This book is about friendships, but also so much more…

Desiree, January, Monique, and Nakia are four close friends trying to figure out the complexities of life together. The novel follows them through the years as they struggle with their relationships, careers, and finding themselves while also existing as Black women in America. Each character is extremely complex and the situations the women navigate are all too real, which is often eye-opening.

The last few chapters of the novel are quite a bit different from the rest. It actually reminded me of the novel The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell, as this book took a similar turn at the end (and I would recommend it also to anybody who hasn’t read it). Suffice to say the book highlights some very real racial and socioeconomic disparities in America, and then reminds us of what the future can look like if these trends continue. While the story of friendship is beautiful, the real world implications are also such an important takeaway, making this book all the more meaningful.

There were a few things that weren’t my favorite though. I’m not sure that the book benefited much from jumping around to different years as I feel it would have read just as well in chronological order, and saved me some page flipping trying to figure out the timeline. And I know there was some attempt to explain the title of the book within the book but honestly… still don’t love it. I feel like it doesn’t match the content, despite the explanation.

Also… I wish we would have gotten more from Monique because she felt like the forgotten friend who was hardly given any content, and I would have enjoyed hearing more from her besides the little we got. The friendship just didn’t feel very equal, but maybe that was intentional.

I thought this was beautifully written. The prose is lovely, and I appreciated the author’s attention to setting. I wish we had gotten a little bit more background on all the friendships and relationships. It seemed like a lot of the book focused on the prickly aspects of long friendships, like the little things your friends do that exasperate you, but you keep coming back. I was missing what kept bringing these characters back together.

The frequent POV changes toward the end were a little abrupt for me. I would have liked to linger a bit more in each character’s reactions and emotions. That said, there are wonderful portraits in this book, and I really enjoyed the author’s ambition in crafting all these different storylines across a wide time span.

The characters had very realistic struggles which made the story feel relatable. I saw the beauty in how the characters showed up for one another despite their individual circumstances. I felt the book was very wordy which led me to struggling to complete it.

Angela Flournoy's The WIlderness is a beautiful exploration of modern life, adulthood, and friendship. We follow five women, Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia, starting in their early 20s through to their 40s. I found each woman's arc compelling and was unable to put the book down. It was beautifully written and is a story that will stick with me for a long time.

Angela Flournoy’s The Wilderness is a stunning exploration of friendship, identity, and the passage of time. Following five Black women over two decades, Flournoy masterfully captures the highs and lows of navigating careers, relationships, and societal pressures in an ever-changing world. The characters feel authentic, with their struggles—whether familial, professional, or personal—resonating deeply. Desiree and Danielle’s estranged sisterhood, January’s ambivalence toward her “good” man, Monique’s unexpected fame, and Nakia’s entrepreneurial struggles create a rich tapestry of relatable stories. Flournoy’s writing is both expansive and intimate, perfectly balancing humor with emotional depth. The novel doesn’t shy away from exploring the complexities of modern adulthood—political upheaval, economic instability, and the weight of privilege and opportunity. Through vibrant storytelling and electrifying prose, The Wilderness reminds us of the power and fragility of lifelong friendships.

a really lovely story about friendship! it’s been a while since I’ve read a book about a group of women who uplift yet challenge one another in such loving and moving ways. really beautiful and warm, heartfelt and tender, funny at times and very much a reflection of friendships that are by no means perfect but strong in its foundation.
thank you so much to the publisher for my copy!

I adored this book. These four women are the epitome of female friendship, and how friendship can grow and change over the years. Sometimes close, sometimes farther away, knowing one another so well that you know when a text not responded to means more than just a busy week. Knowing when to apologize for a mean comment, and how to smooth things over and move on. Knowing who holds which role in the group: who is the glue, who is the mom, who is your best best friend at any moment, who would beat up that man? This was so lovely. I really enjoyed each woman’s dynamic, individual growth, and how they interacted with each other over the years. I loved this.

Great book. Excited to read the final copy later this year, will absolutely be picking up the hardcover.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

This is a well-crafted novel that offers a deep and layered exploration of friendship, ambition, and identity. The characters—Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia—are exceptionally shaped, each navigating the complexities of early adulthood with authenticity and emotional depth. Their journeys through career struggles, personal ambitions, and shifting relationships felt both poignant and realistic, making them easy to connect with.
However, despite the richness of the narrative, I found the story somewhat long-winded at times. The novel’s scope—spanning decades and touching on major societal issues—was ambitious, but at moments, it felt overwhelming rather than immersive. Also, while the author's writing is sharp and insightful, certain sections felt stretched, making it difficult to maintain my engagement throughout. This novel is a compelling read for those who appreciate character-driven narratives. The author's keen insight into modern adulthood and the complexities of friendship makes this novel a deeply moving and worthwhile experience.

Thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.

I absolutely enjoyed this book! Angela Flournoy beautifully captures the complexity and beauty of female friendship through the lives of five Black women navigating the ups and downs of life over twenty years. The bond between them felt so genuine and relatable. It’s a heartfelt, powerful story that celebrates the strength and resilience of women’s friendships and life. Definitely a must-read! Thank you so much for this advance copy!

A book about how Black women do friendship. A really loving, dazzling, dynamic, delightful, depiction and description of how Black women show up for each other through ups and downs, rights and wrongs, shades and sun. Actually this turned out to be a really fine well written novel, Black Girl Magic at its finest.
A big thanks to Netgalley and Mariner books for an advanced DRC. Book will be available 09.16.25!

This novel is a stunning exploration of young adulthood's chaos, beauty, and contradictions. Following five Black women across two decades, the story masterfully captures the highs and lows of ambition, love, family, and identity in an ever-changing world. From strained sisterhood to the complexities of relationships, career ambitions, and personal reinvention, each woman’s journey feels deeply authentic and emotionally resonant.

The writing is sharp and immersive, effortlessly shifting between New York and Los Angeles, personal struggles and societal shifts, youthful idealism, and adulthood's sobering realities. As Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia navigate friendships and failures, triumphs and betrayals, their bonds evolve in ways that feel both inevitable and deeply moving.

This novel lingers, offering not just a story but a reflection on the challenges and possibilities of contemporary womanhood.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this was another case of what could have been.

This story tells of four women from their 20s to the 40s, into the year of 2027.
Desiree steps into adulthood with financial security but no real family, and brings her grandfather to Switzerland for an assisted suicide. January is pregnant and determined to carve out a life on her own, though the father of her child drifts in and out Monique, a librarian with a quiet passion for words, finds her voice amplified when she transitions into blogging, her audience growing alongside her confidence. Nakia, a chef with undeniable talent, finally comes into her own when she opens a small and much loved restaurant.

I felt this book was very wordy, and I had a hard time paying attention at certain points.

Thanks to Netgalley and Mariner for the ebook. A wonderful novel that follows four black women friends from their 20’s through their 40’s and beyond, that covers our time and slightly into the near future. The book starts with Desiree and how she starts her 20’s with money, but no family except for an older sister who has cut her out of her life. January starts out pregnant and wanting to prove that she can live her life on her own, but her partner comes in and out of her life as maybe savior or maybe a crushing weight on her back. Monique is the librarian who becomes a blogger with a bigger and bigger following and Nakia is the chef who’s finally figured out her life once she opens her small, but we’ll received restaurant. In New York and Los Angeles, arguing through the years, the four remain great friends who are there for each other when no one else is.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed in this type of book. The overall feel was everything that I wanted and was invested in what was going on. Angela Flournoy has a strong writing style and was glad I read this.

In The Wilderness, Angela Flournoy delivers a stunning, kaleidoscopic follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut, The Turner House. Spanning two decades, this brilliant novel explores the lives of Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia—five women navigating the messy, exhilarating wilderness of contemporary adulthood.

In their early twenties, they stand at the brink of everything: careers, marriage, motherhood, and big-city dreams in New York and Los Angeles. As they grow into their thirties and forties, political upheaval, economic instability, and environmental challenges shape their journeys, but the most transformative force in their lives remains their connection to one another.

Desiree and Danielle, estranged sisters, struggle to reconcile their shared history and heal old family wounds.

January faces ambivalence about her “good” man and an unexpected pregnancy.

Monique, a librarian turned viral sensation, grapples with her sudden fame after challenging institutional whitewashing at her university.

Nakia, determined to succeed on her own terms, fights to establish her restaurant while fending off doubts from her privileged family.

But their lives are also deeply impacted by the raw realities of being Black women in America—the riots, protests, and constant reckoning with systemic injustice. Through their struggles and triumphs, the novel shines a light on how friendship and solidarity endure amid the turbulence of modern American life.

As these friends wrestle with ambition, love, identity, and the everyday complexities of racial injustice and poverty in contemporary America, Flournoy captures their triumphs and missteps with wit, tenderness, and electric prose. At its heart, The Wilderness is a love letter to the enduring, messy, and profoundly real bonds of friendship.

This is a novel that will make you laugh, ache, and long for your own family and friends, while rooting for these unforgettable women to find their way.

#AngelaFlournoy #TheWilderness #FriendshipGoals #ContemporaryFiction #SocialJustice #BlackLivesMatter #LiteraryFiction #mariner

4.5⭐

Disclaimer: This is not my usual genre. I read almost exclusively jaunty, thematically straightforward fantasies; I'm not used to Literature with a capital L with all its symbolism and motifs. But I think I still understood what Flournoy was communicating, which in my opinion is the sign of an excellent author.

Wow, this book. It's the kind of story that keeps churning through your head long after you turn the final page (I reread and rereread parts 3 and 4 for this reason). The Wilderness is ostensibly the story of five women navigating early and mid adulthood together, but runs parallel with the often fraught minefield of social justice, especially the plight of homelessness in America. Flournoy does not shy away from the messiness and complexity of either, and does an incredibly thorough job. I have never seen social issues addressed this way: we see the characters conflicted over how to help, experimenting with what actually helps, digging through their motivations for trying, coping with their anger and desperation. It felt so real and raw.

The characters themselves are just that: real, raw, messy, organic. Flournoy has poured so much life into each woman. Her gorgeous prose brought a special power to the difficulties the women experience that are often not talked about -- the portayal of postpartum depression and prolapse (!!) especially cut me to the core. In the same way that Flournoy gives names and faces to the unhoused humans that we are taught to look away from, she gives color and feeling to real experiences that we rarely discuss.

Although I felt like I really knew the characters, I didn't necessarily love them, which did undercut the emotional power of the Big Event for me. That's my reason for -.5 rating. But other readers might feel differently. The details of the Big Event, when we get them, absolutely tore my heart out. And the final chapter was the most devastatingly gorgeous conclusion I think I've ever read. Pure poetry.

I read this book in two days and could not put it down. I rarely have that experience with books outside my preferred genre. The Wilderness is an earthquake and I enthusiastically recommend it.

This was the last book I read in 2024 and one of my favorites. Desiree, January, Nakia, and Monique are all characters I will remember for a long time to come, and I loved spending time in each of their worlds. They are all drawn precisely and individually, and I thought that the switching timelines were well done too. This novel is clever and funny but also deeply moving - I was particularly affected by the relationship between Danielle and Desiree.