A review by emileereadsbooks
Wild About You by Kaitlyn Hill

adventurous emotional reflective 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

4.25

Natalie is someone who is comfortable being herself, but when her freshman year of college leaves her without her merit scholarship and with an anxiety diagnosis, she needs to find a way to get some money to stay in school. So, she signs up for the new college version of Wild Adventures, an outdoorsy adventure show, that has a $100k scholarship prize. She isn't exactly outdoorsy (her lengthy skin care regimen makes her too high maintenance for that), but this is better than taking out student loans, right?! However, when she is randomly assigned to partner with Finn, who is the grumpy to her sunshine and the outdoorsy to her indoorsy, she realizes she may have taken on too great a risk. But no risk, no reward! And she really needs that reward. So putting up with Finn is necessary, or is it welcomed? Is there perhaps some chemistry there beneath the tension?

Sure, Natalie prefers her twelve-step skincare routine to roughing it on the Appalachian Trail while competing in challenges against other college kids, but that scholarship prize money is calling her name. High risk, high reward, right? Enter Finn Markum, her randomly assigned, capital- O Outdoorsy teammate whose growl could rival a black bear. These partners have more friction than a pair of new hiking boots. Or is it flirtation? Turns out falling in love might be the wildest adventure of all...

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As someone who is outdoorsy lite, I love living vicariously through people who do big hikes like the Appalachian Trail. Therefore, reading a rom com set there via a reality show is just that much more fun. This has some fun side characters and relationships, but at the core Finn and Natalie were easy to root for and continually made me giggle with their back and forth. 

If you like the Amazing Race, Emma Lord books, or just want an outdoorsy rom com, give this one a shot. 

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Content Warning: This is a closed door rom com. Intimacy is implied. There is also use of adult language, talk of anxiety, and characters dealing with grief. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Romance for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.