The Home for Wayward Girls

by Marcia Bradley

Growing up in the 1990s, a young girl escapes her abusive parents–and the “ranch” they ran for “bad” girls—and becomes an advocate for teen runaways in this harrowing and heartfelt novel for fans of Joanna Goodman and Lisa Wingate.

While other adolescent girls are listening to grunge rock or swooning over boy bands and movie stars, Loretta knows little of life beyond the Home for Wayward Girls, the secluded ranch where her parents run a program designed to “correct” teen girls’ “bad behavior.” Some new residents arrive with their moms and dads, while other are accompanied by transporters—people paid to forcibly deliver these “problem” teens—girls caught swearing, smoking, drinking, or kissing. Many are failed runaways desperate to leave their controlling and sometimes brutal homes. Few have any idea of the suffering that lies ahead.

Loretta witnesses firsthand how the adults use abusive discipline to crush these young women’s spirits and break their wills. She understands these girls’ pain and shares it. Since childhood she’s been afraid of her father, and avoids him by spending time with the residents, secretly teaching them the survival skills they’ll need in case they manage to escape. Until the day a horrifying act of violence forces her to make her own terrible choice. Terrified and with no other option, Loretta flees the ranch and hitchhikes across the country, ending up in New York. Eventually finding safety and a sympathetic community, Loretta dedicates herself to working with lost, vulnerable, and defenseless teens, determined to prevent the same thing from happening to other girls like her.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Historical, Audiobook, Mental Health

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2023

About the author

Marcia Bradley earned her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College after receiving her BA from Antioch LA. Winner of a Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO Award for fiction, she has been published in literary magazines and journals. Marcia is very proud of The Home for Wayward Girls, her debut novel, and hopes readers feel a kinship with the protagonist, Loretta, and her journey. She also hopes this book will help bring light to an important issue in this country.

Marcia grew up in Chicago. As a young adult, she moved to Santa Monica to live near the beach where later her daughters were born. A single mom, they traveled a lot, lived on both coasts and in the Midwest. Marcia teaches fiction and memoir, loves art, tries in her writing to be of service, plays tennis not so well, and lives in the Bronx, New York.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 1 out of 5]

The troubled teen industry is an example of pure, real-life evil. It should be exposed and completely destroyed. But that being said, this book is really terrible. Like, bewildering level of bad. It is a great example of telling instead of showing. Everyone spends so much time telling Loretta how fantastic and cool and brave and badass she is. This book is a weak representation of trauma. Loretta only ever panics to show off how amazing her coping skills are. The girls at the home NEVER question her or think she's complicit or have any resentment even if that would be what was totally natural. Her only flaw is that she's so humble. Everything wraps up so neatly and perfectly and far too quickly. I absolutely hate to use the phrase "Mary Sue" but on more than one occasion, a stranger thinks Loretta has good vibes and gives her free treats. This isn't an exaggeration. This happens. I wish I'd kept count of how many times people randomly praise Loretta. This trauma doesn't affect her marriage, her friendships, her anything that we see. It's masquerading as an exploration of abuse and trauma but it's really about a super cool chick that can calm herself before every panic attack! Really hated this book. What a let down for such a good premise.

[Jessica Castile · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Home for Wayward Girls is a chilling, captivating and mesmerizing story of loss and hope all intertwined in one incredible novel. Loretta has grown up in the plains of Colorado, raised by Mama and William, who run a home for “problem teen girls.” Loretta has watched as girls are dropped off to correct their misguided attempts at typical teen behavior. She observes the horrific abuse by William that encompasses mental, physical and sexual abuse all in the name of treatment. Through small chunks of time, stollen from the sight of her parents, Loretta learns to befriend these girls and teaches them how to survive; all while planning her own escape at eighteen. The Home for Wayward Girls tells the story of how Loretta survived, escaped and flourished across the country in New York City. I was totally engrossed in Loretta and the story of her upbringing and adulthood, often in awe of how she uses her own pain to pave the way for future girls to avoid it. Author Marcia Bradley has written a novel that shouldn’t be missed by book clubs across the nation and her own connection to the story is haunting and honest. I look forward to discussing The Home for Wayward Girls when it is released in May 2023!

[Jimin Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

In deft, vivid prose, Bradley has written a tour de force about one young woman's struggle to free herself from a system of subjugation and help others in a similar plight. I was riveted by all the characters in The Home for Wayward Girls, especially Loretta who inspired me to think about courage and leadership. This novel does what fiction does best-- move us to understand ourselves and our institutions, and do better for each other. I wanted to talk to Loretta after I finished the last page, so alive she was for me.

[Basic B's Guide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughts to come.

[shereads_theworld · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book intrigued me as I also grew up extremely sheltered and dealt with forms of abuse, confinement, having all rights amd choices taken away because I was a female and therefore "less than".

I liked the overall plot of the book but felt switching timelines quite a bit was utterly confusing and threw me for a loop

[Reilly LaPrairie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Soooo bummed. I feel like this story just lacked. A run away from an abusive home for wayward girls? That has so much potential, yet everything felt so rushed. The stories with William became redundant before Loretta ran away. It was hard to become attached to anyone in the book. Not enough details. The only admirable thing was the relationship between Elsie and Loretta.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Home for Wayward Girls by Marcia Bradley. Thanks to @harperbooks for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loretta’s parents run a home to “correct” wayward teen girls. She witnessed firsthand the abusive discipline used and shared their pain. As an adult, she dedicated her life to working with defenseless teens.

One of the problems with dual timelines for me is that one is sometimes much more interesting than another. This was a serious issue for me with this one. I loved the past storyline. I found it so interesting and really wanted to know what happened with Loretta and the other girls. The current timeline just wasn’t as interesting to me and I found myself skimming those parts.

“Loretta wanted to walk around town in jeans with friends. She yearned to be free and very, very far from guns, church folks, and threats that manipulated the meaning of Bible passages.”

The Home for Wayward Girls comes out 4/4.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the authors postscript and “ why I wrote this book” I almost feel bad giving this book that rating. I have nothing but respect towards her and what she came from and that she chose to write on the subject matter, but if we are rating by book content 2⭐️ is incredibly generous.

Let’s start with the main character, Loretta. She is a hybrid of what I imagine Debbie Ryan and the character Kimmy Schmidt would be who has this unyielding sense of positivity to the extent that lines such as this gem are used “not a lie as much a moment of happy meal whimsy that frosted her memories with pixie dust”. Also is apparently incredibly brilliant because she…. reads? Really setting the bar low there. I would say I gave her a lot more slack for her behavior as a teen than when she was an adult, but her personality boils down to tumblr quotes that she got from her favorite high school teacher, such as my personal favorite “take the S out of sword, words are our strongest weapon”. Thanks teach, but if I am a scared 17-year-old girl who has to deal with constant abuse and watching her friends get physically and sexually assaulted on the daily I’ll take that Glock any day of the week

Also, what were we going for with that twist at the end? Cause essentially what I got from it was her mom was sold to William along with the ranch? And there was nothing to explain how Loretta got there or why she didn’t believe William was her actual father. As endings go, I was really rooting for a more satisfying Great Alone by Kristin Hannah type ending but instead I got a gasoline soaked prairie fire (literally and figuratively)

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

My heart just wasn’t in this one, so my review could be biased.
I didn’t care for the style of writing. The story was decent, but in my opinion, it didn’t flow well. One event would be taking place, and in the next sentence, something completely different would be happening with no transition.
I didn’t care for the language or vocabulary, either. To me it seemed like the story took place more in the 50’s instead of the 90’s just based on language alone. I’m unfamiliar with Rocky Mountain dialect, but the dialect didn’t seem to fit either. It seemed more like it took place in the South somewhere.
The main character was decent, and I was pulling for her the whole story.
What happened to Papa was sort of anticlimactic.
I found myself having to reread quite a bit of the story to figure out what was happening in that moment.

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is so special and the story is beautifully told. I love the story’s leader, Loretta, and the emotional connection the story builds with her. Also really like the shifting timelines and found it very cinematic the way the past and current-day stories twisted together and apart. This is a lovely and important read for anyone who values friendship, growth, and a book with a perfect balance of suspense and prose.

[Marinda Wise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know...this book just wasn't a home run for me.
It lacked depth, but maybe it's just me?
The author's sister in real life had experiences with similar homes, which I found interesting and sad, but the book over just did grab me.

[Abby Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It just wasn’t mind blowing.

[Martha Ritter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not realize these type of homes were in such existence and without oversight until recently. It was well written and kept me interested. It is a hard reality that places like this exist. They must have preyed on families that didn’t know how to handle what their teens were going through.

[Momilani Awana · Rating 1 out of 5]

13% through the Hoopla audiobook and I’m noping out of this one. I just wanted something to get me revved up for laundry day! Is that so much to ask?

I realize how obnoxious the rules of writing can be. “Show, don’t tell — but also the reader needs to understand everything and do you really think people can pick up on every nuance? Nobody likes to think too hard when they read.”

So yes, sometimes explicit exposition is necessary. Sometimes stating a character’s emotions directly is easier than having them pace around a room and look into a mirror dramatically. Sometimes you need to hit the nail with a hammer instead of twisting it delicately. Sometimes efficiency is preferable.

SOMETIMES.

As a feminist who escaped an abusive childhood and worked briefly at a camp for troubled teens, I KNOW. Bad dads are bad. Silent moms are bad, though I wish I’d had one of those. Any sort of involuntary camp is bad. I am fine being shown the dynamics of a new camp, because they all have their unique cultures. I do not, however, need to be TOLD these places are homophobic, or that they have rigid gender roles. I don’t need to be told the men who run them are awful.

I really, really don’t like villains who are purely evil. Maybe this changes as the book goes on — I’ll never know. But thus far, the father is more a stereotype than a character. I will wholeheartedly admit that abusers are abusive for the sake of being abusive. This is, frankly, fascinating. And there are others who are abusive because they think it’s the only way to change others.

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -C.S. Lewis

See? I get it. I don’t need Loretta’s constant judgment and feelings on the topic to help me get it more.

Beyond that, teenage Loretta is completely cut off from society. So much so that she thinks the SNES came out the same year Clueless was released (granted, that’s probably just an author’s mistake). She would not have the same perspective or knowledge base of the reader, or adult Loretta, for that matter.

More importantly, having been raised by these people, a more realistic character would feel need and loyalty beneath the longing to escape. Abusers cultivate love as much as they do fear. It’s a double-pronged approach to gaining absolute loyalty from their followers. I’m honestly relieved Loretta displays obedience rather than outright rebellion.

It would have been far more interesting if she started as a believer. If, for example, she had a semi-normal childhood where she knew the bad girls went to the bad camp, then got pulled into the family business. She could gradually reflect on how her father treated her, learn from the other girls what the outside world is like. Instead, she is endowed with this knowledge from the onset and already memorizing highways. Conflicted characters are dynamic. Even as she plans her escape, Loretta is static and I imagine anything she learns will serve as confirmation bias that bad dads are bad, bad camps are bad, bad systems that allow this nonsense are bad …

Which leads me to the modern sequences. First off, I HATE knowing from the outset that Loretta escapes at some point. I’d be far more invested if I didn’t know whether it ended in freedom or death. I ended around the time she quotes Harry Potter to her loving partner. Oh, cool, I get it — fundamentalists burn Harry Potter books, Harry had abusive guardians, and Loretta probably has a case of arrested development. Let’s throw in a summary of the characters’ shared sentiment while we’re at it. Nail, meet hammer. Hoopla, meet pause button.

TL;DR: DNF

[Mica's Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Marcia Bradley
Started: March 13, 2023
Finished: March 15, 2023
Format: Kindle
Genre: Historical Fiction

Loretta has spent her life on a ranch known as The Home for Wayward Girls. Owned by William and her mother, it was where "bad" girls were sent to be "fixed". Loretta knows that these girls aren't bad and that they are simply choosing their own way to live. Loretta has plans to escape the ranch the moment she turns eighteen - the age of freedom. An unexpected tragedy sets her free and she knows she must run. Her one guiding force is her compass - she knows it will always point North and the choice of her path is hers and hers alone.

The author wrote this novel based on her sister's experiences at a residential home in her youth. She brings to light many of the atrocities such as physical, mental, and sexual abuse that was prevalent in those facilities. Loretta is a strong, independent character who does all she can to befriend the ranch's wards and to give them the skills needed to survive in the prairie should they ever escape. Knowing her past, it was wonderful to see a character so aware of how living on the ranch affected her mentally. Loretta, the adult, is a character that promotes self-care and self-awareness. I found this to be a novel that I looked forward to picking up in my free moments. This is a wonderful debut novel and I am excited to see what other topics this author covers.

[Judy Shemtob · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE HOME FOR WAYWARD GIRLS by Marcia Bradley hooked me from the start. In fact, I read this riveting book from beginning to end in less than a day because I was totally caught up with the plight of all the characters especially Loretta, who was abused by William and Mama. The format of the book helped me vicariously experience the horrific events of Loretta’s life as she tried to help other "troubled" teen girls who were brought to this ranch because I knew that Loretta survived. That fact gave me hope and strength to find out about an important and difficult issue that has been happening to teens and their families for many years now. I so appreciated the author’s delving into Loretta’s relationships with the young girls, the people she met on her journey from west of the Rockies to New York City, and her present husband. Since the author writes with marvelous details, fabulous pacing, and sweeping rhythm, the characters and settings and emotions seemed real to me, so real that I almost expected the characters to continue talking to me in my living room after the story ended. Harper Collins 2023

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author. It was an interesting read. My only complaint was the skipping from past to present.

Loretta’s parents run the Home for Wayward Girls on a remote ranch. Due to the location and her upbringing, Loretta can’t wait to escape to a new life one day.

Loretta befriends the girls at the ranch, against the wishes of her parents. She sees the horrible abuses they suffer at the hand of her father. She knows firsthand how cruel he can be.

Loretta eventually escapes and starts a new life. She spends it helping other girls who have suffered. Finally she tells her story and that of the girls at the Home for Wayward girls.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate doing this. I haven't given a book a one-star rating in forever. The reason I'm doing this is because it was a DNF for me - which is also unusual. I don't easily give up on a book.

However, by 20% I was so bored and by 54% I just couldn't anymore. It is not a terrible book. The writing is good and the premise was one that interested me enough to read it. I simply expected more and maybe something a little different. I enjoyed the parts about Loretta's childhood more than the New York chapters. I just didn't feel anything for the characters and the New York chapters were too drawn out and I didn't feel it going anywhere.

I wouldn't recommend this book to my friends or bookclub, but I would give future books from this author a chance. Undoubtedly, this will become bestseller.

[✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧ Bini's Era ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow 😯 just … W😲W !!

This book was a GREAT CHOICE !!!
I CANNOT believe someone would treat a child like this 🤮😓🤬 ( LET ALONE LITTLE GIRLS!!!)

Marcia Bradley, God bless you & your family. I send my condolences to you all 🤍

5/5 rating

[Kayla Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably more like 2.5⭐️s… wasn’t the best written book, a lot of corny dialogue, but I liked the premise of it enough.

[Grace Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Harper Paperbacks Publishing and Netgallery for the digital ARC in exchange for a review!

One of my favorite things in a novel is when an author is successfully able to bounce back and forth in narratives, between the past and the present. Marcia Bradley is able to do just that — she balances the audiences' attention between Loretta's past West of the Rockies (as the chapter titles helpfully are titles) vs. her present in New York.

The topic of these rehabilitation homes is one that needs to be handled carefully, with respect, as it's something that so many have gone through/are going through. You can tell that Bradley took care when writing this story. Though it's difficult to read, the strength and character and description she gives Loretta and the other 'Wayward Girls' is clear on every page. You never doubt that this is something that she just woke up and decided to write about. As the story progresses, it becomes even more clear how important the topic is to her and how much care she wrapped into her story.

It was a bit difficult for me to get into. While Bradley had command of her narrative, I just wasn't drawn in until about 30% or so. One thing that is a personal pet peeve is when an author adds too much details (name dropping specific brands, apps, ect) and I did find myself clocking that. She sometimes, in my opinion, spends a bit much time detailing Loretta's clothes or what someone else is wearing — while I understand that she was trying to pull a contrast to the present Loretta vs. the one who lived at William's and Mama's, it felt a bit like telling, not telling.

Overall, this was a strong book and one that I was really glad to have had the opportunity to read. I hope that the novel gets the attention and discussion it deserves once it's published.

While it's real rating is 3.75 stars, I would round up to 4 stars.

[Kate Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that is both captivating and important. Bradley's writing is so vivid and detailed we are there with Loretta, her main character, every step of the way. The cruelty of William and Loretta's mother is hard to witness, but it makes Loretta's ultimate survival and ability to thrive that much more compelling. I loved the switches back and forth from New York City to the Home and the way it created tension in the story. I was grateful to Marcia Bradley for vividly portraying a situation that occurs all over our country, and is not given nearly enough attention. Teenagers, especially girls, are sent to punitive "homes" and "schools" where they are exploited and damaged in the name of "morality," abandoned by all the adults who should be supporting them instead. Loretta's heroism is especially inspiring given all that she has endured. This is one of those stories that makes you feel good as you root for the heroine. A great read.

[Lisa Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Home for Wayward Girls is heart-wrenching and impactful. It shines a light on physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

Loretta lived on a ranch with William and Mama who ran The Home for Wayward Girls. Young girls would be sent here to “get reformed” after they were caught drinking, hanging out with boys or any number of normal teenage behaviors. They were forced into hard work disguised as chores, abused by William physically, emotionally and sexually, and punished for anything perceived as wrong by William.

Although Loretta was their daughter, she suffered all the same traumas. She tried to befriend the other girls and take them under her wing, which was never easy under the watchful evil eye of William.

Loretta’s goal was always to leave when she was 18 and much of the story surrounds how she did this, who helped her along the way, and what she did with her life as an adult.

As expected with a story about abuse, there are many triggers, however, the author did a great job getting the point across without getting overly graphic. I give this book 4 stars and found it very compelling.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
This is a story about a girl whose parents operate a home for girls who are "troublemakers". The home is on a ranch, and the main character, Loretta, experiences abuse by her parents. This story is told with dual time frames, the past and the present. There is a pretty heavy focus on the past, but I could see the present story perhaps turning into a sequel. I gave it 3.5 stars because the story was compelling, but I do wish there was more detail about the girls who were sent to the home, their relationships, and stories after. Furthermore, I felt like the experiences Loretta had after leaving the ranch, were not necessarily realistic for what a girl her age may experience out on her own. At times, it seemed glamorized.

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this ARC.

This novel covers a very sensitive topic that absolutely needs to be addressed. We have heard snippets of the conversation in the media, but it hasn’t been exposed nearly as much as it should. Parents, at their wits end, send their children away to “schools” for their supposedly out of control youth. The book started well. I enjoyed how we got to see the world building for Loretta’s life. The fear she has of Poppa, her weak mother, and the friendship she tries to cultivate for the other girls living with her. It was great to see through the two timelines how Loretta started, and where she ended up as an advocate for children like her.

The topic is what sold this story for me. I really wanted to love it. It was a good book for me. Some things threw it off for me like the dialogue. It didn’t feel like it solidly based on the 1990’s. I am a 90’s baby and the way the characters talked seemed to be a bit older. I don’t ever mind switching timelines. Sometimes I felt it was very abrupt, especially for the very first time when we are suddenly in New York with no explanation.

Overall I enjoyed the book and I will look for the author in the future.

[Patricia Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Home for Wayward Girls ripped out my heart and then put it back, filled with more compassion and empathy than I could ever have imagined. This novel brings to life a world where young women are removed from their families and taken to "homes" where they experience unimaginable psychological and physical abuse. This is not something of a time past, it is happening in this country today. When I read this novel I didn't feel the author was trying to "educate" me. I felt like I was living this experience with Loretta, the courageous and steadfast protagonist, who fights to save herself and others.

[Tom Smat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has that creative “pop”. You know when you are ready to jump back to the earlier years or pop up to the today. Just when I was thinking I wonder what Loretta was doing today there I was reading her today life. Then when I was wondering if Loretta was surviving back home, pop I was back at her home hoping and wondering what was next. This book will keep you attentive because the author is interested, it’s like she has bought into pulling out your reaction. You can just feel it. Actually I can’t wait for the sequel.

[Jessi - TheRoughCutEdge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you partner Bibliolifestyle & Harperperennial for the gifted copy!

I really loved how this story balanced the good and the bad in humanity. The reader learns about a place, the Wayward home, where a man uses religion as a weapon to treat women terribly and calls it “helping”. This on its own would be incredibly heavy but the author continually highlights good people and kindness throughout so that the very awful history doesn’t feel so overwhelming.

The flashbacks to the home for wayward girls had moments that encompassed what conversations with young girls would be like. Even in a rough place where they were mentally and physically abused they still had their dreams, giggled about crushes, and were overly dramatic about certain things. The story is told from the POV of one Loretta who had a level of compassion that made her endearing and her outlook on life kept hope alive at all times.

The interesting content, steady writing, and shorter length -288 pages- made this a quick read!

[Tala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Cow, this book was intense! I really really liked it though, and I felt huge sympathy towards young Loretta as she was living in the home. It was hard for me to switch back and forth between the present and past version of her story, I wanted and needed to know the whole story before I could appreciate what she was currently doing. Although it was beneficial to see how she was able to bring her past trauma into her career of helping people. A+++ 14+ for abuse and trauma

[Christi Flaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up