What We Did While You Were Gone

Wilder Girls #0.5

by Rory Power

What We Did While You Were Gone is a 26-page short story featuring Hetty, Reese, and Byatt from Wilder Girls and set early in their friendship, prior to the events of the book.

Genres: Horror, Queer, Short Stories, Lesbian, LGBT, Fiction, Young Adult

26 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2020

About the author

Rory Power grew up in New England, where she lives and works as a crime fiction editor and story consultant for TV adaptation. She received a Masters in Prose Fiction from the University of East Anglia.

Reviews

[marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

the definition of sapphic yearning OH MY GOD

[kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

byatt u are fucking crazy. please kiss me

[Sapphire Bubble]

Reese's POV! ugh, the yearning!
The void inside me has been filled.

[Bry Z Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

just a book about gay panic, my life blood. like girl I get it

[Angyl · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun & short little story in the Wilder Girls world. I liked having Reese's POV in this and being able to see a different side of Byatt. Plus it's gay as hell - who doesn't love that?

This just makes me wish we got a real full length prequel.

[Ayesha (Seokjin's Version) ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

HETTY AND REECE FOR THE WIN!!!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely wish we saw from Reese's pov in the main book now. She's my favorite of the trio and the soft pining. The panic. Even the small moment with Hetty was everything.
I am definitely glad to see more of Byatt knowing that she is a liar and manipulative while incredibly charming. She is so fascinating. I wish we could of gotten more of her with the trio.
It explains so much of the dynamics. Why Reese did what she did and why she claimed to know another Byatt that Hetty didn't know. Yet she never said what she knew.
Though I feel like this just comfirms that those girls never got a happy ending. If Byatt was ever herself again, it would a mess. Assuming Hetty survived and was still herself. Also assuming they didn't simply get killed because they went to the mainland with the Tox.
I also feel like it was very valuable to see Reese and her dad. I feel like there was a lot about how much that broke her and yet we never really saw their relationship.
This makes me wish there was a whole presequel of just them being friends.

[vicky. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es como un capítulo extra de la historia, que precede a lo que sucede en Wilder Girls y está narrado desde el punto de vista de Reese. Para lo que es, me gustó. Me quede con ganas de más, pero sabiendo lo que sucede después tiene sentido que no haya más que esto.

[Angelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5/5

....um....

Wilder Girls is one of my all-time favorite books, and when the author put this short story up on her website, I jumped at the opportunity to read it!

What We Did While You Were Gone is from Reese's POV from before the events in WIlder Girls. I loved the premise but some of the things in it kinda felt weird to me. I think I need to go back and reread Wilder Girls since it's been a few years, but I'm pretty disappointed in this.

[Annika Larraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOW DO I READ THIS?!?

[liz˳✧༚]

IM AKSJDNEKWIWNSS DOSKENWJWNSKSMDJWKS

[Cassie ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice seeing Reece's perspective 😊 only wish I had more

[♡ J U L I A ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE SAPPHIC YEARNINGGG, Y'ALLL OHMYGOD👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

[Rose of Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

There could have been so much more of an impact on Wilder Girls if the main character was Reese instead of Hetty. Reese has so much more to give, playing off as a tough girl when she's actually very sensitive. Raxter was her whole world and it turned upside down when the Tox happened. These other girls were just living in her world. Hetty comes across as too normal; a basic teenager who just wants to fit in. So I don't really get why the short story was written if Reese was never the main character. Either the short story was written about Hetty, or Reese was the main character in the original story.

I really enjoyed seeing Reese figuring out Byatt's compulsive lying and manipulation and then trying to catch her in a lie, making her slip up. I always felt that Byatt had sociopathic tendencies, but Reese figuring it out too told me everything I needed to know. What does Reese see in Hetty if all Hetty wants is to be just like "perfect" Byatt? Hetty looked up to Byatt and thought of her as her best friend, someone who would do anything for her, when in reality, Byatt was the ringleader and Hetty was a trained animal - following along because that's what she knows and thinks that Byatt always knows best, however Hetty is merely replaceable in Byatt's mind.

Poor Reese deserved more time with her dad, and honestly, just to be a kid.

[Izabella May]

Is this out yet??? Where can I read it??? I NEED TO KNOW!!!!!

[Suppi · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS. I WANTED MORE OF THIS. IN THE MAIN STORY.

[Harri · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was nice to have something from Reese's perspective but I don't feel like this story added anything to the original novel.

[Finny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish we had Reese her pov in the main novel she is so interesting!!

[Coraline · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.75/5

I really can’t understand the purpose of this prequel to Wilder Girls, as it doesn’t bring anything new to the main story. I actually read it because I hoped it would contain the reasons behind all that had happened or who was responsible, but this short story doesn’t even touch the main plot of Wilder Girls, only focusing on the relationships between the three main girl characters. A tiny lame soap opera, as I see it.

[Gabriella Batel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never stopped loving Reese, and Byatt is kind of...sinister. And I'll do anything for Rory Power's writing style.

I missed the material/circumstances of the main book, and this topic wasn't what I was looking for.

[arwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

what the hell?

[charlie ✧.* · Rating 4 out of 5]

reese’s pov could have been SO SO interesting in the main book, she is my favourite <3

[estela]

a sweet short story, but that’s it really. although it did make me miss these characters and the book

[Shireen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little addition to the story, but i could have done without.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

she could have written a whole book from reese’s pov and i would have devoured it.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75🌟

Short and sweet obviously. This story follows Reese prior to the events in Wilder Girls. You get a bit of insight into how she feels being the third wheel in-between Hetty and Byatt and while also showing some scenes between her and her father. I liked those brief moments into her life alot. I also found it interesting that in book 1 Reese seems a bit jealous of the friendship between Hetty and Byatt but here while those moments are still present, there's a bit of hidden feelings towards Byatt of all people I did not see coming. If this bit of intrigue was instilled in the first book I probably would have enjoyed that one a bit more.

[ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

i need more of This wtf???? it’s funny cause i rated wg 3 stars 😭 but i loved this i need more of just their friendship and the group dynamic and byatt (my girl). and omg hear me out… What If byatt and reese were the main ship :o just saying y’all.

[&#x1337c; · Rating 4 out of 5]

reeseee ^ ^ this being in her pov made my day, even if it’s short! her way of seeing the world adds so much. she’s everything to me, my little lesbian princess <3 loved byatt and hetty too. i’d read this universe endlessly before tox!!

[Rebecca Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[☆Agata☆ Anna☆ ☕︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

oshhiiit