3.5 stars rounded up!

This is a really unique read about two sisters searching for their mother, but add in some magical realism with a coming of age story and you’ve got a really atmospheric read!

This book is unlike my usual reads! Magical realism isn’t my go-to, and this felt like such a unique storyline. The characters are well-developed, and I loved the flashbacks where you get to know Nora. The build up to the mystery was great, and I was so excited to see where this story went.

Once the sisters got on the road, I thought “yes! Let’s see where their journey goes!” But their journey was very meandering, and I thought it would all tie together a little more at the end. After I finished, there were a few parts of the book where I wasn’t sure why certain things were included. If they had taken a more direct path, I think I would have liked it more and probably given it 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book was a good read! It was full of adventure, magical realism, friendship, and heartbreak. I enjoyed reading every part of the story and following the sisters on the adventure of a lifetime, and all the memories and shocking revelations that were found on the way.

* Thanks to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advance copy for review purposes *

Two estranged sisters with special powers set out on a roadtrip to find their mother, one of them reluctantly, the other filled with hope and expectations. The character development is superb, and the sisters' abilities adds to the underlying theme of self acceptance. The mystery of what happened to their mother is a little forced, constructed by funneling information through switching back and forth between past and present, however, the mystery itself is secondary to the growth of the characters.

💜𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲💜
THE WILDERWOMEN
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: magical realism
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 ⭐️
📖 326 pages
🥳 𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 11/15/2022 (today!)

🎉!𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘆!🎉

Thank you @stmartinspress & @netgalley for this #gifted copy of this beautiful hardcover ARC.

This was such a beautiful story and really pulled me in. At times it even reminded me of Practical Magic with the 2 sisters at odds over their differences and struggling with their magical gifts. I also really liked the alternating POV’s between sisters Zadie and Finn throughout.

It’s funny bc even though I really enjoyed this, at the same time it felt like not much happened? Or maybe I just read it so quickly it felt like that somehow 😅 . Whatever the reason, this story really enraptured me and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it 😊

With the temperature drop in Chicago this past weekend and the first snow ❄️ today, I couldn’t help but put my Christmas 🎄 decorations up. Bring on #cozyseason

The Wilderwomen is a long road trip, but this book is worth every mile...er, page.
I liked the large cast of characters, especially Joel and the Van Houten girls. Finn and Zadie...well. They are well-written characters, but I had a hard time connecting with their hunt for their mother. The author did a great job of tying together the main plots and side plots with the lovely locations. If you like the road trip part of the Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana, and Taryn Manning movie Crossroads and the sisterhood of Practical Magic, this book is for you.

When Nora Wilder disappeared her eldest daughter Zadie was not worried, her mother had been disappearing and losing time, but she always came back. But that was five years ago and not being able to keep custody of her little sister Finn, Zadie is all alone.
When Finn announces that with or without Zadies help she is going to find their mother, Zadie has no choice to go along with her sisters plan.
This sets in motion an adventure that will test their limits, and the closer the girls get to finding Nora, the further Finn slips away from her sister.

I’m usually not a fan of magical realism. But this had just enough magic that I didn’t know what to expect, and not too much that it took over the story.
This was a story of hope, resilience, and the power of family.

This is definitely a MUST READ for any and everyone! There are a few very talented writers who manage to take a story line and build it into something more. Ruth Emmie Lang has joined that list for me. I have not read her first book but I'm adding it to me TBR list. This book is a journey. It is traveled through the lives of 3 women.

Two sisters have reached a point in their lives when they must face who they are in order to become who they should be. Their mother started her journey five years ago, leaving the sisters to grow apart. Due to their circumstances, they have both changed and they cannot decide if that is for the better, yet. Each sister has a gift, one can see the future, one can feel the past, but they have never tried to develop their gifts until now. Their journey starts as a search for their mother but each step will take them further into their own life story.

This book had my attention from the first. Ms Lang wove a web that kept me reading "just a few more pages" and thinking about the story when I wasn't reading. It's hard to describe this feeling but other readers know what I'm saying. We are always hunting for books that give you this experience. Read this one.....it's a winner.

Wow do I feel warm and fuzzy after finishing that one. What a feel good book that didn't feel too cheesy or cheap. This was just the perfect amount of magical realism for me while also staying grounded in reality. I loved the authors debut and am SO happy that this one did not dissapoint as well!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a gifted eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The Wilderwomen is a story about two sisters reconnecting and going on a road trip to discover what happened to their mother who left suddenly 5 years ago. It’s a mix of magic, adventure, mystery and sister-bonding. I’ve never read Lang’s other book but plan to very soon!

The plot is a bit meandering at times but I enjoyed the writing style and didn’t mind if parts were slow-paced. The magic is subtle but a very present aspect of the story! You will need to ditch your logical brain and just go with the flow, I think appreciating the experience rather than the explanation behind it makes it a much more enjoyable read.

If you’re curious about this one, it’s definitely worth the read with beautiful writing, engaging characters and some magic ✨.

4.5/5

I didn't know what to expect from this book but in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Reminded me a bit of an Alice Hoffman book with the magical realism throughout the book. It was a unique story that pulled me in from the start. Not having any sisters myself, I love reading books about sisters. These characters were magical, and the story was beautifully written. A wonderful book with a little magic, a little mystery, and the beauty of family love.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the review copy.

Two sisters search for their missing mother in Ruth Emmie Lang’s THE WILDERWOMEN. Whether their mother left from anger or just wandered off, her daughters have spent the intervening five years struggling to understand her departure as well as their own developing psychic abilities. They’ve also grown apart and a trip together, in search of their mother, may at least provide an opportunity to rebuild their relationship. Part trek, part magical realism, this tale holds enough mystery and love to capture and hold readers’ interests. I received my copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

Overall, a really neat idea. However, I had trouble connecting with the characters. I guess this just wasn't my type of book.

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang is mind blowing combination of magical realism meets mystery and women’s fiction!

THE WILDERWOMEN by Ruth Emmie Lang was an intriguing story following two sisters, Finn and Zadie, on a search to find their mother, who has been missing for years. These two sisters each possess a special gift, which helps them on their search. This book is for lovers of magical realism and family dramas.

Ruth Emmie Lang explores family relationships with a solid dose of magical realism in her new book, The Wilderwomen. It’s a sweet and engaging exploration of sisterhood and the complications inherent in mother-daughter connections.

Lang’s primary voices are two sisters. Zadie is a twenty-something young woman on the cusp of many changes. She’s trying to finish college, manage a boyfriend, and stay connected to her younger sister, Finn. Since their mother, Nora, disappeared five years ago, Finn has been in foster care with a loving and well-off family. She’s a new high school graduate with a bright future ahead of her. So, the sisters plan a beach getaway to celebrate.

But they also can’t leave the mystery of what happened to their mother behind. It haunts them every day. And for Finn, that haunting is in the form of external memories she feels as if they were her own. Standing in a particular place, for example, Finn often feels the memories of other people who’ve also stood there. And now she has memories that feel like Nora’s.

Zadie resists her uncommon abilities, psychic predictions that aren’t always clear. Yet, she can’t ignore what’s happening to Finn. So the beach trip becomes a wide-ranging adventure in search of Nora.

My conclusions
Lang develops both Zadie and Finn with care and kindness. They’re two lost young women searching for their mother’s anchoring presence. She explores the psychological effects of abandonment with gentle subtlety.

Zadie’s response to Nora’s flight is to develop more walls and keep others out. Because she’s the younger sibling, Finn relies on Zadie. On the other hand, she experiences positive parenting because of her loving foster family. I wish more foster families were this kind in real life.

The explanation for Nora’s disappearance is unfurled slowly. Lang slowly exposes small pieces of the answer, effectively increasing the suspense.

As the sisters travel, the people they meet are unique and offer them new vistas. Again, Lang delves into creative magical realism here. She walks the edge between wild ideas and somewhat likely possibilities. And the effect is delicious.

This is my first venture into the world of Ruth Emmie Lang’s writing. It won’t be my last.

Acknowledgments
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review. The expected publication date for this book is November 15, 2022.

4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5!

I was approved for this eARC in May. I put it off time after time but finally picked it up today when I realized the release date is soon (lifelong procrastinator over here, please don't judge).

Well, I am so upset that I put it off as long as I did. I devoured it in a day! When I wasn't reading it, I was counting down the moments until I could pick it up again.

I was so enthralled by what was going on because it's a bit sci-fi/fantasy stuff that I don't read much of, but definitely will be in the future. There aren't witches, faeries, or anything along those lines. It's just a really unique plot that I absolutely loved! I found myself legitimately laughing at times because Zadie and Finn are so sarcastic. I could relate to both of them so well.

My only reason for taking off a half star was Zadie was annoying at times, but it was so minuscule to the big picture.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I think it's a beautiful love story about the relationships between sisters and the relationship between daughters and mothers.

Ruth Emmie Lang wrote a predictable tale of two young girls in search of meaning as they search for their lost mother who abandoned them. It had promise, but didn't always deliver or keep the reader wanting to finish the story.

This mystical, beautiful novel is for the lovers of family tales with beautiful emotional depth. It's a stunning tale of identity, of familial bonds, of spirituality and mysticism. If you want a beautiful, poignant story, "The Wilderwomen" is the book for you.

This book was a wonderfully character driven story with elements of fantasy and mystery. It kept me engaged, always trying to figure out what would happen next. This book kept me guessing until the very end! I loved that the story focused on in women that were uniquely independent but still connected and vulnerable. I would have liked a little more explanation regarding the “gifts” these women had, but overall I loved this story and the magical realism it embodies.

I loved Ruth Emmie Lang’s debut novel, Beasts Of Extraordinary Circumstance, so was thrilled when St Martin’s Press reached out with an ARC of her new book, The Wilderwomen. Lang stays true to what I loved about Beasts and upped her game.

The Wilderwomen is a genre bending story, combining elements of paranormal, mystery, and magical realism. This is a story of a family where women have a sixth sense, of a mother who was lost to her daughters and their search for her five years later.

Told between present day and flashbacks, sisters Zadie and Finn go on a journey to find out what really became of their mother, Nora. Ruth Emmie Lang is really in her element as Zadie and Finn travel from Texas through the Arizona desert. Each location is so unique, and it’s own character. The tension between the sisters is palpable, as is the desire to trust and rebuild a close relationship. I loved Zadie’s arc from carrying the burden of past knowledge, feeling helpless to help Finn, anger at Nora, that comes to a very satisfying resolution (spoiler free!). The blending of generational family mystery with a touch of paranormal/sixth sense was done seamlessly. This was a perfect fit for my reading year that has been stacked full of great women’s stories!

I recommend The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang for lovers of of her previous book, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances, those that enjoy magical realism with a mystery, perfect for readers of Sarah Addison Allen’s Other Birds.