the whole female journey throughout history.

The story presents a premise of 'virgin birth' and how this could present a choice for Women, without being beholden to Men, whilst sharing quite rightly, that Men have throughout history dampened down the female voice and shaped it to suit Mankind.

The story also explores female power and its potential through the prism of 'special powers' which I took to represent just some of the female strengths such as resilience, healing, truth telling, empathy and protection.

A strong story which supports a strong and clear feminist perspective, I have given this 5 stars and think it is not only a great read, but, poses some incredible ideas about the past and future.

Girl One has everything I love in books: a cult, a slow burn thriller, a gradual reveal, mixed media and it’s a magical realist novel.

Within the novel 9 women lived at the ‘Homestead,’ each woman gave birth to a miraculous baby born without the need for a man thanks to Dr. Bellanger’s scientific breakthrough. But disaster struck and the women fled. 20 years later, Josie, a.k.a ‘Girl One’ faces a second disaster and is on a mission to discover her past and her mother.

This novel is fast paced and keeps you on your toes, as the novel progresses you slowly discover more about the past and the present. I loved the ballsy central character and many of the sub characters.

I received a free copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one was impossible to put down! I absolutely loved this engaging exploration of the power women possess when they stick together. An excellent and exciting new voice in fiction.

A fantastic read by a new author for me. I am converted as a fan and absolutely cannot wait to read more. This is unique and original. I have been pulled in and unable to put this one down.
I cannot say anything negative about this gorgeous book. it has been a fantastic read.

Girl One is an imaginative speculative fiction novel set in a world in which women can conceive without men. It follows a young woman, Josephine ”Josie” Morrow who’s the first human being born in the 1970s via parthenogenesis (virgin birth) hence the name Girl One. She was born on the Homestead, a commune for women and has no genetic father, but she’s grown up with an adoration of the researcher who helmed her conception through science: Dr Joseph Bellanger. It's April 1994 and Josie is busy studying for medical exams in Chicago taking place in a few weeks but has just learned that her mother, Margaret, is missing. Not only that but the house in Coeur du Lac, Illinois in which she lived and in which Josie spent her formative years has burned to the ground, however, the source of the fire is still unknown. She's been gone a day when Josie finds out and although they haven't spoken for over a year, she sets off to her adopted hometown immediately. As she begins to search for Margaret, Josie, who believes her father to be dead, must seek out the other mothers who gave birth on the Homestead, a place where not only Josie was birthed but eight other girls too.

Journalist Tom Abbott, who knew Margaret, offers his help and using clues from her mother’s newly-discovered notebook, she follows a trail across the United States, finding the mothers and reconnecting with their daughters; some even join her on her quest to discover the truth about both her mother’s vanishing act and her past as part of the biggest reproductive advancement in history. Some of those who perhaps see her as a step-sibling despite not sharing any biological parentage join her on the journey and as the young women become acquainted with one another, they discover they each have supernatural abilities. From telekinesis to mind control and even the power to heal, they'll need all the help they can muster with Margaret having done everything in her power to bury the secrets of the past from being rediscovered. Has her whole life been a lie? Girl One is a compulsive and compelling supernatural coming-of-age thriller with a dual timeline moving between the 1970s and 1990s in an alternate past.

Everything Josie thought she knew – about her body, her mother, her origin story, reproduction in general – is being tossed in the air and landing in new patterns. Centring on asexual reproduction giving it a strong feminist slant, this first-person narrative told from Josie’s perspective has many genre-bending elements making it difficult to categorise; each of the sisters having a different superpower gives the book a bit of a superhero feel yet the stalking aspect is more akin to a thriller and the rest alternate history and sci-fi. It begins very slowly to the point where I was wondering whether to continue and admittedly there are some considerable plot holes, but I stuck it out and I'm glad I did as when the pace picked up so did the undercurrent of tension and the sense of impending doom that lingered throughout began to build suspensefully. This inventive novel explores some very deep themes, mostly around the often fraught relationship between mothers and daughters and the men who feel they have rights to women’s bodies. It will leave you pondering the power of choice and the importance of family bonds, the communities we build and the power of truth to set us free.

The Girl One of the title is Josephine Morrow, the first of nine girls born as exact genetic replica's of their mother, without male DNA, and raised on a commune known as the Homestead. The girls, and their mothers, were part of scientific research by Dr Joseph Bellanger, who Josephine considered her much loved, and respected, father figure. However, science is often viewed with suspicion, and Bellanger's work was no exception, with the Homestead a place of great interest by media and public and attracting critics. One critic was a preacher called Ricky Peters, who was arrested for arson, leaving two members of the Homestead dead and the rest scattered around the country.

When we meet Josephine, she is at University, keen to have a career in science. When her mother, Margaret, goes missing, she heads home to search for clues and ends up searching for her with journalist, Thomas Abbott, from the Kansas City Telegraph. Abbott is keen to write a book on the Homestead, while the search for her mother forces Josephine to confront her past, meet up with the remaining members of the Homestead and discover powers she shares with those she grew up with.

This is an interesting concept. You feel for Josie, who is conflicted - both keen to explore the science that made her and yet impatient of the media interest which has followed her every move. Part science fiction and part mystery, this is an enjoyable read with a lot of twists and turns. I received a copy of the book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

The synopsis of ‘Girl One’ immediately grabbed my attention and as a fan of dystopian fiction and thrillers, I was excited to see what this book was all about. Nine girls are born in the 1970s in a commune called the Homestead. They are miracle babies; they are conceived without male DNA through a new scientific experiment pioneered by Dr. Joseph Bellanger. A fire burns down the Homestead and takes the lives of two of the Homesteaders. The remaining members of the commune scatter across the country and try to find somewhere safe for themselves. Now, in the 1990s, Josie Marrow, Girl One, is a scientist aspiring to recreate the work of her ‘father’ Dr. Bellanger. It’s clear that society doesn’t understand or accept the miracle girls and when Josie’s mother goes missing after a fire at their home, Josie desperately searches for her and uncovers the secrets of her origin.

‘Girl One’ is hard to define into one single genre after reading the book. It’s a mixture of science fiction, thriller and dystopian fiction. I love Margaret Atwood’s books and there is definitely a nod to her work in ‘Girl One’ with the theme of sisterhood echoing strongly in ‘Girl One’. Sara adds to this by exploring the idea of men being threatened by their omission from the procreative process and how society views single mothers in this particular time period.

This book was a very slow burner in the first half. At times, I struggled to relate to the characters as the book was a bit dense for me and elements of the story were drawn out and at times repetitive. The second half really took off with a bang and held my attention with lots of twists and revelations, the introduction of more of the Homestead community and the secrets that they hold. The concept for the book is definitely original and interesting but it took me a long time to get into the story. It was hard to empathise with the characters of the story (particularly in the first half) and maybe that added to my difficulty in throwing myself into the book like I usually would.

If you like dystopian fiction, it might be a great read for you. I think it would make a great tv show/series as the characters could be fleshed out more and the unique elements within the story ( I don’t want to spoil it for you but just think ‘supernatural’ and you are going the right way!) would be very interesting to see visually.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of ‘Girl One’ in return for my honest review.

Girl One is a genre crossing, face paced book about nine women that have managed to have clone births at the design of a male scientist and then Mother One goes missing.
It is hard to write a good thriller especially one that combines sci fi and family drama elements and this was really well done.
The characters are believable and flawed and the plot works well. I realised things at around the same time as the characters which was really skillful.
I won't say too much as I would expect it's a good book to go into completely unaware.

I was really excited to start reading this book. I love Dystopian fiction and the synopsis sounded like a book I would love.

The story premise is about nine miracle baby girls raised on a commune known as 'The Homestead.' These babies were born without fathers through a new experimental science known as parthenogenesis.

Unfortunately many people feared these girls and their homestead was burnt down and the girls (and their mothers) fled to different parts of America to lead separate lives.

The story starts, years later when 'Girl One' (the first miracle child) goes in search of her mother after she disappears, following a fire at her house. To help uncover the truth about her past and to help her find out what happened to her mother Girl One seeks out the other miracle children. Their past is complicated and unravelling it leads to further mysteries which put them all in danger.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really couldn't get into the first half of it and didn't find the storyline very interesting. I didn't feel much empathy towards the characters (there were so many!) and the story seemed very repetitive.

By the second half however I was hooked and couldn't put it down. The story picked up pace and had several great twists. The story focused more on three central characters who I became much more invested in. I even enjoyed the supernatural elements of the story which slightly reminded me of The Justin Cronin Trilogy. I loved the last 20 percent of the story and raced through it!

So overall a bit of a mixed review! I would recommend this if you enjoy dystopian fiction and fancy trying a different sort of thriller with some fantasy/Sci fi thrown in! I think this would make a great film/short series too. I would give this book 3.5 🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this eARC.

I was lured in by the unique idea put forward in the synopsis of this book, which brought to mind a creepy dystopian thriller. And while the idea at its heart was certainly unique, I was left a little disappointed. I think part of the problem is that it's billed as a thriller/mystery style read, whereas it's actually more of a family focused drama. It's not necessarily a bad book, but it's just not what I expected it to be, and so I did struggle to engage with it. The writing style was also not really one I enjoyed - it meant everything felt too long winded, and quickly became repetitive, which meant I struggled to connect with Josie or any of the other characters. Not for me I'm afraid.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.