The premise for this book is unique.
In Vermont in a commune 9 babies are born with no DNA. As they are not welcomed and the commune is destroyed and the women and children flee. Mother One goes missing after a suspicious fire, Girl One, Josie goes looking for her. In her journey she gets the other 8 girls together and as the story unfolds it appears that her world is all a lie and her life has been a lie.
I feel this book was too sci-fi for me as I thought this was a thriller.
Still 3 stars and worth a read.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an arc in return for an honest review.

It's been a little while since I opened my reading range to a mystery/thriller and I picked exactly the right one. Hints of the paranormal push their way through making me feel right as though I was in my usual fantasy comfort zone. Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this release for review!
Can we just comment on the beauty of this cover for a moment? Red is my favourite colour and I love the simplicity of a consistent pattern and but I only just noticed that these are DNA strands, stroke of genius! It definitely drew me to request this arc on NetGalley.
Thinking on the base concept that underlines this book, it's not completely unique to Murphy and she credits other work within her acknowledgements which I admire. The idea that women could conceive without men has certainly been explored by others but I can't bring to mind anything that I've read or watched that was focused on this. Points for all of the above. The experiment takes place in the 70s, where views of females were developing as was science. A perfect setting to explore all the terrible reactions that centre from superstition and misogyny.
Maybe it's a result of having grown up in a time when these issues were under more challenge then ever or just me being naïve but I didn't initially realise that the idea of men being unessential to reproduction would actually threaten men. This is an important topic to cover as it does bring up a trigger warning in the book, mentions of rape. I think in a book exploring reproduction it is a little bit of a given that this would happen, it's a recollection of events without any major detail. There are men in this book threatened by the power of the women in this book and it's thrilling because there's a range of them. One particular detail I love about some of the most despicable men is that they aren't even given a name and I genuinely believe there's power in that itself. As though they're not important enough to even deign being addressed.
With this being a thriller a large portion of the book is build up and tension, I don't mind it at all as there are a lot of characters to cover and new details to learn. I enjoy that there's a small mix of following Josie and news reports taking you back to when the experiments were taking place, it's the kind of flashbacks you would expect from a televised mystery, to look back on the source data as you unfold further details. I liked these as shorter chapters to relieve a little bit of tension every so often so you could unveil more about the history of these girls. We get a lot of build up and the final part of the story seems to have only a short reveal. I didn't necessarily get left disappointed, I was hoping for a few more answers from specific characters but things were mostly wrapped up and the events were satisfying.
I mention feeling this had a little bit of fantasy adoption in the book, it came a bit out of nowhere and I loved the addition to the story. I feel like the idea of solo female reproduction in itself is a fairly sci-fi like element and I don't want to spoil anymore. I enjoyed it very much and the consequences that some of the characters received as a result was enough to make me rage, takes me back to hundreds of years of mistreatment of women that are different and it's just unbelievable all that we've been subjected to.
Am I going to talk about representation, a little? It's a very female centred book, I don't think there was a lot of mix in race, a small amount of LGBTQ+ and these only really become apparent later in the book. I personally don't find it to be an issue, the setting makes it difficult to explore any further and would just add complications that this thriller doesn't need.
That being said, we've still got a range of characters in this book. Headstrong women, scared women, women with ambition and secrets and rage. We get a little bit of everything. We have a man in the mix too, he's a welcome addition for a little difference, some guidance as another investigator with an outside view from one of the Girls. I only wish he'd been there at the very end, I think he deserved that.
I believe this is a stand-alone, it seems like there could be a possible expansion but I think that's just the fantasy reader in me always expecting a series. There's nothing to indicate another book will come at this stage but if there were I'd certainly pick it up.

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This feels like it should be a dystopian book but its not. It really makes you think and wonder with the scientific snippits and what ifs woven inbetween an engrossing storyline.

Girl One is our main character. She was born on a homestead where along with eight other children they were part of a science experience. All of their mothers had a virgin birth. No man involved. They are medical miracles, anomalies, feared and celebrated.

The homestead burnt down a long time ago and Girl One aka Josephine doesnt have the best relaionship with her mother but despite this shes desperate to find her when she discovers her mums house has been burnt down too. Along the way she picks up clues to her mums past, the history of the experiment and reconnects with other girls.

It feels suprising that the purpose of her journey is all about finding her mum, if shes still alive but actually this almost becomes the backstory in the quest to understand more about her mums life before and in the early homestead years.

I really enjoyed this book with the exception of the almost magical element. I understand that we are all different and can do different things but at the same time I think we still need to appreciate life and death.

This is a feminist thriller that is almost suggesting that without the imput of men the human race would not just survive but could thrive and become the best versions of themselves.

Girl One was not my usual type of book whatsoever, but I was pleasantly surprised with the storyline and how well it was written! With a fantasy element and notes of sci-fi I was truly invested in this story and had no idea where it was going to go. I thought the concept of this book was so original and I had never seen any other storyline that was like this before! With sub-storylines focusing on friendship, family and love this book has it all. Gripping, intriguing and individual - this book is certainly something different and definitely a book I would recommend reading if you’re wanting to expand your genres and try something new.

When I read the description of this book I was eager to read it. Unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Some chapters I wanted to just skip though. The thriller aspects was good, but the novel improved when it focuses on the relationships between the Girls and the Mothers. Think it would do quite good on the big screen. Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely devoured this incredible book - what a dark, twisted and utterly compelling story. Think Naomi Alderman's The Power crossed with Joanne Ramos' The Farm, and then elevated into something even greater. I'll be thinking about this book for a while to come, and recommending it to everyone I know.

Josephine Morrow is Girl one of nine miracle children born without the use of male DNA in the 1970’s They all lived in a commune with their mothers, called The Homestead, run by Dr Joseph Bellanger. When a fire started on the commune that killed two, the rest of the mothers left and went their way across the USA.
Years later Josephine now grown up and following in the footsteps of Joseph Bellanger, finds out her mother has gone missing after a fire at her home. So, Josephine takes time off to go and searches for her mother. Which leads her to meet some of the other nine girls that she lost touch with ad finds out that they have powers and others think the girls are freaks and they should not exist.
Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury publishing for a copy of Girl one. I like the concept of this story, but I found this to be so long winded and a bit repetitive that I started skipping paragraphs toward the last quarter of the book. 3 stars from me.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Although I’m not massively into the supernatural genre I actually did enjoy this one, a little confusing to begin with as there are so many characters early on and some of them we only meet briefly but once you get into it and your following the few main characters it becomes a real page turner.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Josephine Morrow is Girl One, the first of nine “Miracle Babies” conceived without male DNA, raised on an experimental commune known as the Homestead. When a suspicious fire destroys the commune and claims the lives of two of the Homesteaders, the remaining Girls and their Mothers scatter across the United States and lose touch.

I read this book in one feverish sitting. Perfectly paced, this book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It's a thriller, fantasy, and mystery rolled into one, and Murphy truly takes us on a wild ride. I absolutely loved this book. The writing, plot, pace - all fantastic.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This was quite a strange book- the concept was great but unfortunately I could not relate to any of the characters. I think this would be perfect for the screen but I’m not sure it makes a good read.

Genre: Fiction | Mystery | Thriller

Release Date: 10th June 2021


Twenty-Three years ago, Girl One was born. She was named Josephine - in honour of Dr Joseph Bellanger, the Doctor who figured out how to allow women to concieve children entirely of their own DNA. It was a miracle - and just the first of many. Josie and her Mother lived together happily at the Homestead for years with the others, until everything went wrong one fateful night and the Homestead scattered around the country.

Now, Josie is a medical student, walking in the footsteps of her mentor and the only man she ever cared for and she's living in relative normality - until it happens again. Her mothers house went up in flames, the whole place trashed and her Mother is missing. Josie will need the help of her estranged former family to find her; but looking back can sometimes reveal things you didn't see before.

I loved the concept of this story - the idea of being able to create your own child without any male involvement and the infamy surrounding them. It was a brilliant take on a matriarchal society and focuses on the relationships between the powerful woman who populate the story - full of female solidarity and energy that was electrifying.

This story was full of suspense and wonder, but for me the narration was robotic and cold, more like a non-fiction style - I found it impossible to connect with Josie or the other Homesteaders and I struggled to feel anything for them. That being said, I'd still give this a read because the ideas and world-building in this novel are first-class.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Sara Flannery Murphy, Raven Books and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I received this as an ARC on NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

Actual rate: 3.0

Good:
- refreshingly realistic, but with fun moments of almost sci-fi magical stuff
- a plot i truly did not predict
- original to the last second

Bad:
- some of the twists were maybe,, too twisty? too much like shock and not like planned led exploration.

This book was so thrilling. I currently have exams, but haven't done any revision for a week because I couldn't bare to put it down. I also felt that the characters some of the characters seemed a little 2 dimensional, which sometimes made for duller plot lines, but not much. After the twisty middle to be honest I was expecting a more unexplained end, but I was glad when most things tied up.

Gripping, complex and twisty.

CWs: vomit, anxiety, consensual drugging, panic attacks, kidnapping of a child, suicide, mentions of child death, stalking, fires/arson, magical elements, cults

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves books just on the boundaries of real science, and a good thriller. Also, if you liked the Power, this book is similar to this.
Overall: 3/5

Having children without men is a concept that has been talked about before and this novel gives us a taste of some of the things that could happen, mixed with some of the things that could only spring from the author's imaginative brain. Advances in science could maybe make it possible one day in the future for women to procreate without men but it is not very likely such children would be born with special powers. Yet it is exactly this that gives the novel its fun factor. A mad scientist, women with special powers, a still patriarchal society hostile to the whole concept, some good plot twists, all of this makes for a very good read. I certainly couldn't put it down until I finished it. Well written. A great read that gives you something to think about.

I loved the beginning of this book. I loved the end of the book. The middle was just ok for me.

This is kind of a dystopia. Matriarchal society book. I wish the characters had been developed more.

I love angry feminist novels. I love books about female solidarity, female power, female rage. And Girl One is quite gay too, which is even better.

I actively avoid anything with a supernatural element, but this one slipped past my sensors and I'm glad it did, so either I should be less sniffy about supernatural fiction, or this is an unusually great example of it. I found the way the characters' powers germinate and grow and build alongside each others' genuinely moving.

The thriller aspects are pretty good, but the novel is strongest when it focuses on the relationships between the Girls and the Mothers, both in the past and the present.

My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Girl One aka Josephine Morrow has been lauded as a 'miracle baby' - one who was conceived without any help from a male in the 1970's. However, she is one of nine 'miracle babies' all raised by their mothers in a facility known as Homestead ran by Dr Bellanger.

As the tale unfolds, each part of the mysterious puzzle begins to slot together. Josephine is studying genetics at college, hoping to follow in her 'father's' footsteps when she finds out her that there has been a fire at her mother's house and her mother has disappeared.
She seeks out each of the remaining mother and daughter duos hoping to locate her mother. Each meeting reveals a further secret and an additional part of the puzzle.
The book culminates in an unforgettable climax where the puzzle is solved.

A truly sensational, suspensful tale.