Orphan Black meets Margaret Atwood in this twisty supernatural thriller about female power and the bonds of sisterhood. A most anticipated crime book of 2021 by CrimeReads and an Amazon Pick for Best Sci-fi and Fantasy for the Year So Far.

An anticipated summer read pick for Harper’s Bazaar, WIRED, Goodreads, Everygirl, Alma, PopSugar, and the Los Angeles Times.

A best book of June for Barnes & Noble and Refinery29 U.K. 

Order here // add on Goodreads here 

Josephine Morrow is Girl One, the first of nine “Miracle Babies” conceived without male DNA, raised on an experimental commune known as the Homestead. When a suspicious fire destroys the commune and claims the lives of two of the Homesteaders, the remaining Girls and their Mothers scatter across the United States and lose touch.

Years later, Margaret Morrow goes missing, and Josie sets off on a desperate road trip, tracking down her estranged sisters who seem to hold the keys to her mother’s disappearance. Tracing the clues Margaret left behind, Josie joins forces with the other Girls, facing down those who seek to eradicate their very existence while uncovering secrets about their origins and unlocking devastating abilities they never knew they had.

A spellbinding supernatural thriller, Girl One combines the provocative imagination of Naomi Alderman’s The Power with the propulsive, cinematic storytelling of a Marvel movie. In her electrifying new novel, Sara Flannery Murphy digs deep into women’s extraordinary power and reveals an unassailable truth: so much strength lies in numbers.

– Advance Praise for Girl One–

“GIRL ONE flares into the world with genetic possibilities and a bold remaking of history. A speculative feminist thriller of the highest order, GIRL ONE is fresh, boundless, and thought-provoking. Certain books and characters linger long after the final page. Josephine Morrow’s extraordinary journey is one you won’t soon forget.” —Mindy Mejia, author of Everything You Want Me To Be

“A genre-defying, thought-provoking thriller that is impossible to put down. GIRL ONE is an engaging, timely exploration of identity and the power women possess when they band together.” – Kami Garci, author of Beautiful Creatures

“Sara Flannery Murphy’s GIRL ONE is both a heart-pounding, binge-worthy thriller and a riveting exploration of creation, consent, and the power of sisterhood. Don’t miss this compelling new entry to the feminist literary canon!“
– Layne Fargo, author of They Never Learn

“I was swept away by this potent feminist speculative literary thriller. Part road trip and part detective story, with a tender queer love story at its heart, a cinematic scope, gothic sensibilities and a wounded rage thrumming under the surface, GIRL ONE will blaze a path through your reading this summer.” –  Jane Healey, author of The Animals at Lockwood Manor

– Press for Girl One–

“An engaging and well-paced scientifically based thriller.” – Paul Simpson, Sci-Fi Bulletin

“Road trip across a vicious America, alt-sci thriller, sweet romance, this is a masterpiece of controlled tension and revelation … The slow gathering of understanding is perfectly balanced against withheld mysteries.” – Jamie Buxton, Daily Mail

“Ultimately, GIRL ONE is a thrilling and intriguing story, unafraid to explore the mundane darknesses and cruelties commonplace within society through the lens of dazzling science fiction, without sacrificing the beating heart at its core.” – Chris Haigh, Set the Tape

“Fans of Margaret Atwood and Orphan Black are sure to be enthralled by Sara Flannery Murphy’s sci-fi crime thriller.” – Jess Kelham-Hohler, The Glossary’s 11 must-read new fiction books coming out in August

12 of the Best New Good Books to Read – Cosmopolitan U.K.

“Sara Flannery Murphy has used the subject to craft her own chilling, page-turning speculative thriller.” – Tom Bromley, Living Magazine

“Netflix, make this a series!” – Nina Pottell, Prima

“Sara Flannery Murphy’s second novel is a gripping and original exploration of sisterhood and identity.” – Vogue U.K.

“Ethical questions abound regarding reproduction without men, and these add to the tense chase to find Josie’s mother and defend the women from opponents of their choices and independence. Readers of sf-tinged drama will want more of this author.” – Booklist

“GIRL ONE is a gripping read in the vein of The Handmaid’s Tale that will have you questioning what is science-fiction and what could be real—which is subversive genre-bending fiction at its best.” – Better Reading

“This is a meaty, thrilling story of power and who truly wields it.” – Fiona Hardy, Readings’ Best New Crime Novels in July

“A supernatural suspense novel about the power of sisterhood and womanhood that will leave you stunned.” – Latina Moms’ What to Read on Your Summer Vacation

“[GIRL ONE] has a grab-you-by-the-neck premise … Once Josie starts her quest, dystopian gender politics turn into supernatural hijinks.” – Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times’ 10 Best Books for Your Summer Beach Reading 

The Everygirl’s 12 New Books We Can’t Wait to Read This Summer

Amazon’s Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy of 2021 (So Far)

“If The Handmaid’s Tale and the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a baby, the result would probably look something like this feminist sci-fi thriller.” – Keely Weis, Harper’s Bazaar Best Summer Books to Read in 2021

12 Haunting New Mystery and Thriller Books Coming Your Way in June

PopSugar’s Best New Books Releasing in June 2021

“This twisty, fast-paced thriller raises some really terrific questions … Sara Flannery Murphy examines how even unwitting complicity with patriarchal power structures can restrict and damage us all regardless of gender.” – Doreen Sheridan, Criminal Element

“If a book promises a mash-up of Orphan Black and Margaret Atwood, it better deliver. And GIRL ONE delivers … [GIRL ONE] mixes thriller, science fiction, and feminism for a genre-bending, empowering, and just plain fun read.” – Sarah Gelman, Amazon Editors’ Picks for June

Refinery29.co.uk Reads: The Books We’re Picking Up This June

“… This trippy, detective-style sci-fi thriller rewards readers who stick with it. Girl One explores some very deep themes, mostly around the often fraught relationship between mothers and daughters .” – Saira Mueller, WIRED’s Picks for the 9 Books You Need to Read This Summer

“Murphy … focuses on the women at the heart of the story. A compelling read.” – Emily Burack, Alma’s Favorite Books for Summer

“Be prepared to blow your mind with this terrifically inventive, cinematic supernatural thriller and coming-of-age story.” – Barnes & Noble’s Most Anticipated New Books of June 2021

“Murphy’s sci-fi thriller imagines a future in which ‘Miracle Babies’ are conceived without male DNA. Predictably, there are some violent objections. But the babies are grown now, and they can defend themselves.” – Goodreads’ Hottest New Books of the Summer

CrimeReads calls Girl One an “Atwood-esque thriller” and the “superhero take on 1970s feminism that we never knew we needed.” – The Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2021

“[One] of the best books I’ve read so far this year … In this thriller, just when you think you’ve started to put the pieces together, something else comes into play.” – Victoria Irwin, Fangirl Nation 

“Sara Flannery Murphy proves to be a masterful storyteller as she weaves together a propulsive and twisted narrative …  This gem will certainly appeal to those who enjoyed the oeuvre of Joanna Russ and Margaret Atwood.” – Lou Jacobs, Mystery & Suspense