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Sourland
After its matriarch's disappearace, two rival successors fight for control of a California weed farm in this visceral novel about whether we can ever outrun our true natures
Most weed farms in Humboldt don’t last more than a season, but there was always Sourland. And where there was Sourland, there was Sapphire. Hidden in the woods of Garberville, her farm was a haven for wayward souls—rebel college kids, down on their luck townsfolk, rejects, neo-hippies, eco punks—anyone willing to work. Sapphire took them in and offered them a place to live and learn. Everything changes one weekend when Sapphire dissapears, her scorched truck found days later deep in the woods.
Frankie, a hypercompetent, disgraced ex-ballerina and Sapphire's old girlfriend, returns to the farm and says that Sapphire promised her control of the land. When she arrives, she finds that Fizz—Sapphire's most recent lover—an ambitious former baseball player with a preternatural green thumb and colorful past, has already begun preparing Sourland for another harvest season.
The farm’s fate hangs in the balance, and with it, the promise of the future Fizz and Frankie each once imagined for themselves. But their past demons remain hauntingly close, threatening to destroy the tenuous lifeline that control over the Sourland would offer them. And all the while, the specter of Sapphire looms over the in cryptic notes, in the garden harvest, in every blade of grass and piece of dirt.
A brilliantly constructed novel of intention, memory, and betrayal, Sourland sparkles with the beauty and grime of the California woods. Dixon's novel is about how our pasts, mistakes and true natures catch up to us all—despite our best intentions.
Most weed farms in Humboldt don’t last more than a season, but there was always Sourland. And where there was Sourland, there was Sapphire. Hidden in the woods of Garberville, her farm was a haven for wayward souls—rebel college kids, down on their luck townsfolk, rejects, neo-hippies, eco punks—anyone willing to work. Sapphire took them in and offered them a place to live and learn. Everything changes one weekend when Sapphire dissapears, her scorched truck found days later deep in the woods.
Frankie, a hypercompetent, disgraced ex-ballerina and Sapphire's old girlfriend, returns to the farm and says that Sapphire promised her control of the land. When she arrives, she finds that Fizz—Sapphire's most recent lover—an ambitious former baseball player with a preternatural green thumb and colorful past, has already begun preparing Sourland for another harvest season.
The farm’s fate hangs in the balance, and with it, the promise of the future Fizz and Frankie each once imagined for themselves. But their past demons remain hauntingly close, threatening to destroy the tenuous lifeline that control over the Sourland would offer them. And all the while, the specter of Sapphire looms over the in cryptic notes, in the garden harvest, in every blade of grass and piece of dirt.
A brilliantly constructed novel of intention, memory, and betrayal, Sourland sparkles with the beauty and grime of the California woods. Dixon's novel is about how our pasts, mistakes and true natures catch up to us all—despite our best intentions.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published June 23, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
March 11, 2026
Incredibly propulsive, I’m talking stay up late to read multiple nights in a row. I love Ariel’s character work, these people were so insanely realized and three dimensional. Excellent tbh!
February 22, 2026
I loved this book. Sweaty and sexy, with prose as dank as the ripest buds. An absolute must read of 2026.
June 1, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for inviting me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I know nothing about weed and I want nothing to do with weed ever in my life. There may still be something to enjoy with this book though, even if you also have this stance. I thought the setting of this book would draw me in and I could enjoy it. What I liked about the book at first, was the vibes really reminded me of chapter 3 in “Life Is Strange 2.” (iykyk) With that in mind, I really thought I was going to like the book. But I found I really didn’t care that much about what was going on, or about the rest of the characters. Something about the writing style hooked me at first. It had a really strong start, but as the book went on, I started to lose interest.
The middle was really slow moving to me. Then suddenly the ending really picked up and so much happened. Sadly I was pretty detached from the book at that point, so by the end I didn’t really care.
I liked both Frankie and Fizz. They each had something to bring to the table. I rooted for Frankie more though. The issue was I couldn’t stand Sapphire. Their dynamic with Sapphire was interesting enough; how the three of them interacted and felt about each other, but I thought Sapphire was kind of creepy. She was with them when they were so much younger than her! It was so weird to me. It is hard to root for a relationship when they have a 20 some year age gap. If they were closer in age I probably would have enjoyed it more, or cared more about what happened to Sapphire. But that wasn’t the case.
This was a very sexual book. The sexual acts were described, but it wasn’t like smut. It is kind of hard to explain. The characters had sex a lot, but it wasn’t super detailed. It was still shown on page, but it was almost tame. It was still too much for me. I don’t really like reading that in books, so it was not for me. And that was an important part of the plot, so I can see where this book wouldn’t be for me. If you like a sexual book, this would be for you. I just don’t care to read about it.
I love the cover. It can really draw a person into the book. I just wish I liked the content more!
If you like a more character introspective type novel, this would be one to pick up. If you want something super fast moving with a really heavy plot, I would not give this one a go. I think there is something enjoyable in there for another person, especially if you like weed or a sensual novel. If you are not a fan of those things, I would not read it!
I know nothing about weed and I want nothing to do with weed ever in my life. There may still be something to enjoy with this book though, even if you also have this stance. I thought the setting of this book would draw me in and I could enjoy it. What I liked about the book at first, was the vibes really reminded me of chapter 3 in “Life Is Strange 2.” (iykyk) With that in mind, I really thought I was going to like the book. But I found I really didn’t care that much about what was going on, or about the rest of the characters. Something about the writing style hooked me at first. It had a really strong start, but as the book went on, I started to lose interest.
The middle was really slow moving to me. Then suddenly the ending really picked up and so much happened. Sadly I was pretty detached from the book at that point, so by the end I didn’t really care.
I liked both Frankie and Fizz. They each had something to bring to the table. I rooted for Frankie more though. The issue was I couldn’t stand Sapphire. Their dynamic with Sapphire was interesting enough; how the three of them interacted and felt about each other, but I thought Sapphire was kind of creepy. She was with them when they were so much younger than her! It was so weird to me. It is hard to root for a relationship when they have a 20 some year age gap. If they were closer in age I probably would have enjoyed it more, or cared more about what happened to Sapphire. But that wasn’t the case.
This was a very sexual book. The sexual acts were described, but it wasn’t like smut. It is kind of hard to explain. The characters had sex a lot, but it wasn’t super detailed. It was still shown on page, but it was almost tame. It was still too much for me. I don’t really like reading that in books, so it was not for me. And that was an important part of the plot, so I can see where this book wouldn’t be for me. If you like a sexual book, this would be for you. I just don’t care to read about it.
I love the cover. It can really draw a person into the book. I just wish I liked the content more!
If you like a more character introspective type novel, this would be one to pick up. If you want something super fast moving with a really heavy plot, I would not give this one a go. I think there is something enjoyable in there for another person, especially if you like weed or a sensual novel. If you are not a fan of those things, I would not read it!
June 26, 2026
Rich in atmosphere and characterization, Dixon's Sourland centers on a weed farm in Humboldt County. Told from various points of view through morally ambiguous narrators, the history of this place and backstory of its characters were mesmerizing, if however a bit repetitive. Hence the less than perfect rating.
September 17, 2026
I really enjoyed this! Great writing, lifelike atmosphere, dimensional characters, and it had a real sense of action at times that I wasn’t expecting.
This follows Frankie and Fizz who have both found themselves entangled with an older woman called Sapphire who runs Sourland, a weed farm in humboldt county. Frankie is a retired ballerina who has spent the past five years in Sourland. She and Sapphire had an intense love affair which has since faded into domesticity and she finds herself rivaled by Fizz, a newcomer who has captured Sapphire’s affections.
When Sapphire goes missing, Frankie and Fizz find themselves in a power struggle over who will take over. Frankie has more history, but Fizz was more recent. As this plays out we get to learn where each of them came from and how they found themselves on Sourland.
All the characters were really complex, I found Fizz to be especially compelling in how clearly he was a villain without seeing himself as one.
There’s just a depth to this and it’s all so well done, I am obsessed and want more people to read this.
This follows Frankie and Fizz who have both found themselves entangled with an older woman called Sapphire who runs Sourland, a weed farm in humboldt county. Frankie is a retired ballerina who has spent the past five years in Sourland. She and Sapphire had an intense love affair which has since faded into domesticity and she finds herself rivaled by Fizz, a newcomer who has captured Sapphire’s affections.
When Sapphire goes missing, Frankie and Fizz find themselves in a power struggle over who will take over. Frankie has more history, but Fizz was more recent. As this plays out we get to learn where each of them came from and how they found themselves on Sourland.
All the characters were really complex, I found Fizz to be especially compelling in how clearly he was a villain without seeing himself as one.
There’s just a depth to this and it’s all so well done, I am obsessed and want more people to read this.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In a million years I'd never have guessed a book about a weed farm would be as boring as this. When the head honcho of the grow goes missing, you don't call the Feds, you....do nothing, apparently.
Meet the idea of Frankie, Fizz, and Sapphire - I say "idea" because these are some of the most lackluster characters I've ever encountered on a page. When Sapphire drops off the face of the earth, the leading lady of one of Humbolt's most successful farms, life just, goes on. With no real sense of urgency, two of her ex-lovers have to decide what's more important: looking for their lost leader, or saving the cash crop she left behind.
The story reads like a stoned folktale, taking leaps and bounds across a decades-long timeline with its disjointed cast of characters. The chapters begin alternating between Frankie and Fizz (why on God's green earth are we giving the two boring main characters names that start with the same letter?), each narrating though different person-perspectives, but by the end of the book it becomes a mishmash of he-said, she-said, now wait, he's-saying again. There are plenty of plot points that set up both Frankie and Fizz to avoid the character stagnation they remain in throughout the narrative, but all fall short of coming to fruition. Saving the farm and finding Sapphire are the two things supposedly keeping Frankie and Fizz in each other's orbit, but neither do a single thing to even try to look for her.
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review.
Meet the idea of Frankie, Fizz, and Sapphire - I say "idea" because these are some of the most lackluster characters I've ever encountered on a page. When Sapphire drops off the face of the earth, the leading lady of one of Humbolt's most successful farms, life just, goes on. With no real sense of urgency, two of her ex-lovers have to decide what's more important: looking for their lost leader, or saving the cash crop she left behind.
The story reads like a stoned folktale, taking leaps and bounds across a decades-long timeline with its disjointed cast of characters. The chapters begin alternating between Frankie and Fizz (why on God's green earth are we giving the two boring main characters names that start with the same letter?), each narrating though different person-perspectives, but by the end of the book it becomes a mishmash of he-said, she-said, now wait, he's-saying again. There are plenty of plot points that set up both Frankie and Fizz to avoid the character stagnation they remain in throughout the narrative, but all fall short of coming to fruition. Saving the farm and finding Sapphire are the two things supposedly keeping Frankie and Fizz in each other's orbit, but neither do a single thing to even try to look for her.
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review.
March 11, 2026
3.5. I received as an ARC from NetGalley. I liked this, it's not a plot or a subject I would typically read and I found that the prose was lovely, the storytelling never let the energy flag, it was indeed adrenaline and action-charged unlike a lot of literary fiction novels that attempt to tackle similar high-octane subjects (but fall flat on the execution because the protagonists are too busy navel gazing and retrospecting - thinking of you, Rachel Kushner). I think my reading experience was not the best for whatever reason because I was often reading in transit / getting interrupted, so that may have affected my rating a little. I did find the POV bizarre. It's told in multi-person limited POV, but Frankie's is in first while all the rest are in third (and Sapphire's is in second). Just like, OK? Why? Faulkner is still the greatest at multi-POV narratives but it's ok, not everyone can be Faulkner.
July 12, 2026
I know nothing about off grid lesbian hippie marijuana farmers but here I am feeling like one. The book brought me right into the sights sounds smells and feels of Sourland. I couldn’t put the book down, and wanted just one more chapter to find out what happened to Sapphire Fizz and Frankie 🥲
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2026
surprising and exhilarating…! i really enjoyed the way this was written and constructed. scary, horny, transportive. suddenly world building means something again. no scene or even exchange ever overstays its welcome.
notes of breaking bad, american honey, succession, the L word, and may december. wildly underrated. finally a millennial novel worth my time and then some! for better or worse (for better!), only a millennial could have written this.
notes of breaking bad, american honey, succession, the L word, and may december. wildly underrated. finally a millennial novel worth my time and then some! for better or worse (for better!), only a millennial could have written this.
July 13, 2026
Thrilling character-driven narrative that’s elegantly written and fun as hell to read. Dixon is a thoughtful story architect in full control of her prose. I loved the strong sense of place - I felt like I was really in the world of Sourland - and the complicated, subtle characters.
July 26, 2026
4.5/5 | One of my favorite books of 2026. It might just be this transitional moment in my own life that’s making me like this so much. But, I really loved the vivid descriptions of Humboldt and Northern CA, the different POVs, and portraits of farm life.
July 28, 2026
Depressing.
September 2, 2026
I loved this book. Having lived up in Humboldt in the ‘90s, I appreciated how well Dixon captured the culture. There were some good twists and turns that kept me flippin’ pages.
Read
August 29, 2026a highlight debut novel for me - about the owner of a weed farm who disappears, and her two lovers grapple for control of the farm afterwards. it’s not really about them trying to run sourland, it’s more about what brought them to the farm/growing of weed, their relationship w the owner, and also the mystery of her disappearance. it was surprisingly tense and had a lot of well written reveals- i would love to read a short story collection from this author. i found all 3 characters and their relationships with each other well fleshed out and fascinating. this won’t be for everyone - the chapters are a bit long which makes the book drag a bit, there’s a lot of weed farming terminology that can be a bit alienating, and i can see people just being confused overall. that said i was riveted and enjoyed
September 17, 2026
3 ⭐️ I enjoyed reading this and talking about it with my bookclub. Everyone knows someone like Sapphire enigmatic and selfish, and if you’re not careful, their world will suck you in and leave you completely empty.
Made me NOT miss my pothead days.
I wish that the story allowed us into Sapphire’s mind more than at the very end. I wish we got more of Frankie‘s backstory. It felt like most of this novel centered on Fizz and his past conflicts - and I simply wasn’t that compelled by him. The characters that I connected with, or wanted to know more about - there just wasn’t as much meat there.
At bookclub, we had an entire discussion about if the ending was open ended or not. I believe that it wasn’t. I think we got all the answers we needed! Definitely a good book to debate about.
Made me NOT miss my pothead days.
I wish that the story allowed us into Sapphire’s mind more than at the very end. I wish we got more of Frankie‘s backstory. It felt like most of this novel centered on Fizz and his past conflicts - and I simply wasn’t that compelled by him. The characters that I connected with, or wanted to know more about - there just wasn’t as much meat there.
At bookclub, we had an entire discussion about if the ending was open ended or not. I believe that it wasn’t. I think we got all the answers we needed! Definitely a good book to debate about.
August 1, 2026
This is a slow novel, one that focuses on character and a build-up of tension that ends in a kind of reckoning. The writing in this is so, so delicious - Ariel Delgado Dixon is telling a story of a weed farm, the titular Sourland, but really she’s telling the story of three people inexorably linked to the farm and to each other. Sapphire is the oldest of the group, long having owned and worked the farm and become a major grower of the area’s weed supply; Frankie, Sapphire’s romantic and business partner, a spiky loner who up and leaves the farm suddenly one day; and Fizz, a young guy who replaces Frankie as Sapphire’s partner in love and work, and who has quite a past he’d like to escape. Sapphire’s sudden disappearance and Frankie’s reemergence at Sourland are what jumpstart the story of this book, but this is not one to come to for the plot. It takes its time, in service to building out the characters. I loved every choice the writer made in how she told this story. Frankie and Fizz alternate chapters, with Frankie’s in first person and Fizz’s in third, and then Sapphire’s narrative ends the novel, in second person. The tertiary characters - a major weed distributor named Pierre, the people who come and go on Sourland, Gentle Travis, Ariel, & Swiss among them, an old friend of Fizz’s named J.J. - all felt defined as side characters while also being used to further elide the characterization of our narrators. The setting feels like a character, too. This is a sweaty book, set in the heat of summer in northern California, both rugged and beautiful, a place that means something different to every character. We learn about Frankie and Fizz, their lives before Sourland, and we learn about Sapphire in terms of who she was to them. We don’t know Sapphire the way we gradually come to know them. And I loved that. This woman, who was at the center of so much, was an enigma to the people who supposedly knew her best. I just found the writing of this to be fascinating. Even the parts that were detailing the running of a marijuana operation were interesting when written through Delgado Dixon’s lens. Would recommend if you’re a character study kind of reader. (Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for the e-arc)
June 22, 2026
So I will start off saying that this was an off topic for me to read about and I know not a thing about farming marijuana. And while I enjoyed the main characters, I found that I wasn’t that interested in the story itself. The opening of the book caught my attention but I found the middle portion of the book moved quite slowly. And I found myself losing interest. The story itself was well written and I do believe that for the right readers, they will love this story. It just didn’t catch my attention as much as I expected.
Thank you to the publishers for sending me an ARC of this book.
July 28, 2026
3.75⭐️
wow!! dixon does such an interesting look into the character prose, and queer weed farmers?? sign me up!!!
wish there was maybe 1 more chapter with sapphire in the beginning to really have a greater understanding of her character but i get that this is sort of the point
wow!! dixon does such an interesting look into the character prose, and queer weed farmers?? sign me up!!!
wish there was maybe 1 more chapter with sapphire in the beginning to really have a greater understanding of her character but i get that this is sort of the point
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Sourland fully understands that the quickest way to ruin your life is to fall in love with a charismatic woman who owns land. Sapphire runs this weed farm in Northern California like a combination sanctuary, cult, and extremely stressful summer camp for emotionally damaged drifters. Then she disappears, her truck turning up scorched on the side of the road, and suddenly everybody left behind starts acting like raccoons fighting over the last rotisserie chicken at Costco.
Frankie, Sapphire’s ex-girlfriend and former right-hand woman, comes back to the farm ready to reclaim her place, only to find Fizz, Sapphire’s newer favorite, already running things. Their entire dynamic is basically two people aggressively pretending they are not devastated by the same woman. Every interaction between them feels loaded with resentment, grief, jealousy, and the kind of tension where you genuinely can’t tell if they’re about to kiss or throw each other into a bonfire.
And Sapphire herself hangs over the whole book like a ghost with excellent weed and terrible boundaries. Everybody talks about her with this mixture of worship and fury that immediately tells you she’s the type of person who changes your life and absolutely never apologizes for it afterward. The book is at its strongest when it leans into that emotional messiness, how people build entire identities around being loved by someone magnetic and then completely unravel when that person disappears.
Frankie ended up being my favorite part because her whole trajectory is so bizarre in a way that somehow still feels emotionally true. This woman walks away from a ballet career and ends up living on a mountain weed farm like she wandered into a different genre halfway through her life. I did wish we got a little more depth to that transition because abandoning years of brutal artistic discipline to trim weed in the woods is the kind of life choice that deserves at least one additional meltdown scene. But there’s something really sad underneath her character, this feeling that she no longer knows who she is unless somebody needs something from her.
Fizz surprised me too. Underneath the brooding ex-athlete energy, he’s really just another lonely person trying to convince himself he finally belongs somewhere. Honestly, that’s what the book captures best. Sourland isn’t just a farm, it’s a refuge for people trying to outrun older versions of themselves. Everybody there feels slightly untethered, which gives the entire story this uneasy, feverish energy even in quieter moments.
The atmosphere absolutely carries the book. Ariel Delgado Dixon writes Northern California like she’s trying to seduce you personally into joining an off-grid commune that definitely ends with federal charges. The woods feel damp and dangerous and weirdly intimate. Even when the pacing slowed, I still wanted to stay in that world because it felt so vivid.
That said, the actual mystery sometimes loses momentum compared to the character drama surrounding it. Sapphire’s disappearance almost becomes background noise at points while everyone processes old wounds and fights over the future of the farm. I didn’t totally mind because the relationships were compelling enough to keep me invested, but the payoff didn’t hit quite as hard as the buildup promised.
Still, this was an easy 3.5-star read for me because I tore through it. The writing is sharp, the emotional tension works, and the characters feel messy in a deeply believable way. Also, any book that gives me “lesbian weed farm inheritance battle” as a premise was already halfway to success.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Believe Every Beautiful Stranger in the Woods Is Either About to Change My Life or Steal My Identity
And thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC, which allowed me to spend several days emotionally invested in a group of gorgeous chaotic people making catastrophically bad decisions in the California wilderness.
Frankie, Sapphire’s ex-girlfriend and former right-hand woman, comes back to the farm ready to reclaim her place, only to find Fizz, Sapphire’s newer favorite, already running things. Their entire dynamic is basically two people aggressively pretending they are not devastated by the same woman. Every interaction between them feels loaded with resentment, grief, jealousy, and the kind of tension where you genuinely can’t tell if they’re about to kiss or throw each other into a bonfire.
And Sapphire herself hangs over the whole book like a ghost with excellent weed and terrible boundaries. Everybody talks about her with this mixture of worship and fury that immediately tells you she’s the type of person who changes your life and absolutely never apologizes for it afterward. The book is at its strongest when it leans into that emotional messiness, how people build entire identities around being loved by someone magnetic and then completely unravel when that person disappears.
Frankie ended up being my favorite part because her whole trajectory is so bizarre in a way that somehow still feels emotionally true. This woman walks away from a ballet career and ends up living on a mountain weed farm like she wandered into a different genre halfway through her life. I did wish we got a little more depth to that transition because abandoning years of brutal artistic discipline to trim weed in the woods is the kind of life choice that deserves at least one additional meltdown scene. But there’s something really sad underneath her character, this feeling that she no longer knows who she is unless somebody needs something from her.
Fizz surprised me too. Underneath the brooding ex-athlete energy, he’s really just another lonely person trying to convince himself he finally belongs somewhere. Honestly, that’s what the book captures best. Sourland isn’t just a farm, it’s a refuge for people trying to outrun older versions of themselves. Everybody there feels slightly untethered, which gives the entire story this uneasy, feverish energy even in quieter moments.
The atmosphere absolutely carries the book. Ariel Delgado Dixon writes Northern California like she’s trying to seduce you personally into joining an off-grid commune that definitely ends with federal charges. The woods feel damp and dangerous and weirdly intimate. Even when the pacing slowed, I still wanted to stay in that world because it felt so vivid.
That said, the actual mystery sometimes loses momentum compared to the character drama surrounding it. Sapphire’s disappearance almost becomes background noise at points while everyone processes old wounds and fights over the future of the farm. I didn’t totally mind because the relationships were compelling enough to keep me invested, but the payoff didn’t hit quite as hard as the buildup promised.
Still, this was an easy 3.5-star read for me because I tore through it. The writing is sharp, the emotional tension works, and the characters feel messy in a deeply believable way. Also, any book that gives me “lesbian weed farm inheritance battle” as a premise was already halfway to success.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Believe Every Beautiful Stranger in the Woods Is Either About to Change My Life or Steal My Identity
And thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC, which allowed me to spend several days emotionally invested in a group of gorgeous chaotic people making catastrophically bad decisions in the California wilderness.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: June 23, 2026
Ariel Delgado Dixon’s “Sourland” is a character driven novel about succession and sex on a weed farm in California. Dixon’s previous novel, “Don't Say We Didn't Warn You” also had a communal, artistic, free-spirit vibe to it, and that same vibe exists in “Sourland”, with the focus more on growing marijuana than creating art, which was the theme in “Warn”.
Frankie is a former ballet dancer who disgraced her career when she walked off the stage mid-performance. Looking for a place to belong, she finds Sapphire, a middle-aged weed farmer, and the two soon become partners and lovers. When young, naïve Fizz comes to join the commune, Frankie is pushed aside and soon decides to venture out on her own. Both Frankie and Fizz reunite when the matriarch, Sapphire, disappears, allegedly dead, and they both want their piece of Sourland that they helped cultivate in their own ways.
Frankie and Fizz are the narrators and they alternate chapters. Their stories jump back and forth in time with no clear delineation, from their time on the farm with Sapphire to the time after her disappearance, and even a few snippets from the time when Sapphire “discovered” both characters, before Sourland was known to them. Sapphire plays a huge role but more from her influential role on the main characters. We don’t really hear from her until the final pages, when she narrates the last chapter and readers discover what happened to her in her own words.
Dixon has a way with words and her prose and language is beautiful and artistic, painting an attractive picture, even when the scenery was less than appealing. Her writing flows well and she creates delightfully human characters.
“Sourland” is the name of the weed farm, so there is lots of information about growing and distributing weed (in illegal ways), which was to be expected. The characters that spend time at Sourland are eccentric misfits, but they are easy to differentiate. Sapphire is clearly the matriarch, but she is also a narcissist who enjoys the adoration of her younger admirers. Frankie and Fizz are more likable, and I was invested in how their endings would play out.
Beautifully written, “Sourland” doesn’t have any gripping twists and turns or pulse-pounding action sequences. Like Dixon’s previous novel, it is all about character development and flowing, flowery vocabulary but it is definitely a story that is unique, with engaging and intriguing characters. It is a story that caters to a certain reading audience, but it is definitely well-written.
Expected publication date: June 23, 2026
Ariel Delgado Dixon’s “Sourland” is a character driven novel about succession and sex on a weed farm in California. Dixon’s previous novel, “Don't Say We Didn't Warn You” also had a communal, artistic, free-spirit vibe to it, and that same vibe exists in “Sourland”, with the focus more on growing marijuana than creating art, which was the theme in “Warn”.
Frankie is a former ballet dancer who disgraced her career when she walked off the stage mid-performance. Looking for a place to belong, she finds Sapphire, a middle-aged weed farmer, and the two soon become partners and lovers. When young, naïve Fizz comes to join the commune, Frankie is pushed aside and soon decides to venture out on her own. Both Frankie and Fizz reunite when the matriarch, Sapphire, disappears, allegedly dead, and they both want their piece of Sourland that they helped cultivate in their own ways.
Frankie and Fizz are the narrators and they alternate chapters. Their stories jump back and forth in time with no clear delineation, from their time on the farm with Sapphire to the time after her disappearance, and even a few snippets from the time when Sapphire “discovered” both characters, before Sourland was known to them. Sapphire plays a huge role but more from her influential role on the main characters. We don’t really hear from her until the final pages, when she narrates the last chapter and readers discover what happened to her in her own words.
Dixon has a way with words and her prose and language is beautiful and artistic, painting an attractive picture, even when the scenery was less than appealing. Her writing flows well and she creates delightfully human characters.
“Sourland” is the name of the weed farm, so there is lots of information about growing and distributing weed (in illegal ways), which was to be expected. The characters that spend time at Sourland are eccentric misfits, but they are easy to differentiate. Sapphire is clearly the matriarch, but she is also a narcissist who enjoys the adoration of her younger admirers. Frankie and Fizz are more likable, and I was invested in how their endings would play out.
Beautifully written, “Sourland” doesn’t have any gripping twists and turns or pulse-pounding action sequences. Like Dixon’s previous novel, it is all about character development and flowing, flowery vocabulary but it is definitely a story that is unique, with engaging and intriguing characters. It is a story that caters to a certain reading audience, but it is definitely well-written.
June 30, 2026
Sourland is one part an institution and all the other parts nothing but rejection of the institution. There, Sapphire has spent year upon year building a hardscrabble queendom of weed-growing misfits. Into that kingdom stumble Frankie, an erstwhile ballerina, and Fizz, a local with a complicated past of his own. And everyone has a hidden agenda.
I had to think for a while about what it was about the premise that appealed to me here. I'd not be cut out for work on an under-the-radar weed farm—I'd be too worried about getting busted, I guess. And while I'm all for broader legalization of pot, my personal interest in it is somewhere between "limited" and "none." But: I like messy interpersonal relationships. I like a bit of grit. I like learning about things that have nothing to do with my daily life. Sourland has all of those.
Three months became five years, five years went to dust. (loc. 112*)
Sapphire is by and large secondary here; she's the one calling the shots and it's her farm that brings people in (and, sometimes, chews them up and spits them out), but really the story is Frankie and Fizz's. Frankie, who knows what she wants and, mostly, what she's willing to do to get it; Fizz, who is perhaps more used to letting the currents take him where they will, but...those are some powerful currents, and he is also a strong swimmer. Nobody is terribly good and nobody is entirely likable, which is about as things ought to be. All the lines I highlighted to take down as quotations are from Frankie's chapters, but of course nobody really sees themselves clearly; just as Frankie sees parts of Fizz and Sapphire that they themselves would not like to see, they see parts of her that are not in her own line of vision.
You don't need much more than the title to tell you that this is a bit of an odd one, but then...lucky for me, I like oddities.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
Thanks to the author and publisher for inviting me to read a review copy through NetGalley.
I had to think for a while about what it was about the premise that appealed to me here. I'd not be cut out for work on an under-the-radar weed farm—I'd be too worried about getting busted, I guess. And while I'm all for broader legalization of pot, my personal interest in it is somewhere between "limited" and "none." But: I like messy interpersonal relationships. I like a bit of grit. I like learning about things that have nothing to do with my daily life. Sourland has all of those.
Three months became five years, five years went to dust. (loc. 112*)
Sapphire is by and large secondary here; she's the one calling the shots and it's her farm that brings people in (and, sometimes, chews them up and spits them out), but really the story is Frankie and Fizz's. Frankie, who knows what she wants and, mostly, what she's willing to do to get it; Fizz, who is perhaps more used to letting the currents take him where they will, but...those are some powerful currents, and he is also a strong swimmer. Nobody is terribly good and nobody is entirely likable, which is about as things ought to be. All the lines I highlighted to take down as quotations are from Frankie's chapters, but of course nobody really sees themselves clearly; just as Frankie sees parts of Fizz and Sapphire that they themselves would not like to see, they see parts of her that are not in her own line of vision.
You don't need much more than the title to tell you that this is a bit of an odd one, but then...lucky for me, I like oddities.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
Thanks to the author and publisher for inviting me to read a review copy through NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 rounded up• Sourland truly read like I was watching episodes of a new angst drama and each chapter felt like introducing a new story line while tying up the previous. I really appreciated the pacing and different character views and being able to see this story through their eyes. Sourland did still leave me feeling like I wanted more.
While there was some drama and depth, at times it felt like the scenes and topics I found most entertaining were just glossed over. While I feel like the Fizz And Frankie described Sapphire enough for me to imagine her as she was and I enjoyed reading the differences between their perspectives of this larger than life character.
I really wanted to know more about Frankie’s life leading up to her exit of the ballet world instead of just this world ending epiphany of her walking off the stage and never going back. To dedicate your whole life to that skill and then just walk away to go live on a farm and grow weed felt off and not fully explained.
Fizz’s storyline I at least felt like we got a little more of a complete picture although I would’ve liked to have lingered on his exit from his previous life.
Now criticism aside, I enjoyed all the different side characters and could picture this like rag tag bunch of misfits putting in the work day to day with one common goal. And overall the book had a good flow and from chapter to chapter it kept me engaged.
I think with just some more details this book would fill in a lot of the spaces it left blank.
Thank you, Ariel Delgado Dixon, Random House, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
While there was some drama and depth, at times it felt like the scenes and topics I found most entertaining were just glossed over. While I feel like the Fizz And Frankie described Sapphire enough for me to imagine her as she was and I enjoyed reading the differences between their perspectives of this larger than life character.
I really wanted to know more about Frankie’s life leading up to her exit of the ballet world instead of just this world ending epiphany of her walking off the stage and never going back. To dedicate your whole life to that skill and then just walk away to go live on a farm and grow weed felt off and not fully explained.
Fizz’s storyline I at least felt like we got a little more of a complete picture although I would’ve liked to have lingered on his exit from his previous life.
Now criticism aside, I enjoyed all the different side characters and could picture this like rag tag bunch of misfits putting in the work day to day with one common goal. And overall the book had a good flow and from chapter to chapter it kept me engaged.
I think with just some more details this book would fill in a lot of the spaces it left blank.
Thank you, Ariel Delgado Dixon, Random House, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 27, 2026
I haven't been reading much literary fiction lately, but I was intrigued by the premise in this one. I live in a state where weed is legal and I used to be a regular weed smoker so I could relate to the world, which is fascinating. But this story is more about the people who grow marijuana, the farm life, its beauty and the seedy underbelly of rural Humbolt California. It's about betrayal, greed, possession, survival and how you can’t beat human nature. It’s written more like a thriller as more and more surprising things are revealed the further in you get. I really loved it.
Sapphire is 50 something and owns the Sourland farm. She takes in "strays" who tend to be younger and starts up relationships with them because it makes her feel young and old at the same time. Frankie is her younger lover for a while. Fizz is her younger lover for a while. They both work there and when Sapphire mysteriously disappears they both vie for taking it over in different ways. Their background stories slowly unfold in dual POV chapters moving easily between flashbacks and present day, but they are both unreliable narrators and you don't know what they are really up to as their true natures and intentions are revealed.
The best part for me was the writing. The prose is absolutely stunning. I've never read anything by Dixon before, but she is incredibly talented. She writes in an atmospheric, detailed, visceral way that places you in the scenes. You can see it and smell it and reach out and touch it. If this premise sounds interesting to you, too, I highly recommend this book! It's something different to read and is a perfect summer page turner.
Sapphire is 50 something and owns the Sourland farm. She takes in "strays" who tend to be younger and starts up relationships with them because it makes her feel young and old at the same time. Frankie is her younger lover for a while. Fizz is her younger lover for a while. They both work there and when Sapphire mysteriously disappears they both vie for taking it over in different ways. Their background stories slowly unfold in dual POV chapters moving easily between flashbacks and present day, but they are both unreliable narrators and you don't know what they are really up to as their true natures and intentions are revealed.
The best part for me was the writing. The prose is absolutely stunning. I've never read anything by Dixon before, but she is incredibly talented. She writes in an atmospheric, detailed, visceral way that places you in the scenes. You can see it and smell it and reach out and touch it. If this premise sounds interesting to you, too, I highly recommend this book! It's something different to read and is a perfect summer page turner.
August 3, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for a free electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I didn’t know what to think going into this, but I was curious. The synopsis immediately interested me, I mean, a weed farm secretly placed in Northern California with juicy characters and mystery? Sign me up! I don’t think I need to discuss the authors prose and character building, as others have done so many times already. I was not familiar with the authors previous work, but this makes me want to immediately buy and dig into the other one.
I think the farther you get in, the easier it is to see the disparity and destruction that leaks from the characters. The only thing I wanted and didn’t get was a sort of big twist. I think the sense of everything falling apart can be seen from a mile away, as that’s the point. Yet, I didn’t find myself getting a big build up moments that I wanted. Yes, we have the artificial and natural fires going at the same time, as well as Fizz gets taken back to where everything started to fail. But, I don’t think we got anything that is equal to what happened to Fizz as to Frankie. Maybe I expected a call back to what happened to Frankie when she was in the corps? I don’t know.
I think the most poetic part of the book is how Sapphire dies. The “funeral” certainly made her look like her life amounted to much more than it was. Here she stands as someone who wrecked F & F’s, but she dies as a coward, not able to face the people who she hurt the most. How can you be so celebrated if you die from something natural and have little to leave behind? Loved it!
I didn’t know what to think going into this, but I was curious. The synopsis immediately interested me, I mean, a weed farm secretly placed in Northern California with juicy characters and mystery? Sign me up! I don’t think I need to discuss the authors prose and character building, as others have done so many times already. I was not familiar with the authors previous work, but this makes me want to immediately buy and dig into the other one.
I think the farther you get in, the easier it is to see the disparity and destruction that leaks from the characters. The only thing I wanted and didn’t get was a sort of big twist. I think the sense of everything falling apart can be seen from a mile away, as that’s the point. Yet, I didn’t find myself getting a big build up moments that I wanted. Yes, we have the artificial and natural fires going at the same time, as well as Fizz gets taken back to where everything started to fail. But, I don’t think we got anything that is equal to what happened to Fizz as to Frankie. Maybe I expected a call back to what happened to Frankie when she was in the corps? I don’t know.
I think the most poetic part of the book is how Sapphire dies. The “funeral” certainly made her look like her life amounted to much more than it was. Here she stands as someone who wrecked F & F’s, but she dies as a coward, not able to face the people who she hurt the most. How can you be so celebrated if you die from something natural and have little to leave behind? Loved it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Sourland is a novel filled with atmosphere, depth of characterization and verdant landscape. Unfortunately for me, the narrative arc was not compelling enough to hold my interest throughout.
Taking place primarily on a marijuana farm in Humboldt, California, the story delves into the lives of three people - Sapphire, who owns the farm; and Frankie and Fizz, both Sapphire's ex-lovers. Sapphire's life stretches out as old as the farm itself. Though she is at least a decade older than Frankie and Fizz, she is energetic and charismatic. Both desire her and find themselves, at least for a while, in her bed.
The farm is inhabited by stray people who spend weeks, summers or sometimes years there as they harvest crop after crop of weed. Frankie and Fizz both think they are special, not acknowledging they are just two of Sapphire's many ex-lovers. Frankie is a former dancer who bombed out as an understudy in a San Francisco dance troupe. She ends her career by stepping into Sapphire's truck and following her to Sourland. Fizz had run into Sapphire when he was a child, lost for days in the verdant woods of northern California. In his mind, they have history.
One day Sapphire disappears and both Frankie and Fizz vie for ownership of Sourland. Is Sapphire alive, dead or MIA? Who is entitled to ownership of the farm?
I thank NetGalley and Random House for an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.
Taking place primarily on a marijuana farm in Humboldt, California, the story delves into the lives of three people - Sapphire, who owns the farm; and Frankie and Fizz, both Sapphire's ex-lovers. Sapphire's life stretches out as old as the farm itself. Though she is at least a decade older than Frankie and Fizz, she is energetic and charismatic. Both desire her and find themselves, at least for a while, in her bed.
The farm is inhabited by stray people who spend weeks, summers or sometimes years there as they harvest crop after crop of weed. Frankie and Fizz both think they are special, not acknowledging they are just two of Sapphire's many ex-lovers. Frankie is a former dancer who bombed out as an understudy in a San Francisco dance troupe. She ends her career by stepping into Sapphire's truck and following her to Sourland. Fizz had run into Sapphire when he was a child, lost for days in the verdant woods of northern California. In his mind, they have history.
One day Sapphire disappears and both Frankie and Fizz vie for ownership of Sourland. Is Sapphire alive, dead or MIA? Who is entitled to ownership of the farm?
I thank NetGalley and Random House for an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 stars
I wasn't sure how much I'd connect to the weed farm aspects of this novel, especially since the setting is central to all action and most character development. I'm glad I gave it a shot and encourage others who have similar questions to do the same.
Sapphire runs Sourland, the titular weed farm, and she does this in a unique way. Her business (and home) are really a refuge for wayward souls. Having spent a lot of time in this region, I really appreciate the authenticity of place and culture that the author infuses here. This feels very much like a place one could, uh, run into in the area, and the challenges folks here face also seem quite probable.
While the sense of place is solid, the character development is even more compelling. To me, Frankie is the most intriguing by far. I enjoyed her journey, her growth, and even her shortcomings. Watching her navigate her relationship with Sapphire, attempt to align her old and current self, and make sense of unanswered questions together make up the most arresting parts of this book.
There are definitely some action packed scenes here, but come to this one for the characters.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Madison Dettlinger at Hogarth & Random House for this widget, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I wasn't sure how much I'd connect to the weed farm aspects of this novel, especially since the setting is central to all action and most character development. I'm glad I gave it a shot and encourage others who have similar questions to do the same.
Sapphire runs Sourland, the titular weed farm, and she does this in a unique way. Her business (and home) are really a refuge for wayward souls. Having spent a lot of time in this region, I really appreciate the authenticity of place and culture that the author infuses here. This feels very much like a place one could, uh, run into in the area, and the challenges folks here face also seem quite probable.
While the sense of place is solid, the character development is even more compelling. To me, Frankie is the most intriguing by far. I enjoyed her journey, her growth, and even her shortcomings. Watching her navigate her relationship with Sapphire, attempt to align her old and current self, and make sense of unanswered questions together make up the most arresting parts of this book.
There are definitely some action packed scenes here, but come to this one for the characters.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Madison Dettlinger at Hogarth & Random House for this widget, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review
Sapphire has created a legacy with her marijuana farm in NorCal, she is fair and willing to take in any stray needing a place to stay in exchange for help around the farm. Then suddenly she goes missing, her truck abandoned and torched and it leaves the fate of her farm up in the air.
There are 2 people who are in line to inherit the farm and continue her legacy. Frankie her former lover who has been with her for 5 years after she ran away from her life as a ballerina. The other is Fizz her latest lover who ran a successful operation in the past but had to flee when problems with his business partner made it all fall apart. They both have their own claim to the farm and their own vision for its future.
I really, really, really wanted to love this one. I am weak for a novel with good character work. I can objectively see how well this novel accomplished what it set out to do but I struggled to really connect with the characters and the writing. I just didn’t care, wasn’t invested and hate read it a bit if only to find out the ending.
Sapphire has created a legacy with her marijuana farm in NorCal, she is fair and willing to take in any stray needing a place to stay in exchange for help around the farm. Then suddenly she goes missing, her truck abandoned and torched and it leaves the fate of her farm up in the air.
There are 2 people who are in line to inherit the farm and continue her legacy. Frankie her former lover who has been with her for 5 years after she ran away from her life as a ballerina. The other is Fizz her latest lover who ran a successful operation in the past but had to flee when problems with his business partner made it all fall apart. They both have their own claim to the farm and their own vision for its future.
I really, really, really wanted to love this one. I am weak for a novel with good character work. I can objectively see how well this novel accomplished what it set out to do but I struggled to really connect with the characters and the writing. I just didn’t care, wasn’t invested and hate read it a bit if only to find out the ending.
June 29, 2026
Spice Level: 0/5 Closed Door
Sapphire has a farm with green leafy plants that have seven leaves. She goes missing. Her former girlfriend, Frankie, and current boyfriend Fizz, “battle” to take ownership of Sapphire's land and harvest.
I received this book from NetGalley and the Author in return for my honest review. I was incredibly intrigued by the plot. The description sounded promising of mystery and backstabbing to become the new owner of Sapphire’s land. But it turned into a long drawn out drama with no mystery and no intrigue. The chapters are super long and really drag on about, at times, about nothing. Sometimes nothing can move a plot forward or make the story more interesting. This story’s “nothing” added boredom. The timeline kind of bounces back and forth and I never really knew where in the timeline the story was. By the end of the book I was still as confused as I was about halfway through. This book wasn’t for me but that doesn’t mean that it won’t be someone else’s favorite book of the year.
🌱 Violence
🌱 Illicet Substances
🌱 Betrayal
🌱 Adult Content
🌱 Bi Representation
🌱 Queer Representation
🌱 Death
🌱 Missing Person
🌱 Revenge
🌱 Rural Noir
Sapphire has a farm with green leafy plants that have seven leaves. She goes missing. Her former girlfriend, Frankie, and current boyfriend Fizz, “battle” to take ownership of Sapphire's land and harvest.
I received this book from NetGalley and the Author in return for my honest review. I was incredibly intrigued by the plot. The description sounded promising of mystery and backstabbing to become the new owner of Sapphire’s land. But it turned into a long drawn out drama with no mystery and no intrigue. The chapters are super long and really drag on about, at times, about nothing. Sometimes nothing can move a plot forward or make the story more interesting. This story’s “nothing” added boredom. The timeline kind of bounces back and forth and I never really knew where in the timeline the story was. By the end of the book I was still as confused as I was about halfway through. This book wasn’t for me but that doesn’t mean that it won’t be someone else’s favorite book of the year.
🌱 Violence
🌱 Illicet Substances
🌱 Betrayal
🌱 Adult Content
🌱 Bi Representation
🌱 Queer Representation
🌱 Death
🌱 Missing Person
🌱 Revenge
🌱 Rural Noir
July 28, 2026
One of the weirdest storylines I’ve ever read. And I usually like weird. But it just seemed super unplanned, like the author wanted to write a lit fic novel that was really introspective and character focused, but didn’t know how to tie it together. The plot is so loosely explained and jumps around a ton. Random characters are introduced and dropped off for seemingly no reason. Events happen around the characters that have little to no impact on their story.
I thought Frankie and Fizz really had potential, I especially loved how delusional Fizz was and his self centered ego. He was obsessed with Sapphire and was imagining children with her, even though she was in her fifties. Then later on he’s imagining this elaborate life with Frankie. Just a hot mess of a man that could have been deeper dug into.
I thought their dynamic with Sapphire was so under explained too. Like…they just thought she was inspiring so they fell in love with her? Was it just lust/infatuation? Their actual obsession with her is never really explained, just that they were obsessed. This one needed some serious storyline editing imo. The end result super did not meet expectations.
I thought Frankie and Fizz really had potential, I especially loved how delusional Fizz was and his self centered ego. He was obsessed with Sapphire and was imagining children with her, even though she was in her fifties. Then later on he’s imagining this elaborate life with Frankie. Just a hot mess of a man that could have been deeper dug into.
I thought their dynamic with Sapphire was so under explained too. Like…they just thought she was inspiring so they fell in love with her? Was it just lust/infatuation? Their actual obsession with her is never really explained, just that they were obsessed. This one needed some serious storyline editing imo. The end result super did not meet expectations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
There were a lot of things I liked about 'Sourland:' at the line-level I loved the prose, I thought the characters were all distinct and felt fully dimensional, and something about the pacing/quality of description felt like watching a prestige drama on HBO.
However, while the pacing felt like it might work for TV, it didn't work for the novel. I think this has to do with the alternating perspectives and even more so that Frankie's, Fizz's, and Sapphire's/the farm's past was more interesting that the present-day plot having to do with Sapphire's disappearance. That was the ultimate flaw of the novel: the past was so interesting, so propulsive, that the ending felt like lighting a dud firework--the payoff was just not there. There were also a few loose ends that I didn't find resolved satisfactorily (eg. Pierre).
Even still, I found it compulsively readable, beautifully rendered, and loved reading a book set in a unique place. 3.5 stars, rounded down. Many thanks to Random House for the ARC via NetGalley and for the giveaway copy I received from Goodreads!!
However, while the pacing felt like it might work for TV, it didn't work for the novel. I think this has to do with the alternating perspectives and even more so that Frankie's, Fizz's, and Sapphire's/the farm's past was more interesting that the present-day plot having to do with Sapphire's disappearance. That was the ultimate flaw of the novel: the past was so interesting, so propulsive, that the ending felt like lighting a dud firework--the payoff was just not there. There were also a few loose ends that I didn't find resolved satisfactorily (eg. Pierre).
Even still, I found it compulsively readable, beautifully rendered, and loved reading a book set in a unique place. 3.5 stars, rounded down. Many thanks to Random House for the ARC via NetGalley and for the giveaway copy I received from Goodreads!!
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