This is a book about what it means to be part of a family, and how we show up for each other. Zadie and Finn's mother Nora walked away five years ago, with no explanation or warning, and this is the story of the two girls coming together to find her, while dealing with their grief and hurt at her disappearance, and still trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. It is a moving story of family, the ties that bind us, the pain that tears us apart, and what we can do to heal those wounds together. It is woven together beautifully with each character having their own unique powers. The fantasy elements were what drew me to the book, and the depth and believability of the characters was what kept me riveted from the first page to the last.

Ruth Emmie Lang's writing deeply resonated with me; it almost felt like the three characters were the pieces of my life that are still inside of me, with Finn representing my youth, Zadie representing my early adulthood, and Nora representing the wild ride that is becoming and being a parent while still being a person who has their own struggles and challenges and unknowns.

So while it was a story about how we affect each other in the world and in our families, it also felt almost like a story about how the different parts of ourselves get lost, or rejected, or confused. And that when we can find and embrace those parts, all of the parts, we can start to heal and become whole again.

It was beautiful and moving and deeply relatable in so many ways, with just enough fantasy to give me that feeling of hope for the future. (I may have cried through the entire epilogue…in a good way)

There’s something about reading a perfect book that just feeds your soul in a way nothing else can. I can't wait for more books from this author.

This is a beautiful book about two sisters looking for their mom and, without knowing it, trying to rekindle their own relationship. They both tried so hard to keep their relationship alive within the confines of where life took them. And they didn't realize that what they really needed was to get back to their roots; to find their family again and remember who they were while still trying to be who they have become. I was honored to receive an ARC for this book, not knowing what it was about, but being drawn in by the cover! And it did not disappoint. Lang drew me in pretty quick within the first few chapters of the book. The book is considered magical realism, which was really neat because it gave the hint of a sci-fi but, obviously, was set in the real world. The perspectives of both sisters, as well as the mom's past perspective, created a mysterious feel to it, as well. There are so many layers of this books that make it magical and fun! I could barely put it down because of it's beauty and because I just needed to know what the heck was going on! While the ending pulled it all together and answered all of my questions, it was almost a little too quick... 90% through the book and all I could think was, "how the heck is this going to be all brought together in such a short amount of time left!?" That being said, I would still recommend this book!!

A lovely and magical story. After reading and loving Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, I was so excited to read The Wilderwomen. I read it in one day because I couldn’t put it down. Magical realism is a favorite genre of mine and this author is brilliant. Five magical stars from me!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this wonderful novel. This is my honest review.

I struggled a bit in the beginning of this book but ended up loving it about half way through. The story focuses on a family torn apart by mysterious circumstances. The two daughters left behind try to solve the mystery with a road trip and their psychic abilities. All around great "sisters" story. Loved it

"The Wilderwomen" is a classic road-trip story, with mystery and a magical twist. Set to an 80's soundtrack and wrapped in Ruth Emmie Lang's enchanting and atmospheric writing style. I was under Lang's thrall from page 1.

Zadie and Finn grew up together, grew apart, and are finally forging a new relationship in the yawning darkness left in the wake of their mother's inexplicable dissapearance 5 years ago. Both sisters feel lost and seek closure as they each stand at the preipice of a new phase in their lives. They roadtrip across the United States that sets the past and present on a collision course. They're looking for answers and take a chance even though there is no garuntee that they will find what they are looking for. But as they travel, they discover that they were mourning something more than the loss of their mother, they were also mourning the loss of the sisterhood they had once shared.

"She could feel a clot of ency forming in her chest. It wasn't that she wanted Finn's life exactly; it was that Finn appeared happy in a way that Zadie herself hadn't been in a very long time."

At its core "The Wilderwomen is a heartfelt tale of sisterhood, compassion, forgiveness, and love... with an ethereal current of magic throughout. By the end of Zadie and Finn's journey, I was satsfied and wondering how much magic existed in this world that I had not taken the time to see. My only sticking point is that the conclusion felt too literal and heavy handed in comparision to the artful subtlety of the rest of the story.

This was truly a treat to read. Lang writes with poetry and finesse without crossing into pedantry. The story takes on hyperreal and over saturated quality with Lang's decadent and absorbing descriptions.

THE WILDERWOMEN
BY: RUTH EMMIE LANG

Ruth Emmie Lang is a new Author to me, but one that wrote a most beautiful literary novel called, "The Wilderwomen". It was written with such vivid prose that it seared my imagination so clearly that I could visualize her exotic imagery with each sentence. In fact, her writing style is so unique I have never once encountered one like hers before. At first I felt unused to this type of writing, but by the conclusion of her book; I knew that I had just read an extraordinary story that was special. It can be said that it in the very least contains the element of magical realism. In my sense it was what appeared to be fantasy, which besides any kind of mythology, I have never ventured into the fantasy genre. I am so happy that I gave this new to me genre a fair chance, because I was rewarded with a most special reward of the most precious of reading experiences.

It is about family and in this case two sisters. The older one is named Zadie and the younger one is named Finn. Their mother named Nora has left them or to be more precise, she has disappeared from their lives five years ago. Anything that I have mentioned in this review is not spoiler content since it all appears within less than five percent of the beginning.

Zadie and Finn both have gifts. Zadie discovered when she was seven years old that she has psychic abilities that come to her as premonitions. She has tried very hard to interfere with her premonitions as they are not something that she likes having. Finn can see other peoples memories which usually come in one of her senses and usually don't just belong to her but pertain to most other random people. Finn calls her gift of seeing other people's memories, which mostly deal with the past "echoes". Zadie is angry with her mother for leaving them and misses her sister Finn who was put into a foster family who live one hour away.

Kathy and Steve are Finn's foster parents and they have one son, but want to adopt Finn who has just turned eighteen. Finn loves her foster parents, but she is unsure about adoption because she feels a profound love of her sister, Zadie and she wants to find her mother who she also loves. The two girls have a week's vacation planned to be spent at the beach to celebrate Finn's High school graduation. They go on a journey instead visiting many places searching for their mother. Zadie is reluctant at first but soon agrees and the two sister's are off on a quirky and zany road trip with many stops along the way which backtracking on my part, because to me the pit stops bring them into quirky and zany experiences.

I am going to be recommending this to everyone that I know since I loved it and it was an unforgettable reading experience. It made me feel reminded of the unbreakable and unprecedented love that we feel for our family. How remarkable and how unmatched that love feels to me towards my own. How it feels when someone we love unintentionally hurts us and how the emotions and reactions to that hurt stirs up inside un-welcomed and unexpected reactions. In this case Nora loves both of her daughters and they love her but both daughters have different feelings as a result of her unexplained and unanticipated disappearance. This is a book that was recommended to me by a very cherished friend and I want to say a huge thank you because it was a tremendous gift.

Be sure to put this fantastic and uncommon novel on your to be read list if you want to escape into a world of all lovable characters trying their best to do good by their actions. I know I will be purchasing it for myself for that special book shelf (of which I am running out of space because there are too many) for the favorites. I feel like re-reading this now--it is that wonderful!

Publication Date: November 15, 2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Ruth Emmie Lang and St. Martin's Press for most generously providing me with my copy of "The Wilderwomen," for I can't thank you enough. All opinions are my own.

#TheWilderwomen #RuthEmmieLang #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

After Nora Wilder walks away from her two daughters, Zadie and Finn without so much of an explanation, Zadie abandons her psychic abilities as well. In the hopes of reconnecting with her sister Finn five years after, Zadie proposes a beach trip, but Finn has other plans. Finn can read memories she calls echos. And ones from Nora just popped up, leading Finn to believe Nora is still alive. Next thing you know, Zadie and Finn are on a road trip to looking for clue to Nora in hopes to uncover the answers they have been craving.

Loved this! Zadie and Finn are two extremely relatable and lovable characters who continue to grow throughout the book. The writing style is beautiful, a nice mix of magical realism and women’s fiction. The book is written in my favorite, MULTIPLE POVs, yay! The concept of the book feel original and well thought out. I loved how not only was it told from Zadie and Finn’s perspective, but there were some parts from Nora before she disappeared which really helped explain things as well as give her character some development.

This book was full of family, drama and intrigue and I simply couldn't put it down. I loved the suspenseful aspect that kept me coming back for more. The book alternates between past and present, one of my favorite writing styles. Zadie and Finn reconnect and work together so beautifully to investigate their mother's disappearance. I loved seeing them grow together throughout the book.

The Wilderwomen was a book outside of my preferred genres and I'm glad I ventured out of my comfort zone. Ruth Emmie Lang knocked this one out of the park and I can't wait to see this book take off upon publication!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I will post my review on Goodreads and Instagram closer to the pub date!

A sweet look at family, sixth sense and loss. I love an adventure novel, a mindless wandering in the pursuit of something, and in this case it is mainly identity. Sisters in search of a long lost mother, come to grips with where they are in this world, and what has brought them there.

I’ve heard good things about “Beast of Extraordinary Circumstance”, so I was excited to read this. The synopsis sounded part suspense with some magical realism; Two sisters with magic powers searching for their missing mother. The cover looked magical and whimsical. In all, I was excited to read this!

Unfortunately, the story fell flat for me. The writing style felt messy. Some parts were trying to be deep and poetic, but I don’t feel like it worked. The dialogue was bland, like watching a show with bad acting. I didn’t care much about the characters. They lacked personality, or their behavior and thoughts were all over the map. By 50%, I started skimming as there was so much filler information that I don’t think added to scene building or character development. The bird theme was sporadic, and how it wraps into the ending felt anticlimactic. I might still give this author’s other novel a shot, since it seems well loved, but this one didn’t work for me. I’m thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this as my first ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First off I love books about the paranormal, including hints of magic, mystery and suspense.

This book provided everything necessary for one fantastic read.

I highly recomend for anyone who is looking for some of the same.

Would give this 6 stars if that was an option.
I loved everything about this, every character, every magical power, every part of the journey for these sisters to find their mom. I don't even know what else to say I just loved it so much and am so excited to have another world created by this author to live in.

I would like to thank @netgalley for the ARC ebook of Wilderwomen. I enjoyed this book and found it intriguing. It was different than what I was expecting. It was more of a family drama than a mystery. Nora Wilder has two daughters, Finn and Zadie. One day she disappears and the daughters go looking for her. The book alternates between present day and the time leading up to her disappearance. It was an interesting dynamic between the three women.

I enjoyed this story, set in a world where some people have mysterious supernatural gifts. In some cases, like Nora's, the gift looks more like mental illness or dementia. Using a combination of their gifts for clues, sisters Finn and Zadie go in search of their missing mother, who vanished five years ago. At the time, Finn was 12 and subsequently placed in a foster home. Zadie, being freshly 18, is left to her own devices, and does not do nearly as well. I don't really know what motivates people to foster 12 year olds, but I didn't much like Kathy and Steve, who did not also welcome Zadie to be part of Finn's life. The fondness and mature gratitude Finn has for them seems unlikely too, given that they treat her like an eight year old at eighteen. But, Finn and Zadie are very likeable, and their relationship does feel like a real one. The story is loosely driven by the supernatural gifts, and the mysterious draw of a certain campground, but it's mainly about the two girls reconnecting as sisters, and for Zadie, finally working through the trauma of her mother's abandonment. The other characters are presented in a very non-judgmental , accepting way, though most of them are pretty unusual due to their gifts or lifestyles. This is a standalone book with a satisfying, if a bit unlikely, ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an advance copy in exchange for my honest review- all thoughts in this opinion are my own!


Wow. So, I kept passing by “beasts of extraordinary circumstance” for no particular reason- but immediately after reading The Wilderwomen I placed an order for that book because Ruth Emmie Lang DID THAT. She wrote such a beautiful generational story with such deep emotions. I loved how different it was, the symbolism was perfection. Characters, flawed but equals perfection in my book when I read. I loved it, and can’t wait for everyone else to check this one out!

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

5 years ago, their mother walked out of their lives and they haven’t heard from her since.

Zadie and Finn. Two sisters who have been impacted by the loss of their mother in different ways but are both longing for family.

This story has a bit of the fantastical and magical and a whole lot of family love. Woven through the story of the sisters attempting to solve the disappearance of their mother is depth as we dig into themes of forgiveness, family bonds, coping with loss and self acceptance.

My favourite part was the characters. The two sisters are different but both complicated and beautiful in their own way. Their exploration of their “gifts” and accepting who they are is such a good look at our differences and accepting ourselves. Their relationship is both tender and realistic.

Then there’s their random buddy, Joel, that they found along the way. He’s a bit of a wildcard and doesn’t need to be in the story at all for it to work but he provides a little bit of comic relief and entertainment along the way.

While the writing style alternated between feeling rushed and feeling a little awkward, it was definitely a fun, touching read.

thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I got early access to The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang and enjoyed this novel! It started a little slow for me, but it really built and by the end I was really invested in it. The Wilder sisters have been without their mother for years now. She left them behind, and now the girls are searching for her. Zadie and Finn both have psychic abilities: Zadie gets premonitions and Finn can experience echoes of other people's memories. They journey across the country following their mother's path, trying to reconnect and discover what they lost.

Summer road trips are some of my favourite memories. So add sisters searching for their missing parent, all while keeping secrets from each other, had me hooked.

Nora Wilder took off one day, leaving behind her two daughters, Zadie and Finn. Except, it wasn't a normal disappearance. Before she left, Zadie noticed her acting oddly, often vacant and losing time. Zadie was 18 when she left, so she was alone, and resents her mother for leaving, and keeping secrets from her. On the other side of things, Finn was young when she left, barely a teen, so when she turns 18 she decides it is time to look for their mom. The plot moved wonderfully and kept my attention, a definite 8/10!

--- SPOILERS AHEAD ---

This book had me dreaming of island vacations with my mom. Driving through forests, on the coasts, every form of adventure. Our, however, seem a wee bit more mundane as compared to Zadie and Finn's.

I really liked the explanation of both girl's powers, and how they weren't actually all alone in it. It made it seem a lot more realistic. The girl's relationship was also very well done, and the parallels between Nora and Finn had me reeling.

The writing in the was amazing, too. The back and forth time periods, as well as how the mystery of their mother unfolded, was incredibly clever. It did seem like a rushed ending though. I don't think I was actually expecting them to find their mom, or be able to forgive their mom for taking off so quickly, even if there was a reason for it. Also, I really was a fan of Joel. I think he and Zadie should have gotten back together and had the baby together.

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang - pub date November 15, 2022. Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC. This is definitely one of my most anticipated books of 2022. Lang’s debut novel Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is one of my all time favorites so I was excited when I was able to read this one early.
Ruth Emmie Lang is such a gifted writer when it comes to characters with extraordinary traits. This is a General Fiction book with a fantasy element throughout.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the story of Finn and Zadie, sisters that are each uniquely gifted with an unusual ability. They decide to search for their mother, Nora, who disappeared five years ago. Along the way they encounter special people who make an impact on them. Lang’s characters are unique yet their relationships are so relatable for the reader. The sisters
are able to see each other in a new light as their quest proceeds.

Lang is definitely an auto buy author for me. I’m already anticipating her next book.
Pre-order The Wilderwomen now and read Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance while you wait for November 15!