It's the Summer of 1970 and a 15 year old girl is pregnant. Her boyfriend asks her how she could do this to him, her father can barely look at her, she's sent a way from home and forced to live in a home with other teen mothers until she delivers. Stripped of her name, she is known as "Fern" for her time in the home. There, she meets the homeowner with secrets of her own, tending to her "garden" (she gives all of her charges floral names during their stay). Bored, and swollen, Fern comes across a mysterious book given to her by a kind librarian. Fern learns how powerful the book is, and learns her own power as well. 

Hendrix addresses that homes for "Wayward Girls" were unnecessary after Roe v Wade passed, and it is interesting to read this book at this time in history, pondering the possibility that we may go back to a time when pregnancy is hidden and seen as shameful when it does not take place in heteronormative marriages. The story does have horrific moments, but none more unforgettable and horrific than being treated terribly during one of the most vulnerable times in your life. This novel made me laugh, cry and think- which is exactly what 5 star fiction should do.