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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
lighthearted
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
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
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 stars.
"Wild Things" by Laura Kay is a low-stakes, slow-burning queer found family romantic comedy about a group of friends who kiss living in London goodbye by buying a home/commune in the countryside. As I said, the story is slow to start... actually, it's slow in the middle, too. The romantic aspect doesn't really start to pick up until late in the book. In fact, the romance really isn't the focal point of the book. A lot of the story revolves around main characters El, Ray, Jamie, and Will buying and renovating their countryside house so they can turn it into a commune. They get chickens, they make a big garden, they figure out the perils and trials of homeownership, they learn how to rebuild and fix things via YouTube videos, etc, they prepare to throw a lavish housewarming party, etc. The found family aspect is also focused on a lot, and this is where I believe the book succeeds. Laura Kay has written such a wonderful sense of friendship and community within these characters. Each one of the four main friends gets time for their personalities to shine. We get to know El, Ray, Will, and Jamie on intimate levels, get to know their quirks, etc. Still, El and Ray are the main protagonists here, as is El's infatuation with Ray (that she seems to be painfully oblivious of, even after being told about it). The "wild year" that El starts to have in the beginning of the book sort of falls by the wayside once she moves into their shared home because all of her adventures shift to focus on their endeavors there. El spends most of the beginning of the story trying to be someone she's not because she thinks she's boring and not adventurous. She starts the year off by doing things that scare her, like (trying to have)/having a threesome, doing Molly, etc. I liked her better as a character when she was just being herself, though she learns to find confidence within herself as the story goes on. I sort of disliked Ray for the most part... she seemed oblivious in a mean way. El made her feelings known on multiple occasions, that she has had a crush on her for years, but Ray disregards them and continues to hurt El. Their "relationship" is one-sided until about ~85%. This book is fine, but not wholly memorable.
Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Kay, and Vintage Anchor for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.
"Wild Things" by Laura Kay is a low-stakes, slow-burning queer found family romantic comedy about a group of friends who kiss living in London goodbye by buying a home/commune in the countryside. As I said, the story is slow to start... actually, it's slow in the middle, too. The romantic aspect doesn't really start to pick up until late in the book. In fact, the romance really isn't the focal point of the book. A lot of the story revolves around main characters El, Ray, Jamie, and Will buying and renovating their countryside house so they can turn it into a commune. They get chickens, they make a big garden, they figure out the perils and trials of homeownership, they learn how to rebuild and fix things via YouTube videos, etc, they prepare to throw a lavish housewarming party, etc. The found family aspect is also focused on a lot, and this is where I believe the book succeeds. Laura Kay has written such a wonderful sense of friendship and community within these characters. Each one of the four main friends gets time for their personalities to shine. We get to know El, Ray, Will, and Jamie on intimate levels, get to know their quirks, etc. Still, El and Ray are the main protagonists here, as is El's infatuation with Ray (that she seems to be painfully oblivious of, even after being told about it). The "wild year" that El starts to have in the beginning of the book sort of falls by the wayside once she moves into their shared home because all of her adventures shift to focus on their endeavors there. El spends most of the beginning of the story trying to be someone she's not because she thinks she's boring and not adventurous. She starts the year off by doing things that scare her, like (trying to have)/having a threesome, doing Molly, etc. I liked her better as a character when she was just being herself, though she learns to find confidence within herself as the story goes on. I sort of disliked Ray for the most part... she seemed oblivious in a mean way. El made her feelings known on multiple occasions, that she has had a crush on her for years, but Ray disregards them and continues to hurt El. Their "relationship" is one-sided until about ~85%. This book is fine, but not wholly memorable.
Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Kay, and Vintage Anchor for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
lighthearted
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
Eleanor feels stuck so she embarks on a year of “wild things”, forcing herself to do something wild and a little scary once a month for a year. When her friends, including her crush, are presented with the opportunity to purchase a fixer-upper in a village outside London, allowing them to avoid the high rent in the city, El jumps at the chance to get out of her rut. Living with her crush becomes increasingly difficult until they hit a breaking point and El has to decide if she should do the most wild thing, make herself vulnerable and admit that friendship isn’t enough for her.
This was a lighthearted friends to lovers romance. The relationship between the friends is great and makes for a wonderful found family. There is very little spice but if you’ve ever wanted to move out to the country and rescue chickens, this might be a fun summer read for you.
This was a lighthearted friends to lovers romance. The relationship between the friends is great and makes for a wonderful found family. There is very little spice but if you’ve ever wanted to move out to the country and rescue chickens, this might be a fun summer read for you.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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