Took me a bit to get into this one but then you get hooked. I really enjoyed getting to know the 2 female main characters. And a little bit of mystery never hurts a story! I do think the character and story development could have been better. Also, don’t feel like the cover fits with the story. But overall enjoyed this one.

Part mystery, part self discovery brown has hit it out of the park once more. The dual timeline blend so nicely together with browns amazing writing I was hooked right from the start. A truly unique story that I will be recommending for years

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this one. I couldn’t get into it, disliked the writing and the characters. I have liked many of previous books (including her children books) but this one just wasn’t for me.

I have really enjoyed previous books by Karma Brown, and loved the premise of this book but struggled a bit reading.

I found it interesting, especially the historical mystery of Eddie Calloways disappearance and her wild women camp in the Adirondacks. It was well written, and kept me reading.

What I struggled with a bit was my dislike for the main character Rowan. I don’t mind flawed characters, but I found it really hard to empathize with Rowan. This is more a “me” problem, than a problem with the book. One might argue, that by eliciting such a profound dislike from me means the author did a great job of stirring up emotions. For me personally though, I need to empathize with the main character to enjoy the book. That’s why I avoid literary fiction like the plague.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

This is the second novel I’ve read from Karma Brown, and I really enjoyed the storyline. The synopsis grabbed my attention and quickly drew me into the story. I look forward to Brown’s next book.
I also loved the cover art!
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC.

I’ve been reading Karma Brown’s novels for a long time. I’ve met her on numerous occasions and have four of her novels on my signed books bookshelf. (With another that was supposed to be signed at an event in spring 2020 - ha!) What Wild Women Do is her latest and it was phenomenal. I was completely riveted in the novel and devoured it because I just had to know the answers. It’s a must read!

Here’s the book’s description:
A 1970s feminist facing the costs of loss and autonomy strives to create a better future for women at her Adirondack camp; meanwhile, an aspiring screenwriter makes a shocking discovery in the present that sets her on a course of rewriting her own story.
Rowan is stuck. Her dreams of becoming a screenwriter are stalled, along with her bank account, as she and her fiancé Seth try to make sense of what’s next for them after leaving LA. But when the couple takes a trip to a cabin in the Adirondacks, hoping the change will provide inspiration for Seth’s novel-in-progress, Rowan finds herself drawn into a story greater than her own—that of socialite-turned-feminist-crusader Eddie Calloway, who vanished one day in 1975 and was never found or heard from again. In a handbook left behind in the abandoned ruins of a once great camp, Rowan starts to discover clues to what happened to Eddie.
As Rowan delves deeper into the mystery, we meet Eddie herself, a fierce and loving woman whose greatest wish was to host women at her camp and unlock their “wildness.” However, Eddie’s wild ways aren’t welcomed by everyone, and rifts between camp owners threaten her mission. When Rowan gets closer to the truth of Eddie’s disappearance, she realizes that it may hold the key to unlocking her own ambition and future.
Because I’m such a fan of Brown’s books, I didn’t really read too much about this book before starting it. That meant I wasn’t really aware of how much of a mystery this story was going to be. Which I liked! The tension was high without being overwhelming or too “thrillery”, which is not my jam. Clues were dropped but nothing was obvious and it only really made sense at the end - when it was extremely satisfying to know why and how everything happened so many years prior.

Speaking of years prior, this is a dual timeline novel. We follow Rowan in present day (2021, technically) as she and her fiancé escape to the Adirondacks and stumble upon Eddie Calloway’s former camp which, in turn, leads them to learn more about the woman and her disappearance. But we also get chapters from Eddie in the 70s. The alternating was done well and I never felt like either story was being overshadowed. I liked getting to know Eddie and her friends and colleagues in the past and each time we hopped back in time, we learned a little more about her and what could have happened. Rowan and her story is the star but she’s able to shine so brightly thanks to the support provided by Eddie’s storyline.



Rowan’s hunt for answers had a strong journalistic approach to it, which makes sense as Brown used to be a journalist herself. Rowan was intrigued by the story of Eddie and how she disappeared, who wouldn’t be, but she was also deeply concerned with finding out what actually happened and trying to seek justice for Eddie, a woman she never met.

While the mystery in this story is what makes it such a compelling novel, it wouldn’t be as amazing if it weren’t for Brown’s impressive skills in writing emotional stories. I felt everything deeply, right alongside the characters. I was invested and concerned and hoped for the best for everyone, even when I knew that might be difficult. And I had those feelings because Brown is such a damn good author.

What Wild Women Do is another fantastic novel from the incredibly talented Karma Brown. If you haven’t yet read books from this (Canadian!) author, you must change that and I highly recommend starting with her latest. I think you’ll love it too!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Another compelling book from one of my autobuy authors! I have read all of Karma’s books and they are all so different and unique. This is a dual timeline story around two fascinating women. We have a 1970’s feminist and a current day aspiring screenwriter and author. Both stories are interesting on their own and their intersection is what propels the story along. I enjoyed the atmospheric writing. The premise was interesting as were the strong independent women and the mystery element was perfect. Another wonderful book from this author.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of this novel since the first announcement and it delivered on all fronts. WHAT WILD WOMEN DO is a compelling and propulsive story that is part mystery, part women’s fiction and impossible to put down.

After a tragic loss, Eddie Calloway leaves her socialite life behind and returns to her family’s camp in the Adirondacks. Embracing her new role as a feminist leader, Eddie launches a getaway camp for women where she promises to help them unlock their “wildness”. And help she does, until one day in 1975 when she disappears into the woods and is never heard from again.

Nearly 40 years later, Rowan arrives in the Adirondacks looking for a quiet place where she can work on her new screenplay and her fiance, Seth can finish his novel. But when Rowan discovers one of Eddie’s old handbooks in the ruins of Camp Calloway, she feels drawn to the woman and desperate to solve the mystery of Eddie’s decade’s old disappearance.

Told through the POVs of both women in their own timelines, Eddie and Rowan's storylines are woven together beautifully. This book has firmly cemented Karma Brown’s place as one of my all-time favourite authors.

My thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for the advance reading copy.

Told in two timelines this is the story of Eddie a 1970's feminist who strives to create a better future for women at her Adirondack camp and Rowan an aspiring screenwriter who many years later makes a shocking discovery relating to Eddie's sudden disappearance in 1975. She was never to be seen or heard from again.
An inspiring and compelling story of self-discovery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada/Viking for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this novel. It had mystery, a feminist slant, some recent historical fiction, lots of nature, some humor, many of wise words of advice and a great storyline. The characters felt so real I wanted to become friends with some of them. This is the fourth book I have read by this author and the best yet. While I don't think it would be classified as great literature, it was definitely great storytelling. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. 4.75/5

A novel told in two timelines as they converge together and studies empowering and strong woman.

In the present we have Rowan. Rowan is an aspiring screenwriter who feels stuck and uninspired. She and her partner Seth were living in LA trying to make it, but after realizing they can no longer afford to stay they move back to Ann Arbor, and begin supporting themselves with a growing YouTube channel that is a curated account of their lives. They are struggling in their relationship and boom a cabin getaway so Seth can focus on writing his novel, but what Rowan does not expect is to find herself in the middle of a local mystery.

Eddie Callaway inherited her family's camp, one that had been in the family for generations. After tragedy struck her life in the city she returned to her camp in the 70's and began creating a retreat for women. She used her fortune to help woman discover their voice and become 'wild' but her mission was met with criticism and many in town wanted to shut her down. One day in 1975 she disappeared without a trace.

In modern day Rowan stumbles on some clues as to what happened to Eddie all those years ago, who Eddie was and what she stood for, and how her legacy can help Rowan find herself again.

I love what the author set out to do with this novel. I can appreciate the way the story was told, but I had a hard time connecting with Rowan. The timeline with Eddie worked for me, but the majority of the story was told in Rowan's perspective and I did not like her much. Her motivation did not feel genuine to me. I definitely did not like Seth at all, and although he is not supposed to be very likable, it didn't feel like his personality felt fully fleshed out. Overall I just felt the message of the book was spot on, but the characters did not feel fully real.

I didn’t want to put this book down! It is a compelling read written from the perspective of two females, Rowan and Eddie, one living in the present and the other in the 1970’S. At first It wasn’t entirely clear what genre I was reading, but I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book! It takes you on a journey as the two women discover themselves, while also unearthing decades old secrets. I have not yet read any of Karma Brown’s other novels, but I certainly will now. This was an amazing read and I highly encourage you to pick it up- you won’t regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this eARC.

I went into this book blindly, having read and liked Recipe for a Perfect Wife by the same author.

I loved this story. it was strangely irresistible and I kept wanting to go back into the story every chance I had.
This book is full of heart, strong women, a lively setting and a great mystery.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to review this book. One thing I appreciate about the author's catalogue is how unique each one is to read. What Wild Women Do makes us wish there were real camps like the one in the story! We need them more than ever. Seeing the relationship between two creatives, especially under one roof in the woods, was interesting! It shows that the story you seek isn't the one that finds you. That is all I am going to say without spoilers.

This was an interesting story and I liked it, however it was a bit slow to get into and only ramped up at around the 70% mark. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend as a beach read. I just didn't feel too invested in the characters.

I was pulled in immediately wanting to know what happened at the Calloway camp. Karma has a way of jumping back and forth through time that left me on the hook as she balanced two stories of women in the woods.

The wild woman archetype is undergoing a new renaissance in fiction these days, with its untamed authenticity and womanly woodsy witchiness being featured in many books. For that reason, I was looking forward to reading this story, and I read it wanting to be moved and inspired.

In this story, the two main characters Eddie and Rowan learn through tragedy how to start living their truths...

I felt that Eddie's journey was superficial and Rowan's boring and predictable. The stakes were not high enough for Rowan, and Eddie's journey didn't embody the wild woman story. The main issue is that if the wild woman journey is about connecting to one's inner world, then neither character in this book really accomplished that because they were each vying for superficial fulfillment. There wasn't enough drama and build up to either woman setting out on their journey of self-discovery. Why Eddie started her women empowerment camp was never fully explained as she came across as a bored rich woman. Rowan's career animosity towards her boyfriend didn't seem significant enough to activate her inner wild woman.

The journey's of these two characters was basic as was the author's interpretation of the wild woman archetype. I did not believe either character's journey and I would have liked the nature elements to have had a more whimsical and magical quality.

With all of that being said, I think many readers will enjoy this story as it may encourage some to start living for themselves, without worrying about judgement.

I am a fan of Karma Brown and her stories do not disappoint. This was definitely a book that you can't put down and I read into the wee hours of the morning. All the characters are interesting and have a past that is gripping. Rowan and Eddie and so compelling and you just want to know more. I thought I knew where the story was headed but I was surprised by the ending. I loved everything about this book I just wish there was more