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marioosa517's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Fatphobia, Dementia, Alcohol, Vomit, Excrement, Medical content, Drug use, and Blood
wildatheart1339's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Grief, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Dementia
kelly_e's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Title: Something Wild & Wonderful
Author: Anita Kelly
Series: Love & Other Disaster #2
Genre: Romance
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Untamed • Affectionate •
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Alexei Lebedev’s journey on the Pacific Crest Trail begins with a single snake. And it is angling for the hot stranger who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Lex is prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. What he isn’t prepared for is Ben Caravalho. But somehow—on a 2,500-mile trail—Alexei keeps running into the outgoing and charismatic hiker with golden-brown eyes, again and again.
Ben has made his fair share of bad decisions, and almost all of them involved beautiful men. And yet there’s something about the gorgeous and quietly nerdy Alexei that Ben can’t just walk away from. Surely a bad decision can’t be this cute and smart.
💭 T H O U G H T S
When a trusted book friend described and raved about this book, I instantly added it to my TBR and placed a hold through my library. When my hold finally came through I dropped everything to jump in. At the time, I was in quite a reading slump and Something Wild & Wonderful definitely changed that. I could not put this book down and fell absolutely in love with this story!
As an outdoor enthusiast myself, the Western wilderness of the Pacific Crest Trail was immediately transporting. The imagery - from the desert to the mountains, from the trees to the birds - all of it came to life. At times I even felt like I was taking the journey alongside Alexei. And as other readers have said, it certainly made me want to go hiking and see parts of the PCT.
But it is the characters that truly make this book shine! While I can safely say Alexei and Ben are opposites, they both are facing their respective life challenges. The heartbreaking reality of Alexei's reason for embarking on the journey evoked great emotion and I just felt an instant connection to his quiet, introverted character. The two men come together to help each other in ways they weren't even aware of and in the process being to heal. Ben's family and friends were also just wonderful.
The writing comes together in a tender and compassionate manner creating a purely magical story. The plot just made me heart happy. And even though the romance does happen fairly quick, yet it felt believable and sincere. There's no doubt Something Wild & Wonderful will be on my 2023 favourites list. It took me by utter surprise just how much I adored this book and it definitely made me was to explore more of Anita Kelly's work. I'd also be completely okay if Alexei and Ben got a sequel at some point.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• M/M romance enthusiast
• fans of Allison Cochrun
• readers who likes adventure
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Being still was powerful."
"There will also never be anyone else to take the place of my parents. Some parts of myself will always be missing. But you taught me I can find people. That there will be other people I meet in my life who will understand me. Who will love me. Who will show me how wonderful and surprising the world can be."
"Moving forward was different from running away."
Author: Anita Kelly
Series: Love & Other Disaster #2
Genre: Romance
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Untamed • Affectionate •
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Alexei Lebedev’s journey on the Pacific Crest Trail begins with a single snake. And it is angling for the hot stranger who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Lex is prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. What he isn’t prepared for is Ben Caravalho. But somehow—on a 2,500-mile trail—Alexei keeps running into the outgoing and charismatic hiker with golden-brown eyes, again and again.
Ben has made his fair share of bad decisions, and almost all of them involved beautiful men. And yet there’s something about the gorgeous and quietly nerdy Alexei that Ben can’t just walk away from. Surely a bad decision can’t be this cute and smart.
💭 T H O U G H T S
When a trusted book friend described and raved about this book, I instantly added it to my TBR and placed a hold through my library. When my hold finally came through I dropped everything to jump in. At the time, I was in quite a reading slump and Something Wild & Wonderful definitely changed that. I could not put this book down and fell absolutely in love with this story!
As an outdoor enthusiast myself, the Western wilderness of the Pacific Crest Trail was immediately transporting. The imagery - from the desert to the mountains, from the trees to the birds - all of it came to life. At times I even felt like I was taking the journey alongside Alexei. And as other readers have said, it certainly made me want to go hiking and see parts of the PCT.
But it is the characters that truly make this book shine! While I can safely say Alexei and Ben are opposites, they both are facing their respective life challenges. The heartbreaking reality of Alexei's reason for embarking on the journey evoked great emotion and I just felt an instant connection to his quiet, introverted character. The two men come together to help each other in ways they weren't even aware of and in the process being to heal. Ben's family and friends were also just wonderful.
The writing comes together in a tender and compassionate manner creating a purely magical story. The plot just made me heart happy. And even though the romance does happen fairly quick, yet it felt believable and sincere. There's no doubt Something Wild & Wonderful will be on my 2023 favourites list. It took me by utter surprise just how much I adored this book and it definitely made me was to explore more of Anita Kelly's work. I'd also be completely okay if Alexei and Ben got a sequel at some point.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• M/M romance enthusiast
• fans of Allison Cochrun
• readers who likes adventure
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Being still was powerful."
"There will also never be anyone else to take the place of my parents. Some parts of myself will always be missing. But you taught me I can find people. That there will be other people I meet in my life who will understand me. Who will love me. Who will show me how wonderful and surprising the world can be."
"Moving forward was different from running away."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Homophobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Dementia, Gaslighting, Death, and Sexual assault
familial estrangementjuffnstuff's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing
meganpbennett's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
I picked up a copy of Something Wild & Wonderful at the Hachette table at a library conference. I'd read a few reviews of it in librarian trade journals, and thought it would be an interesting read. It was. It was a very good trail log, making me wonder how many of the situations within the story happened to the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Cursing, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Grief
shelvesofivy's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
From the moment I saw that one of the main characters was autistic, grew up in a homophobic environment, and left the religion that controlled his childhood, I knew that this book would throw a mirror at my face and punch me in the gut. And I was right! It did so in a way that was simultaneously beautiful and heartwrenching. I still don't truly have the words to describe how much of myself I saw in Alexei. Even though this was a romance, it felt like so much more. Even though this won't be the case for everyone who reads it, this story felt like healing, in a roundabout way.
But of course, the romance itself was also lovely!! Whenever characters start falling for each other and mutually pining while being either oblivious and/or stubborn about it, I eat it up! And this delivered that in spades in at least the first half-ish of the book.
I do have way more thoughts on this, but don't know how to articulate them. All I can really say is that this book has easily become one of my favorites ♡
But of course, the romance itself was also lovely!! Whenever characters start falling for each other and mutually pining while being either oblivious and/or stubborn about it, I eat it up! And this delivered that in spades in at least the first half-ish of the book.
I do have way more thoughts on this, but don't know how to articulate them. All I can really say is that this book has easily become one of my favorites ♡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Alcohol, and Grief
Minor: Dementia, Medical content, Blood, and Toxic relationship
on page f slurimstephtacular's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Medical content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Dementia, Racism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Death, and Outing
amandalorianxo's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I’m torn between 3.75 - 4 stars. I will admit Anita Kelly’s second novel in this stand alone series showed improvement in their writing. I was intrigued by the setting (I’m not that much of an outdoor / hiking person) but I don’t really feel like we were able to get a full grasp of the beauty of nature (at least not from Ben’s pov) I liked Alexei a lot and my heart broke the more we learned his backstory. Ben though I wasn’t 100% sure of. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the instant “love/lust” mechanism behind these two. I wish there had been more time given for the duo to be friends before jumping into anything sexual / romantic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Religious bigotry, Cursing, Homophobia, and Abandonment
lost_windsock's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
This book was so full of deeply emotional moments. Alexei's pain at being disowned, Ben's feelings of inadequacy, and their combined struggles to do what felt right for them. The need to be alone versus the pull to be together. It was fun seeing London and Dahlia again, and all of the hiking friends they made along the way gave so much depth to the story. The letters in end about broke my heart, but the actual ending was so sweet and perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Terminal illness
cluckieduck's review
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Don't be fooled by the cute blurb - this deals with some pretty heavy stuff.
I had originally rated this as 3⭐ but think it deserves to be rounded up to 4⭐ because as I've had some time to collect my thoughts, I have to say, it's been niggling at me for a couple of weeks now. Something Wild & Wonderful is the loveliest of slow burns as you journey with Alexei as he trek along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). For Alexei, this is "a chance to say good-bye to his old life...to find a bit of peace before he started over." Unfortunately (or not), a chance encounter with the enigmatic Ben throws his plans off the cliff and Alexei finds much more than peace during his months-long journey on the PCT.
While the narrative shifts POVs between the two male leads, this is very much Alexei's story, and it is a story fraught with homophobia, abandonment, grief, & insecurities. I found the trauma of his religious upbringing was handled exceedingly well and it was heartbreaking.
"You raised me to believe that family and faith were everything. How can you take that away from me and not expect me to crumble?
[Y]ou might have been the one to bring me to church, Dad. But I got to know faith on my own. And your interpretation of God is a tragedy."
Each mile gained along the PCT expands Alexei's character and it was lovely to journey alongside him as he developed a tender, sweet relationship with Ben. "Alexei was a butterfly, just emerging from his chrysalis, and he was showing Ben his wings. Ben couldn't turn away from that." That's not to say that Ben is overlooked - he's also on the PCT for personal reasons as he closes in on 30 and is looking to become a more grounded, responsible person.
The setting itself is like another character and I loved the details about the PCT, the hiking community, and birding - things I'm completely unaware of but found really interesting based on the level of detail and care as they were presented with. It was a perfect backdrop to the tumultuous lived experiences & growth that both Alexei & Ben go through.
The last 20% was really unique for a romance novel. It's not a typical third-act conflict, but I don't want to get too spoilery in my review, so I'll just say that it's a heartbreaking and realistic turn of events and adding the epistolary choice of narrative was a deft touch.
All in all, if you love a slow-burn, feelings-filled romance with found family elements - this is the book for you.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I had originally rated this as 3⭐ but think it deserves to be rounded up to 4⭐ because as I've had some time to collect my thoughts, I have to say, it's been niggling at me for a couple of weeks now. Something Wild & Wonderful is the loveliest of slow burns as you journey with Alexei as he trek along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). For Alexei, this is "a chance to say good-bye to his old life...to find a bit of peace before he started over." Unfortunately (or not), a chance encounter with the enigmatic Ben throws his plans off the cliff and Alexei finds much more than peace during his months-long journey on the PCT.
While the narrative shifts POVs between the two male leads, this is very much Alexei's story, and it is a story fraught with homophobia, abandonment, grief, & insecurities. I found the trauma of his religious upbringing was handled exceedingly well and it was heartbreaking.
"You raised me to believe that family and faith were everything. How can you take that away from me and not expect me to crumble?
[Y]ou might have been the one to bring me to church, Dad. But I got to know faith on my own. And your interpretation of God is a tragedy."
Each mile gained along the PCT expands Alexei's character and it was lovely to journey alongside him as he developed a tender, sweet relationship with Ben. "Alexei was a butterfly, just emerging from his chrysalis, and he was showing Ben his wings. Ben couldn't turn away from that." That's not to say that Ben is overlooked - he's also on the PCT for personal reasons as he closes in on 30 and is looking to become a more grounded, responsible person.
The setting itself is like another character and I loved the details about the PCT, the hiking community, and birding - things I'm completely unaware of but found really interesting based on the level of detail and care as they were presented with. It was a perfect backdrop to the tumultuous lived experiences & growth that both Alexei & Ben go through.
The last 20% was really unique for a romance novel. It's not a typical third-act conflict, but I don't want to get too spoilery in my review, so I'll just say that it's a heartbreaking and realistic turn of events and adding the epistolary choice of narrative was a deft touch.
All in all, if you love a slow-burn, feelings-filled romance with found family elements - this is the book for you.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail