At eleven years of age Lily became lost to the world she once knew. She and her mother were on a flight to Texas when the small jet plane crashed into the wilds of the Ozark Mountains. Lily was the lone survivor. Years later she emerges back to civilization.

I have laid out the barest of the bones for this captivating story to ensure readers experience it first hand.

Behind the unassuming title and cover for the book hides a story that leaps off the pages. It will hold you in a thrall until you have finished.

Best Book I have read so far in 2024. My review does not do the story justice.

I received an advance review copy from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley.  I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was such a fascinating storyline. I had no idea what was going to happen throughout the whole book. It kept me guessing. I loved the angst and character development in this book. I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend it to everyone.

The premise of this book is pretty simple. Lily gets on a small airplane with her mother. The plane crashes and Lily and another passenger are the only ones that survive. Unfortunately, the other passenger dies after a few days, leaving Lily by herself in the Ozarks. She is taken under the wing of a man who lives in the Ozarks with his dog, He shows her how to survive and she is able to thrive.
All is going well until she is bitten by a snake and she makes a decision to interact with the outside so she can get help.
The other character is Jessica. Her father is the other passenger that survived for a few days with Lily. Before he died, he gave Lily his watch and wallet. Jessica is shocked to find a woman in the hospital has her dad's watch and wallet. She races to the hospital to meet this person.
What happens after that is what made this book an instant favorite of mine.
I would highly recommend this.

Lily and Jessica are two very complex characters. They almost seem similar in personality somehow. Lily seems really young for her age and Jessica seemed kind of immature for her age. This to me seemed like more of a coming of age story than a romance. Even though it's promoted as a romance. I felt the supporting characters were well written and helped to keep this story on track, because there's a lot of back and forth especially on Jessica's part hence the immaturity. I liked the story well enough, but some parts got bogged down by to much angst drama. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a coming of age story or a second chance at life story.

***Thank you Netgalley and BoldStrokeBooks for the ARC and chance to read and review this book***

I really liked idea and the premise of this book. While it was well written, I was underwhelmed by the plot. The first half of the story works very well and I liked all the details about her life/growing up on her own in the wild.. but once Lily left the wilderness, I lost interest pretty quickly. I found there to be gaps in the second half of the story and I was left with many questions. I also wasn’t totally satisfied with the ending.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

lily was 11 when her plane went down and so begins her fight for survival being the only survivor in that small plane...

on the day she is discovered she is suffering from a snake bite and her life will never be the same again....

a life lived in the jungle and then to return to civilisation, an awakening on many levels for lily

an interesting read that kept me read right into the night

What a breath of fresh air. Collins writes such a heavy and introspective tale of the trials and tribulations Lily faces alone in the great wild Ozarks. Once Jessica enters the picture, the story blooms into a tale of love and courage. Highly recommend for fans of a sapphic twist on the classic Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books, Inc. and Netgalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.

Wildflower is a really tricky book.

While I did enjoy the novel in all, I feel like there's a lot of things that prevented me from fully enjoying it. First of all maybe, the marketing of this novel.
It is aimed and marketed as a romance novel. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of anything really until the last maybe 30% of the whole book.

I liked the concept and the story I just felt that the pacing was off a little bit. The first half of the book was great but the second half just to me, did not seem to flow. I thought Lily was a great developed character and I understood the things she was going through. I just did not feel the same with Jessica. Besides knowing her father passed away in the plane crash we did not know what other issues she was running from.

I like the premise of this book and I really like that one of the leading characters is atypical. That was clever and well written. The first half of the story works pretty well and I was interested in the scenes and characters. But once Lily left the wilderness, I was underwhelmed by the plot, it was bit too sweet and schmaltzy for me. More grit and danger would have really lifted the book.

Beautiful.

Beautiful description of the mountains and, it defiantly makes a difference when you can ‘see’ and almost ‘feel’ the scenery where the book is set.

The story is very different to what I've read before, and the description of the mountain setting is very detailed and leaves you feeling content. You meet some interesting characters throughout the book, who all have interesting stories of their own to tell.

I wouldn't call this book a romance, it's more of an adventure and finding out who you are as a person and where you belong in the world. It's emotional in parts, but fascinating too.

I really did enjoy this story.

5/5

Definitely not your typical sapphic romance, nor did I expect it to be based on the blurb. Very emotional story all around so be ready for that. I was not prepared for the level of detail regarding the aftermath of the crash, but it really added another element to the story and helped you better understand Lily. This story is definitely more geared towards Lily and her growth and Jessica is a part of that. Would’ve enjoyed more of their love story before the epilogue as I did feel their strong connection.

I enjoyed the story and thought the author did a great job executing it. I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars.

Thank You Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Lily was ten when she and her mother took a plane trip to Texas. The plane crashed in the Ozark mountains with only Lily and Jack still alive. Lily tries to take care of Jack but he passes away. Lily has Jack's wallet and bags and bags. Lily spends 9 years in the mountains until she has to seek medical help for a snake bite. The plot revolves around Lily, her love for the mountains, her grandmother and Jessica, Jack's daughter. I found the book very interesting and the characters well written. Both Lily and Jessica find themselves and their life.

This is a story about Lily Andrews who at age 11, whike on a small plane crashes into the Ozark mountains. Lilly was a shy and introverted child before the crash. She is the lone survivor and the first half of the book is filled with the people she meets who teach her survival skills in the mountains. The second half of the book is how she survives in civilization.

I felt a kinship to Lilly with her thoughts and emotions throughout her journey in the book. Collins did wonderful job in making me feel a part of the story with her character descriptions and storytelling. And her visual descriptions of the mountain and beach were equally great.

As a child growing up in the woods near my home I studied the trees and birds too and can totally relate to this quote “He said the trees were singing songs”, I equally can related to the beach scenes, having spent 100s of hours walking gulf coast beaches as an adult.

This is the second time this week I’ve read about mushrooms being connected under the soil and that they send electrical connections to each other. Reading it here was a deja vu vibe and sent tingles up my spine.

The romance is there, and lots of angst too. And yes of course like other reviewers I would have liked more of it. But in a way it fit perfectly for this book.

Highly recommended for anyone liking an adventure story with a dash of romance. And beautifully written words.

ARC received from Net Galley for an honest and voluntary review.

4.5⭐️
This is not an ordinary romance. Written from Lily's point of view, it is about the struggle to survive in the wilderness and reintegrate into civilization. A moving story of an eleven-year-old who, along with her dearly loved mother (the only person who could really understand her) and other passengers, crashes with a small airplane in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. Lily lost everything in no time. But despite all the adverse circumstances, she learns to love her imposed home - nature with all its colors, shapes, facets, and creatures. Only thanks to the help of a dying passenger and an old mountain man and his dog Biscuit, she learns to survive.

Jessica Velasquez lost her father in the same plane crash and is trying to find a way to get closure by hiking to the crash site to see if she can find anything of her father. Will she find closure?

After a long time, Lily returns to civilization, where she has a lot to learn (anew). Frightened by hundreds of questions from so many people and the media attention, she remains mute and is very slow to trust other people. Jessica is one of those, who heard about the only survivor of the crash and visits her. Lily's grandmother is her only remaining relative, who would do anything to give her a nice home and life, only their ideas about it couldn't be more different. The journey back to a civilized life, which is a huge contrast to her life in the wilderness, is another piece of hard work.

When Lily and Jessica meet for the first time, they feel a strong bond over the loss of a parent. The feelings rather change quickly into attraction. However, with their completely different life experiences, they are at two different points in life. They first have to overcome some hurdles before a happy ending is possible.

Through the descriptions of the environment, the challenges, and Lily's feelings and thoughts, I felt as if I were an invisible and mute companion to Lily. I fell in love with her from the first moment, and I just wanted to take the little girl and later the young woman into my arms and protect and support her.

The main themes are the will to live, trust, sadness and grief, loneliness, finding joy in small things, unexpected friendships, and finding your own way - and fighting for it. Told in beautiful, flowery, figurative, and sometimes poetic language. The words flow like a brook through the wilderness, becoming a raging torrent, only to ripple peacefully again shortly thereafter.

My only small complaint is, that the book ends when the love story really begins. I would have loved to spend more time with Lily and Jessica as they begin their life together.

This story really moved me, heartbreaking and at the same time heartwarming.
Highly recommended.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for receiving an ARC for an honest review.

4.9 stars
This story had me wrapped up and emotional from the the first chapter and it never let me go.
My only disappointment, and the reason for my odd star rating, is the anticlimactic ending. The ending was almost comical with onlookers snickering. After all the angst I was put through I needed more romantic release. I would really like a rework of the ending
This is an unusual story of survival, loneliness and heartbreak. But also happiness, friendship and personal growth.
The authors words are wonderful and I felt every heartbreak, fear, loneliness and love.
The wilderness and survival technics were very interesting. The action scenes were scary and breathtaking. I was always surprised and not sure what was going to happen next.
Back in civilization the story turns into a very stormy emotional love story that truly tugs at your heart.
Great story, great writing but disappointing ending.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As I see it, it’s a Robinson Crusoe kind of book, at least in the first part : the survival of a girl (and a woman) almost alone in the forest after a plane crash.
Then, the inevitable clash when comes the civilisation, and how Lily will adapt to it.

And of course, the romance, with a fated lover :flagLesbian:​

I read the book almost in one go, and it was entertaining, but it was lacking in realism in several parts I can’t pin down now.
There is also a huge shift near the end of the story who feels a bit surreal, made up, to let the story advance.

Nevertheless, the romance was good, even if it’s a very slow burn, and even if I wanted them to kiss 100 pages before, the ending is satisfying.

A lesbian Crusoe is a good idea, and I enjoyed it, but to be honest, I can’t really recommand it, it didn’t click with me and even if I’m always up to cheesy lesbian romance, there were too much part feeling surreal that I wasn’t really anchored in the story.

Lily life changes in instant when on a small plane that her and mother was on crashes into the Ozarks and she realizes her mother has died except for Jack who is dying gives Lily pointers on how to survive while talking about his daughter Jessica. Lily is all alone in the forest until she stumbles upon a grizzly man and his dog who teaches how to live in the wilderness. Lily spent eight years in wilderness even though she came upon campers and hikers but chose to remain hidden but this time she can’t because she gets a life threatening injury. Lily thrust back into the world where she sees her grandmother Dawn who controlling and wants her to be a certain way and doesn’t approve of the friendship she developed with Jack daughter Jessica who wanted to know what happened to her father. I enjoy this read I like the details of surviving in the wilderness and Lily strength but the romance part felt flat because we really didn’t get to invest with Jessica come in out of Lily life and then it’s felt rush but overall solid read.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

This was a really fascinating and heart-wrenching tale.

The details of MC Lily's time in the wilderness is so fraught but with such perseverance, you really root for her every step of the way, and feel deeply for all she has been through.

The narrative is seen through Lily's eyes, but it does mean that we don't get as much insight into other characters as we perhaps should.

Specifically the romance is understandably very push and pull, and struggles from a lack of connection and conversation, many things left unsaid. There's some drama with a GrandMother character which does get resolved, but at the same time it does so in an inorganic way, quick way that doesn't feel as realistic as it should.

It's a unique story that I did enjoy a lot, very beautiful in places, but could have explored other characters in a bit more depth, and have Lily be truly more autonomous in some ways.

Overall though, I'd recommend it, if you're int survivalist style stories.