Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix is a haunting and emotionally charged novel that delves into the lives of young women confined to a maternity home in 1970s Florida. Fifteen-year-old Fern finds herself at Wellwood House, a place where unwed pregnant teens are hidden away to give birth in secrecy and surrender their babies for adoption. Under the strict supervision of Miss Wellwood, Fern meets other girls in similar predicaments, each coping with their circumstances in different ways.​
The narrative takes a dark turn when Fern encounters a librarian who introduces her to a book on witchcraft. This discovery offers the girls a semblance of control and empowerment in an environment where they have little agency. However, the newfound power comes with its own set of consequences, blurring the lines between liberation and destruction.​
Hendrix masterfully weaves elements of horror with a poignant exploration of societal norms, female agency, and the complexities of adolescence. The novel's strength lies in its ability to portray the real horrors of the girls' experiences, making the supernatural aspects all the more impactful. Readers are drawn into a world where the true terror stems not from the occult, but from the oppressive systems that seek to control and silence these young women.

4.5 stars
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

🧠 My thoughts
This was one of those books that crept up on me. It didn’t rely on thrills or plot twists to leave a lasting impression, but rather on the emotional depth of its characters and the steady, deliberate way the story unfolded. The themes of feminism and womanhood were portrayed with nuance, and the emotional payoff by the end was unexpectedly moving, made me want to cry. The prose was strikingly beautiful at times, with passages and quotes I’ll be thinking about long after closing the book. It also made some thought-provoking points about patriarchy that added real substance to the narrative.

That said, the book did come with a few stumbling blocks. The beginning felt a bit sluggish, and it took me some time to feel fully engaged. There were also just too many characters introduced, which made it harder to focus. Most notably, the main character emotional complexity was not built up well enough, her personality felt a bit underdeveloped compared to the weight of the story around her.

Thanks NetGalley, Pan Macmillan publisher, and the authors for a great advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

Better late than never, what a great and different book to my usual! I never have tried one of these before, and I’m glad I did, what a revelation and this might have been my favourite of the year

3.5★

I fiked this but not as much as other people for some reason. I think I expected more or maybe even something else out of it, but I’m not sure. Maybe when I reread this one day I might end up liking it more. Who knows.

What I liked:
☆ The witchy parts that were there. The spells were a lot of fun and I liked when they were casting them.
☆ The overall theme of the book. I think this was something that needed to be talked about and I really appreciate when authors write about such topics.
☆ The ending, the last chapter mainly, I did like. Made me tear up a little bit.
☆ The writing. But that’s something I already expected as I enjoyed this author’s previous books I read.

What I didn’t like:
☆ Any of the characters. Like literally none, not even the main one. All of them were annoying in some part. Well, maybe that’s not true. I liked Rose, but she was the only one to be honest. The rest I felt pretty meh about.
☆ Not enough of the witchy parts. I wish we got more. I expected more.
☆ The pacing. It dragged a bit for me. I even had to put it down for a while and that doesn’t happen often when I’m excited about a book.
☆ The audiobook was mostly good, but the casting spell parts were insufferable. I’d probably recommend reading this physically.

Overall this was fine. It just wasn’t what I expected. Also if you’re considering reading this, there are very graphic descriptions of child birth - in case you might be sensitive to that, just something to be aware of.

This book is a beautiful tale of feminine bonds and the strengths we can encourage in one another, it was not what I was expecting at all - it’s devastating and encouraging all at once.

Grady Hendrix hat es mal wieder geschafft mich komplett zu fesseln. Von Anfang an wollte ich wissen was es mit diesem Heim auf sich hat und wurde nicht enttäuscht. Absolute Empfehlung.

🌙✨Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix is a bold, unsettling, and deeply moving novel that explores the horrors of history—both supernatural and painfully real. Set in 1970s Florida, it follows Fern, a pregnant teenager sent to a home for unwed mothers, where young women are hidden away under the guise of care. But as Fern and the other girls begin to uncover the house’s dark secrets, it becomes clear that something more sinister is at play.

Hendrix blends historical fiction, body horror, and feminist rage into a story that doesn’t just terrify—it infuriates. The novel shines a light on the cruelty of institutions that stripped young women of their autonomy, making it impossible not to draw parallels to modern-day conversations around bodily rights. The characters—Fern, Holly, Rose, Zinnia, and the unforgettable Hagar—are richly developed, each with a unique arc that adds depth to the narrative.

While some readers may expect more overt witchcraft, the true horror is in the systemic oppression these girls endure. Hendrix approaches this story with surprising sensitivity, crafting a powerful tale of resilience, sisterhood, and quiet rebellion. This book will stay with me for a long time.

today is my tour stop for @gradyhendrix ‘s witchcraft for wayward girls hosted by @panmacmillanindia and its safe to say, this was a fabulous, witchy 5⭐️ read that I absolutely recommend!

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is peak Grady Hendrix—darkly funny, weirdly heartwarming, and just the right amount of unhinged. I went into this expecting witches and chaos, and it delivered. The story follows a group of women bound by magic, secrets, and a messy shared past, and watching them come back together years later was just chef’s kiss.

There’s a mix of humor, horror, and emotional depth here that I really enjoyed. Hendrix always manages to balance creepy vibes with real-life themes like friendship, trauma, and second chances. The witchy elements were super fun (and sometimes genuinely spooky), but it was the characters and their complicated relationships that made the story stick.

Pacing dragged a tiny bit in the middle, and there were a few moments where I wanted just a little more clarity on the magic system—but honestly, I didn’t mind too much because the vibe carried it through.

If you like your witch stories a little twisted but full of heart (with a healthy dose of sass and chaos), definitely check this one out. Hendrix fans won’t be disappointed!

Another brilliant book by Grady Hendrix. This one absolutely broke me! It was horrific, scary, gruesome, emotional and yet so full of hope. I couldn’t put it down.
Many trigger warning for this one so please do your research

Another brilliant, brilliant book from Grady Hendrix. I've been reading his novels for years and he truly does get better and better. I was impressed with seeing a male author handle such a subject matter, but he did manage to deliver on this sensitive subject with plenty of empathy and care while also channeling the anger of these teen girls so well. I felt all the feminine rage while reading this book and I loved that. I do think it got a tad slow in the middle there, but the crescendo of the ending more than made up for the book. I cannot wait to see what Grady writes next.

I love Grady so this was a MUST READ for me regardless of the content.

But my god was this a great read! Young girl finds her self pregnant, is sent to an icky ‘home for wayward girls’ where her name was taken from her and she and other pregnant teens were to remain until they give birth & have their children adopted out.

Some dark themes throughout so if you’re of a more sensitive disposition I’d check out the trigger warnings before heading into this one.

We have witch craft, abuse, teen pregnancy , it’s fab ! A great page turner as expected and very much enjoyable from start to finish 👏🏼

TW; sexual abuse, rape, paedophilia, child abuse, underage pregnancy, medical descriptions / trauma, graphic descriptions of birth and episiotomy, casual racism,

First off, a massive thank you to NetGalley for the ARC—how insane to get an early copy of a Grady Hendrix book?! Life = complete.

When 15-year-old Neva finds herself pregnant, she’s quietly sent away to “spend the summer with her aunt” - read: being shipped off to the imposing Wellwood House, a home for ‘wayward girls’ . Here she will stay until it’s time for her to give birth, hand the baby over for adoption, return home, and pretend none of it ever happened.

At Wellwood House, Neva is stripped of her name and given a new one - Fern - before being introduced to a whole host of girls who share her predicament. Particularly we meet Rose, fierce and determined to keep her baby; Zinnia, hopeful that she’ll marry her baby’s father; and Holly, a silent, mysterious slip of a girl who never speaks. Their days are bleak and regimented - filled with chores, medical checkups, food rations and constant belittling.

But then, a lifeline: the mobile library. Here, Fern meets Mrs. Parcae, the enigmatic librarian who lends her a book on witchcraft. What starts as a small act of rebellion soon turns into something much bigger, as the girls scrabble to regain some power and autonomy over their lives. But, of course, power always comes at a price.

The historical fiction elements were really well done—Grady Hendrix clearly put in the research, and the book avoids that icky ‘historical women’s suffering, written by a white man’ pitfall. And, as expected, it delivers some delightfully gruesome moments (some birth-related, some... not).

For me the pacing was a little pitchy in this - there were a few times where I felt my immediate investment dwindling, but it always managed to bring it back.

‘Witchcraft for Wayward Girls’ has that unsettling, stomach churning, gruesome-yet-compelling flavour of Hendrix’s signature horror and well worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC, and the opportunity to provide an honest review.

I thought this book was boring. It wasn’t for me. It has many of the archetypal Grady Hendrix imprints, but lacked the charm of his other books I love. I do appreciate the care with which he handled a difficult set of issues. I think he demonstrated a willingness that most male authors wouldn’t to take on an empathetic and authentically female perspective. This is to be commended.

But, this book was not fun in any way, and that’s what I come to Grady Hendrix books for. I want to feel that indescribable, campy, preposterous, funkiness that his stories bring to me

I give props to a man who felt the courage to take on pregnancy, birth, and witches. Most of the time it felt authentic although I have some small quibbles about the portrayals of labor. This story shows the emotional turmoil and abuse these girls went through, and I wasn’t expecting the horror-esque turn this took.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-ARC!

I may be biased, but Grady Hendrix grew to be my absolute favorite horror author, beating even Stephen King himself. Book after book he proves that the supernatural is not that scary and the real terror lays in people and their relationships. „Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” is definitely not for the faint of heart, but its gory scenes don't hit the regular horror genre undertones - not witches, not monsters, but giving birth is what's the scariest in this book. And not knowing. The level of micro abuses and keeping pregnant girls in the dark in this story gave me chills and serves as a reminder that Hendrix is a genius when it comes to writing believable characters and emotions. I felt for those girls, I cried for them and was repeatedly reminded that there is nothing more anguishing than giving birth in the USA of the 70s when you're an unmarried teenage girl.
I loved that every character stood on their own and how they worked as en ensemble. Superb book, will recommend it to everyone.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a chilling novel about a group of unmarried pregnant teenage girls who begin to dabble with witchcraft and magic in order to save themselves from their fate. It has elements of horror and gore and is strangely addictive. I really enjoyed the friendship between the girls and the humour they shared with one another even in desperate times. Towards the end, the story did feel drawn out and the pacing could have been better to keep you fully engaged, but the ending was excellent in my opinion and I loved how it tied everything together.

Set in a sticky Florida summer, our main character finds herself in a home for wayward girls to wait out her pregnancy. This is a gripping story of a group of girls finding their way through life-changing times, full of adventure and friendship, with a few twists thrown in along the way.

Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for my advanced reading copy!

Darkly hilarious, creepy, and full of heart, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is Grady Hendrix at his absolute best. With a perfect mix of nostalgia, occult chills, and razor-sharp wit, this book dives deep into the messy bonds of teenage friendship and the ghosts—both literal and figurative—that haunt us. The story is fast-paced, the horror is chilling without losing its fun, and the characters are so flawed and real that you can’t help but root for them. It’s an eerie, emotional rollercoaster that’s impossible to put down—witchy, weird, and absolutely wonderful!

I absolutely loved this book from the first page I was hooked and I couldn't put it down
if you get the chance to read it you should jump at the chance. Much like Gradys other
Books they are so well written and beautifully imaginative

i've read a few grady hendrix books now and still can't decide how i feel about them. i liked the premise and set up for this but wasn't motivated to finish it