If you survived a plane crash at the tender age of eleven years old, eventually losing everyone around you, how long do you think you could live?

Lily Evans is just happy to be hanging out with her mother. They’re close, and her mother is probably the only one who really understands how she thinks. When Lily goes to sleep on the plane, she never expects to wake up to her world falling apart. With a lot of luck and guidance from a dying man on the plane, Lily manages to stay alive. But barely. All too soon, she is the sole survivor with no wilderness skills, very few social skills, and lost in an unforgiving forest. With another burst of good fortune, she meets a grizzled old man and his dog. Biscuit.
The old man teaches her how to start a fire, trap for meat, and everything else he knows. He and Biscuit become Lily’s chosen family. She’s still an orphan, but not quite so alone.

Family, both blood and chosen family, is an important and dominant theme in this novel.

Yes, the story is one of unexpected survival, but it is also about resilience, determination and being true to oneself. It is also about freedom. The freedom to live by your own means and hands and wits, as well as the freedom to live true to your heart.

All of these themes and elements are not only woven masterfully into the story but are the bedrock of the tale. The novel has so many layers that blend so seamlessly into one another, that long after I turned the last page, I was stunned by how much depth there had been. In fact, I would argue that “Wildflower” has more profundity and meaning than many classic pieces of literature I studied in school.

To refer to the writing as “atmospheric” is a little bit of an understatement. For most of the novel, we are in the Ozarks with Lily, but we also tag along to the Texas coast, wander the beach against an incoming hurricane, and dig our toes into the sand alongside Lily. No matter where she is, we are transported there with her. The author brought her skill to each page so thoroughly that I never doubted where we were. And I certainly never wanted the story to end.

I would have been very happy to have this book be twice as thick, and it is not a short novel. I fell in love with the settings, the people Lily meets, and of course, with Biscuit.

Have you ever read a novel and been so taken by it that when you were done, you mourned its completion? That was me with Wildflower. And I’ll warn you now, it might do the same for you. In this day and age of clickbait and manipulative media, you need to read Wildflower. It will change you, and you will be better for it. Get it as soon as you can. You won’t regret it.

I was fortunate to be granted an arc by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books via Netgalley.

I’m glad I read the reviews before starting this book. I knew not to expect much of a romance and that helped me enjoy the other aspects of the book.

I loved the point of view, going through Lily’s mind and all her thoughts and emotions. It was well written and didn’t rush through stages and situations.

I am excited to read more from this author,

When I read the blurb for this book, I was sure this wasn’t going to be my normal feel-good romance. The tragedy Lily experiences at such young age is heartbreaking, the detailed the author goes through of the accident and the life in the forest is astonishing and I wouldn’t have minded reading about all that time in the forest, if there good have been more time for the romance part as Lily and Jessica spend little time together, and would have enjoyed a bit more happiness for Lily.

First off: don't go into reading this book thinking it's a romance. Yes, there is a bit of that, but if you think that's it you're going to not like this book as much as it deserves. Lily is on her way to Texas with her mom when their small plane crashes in the Ozarks and almost everyone dies. At eleven years old Lily needs to find a way to survive and she does so quite nicely for the next 8 years in a rough environment.
The writing of this part is poignant, you follow along in Lily's mind, living the joys, grief, tension, fear and loneliness that she goes through. Her connection to Jessica is believable and beautiful, yet this is not the focus of this book. For me the focus was Lily and her personal growth, adjusting again to life and the expectations that brings, whether it's from family or otherwise, finding your spot in life and living that life happy and fullfilled.
I for one greatly enjoyed this book, for a romance it's too light on the romance and the time spend together as a couple, rushing to a HEA. Yet as story about a slightly different girl, growing up on her own in the wild and coming to terms with herself and her position in the world it is a delightful read.

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

The book opens with a visit to the therapist and we get a peek into young Lily Andrew’s life, an 11 year old with a surviving mother who is battling grief but otherwise an adoring parent. Although Lily seems to be in her own head, she is bright and resilient.

While on a flight to her grandparents’, the plane crashes and Lily soon realises that her mother has passed and the other survivor Jack is failing. Before he passed, Jack shared about his daughter Jessica, sent Lily on trips outside of the aircraft and taught her some basic knowledge on survival in the forest. Left on her own in the mountains after Jack, Lily stumbles upon an old man and his dog, Biscuit and they became unlikely teachers and companions for her. In the passing years, although Lily came across poachers and campers, she chose to live in seclusion until an incident forced her back to civilisation.

The writing for the years that Lily survived and lived in the mountains was brilliant and purposeful in its execution. It was a pulsating read, descriptive and rich with Lily’s take on the animals and men she encountered but lonely and painful for her grief, survival and wellbeing. Lily is an embodiment of the wildflower. She did not wilt with her grief and loss and with every challenge in the vast wilderness she grew and adapted.

Although it was a captivating read, I found myself wondering why 8 years and if it could be written into a 2 part series as there is so much depth, significance, metaphors and storyline that could be expounded. With Lilly’s reintroduction to civilisation, she could be lost but seemed steadfast in her feelings for Jessica. There was clearly pining on both sides and with the time apart it was further cemented that what they had was not a connection due to Jack but thought a few more chapters on their lives together would endear itself more to readers.

I just reviewed Wildflower by Cathleen Collins. Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

When I initially began to read Wildflower I was instantly snared by this intense novel after the plane that Lily and her mother are on goes down in the heavily wooded and mountainous area of the Ozarks. The earnest conversations that Jack, the only other survivor of the crash, has with Lily are emotionally charged in order to get the eleven=year-old prepared to ultimately try to survive alone for a period of time until she may be rescued. During those conversations Jack also introduces Lily to his daughter, Jessica, who is two years older than Lily. Jack shares a photo of Jessica and tells stories to Lily about Jessica. After Jack passes away though, help never comes for Lily. The plane has essentially cratered into the earth and can't be seen below the dense vegetation.

Eventually a mountain man and his dog find Lily. They are ensconced into mountain life and have no way of contacting anyone to help Lily. The mountain man and the dog eventually warm to Lily and the man teaches Lily how to survive in the unforgiving environment. Before Lily is eventually forced to leave this environment, she has an encounter with a hiker/camper who is interested in the crash site. She doesn't know at the time, but the hiker is Jessica.

The emotions that I felt when I was reading that part of the book were very similar to some of the emotions that I felt when I was reading "Alone" by E.J. Noyes a few years ago. I thought that part of WIldflower was spectacular and very well written.

After a misstep forces Lily to leave her mountain home after eight years there, she is forced to reenter society. Although I still enjoyed this part of the book, the environment was totally different in the Texas Gulf Coast. Lily's controlling grandmother, Dawn, takes her to her home to help her recover. Dawn forces Lily to do many things that she wasn't ready for and also isn't keen on Lily seeing Jessica whom she has developed an emotional connection with following her rescue.

For me the first portion of the book deserves 5 stars. That portion of the book will remain with me a long time. Overall my rating of the book is 4 stars.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lily Andrews is 11 years old when is survives a plane crash in the Ozark mountains. She learns to survive and gets by living in a cave. For some reason I had flashbacks to reading Hatchet, the YA middle school book about a boy surviving in the Canadian wilderness. She sustains some injuries and learns to be leery of hunters and hikers. The first third is the survival story and then it switches to her being 18 and being rescued from the mountains. She officially meets Jessica Valasquez. Jess is a writer and she has seen her before in the mountains. Her father was in the plane crash and she wants answers about his death she hopes Lily can give her. Lily’s grandmother Dawn also arrives to whisk her to Texas. She wants to protect her but also to show her off to her club member friends.

This is general fiction with the beginnings of a romance. I’d have like to know a little more clearly how Lily survives the seasons in her cave or even how she keeps track of years. In the later half of the story again there are gaps to me too. Dawn gets her a tutor to help her get her GED but there are no details how she goes from a fifth grade education to being college ready. Did Lily ever counseling after her ordeal? I think I would have liked Jess to be around a little more to see their relationship grow. I think this is one of those stories that the premise is interesting but it didn’t go where I expected. I did read it quickly and it kept my interest but I wasn’t totally satisfied when I finished the story. Even with the epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I leaving a voluntary review.

While the premise sounded interesting, the story itself was delivered in an underwhelming way.
We meet Lily Andrews when she's only 11 years old, shortly before a plane crash kills her mother and all other passengers on board. She spends the next 8 years alone deep in the Ozark Mountains with little help to begin with. She somehow manages to withstand summer's heat and winter's cold in a cave, while feeding herself and keeping herself from sustaining any severe injuries. The chapters that detailed her life during those 8 years felt mundane and lacking creativity.
When an accident occurs and she sustains a life-threatening injury she is forced out of her private Arcadia and thrown into civilization where she meets Jessica Velasquez. While Jessica is trying to find out more about her father's death, a romance between the two young women is supposed to develop.
Since we only get Lily's point of view and Jessica kept appearing and disappearing from Lily's life, I found it hard to see them as a potential couple. There was little involvement between the two women and even when such moments occurred both Jessica and Lily's grandmother hardly ever gave her a chance to make her own decisions or to express her feelings.
We never get to see them as a couple, as a family, we are merely given an epilogue, a very quickly summarized HEA.

In the Ozarks a plane goes down with two survivors. One an 11 year old girl, the other an older man but he can’t move. Is anyone looking for them?
The man sets young Lily out to look around and search for water and check out nature. He teaches her what she’s looking at nature around them because he knows his time is short.
Lily must learn quickly if she’s going to make it.
Soon enough she’s on her own and frightened but she smart and strong. The years pass somehow and she sees hikers and campers but she’s afraid to approach.
Until the unthinkable happens and a venomous snake has gotten her.
She seeks out help and is thrust back into the world she hasn’t even a part of in years. Will this be too much for her? Who will help? Who will she trust?
Enjoyable read.

Thank you #NetGalley #BoldStrokesBooks #Wildflower for this ARC

The premise of this book intrigued me and I couldn't put it down until I finished. However I found it lacking in parts. This was my first book by this author.

Lily Andrews is on her own after a plane crash killed her mother and everyone else on board at age 11. For 8 years, she survived in the mountains with a little help in the beginning.

Jessica Velasquez has mourned the death of her father for years and never dealt with her grief until Lily comes out of the mountains with her father's wallet.

Their lives collide and an instant connection is formed, but this is where I had an issue with it. Jessica flitted in and out of Lily's life and never gave her a chance to make her own decisions. Instead Jessica made them for her. I wouldn't call this a romance per say as there wasn't much involvement between the two MCS and one kiss. The end was disappointing as well because you never got to see them interact as a couple and etc. Overall, not a bad book, but as excited as I was to read this, I was left disappointed.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.