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Wildflower Highway
DaisyAnne loved her husband with all her heart, and she thought David loved her back, till he said those 3 words. Unspoken Conversations and desires fuel the marriage falling apart.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 30, 2026
Review of advance copy received from author
Do you ever feel like you need something to cry about? I personally do. So I let DaisyAnn’s story drain all of my tears, until my eyes finally said enough. I let her crumbling marriage swallow me in sadness. And through her healing in therapy, through the realizations in her husband’s soul recovery, I let different kinds of tears wash that sadness away. Trust me… it works.
DaisyAnn is a product of years of verbal abuse. Her confidence is torn apart, her world constantly shrinking. Her mind is loud, filled with the voices of those who hurt her. She even hurts herself, holding onto the sharpest piece of a shattered plate.
“Up and down was deaf. Left and right was release,” says Daisy’s mind.
David? At first, I thought he was just another villain of domestic violence. Just another name to be added to Daisy’s list of abusers. But he transforms. Through therapy guided by Joshua Anderson, the author of The Guide to Domination and Submission, there is a point where his regrets and self-blame become unbearable to handle, but he’s still transforms. Slowly. And his slow, deliberate transformation, the parts of him that’s been soften, it all made me cover my face in tears again when I yelled stop.
Wildflower Highway is not the kind of book you read to escape and never come back.
This is the kind of story that pushes you to leave domestic violence, get better, while also your partner has to get better. And when the time comes to meet again, both of you reunite as changed individuals.
One thing that stands out so clearly is this: healing takes cooperation. Not just from Daisy herself. Not just from David himself. But from both.
If you want to save a relationship from unfinished wounds, healing has to go both ways. Forgiveness, too.
For Daisy, it means forgiving David for what he has done. And for David, it means learning to forgive himself.
At the beginning, you step into survival mode. You read through a wounded mind that sees kindness as a trap and safety as something suspicious. Then you follow the journey of a lost woman, someone who only knows she needs to get out of West Virginia. And then comes the turning point, a tragedy that leads Daisy to Hidden Oaks, her place of healing, a group home for women who have survived domestic violence.
To be completely honest, I feel overwhelmed by everything this story carries. I don’t even feel like I have enough words for it. The healing feels strong and real. The process is raw, authentic, inspiring, and deeply heart-touching.
I finished this book with a sense of pride. Proud of Daisy for allowing herself to shine. Proud of David for choosing to become a better man. And yet… I still feel like I don’t have enough to say. This story is so powerful that every word I try to write feels inadequate.
⸻
“But if you feel you made the best decision to keep them safe and save yourself, then that is the only thing that matters.”
⸻
“Therapy is like cleaning out an infected wound. It’s uncomfortable, but it prevents worse pain later.”
⸻
“You don’t have to be a person again all at once.”
⸻
“This isn’t about turning you into a perfect person. We don’t do perfect here. We do honest. We do safe. We do better than yesterday when we can.”
⸻
“Leaving for air is fine. Abandoning yourself isn’t.”
⸻
“Healing would take time. My body would need rehab. My mind would need patience. David’s therapy would continue too, because this wasn’t about fixing what broke, but it was about learning how to stop breaking each other.”
Do you ever feel like you need something to cry about? I personally do. So I let DaisyAnn’s story drain all of my tears, until my eyes finally said enough. I let her crumbling marriage swallow me in sadness. And through her healing in therapy, through the realizations in her husband’s soul recovery, I let different kinds of tears wash that sadness away. Trust me… it works.
DaisyAnn is a product of years of verbal abuse. Her confidence is torn apart, her world constantly shrinking. Her mind is loud, filled with the voices of those who hurt her. She even hurts herself, holding onto the sharpest piece of a shattered plate.
“Up and down was deaf. Left and right was release,” says Daisy’s mind.
David? At first, I thought he was just another villain of domestic violence. Just another name to be added to Daisy’s list of abusers. But he transforms. Through therapy guided by Joshua Anderson, the author of The Guide to Domination and Submission, there is a point where his regrets and self-blame become unbearable to handle, but he’s still transforms. Slowly. And his slow, deliberate transformation, the parts of him that’s been soften, it all made me cover my face in tears again when I yelled stop.
Wildflower Highway is not the kind of book you read to escape and never come back.
This is the kind of story that pushes you to leave domestic violence, get better, while also your partner has to get better. And when the time comes to meet again, both of you reunite as changed individuals.
One thing that stands out so clearly is this: healing takes cooperation. Not just from Daisy herself. Not just from David himself. But from both.
If you want to save a relationship from unfinished wounds, healing has to go both ways. Forgiveness, too.
For Daisy, it means forgiving David for what he has done. And for David, it means learning to forgive himself.
At the beginning, you step into survival mode. You read through a wounded mind that sees kindness as a trap and safety as something suspicious. Then you follow the journey of a lost woman, someone who only knows she needs to get out of West Virginia. And then comes the turning point, a tragedy that leads Daisy to Hidden Oaks, her place of healing, a group home for women who have survived domestic violence.
To be completely honest, I feel overwhelmed by everything this story carries. I don’t even feel like I have enough words for it. The healing feels strong and real. The process is raw, authentic, inspiring, and deeply heart-touching.
I finished this book with a sense of pride. Proud of Daisy for allowing herself to shine. Proud of David for choosing to become a better man. And yet… I still feel like I don’t have enough to say. This story is so powerful that every word I try to write feels inadequate.
⸻
“But if you feel you made the best decision to keep them safe and save yourself, then that is the only thing that matters.”
⸻
“Therapy is like cleaning out an infected wound. It’s uncomfortable, but it prevents worse pain later.”
⸻
“You don’t have to be a person again all at once.”
⸻
“This isn’t about turning you into a perfect person. We don’t do perfect here. We do honest. We do safe. We do better than yesterday when we can.”
⸻
“Leaving for air is fine. Abandoning yourself isn’t.”
⸻
“Healing would take time. My body would need rehab. My mind would need patience. David’s therapy would continue too, because this wasn’t about fixing what broke, but it was about learning how to stop breaking each other.”
May 7, 2026
Wildflower Highway is the kind of book that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Jessiy Leek has written something raw, honest, and achingly real — a love story that refuses to be tidy, and is all the more beautiful for it.
DaisyAnn Fields is one of the most compelling narrators I've encountered in a long time. She's messy and funny and heartbroken and stubborn, and she leaps off the page in a way that feels less like reading a character and more like riding shotgun with a real person through the worst and best moments of her life. Her voice is pure West Virginia grit — sharp, warm, and unflinchingly honest.
What sets this book apart is how it handles the hard stuff. Mental health, the slow collapse of a long marriage, and the terrifying freedom of falling apart — Leek doesn't soften any of it. She lets it be ugly and gas-station-parking-lot messy in a way that will have you nodding along through tears. The BPD representation in particular feels handled with care and authenticity, never reduced to a plot device.
But this isn't a book that wallows. There's so much heart and even humor woven through the wreckage. The road trip element gives the story a wonderful sense of forward motion — even when DaisyAnn has no idea where she's going, you can feel her moving toward something.
The romance at the center of this story is not a fantasy. It's two imperfect people doing the painful, necessary work of deciding if love is worth the labor of rebuilding. That honesty is rare, and it's what makes the emotional payoff hit so hard.
Wildflower Highway is a love letter to everyone who has ever survived something that should have broken them — and kept driving anyway. Absolutely unforgettable.
DaisyAnn Fields is one of the most compelling narrators I've encountered in a long time. She's messy and funny and heartbroken and stubborn, and she leaps off the page in a way that feels less like reading a character and more like riding shotgun with a real person through the worst and best moments of her life. Her voice is pure West Virginia grit — sharp, warm, and unflinchingly honest.
What sets this book apart is how it handles the hard stuff. Mental health, the slow collapse of a long marriage, and the terrifying freedom of falling apart — Leek doesn't soften any of it. She lets it be ugly and gas-station-parking-lot messy in a way that will have you nodding along through tears. The BPD representation in particular feels handled with care and authenticity, never reduced to a plot device.
But this isn't a book that wallows. There's so much heart and even humor woven through the wreckage. The road trip element gives the story a wonderful sense of forward motion — even when DaisyAnn has no idea where she's going, you can feel her moving toward something.
The romance at the center of this story is not a fantasy. It's two imperfect people doing the painful, necessary work of deciding if love is worth the labor of rebuilding. That honesty is rare, and it's what makes the emotional payoff hit so hard.
Wildflower Highway is a love letter to everyone who has ever survived something that should have broken them — and kept driving anyway. Absolutely unforgettable.
May 2, 2026
This book was such an emotional ride throughout! I was really worried I wouldn't like it but it's definitely a book that's going to wreck you so if you need a good cry this book will deliver that.
DaisyAnn goes through so much in her marriage. Her mental health is struggling tremendously and she is self harming. Her husband is cheating on her and abusing her. She makes the devistating choice to leave her husband and child to get herself help. She wants to get better and return to her family.
Daisy was an amazing character. I did struggle with some of her choices but I'm not always going to agree with someone's life choices. In the end I felt like David did redeem himself enough that even I could forgive him. He put in the work too just as much and truly changed. Wouldn't we want forgiveness if we had done something awful and regretted it? Would I have if it was real life... Really don't know.
This book is so emotionally raw and challenging to accept. It's about the challenges of mental health and putting in the work for yourself. How to overcome the darkness within us and deep forgiveness. It will wreck you and put you back together again. Don't let this one scare you this book was deep, meaningful and so worth the read. Definitely read all the trigger warnings!
DaisyAnn goes through so much in her marriage. Her mental health is struggling tremendously and she is self harming. Her husband is cheating on her and abusing her. She makes the devistating choice to leave her husband and child to get herself help. She wants to get better and return to her family.
Daisy was an amazing character. I did struggle with some of her choices but I'm not always going to agree with someone's life choices. In the end I felt like David did redeem himself enough that even I could forgive him. He put in the work too just as much and truly changed. Wouldn't we want forgiveness if we had done something awful and regretted it? Would I have if it was real life... Really don't know.
This book is so emotionally raw and challenging to accept. It's about the challenges of mental health and putting in the work for yourself. How to overcome the darkness within us and deep forgiveness. It will wreck you and put you back together again. Don't let this one scare you this book was deep, meaningful and so worth the read. Definitely read all the trigger warnings!
May 15, 2026
a beautifully tragic story of hope and bravery
Jessica. Jessica. Jessica. I couldn’t stop thinking about your book. So I sat down and read it. Cover to cover. And it was beautiful. I won’t forget it. I hope that one day we meet and I can hug you and we can celebrate wins and being brave. Thank you for sharing your story with me. 🩷KM
Jessica. Jessica. Jessica. I couldn’t stop thinking about your book. So I sat down and read it. Cover to cover. And it was beautiful. I won’t forget it. I hope that one day we meet and I can hug you and we can celebrate wins and being brave. Thank you for sharing your story with me. 🩷KM
May 1, 2026
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book left me a little broken. As a person with BPD it showed me what i put my family through.
The book was out of my comfort zone. But I still liked it.
This book left me a little broken. As a person with BPD it showed me what i put my family through.
The book was out of my comfort zone. But I still liked it.
May 14, 2026
Thank you to the author for the advanced copy of this book.
This book was quite a ride and unexpected. I can’t wait to see more from this author! Definitely check your triggers before diving in.
I’ll be back to write a more thorough review, but I just wanted to say that I’ve never read a story quite like this ❤️
This book was quite a ride and unexpected. I can’t wait to see more from this author! Definitely check your triggers before diving in.
I’ll be back to write a more thorough review, but I just wanted to say that I’ve never read a story quite like this ❤️
May 27, 2026
Review of an advance copy received by author.
Wildflower Highway is a love letter - to anyone who has ever survived something that should have broken them, but kept going ♥️
“If you are somewhere in the middle of your own unraveling - the middle are not endings, they just feel that way sometimes.”
Daisy Ann is a victim of years of verbal abuse, her confidence is non-existent. Her mind is filled with voices of those who hurt her… and they are LOUD.
She finds herself spiralling and unable to care for her family, she leaves and attends a therapy rehabilitation programme, Hidden Oaks, and it guides her into dealing with her mental health and the loud voices in her head, it also helps her grow confidence and view herself as worthy.
Her husband David, at first I thought he was just another of DaisyAnn’s abusers to add to her list, but over the course of this story, he himself helps their marriage get back on track by also going through therapy too. This book sees the FMC & MMC break apart, find themselves, go to therapy and gain better understanding of their issues and eventually over time find each other again.
This read is not one that you read and never come back, this book stays with you. It tears you apart and then pulls you back together. The main things that stand out in this book is healing and cooperation. It takes cooperation from both sides of the marriage to help them get back on track.
This book gives a whole tornado of emotions, scared for DaisyAnn and the voices in her head and the trauma she carries. The upset of the marriage breakdown and Davids cheating taking its toll on DaisyAnn’s already fragile mind. DaisyAnn leaving and finding therapy at Hidden Oaks was very heartwarming and shows that help is available even when hope is lost.
The friendships made along the way shows DaisyAnn that happiness and laughter is still achievable after trauma.
When i finished this book i found myself feeling proud of DaisyAnn and how much she achieved during her time at Hidden Oaks and how far she came to make her life better for her daughter.
Thank you Jessiy for giving me the opportunity to ARC read this. This book has helped me feel seen and that help is always there.
- “Leaving for air is fine, abandoning yourself isn’t.”
- “Therapy is like cleaning out an inflected wound, it’s uncomfortable, but it prevents worse pain later.”
Triggers:
- Cheating
- Self Harm & Scarring
- Mental Illness
- Child Abandonment
- DV & SA
- Violence in self defence
- Grief & loss
- BDSM
- Second chances
Wildflower Highway is a love letter - to anyone who has ever survived something that should have broken them, but kept going ♥️
“If you are somewhere in the middle of your own unraveling - the middle are not endings, they just feel that way sometimes.”
Daisy Ann is a victim of years of verbal abuse, her confidence is non-existent. Her mind is filled with voices of those who hurt her… and they are LOUD.
She finds herself spiralling and unable to care for her family, she leaves and attends a therapy rehabilitation programme, Hidden Oaks, and it guides her into dealing with her mental health and the loud voices in her head, it also helps her grow confidence and view herself as worthy.
Her husband David, at first I thought he was just another of DaisyAnn’s abusers to add to her list, but over the course of this story, he himself helps their marriage get back on track by also going through therapy too. This book sees the FMC & MMC break apart, find themselves, go to therapy and gain better understanding of their issues and eventually over time find each other again.
This read is not one that you read and never come back, this book stays with you. It tears you apart and then pulls you back together. The main things that stand out in this book is healing and cooperation. It takes cooperation from both sides of the marriage to help them get back on track.
This book gives a whole tornado of emotions, scared for DaisyAnn and the voices in her head and the trauma she carries. The upset of the marriage breakdown and Davids cheating taking its toll on DaisyAnn’s already fragile mind. DaisyAnn leaving and finding therapy at Hidden Oaks was very heartwarming and shows that help is available even when hope is lost.
The friendships made along the way shows DaisyAnn that happiness and laughter is still achievable after trauma.
When i finished this book i found myself feeling proud of DaisyAnn and how much she achieved during her time at Hidden Oaks and how far she came to make her life better for her daughter.
Thank you Jessiy for giving me the opportunity to ARC read this. This book has helped me feel seen and that help is always there.
- “Leaving for air is fine, abandoning yourself isn’t.”
- “Therapy is like cleaning out an inflected wound, it’s uncomfortable, but it prevents worse pain later.”
Triggers:
- Cheating
- Self Harm & Scarring
- Mental Illness
- Child Abandonment
- DV & SA
- Violence in self defence
- Grief & loss
- BDSM
- Second chances
May 2, 2026
This book cracked me open and put me back together
I don't usually write reviews. But some books find you at exactly the right moment, and when they do, you owe them your words.
Wildflower Highway by Jessiy Leek is one of those books.
DaisyAnn Fields is not a character you admire from a distance. She's the kind of woman you recognize — loud, hurting, fiercely alive, and trying to hold herself together with whatever she has left. When her husband tells her he doesn't love her anymore after thirteen years, the story that follows isn't a clean, cinematic heartbreak. It's gas station parking lots and bathroom floors and back roads that lead nowhere in particular. It's the kind of falling apart that doesn't announce itself — it just quietly takes everything.
I read this book in the middle of my own unraveling. My own relationship was crumbling in ways I didn't have words for yet, and somehow Jessiy Leek handed me those words on every single page. I felt seen in a way I haven't felt in a long time — not pitied, not lectured, just seen.
What makes this story extraordinary is its honesty. DaisyAnn's BPD diagnosis isn't a plot device. It's woven into the way she loves and fights and runs and breaks. The romance at the center of this book is not a fantasy — it's two genuinely broken people asking one of the hardest questions a person can ask: Is what we had worth rebuilding from nothing? Leek doesn't let either of them off the hook, and she doesn't let the reader off the hook either.
The writing hit me like a gut punch, in the best possible way. There's a line — about rock bottom having a basement, but basements having doors — that I've thought about every single day since I read it. That one idea carried me through some of my darkest weeks.
If you have ever loved someone through wreckage. If you have ever wondered whether there was anything worth saving on the other side of heartbreak. If you have ever needed proof that surviving something messy and real and devastating is still surviving — read this book.
Jessiy Leek wrote a bleeding-heart romance for the rest of us. The ones who don't get fairy tales. The ones who get the highway instead — long, and hard, and sometimes beautiful.
I'm so grateful this book exists.
I don't usually write reviews. But some books find you at exactly the right moment, and when they do, you owe them your words.
Wildflower Highway by Jessiy Leek is one of those books.
DaisyAnn Fields is not a character you admire from a distance. She's the kind of woman you recognize — loud, hurting, fiercely alive, and trying to hold herself together with whatever she has left. When her husband tells her he doesn't love her anymore after thirteen years, the story that follows isn't a clean, cinematic heartbreak. It's gas station parking lots and bathroom floors and back roads that lead nowhere in particular. It's the kind of falling apart that doesn't announce itself — it just quietly takes everything.
I read this book in the middle of my own unraveling. My own relationship was crumbling in ways I didn't have words for yet, and somehow Jessiy Leek handed me those words on every single page. I felt seen in a way I haven't felt in a long time — not pitied, not lectured, just seen.
What makes this story extraordinary is its honesty. DaisyAnn's BPD diagnosis isn't a plot device. It's woven into the way she loves and fights and runs and breaks. The romance at the center of this book is not a fantasy — it's two genuinely broken people asking one of the hardest questions a person can ask: Is what we had worth rebuilding from nothing? Leek doesn't let either of them off the hook, and she doesn't let the reader off the hook either.
The writing hit me like a gut punch, in the best possible way. There's a line — about rock bottom having a basement, but basements having doors — that I've thought about every single day since I read it. That one idea carried me through some of my darkest weeks.
If you have ever loved someone through wreckage. If you have ever wondered whether there was anything worth saving on the other side of heartbreak. If you have ever needed proof that surviving something messy and real and devastating is still surviving — read this book.
Jessiy Leek wrote a bleeding-heart romance for the rest of us. The ones who don't get fairy tales. The ones who get the highway instead — long, and hard, and sometimes beautiful.
I'm so grateful this book exists.
Review of advance copy received from Author
If I could have gone lower, I would have...
The only reason it's not a DNF, is because I refuse to DNF, and I needed to see how this train wreck ended...
David and Daisy Ann
This story left me feeling absolute rage and disgust.
I’m not sure… but the author claims that this is two people working on a relationship after challenges…
What these challenges included was cheating, abuse, cheating, a severely mentally unwell MFC, and a gaslighting MMC blaming her for his cheating…
He minimises her mental health. She’s so damaged and indoctrinated that she believes it’s her fault. Her first thought is ok, ‘I still want him’ after he SA’s her, but ‘I need to work on myself’.
There’s almost zero repercussions for him, and he gets what he wants… Everyone minimises what he did, he gets a HEA after SHE tries to improve herself, and all he does is transfer out of the job to get away from the skanky ho who moves in on a married man.
It’s so far-fetched it’s not funny. He thinks abusive actions are dominance, and she thinks SA is submission. This isn’t BDSM. This isn’t redemption. This is an excuse and justification.
The only reason it's not a DNF, is because I refuse to DNF, and I needed to see how this train wreck ended...
David and Daisy Ann
This story left me feeling absolute rage and disgust.
I’m not sure… but the author claims that this is two people working on a relationship after challenges…
What these challenges included was cheating, abuse, cheating, a severely mentally unwell MFC, and a gaslighting MMC blaming her for his cheating…
He minimises her mental health. She’s so damaged and indoctrinated that she believes it’s her fault. Her first thought is ok, ‘I still want him’ after he SA’s her, but ‘I need to work on myself’.
There’s almost zero repercussions for him, and he gets what he wants… Everyone minimises what he did, he gets a HEA after SHE tries to improve herself, and all he does is transfer out of the job to get away from the skanky ho who moves in on a married man.
It’s so far-fetched it’s not funny. He thinks abusive actions are dominance, and she thinks SA is submission. This isn’t BDSM. This isn’t redemption. This is an excuse and justification.
May 29, 2026
Review of an advanced copy received from the author.
“…trust could be chosen on purpose, not just hoped for.”
Some books reach in and squeeze your soul. It hurts in a way that’s absolutely cathartic and healing, the kind that makes you cry out stored hurt you didn’t even realize you needed to let go of. Wildflower Highway did that for me.
There was so much in Daisy and David’s journey that deeply resonated with me. Watching them struggle, heal separately, grow together, and slowly find their way back to each other felt incredibly raw and honest. This is the kind of love story many people would say is beyond repair, but they chose to do the hard work of rebuilding trust, mending their vows, and moving forward together. That takes a kind of strength and determination not everyone has.
If you enjoy emotional second-chance romances with heavy themes, including DV and mental health representation, that will absolutely make you cry, pick up this book.
“…trust could be chosen on purpose, not just hoped for.”
Some books reach in and squeeze your soul. It hurts in a way that’s absolutely cathartic and healing, the kind that makes you cry out stored hurt you didn’t even realize you needed to let go of. Wildflower Highway did that for me.
There was so much in Daisy and David’s journey that deeply resonated with me. Watching them struggle, heal separately, grow together, and slowly find their way back to each other felt incredibly raw and honest. This is the kind of love story many people would say is beyond repair, but they chose to do the hard work of rebuilding trust, mending their vows, and moving forward together. That takes a kind of strength and determination not everyone has.
If you enjoy emotional second-chance romances with heavy themes, including DV and mental health representation, that will absolutely make you cry, pick up this book.
May 2, 2026
I received this book from the author as an advanced copy and am leaving an honest review in return.
I loved this book.
It's harrowing in parts so definitely check the trigger warnings. Self harm, emotional abuse, attempted SA.
An emotional rollercoaster. Daisy and David's marriage is broken. They both have mental health issues that have been ignored or hidden, leading to them hurting each other both mentally and physically. Daisy realises she has to leave to protect herself, David and their daughter. This is the story of how Daisy finds and begins to heal herself with the help of her new found friends. David is there for her every step of the way, healing himself and caring for their daughter until they can all be together again.
I loved this book.
It's harrowing in parts so definitely check the trigger warnings. Self harm, emotional abuse, attempted SA.
An emotional rollercoaster. Daisy and David's marriage is broken. They both have mental health issues that have been ignored or hidden, leading to them hurting each other both mentally and physically. Daisy realises she has to leave to protect herself, David and their daughter. This is the story of how Daisy finds and begins to heal herself with the help of her new found friends. David is there for her every step of the way, healing himself and caring for their daughter until they can all be together again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
As someone with BPD this book does a wonderful job of showing accurate highs and lows. Aunt Gem, Emily and Deloris are such beautiful souls and reminds me so much of the people who took care of me at my lowest. The true love between Daisy and David is one like no other. They both put in such a tremendous amount of work along side all of the others at Hidden Oaks. While some points were a hard read they were so beautiful at the same time.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews