whitneydaniell

Terah Shelton Harris has done it again!
Masterfully written. An eloquent dedication to those who have survived—and to those still on the journey to living.

Summary

Leandra Wilde must play the hand she’s been dealt. Born untethered to the world—no birth certificate and no record of her existence—she knew only her family and their land. A child who could swim and fish better than she could read. She grew up wild, learning from her own mistakes and those of the people around her. Her younger sister, Lila, never far behind and just naive enough to need Leandra’s protection when her own street smarts failed her.

Leandra and Lila lived on their father’s land, in a trailer with their mother, mostly. Their father, often gone for days, weeks, sometimes months, claimed he heard the voices of the ancestors. Their mother, indifferent to her daughters, found company with another man—first for survival, then for her own gratification. As her daughters blossomed into young women, her interest in them faded while her suitor’s interest in Lila grew.

When the chickens came home to roost—their father’s gambling habits catching up with him, and their mother’s company no longer satisfying—survival came down to one last, life-altering decision for the Wildes.

Five years later, Leandra finds herself once again in survival mode. She can’t shake it. Grieving and in despair, she makes the toughest decision of her life when a prison transport van—carrying her, another inmate, and two officers—careens off a bridge into a ravine.

Raised to survive, Leandra’s father taught her and her sister how to live off the land and how not to be slaves to the government or its institutions. Untethered from anything or anyone, she fills her lungs with fresh air and walks away—searching for herself and everything she lost back home in South Carolina and leaving behind, the woman she was when that van went over the bridge.

Character Summary

Leandra never had a full or free childhood—she wouldn’t even know what that was if not for others sharing pieces of their lives with her. Outwardly a woman, inside she was still the child running out to the water, her little sister chasing behind. But now her sister exists only in her dreams—along with their mother and father—each memory a painful weight she carries.

When she finally experiences true freedom, she embraces the name Leigh—the name she chose for the life she was meant to live.

When Leigh meets Jackson Shepherd at the farmer’s market, he feels her before he really sees her. From the moment she was captivated by his flowers, he was captivated by her. For a woman unmoored, Jack became her anchor—his roots deeply planted, offering her a place to land. He made space for her scars, sparred with her anger and pain, listened, and gave her room to rest. Jack loved her crooked angles until they straightened. A man of many words—and none at all.

And while Leigh and Jack’s story is deeply moving, the pages are brightened by Luke and Tibb—the other “strays” Jack took in and gave soft landings. These men were the blank pages Leigh needed to write her story on. They held her secrets and nurtured her scars until she felt whole again.

My Thoughts

I don’t think I’ve ever been emotionally moved by a book like this before. I loved every single word, every paragraph, every character (even Carly), everything about it. Tens across the board!

For everything Leigh endured before reaching Camden/Gee’s Bend, she was rewarded tenfold during her nine months at the Jack’s flower farm. Meeting Walt, and feeling his unconditional kindness and compassion, helped her heal the wound she carried for her father. Walt was a good man, Savannah.

After shedding so much pain and grief, Leigh was finally able to offer Carly the grace she couldn’t give her own mother. Through Carly’s confession and plea, Leigh found a new understanding of her mother—her love for her husband and her painful need to feel desired by her lover. Leigh was able to release her mother’s memory with peace, letting go of the weight of their fractured relationship. She saw something in Carly that reminded her of her mother—and that was enough.

And don’t get me wrong, she’s a better woman than me, because Carly would’ve gotten the unhealed version of me. Ugh, I despise women who act like Carly when they’re intimidated. I loved that Tibb and Luke trolled her every chance they got, though.

Speaking of Tibb and Luke—I adored that for everything Leigh had endured at the hands of terrible men, these three (four, counting Walt) became her salvation. They protected her. They held her. They watched her fight through her pain and grief—and they walked with her every step of the way. They made space for her. Leigh had only known men as transactional, so it was powerful to witness these men rally around her and equip her with the tools, language, and safety she needed to become a better version of herself.

As we entered the final act, I knew where the story was heading, and I was honestly sad. I didn’t want that for Leigh or Jack (characters I could root for even when they made mistakes). I wanted another outcome. But I get it—it had to be that way. I don’t even fault Carly. And I loved Luke because he was ready to get active! Still, I understand the ending. The story wouldn’t have hit the same otherwise. Maybe the final chapter and epilogue brought me to tears—or maybe I was cutting onions. Either way, my soul was satisfied.

Final Verdict

Oh my gosh. Read the damn book.

Acknowledgment

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an advanced reader copy of Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris in exchange for an honest review.

Other Terah Shelton Harris Book Reviews:

• One Summer in Savannah (pub 2023)
• Long After We Are Gone (pub 2024)