amysnovelnotes 's review for:

Wayward Girls: A Novel by Susan Wiggs

4.5

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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🕊️ Before sex ed, Google, TikTok and definitely before consent was part of the conversation, there were whispered warnings and the looming threat of being “sent to the nuns.”

🦬 This story drops us into the fruit belt neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, during the late 1960s/early 70’s.  Back to a time when teen girls were left to piece together the truth about their bodies, and choice was not a part of the equation.

🗺️Susan Wiggs brings us on a journey of friendship, survival and trauma as we follow the story of girls who find themselves at a reform school run by nuns.  Made to work as a laundry service for profit, subject to punishments both physical and mental, one of the girls is determined to escape.  After numerous failed attempts, she knows she can’t do it alone.

📖The story grabbed my attention from the first chapter.  As someone who grew up in Buffalo, the setting our author created rang with authenticity.  He ability to create this neighborhood I could deeply visualize in my head - from the creak of the screen door, to the feel of bike pedals beneath my feet.  Phenomenal!

🎙️The narration was good - not great. Overall, the narrator told the story well.  It did not detract from the reading, but also didn’t elevate it to that next level as some narrators do.

🥇 I gave this book 4.5/5 stars ⭐️ as the first 3/4 of the book was a 5⭐️ read for me and the last 1/4, a 4⭐️.  Definitely recommend this one.