This book is incredible, and I don't say that lightly.

This is my second read by Terah Shelton Harris, and it does not disappoint. There is so much layered within the pages of this novel and its characters, which I definitely expected given my feelings about her debut, One Summer in Savannah. Like the debut, this story will leave you thinking about the characters and its message long after it's finished.

Where The Wildflowers Grow asks the question, are you surviving or are you living?

It follows Leigh, the last of the Wildes, as she journeys towards healing in the face of grief and survival. While there is a romantic subplot here, it is supplemental to the story, not the whole of it. Jackson's role is that of a "safe space" and a conduit for the healing that Leigh needs as she spends time on his flower farm.

But this is about so much more.

I found myself reflecting on the ways in which I too was surviving instead of living. The moments where my hyperindependence overshadowed my life and forced me into isolation rather than community. Like Leigh, I too became lonely at times, finding myself burdened by the weight of my own generational trauma. And like Leigh, I decided one day that might life could mean more. That I no longer had to survive, but that I was able to live.

If you love emotional character driven stories, give this one a read, and as you do, sit with the story for a while. This is not one for you to rush through. Harris intends for readers to take their time with this one. To look at the balance between grief and grace. Pain and pleasure. Surviving and living. Resting and actively moving. Love and hate. Forgiveness and acceptance.

Drop by and share your thoughts when you finish!