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daisy1_f's review
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Dementia, Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Medical content, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
kshertz's review
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Abandonment, and Sexual content
sophieamreacher's review
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Homophobia
Minor: Toxic relationship, Death, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Medical content, Grief, Dementia, and Religious bigotry
heydebigale's review
- 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
CW: homophobia, abandonment, some medical content
This book is about Alexei who is hiking the pacific crest trail to process a faith crisis after coming out to and being shunned by his religious family.
If you are someone who has had a crisis of faith & are processing religious trauma, I would highly recommend this book.
I loved the way Anita Kelly portrayed Alexei’s crisis of faith. He still wanted to worship & be a part of a community of believers, but a new community that would not shun him.
“does it count if the person they miss isn’t actually me?”
I loved all of the birds in this book!! This is a bird watching romance and I cannot recommend it enough.
Graphic: Abandonment and Homophobia
Moderate: Medical content
shelvesofivy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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 ♡
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
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
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
jazhandz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Dementia, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
lost_windsock's review
- 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
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
analenegrace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Alexei and Ben's relationship was beautiful. They were both well-written characters with complicated stories that made them feel so real. Alexei's coming out journey and his complicated relationship with faith were so important and relatable. Ben's journey to realize he was deserving of good love was also beautiful, although this book definitely felt like Alexei's story. My only thing is that I wish Alexei's autism and diagnosis had been a little more than a mention at the end of the epilogue.
The descriptions of the trail and the adventure Alexei and Ben went on were so well-written, as were the letters they wrote to each other and that Alexei wrote to his family in the middle. The side characters felt full and like real people, something that is a sign of a fantastic author to me!
I loved the little bit of the characters of the last book being featured in this one and I look forward to rereading Love & Other Disasters soon because it's the June pick for my book club!
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content
caseythereader's review
- 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
- What a gift SOMETHING WILD AND WONDERFUL is. It pulls of the balancing act of dealing with very real homophobia and giving the characters real queer joy.
- Kelly excels at writing characters who care so deeply for each other, for all their quirks and complicated personal histories. I particularly loved being there with Alexei while he tried to figure out his new relationship to faith and church.
- This is also the rare romance novel that didn't have me rolling my eyes and speeding through the third act breakup. The way Alexei and Ben worked through it was so beautiful and precious.
- And! We also get to see Dahlia and London from LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS!
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Homophobia, Medical content, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, and Dementia