Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this Christina Lauren book. I think it might be my favorite, though I really enjoyed The Unhoneymooners.

This book is filled with wild adventures, twists & turns, and a sweet second chance love! When I first started it, I was unsure if I’d enjoy it because it seemed so cheesy, but as it got more into the story, I was hooked. I enjoyed Lily’s take no shit attitude and was pleasantly surprised by all the crazy twists and turns. Am I read a romance or a thriller? 😂 honestly, it’s a little of both. And what’s better than one bed? ONE SLEEPING BAG 😍 I loved watched Lily and Leo reconnect and fall back in love together, even though I don’t think either of them truly fell out of love.

Things I didn’t love: I wish we got more background on Leo and Lily’s backstory at the ranch. We saw short glimpses, but I think if we saw one or more in depth one I would have felt more chemistry between them! They also mention that Leo interacted with her dad in the past and I would have loved to see that flashback to get a better idea of him. The other issue I had with it, is that I’m pretty sure the word wild was used 200+ times in this book. I hope to god that was intentional since the book is called Something Wilder, and it’s Lily’s last name — but it was seriously used as a descriptor for everything and by the end of the book it was annoying. Two points that end of the day don’t mean much but could have easily made this a 5 star for me!!

Overall, this was a very fun book and I enjoyed it. I recommend to anyone who is looking for a great summer read with a sweet slow burn and lots of mystery added in!

Christina Lauren are one of my favorite duos. I don’t know how they do it, but their books are so fun. This one was a bit different and unique. If you love the Wild West, then I think you will love this one. If you don’t love Westerns, I still think you will enjoy it. It was so fun and fresh!

As I mentioned, this is very different for them! It was a romance wrapped in a mystery, with a treasure hunt. Not only that, but we also have second chance romance, which is always fun. I wasn’t sure how it would work, but they blended it all together very well. In fact, I would go as far as to say, this is less about a romance novel and more about adventure.

One of the things that I really loved about this was the treasure hunt. Figuring out the puzzles and clues was really cool, and I loved how Leo and Lily bonded over it. There’s a group of them that think they are on just a fun adventure, but it quickly turns into more. There’s a moment in this book that had me shocked!! I did not see it coming and that’s impressive with a romance. I loved Nic and Walt so much. Nic was hilarious and Walt was like a teddy bear.

The romance was sweet and was kind of predictable. I was a little bit let down with how much of a backseat their romance takes in this book. Just a heads up for all my romance lovers out there. I am a bit fan of Leo, and he was such a great MC. Another surprising aspect was how quickly the communication between them was. It was so refreshing to see characters actually clear the air early!! Thank you, CL for giving us something unexpected with that!

Overall, this was such a unique and fun read. The pacing was fast and there are several genres that they mashed together. I think it worked really well and the clues were fun. The romance was sweet, even if I wanted a bit more of it. There are some surprising elements and twists that I think readers will also appreciate. It was a great adventure, and I cannot wait to see what they come up with next!!

Many thanks to Gallery Books for a copy of this book via Netgalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own. 🙂

As the daughter of famous treasure hunter Duke Wilder, Lily rarely saw her father. Or any money in the bank. Determined to overcome her circumstances, Lily uses the maps left by her father to lead tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rocks of Utah. When a ghost from her past decides to reappear on one of her guided trips, Lily draws a firm line in the sand that nothing will ever happen. Leo Grady wishes for nothing more than to reconnect with his first love. But when the trip goes horribly wrong, will the past be able to right itself?

I knew as I was reading the first few chapters, this book was going to be a five star read for me! And I was not disappointed. I started reading Christina Lauren when I started bookstagram last year and after reading this book, I’m SO glad I did! The setting was absolutely stunning and had me so excited to visit the American Southwest someday. It made the perfect backdrop for a treasure hunt! I loved how seamless the action and romance were woven together. I finished it in just a few days because I was dying to know what happens next! I think second chance romance might be my new favorite trope 😍 Leo was so steadfast in his love for Lily and it gave me all the butterflies! The biggest thank you for my E-ARC to Gallery Books, Christina Lauren, and NetGalley!

Read if you like:
♥️Second chance romance
🤠National Treasure
🏜Off the beaten path adventure

Are you looking for the perfect summer read? You need to pick this up! I didn’t think a book set in the west would be good to read on the Beach, but I had so much fun with it.

I loved Lily and Leo and Nicole and Walter. This book just reinforced how much I love the second chance romance trope, and the twists were fun and unexpected.

Don’t go in to this expecting a realistic portrayal of the adventure they take, the authors tell you on the first page that it’s not. Thank you so much @netgalley, @christinalauren, and @gallerybooks for the early copy!

Ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ Ｗｉｌｄｅｒ 𝚋𝚢 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚊 𝙻𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚗

💔 Second Chance ❤️
🥾 Adventure 🥾
👥 Forced Proximity 👥
⛺️ One Sleeping Bag⛺️
💎 Treasure Hunt💰
🤠 Cowgirl and Nerd 🤓

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶🌶/5

⚠️ SPOILERS ⚠️

HAPPY PUB DAY 05/17/22!

Lily grew up with famous, eccentric, treasure hunter Duke Wilder. When she was young, she enjoyed his antics, but after her mom left, games were no longer fun. Lily grew resentful of her father.

Leo and Lily have a past. 10 years ago they promised to never leave. But they were young and life got in the way.

Flash forward, Lily now takes tourists on week long adventures into the desert to make ends meet. She practically penniless but can’t give up the horses or the life.

Out of pure chance (or is it?), Leo happens to show back up in her life as part of the group for the week.

Things are rocky at first, as they get to know each other again in the middle of the rough terrain. When things go amiss with the group, they find themselves on a reluctant treasure hunting adventure all set in place by Duke himself.

Thoughts:

I did not expect this book to be what it is. Definitely not the story I thought these two authors would write.

That said, I actually thought the surprise was for the best! It read like an adventure movie. Indiana Jones vibes for real.

Tough, rugged no nonsense female characters running the show.

Villains who thought they knew better.

A hero that had no problem hanging on the back burner in full support of his long lost love.

Beautiful scenery. I love Utah. I could really visualize the setting. It made me want to go back for a visit.

I really do recommend this read. I haven’t read too much Christina Lauren, but from what I can gather, you would most likely be shocked by how different it is from there typical stories.

Thanks NetGalley and Gallery Books for access to this ARC.

I enjoyed this book way more than I though I would! I am not sure what I expected going into Something Wilder, but I loved the treasure hunt adventure it took me on. If you go into the book knowing that it is supposed to be an over the top adventure, it is so much fun. There was not a ton of spice, which I enjoyed. This is my second Christina Lauren book (first was Love and Other Words) and I actually loved this one so much more.

Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the ebook ARC of this book!

Christina Lauren is an autobuy author(s) for me, so I was so excited to get an ARC of this book. Let me tell you, this is not your typical CLo book. As I always do with my favorite authors, I went into this book completely blind. I had no idea what it was about, where it was set, or really anything about it at all. I had no idea was in for a cowgirl second chance adventure romance!

Lily and Leo are reunited unexpectedly on an adventure with Leo’s friends, and things intensify quickly. There is suspense, there’s romance, there’s adventure, there’s the canyon, and so much more.

This book is funny, it’s sweet, it’s a little steamy, and it’s binge-worthy. I absolutely loved it and read it in one day. I loved this change of pace for these authors and hope to see more like this from them. SO FUN!

I enjoyed this one so much - it has adventure, romance, and horses! It’s easily one of my favorites of theirs! Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for a gifted copy.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Goodreads rating: 4.02

READ IF YOU LIKE:
▫️Second chances romances
▫️Rom-coms with an adventurous plot
▫️The show: Outer Banks

INITIAL THOUGHTS:
AHHHHH! 😍 Omg I loved this book so freakin’ much!! Not gonna lie y’all… I was getting a tad bored in my reading life 😂 (it happens!) and this book brought me back to life! It was full of adventures in the Wild West in search for a lost treasure! 💰 At first I wasn’t sure, but ended up LOVING how fun and different this story was when compared to your typical rom-com. Oh and Leo & Lily?? They had me swooning!!! LOVEEEED their chemistry & story. 🥹💕

MY MINI SYNOPSIS:
Despite Lily Wilder’s father, Duke, being a life-long treasure hunter, she is still struggling for income after his death. She is doing all she can to make ends meet, including taking tourists on fake “treasure hunts” through Utah. 🌄 She was shocked when her next group of tourists included her (totally gorgeous & charming) ex-boyfriend, Leo, who left her 10 years ago without a word. Lily wants nothing to do with him during this wilderness trip, but Leo uses this time as a chance to explain his absence. When the trip takes an unexpected turn, the group decides to pivot and search for the real lost treasure using Duke’s old journey full of codes and maps. 🗺 Can Lily forgive Leo AND look for a treasure?! Well… she has nothing to lose! 🐎

RATING EXPLAINED:
5 shiny stars! I wasn’t sure about that first twist (DM me if you know what I’m talking about lol) but I ended up loving the rest of the book so much that I still went with 5 🌟! Christina Lauren will forever be my fav author duo! They are true rom-com masterminds 🤓

DETAILS:
▪️ Thank you @netgalley & @gallerybooks for my #gifted e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
▪️ Publishes: 05/17/22

This book is different from the usual romance themes from the Christina Lauren duo. Something Wilder is more adventure/treasure hunt than romance but there is a great second chance love affair to enjoy. Lily is the daughter of a famous treasure hunter who runs adventure trips for business people. She finds herself leading a trip involving the former love of her life Leo. After they get over the shock of seeing one another again after so many years, they set out to solve a grand treasure hunt. The relationship between Lily and Leo is sweet and has a mature feel to it. The story is also packed with interesting side characters that really add to the fun. I really liked this one and while it was a change of pace for the writers, it still captured their signature great romance feel.

Thanks to Christina Lauren, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC.

I went into this book totally blind and I’m really glad I did.

Lily Wilder has lost pretty much everything - her first and only love, her beloved ranch, and her dad, famous treasure hunter, Duke Wilder. She spends her days barely making ends meet by running treasure hunting wilderness tours where city slickers can live out their cowboy dreams for a week.

Imagine her astonishment when this week’s group happens to include that first love she hasn’t seen in ten years since he left her, Leo. Leo’s just as astonished - and happy - to see her. But, when one of the members takes the trip a little too seriously and there’s a prospect of real treasure to be found, everything gets turned on it’s head and Lily and Leo rediscover their love of adventure and each other.

This book is half very, very sweet second chance romance and half suspense and it had me hooked the entire time. Leo was so sweet and his love of Lily was incredible. The suspense portion kept me so intrigued and I loved how Lily and Leo regained their love and trust through it. It’s definitely half romance and half suspense so if you’re a romance 100% person, it might not be the book for you but I really loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars

Something Wilder is a wild west ride reminiscent of the classic comedy movie "City Slickers". Throw in a couple tough as nails cowgirls and an unexpected second chance romance, and you've got a book worth reading.

Action, adventure, humor, and love make this a great read for a summertime escape.

Special thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for this digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Something Wilder by @christinalauren comes out tomorrow, and it was an incredibly fun second chance romance.

What happens when the burnt-out daughter of a famous treasure hunter encounters the love of her life, a man who abandoned her with no explanation years ago, on a tour she’s running through the red rock mountains of Utah? I think we have to assume at some point there will be an issue with one of their sleeping bags or tents or flannel shirts that will force an only one of that needed item situation.

I keep reading reviews of this one that say it’s not like a typical Christina Lauren book. I’m going to be honest and say that this assessment confused me a bit because I haven’t found there to be a typical Christina Lauren book. They write romcoms and more serious women’s fiction and time loop books and super steamy enemies to lovers and then less steamy sweet stories. The only thing I absolutely expect from a Christina Lauren book is romance, and that’s definitely a prominent feature—dare I say the prominent feature—in Something Wilder.
The treasure hunt and the red rock canyon tours are a great backdrop for the romance, but I never felt like I was reading an adventure Western, even though the book has those elements. I felt like I was reading a lovely story about two people reconnecting after years and misunderstandings and I was really, really rooting for them.

Leo is my kind of hero. He’s sweet and makes sacrifices for the people he loves. And he’s smart. Did I mention that there’s really nothing better than a smart hero? Lily is also a super fun character. She’s afraid to let herself believe that anything good can happen to her, and seeing that belief challenged throughout the book is really fun.

And yes, there is a treasure hunt and an adventure and maybe even a bad guy or two. But I don’t mind some adventure if there are plenty of swoony stolen looks over campfires, and I promise you there are!

Thank you so much to @Netgalley and @gallerybooks for and e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I’d definitely recommend grabbing of a copy! I’m so excited to pick mine up Thursday when the authors are in town (insert squeal!).

Thank you so much to the authors, Netgalley, and Gallery Books for providing an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. One of my first thoughts upon starting was–this needs to be a movie! According to the authors’ notes, they wrote this to be a “fun, swoon-filled escape from the real world” and I’d say they accomplished that feat. The writing style was very cinematic and I could see it translating well onto the big screen with all the action, mystery, and adventure portrayed in the story.

The setting and plot were immersive, and it was fun following this group of characters as they searched for valuable treasures that may have been found (and re-hidden) by Lily Wilder’s famous treasure hunter father. There were a number of entertaining tropes, including forced proximity, second chance romance, and city boy/country girl.

My favorite character was hands down the MMC Leo, who was a delicious combination of nerdy, snarky, playful, logical, and soulful. His banter with Lily was amusing, and I loved the maturity that both characters showed in the open communication of their exchanges. I appreciated that the reasons for their separation in their youth were given to us without dragging out the drama too long.

I strongly believe this should have been marketed as adventure first, romance second, because the treasure hunting subplot was front and center for the majority of the story. I wanted a lot more sweet moments between Lily and Leo, and I think I would’ve connected with their relationship better if we got flashbacks to show us what made their romance so significant that they never got over each other even after a decade of being apart.

Nevertheless, this was a fun story filled with some crazy twists that definitely would make for an entertaining film. Temper your expectations for a romance story and it won’t be difficult to enjoy this novel. If you’re into movies like National Treasure, Indiana Jones, and Romancing the Stone, this is a good choice for your next romance read!

I was very excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book. Once I heard that Christina Lauren was writing an adventure romance I wanted to read it immediately. If you enjoyed The Mummy, The Lost City, or especially Romancing the Stone, this is going to be the book for you. The premise of the story centers around Lily Wilder. Lily, the daughter of the world famous treasure hunter, Duke Wilder, has been escorting wannabe rancher tourists on treasure hunting excursions for the last decade. Her dream is to someday get the family ranch back that Duke sold when she was a teen. Lily is taken by complete surprise when the next group of tourists includes Leo, of whom she shared a summer fling when he was working on the ranch as a farm hand. A series of bananas events leads Lily and Leo’s group on an actual hunt for Duke’s treasure following clues he left behind before his death. And as this is a romance, Lily and Leo discover that the feelings that they shared that summer never really went away. This book is pure fun and would be an awesome vacation read! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, I am more than happy to share a review with fellow readers.

Christina Lauren books are generally hit or miss for me and Something Wilder falls somewhere right in the middle. This is a second-chance romance, but the romance tends to take a backseat to the adventure/treasure hunting aspect of the plot, which I found to be a bit unrealistic and over the top at points. Overall, I didn't love this one, but I certainly didn't hate it and I'll continue to look forward to reading more from Christina Lauren.

What an adventure!

The writing duo of Christina Lauren never ceases to amaze me in how they continue to create such unique, engaging stories and boy do they ever with Something Wilder.

Buckle up for a romance that is part mystery and adventure coupled with a sweet, second chance romance.

I love how Christina Lauren share that they wrote this over the pandemic when it was really difficult for some to get out and experience any sort of travel at all.

What they created is the perfect summer adventure that would make the best beach read or the perfect escape for any staycation.

I felt like I was in the pages along for the ride with Lily and Leo exploring caverns and riverbeds and on the hunt for buried treasure.

This book totally made me want to travel out West, jump on a horse and just GO!

Which, if this alone was one goal this duo set out to achieve while writing this book, was greatly achieved.

In addition to the amazing imagery conveyed in this novel, I really loved the mystery and suspense angle which is something they haven’t really explored in any previous novel.

I’ll admit at one point my jaw almost hit the floor because I was NOT EXPECTING a certain something to happen but it launched the book in this new direction that had me questioning and hypothesizing and playing super sleuth along with the main characters.

But as a romance book lover at heart, I too was all about the romance between Lily and Leo.

I loved the initial tension between them given their history and I really appreciated that they had their “talk it out” moment from the start without letting it linger.

Christina Lauren gave the perfect amount of backstory in the prologue to build their connection and provided just enough tension and romance to make their second chance storyline just as important as the mystery they were unfolding.

I fully admit that romantic suspense isn’t my go-to genre but I loved this one and highly recommend it!

*Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I have not read any other books by this author duo. I enjoyed the first third of the book, but then it started to fall a bit flat for me. It was categorized as a second chance romance, but I felt it has more of an adventure feel to it than romance.

This was such a fun read. It reminded me a lot of Lost City. I won't say it's my fav but it was good. I wish there was a bit more romance a little less action.