How We Land is primarily a first-person narrative of Alicia's life after her physical recovery from a crash during a solo glider flight. Her body has healed, but her emotional trauma runs deep. Plans she had for her life have shifted and she must return to work to support her diabetic father and soon-to-be college bound brother.

At her new job, Alicia becomes fast friends with Mia, a young single mother and the office receptionist. Mia, her father, and brother are Alicia's core support group throughout the story. Alicia carries the emotional load of the crash and caring for her family, but they are always there supporting her too, without judgement.

An accidental email leads to a secretive romance with IT-guy Paul. Alicia and Paul form a deeply passionate and unexpected bond. Alicia shows him the parts of herself that have been scraped raw. She's struggling to move forward and confront her fears, but their connection gives her a safe space to land. Paul still has secrets of his own though and only offers her veiled glimpses of vulnerability.

This story is described as a blend of contemporary romance and women's fiction, which felt like a very accurate description. Expect emotional themes and an atypical HEA.

I was surprised by the direction this story took and enjoyed the author's writing style. Once I got to the halfway mark, I couldn't put it down. A solid debut novel. I look forward to Anna's next novel.

P.S. Love the cover art. As a designer, this is often what attracts me to request ARCs from new-to-me authors. Great choice!

How We Land is a beautiful and heartwrenching story about a glider plane pilot recovering from an accident that impacted her life in so many ways. We follow her to a new job that keeps her firmly on the ground, where she meets Mia - the support she didn’t know she needed. She works near Kevin, the cactus who judges everything but checks out the hot IT guys with her. And she meets Paul, that IT guy.

The poetic writing style and the allusions to jazz all appeal to my musician’s soul. I felt like I was right there with the characters. “The Pacific dictated it’s own rhythm, teasing the land with Fool’s Spring and prolonged chills.” If you aren’t waist deep in the mire of your feelings by a few pages in, you should call for help and have them check your pulse.

“Not many things or people surprise me, and you didn’t even realize it, did you? That you did something most people don’t dare anymore. You saw me. And let me see you.

While I normally would avoid a book that doesn’t have a fairly linear path to the HEA, I will absolutely be reading whatever story Anna chooses to write next because her writing and storytelling is just that good. Anna’s author’s note at the beginning of the book says “If Alicia and Paul made you feel something real - anger, compassion, sadness, hope or even the smallest laugh - then I’m deeply grateful.” And will you ever catch the feelz from this book. Buckle up.

ARC Review of How We Land by Anna Wilk
Star Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

I need a minute to comprehend why I just read…Anna Wilk this is a stunning debut novel!
What first drew me into this book on NetGalley was that it was described as a romance and one of the MC’s was a pilot. My boyfriend is a pilot (in training) so this book instantly intrigued me, even more so when I learned that the FMC was the pilot! Instantly hooked!
First of all, Anna’s writing style is beautiful-easy to read, rich and descriptive imagery and such a beautiful sense of atmosphere. The pacing was perfect, I absolutely flew through this book! (pun intended 😉)

I loved how Anna handled the concept of trauma with the FMC-Alicia is such a vulnerable yet strong character. She is so well written, her journey is so beautiful and the way she has scars and learns to accept them as part of herself and her story, and see them as beautiful was so important.
And finally…Paul and Alicia. It’s hard to put into words their relationship. The way Paul was there at the right time and helped Alicia see herself through his eyes, to help her learn to love herself again and see herself not just as a survivor, but someone who deserved to live and want and be wanted.

Anna does such a wonderful job writing these two characters. The way I fell in love with Paul, then hated him, then learned to love him again. This was such a heartbreaking read, but such an amazing story. Not every love story ends the way we thought it would, or wanted. And sometimes the things you want most, turn out not to be the things you need the most, and that’s okay. If you’re searching for book that’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, this is definitely a book you should pick up. Be prepared for tears!

Thank you to the author, Anna Wilk, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review and ARC this beautiful book! How We Land releases May 12, 2026.

Where do I even start? First, the writing is absolutely beautiful. The imagery is so vivid and painted such a beautiful picture of the landscapes! I also love the descriptions of characters and their feelings. The word choice was top notch and felt deep and achingly emotional. Second, I felt so many emotions throughout this book. Joy, anger, sorrow...what a ride. Some parts (no spoilers here) really tugged on my heart strings because of shared experiences. I felt like I was taken back to personal memories, and in some ways felt a bit healed because of how the author wrote the scenes and resolutions. Lastly, I loved the ending. I love the growth, I love the joy, I love the tenderness! Really well done!

How We Land is a beautiful story that follows Alicia, a female glider pilot who suffered a near-fatal crash. Her physical wounds have healed, but she is scarred both physically and emotionally, leaving her to navigate things like what life looks like post-crash, what healing looks like, and the question of if she will ever fly again.

I absolutely loved this story. The Pacific Northwest atmosphere was perfectly captured, and Alicia’s character was phenomenally written. Healing from trauma is so complex, and I feel like this was so beautifully and emotionally portrayed. I also loved watching Alicia navigate her relationship with Paul, who I had a lot of mixed feelings about. He gave off a lot of red flags, but at the same time I think he was good for her in that he challenged her to see herself as strong and beautiful again, scars and all.

And speaking of the people in Alicia’s life, her support system was absolute gold. I adored Mia, who is the best friend that everyone needs in their life. I fell in love with her family as well, especially her brother Adam, who is everything you could hope for in a brother.

This was such a beautifully emotional story, and I loved both the journey and the ending. It wasn’t your typical happily ever after, but I think that made me love it more. Because what about life goes perfectly according to plan?

Thank you so much to Anna Wilk and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel! This was an excellent debut, and I look forward to seeing what the author writes next.

I cannot believe this is Anna Wilk’s debut novel.

This book ripped me apart and put me back together again. I hit half way and couldn’t put it down. I was up till 2 am. My husband found be devastated on the couch with a glass of wine and ushered me back to bed.

I’m finding it really hard to write a review because I don’t want to give the plot away. I want you to experience the book with just what the author has given you. Just like I did.

I will say this:

It’s nostalgic in a way that brings back painful memories that I’m sure we’ve all experienced at one point or another. It’s gut wrenching & emotional. Poetic & beautiful.

Alicia is brave. She’s every woman out there that has experienced trauma and that’s given something up to pursue something else just hoping to find her way back to who she once was, only to realize this version of herself is still her, just with growth layered in.

The Vibe:
Healing, emotional, will make you cry and once you hit mid point, you won’t be able to stop. Multiple POV

What I love:
The writing style, the ending, the side characters/ support network and a strong but broken FMC

Tropes:
Honestly…not sure. She really did flip the script

Some of my favourite quotes:
“But maybe this was what sacrifice looked like. Not dramatic. Not noble. Just… necessary. Folding the dream into a drawer marked for later.”

“Just a long morning. One of those days where the clouds just…hang inside your ribs. Might need an extra coffee refill.”

“What could he possibly have seen in my eyes? Warmth that I wasn’t sure I still had? Sadness that had nowhere else to go. Gold flickers of hope I hadn’t meant to show.”

“Three hours later, three coffees in, five glances at my inbox per hour… okay, maybe more. I clicked refresh: nothing. I stared at my screen so long that the icons started to pulse.”

“Every scar, every tremble, every stubborn part of you: I want it. If you let me.”

Honestly I have so many more I could share but I’ll let you read the book.

5 beautiful Poetic ⭐️’s
2🌶️
Thank you