Wilder Girls

I don't actually know what I was expecting with this book as I hadn't read much about it. The cover is captivating for a start; and we all judge a book by its cover. I thought it was going to be a girly YA book that I was only reading because it was chosen as a book club read. In that regard, I am so glad I went in almost-blind (sorry Hetty). I thoroughly enjoyed this story, a lot more than I thought I would."...they taught us how to crack a bullet open. How to... swallow the gunpowder like poison, just in case we ever need to die."Its target audience is clearly teenagers, so I'm ever-so-slightly a bit older than the intended demographic, but I still connected with a few of the characters. There was your standard teenage bickering involved, but also that strength you have as a teen, where it is your against the world and you will win, nothing can hurt you. So despite the existence of the Tox, and the painful flare-ups the girls have to endure, there is a resilience there that conveys maybe, just maybe, the kids are gonna be alright.There is a LGBTQ+ vein running throughout the story, but I wouldn't say the romance purveys the story much, it is definitely more of a feminist dystopian horror. But there is enough inner monologue that I feel the target audience will relate to in regards to exploring their own sexuality.The science behind the Tox, explained mainly through the eyes of our young protagonists, has clearly been well-researched by Rory Power, and I found it simply fascinating. Power manages to capture the childlike naivety to the horrors of the world really well, but not in a patronising way, our characters are still intelligent and mature, they just lack adultlike cynicism. The fast-flowing narrative sucks you in, these kids have experienced something horrific, but they are not just going to roll over and let the world beat them down any further, they want to live.

So I decided to take part in the Rainbow Readers BC this month which kicked off with Wilder Girls. I was soooo excited to read this because it's YA, LQBTQ+ friendly, and a thriller, all of which I'm a big fan of. But this just didn't hit the mark for me.I don't know if it's because I'm a bit older now, but I don't seem to enjoy YA books the way I used to. The characters in this book, for me, didn't have enough depth. I wanted to know more about their past. I wanted to know more about The Tox. I wanted their relationships with each other to have more depth too.Don't get me wrong, I pretty much read this in one sitting and I did enjoy it while reading it but it felt like it was building up to something great, and it was so easy to read which was a nice change of pace from Outlander and Battle Royale which I've read previously.. but this just fell flat for me.EDIT: It's been over a week now since I finished it and I STILL keep thinking about how much I enjoyed it and in loving reading theories on it so I'm increasing my rating from 3.5/5 to a solid 4/5 so don't @ me.

If you are considering buying this book on the expectations of a thrilling, horrific, apocalypse-like sapphic novel, then I recommend you rethink as the relationship consists of one flimsy kiss and no real chemistry between the love interests. Their romantic relationship does not come to light and they bicker to the point it's uncomfortable and pointless. The story isn't really focused on romance either way, which is fair; it may have been the goal of the author from the start.The characters are written really well; all the girls have a depth and lustre to them that's really great to read as a teenage girl myself. They're simultaneously unlikeable and selfish as well as relatable and more realistic - they aren't portrayed as little damsels in distress who only speak honey-sweet words.However, there also isn't a lot of action (a few scenes with some tension), and the first half of the book is spent explaining what the Tox is from Hetty's POV, and everything she knows about it. The actual history and context of the Tox and how it came about isn't really explained, nor why it brings different symptoms in each person. The actual idea of the Tox is insanely cool though. The ending is also unsatisfying and ambiguous, however if a sequel would be made, it may explain it and add what the first is lacking. Overall, the concept of the story is really cool, but do not read it based on the expectations I had: lesbian romance, adventure/action or apocalypse survival style.

First off I understand why a lot of people don’t like the ending, I get it feels a bit like the author just didn’t know how to end it so just put their pen down and left it. But I loved it, I think it wrapped it up nicely.Yes I have a million questions that will never be answered, I’m still confused about a lot of stuff. But that’s what I loved about it. Sometimes I feel authors give us too much, they tell us every tiny little detail and it ends up ruin the story. But by leaving us with questions we get to come to our own conclusions, we get to question the characters intentions further than if we knew everything. And that’s something I very much enjoy! But that’s enough about the ending, I loved Wilder Girls from the start, I was engaged in the story from page 1. I loved the characters and just wanted to know more about the twists and turns of the girls journeys. I could never quite tell what was coming up, or sometimes what was even going on at the time but that’s what kept me wanting more. Also we love a book with LGBTQ+ rep so that helped too.

This book is insane, I kept seeing it around and being recommended to me for a while and all I can say is, I WISH I brought it sooner. I read it in 2 days flat, probably 1 day if I didn’t have to sleep haha. Could not put it down! I was sad to finish it, definitely one of those books you think about a lot after reading, highly recommend!!!