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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such a tender and beautiful story that dove deep into the two main characters. Their journey was long and tough, not just because they were hiking the PCT, but because of the emotional journey they were on.
Watching their relationship blossom in the desert was heartwarming.
Both Alexei and Ben were treated with the utmost care throughout the story. These characters were complete and whole; I felt their pain bleeding throughout the book and rejoiced when they did.
I fell head over heels for the two of them, both as individuals and then as a couple. I'm so excited to see what Anita Kelly brings next with the continuation of this world, and into London and Dahlia's story.
Watching their relationship blossom in the desert was heartwarming.
Both Alexei and Ben were treated with the utmost care throughout the story. These characters were complete and whole; I felt their pain bleeding throughout the book and rejoiced when they did.
I fell head over heels for the two of them, both as individuals and then as a couple. I'm so excited to see what Anita Kelly brings next with the continuation of this world, and into London and Dahlia's story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Abandonment
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thanks to Netgalley and forever publishing for access to the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is one I had been looking forward to for a while and it did not disappoint. First, the setting. You can really tell that Anita Kelly put a whole lot of work into really making you feel like you are on the trail with Lex and Ben. I found myself looking up pictures of the places they were describing because the descriptions sounded so beautiful. I am not at all familiar with the landscape in this part of America but they did a beautiful job of describing it for me.
Aside from a lovely setting though, the story was beautiful and sweet and uplifting! These 2 men working so hard on themselves to reach their full potential was both hard to hear at times but also extremely inspiring. And the support they give each other made me cry MULTIPLE TIMES! I wanted nothing but good things for them. They are both cinnamon rolls that deserve all the happiness in the world!
This story did such a great job exploring grief and religious trauma. It also had some of my favorite tropes in it: friends to lovers & found family. There were so many swoon worthy moments that made my heart flutter! Ugh! I want to read it again!
Anyway, If you couldn’t tell, I loved this book so much and now I’m off to pre-order it so that I have it on my shelves when it comes out. Cheers!
This is one I had been looking forward to for a while and it did not disappoint. First, the setting. You can really tell that Anita Kelly put a whole lot of work into really making you feel like you are on the trail with Lex and Ben. I found myself looking up pictures of the places they were describing because the descriptions sounded so beautiful. I am not at all familiar with the landscape in this part of America but they did a beautiful job of describing it for me.
Aside from a lovely setting though, the story was beautiful and sweet and uplifting! These 2 men working so hard on themselves to reach their full potential was both hard to hear at times but also extremely inspiring. And the support they give each other made me cry MULTIPLE TIMES! I wanted nothing but good things for them. They are both cinnamon rolls that deserve all the happiness in the world!
This story did such a great job exploring grief and religious trauma. It also had some of my favorite tropes in it: friends to lovers & found family. There were so many swoon worthy moments that made my heart flutter! Ugh! I want to read it again!
Anyway, If you couldn’t tell, I loved this book so much and now I’m off to pre-order it so that I have it on my shelves when it comes out. Cheers!
Thank you so much to Anita Kelly, Forever and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book will be published on March 7th.
"Alexei had never experienced friendship quite like that. Friendship that wasn't dependent on shared faith."
Alexei decided he wanted to walk the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) as the start of a new beginning to his life. While on the trail, he keeps seeing Ben along the way. Alexei was drawn to him and Ben was as well. Ben decided to stay and walk with Alexei for a huge chunk of the trail and from there, feelings ensue. Together they experience the beautiful trail and meet a slew of different characters along the trail.
"I think I fell in love with someone. And then I got scared and I left."
Alexei's development throughout this book is such a journey. He is very quiet, socially awkward and just wants to be left alone and by the end his personality shines through. And I love the juxtaposition Alexei was to Ben who was outgoing and personable. Alexei's childhood into adulthood is deeply upsetting but I am glad that by the end he was working on making his life better and has a new chosen family. I know there is a huge amount of people who have been through religious trauma and I do not think its talked enough in books. Alexei needed someone like Ben in his life and came at a perfect time for him during this transition phase in his life.
Fun fact (you may or may not know): There is a moment at the end when Alexei sees that Ben got a tattoo during their time apart and author Anita Kelly got the tattoo which you can see on their instagram page. How cool to see the image come to life!
This definitely inspired me to get out on the trails more. I love hiking and wish I could do it more often (my hiking partner's knees don't like it). And as if I didn't already want to go to the Pacific Northwest this made me want to go even more.
Also can we talk about this cover?! I remember being instantly obsessed with it as soon as it was released. I love that the same illustrator who did Love & Other Disasters also did this one. The colors are absolutely stunning!!!
I would definitely check this out if you are a hiker and enjoy the outdoors and want to see a love story unfold during hundreds of miles of walking.
This book will be published on March 7th.
"Alexei had never experienced friendship quite like that. Friendship that wasn't dependent on shared faith."
Alexei decided he wanted to walk the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) as the start of a new beginning to his life. While on the trail, he keeps seeing Ben along the way. Alexei was drawn to him and Ben was as well. Ben decided to stay and walk with Alexei for a huge chunk of the trail and from there, feelings ensue. Together they experience the beautiful trail and meet a slew of different characters along the trail.
"I think I fell in love with someone. And then I got scared and I left."
Alexei's development throughout this book is such a journey. He is very quiet, socially awkward and just wants to be left alone and by the end his personality shines through. And I love the juxtaposition Alexei was to Ben who was outgoing and personable. Alexei's childhood into adulthood is deeply upsetting but I am glad that by the end he was working on making his life better and has a new chosen family. I know there is a huge amount of people who have been through religious trauma and I do not think its talked enough in books. Alexei needed someone like Ben in his life and came at a perfect time for him during this transition phase in his life.
Fun fact (you may or may not know): There is a moment at the end when Alexei sees that Ben got a tattoo during their time apart and author Anita Kelly got the tattoo which you can see on their instagram page. How cool to see the image come to life!
This definitely inspired me to get out on the trails more. I love hiking and wish I could do it more often (my hiking partner's knees don't like it). And as if I didn't already want to go to the Pacific Northwest this made me want to go even more.
Also can we talk about this cover?! I remember being instantly obsessed with it as soon as it was released. I love that the same illustrator who did Love & Other Disasters also did this one. The colors are absolutely stunning!!!
I would definitely check this out if you are a hiker and enjoy the outdoors and want to see a love story unfold during hundreds of miles of walking.
Incredible, incredible, incredible.
Alexei and Ben are both hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in an effort to find themselves - Alexei's just lost his job and is working through his emotions about being disowned by his conservative, religious family after coming out as gay. Ben's just passed the NCLEX and is taking a break after several non-stop years of caregiving and studying. When they run into each other (almost literally) on the trail, they're immediately attracted to each other, but have no idea what to do with it, besides hike together and get to know each other.
This book is so truly <i>wonderful</i> and tender and kind and heartachy and perfect. Loving Ben and Lex is irresistible and God did they melt my dumb little heart. They're so cautious and careful with each other, so gracious about boundaries they don't know they need to set until they're setting them, and I've literally never been so entranced by BIRDS in my whole life.
This is a heavy book - Alexei in particular is dealing with A Lot of religious trauma, certainly around his own sexuality, but also around the way his whole childhood was quite sheltered. I've never seen someone so able to capture my own complex feelings about religion (and mine aren't even really compounded by my childhood faith's view of my sexuality!) and the way that something you once thought so fundamental to you becomes something you don't even recognize anymore, except in its purest, best, most love-filled form in the quietest, awe-filled moments. Ben is a geriatric nurse who truly loves his calling, but still has to reckon with a lot of tough patient losses on top of some poor romantic choices in the past. Each of them ends up in some very well-deserved therapy, and I think that all of their trauma is treated with the deftest, kindest, most respectful hand.
I wish I could say more about this book, but I truly don't have the words. This'll likely end up on my favorites shelf at the store.
Thank you Forever and Edelweiss for the ARC!
Alexei and Ben are both hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in an effort to find themselves - Alexei's just lost his job and is working through his emotions about being disowned by his conservative, religious family after coming out as gay. Ben's just passed the NCLEX and is taking a break after several non-stop years of caregiving and studying. When they run into each other (almost literally) on the trail, they're immediately attracted to each other, but have no idea what to do with it, besides hike together and get to know each other.
This book is so truly <i>wonderful</i> and tender and kind and heartachy and perfect. Loving Ben and Lex is irresistible and God did they melt my dumb little heart. They're so cautious and careful with each other, so gracious about boundaries they don't know they need to set until they're setting them, and I've literally never been so entranced by BIRDS in my whole life.
This is a heavy book - Alexei in particular is dealing with A Lot of religious trauma, certainly around his own sexuality, but also around the way his whole childhood was quite sheltered. I've never seen someone so able to capture my own complex feelings about religion (and mine aren't even really compounded by my childhood faith's view of my sexuality!) and the way that something you once thought so fundamental to you becomes something you don't even recognize anymore, except in its purest, best, most love-filled form in the quietest, awe-filled moments. Ben is a geriatric nurse who truly loves his calling, but still has to reckon with a lot of tough patient losses on top of some poor romantic choices in the past. Each of them ends up in some very well-deserved therapy, and I think that all of their trauma is treated with the deftest, kindest, most respectful hand.
I wish I could say more about this book, but I truly don't have the words. This'll likely end up on my favorites shelf at the store.
Thank you Forever and Edelweiss for the ARC!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of the great challenges in my life as a lover of romance novels - I have little to no patience for the major conflict that seems to need to precede a happily ever after. In my opinion, these usually feel forced and could easily be resolved by the characters just acting like normal people and having a simple conversation, and it’s the number one thing that can put me off a good romance.
In Something Wild & Wonderful, Anita Kelly’s follow up to 2022’s Love & Other Disasters, I knew that was the direction we were headed. From early on, I could sense that there would need to be some sort of conflict thrown into the mix, and I was filled with dread. This time, however, that dread stemmed from how much affection I felt for the main characters; I wanted to skip the conflict not for my own benefit but to spare them the heartache.
Something Wild & Wonderful centers on Ben and Alexei, two men who meet while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Though both had planned to hike solo, they end up making a pact to hike together at least through the end of the desert after Alexei saves Ben from stepping on a rattlesnake crossing the trail. Both men came to the PCT to take time to reflect on their lives and find themselves, and instead they end up finding each other.
Maybe it’s the setting - hiking on the trail is an inherently solitary and introspective process, so the chemistry between the two really gets a chance to blossom. It feels so natural from the reader’s perspective, and I was really rooting for these two to make it work. Alexei comes out to Ben early on and shares that he’s on the PCT to try to figure out his next steps, after his religious parents disowned him after he told them he was gay. Ben decides not to share that he’s also gay at that time in order to avoid overshadowing Alexei’s story, but then struggles to find the right time to confess - until a night off-trail, with a hotel bed and a few margaritas, provides the opportunity for the two to act on the chemistry between them.
I don’t want to say much more for fear of spoiling the novel, because it was truly a joy to watch this romance unfold. I felt so affectionate toward both men, and for once in my life, I understood how the conflict happened and why they couldn’t just talk it out. In trying to protect each other while also figure out their own goals and priorities, they end up almost risking it all. In the subsequent time apart, Kelly switches to an epistolary format to show their attempts to bridge the gap following their separation, and it’s a powerful literary device to illustrate the growth and the heartache that both men experience.
I cannot recommend Something Wild & Wonderful highly enough. It will be released on March 7, 2023, and is available for preorder now.
I received an electronic ARC from the publisher. Forever, in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Alexei is not expecting his hike on the PCT to start with a rattle snake. That’s exactly how it starts though. That and stopping another hiking for unknowingly stepping on said snake. While he isn’t expecting that, he for sure wasn’t expecting Ben. As the two begin to hike the trail together, things get a bit more complicated…for both of them.
I absolutely loved both Ben and Alexei! My heart just broke for Alexei and the way his family reacted when he came out to them. I thought the way he reacted to Ben was so understandable. After growing up in such a strict environment, I can only imagine how it would feel to actually fall for someone, while still struggling with everything you were taught growing up. I greatly enjoyed their adventures on the trail, their relationship, and how things fell apart and/or came back together.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes