Really interesting and gross at times YA horror that has a post-apocalyptic feel with queer girls and a vague ending. Writing and story felt very unique.

DNF at 40% I tried to read this book several times but unfortunately couldn't connect with the characters or the story

The writing style wasn’t for me. Though I am excited for queer kids to get to see themselves in literature that isn’t just about their queerness or about romance.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

I'm not sure why I didn't put my feedback on here. Sorry about that. I read this book in July of 2019 and absolutely LOVED IT! I got the arc via netgalley but then also won a giveaway for it so I have a physical copy. 

I originally heard of this book on BookTube and thought it sounded really interesting, and boy did it come through.  I really liked the horror aspect of it in regards to what the Tox did to the girls. It gave them deformities such as a second spine, and it's just something i've not seen in a book before. The characters were great and there was queer rep. 
Overall it was a really good read, just beware if you don't like gore/death/violence there is a decent amount of that. 

Sorry the review isn't the greatest and it's pretty well overdue, I got pretty busy over the last year and a half and have been in quite a bad reading/reviewing slump.

I enjoyed Wilder Girls - it wasn't what I was expecting, but it was interesting and kept me turning the pages.

This was, perhaps, the weirdest book I've read in a while.  Confusing, but not in a bad way, more the style that makes you eager to uncover the mysteries.  With a narrator that pulls you in to her, makes you become her, share her struggles and desires, it was difficult to put down, despite its, um, unusual content.  Absolutely unique, enthralling, and left me feeling glad I had read it, and yearning for more.

Appropriately creepy while not fully a horror story, an excellent thrilling novel about teens, the relationships they form and thrive on, and how they deal with disaster.

This was a slow burn, really insidiously creepy book. Gorgeous cover, lyrical writing, and I wish there was sapphic horror in every book ever published because WOW.

I thought this novel was fantastic.  Fits in with my teen readers want of dystopian novels with a thriller twist.  Well written with strong characters- I can see this being made into a movie.
Purchased for my high school library and book talked a lot.

I have had a difficult time writing the review for Rory Power's Wilder Girls. I've sat down to write it time and again and nothing I write seems to be enough. Wilder Girls is a powerful story of survival and strength in a scary uncertain time and condition. 

There are so many things to love about this story:
- strong women
- a contagious illness with the potential to destroy the world
- a low grade lgbt+ plot line that isn't corny or pandering
- people who fight back

On top of that, writing so good that you can visualize the insanity of the illness overcoming all obstacles. I can't, this story is just too good. It's been added to my beloved books list.

The upside (?) to insomnia last night was reading this delightful Lord of the Flies retelling! I could strongly identify to the claustrophobia of quarantine and isolation (thanks 2020) and the fear of a disease that ravages without pattern. Spooky, gory, and with no easy answers or explanations, Power’s debut is a winner. Perfect for fans of Nick Cutter’s THE TROOP. #netgalley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Chilling story of survival. A small group of schoolgirls has been quarantined on the  island where their school, Raxter, is located. The "tox"  has killed many of the school's students,  teachers and island animals. When Hetty's friend Bryant disappears, Hetty sets out to search for her, not knowing that what she'll find may totally shake up what she thought she knew. As the story progresses, Power gradually ratchet's up the creepiness factor. Fans of Lord of the Flies will enjoy this feminist take on a similiar theme.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I am the type of reader that if I get bored or if the story is going in a direction that I don't like, I will read spoiler reviews and skip to the ahead or to the end (where I can, it isn't easy to do that in an eBook).  If the negative reviews echo sentiments that I also do not like, or the book goes someplace I do not enjoy, I will DNF the book.  There are too many books out there that I will enjoy to spend time with one that I do not.

This was one of those books.  32% of the way in and I was 1) bored and 2) concerned this was going to have an ending that I wasn't on-board for.  After reading the negative reviews, I concluded that the MCs didn't get any better, that in fact they got worse and that the ending was in no way satisfactory.  

I am not into body horror and this book did have a lot of that.  It was easy for me to kind of gloss over, but others may not enjoy reading about the bodies of the people and animals transforming in painful and bloody ways.  

Also, the eco-system of the island before the Tox hit wasn't quite believable, making what happened further on in the book less so.  There is an obligatory conspiracy, which I'm not overly fond of and violence.

Ah yes, the violence.  They fight for food, even the friends.  One of the MCs, Reece, wanted to be on the Boat team, so she could leave the school compound and try to find her father who left the school because he was sick and didn't want to be a danger to the girls.  Her friend the MC whose POV we first follow (can't recall her name, my apologies), gets the position instead.  So Reece launches herself at her friend who got the job and chokes her, trying to hurt/kill her.  The MC who was attacked is then told she should try to make up with Reece, by an adult teacher and the other BFF.    

They then become a romantic couple later on in the book.  

No.  Just NO.  If Reece were a guy and attacked a girl like that, if they were to become a romantic couple later, there would be a HUGE hue and cry over it.  If it isn't right for a guy to attack a girl and then become an item, it isn't right for a girl to attack a girl and then become an item.  

I am SO SICK and tired of things that wouldn't fly in a heterosexual couple being ok in a same sex couple in books.  IT IS NOT OK.  ALL people should be able to be in a relationship without violence from one person on the other.  Same if it was a girl attacking a guy, not ok either.  Why does YA seem to show unhealthy relationships as ok, of any gender combination?  

I was going to give the book two stars, as it wasn't written poorly, it just didn't work for me, but then I remembered this bit and I can't in good conscience give it more than 1 star.  I am not going to give a work more than one star when it shows unhealthy relationships like this and where the victim is told they need to make up with the attacker.  That is not what ANYone needs to read, ever, let alone the demographic this is aimed at, YA readers, most likely females.  

I'm sorry, I really wanted to like this book more than I did.  That cover is GORGEOUS, but it didn't really translate to what was inside, at least not to me.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Queer eco-feminist body horror. Really enjoyable read that left me wanting more. The girls of Raxter School are barely hanging on after a dangerous mysterious outbreak has caused them to be quarantined.

<i>*Advance Review Copy generously provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*</i>   
I fell into cover love with this one! I really enjoy a good fast-paced horror, but this one left me pretty unsatisfied. I would have loved more backstory for the characters and the virus, and the ending was crazy. A little too crazy for me. But I have purchased for the collection and encourage scifi/horror fans to give it a go!

This was way better than I was expecting it to be. I didn't quite know what to expect going in because people have been saying that it's a little weird and you will either love it or hate it. I ended up really enjoying it. It was fun trying to figure out what the hell was going on and how the characters got to where they are. I liked Hetty a lot as our main character. There were a few chapters from someone else's point of view and those chapters were so good and really added to the story. I am on the fence with the ending. It was pretty open so maybe there will be a companion novel in the future which I would love to see. I will for sure be reading more from this author in the future.

Whew. 

Why do I keep on picking up Dystopians when I know they disappoint me the majority of the time? Oh, yeah, because it was offered to me for free. 

Um, thanks, Net Galley? I guess. 

My biggest issue with this book was the "friendship" and "romance" depicted; which was hella unhealthy and never really *shown* organically to the reader, but rather - told. Reese literally almost strangled Hetty to death because she was displeased with someone else's decision. 

But they're supposed to be friends and infatuated (maybe in love) with one another?? Nah fam. I don't accept that from my hetero ships, I sure as hell aint going to accept that from my LGBTQ+ ships. Keep your hands to yourself, and if you have anger issues - deal with it appropriately. One incident, I could maybeeee excuse with a decent enough apology and follow through with actions, but Reese was literally a angry POS for the majority of the narrative. Don't approve. 

There were other components of the novel that I didn't enjoy, but that one in particular stood out to me the most, as well as the gross worm body horror scene. I've already determined that body horror is not for me. I could have done without. 

Will probably not be reading anything else by this author.

I feel like Wilder Girls had some of the most divisive reviews in 2019. For every 5 star review, I saw another person giving it 1 star. This made incredibly intrigued to finally get to this one and see what my thoughts were.

Um, this one was fine. 

I thought the toxin that was the catalyst for the conflict was intriguing to read about, especially the mutations that it caused. I was unsure where the plot was going for the first half of the novel but was surprised that we got a second pov and the information we got from this pov. 

It was fun discovering the secrets and cover-ups with the characters and I didn't mind the ending. I thought it wrapped up well for the narrative that was presented. Of course, I would have liked more answers about the tox, but I'm totally okay with this book being a bit more ambiguous as it fit the tone better. 

I'm intrigued to read more from Rory Powers in the future.

This book had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, halfway through it just became more and more bizarre in a nonsensical way and the ending made the entire story feel pointless.
It's too bad, because this had all the good things to be a great book.