Wayward Girls
- Judith D Collins
- Jul 21
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 22
By: Susan Wiggs
Narrators: Susan Wiggs, Jane Oppenheimer, Cynthia Farrell
HarperAudio
ISBN: 9780063118270
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 07/15/2025
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars + (ARC)
TOP BOOKS OF 2025
"After decades of bestsellers, Wayward Girls might be Susan Wiggs' opus. A gut-wrenching story of survival, friendship, and justice. Masterful."--Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
"The magnificent Susan Wiggs takes a leap into the history of women..a page-turner, replete with mystery and suspense."—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone
From New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs, a wrenching but life-affirming novel based on a true story of survival, friendship, and redemption. Set in the turbulent Vietnam era in the All-American city of Buffalo, New York, six girls are condemned to forced labor in the laundry of a Catholic reform school.
In 1968 we meet six teens confined at the Good Shepherd—a dark and secretive institution controlled by Sisters of Charity nuns—locked away merely for being gay, pregnant, or simply unruly.
Mairin— free-spirited daughter of Irish immigrants, committed to keep her safe from her stepfather.
Angela—denounced for her attraction to girls, sent to the nuns for reform, but instead found herself the victim of a predator.
Helen—the daughter of intellectuals detained in Communist China, she saw her “temporary” stay at the Good Shepherd stretch into years.
Odessa—caught up in a police dragnet over a racial incident, she found the physical and mental toughness to endure her sentence.
Denise—sentenced for brawling in a foster home, she dared to dream of a better life.
Janice—deeply insecure, she couldn’t decide where her loyalty lay—except when it came to her friend Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency.
Sister Bernadette—rescued from a dreadful childhood, she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even as her conscience weighed on her.
Wayward Girls is a haunting but thrilling tale of hope, solidarity, and the enduring strength of young women who find the courage to break free and find redemption...and justice.
"Wayward girls is all about the power of female bonds...this isn't just a moment in time—it's a cautionary tale."
—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name
My Review
NYT Bestselling Author Susan Wiggs (a favorite) returns with her most moving and compelling book yet, WAYWARD GIRLS. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, and at times haunting, inspired by a true story of survival, friendship, and redemption.
Top Books of 2025!
We follow six girls in a Catholic reform school in 1960s Buffalo, NY, in this powerful and unforgettable, emotionally moving story by a master storyteller. A tale of courage and justice while shedding light on a horrific time in our history.
About...
During the turbulence of the Vietnam Era, in Buffalo, New York, teenage girls were condemned to forced labor at the Good Shepherd, a dark and secret institution controlled by the Sisters of Charity nuns.
In 1968, we meet six teens thrust into confinement (by the hands of others, leaving them no choice) at the Good Shepherd—merely for being gay, pregnant, or simply unruly. Some are just being normal teens and are taken advantage of.
~Mairin, a free-spirited daughter of Irish immigrants, was committed to keeping her safe from her stepfather.
~Angela, denounced for her attraction to girls, was sent to the nuns for reform, but instead found herself the victim of a predator.
~Helen, the daughter of intellectuals detained in Communist China, saw her “temporary” stay at the Good Shepherd stretch into years.
~Odessa, caught up in a police dragnet over a racial incident, found the physical and mental toughness to endure her sentence.
~Denise—sentenced for brawling in a foster home, dared to dream of a better life.
~Janice—deeply insecure, she couldn’t decide where her loyalty lay—except when it came to her friend Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency.
Sister Bernadette—rescued from a dreadful childhood, she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even as her conscience weighed on her.
How will they ever escape this evil?
My thoughts...
Heartbreaking. Your heart will go out to these girls! WAYWARD GIRLS showcases the brutality, abuse, hardships, and horrific treatment of young girls who were placed in Good Shepherd, a Catholic reform school in 1960s Buffalo, NY.
Their families had various reasons for turning over their daughters, such as teenage pregnancy, being too provocative, too unruly, being gay, or catching the eye of a male family member.
Forced to work in a laundry with no pay, and what made it worse was that the parents thought they were doing the right thing, unaware of the abuses. Then once there, they are in prison with little rights.
Powerful and memorable, the author vividly describes the conditions and the fears, courage, and strength of these young women when they have no support or place to turn.
Wiggs offers an extensive Author's Note (even though fictional). WAYWARD GIRLS is inspired by actual events, and the systemic abuses perpetrated by the Magdalene laundries documented in Ireland.
It is sad to think this practice spread to thirty-eight institutions where women and girls from poor homes were regularly confined to these religious-run, state-sanctioned prison systems of slave labor and abuse.
The author brilliantly portrays these characters (victims) as victims of life-like realistic abuse and shaming. The girls were often placed in isolation in dark, small closets.
I loved how the girls stuck together, showcasing their grit, resilience, and determination, as well as their escape using the library van, which will make you smile. So sad how many women and young girls lost their babies, pressured against their will to surrender their parental rights.
Heartwrenching, compelling, powerful, and unforgettable. A moving story of friendship, justice, and survival with characters that will remain with you long after the book ends. An ideal pick for book clubs and further discussions.
Audiobook...
I had the privilege of reading the e-book and listening to the audiobook, narrated by Jane Oppenheimer and Cynthia Farrell, who delivered an engaging performance that captures the time, place, evil, injustices, and characters, holding your attention with compelling content, a perfectly paced narrative, and pitch-perfect voices for a dynamic delivery and an immersive connection between the performers and the listener. I highly recommend the audiobook!
Recs...
WAYWARD GIRLS is for historical fiction fans, strong women, and those who enjoy works by Ellen Marie Wiseman, Diane Chamberlain, Megan Church, and Sadeqa Johnson
A special thank you to William Morrow and Harper Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to an advanced reading and listening copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: July 15, 2025
Praise
“Wayward Girls is all about the power of female bonds. Yet reading it, I was reminded that it hasn’t been all that long since women had no rights to contraception, sex education, or reproductive rights…and how we seem to be reverting back to a world like that. This isn’t just a moment in time—it’s a cautionary tale.”
— Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"After decades of best-sellers, Wayward Girls might be Susan Wiggs opus. A gut-wrenching story of survival, friendship, and justice. Masterful."
— Robert Dugoni, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
"A stirring read that examines the primal struggle of the spirit to not just survive evil but candidly confront it, buoyed by imperishable courage and hope. Wiggs thoughtfully explores the dynamics of her protagonists’ relationships, deftly defining their successes and failures, their wins and betrayals...”
— Shana Abe, bestselling author of The Second Mrs. Astor
"Compelling...This powerful and unforgettable novel is a poignant and enlightening look into a sad chapter of recent history." — Library Journal (starred review)
"Heart-wrenching...sweeping. This one lingers long after the last page."
— Publishers Weekly
About the Author
#1 New York Times Bestseller Author Susan Wiggs’s novels have appeared in the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List, and have captured readers’ hearts around the globe with translations into more than 20 languages and 30 countries.
Susan Wiggs’s life is all about family, friends…and fiction. She lives at the water’s edge on an island in Puget Sound, and in good weather, she commutes to her writers’ group in a 21-foot motorboat. She’s been featured in the national media, including NPR, PRI, and USA Today, has given programs for the US Embassies in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and is a popular speaker locally, nationally, internationally, and on the high seas.
From the very start, her writings have illuminated the everyday dramas of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Her books celebrate the power of love, the timeless bonds of family and the fascinating nuances of human nature. Today, she is an international best-selling, award-winning author, with millions of copies of her books in print in numerous countries and languages. According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with “refreshingly honest emotion,” and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is “one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book.” Booklist characterizes her books as “real and true and unforgettable.”
The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. She lives on an island in Puget Sound, where she divides her time between sleeping and waking.
