Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

There’s power in a book…

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood.

Papaerback, 477 pages

Published January 14, 2025 

by Berkley

3.5/5 stars

A couple years ago, I read Grady Hendrix's How to Sell a Haunted House,  which was a quirky horror story and honestly I thought I was getting something like that with Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. I didn’t read the blurb or if I did I forgot about it by the time my pre-order arrived.  I honestly did not realize that this was based on a home for unwed mothers, most of them being teenagers.

It is the 1970s when  a 15 year-old girl arrives at the home, scared and alone. There she meets other girls her age, all in the same condition.  Not just pregnant but without any control of their own lives. Along with being forced into giving their babies up for adoption. Things begin to change when a local librarian gives one of the girls a book on witchcraft and they decide to take the power given even though it comes with grave consequences.

The historical aspect of this book I found very interesting and heartbreaking, places like this existed and babies were taken away with neither the mom or the child knowing any of the history. The horror part of the story was more than I anticipated, it was descriptive and rather spooky, but I guess that is what horror is.

Ultimately Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a story of our friendship, coming of age and resilience. At times I found it was a bit longer than necessary and maybe a tad over descriptive in the delivery room. It was an eye-opener and entertaining read.

This book was part of my 2025 reading off my shelf challenge and is book #9

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Your past and your family can haunt you like nothing else… 

Every childhood home is haunted, and each of us are possessed by our parents.

When their parents die at the tail end of the coronavirus pandemic, Louise and Mark Joyner are devastated but nothing can prepare them for how bad things are about to get. The two siblings are almost totally estranged, and couldn’t be more different. Now, however, they don’t have a choice but to get along. The virus has passed, and both of them are facing bank accounts ravaged by the economic meltdown. Their one asset? Their childhood home. They need to get it on the market as soon as possible because they need the money. Yet before her parents died they taped newspaper over the mirrors and nailed shut the attic door.

Sometimes we feel like puppets, controlled by our upbringing and our genes. Sometimes we feel like our parents treat us like toys, or playthings, or even dolls. The past can ground us, teach us, and keep us safe. It can also trap us, and bind us, and suffocate the life out of us. As disturbing events stack up in the house, Louise and Mark have to learn that sometimes the only way to break away from the past, sometimes the only way to sell a haunted house, is to burn it all down.

Hardcover, 419 pages 

Published January 17, 2023 

by Berkley

4/5 stars

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book, as horror isn't a genre I usually read, but the cover  grabbed my attention and I just followed my instinct and purchased it.

Louise returns to her hometown after the sudden passing of her parents. She hasn't spoken to her brother in years, and their first encounter reveals that they are not on good terms. What follows is an intriguing read as they navigate through their grief, reminiscing on the past, reopening old wounds, and dealing with their parents' estate. It isn't a huge estate, but it is filled with memories of a childhood that was far from average. I won't say much more about that, but suffice it to say that I will never look at certain childhood toys the same way again.

How to Sell a Haunted House is my first read by author Grady Hendrix, and I was immediately captivated by his writing style, character development, bantering and a story with its many intricate layers and puzzle pieces. It is a story of family, grief, the past, and correcting wrongs, which also includes acknowledging them and finally being brave enough to take action.

Classified as a horror story, I must say that, although there were some creepy aspects to the story, I wasn't as scared as I thought I would be. There were funny  moments and the sibling bantering was spot on.  I'm glad I followed my instinct and grabbed this one.

This  book is part of my 2023 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge (#10, woohoo!!)