I have been anticipating Ruth Emmie Lang’s next novel ever since I read Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance a few years ago. I was beyond thrilled to receive an e-arc of The Wilderwomen and it did not disappoint. The story follows two estranged sisters on their search for their mother who is missing. They cross paths with a commune of people who have a sixth sense and begin to uncover secrets about their mother and ultimately themselves. This novel was a wonderful combination of magical realism and mystery and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and Net galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. This is a very hard book to categorize. It is part fantasy, part a story of the sometimes fraught relationships of mothers and daughters, and part a story of the equally sometimes complex relationships of sisters. If you are someone who does not believe that there are those with a Sixth Sense, or paranormal abilities, this may not be the book for you. Nora Wilder is a single mother of 2 daughters, Zadie and Finn. Nora sings at open mic nights, wears an ankle bracelet with her daughters initials and may think she is a bird. She disappears one day, when her daughters are teenagers. Zadie is old enough to be on her own, and Finn is placed into foster care.The girls are half sisters, and different in many ways, however, they both have special abilities. Zadie has premonitions. She can tell what Karaoke song will be sung , she has a sense of what will happen, and she knew her mother was leaving. Finn gets flashes of memories, of other people's memories, and gets pulled into old feelings and thoughts. Nora left 5 years ago. In present time, Zadie has just broken up with her boyfriend and is pregnant. Finn is graduating High School Finn is also having memory flashbacks- her mother's memories. She convinces Zadie to go on a trip to look for their mother. The story is written in a non linear timeline.It is also written from several points of view, as well as in premonitions and memories. At times it is a bit convoluted, but it is always interesting. The story of the sisters, as they work with , and sometimes against, each other, is beautifully written. The satellite characters( cannot call them minor) , Finn's foster family, an ex boyfriend of Zadie, people they meet who help them, are all engaging and well written. It is not a conventional story , but a good one. It is a road trip- Thelma and Louise , if they were sisters and psychics. Take the time to go on this Magical Mystery Tour- it will be worth it.

Zadie and Finn’s mother, Nora, left them under mysterious circumstances five years ago. Finn lives with her foster parents, while Zadie has been living by herself ever since. While Zadie has the gift of premonition, Finn can perceive the echoes of other people’s memories. Upon Finn’s eighteenth birthday, the sisters plan to take a trip together to the beach to reconnect. Little does Zadie know that her sister intends to take advantage of the trip to use her gift to find their mother. She believes she can use Nora’s memories to trace her steps and find her. Although Zadie is angry at her mother for abandoning them, she reluctantly agrees to Finn’s plan. When Finn’s efforts start to blur the line between her own self and her mother’s, things start to get dangerous, and Zadie must decide whether to continue their journey, or lose her sister forever to the echoes of Nora’s memories.
This is a beautifully written book, full of twists, engaging and intriguing. The storyline is creative and unpredictable. The sisters’ journey is magical in every sense, from the people they meet on their way, to the development of their sisterly relationship. Zadie was by far my favorite character. She is constantly reflecting on her gift, her feelings, and choices. I loved the way she lovingly referred to her unborn child, and her longing for her mother, even though she is resentful about Nora’s disappearance. I also appreciated her struggle with accepting her gift and the way she starts to embrace it as she encounters other gifted people in their journey. Joel’s character was enjoyable as well, though I am not sure he was necessary. That said, the characters felt authentic and relatable. It was easy to feel a connection to them and to the natural elements mentioned or described: the stars, the trees, the ocean, desert, and forest. The ending was satisfying if a bit rushed.
Overall, a great read about connection, secrets, self-acceptance, family, and the ways we show up for our loved ones. I recommend this book to lovers of magical realism, mystery, and themes of mother/daughter sister/sister and relationships.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was eery, mysterious, magical, and yet super wholesome. I loved the characters. They were very well rounded and interesting. If you like books with fun sister dynamics, definitely pick this one up.

The Wilderwomen was equal parts character study and mystery, making it a book I couldn’t put down. Slowly peeling back the layers of Zadie and Nora while also following Finn on her race to find and save her mother kept me turning pages. The Wilder women themselves were exactly the kinds of characters I enjoy reading. Deeply flawed and human, making mistakes along their journey, sometimes learning from those mistakes and sometimes not, but always growing from their experiences. The only thing holding me back from 5 stars was the abruptness of the resolution of Nora’s story/journey. After all the build up, I wanted a bit more out of that portion of the story. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from Lang. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Because I hate my hair." Like most teenage girls, she meant herself, but hair is easier to change.

I read and loved Ruth Emmie Lang's previous novel so I was really excited to read this one and it did not disappoint. This is the story of two sisters, Zadie and Finn, who go in search of their mother, Nora, who went missing five years ago. Finn is about to go to college, and has decided that she needs to go searching for her mother before she can make a final decision around her adoption and convinces Zadie to take this unplanned trip across the country.

Finn and Zadie both have abilities that make them a bit unusual. Finn can see/feel bits of people's discarded memories and Zadie can sense things that haven't happened yet. The magical realism in this book was wonderful and created some lovely characters and texture and depth that I really enjoyed.

I loved the sibling relationship, especially Zadie who was so layered and real and struggling. This beautiful book is about what it means to belong, about family, sisterhood, determination, and friendship.

Lang's writing is lyrical and beautiful. This book was a joy to read.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Wilderwomen was a unique coming-of-age tale about the bonds of family, both sisterhood and motherhood, and how those threads, through time and circumstance, can tangle and strain, and not always weave the sort of tapestry that you had envisioned--or in retrospect, was perhaps threaded with more secrets and unspoken private darknesses than you had realized. Zadie and Finn are two sisters with special gifts; elder 20-something Zadie has a future sight that she refuses to use, and just-graduated-from-high school Finn has the ability to step into the echo of a memory. Their relationship tenuous after their mother's mysterious disappearance 5 years prior and Finn's subsequent placement into a foster home, they embark on a post-graduation beach vacation-turned cross-country adventure, in search of their mother. The sisters reestablishing their trust and rekindling their connection provided some lovely, grounding moments during a journey that proves to be unexpectedly, beautifully magical, and ultimately, happy-sigh-inducingly satisfying.

Meet Zadie & Finn, two sisters that each have their own special power. They decide to go on a search to find their mother, Nora, who disappeared many years before, changing all their lives forever. On their journey, they meet many interesting characters along the way that help them on their quest to find Nora. A magical trek that takes them on an adventure that they never planned! Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers of The Wilderwomen for my copy of this novel. I'm so glad to see another book by Ruth Emmie Lang!!

This book is a lyrical, immersive, slow burn road trip mystery with light supernatural elements. From the first few pages, I was hooked and found it difficult to put it down. The overall vibe of the novel was moody and somber, but there were moments of levity as well. I feel like Joel's entire character was intended to lighten the mood -- and it worked, at least for me!

I loved Ruth Emmie Lang's previous novel (Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance) and was excited for this new work. For me, it did not disappoint.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang was fantastic.
This book is about a couple of girls with powers going on a road trip to find their mother, who vanished 5 years ago. Along the way, they meet several people who make them learn to accept themselves and each other. A man with a dead wife, a group of people with powers, an ex boyfriend. The girls, who had been drifting apart in the aftermath of their mother's disappearance, learn to love each other again. Etcetera, etcetera.
I loved so many things about this book. I loved the characters, how different Zadie and Finn are. I love the descriptions, their trip through America is so vibrant. I love how the mystery was dotted throughout the book, it wasn't nonstop but it did feel very present. I love how family oriented this is. They are chasing their mother, but Zadie is pregnant and trying to decide what type of mother she wants to be, and Finn is deciding whether her old mother or her new parents are more important to her. Most of all, I loved the magic. The way it works, how different it is for every person, the different types. The ability to hear stars? That's not a power I would think of, but it sounds so cool.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves magic and family. It does cover some tougher things however, such as absent parents, so be aware.

This book was wonderful. The sisters make great characters and very lovable. It includes many twists and turns that keep you interested. It’s definitely a very deep book that you’re going to want to pay attention to. It’s definitely a journey but, it’s one that everyone needs to take!

I wasn't sure going into this book what to expect, but it was interesting. I felt so sad for Zadie. Her sister's foster family..I wish they would've taken her in, too. And Finn was so blessed, she had no self awareness about it. I struggled with this book for that reason, but it's not a bad book. It was very interesting seeing how these special ladies look for their missing mother.

I will be completely honest and say this is one of the first books I’ve read by this author as well as one of the firsts books that is around this genre. I quite enjoyed a lot of this book. The backstories between Finn and Zadie to their relationship, and the lost of their mother. Magic isn’t the magic we know.. it’s more within connections.

This all in all is a good book and I would recommend you to pick it up.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved her last novel, and I felt the same about this one. She truly has a way with words that will completely suck you in, until the very last page. It is the perfect combination of fiction and supernatural elements. Looking forward to its release to purchase a physical copy!

Could not put this down! I’m hooked by anything mildly “magical” or “mystical”, so the plot line appealed to me from the very beginning. Zadie and Finn’s backstory, relationship, and ultimately their love for each other and their lost mother, Nora, really shine in this story. It’s not “magic” as you would typically think of it, although there is that. It’s the magic of deeply rooted connections that have been fractured coming back together after a long time and it’s the magic of opening yourself up to other people and accepting yourself and gifts and being vulnerable to others.

The Wilder women stole my heart in this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having read and loved "Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances" by this author a few months ago, for my Book Club, I knew that this book would probably be magical. And it was. It was hard to put down.

Two sisters, Zadie and Finn, go on a trip together to try and find their mother, who suddenly and unexpectedly left them five years earlier, when they were only 18 and 13 years old. Zadie is psychic and Finn can recall other people's memories. They use their "magical abilities" or "special gifts" to help them on their search, traveling from Texas to Washington, chasing their mother's memories, and some of their own, in hopes of finding her. The author and the story do a great job of taking you on this journey with them.

As unconventional as their search was, I found myself rooting for the two intrepid sisters. I also loved the group of misfits, the Sixes, that they run into at a campground. If you love fiction with a good dose of magical realism and you can suspend your disbelief in things that cannot be explained, then you will definitely enjoy this book.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book. Publication date: November 15, 2022.

“How do you live in your present if your present is someone else’s past?” What a nice surprise! This book is fantasy and that is not my usual genre favorite but I gave it a shot and loved this book! Gifted sisters Finn and Zadie are searching for their Mom, Nora, who abandoned them five years ago. There are so many twists, turns, and surprises along their journey to find her. I became attached to these characters and I couldn’t stop reading until the end. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC. I really enjoyed it.

I could not get into this book. The characters were one dimensional and both unlike blue and the premise was too far-fetched. If it wasn’t so grounded in reality, the magic would have been awesome.

4stars=I really liked it. Review to come, but ... This is slow enough to get rolling that I set it aside for a bit. Once I picked it up again, and the sisters Zadie and Finn set off to find the mother who walked away from them, I found myself thoroughly enthralled. There journey is interesting as they are leads by breadcrumbs in Finn's ability to experience other peoples' memories and the meet some intriguing people, who also have special abilities, who help them along the way. Zadie who was the hurt the most by her mother's deterioration and abandonment finally finds healing and acceptance of her own long denied psychic gifts along the way. I enjoyed this.

ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley - release date November 15, 2

This novel was truly captivating. I enjoyed the magical realism component, and the complicated relationship that the two sisters with extraordinary abilities have really immersed me into the reading. The entire journey as they searched for their long lost mother was pure magic. How it all tied up at the end was also genius and unexpected. Truly enjoyable read.