Quick note to say that, like always, my reviews are aimed to be spoiler-free, however I cannot say the same for any trigger warnings I tag! So just be aware before you open those up/glance down at them.

A funny series of events: I was first introduced to this book at Barnes and Noble. It sounded super interesting and the cover was great, but I was a bit scared it wouldn't be as good as I thought it would be, so I requested my library to purchase and hold it for me...and they did, but I never got the notification for it so I never got to read it until now. That was last year when the book came out, haha. But man, am I glad I read it.

What an interesting book. What a great concept. It's not perfect, but it's also a debut novel, and how many books are truly perfect? The core of The Wilderness of Girls by Madeline Claire Franklin at face value would be the mystery of the Happy Valley Wild Girls and how they ended up surviving out in the wilderness, or the truth of Leutheria, the mysterious land the girls claim to hail from. But it's so much more than that. 

I was really gripped from start to finish, not just on whether or not we'll have an answer to those mysteries, but more so on the characters and their relationships, especially the main character, Rhi. As much as the story is about these four wild girls, the main focus is definitely on Rhi, who has a complex relationship with her family, and struggles to move forward in her life, no matter how hard she tries. She helps teach the wild girls how to exist in a world that only wants to tear them down and reshape them to society's image of perfect young girls; and in return, they help her let go of what is holding her down, but also give her something to hold onto in replacement. Family, love, acceptance. 

The magical realism was fantastic and well balanced throughout the whole story. I wasn't left unsatisfied or questioning too much, because the story landed exactly where it was always meant to be in the end. And while I feel like the end wrapped up a bit too cleanly, I also think I would've been upset if it had ended any other way. 

I admit, I had wished the author went deeper with certain characters, deeper with Mother and who he was, why he raised the girls, and the magic of Leutheria. But I think I also had high expectations as an initial look at this book reminded me of Kelly Barnhill's When Women Were Dragons, which did emotionally and mentally destroy me for a while. But that isn't to say this book doesn't have its heart-rending moments. For a YA book, things get dark and intense (please check trigger warnings if you think you'll need to!) and you really learn to love each character, from the main ones to the minor characters who only show up occasionally. Every single person has a reason for acting the way they do, even if it's totally selfish and vain. 

Overall, a very solid read and easily recommendable. 4.5/5 stars.