Five years after the mysterious disappearance of their mother, sisters Zadie and Finn reunited on a life changing road trip to find her and find themselves along the way.

I didn’t know The Wilderwoman was such an anticipated read for me until I started reading it. Fraught with magical realism, dysfunctional family dynamics and sisters at opposite sides of live, this book was an enormously beautiful constructed concept.


The early book felt hard to put together with all the shifting viewpoints, but once it picked up I was enthralled by the witty sisterhood and journey of Zadie and Finn. My biggest complaint is that the ending felt very sudden given the drawn out length of the journey taken.

Overall, a great read and one I’d highly recommend.

The Wilderwomen took me on an enchanting road trip across America, doggedly chasing memories, dreams, heartbreak, and secrets. The mystery of where the Wilder sisters' mother went was only the first delightful layer in a richly immersive story of family, magic, & coming to terms with oneself as an adult.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy.

This was a really interesting book that blends a lot of different genres into an engaging family drama. I enjoyed the sci-fi aspects and the relationships in this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Wilderwomen covers the story of two sisters and their missing mom. Zadie is a young adult struggling to figure out where her place is in the world as she navigates being newly pregnant and single with a mom that has been missing for five years and a sister who seems to have the perfect life with her foster family. Her sister Finn though, doesn't feel like her life is perfect as she is convinced there is more to the story of their mom's disappearance and she is determined to find out. Both girls have unique abilities, though Zadie shuns her ability to have premonitions about the future while Finn embraces her ability to feel echoes of memories other leave behind- even when it starts to become dangerous. Will the two be able to work together to learn about themselves, their abilities, and their mother? You'll have to read to find out!

I appreciated the way that the fantasy in this novel feels real. The author weaves a story that intertwines fantasy with the world as we know it. Sometimes I had a little difficulty finding overall flow with reading, but I found the story enjoyable, and entertaining, and was intrigued by trying to figure out where the story was heading and the for the mysteries to be solved. Overall I would recommend for readers who enjoy fantasy with some realism.

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

📖book review — ARC edition📖
the wilderwomen by ruth emmie lang

thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

spoiler-free summary: zadie & finn haven’t seen their mother in 5 years. zadie holds resentment while finn believes her mother’s disappearance wasn’t a choice. after some convincing from finn, the sisters find themselves on an adventure across the country to find their mom. the twist? they have unique psychic abilities to help them👀

what stood out:
• awesome descriptions; i could always clearly picture each setting along zadie and finn’s journey. the sedona part was naturally my favorite as i live in arizona
• the magic✨ i had yet to read a book revolved around psychic abilities, and it never once felt cheesy or unbelievable
• the multi-POV. this was crucial in leaving the reader wanting more
• the people the girls met throughout the journey🥺 there were some really special characters, my favorite being the Van Houten sisters

my only critique is that it could have done without zadie’s old/potential love interests as i felt it didn’t contribute much to the plot.

overall, an enjoyable read and i recommend!

rating: 4/5⭐️

Ruth Emmie Lang's previous work "Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances" is an all time favorite on my list. For so many months I eagerly waited for the release of another book by her, way before I knew there was one coming, before I knew the title of the new one and even before an ARC was an option. I was so excited and thankful when NetGalley had it available for request and then granted me a copy!

The Wilderwomen is a different kind of beast. It is the story of two half sisters and their disappearing mother, the struggles to reestablish broken relationships and seek acceptance. The brilliant storytelling style that Lang so well developed in her previous book is lost in this one. This story progresses without a clear path and it feels fractured in so many ways. Besides the inclusion of a few interesting passages -already quoted in multiple of the reviews I have seen- the plot is discombobulated and it doesn't flow well. The writing, from the short sentences to the constant shifts between dialogue and third person narration are alienating and the style would better serve the YA group. There is a lot of explaining that is missing in order to make the story more coherent. A hybrid between magical realism and fantasy, I feel that Ruth Emmie Lang was inspired by another popular book this year "Migrations" by Charlotte McConaghy, in order to create this novel. The bird theme however, doesn't hold its weight in this case.

As I see that so far the reviews of this book are highly positive, maybe my expectations were unrealistic.

Thank you so much #NetGalley and #stmartinpress for the opportunity to read and review this ARC before the publication of the book.

I loved everything about this book! It was captivating and beautifully written with characters who, despite their extraordinary abilities, were believable and engaging. The story takes you on a journey both literal and emotional and it had me feeling the whole range of emotions. This is one I would definitely recommend and come back to read again.

Such a magical book. The writing is amazing. Looking forward to reading more books by Lang. Thanks so much for the review copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Wilderwomen is a book about two sisters who have special abilities. The elder sister, Zadie, can predict the future, and the younger, Finn, can experience other people's memories. After their mother disappeared five years earlier, the two have slowly drifted apart, but when Finn graduates high school, they decide to use their abilities to set out and find their mother, or at least to get some answers.

This was a beautiful novel about sisterhood, family, and also somewhat of a coming-of-age. The sisters are 18 and 23, so I would describe this as a YA book. It is set in the present day, and it includes magical realism that puts a fresh spin on a family drama. There are flashbacks to before the mother disappeared, and we try to figure out throughout the book if she had her own special ability, and if that is why she disappeared.

This book also gives us multi-POV, alternating between Zadie and Finn. I found each of the sisters to be likeable and relatable characters, and my heart went out to both of them for their strained relationship with each other, their mother, and also with themselves. The two sisters are pretty much opposites, but even with the time away from each other, it is clear how much they care about one another. We see one of the sisters embrace her special ability, and the other struggle to accept it. I loved seeing them work through their issues and grow into themselves.

The plot itself moved slowly at times, and so I think this book is more of a character-driven novel, but it really worked for me. There were some scenes/characters I felt didn't add much, including the character Joel, Zadie's ex-boyfriend. However, I felt this was a truly heartwarming book about sisters and the powerful bond of family.

I'm giving this book 4 stars, and I recommend it!

The Wilder sisters, Zadie and Finn, go on a tumultuous journey to find their mother who went missing five years ago. This is no ordinary search party because both Zadie and Finn both have special abilities. Neither of them know if their mother is gifted as well, but they hope that she is and that her gift would explain her sudden disappearance. The Wilder girls meet many interesting characters along the way including a group of other people with abilities living together in the desert, an old flame, and a family also in search of their mother. Watching Zadie and Finn grow as individuals as well as sisters was a wonderful experience. The characters were diverse and well written. My personal favorite were the Van Houten girls. This book was a wonderful read full of twists and turns, tears and smiles. I highly recommend you give it a try!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 magical stars!! ❤️

My favorite book of all time is Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang. I recommend it to everyone that I can! I have been waiting years for the author to release another book. I can’t even explain how excited I was to get approved to read an early copy of her next book The Wilderwomen! Thank you so much to @stmartinspress and NetGalley for letting me read and review this one way ahead of its release date!

This book was SO good and gave me a book hangover! Lang has proved once again that she is a master storyteller. She has a way of incorporating magical realism into creative plots that are memorable because they are so unique and so well written.

This is a book about two sisters that each have a special power, that go on an adventure to find their missing mother and all the characters they meet along the way. The character development is phenomenal! The mystery element and descriptions in the book made it hard to put down. The bonds the two sisters shared gave me all the feels! It was also really cool that some of the book takes place in Arizona (where I live) and near Sedona, which is breathtaking and a special place for me. This is my favorite book of 2022 so far!

This book was absolutely unputdownable. I will be preordering a hardcopy to have on my shelf forever. This one comes out November 15th and is a MUST READ!

A phenomenal Book

Ohioana Book Award finalist Ruth Emmie Lang returns with a new cast of ordinary characters with extraordinary abilities in The Wilderwomen.

Five years ago, Nora Wilder disappeared. The older of her two daughters, Zadie, should have seen it coming, because she can literally see things coming. But not even her psychic abilities were able to prevent their mother from vanishing one morning.

Zadie’s estranged younger sister, Finn, can’t see into the future, but she has an uncannily good memory, so good that she 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…

When Finn wakes up alone in an aviary with no idea of how she got there, she realizes who the memory belongs to: Nora.

Now, it’s up to Finn to convince her sister that not only is their mom still out there, but that she 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 find their mother, knowing that if she chooses wrong, she could lose them both for good.

Very fun story with twists and turns constantly that I would never see coming! The writing truly made you feel attached to the main characters and some of the side characters as well. The story was also just beautiful, it was sometimes incredibly emotional, and sometimes super feel good writing.
This is definitely one of those books that if you’re in a reading slump, I’d recommend to you to get out of it, as it is quite an easy read with a fun story that really hooks you and gets you excited about stories and reading once again.

This book took me a while to get into, but I stuck with it, and I’m glad I did. The magical realism added a different twist to a somewhat coming of age storyline.

Thank you for this book in exchange for my honest review.
To be truthful, I couldn’t quite stay engaged with this book. The plot just didn’t appeal to me.

Two very different sisters go on a road trip to find their mother who has been missing for 5 years. Sounds simple. But throw in magic and fascinating and unique travelers that they meet along the way and this enchanting story evolves in to an adventure that you won't soon forget.If you believe in psychic abilities , it will help but is not necessary as you begin this journey with Zadie and Finn. I found myself totally immersed in the story and feverishly reading to the end. Besides the magic or magical realism, the relationship between the sisters is written with such warmth and complexity, it is difficult not to root for them. All of the relationships in the story, including Finn's with her foster family, Ursula and Nic, the VanHouten family and Joel and Zadie are so tender yet honest that you feel that you know and understand them. Toss in that it is also a bit of a coming of age story and you've hit all the bases. This book is unique and endearing and it might not be for everyone but if you believe in magic in family and in the world, this one could for you. If you do not need every aspect to be explained scientifically or live strictly by logic , suspend belief for a short while and take a road trip. It's a lovely read that I highly recommend.

Mystery, magic, and sister bonding. This book is heartwarming and an easy read for people looking for something to keep their attention.

Am interesting story line that keeps changing just when you think you've figured it out. The bond between mothers and their children is unbreakable.

The Wilderwomen, by Ruth Emmie Lang, is a magical realism novel beauty! Told from the point of view of Zadie, we are brought on a journey from Texas to Arizona to Washington as Zadie and her sister Finn try and find their mom Nora who disappeared without a trace five years ago. But these sisters are special, Zadie can see into the future and Finn can see into the past. With these special skill sets, they're hoping they might be able to track down their mom and figure out why she walked out on them without so much as saying 'bye.' The sisters grow closer and their bond is tested, but it's a beautiful story of sisterhood, family and friendship. We see these sisters grow, meet people along the way that help them in their journey and just maybe find what they are after. This novel hit all the feels and I blew through it in under 48 hours. I highly recommend it and can't wait to promote it this fall! Special thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to have access to this ARC in exchange for a review.

Gosh I love Lang’s knack for heartfelt magical realism with the perfect balance of lighthearted and tender. The Wilderwomen is adventurous with a touching exploration of love between mother and daughter(s).

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!