I was so excited for this book, and while it was good, it just didn't quite work for me. Such a unique premise, and refreshing magical realism/women's fiction. Sisters Zadie and Finn are on the search for their missing mother, and both have special abilities. They meet interesting people along the way. It was good, but it just missed he mark for me.

The Wilderwomen is a vibrant story, mixing complicated family relationships with magic realism. It takes the reader on an adventure, as two sisters reunite to find their missing mother.

Synopsis: Zadie Wilder can see the future. But, her premonitions never told her that her mother Nora would leave her and her younger sister Finn unexpectedly 5 years ago. Nora’s disappearance forced 18-year-old Zadie and Finn apart, with Finn relocating to live with a foster family. Finn has the ability to sense the memories of a place, the echoes that remain. When Finn encounters an echo on the day of her high school graduation party, she knows that it’s connected to her mother. She convinces Zadie to embark on a journey to find their mother, using their abilities to lead the way. As they travel, they see the beauty of the world around them, and soon realize that they are not the only ones with talents that cannot be explained. Through it all, they learn to face the heartache that still lingers from that night 5 years ago, reconcile with each other, and begin to heal.

I felt as if I had gone on a coming-of-age road trip as I read this book. The details and imagery were phenomenal. This book has a slower pace in some sections, but the reader is left with that feeling of just being still in the moment, listening to the stories of those around them, and being filled with the wonder of nature. As Zadie and Finn encounter people along the way, each person's story reveals some insight that helps Zadie and Finn in their emotional journey as well. I loved the element of magical realism, but equally loved that the narrative was based on so much more than that. This is a story of reuniting with family and learning to heal from past trauma. It will make you want to hug a loved one, take a long drive somewhere unexpected, and look up at the stars on a quiet night.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy.

The Wilder girls have psychic abilities, but will those abilities help them find their mom who left 5 years before. The girls have been separated for most of the past 5 years, so watching their relationship develop as they travel to find their mom, was the best part of this book. I enjoyed the story and character development.

I enjoy books with a mystical or magical feel, but I don't think this one will make it to my favorite list. This was an odd book, but I did enjoy parts of it. Some of it just felt a bit far-fetched. Thanks to author Ruth Emmie Lang, St. Martins Press, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The connection women can form with one another is difficult to define. Even more so for sisters and daughters with mothers. Not in every case but as soon as I began The Wilder Women, I felt like I had entered a secret society, a unique pact.

Lang manages to whimsically weave coming of age with a generational story of love and loss. She unravels this story delicately and in a peaceful and timely way. Not rushed, and with balance, with time to get to know Zadie, Finn and Nora. What makes them special. The wrong turns we so often take in life. The recovery.

Absolutely haunting and beautiful

I enjoyed this book but to me, it read more as a fairytale than magical. It held my interest for the first half and then I ended up skipping through the chapters. My demographic, almost a senior, may not have been the target audience. It seems more suited to teen/young adult. Still, I can give it a solid three stars. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

There isn’t too many times where I’m at a lose for words because a good just blew me away. I really enjoyed this read! The characters were great, as was the plot line. I guess I’m still left with some questions and I got lost in sections of the book since everyone was lost as well in the story itself, but it left me wanting more. I really wanted more revelations and more concrete things that would propel me forward. I didn’t really connect with the characters, but I felt like I was next to them, being their shadow. Overall, I enjoyed this story a ton and a would recommend it to the folks who love being in those adventures along with the characters.

3/5 stars!!
**Thank you NetGalley for a free review copy! I’m leaving this review voluntarily!**

The setting:
Nora Wilder has disappeared [it's been 5 years]. Her older daughter, Zadie, who has psychic abilities, should have seen it coming [she did not]. Her estranged sister, Finn [now in foster care], "...remembers not only her own memories, but the echoes of memories other people have left behind. On the afternoon of her graduation party, Finn is seized by an “echo” more powerful than anything she’s experienced before: a woman singing a song she recognizes, a song about a bird." Finn realizes the memory belongs to Nora. She seeks to convince Zadie that their mom is still out there and wants to be found. "Against Zadie’s better judgement, she and Finn hit the highway, using Finn’s echoes to retrace Nora’s footsteps and uncover the answer to the question that has been haunting them for years: Why did she leave? But the more time Finn spends in their mother’s past, the harder it is for her to return to the present, to return to herself. As Zadie feels her sister start to slip away, she will have to decide what lengths she is willing to go to to find their mother, knowing that if she chooses wrong, she could lose them both for good." Phew. [and oy]

What can I say?! This book was just not for me.

I very much liked Lang's Beasts of Extraordfinary Circumstance so I was looking forward to this book. BUT, I plodded along and was never engaged. The characters and plot did nothing for me. I never cared. and was never invested. I thought it was flat. The writing was --ok--nothing more.

I give kudos for originality --but that's it. In the distinct minority of readers.

2.5 but not rounding up.

And the ending--NOT FOR ME [no spoiler].

Beautifully enchanting, lyrical and magical. This story was so unique and told in such mesmerizing ways. I wasn't sure at first where I was to be taken, but as the story built and I became more acquainted with the two Wilder sisters I knew I was in for a ride. This story will have you needing answers, and then rejoicing over the outcomes. This one will stay with me for days to come....

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang is one of my most anticipated reads. I absolutely loved Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance when I read it years ago.

The Wilderwomen is about sisters Zadie and Finn reconnecting as young adults on an adventure to find their mother. Mystery surrounds their mother's disappearance as they wonder if she left on purpose with the intent to never return, or if something made her leave.

Both Zadie and Finn have special abilities.. Zadie is psychic but no longer accesses her powers and Finn has the ability to read left behind memories. Finn, the mastermind behind the search for their missing mother, uses her memories to help follow the path their mom left behind. But as she continues to use her abilities she begins to lose her own sense of self.

This book fell short for me. The characters were written as young adult and their thoughts were very repetitive. I found it frustrating that Zadie had no character arc in regards to embracing her psychic abilities. Their search for their mom was long and lacked any kind of suspense. It started with little to no direction and then when it gained direction there was a distracting and somewhat random side "romance" if you can even call it that. Overall the book didn't hold my attention and I had to force myself to read until the end.

This book kind of reminded me of the plot of Frozen 2 to be honest. One sister is following the other sister around on a journey wondering if she'll take her powers too far.

At the end when some of the mystery is revealed, I thought the discovery came too late. There was a lot of potential for this book to be neat and suspenseful but unfortunately for me it was just ok.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

And honestly, 80-90% of the way through it, I really liked it. I liked the honest relationship between Zadie and Finn. I like the people they met along the way, especially Myron and his girls.

I get that this is magical realism, so I have to suspend my normal skepticism, but the ending irritated me. I don't want to spoil it, but the reasons behind some people's actions just didn't work. The ending felt forced, like she was done writing and just wanted it finished.

I wasn’t able to get into this story and did not finish - the synopsis seemed promising but ultimately it just wasn’t for me

Thank you to NetGalley, Goodreads, and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Are you obsessed with the quirky, artsy, free-spirit mom trope? Will you trade magical realism for a suspension of disbelief to feel any whiff of whimsical romanticism? Do you like books where nothing happens?

Pre-reading:
It irrationally irks me that the spine is white when the cover is blue.

Thick of it:
I do not buy that she does not know who Coco Chanel is.

Steve and Kathy are so nice.

So just like that sunflower book (Where Darkness Blooms), I don’t buy that you wouldn’t go looking for your mother. Like I just don’t. How could you not look for her? Looking for one day doesn’t count as looking.

Also, how could the police not suspect foul play if there’s jewelry left on the driveway? That’s very suspicious.

I am 153 pages into this book and nothing has happened. It’s all filler and unnecessary descriptions that add nothing. It’s not even characterization descriptions because it’s happening in the exact moment. It’s fucking boring filler. Cut it all out (You can’t there wouldn’t be a book otherwise.)

Yeah, that’s so mean to Kathy and Steve. They’ve been nothing but nice to you.

Astrology. They give more Cancer, Libra energy to me 👀

Blacklight for Scorpions? (No.)

Cults love volleyball just ask NXIVM.

This book’s action is so odd. Like you’re going to know their exact hand placement in every scene for no reason.

Replete? In this book? C’mon now.

Oh look, libra non-answer bull shit.

Literally Kathy and Steve are the absolute nicest. They would’ve helped find her mom. Like I don’t get keeping this from them.

Literally just put a toddler leash on Finn and problem solved.

What the fuck kinda explanation is this? Oh, mom has a birdbrain so it’s fine. What?!?

And you won’t get adopted by them? What do you mean it was her indomitable spirit that kept her alive? Like no, it was Steve and Kathy, who gave her food, and a roof over her head, and a fucking education.

Is..is that a washing machine masturbation joke? Because not the place.

And who paid for college? Oh wait, it was Kathy and Steve for the daughter they didn’t fucking adopt. Garbage.

Post-reading:
Have you ever wished you could unread a book? There is literally nothing in this book for me. I fundamentally don’t understand how you take the concept of two psychic sisters road-tripping to find their missing mom and make it boring. No one feels like an actual human in this book. Which maybe that’s intentional when your big explanation for why everything happened was-oh she’s just kind of bird-ish. I feel like the book shot for whimsical, and romantic, and quirky, and just failed miserably. All the characters are fundamentally unlikeable, save the adoptive parents who are barely more than a footnote. I think it dips into toxic messaging of blood family is always your real family, and if your family hurts and abandons you, it’s always for a good reason. That’s complete and utter shit. The language is clunky. There are no healthy relationships in this book. There’s no concept of real-world consequences or integration of law enforcement or money. Um, don’t read this.

Who should read this:
No one?
Bird fanatics
People obsessed with the quirky, artsy, free-spirit mom trope

Do I want to reread this:
No. I would like to unread this.

Similar books:
* Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah-missing mothers, kids with psychic powers
* Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt-family drama, supernatural
* The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, quirky art mom
* Middlegame by Seanan McGuire-kids with abilities
* The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow-whimsical, romantic

Listed as a YA Magical Realism story, this book is a bit hard to describe and was somewhat odd for me.

Zadie and Finn are sisters with paranormal abilities…Zadie is a psychic and Finn can see past memories. Their mother, Nora, leaves them for no apparent reason when Zadie is 18, and Finn is put into the foster care system. Five years later, with Zadie pregnant from a defunct relationship and Finn graduating high school, Finn pushes Zadie to set off cross country to find Nora (she’s seeing memories from her mom’s past). Thus begins an adventure of discoveries as they search for the truth of why and where their mother disappeared.

This is told from varying perspectives (all 3 women) and because of that was a bit convoluted at times for me. There are some twists and turns, some dangerous moments as well as some heartbreaking ones. I’m not sure how I felt about the denouement/ending, but overall I saw it as a good story about families…their strengths and their weaknesses. There’s some symbolism (and some I probably didn’t catch) as well as instances of how much we’re willing to sacrifice for others. Forgiveness and understanding are big as well.

All in all, not a bad read, just unusual/unique.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the free early arc of The Wilderwomen for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

3.5 stars!

This book moved a bit too slow for me. I felt like the middle dragged. I’m glad I finished it but it wasn’t anything life changing.

Nora Wilder left her daughters behind 5 years ago. Zadie would rather forget but younger daughter Finn drags her on a cross country trip to find her. Will they find their mother or will they only find tragedy

3.5/5 Two sisters go on a road trip to reminisce and look for clues about where their missing mom could be. There are bits of magical realism thrown in which keep things interesting. Overall, a whimsical read, but I struggled now and then with staying interested and connected with the characters.

I was so excited to jump into this book after her last novel. Her writing moves along with the characters, which is a phenomenal skill. I love the way she navigates loss and love and centering ourselves within the everyday (and not-so-everyday) extraordinary. I would absolutely recommend this for someone who loves stories of mending things that are broken and self-discovery.

Within the pages of this book is a poignant journey of two gifted sisters, each trying to heal as they try to solve the reason behind the disappearance of their mother. I absolutely loved that this story had so much emotion and was written in such a way that I almost felt like I was Finn, having an echo of what they experienced during their search for answers about Nora and her disappearance.

This was truly a beautifully woven story with details so intricate it was like a movie was playing out in my mind. This is a book I will recommend endlessly!

I enjoyed the Wilderwomen but for me the magic realism didn’t really appeal to me. I loved the storyline of the estranged sisters coming together for the truth. It held my attention and was a page turner. While I connected with both Zadie and Finn and liked the story telling something still was missing for me

3.5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Three years ago in late October I read Ruth Emmie Lang’s Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance , I was mesmerized by that beautifully written story, so when I saw that she had a new one coming out, I knew I wanted to read it. Lang excels in creating a wonderful sense of atmosphere in both stories, she has a gift of making the extraordinary come alive without it seeming unbelievable, as well as crafting a story that is both heartwarming and unforgettably beautiful.

As this story begins, Nora Wilder has been gone from her two daughters’ lives for five years. Zadie is trying to gather all of her belongings, her clothes, towels and the collection of cassettes her mother had left behind when she walked away from her life and her children. Her soon-to-officially-be-ex-boyfriend will be leaving work soon, and she wants to be gone before he returns. Zadie’s psychic abilities typically allow her to predict what’s about to happen, but - as with many things - her ability to foretell things isn’t something she ‘summons’ as much as it is something that just appears, which sometimes leaves her wondering.

Zadie’s younger sister, Finn, now lives with a foster family who has no idea of Zadie’s psychic abilities, or Finn’s for that matter. Finn doesn’t share Zadie’s ability to predict events, she can’t predict anything, but she not only retains her own memories, but the ’echo’ of the memories of others. On the day of her graduation party that her foster parents have happily invited many of their friends and family to, one of these ’echoes’ catches her off guard, and she runs away from the party. She ends up passed out in the zoological gardens’ aviary, and when she comes to, she remembers a song, a bird, and her mom reaching out to her.

Soon after, Zadie and Finn head out on what is supposed to be a short vacation for the two sisters. A chance to bond again after living away from each other for so long. As their journey continues it morphs into something more than either one of them anticipate as they end up chasing and following clues on where their mother went after she left, and to see if they can find out what happened to her with Finn’s echoes charting their path. Along the way they stop at places they are drawn to in the hopes of finding someone who might know where she is.

There’s such a beautiful sense of atmosphere in each place they are led to, and such lovely settings, as well, shared with a dash of magical realism. As their journey continues, as they search to complete this puzzle with a full picture of what happened to their mother, they meet several people along the way who add more to this story. Is it an easy journey? No. It is occasionally fraught with pitfalls, but it is also filled with the kindness of strangers, as well.

It’s rare that I read a story where both the prose and the story kept me completely engaged from the first page to the last, but I loved joining Zadie and Finn, as well as the other characters, in their search.



Pub Date: 15 Nov 2022

Many thanks, once again, to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC