Westward Women

by Alice Martin

For fans of Emma Cline and Emily St. John Mandel, Westward Women is a hypnotic and hopeful debut—part fever dream, part dystopian road trip that claws its way towards a jaw-dropping finale.

"An audacious first novel to set beside Margaret Atwood." - Joyce Carol Oates

It starts with an itch.

In homes across the country, women ages eighteen to thirty-five begin to slow down.

Tired. Blank. Restless.

Drawn to the Pacific Ocean like it’s calling them home. They abandon their lives—jobs, families, their very selves. And once they reach the West, they vanish forever.

At the center of the story are three young women caught in the pull of something unstoppable.

Aimee follows the trail of her missing best friend to a man called the Piper—known for leading infected women West.

Teenie, afflicted and unraveling, clings to a single memory as she looks out the window of the Piper’s van.

And Eve, a former journalist, is chasing the story that might just consume her.

Each on the edge of transformation. Drawn toward the unknown. In search of a way forward.

Genres: Fiction, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Literary Fiction

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2026

About the author

Alice Martin is a Finnish book editor and translator. She has been working as an editor since 1985 and as a translator since 1982, specialising in poetry translations. She was a member of The Instute for the Languages of Finland during 2009-2015, and has been teaching translation in universities and workshops. Her translations include childrens' books such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, as well as poems in Tolkien's works and George Eliot's classic Daniel Deronda. In 2005, Martin received the Alvar Renqvist Award for her work as a book editor.

Reviews

[Dea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant debut by an exceptionally skilled writer - I'm stunned to learn that this is the author's first novel. This is a wholly original premise executed impeccably: the pacing is just right, the world-building and character development is thorough, and the multi-character POV (rarely something I find is done well) works as each storyline is a complete, standalone story worth telling.

I picked this up one morning with 15 minutes to kill, intending to read the first chapter or two. Hours later, my plans for the day long abandoned, I came to every bibliophile's Sophie's Choice: when a book engrosses you so entirely, do you savour or burn through it? I did the latter, and then went back for the former, discovering new subtleties and nuances along the way.

In short, this is an all-consuming story that will get under your skin like a virus (see what I did there?) and stay with you long after.

Note: It's a mistake to advertise this as "for fans of Emma Cline and Emily St. John Mandel" as this book is far more substantial than that - in fact, I picked this up *despite* my great aversion to the aforementioned authors' forgettable (sorry not sorry) works.

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

cover is giving Dr. T.J. Eckleburg

(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
(review to come)

[Sarah]

DNF @ 33%

Eh, not for me. 🤷‍♀️ I liked the writing, but the story wasn't captivating enough for me to keep going, which is a shame because I was interested to see what would happen. But I honestly don't care. (I'm so sorry! 😭)


Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions and statements are my own.

[Selma · Rating 5 out of 5]

✦ Rating: ★★★★★

☾ Yes/No/Maybe? 100% YES!!!
☾ For readers who love: Dystopian vibes, resilient female characters, survival stories, women defying expectations..

✧✧✧✧✧

✦ Mood: resilience, quiet rebellion, women against the world, lit fic horror vibes 
✦ Setting: 1970s America

✦ ARC Review ✦
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy.

I was immediately hooked the moment I heard the premise of this book and was so excited to get the chance to read it early.

This story follows the phenomenon of the Westward Women …. women who become infected with something that begins with a simple itch but slowly turns into an unstoppable pull westward. They leave their homes, their lives, and often everything they know behind… travelling toward something they can’t fully explain. Many disappear along the way. And the further the story goes, the more unsettling the symptoms become.

We follow multiple POVs throughout the novel - Aimee, Eve, Ginny, and Teenie… all on very different paths. Each woman is dealing with her own circumstances, losses, and motivations, and I found it really interesting watching how their journeys unfolded and how they navigated the situations they were thrown into.

At its core, this book dives into themes of womanhood, control, and societal expectations. how women are shaped by the pressures around them, by men who try to claim ownership over their bodies, and by the roles they are expected to play. There’s definitely an undercurrent of feminine rage running through the story that made it even more compelling.

I was constantly wondering how it would all connect. I really appreciated how everything came together by the end.

The writing itself was beautifully atmospheric. I especially loved the way smell was used throughout the story… it played such an interesting role in how characters connected with people and how certain truths were revealed. It added a really unique sensory layer to the narrative. 🫧

The premise, the themes, and the writing style all came together in a way that felt fresh and memorable. I think readers who enjoy dystopian, literary fiction, horror, and stories with strong feminine rage themes will really enjoy this one.

A new fav author ! Can’t wait to read more from her !
! 🩷🩷

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published March 10, 2025

3 stars

It’s the 1970s and there’s an epidemic in America. But it only affects women so no one cares, that’s it, the end.

Well, kind of.

First comes the itch, then the women become tired and their memories start to fade. They feel compelled to move westward. No one can find a cure, and while some women are sedated in hospitals, many more are just lost.

The book follows three women: Aimee has no symptoms. The recent college graduate is searching for her best friend, Ginny. She hears about a man called the Piper who is transporting women west.

Eve is a reporter who needs a big story to get back in the game. She, too, hears about the Piper and decides he’s her big break.

Teenie’s symptoms are getting worse. As she moves west she is trying to remember the last time she saw her sister, before she disappeared, years ago.

So, no surprise that the women interact in some way. I didn’t expect what happened, and I can’t say I was crazy about it either.

[Courtney N · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars ⭐️
Rounded up for Goodreads!

A captivating, mind-bending and eerie story that you read for the journey knowing the destination will inevitably be an elusive thing that keeps you up thinking at night.

I was sucked into this book immediately. The premise of an invisible illness infecting women all over the country causing them to impulsively and recklessly drop their lives and migrate west? I couldn’t put this book down until I got answers.

⭐️ So many things worked for me in this book

- The writing style was so mesmerizing. Such gorgeous prose and vivid imagery.
- I loved the POV switches. Though the stories were similar in tone, each character had a distinct voice.
- I enjoyed the pace. It was slower in parts, and even a bit repetitive here and there but I think it helped build the tension that had me in a chokehold.
- I’ve never read anything quite like this and that makes it memorable.
- I was terrified for the ending of this story because the build up was so big it almost felt like it couldn’t be wrapped up properly but I think the ending was perfect.

⭐️ What didn’t work?
- I figured out most of the plot about 50-60% through and I wish I was kept guessing for a bit longer
- As much as the story reached out to the “woman experience” I wish I connected with the characters more than I did and maybe had a bigger emotional reaction.

Overall, this was a great read. You have to be in a specific mood for it so pick this up when you want a slow burn, an eerie/speculative vibe and a story that centers the woman experience.

[Quill&Queer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Men ruin everything, including this book.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Westward Women, by Alice Martin, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I do not even know what I just read, I just know its not for me.

[Dona's Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐⭐.5

Pre-Read Notes:

The opening pages are gripping and pulled me right in.

"[A]fter the infection had swept the nation, they’d say that since 1973, when the infection truly began to spread, seven hundred thousand girls in the United States went missing. But you knew this would happen all along." p7

Final Review

(thoughts & recs) Such an interesting concept but the execution bored me to tears .

My 3 Favorite Things:

✔️ The opening page is great and I was immediately hooked on this book, which is good, because it slows way down after the inciting event.

✔️ The immutability of experience and the flaw of memory combine into something unfathomable at times. Also, the prose is nice. "As the velvet scent of the vanilla and the prickly press of legs came back to her again, she wondered what it would be like to forget these things. Somewhere, Ginny might be forgetting these things. The thought made Aimee’s chest crush up like an aluminum can. Were these things still real if Aimee was the only one who remembered them?" p67

✔️ I did not favor the author's treatment of second person. It's a hard element to get right.

Content Notes: misogyny, communicative disease, assault, gr*pe mention, abduction mention, murder, grievous wounding, drugs, tripping, drug consumption, self-medication

Thank you to Alice Martin, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of WESTWARD WOMEN. All views are mine.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
3.0 stars

Premise: Alice Martin's world is one where American women aged eighteen to thirty-five, suffering from a mysterious infection that affects only their gender, leave their lives and head to the Pacific Ocean.

I enjoy a good dystopia. I enjoy it even more when I meet fiercely strong female protagonists. This debut novel gives me three: Aimee, Eve, and Teenie. At first, each woman appears to be on her own separate quest, but eventually, their standalone storylines will intersect.

I enjoyed the writing, but felt the pacing was off a bit in the middle of the book. On the other hand, I did appreciate that the story came to a resolution, even if it felt a little too coincidental.

Publication Date 10/03/26
Goodreads Review 10/03/26

[Holden Wunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute must read in the feminist apocalyptic genre that will sit on your shelf among Naomi Alderman and Emily St, John Mandel.

Westward Women joins the ranks of the genre that feels quite impossible to fully categorize. Post apocalyptic, yes but no. Feminist rage, yes and no. Literary fiction, yes but also so much more. I cannot tell you if it belongs in science fiction but it is a lovely conglomeration of all the bits and pieces. Typically, that’s a red flag as the authour cannot seem to find their voice and struggle with the point but Alice Martin knows exactly what she’s doing and it works in every way.

We follow multiple POVS of women who are affected by this epidemic in some way, whether they are sick themselves or following someone who is. And each unique POV is just as interesting as the other because not only are they connected in some way, but they have something so completely interesting that has you sticking to them entirely. Sometimes it feels supernatural, or tragic, or relatable, you will find someone that feels like you.

There were some moments where I did feel it was starting to slow or I needed an uptake of action or movement and right when I started that downward trend, Martin gave me exactly what I needed. The flow was impeccable and the story wholly unique. I’m glad I took a chance on this story and feel so pleased upon finishing it.

[Em T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book of 2025, y'all!!!!!

Sometimes you pick up a book and immediately know you're in the hands of a writer who gets it. Westward Women is that kind of book. It gets under your skin like the mysterious infection at its center and refuses to let go.

This is Alice Martin's debut, which honestly shocked me because the writing feels so assured. Set in 1973, the novel follows a strange epidemic that affects only women, causing them to develop an irresistible urge to migrate westward toward the Pacific Ocean. But this isn't really a book about a disease. Desire and the particular hunger that lives in women who want more than what they've been given, is at its core. This novel speaks directly to anyone who's ever felt trapped by expectations, who wants something they can't even name. The way Martin captures that particular restlessness, that sense of being called toward something that might destroy you but feels more authentic than staying safe—it's incredibly powerful. And rather than explaining the infection through science or making it purely supernatural, she lets it exist in that liminal space where metaphor and reality blur. It's a disease that affects only women, that makes them want to move, that society doesn't know how to cure or contain. Sound familiar?

The multi-POV structure here is absolutely masterful. It took me a about 10% into the book to start empathizing and being invested in this cast of women, but Martin gives us four distinct voices: Aimee searching for her infected best friend, Eve the ambitious journalist chasing a story, sixteen-year-old Teenie who's infected and grieving her lost sister, and this haunting second-person narrator that speaks for the collective experience of infected women. Each voice feels completely authentic and necessary, which is rare in books that attempt this many perspectives.

What really got me was how spooky this book is without being traditional horror. If you've ever dealt with anything like chronic eczema or hives, the visceral itch that is the true main character can be triggering to read. All in all, it's more like reading The Guest or Our Wives Under the Sea—books that understand how to make the everyday feel strange and full of possibility. There's this atmosphere where you're never quite sure what's real and what's metaphor, and that uncertainty becomes part of the magic.

This debut should absolutely be on your TBR list. It's for readers who like their literary fiction with teeth. I can't wait to see what Alice Martin writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC—this one's going straight to my favorites shelf ✨

[Emily Poche · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Westward Women by Alice Martin is a genre blending novel that combines elements of historical fiction, literary fiction, thriller, and horror to paint the story of strange illness that has struck a nation. Women, seemingly at random, are afflicted with a sickness that causes itching, memory loss, and an unyielding desire to leave their lives behind to journey west. The story follows three women- Eve, Teenie, and Aimee. Each interacts with the Westward Women and the mysterious illness in a different way as they are all drawn together by a mysterious figure called the Piper.

I think it’s evident that that author is a very smart person, able to create very nostalgic and evocative settings. There was a pervasive sense of disorientation in a dream-like way. Throughout the text, there’s a semi-spiritual hunger that the various characters find themselves interacting with. In terms of creating an intangible setting-the time, the sense of confusion and yearning, the author does a beautiful job.

However, I did not find that the other elements of the book held up against the very vague and ephemeral elements of the book. I felt like while the author put a lot of effort into the style of the book, the actual substance left something to be desired. I felt like until the last 1/3 of the book, that the named characters were fairly similar and blended together. While we were given the backstories; the journalist, the one with the missing sister, etc. They actually could have merged together into two named characters instead. We see them make choices, speak, and think in ways that are so similar that without the given backstories, they’re not particularly unique.

In general, my main qualm with the book was that the plot was slow and circuitous. When that was combined with some interspersed dream sequences it just became a very tedious read with a large stretch of doldrums in the middle. I think that the action, while compelling when it is happening, is spread so thin as to make reading this feel like a slow crawl at times.

Lastly, I thought the ending was not particularly subtle. The “cure” for the illness and the final hour twist both felt pretty on the nose in a way the rest of the book avoided.

For me, I did not particularly enjoy reading this while I can concede that the writing is very well done in its style. I’m going to rate this a 2.75/5.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This unsettling, dystopian alternate history of sorts reads something like Sci-Fi-tinged, early and more unrefined/less polished Emma Cline. This turns out to be a very vibes-over-plot book, and those overall vibes seemed very much gritty, rugged, 1970s art cinema to me. The premise involves a pandemic of sorts in the early 70s affecting girls and women of roughly childbearing age. The affected have been beset by a fungus (the science is extremely lightly sketched, and beside the point). This malaise renders them glassy, irritable, internally-focused, and languid, like Manson-girl zombies or addicts in withdrawal, and more importantly, incredibly itchy: both literally, scratching-off-their-skin itchy, and itchy in the sense of being restlessly, relentlessly compelled to travel — you guessed it — directionally toward the west coast of the USA.


Toward most other things aside from this, the afflicted become apathetic, and since they are no longer conforming to understood feminine standards of appropriate appearance and conduct, they quickly become relegated to the sidelines of both public space and awareness, shunned and feared, sort of hippie low-caste vagabonds left to fend for themselves and wend their way westward along societal margins. People sort of tsk-tsk, change the subject, victim-blame, and don’t seem to want to care much about this latest manifestation of hysteria unless it were ever to affect one of their own nearest and dearest — the implication being that Nice Girls Don’t.


Of course, the affected also attract interest from some, who contribute alternating-perspective narration of this story, including a woman journalist who wants to understand them, a friend of the affected who seeks to learn more about the fate of her loved one, or who even feels drawn to follow and join her — and then there are still others who perceive both threat and vulnerability in these women and approach them with more nefarious purposes in mind.


Now, I’ve just described what I think is basically a seriously perfect setup for a book. This book seemed so extremely in my wheelhouse. As you can see, it sounds incredibly intriguing! The metaphor has so much potential. Alas, although I really wanted to like this one, for me, the book’s execution did not live up to its promise. I had a lot of trouble remaining engaged and invested in the story through to its resolution. As to specific concerns, I might echo what some others have said: I struggled to connect with or differentiate the characters, the pacing was a bit slow, and the ending was a bit coincidence-heavy and disappointing. I suppose the author just took things in a bit of a different direction than I had been expecting, or maybe not as far in any particular direction as I was expecting, and I just sort of found myself wandering listless, lost, and full of lassitude along the journey, just like the women.


I will say that although this book lacked many aspects of Emma Cline’s writing that I valued in The Girls, I still appreciated how, similar to the Manson Girls, we have in the Affected a portrayal of a group of women who are simultaneously both seeking self-liberation through unusual means and yet become still more trapped than ever before.


Even if it didn’t quite hit the mark for me, nonetheless an uncomfortably innovative and potential-filled read. As much as I want to love all things feminist, dystopian, and heavily metaphorical, I can be picky about books like this, so you may really like it: I still recommend giving it a try.


Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book, due out on March 10, 2026.

[Natalie K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't really care for this one. It was trying to be all symbolic and feminist, but it fell flat for me. And let's not even talk about the absurd coincidence at the end. It was so unlikely as to be absurd. Definitely wouldn't recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free review copy.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book is categorized on Goodreads as science fiction, I found it was more in the creepy horror gothic vein. The plot kept kept me hooked, even though some of the twists and turns were far-fetched. You may enjoy this book if you like dystopian fiction and accept the confused thoughts of the Westward Women. .

Set in the 1970s in the USA, this alternate dystopian history is the story of a disease that affects young women, driving them to distraction from itching and for some reason calling them westward to the Pacific Ocean. Within a few weeks, most of the women sink into mental oblivion and death. The book follows three women as they head west: Aimee, who goes in search of her best friend Ginny; Teenie (Christine) infected and holding onto the memory of her sister Kate who disappeared, and Eve, a journalist seeking to rejuvenate her career with a story of westward women and the man (the Piper) who purports to help some of them reach the west coast. As they move west, we hear the ruminations of the women in turn questioning, self-accusing, and circuitous. Because the confusing thoughts it is hard to bond to individual characters, but I imagine that's one of the points the author is trying to make. Almost all of the characters are women except the disgusting Piper and the one nice guy, William.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the gift of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kimberly Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Westward Women is an immersive and unsettling story that touches on themes of female autonomy, societal pressure on women, and what it means to be “free.” The book takes place in the 1973 where women across America are afflicted by an invisible illness. This illness causes them to slowly lose their memories and instills a bone deep and relentless itch both a physical itch and a mental itch. The itch causes these women abandon their lives and journey west. Along this journey west the women either find a cure or they disappear.

There are three POVs
- the first is a woman who leaves her home to find her infected best friend
- the second is a journalist who is trying to break a story
- the third is an infected women with a traumatic past

This book starts off slow but builds momentum as the plotlines intertwine. I was curious how these women might be related and I did not predict the twist at the end… but also I felt it was a little too neat. I think I was expecting something grittier from Eve so the twist at the end was not what I was expecting.

However, at just about 300 pages this book is so well written and the audiobook performance was STUNNING. During the more intense moments, I genuinely felt uneasy, which speaks volumes about the narrators’ delivery. They fully capture the eerie, cautionary tone of the story, all while carrying an undercurrent of feminine rage

Audiobook Review: 5/5
Narration type: Multicast
Narrators: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Mia Wurgaft & Saskia Maarleveld
Performance: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Character distinction: 5/5
Production: there is some music production between parts

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this gifted ALC ❤️

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2/5

I love dystopian stories that have something to say - this story, and this author, absolutely has something to say, and it is important. That said, I think that this will definitely be an absolute 'hit' for a lot of readers.

While it wasn't for me, I think that the people who will like it are those who enjoy books that are 'all vibes' (or nearly all vibes)/atmospheric, feel like a fever dream, are ambiguous, and are simultaneously very overt in communicating the intended message. I also think readers who love very, very slow paced stories will enjoy this! Alice Martin's strength in this story was being able to create an atmosphere and feeling in the reader - I did feel like I was starting to feel an 'itch,' too. Martin got her point/message across over and over again, so the reader is very aware of what is being said about the experience of being a woman.

My favorite part of the story were the less overt ways that Martin got the message across, and I wish more of the story were structured in those ways. Namely, there were multiple strong yet subtly integrated metaphors that resonated with me more strongly than the overt 'tells' of the themes; they made me think and make connections more. In dystopian novels, even if I go into it knowing what the story is trying to say overall, I'd like to be 'shown' it rather than 'told' it.

That said, this story unfortunately didn't work for me. I found that I couldn't connect to the story, writing, or characters; like Teenie and Aimee feel in their relationships with others, I felt like an outsider looking in. While I appreciate the messages the story communicates, it became too overt and repetitive for my preferences. I couldn't distinguish between the characters/points of view until around the 70% mark, and I still found myself going to prior chapters to remember the little details about each character because they got lost in my head. I wasn't able to grasp enough depth to the characters to become invested in them or their individual stories, and I didn't find that they developed much.

Rather than being plot or character driven, I felt that, until that latter portion of the book, it was more so a circuitous commentary/messaging rather than a story. Without a plot or characters drawing me in, the pacing was too slow for my preferences, and the ending didn't work for my reading tastes. I had a hard time suspending my disbelief about the coincidences that made it all come together. Further, I wasn't sure that I really understood where some of the characters stood in their thoughts and feelings at the end. While I appreciate stories that leave you with some questions at the end, which this does, I personally found it unsatisfying because the ending didn't give me that 'just enough' feeling in terms of answers; instead, I almost found that the ending counteracted, in some ways, the overall message of the story that was hammered home the whole way.

Overall, I think that this book is going to find it's audience, but it wasn't for me. I was yearning for more distinction and more body to the story and characters beyond the obvious and overtly stated messages. I do appreciate its message, though!

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of the story for me to review.

[BookishlySonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC I loved this. What a visceral and beautiful encapsulation of what being a woman is like

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tend to always gravitate towards stories that talk about the intricate lives of women so naturally this book stuck out to me when I was browsing through available NetGalley ARCs late in the night. The idea of an infection happening in the 1970s that made women want to move westward pulled me in and made me quickly decide it was worth a shot.

Despite my initial hopes this book felt like it had so much potential only for it to fall flat in a lot of ways. The characters are the best thing about this book without a doubt but two of the four main women who frequently get mentioned felt like their stories weren’t completely fleshed out as much as I would have liked. There were so many points in this book where the characters were driving so there was a lot of time for internal reflection but the author never fully focused on the details that I found the most interesting about these characters.

This novel being spread out across three different point of views did make it come across as slow. There were a lot of moments that dragged that could have been shortened in exchange for allowing the ending and the overall plot of the book to be fleshed out a little more.

By far the most frustrating part about this novel is the fact that despite the mystery of the infection that plagues these women being the entire point of this book we never get a true answer. I think the author was intentionally trying to keep it a bit vague so readers could come to their own conclusions but I don’t think the author did a good job of accomplishing that. The idea didn’t feel like it was thought through completely in terms of how it started and how it ended. And the “solution” to it all was clear way before the ending making it feel anti-climactic except for a twist related to the characters at the end.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I received this as an ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily. This book will be published in March 2026. This was a delightful surprise of a debut. I am often hesitant with debuts, but this one blew me away. Martin writes like a seasoned writer, probably because of her PhD in English Lit, and it made this book a joy to read. The only downside to this book is that so much of it took place while driving, but I completely understand that on account of the fact everyone in this book is going, you guessed it, westward. What I gathered from this book is that the itch represents the pressure women feel from the patriarchy. It’s a metaphor come to life under their skin. The itch, in a way, represents female rage and repressed desires. Maybe that’s not what the itch is supposed to represent, but that’s sorta what I got out of it. I can see how some would not like this book, it’s very character driven and is more about the relationships between the POVs than any real plot, but I really enjoyed getting to be with these women throughout their journeys and the length they went to for each other. I feel like each woman stepped away from this knowing themselves and their desires, needs, and wants better, and were better off for having gone on the journey. I enjoyed the twist at 89% and didn’t see it coming. I also work in pandemic preparedness, and the whole time I was reading this book I was thinking about what my organization would have to do to respond to this sort of emergency. I think this is a very interesting take on a pandemic, oppression, and female rage. I even like that it was set in the 70s! Overall, this was an incredibly strong debut, and I think I would read anything this author releases.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, I just didn’t like this. The pace was miserable to me. The story itself was promising, but I felt like this could’ve just been a shorter book and I would’ve liked it a lot better. As always, thank you St. Martin’s Press for the earc.

[CadmanReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books you go into expecting to love, but with debut authors, it is always a bit of a gamble. This is another case where the gamble paid off. I loved this book pretty much from the start, and it only got better the more I read.

Westward Women mixes mystery, speculative fiction, and themes of women’s freedom. Set in 1973, it follows a disturbing infection: young women abandon their lives and head west to the Pacific Ocean, vanishing mysteriously. No one truly understands why, lending the book an eerie, unsettling tone.

The novel follows three main POVs tied to this phenomenon: Aimee searches for her vanished friend; Eve, a journalist, investigates a man called the Piper who drives infected women west; and Teenie, a girl already affected, travels with the Piper, clinging to her memories and identity. Short interludes appear throughout and become more compelling as their relevance emerges.

It reminded me of The Stand by Stephen King. The world feels real, and the characters are raw and truthful. Multiple POVs keep the focus tight and the characters personal.

In my head, the whole book played out in almost sepia-toned earthy tones. It gave me some of Taylor Jenkins Reid's storytelling vibes, but in a much grittier, darker setting.

The book doesn’t shy from darker themes. Some moments are graphic and shocking, especially around sexuality, but never gratuitous. At its core, it’s a dystopian road trip: despite terrible symptoms, the women embark on a strange journey of self-discovery, confronting their lives and social expectations.

Much is left open to interpretation, and while this may frustrate some, the ambiguity deepens the novel’s haunting effect.

This is now an auto-buy author for me. I highly recommend giving this book a try.

[Becks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so impressed this is a debut novel, and look forward to whatever Alice Martin comes up with next. The book follows Aimee (written in third person), Eve (third person), and Teenie (first person) on their westward journeys. Additionally, intermittent second person chapters break up the story and end up connecting later, which I found really interesting and well executed.

This novel is not “hard” science fiction, as the mechanics for the sickness affecting only women and its cure are never fully developed, so if you are not the type to suspend belief for the sake of the story, this is not the novel for you. The book takes place in the real world of the 70s. Women, and not the greater society, are on the brink of collapse. And as the infection spreads to affect hundreds of thousands, society reacts to these restless women by arresting and sedating them.

Westward Women does not deal with the everyday or overt oppression of women front and center, but rather alludes to it through interactions, memories, and news broadcasts. Instead, the book dives into how women have shaped themselves because of and despite familiar and societal pressure and expectations and explores their interpersonal relationships with strangers, family, and other westward women. The characters are impressively complicated and messy. Not everyone gets sick, and not everyone who is sick wants to be cured.

Overall, I found Westward Women to be a captivating and unique novel. I did not expect the horror/thriller aspects when starting, but I think they helped keep the story engaging when it otherwise might have dragged a bit with constant interpersonal relations. I struggled with the conclusion, but in the end I think it makes sense with the story being told.

I received an eARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley.

“The woman scoffed at her silence. ‘As if you’re the only person who itches,’ she said before she walked away. ‘The rest of us have just learned to live with it.’”

“They didn’t scratch to get it out. They didn’t necessarily want it out at all.”

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts with an ich. . .under your skin. . .more than just a scratch will relieve. Then it's a drive to leave, to move, to go west. Women are coming down with an illness and disappearing from their homes. It's 1973, so there aren't cell phones or easy ways to track them. Women, just up and leave, hitchhiking or walking their way across the US to go west, west, west.

This was an interesting story, especially to start. I liked getting to know all the POV and realize why we had them. I liked the suspense of wondering what would happen next, what new symptom we would have, and then the mystery of what was going on. It was an interesting way to tell the story. But I had hoped to feel a little more drawn to the characters and want to fight for them a little more than I did. It slowed down near the end and I wasn't quite as emotionally sucked in as I'd hoped. Entertaining read that felt unique.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[dani ୨♡୧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In personal ways, we become driven by a form of hunger for something different than what we have. The paradox of a sensation that is out of control, but in mysterious ways, our bodies almost decide for us. But how does this manifest for women and their ability to survive?

Martin zealously examines this through the lens of three women's migration in 1973 towards the Pacific Ocean while an infection spreads. As a reader, you discover how the public's speculation casts this unknown condition in a harsh light while the truth unravels through each introspective and shocking chapter.

Dizzying body metaphors and haunting echoes of ghost-like voices, this debut pressed me forward on a winding road's journey past bruised memories and tense futures. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like a lot of other reviewers, I felt that the synopsis was better than the actual story.
There seemed to be quite a lot of descriptive content that did not add to the story, and there are lots of things I’m not sure why they happened as I didn’t really believe the explanations given e.g. why Eve really left.
Perhaps I’m just not into allegories nor zombies, which is what the westward women seemed to have been come. The actual story of The Piper was the best bit and if the whole novel had been about him, instead of e.g. the will they, won’t they, of Eve and the girl she picked up, I would have liked it more. It’s also very American such that I hadn’t a clue to whether they were going west or not, so it might not be such a popular book in the UK.
One star knocked off for the really unbelievable coincidence that brought everyone together at the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.
Eve turned out to be Teenie’s sister Kate, who ran away because she wanted to be her own person. She hooked up with Ginnie as she wanted to write an article about The Piper. The Piper was mad (no surprise there) and killed the girls he picked up in his bus as their symptoms got really bad, because his girlfriend had lost their baby and gone west. He was trying to cut out the infection of each. Aimee got on his bus to try and find Ginnie, met Teenie, and helped her escape. They tried to flag down a car that just happened to have Ginnie and Kate in it, which hit The Piper and killed him. What a coincidence! Teenie and Ginnie recovered

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was very unique and was about women becoming infected in mass with an "itch" that affected women's minds and reactions to all that was going on around them. The infection made the women restless, and the "cure" seemed to be to travel west to the Pacific Ocean (hence the title). The book was set in the 1970s when women's roles were thought about in a very structured way. I wondered if the author was hinting that women that wanted to expand their horizons in those years were viewed by men as deranged or diseased. This was my thought only - the author doesn't hint at this. There are four main characters and how their paths collide is well written. I've seen this book listed as dystopian and if that's your genre, you should check this out.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ALC from Libro.fm. I really enjoyed this novel. I found it to be sharp and bold, with really great writing. I particularly enjoyed it for the themes and conversation it sparked: why are people so afraid of what they don't know? what they can't control? why can't women be trusted to know themselves and their own bodies?

The phrase about people being either "motion sick or sick for motion" felt like the major theme throughout.

Reminded me of Saramago 's Blindness; publisher comps are decent too. Okay for mature teens, with on page kissing and references to sex, on page drug use (it's set in the '70s), violence and swearing. Teen readers will likely forgive contrivances.

[Jen G · Rating 1 out of 5]

Received an e-ARC from NetGalley.

Premise sounded very interesting so I requested an ARC. Unfortunately, the book did not hold my interest. I skimmed the rest.

I love the West and I love books about women, but the writing fell flat for me.

For example: “Since the coastline spread through Olympic National Park, she had to stop driving after a while and get out to walk. When she finally crested a hill and saw the ocean, she thought she would be awed by the enormity of it, might feel the weighted loneliness of standing in front of the wide world of all that water alone. But instead, as she looked out over its hard, crashing waves, all she could think about was how she couldn't remember the last time she showered. She needed to feel that water rushing over her skin, running through her hair, pushing between her toes, the way she needed to breathe. There was no future beyond the ocean. There was no thinking through her decision to go into it. Her body wanted nothing more than to be submerged. As she made her way to the ocean and took off her jeans, she found herself speaking to Ginny in her head. You were right, she'd tell her if she were there. I'm sick after all. She knew the ocean would be cold, but when it smacked her calves, it still shocked her.”

Very bland writing, in my opinion.