3.5 stars rounded up, but really 3.5 stars. I end up giving a lot of books 4 stars, but there’s a pretty wide space between my 3.5 star books and my just-missed-out-on-five-star books (because something has to really wow me to get five stars.) Ah, the vagaries of the GR system, long may she wave. I wish that my reviews would quit disappearing though.

But I digress.

Back in the late 1980s, early 1990s (I may be making those dates up, but they are close) in Dublin Jessica and Linda were best friends and had been since the first day of school.

OK, wait. I know we are talking Dublin, but was there ever a time when the names “Jessica” and “Linda” were popular at the same time?

Anyway, both girls were from broken homes and Jessica, the wilder, more brazen one had always seem to their survival. She assumed it would always be that way.

Now the girls are 18 and are at Wilde, an elite University in Dublin. Jessica is the queen of the first year girls and falls in love quickly. Then she and Linda meet Mark, a few years older, who is very charismatic and has some odd ideas. And it seems like his influence extends to all their other friends too, with some not so great results for most of them.

Years later Jessica still has guilt about what happened at Wilde and Mark reappears, wanting to tell his story.

Oh, I love a good campus intrigue novel with loads of angst and this one delivers. Well drawn characters. Really enjoyed this. The more I think about it, the more I think this book deserves those 4 stars, for its great portrayal of college, relationships, real life vampires and the awful things we can do to each other.

I'll admit, I had a hard time getting through this book. Which might entirely be because it is not my usual genre. I'm typically more a romance person than a general fiction sort. But my goodness, I struggled with just how unlikable the main character Jessica was to start with. Now, I don't think she or Linda, her best friend from childhood, were badly written by any means. Both of them are clearly well thought out, fleshed out characters. However, Jessica is incredibly self-involved. She thinks incredibly highly of herself and thusly looks down on almost everyone else, including Linda. Which I was hoping would make for a compelling read and character development. Jessica, however, simply did not develop in the way I wished she would have. Not until the VERY end.

This book also seems to struggle under the weight of its pretentiousness. Which on the one hand, I understand. However, by having Jessica be so self-centered and the plot mostly revolving around how the events impacted her, I feel like it came off almost paper thin.

I also didn't love the character of Mark, who quickly scoops up Linda and starts turning Jessica's world upside down. I know men like Mark exist. Charming men with enough money to buy their way into the good graces of those they can't just snag with their charisma. However, he also came off as a bit one-dimensional as the clear bad guy in Jessica's story. The villainous smooth older lad who lures younger students into his clutches. Despite having encountered men like this in real life and understanding what the author intending in writing him, he felt almost cartoonish.

Actually, if you struggle when reading toxic relationships, this is not the book for you. Respectfully, there doesn't seem to be a fully healthy relationship in the whole book. The relationships in this book run from unhealthy to downright toxic and abusive.

Then there's the matter of the pacing. We start off quickly knowing that something TRAGIC happened when Jessica was at University, presumably involving Linda. And then we don't get to it and its ramifications until around the 90% mark. Hell, we don't even get to Mark's play until at least 75% of the way through the book. And when we finally do find out what the big, awful, tragic thing that happened is? Well, it was sort of anti-climatic for me. Was it tragic? Yes. But it was simultaneously fairly obvious what the main players of it would be while also not feeling as big as I expected. I read it and went "Really? That's it?"

I will give Harding their due in writing a story I did want to get to the end to. There were moments where I relished in Harding's descriptions. I was particularly impressed by the various ways our childhoods and upbringing can impact us and our relationships. My favorite character was Jessica's therapist, who challenges her harsh perception of herself in these past events she's recollecting, who challenges her to try and be kind when looking back in hindsight.

Dark academia at its best.A storyline I got completely caught up in and couldn’t put down.The author weaves a really unique haunting tale that kept me turning the pages #netgalley #harpervia.

This book has all my favorite elements of dark academia with the obsession and the lore, and add two unhinged fmc and I love it!! Thank you for the arc!

*obsession, manipulation, and jealously*
This novel, narrated by Jessica, follows her reflections on a turbulent past with her best friend Linda. As they mature and attend Wilde, Jessica falls in love with Jacques, while Linda becomes involved with Mark, a controlling playwright. Mark’s grip on both women intensifies, drawing them into a web of dark and manipulative events that shape their lives.

Wow! What a powerful novel! This reminded me a lot of The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Jessica and Linda are the closest of friends since starting school. Now they are both ready for University and although they are from different upbringings, they are both able to attend Wilde. Jessica has always been the stronger, guiding friend. And not much changes in their relationship until a stranger named Mark enters the scene. Many years older than the friends, he immediately centers on Linda and begins to pull her away from her close friendship from Jessica. As time goes by, Mark slowly infiltrates Jessica’s world and changes her relationships with all of her close friends. As the story escalates, a climactic and awful ending occurs. . And years later, Jessica is still trying to understand what happened and possibly rectify the tragic consequences.

|I thought I would give this book a try. Honestly, I realized that it wasn’t a subject that I’m truly interested in and did not finish the book.

The Wildelings is a very character driven story. It's a story of friendships, power dynamics, obsession, and manipulation.
I found that I didn't really care for any of the characters involved and that they were awfully pretentious.
The book starts with Jessica visiting her counselor where she recounts her time at college. She feels guilty for something and the whole book is pushing toward that point- which comes at 97%.
While the writing was compelling, this kind of story just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperVia for an early copy for review.

You know that there is a car crash coming in the movie but you just can't look away...... that's The Wildelings - a treastice to obsession and psychological warfare expertly plotted by Lisa Harding.

Jessica and Linda are best friends in the most co-dependent way possible. Their friendship survives and even strengthens in college. But when Linda meets her own romantic partner, the balance is upset.

This is the tensest, creepiest, greatest obsessive book I have ever read about women - it is not overdone as some tend to be. Grab this story and take a good hard look at your best friend! #lisaharding #thewildelings #harpervia

I like dark academia books. the main character was unlikeable but not always in a good way. I liked the dual timelines and I did find the story interesting. The book is about friendships and all the good and bad that can entail. I give this a 3.5 star rating.

This was an interesting read. It was dark and had themes of abandonment, loss, friendships, abuse, etc. It was a weird book to me, i did not enjoy the main character at all. She was very mean and cruel. I think the story was written okay, and it was interesting but I dont know if I would read more from this author/topic

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I think this is an interesting take on dark acadamia and how power can be abused even when friendship is so innocent. I cannot say I liked our main character but really I feel like that is the point. It doesn't matter who we are, no one deserves the abuse and trauma impacted from men ( or anyone else for that matter).

Dark academia books are one of my most favorite to read. This new one from Harding was refreshing and interesting. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed the exploration of friendship and coming of age story. The writing is very good, and it felt exciting.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

This is my second encounter with Lisa Harding's work, and after reading "Cloud Girls," I'm convinced she masterfully crafts gut-punching, emotionally raw stories with imperfect yet realistic heroines.

"Wildlings" is a powerful exploration of the turbulent friendship between two girls who, shaped by the bitterness of betrayal and abandonment from those they trusted most, cling to each other in their fragile bond. Jessica, driven by attention-seeking and self-absorption, contrasts sharply with Linda, who quietly yearns for love, acceptance, and a place in the world—often surrendering her own identity to bask in Jessica’s spotlight, even sharing Jessica’s stepmother's affection.

Together, they endure the cruelty of their small town until they escape to Dublin’s Wilde College, where they pursue the arts and freedom from their pasts. But as college life unfolds, their relationship shifts: Linda finds herself drawn to the enigmatic Mark, while Jessica falls into a relationship with Jacques, as their mutual friend Jonathan begins distancing himself from Linda. Mark manipulates them all, preying on their insecurities like a puppet master, pushing them deeper into a haze of drugs, alcohol, and self-destruction until a life-altering event occurs.

The story alternates between timelines: in the present, a forty-something Jessica, abandoned by her husband and unsuccessful in her entertainment career, seeks therapy to confront the guilt and unresolved emotions tied to her friendship with Linda, which has haunted her for nearly three decades. Through flashbacks, we uncover the truth of what happened during their time at Wilde College and the devastating secret Jessica has carried with her ever since. Is she a victim, or was she complicit? Can she finally face her past and repair the damage she's done?

Overall, this is a well-written, layered exploration of female friendships, dysfunctional families, and psychological abuse, with richly developed female characters. While the male characters—particularly Jonathan and Jacques—lack the same depth, the compelling narrative, balanced pacing, and tragic yet captivating ending kept me engaged, leading me to round up my rating to 4 stars for its intricate portrayal of female relationships and self-discovery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for sharing this fascinating women’s fiction digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a little too all over the place for me. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, and I think it took too long to get to the climax. I think if it had spent more time in pacing through the play it would have worked better (ex. If we were villains by M.L Rio)

Harding masterfully delves into Jessica’s complex relationships and her struggle to reconcile her past with her present. The vivid, moody writing and the characters’ raw, authentic emotions make this an unforgettable read. It’s a gripping story that kept me turning pages, and I’m excited to see what this author brings us next.