Reddit mentions of Strong: Nine Workout Programs for Women to Burn Fat, Boost Metabolism, and Build Strength for Life

I would highly recommend the book Strong by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove. They are the guys who wrote NROLFW and wrote this book as a more developed approach to starting with the compound lifts and building up your core strength to lift without injury. All the exercises are explained with modifications to make them easier or more difficult. By the end of the program you are doing back squats, deadlifts, etc.

>In terms of exercise, I want to target slimming down my waist and thighs but grow my glutes and abs? How would I even start going about this?

You can't spot reduce fat. You can do some reshaping with overall fat loss (which comes from a calorie deficit) and strength training, but you can only change your natural body shape so much. Make sure that your expectations are realistic. Find a beginner weightlifting program (looks like someone else recommended Strong Curves), eat lots of protein, and stick to an appropriate calorie goal (not too low, not too high). I have a few books with weightlifting programs and I highly recommend getting a book. It will give you some background on the importance of weightlifting.

Strong Curves is $22 on Amazon I've never read it but it is highly recommended by many. I am doing the program from Strong and loving it! It utilizes a variety of equipment and supersets, so it isn't for everyone. The book is a quick read and I liked it.

Might check this out. Sounds similar to what you are looking for and I had great results with it.
https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Workout-Programs-Metabolism-Strength/dp/0399573437