"Something Wilder" is a delightful new Christina Lauren romance- a desert adventure turns treasure hunt with Leo and Lily getting a second chance at life and love when neither expected it and both might be exactly where they need to be for it. Ten years after they first meet, Lily is down on her luck and leading tourists on desert adventure trails to make ends meet. Leo, a NYC computer coder, is going for a surprise vacation with friends and gets the surprise of his life when he sees his old flame Lily again. The trip takes a turn sideways and Leo and Lily find themselves in a race for hidden treasure against some people definitely prepared to kill to get it first.

Lily is fantastic- she needs no help from anyone, has learned not to expect help, or in fact anything, from anyone, and to stand stubbornly on her own two feet as her world crumbles around her. Her mother abandoned her, her father would rather look for treasure and play with codes, and the one guy she thought was hers took off and never contacted her for ten years. She and her friend Nicole are fully capable of being the only women in this part of the 'man's world' and holding their own, standing up for each other, and too bad for anyone who says otherwise. Her dreams of buying back the family ranch and having a life that is her choice and not the result of other people's poor choices is admirable, and you feel terrible for her as we go through the book and learn that maybe her father kept things from her that he really should have shared. I did like how Christina Lauren explained that in the end (I'm not giving anything away with spoilers here so will be purposely vague!) but I still felt bad for the emotional trauma Lily's father caused her. Poor choices, poor planning, and Lily was left thinking neither of her parents cared for her at all and she had to face the world by herself. No wonder she tries to protect herself from loving Leo when he comes back into her life!

Leo blossomed into a man you could count on in the worst of circumstances and trust to have your back through thick and thin- just what Lily needs. He loves codes and puzzles, works with computer codes in NYC and only realizes when he's out in the desert how empty his life has been without Lily in it. Fortunately, he's also brave enough (and smart enough) to figure out quickly that he wants Lily in his life and he's willing to be flexible enough to do whatever she needs so he can be part of her life. He's so completely and simply in love with Lily (not again, not back, but always) that you melt with it and want to beg her to give him another chance even while the other part of your brain is agreeing with her that how in the world do they work?

This is definitely one of those books where the less you talk about the plot the better for the next reader- the fewer spoilers the more fun!- but let's say it is both like and unlike any other Christina Lauren book I've ever read and I loved it for that. Action, adventure, beautiful and deadly deserts, possible treasure and potential disaster. The higher the stakes the more we see the best and the worst that can be seen in people. Somehow Christina Lauren manages to pack in high-stakes adventure and fast-paced plot while also expertly unwinding enough insanely complicated emotional bombs to make a team of therapists weep. Lily and her obviously complicated emotional relationship with bother of her parents, her trust issues; but also Leo and his parent issues, being a parent to his little sister, having to grow up faster than he expected; and friends with let's just say some issues of their own. How that can all fit into one book and work really well I don't know, but it it did.

"Something Wilder" is fast-paced, witty, and entertaining, with sparkling writing, delightfully quirky characters, and just the right level of slow-build hot romance. Just the sort of fun, rom-com adventure to read over the summer (or winter, or on vacation, or ever, and really one you'd love to see on the screen someday . . .) that makes you appreciate true friendship, the occasional gun to the head moment, and outwitting the bad guys who deserve it in so many ways. Possibly my new favorite Christina Lauren book, "Something Wilder" is a second chance romance full of action, adventure, surprises, friendship, and love.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I’m glad I gave this one a try. I haven’t loved the past couple of CL’s books, but this was a fun read. I mean what could be better than a fake treasure hunt with a little steamy romance. You will fall in love with the characters and all their adventures. Thanks, Netgallery for the ARC.

This was an adventure!

I went into this one TOTALLY blind and had so much fun with it. This was a little unlike anything else I have read from these two and I am here for it!

What kid didn’t love the idea of treasure hunting? I sure did! I was always off in the woods looking for buried treasure. Begging my parents to make me scavenger hunts, looking for clues… And this book scratched an itch I didn’t know I had.

This was fun and a little on the darker side. This was adventure and riddles and lost love coming back into your life, reminding you of things you forgot were so important.

Well done with this one Christina and Lauren!

I’m a huge fan of Christina Lauren so they are autobuy for me. I was so excited to see what they had in store with Something Wilder.

Lily Wilder is the daughter of the great treasure hunter Duke Wilder. In order to pay the bills she uses his hand drawn maps to lead tourists on fake treasure hunts. When a motley crew of friends shows up for a treasure hunt it brings up painful memories Lily would rather forget, her first love Leo Grady.

If you are looking for a new a drag take on the Christina Lauren romances you love this is it! It reads like a movie and will have you cracking up with one liners. What’s not love about second chance romance and treasure hunting?!?!

Highly recommend this one if you are looking for a little adventure!

If you were the kid who could quote City Slickers and dreamed of going after Curly's gold, but thought that Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, and Jon Lovitz were not your ideal travel companions - this is your story. Lily Wilder's father, the famous treasure hunter Duke Wilder, sold the beloved family ranch, had a stroke days later, and left Lily to pick up the pieces while caring for him in the small cabin he kept. Lily was barely eighteen and now, after her father's passing, she's using her inherited skillset to lead tourists on fake treasure hunts in that no man's land of Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico where Butch Cassidy used to ride.
Lily can fend for herself, but when a new group of New York area tourists arrives for a week on the trail, this is more than she bargained for - especially since one of the guys is her first love, Leo, is part of the group. But Lily, who needs the money, is all business as usual until things turn ugly when one of the guys Leo is traveling with goes rogue. And now, maybe, just maybe, her father wasn't as crazy as he seems - maybe there is outlaw treasure hidden in the twisty Utah canyons. And the hunt is on as danger comes from every turn.
Yes, there is the swoon you expect from Christina Lauren books, but there is also the heart-pounding adventure and possibility of treasure that makes this one of their best.

It’s no secret that Christina Lauren’s books turn heads. This cover is gorgeous, but the story behind it is incredibly fun and heart-felt.

Calling my bucket list! Something Wilder focuses on an adventure romance between Lily and Leo, who once had a deep love but were torn apart. A decade later, the two meet up again as Leo and his friends arrive at Lily’s treasure hunt business in the middle of the Utah terrain.

Let me start by saying this story contains romance that sizzles but the best part was the entire adventure. The characters go on such a fun romp in the middle of the Utah the desert looking for treasure that is highly sought after. What more could you want? There was humor and emotion and I truly enjoyed this story. This novel is nothing like anything this author duo has put out there with us too far. I love how they are revolutionizing their writing.

Just kind of meh for me. Christina Lauren books are always super readable, but I feel like it boils down to another of their second chance romance with puzzles and slightly different characters and settings. Nothing super special. No real sizzle between Leo and Lily.

This was such a fun, different and unexpected offering from Christina Lauren. I loved the romance, the adventure, and the puzzles to solve.

I breezed through this one and genuinely enjoyed it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I generally really enjoy Christina Lauren books, but this one was just okay for me. I liked the two main characters quite a bit, but the whole premise of the treasure hunt was just so farfetched. A little too National Treasure-y for my personal taste.

I loved this book! Christina Lauren does it again! It made me happy and gave me the feel-goods. Loved the second chance scenario between Leo and Lily. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Adventure stories in romance novels are very fun. It's the two types of stories I cut my teeth on as a kid. Something Wilder is a rollicking ride through outlaw country canyons and buttes. Christina Lauren give the reader a group of main characters that are all searching for actual treasure together. Some plot points were predictable, others very unexpected. Nicole, the ranch hand, is the best character, IMO. For some reason the hero and heroine felt a bit lackluster. I think Leo's softness (he was so noble, it ended up feeling kinda boring) or maybe the ease with which they got over their weirdness with each other after having one conversation... I don't know, I guess I would have liked to have seen a bit more tension drawn out. Not my favorite Christina Lauren book, but will I keep reading their books as they release them? Most likely yes.

I think 3.5 stars final rating on this one? It was definitely a departure from what we are used to from Christina Lauren. I just didn't connect with the story quite as much as I have with some of their other books. The characters were good. I didn't think it was very predictable, but I did think it was at times cheesy or very outlandish. The romance story line was very sweet. I think they've done a good job here - just not my very favorite from them.

I am quickly becoming a huge fan of this writing duo. This one was different from their normal genre. It is still a romance novel (the chemistry between Lily and Leo is HOT!), but there is also a mystery and some action and a LOT of drama. It was awesome. I loved the puzzles and the codes, I loved the Western aspects and the amazing desert where the story took place. The authors did an incredible job with the setting. I loved the characters and thought the ending and the resolution to the mystery was perfect. Fantastic read!

I've loved every one of this duo's books, however, this ended the streak for me. I was a bit skeptical about the setting-I don't love Westerns and in the end, that did negatively impact my feelings about this book. I also felt like the plot was thin and the romance was lacking compared to previous books. I know the authors said they wanted something fun given Covid, but this just didn't feel fun to me. Usually I'm laughing within the first few pages, this just felt tired-like the scene in the beginning set in a bar-it felt like every stereotype about a small hick town was thrown in to see what would stick.

This book was quite different from anything else this author duo has published before but the romance itself was as wonderful as ever and the adventure-packed story kept me on my toes and quickly turning the pages to see what happened next. I absolutely loved both Lily and Leo. I'm definitely not used to so many legitimate "villains" in a romance, but Something Wilder was so much fun! Sexy, unpredictable, romantic, and humorous at times, I highly recommend adding this one to your Christina Lauren collection!

This book was a big letdown for me. While I was skeptical of the setting going in, I love Christina Lauren’s books so much that I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal. The writing is as fun and witty as always, but the story was really lacking for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing the ARC.

Woah, this book was something completely unexpected and I am absolutely here for it.

I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren, and I was so excited when I saw that I had received an ARC for this book. But unlike the rest of their books, which are very firmly in the romcom or contemporary romance category, this book is very much an action adventure with romance as kind of the secondary plot.

Overall, I actually found myself enjoying the survival aspect of it more than the romance, although the romance of it is still excellent in the way that only Christina Lauren can write. But the clues, the treasure hunt, all the secret hidden meanings on Lily's journey turned this book from a delightful romcom to a fast paced race through the canyons to be the first to find the hidden treasure of Butch Cassidy.

Loved loved loved this book. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

Sometimes you feel like a book is written specifically for you. A few months ago I attended the Tucson Festival of Books and was lucky enough to sit in on a panel with Christina Lauren. They spoke about their newest book that was being published in May about a woman who leads trail rides, treasure hunts, and also has a second chance love. I immediately knew I had to read it!

A little background on me, I grew up riding horses and traveling all over the western US competing in rodeo. I spent my summers as a kid working on my aunts ranch in Moab, Utah and my summers in college as a wrangler leading trail rides in the Rocky Mountains. So when I say this book was pretty much written for me, I mean it. It brought me back to a time where I spent my days on the back of a horse chasing cattle then leading tourists into the mountains. It brought me back to days of being covered in dirt, horse sweat and sunburns. Early mornings, long days and some of my favorite memories.

I'm always a bit apprehensive to read books about anything pertaining to horses, ranching, rodeo, trail rides, etc, because if an author does not do their research it can come across hokey and stereotypical. This was not the case for Something Wilder. The language used, the descriptions of the land, even the way Lily feels while on horseback is so accurate and well written I felt as if I was there. You can tell they spent a lot of time researching and making sure they got it right and that is so appreciated.

Aside from the descriptions and obvious hard work that went into researching this book the story was wonderful. Full of adventure, romance, an a bit of betrayal! I was hooked from the start and read it straight through. If you enjoy western settings, horses, the outdoors, adventure and romance this book is definitely for you! Its the perfect book to start the summer and motivate you to strap on the hiking boots and go on an adventure!

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

Something Wilder is certainly something different from Christina Lauren; however, it contained many of my favorite elements from their previous works. I particularly enjoyed the romance between the two main characters. I also loved that we could read the main male character’s perspective from the very beginning. It moved at a good pace, and the descriptions of the Wyoming and Utah landscapes were particularly poignant.

The new component of this novel, which involved a chase/mystery/thriller adventure, was not what I typically look for in a romance novel. It left me anxious at many times, and while that kept me reading, I didn’t always enjoy that feeling. The side characters were either difficult to like or to get to know, which is understandable given the storyline, but is also disappointing when compared to their other books.

It’s not my favorite of their works, but it was a fun and exciting read overall!

This was cute, and while it wasn’t my favorite from this pair, I thought it entertaining and fun! I just needed a bit more from the romance, and I think this one would have really swept me off my feet.