Release date: February 17, 2026
Publisher: Sourcebooks Audio
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Synopsis:
From acclaimed author Terah Shelton Harris comes a poignant story of survival and redemption, asking readers to question what it means to stop surviving and start living.
Leigh is the last of the Wildes. She knows this because she watched them all die.
Grief never truly fades and even as the tragedy haunts her, Leigh carries on, because survival is in her blood. So, when the transport bus taking her to prison careens off the road, killing everyone onboard except her, she does what’s in her nature. She survives.
While searching for a place to hide, Leigh stumbles upon an unexpected sanctuary: a flower farm in rural Alabama tucked away from the world. What Leigh doesn’t expect is the found family there who have built something from the wreckage of their own lives. Especially Jackson, the farm’s owner, who sees through Leigh’s defenses, offers her small moments of tenderness, encourages her to face her own tragedies. Slowly, Leigh finds peace with the hard pace and soft nature of the farm, taking comfort in the life blooming around her. Maybe she’s not beyond redemption, not too broken for something good. And maybe, just maybe, Leigh starts to heal.
But the past isn’t so easily buried.
No matter how far she runs, the truth of who she is and the ghosts of the Wildes follow. And when those secrets catch up to her, threatening everything she’s come to love, Leigh will have to truly face what she can survive.
Review:
Terah Shelton Harris delivers something truly special with Where the Wildflowers Grow, a story that is as devastating as it is beautiful, as brutal as it is tender. This is a novel about grief in all its forms: the loud, shattering kind and the quiet, lingering ache that never fully leaves. Leigh’s journey begins in trauma and survival—she has outlived everyone she’s ever loved, and when yet another catastrophe leaves her the sole survivor, it feels almost mythic. But what unfolds on that hidden Alabama flower farm is not just a story about surviving. It’s about what it means to begin living again. Harris writes with such poignancy and care, allowing the emotional weight to settle slowly, thoughtfully. This is deeply character driven fiction, it’s layered, human, and unforgettable.
The audiobook experience is nothing short of extraordinary. Narrated by the legendary Tracie Thoms, Dionte Black, and the author herself, the performances elevate an already powerful story into something immersive and intimate. Tracie Thoms, an incredible actor, delivers a breathtaking performance—raw, nuanced, and emotionally precise. You can hear every crack in Leigh’s armor, every flicker of hope she’s afraid to trust. Dionte Black brings warmth and grounded strength, and the author’s presence adds an additional layer of authenticity. Together, they create an atmosphere that feels lived in and deeply personal.
At its heart, this is a story of loss, redemption, found family, and the fragile courage it takes to heal. It asks big questions about identity, guilt, and whether we are defined by our worst moments, or by what we choose to do next. It’s thoughtful, poignant, and incredibly moving. A perfect pick for book club discussions, this one lingers long after the final chapter. I absolutely adored it.
Overall rating: 5/5
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
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