I absolutely adored The Wedding Ringer and was excited about the second book by Rea. This was a fun read. Lucy was very relatable in her questioning of herself and her love for her work and family. This was different from The Wedding Ringer but good in its own way.

An enemies-to-lovers romance combined with a dedication to wildlife conservancy and a lifelong commitment to protecting endangered gorillas. Throw in traumatic relationships with neglectful, cruel, narcissistic mothers as common ground, and you have a unique romance that defies definition.

In Lucy on the Wild Side, the eponymous Lucy is a gorilla keeper who lives for her work. As a kid, Lucy's TV star mom dropped her at her grandmother's house and promised to be back in a week. It was a lie. Lucy did everything she could to make her grandmother's life difficult right up until a visit to the Columbus Zoo introduced her to the gorilla Zuri. So began a childhood obsession that became an adult passion. Though everyone who cares about her wishes Lucy would develop a bit more work/life balance, Lucy is driven to get a senior keeper promotion, and even more importantly, make sure that the gorillas under her care have the best possible life she can give them. At the start of the book, the zoo is atwitter over its upcoming feature on a nature program. Kai Bridges, son of the primatologist who holds the title of Lucy's professional idol, is bringing his celebrity to highlight the behind-the-scenes work at the zoo. When word comes down that an orphaned gorilla at another zoo needs to find a surrogate mother, hopefully among the troop in Columbus, the TV program naturally shifts its attention to this dramatic, heart-wrenching saga.

The problem? Not one but two first meetings cement Lucy and Kai as workplace enemies. Kai is brusque, and Lucy is irate. Kai questions Lucy, and Lucy goes on a tirade. A lively trade of jabs and banter between them escalates the more they are forced to work together. It's an opportunity for Lucy to help save a gorilla's life and to prove herself ready for a promotion. Unfortunately for her, animal care isn't the area where her boss feels she needs a push. Public speaking, especially on camera, is Lucy's kryptonite. She needs Kai (of all people) to help her get comfortable enough to not spout "fun" facts about female hyenas' psudeopenises whenever the cameras start to roll. Otherwise, the coveted senior keeper position could go to someone better at promoting the zoo.

In some ways, this is a stressful romance, right from the first cringe-y encounter. The subtitle of this book could believably be, "You know what happens when you assume" given the frequency of miscommunication. The enmity between Lucy and Kai is intense and a bit one-sided. This was a strange case where the single POV did its work of endearing me to Lucy and all the complexities of her life, but it didn't mean I was ready to jump to her defense as quickly as she was ready to jump to conclusions. Despite my lack of other sources through another POV, it was often painfully obvious when she was making or about to make a major misstep. Another source of tension for this reader was the flavor of angst-- namely, "I'm so afraid of this whole situation that I will sabotage it at every opportunity." Finally, Lucy's journey to reexamine her misconceptions is well plotted, but the aspects of hero worship she must eventually grapple with were a source of exasperation for me until they were resolved. This was despite the author's clear framing of why Lucy's perspective is what it is, so I want to emphasize this isn't a case of poor writing but of Lucy's brain being a scary place for me to be on several levels. The upside is that it could also get downright hilarious in there, and I appreciate the author's sense of humor.

Despite the angst and the rough start, the romance has some seriously cute moments and a nice vibe in the end. The banter includes absurd animal facts and public stunts of stealthy one-upmanship. There's also the special bond that comes from binging reality TV together and a nice bit of spice. The star of the book, though, is Lucy's family relationships. She has serious mom trauma to sort through, a half-sister she's largely apathetic about, and a grandmother she loves. With her mom and sister seeking space in her life, Lucy is sent scrambling as she tries to protect her battered heart. There are important conversations about boundaries, needed apologies, and a realistic expectation that family history can't be resolved neatly. To that end, things are left a bit open-ended, not in a way that makes the book feel unfinished but in a way that emphasizes whatever Lucy decides she wants will be okay.

A couple of random, final notes. I was surprised to find myself sobbing near the end of the book. That will likely be a spoiler for those who have the misfortune to know me well enough to read between the lines. Also, my only critique of the book that extends beyond personal preference is my abject disappointment in the either pointed or oblivious overkill of Harry Potter references. Like the book is positively littered with them, so I didn't even have the opportunity to shake it off before the next one came at me. For an otherwise open-hearted story, this bit of closed-mindedness for the sake of pop culture references was a major bummer.

Thanks to Berkley for my copy to read and review. It was an emotional journey, though my feelings were mixed.

This is the first book I’ve read from Kerry Rea and I was drawn to the intriguing premise. The cast of characters was well-developed and the book had its share of witty one-liners. The incorporation of information about gorillas was cool and the way the author delicately explored personal trauma and strained relationships in the main characters was interesting. However, I found myself not liking Lucy at all. The evolving relationship between Lucy and Kai came off as forced and didn’t flow well. I believe it would have been more impactful if we had gained deeper insight into Kai's character and experienced his perspective as well. I feel like we barely know his character and it’s only based on little tidbits. Despite this book not being for me, I appreciated the subplot involving gorillas.

UM... romance and animals what more could you ask for? No but seriously I found this book to be so much fun. I think the premise of the story was really unique, but it had all of the romance elements that made it just work for me. This was my first Kerry Rea book, but I absolutely cannot wait for more. I love fluffy but funny romances, and this was just perfect for me. Perfect balance between smutty and sweet and I absolutely devoured this.

When Lucy’s zoo is chosen as the setting for Kai’s TV show, she discovers that there might be more to life than her gorilla troop.

I really enjoyed Lucy on the Wild Side - Kerry Rea’s first book was good, but this was better. I loved Lucy and Kai’s romance, and I loved learning more about their professions. This was a cute and quick listen!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Well, this book was just bananas. It was incredibly unique and weird but also so real and endearing. I thought the two heroes worked together so well and just made sense.

I absolutely adored this book. An adorable love story? Check. Animal conservation? Yes. A leading man with an accent? Heck yeah.

This book was snarky, cute, sexy, and introspective. It was light and fun at times, yet deep and touching at others. It was such a wonderful romance with a rocky start yet beautiful ending.

If you're a romance fan, I definitely recommend it.

I absolutely loved the setting of this book! It was so fun being set at a zoo and seeing Lucy love and care for the animals. I felt that the enemies to lovers trope worked perfectly for this story and thought the relationship between Lucy and Kai was realistic. This was my first book by this author, and I really like her writing style. I look forward to reading more from her.

If you know me, you know I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers. This, overall, was a fun, sweet, romance. The steam was quite unexpected! There was a full explicit scene and one other moment, as well as a lot of talk about banging once they broke that dam. I think the spice level for the story perfectly, and definitely added a star to the rating alone. I hadn’t read anything by this author before so I really had no clue how much we were gonna get. Also Kai’s accent in bed >>>

Also, the gorilla content was so vivid and fun to read about. Sometimes the more fringe professions of characters can get a bit boring when they become a main focal point, but I loved it here. Give me all the books about romance, especially if there are animals involved.

I loved The Wedding Ringer and this enemies-to-lovers romance is a great follow up. I mean, who can resist a romcom set in a zoo?

Lucy is an awkward animal-loving introvert whose relationship with cocky TV host Kai is believable and you get to see how their connection grows. Rea explores deeper themes in the book but the animal facts helped keep things light, and the steam was just the right level of hot. I couldn't put this one down!

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for the copy to review.

This was funny, heartwarming, and delightful! I think I need a whole book written about the gorillas and their drama though. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Fun read. Really enjoyed getting to know Lucy and seeing her evolve and change for the better. Good banter with her and Kai.

Kerry Rea does it again. This was such a unique and fun premise for a romance. Kerry is such an incredibly gifted writer that I will read anything she writes. Another winner!

This book was kindly given to me by the publisher and netgalley for review. All opinions are my own.

This was a solid 4.5 stars book for me. I really did love it, I found myself flying through. I loved Lucy's career as a zookeeper and the love interests as a show host for a wildlife education show. As someone who once wanted to be Steve Irwin, this book was so up my alley.
I totally recommend for anyone looking for a fast, fun romance that still hits on heavy topics like parental relationships. The only thing I wish was there was just a little more to the romance, I felt like it slipped fast from enemies to lovers vibe, but that just might be because I am coming out of a slow burn kick as well,

Kerry Rea is one of my new FAVORITE authors! She can do no wrong in my eyes and writes the perfect romcoms with relatable heroines and swoon worthy heroes! I already can't wait for her next release!

Lucy on the Wild Side is a contemporary romance set in a zoo! There are not many romances with a unique setting like this so I immediately knew I wanted to read it. I haven’t read her previous release, The Wedding Ringer, so I was excited to give her new book a try.

There were so many things I liked. For example, it was so cool to see the behind-the-scenes of the life of a zookeeper and I loved seeing the focus on fundraising and conservation. The romance did seem to take a back seat to that though. It had a little bit of steam and some great emotional connection that I appreciated! It managed to be a sweet and fun romance and an emotional journey through personal trauma for both characters at the same time. Rea’s humor made the book for me!

As much as there was to like, I did struggle a little bit to stay interested, but I think it was just a me problem. Overall, I liked it enough and would recommend it!

Read if you like:
🦍Zoos & animals (especially gorillas)
😍Enemies-to-lovers
😢Characters dealing with past traumas
😆Snarky humor

Thank you so much Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the gifted copy! All opinions are my own.

If you would have told me I was going to fall in love with a romance with gorillas, I would not have believed you! Lucy on the Wild Side by Kerry Rea charmed me. And Lucy's love for her gorilla troop was so endearing and even brought me to tears. This was such an unusual and refreshing setting for a romance novel, and it absolutely worked for me. I fell in love with this zoo, the gorillas, and the romance between Lucy and Kai. Highly recommend Lucy on the Wild Side!!

A zookeeper always on the fringe learns to go after her wildest dreams—including a certain television star—in this charming and laugh-out-loud romantic comedy by Kerry Rea, author of The Wedding Ringer.

Lucy Rourke has two great loves in her life: the gorilla troop she cares for as a primatologist and the laundry list of reality TV shows she watches to escape the fact that her actual love life doesn’t exist. And like a reality contestant gunning for the final rose, Lucy’s laser-focused on one thing: getting promoted to head keeper. So when a wildlife docuseries hosted by hotshot TV personality Kai Bridges chooses her zoo as its summer filming location, she sees an opportunity to showcase her beloved gorillas to the world and land a starring role in her department.

When Kai and his film crew arrive, however, it's obvious to Lucy that Kai cares more about sky-high ratings than the gorillas, and he considers her a camera-averse know-it-all whose wardrobe consists entirely of khaki. But she’s surprised to discover there’s more to him than his rugged good looks and cheesy catchphrases...and that maybe a promotion isn’t the only thing she wants. But when secrets from their pasts threaten to complicate everything, Lucy discovers that happiness and success aren’t the same thing—and that finding joy just might mean getting a little wild.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! Lucy loves her job at the local zoo working with gorillas. She is excited about TV hero Kai Bridges coming to film at their zoo and feature her beloved gorillas … until she learns she may have to time in front of the camera as well.

Lucy is hilarious as was her tendency to constantly say the wrong thing. She and Kai have great chemistry once thinga get moving. This is a story that starts a little slowly, but gets better and better as you read.

Kerry Rea has fast become a go-to author for me. Lucy on the Wild Side was funny, heartfelt, interesting (so many zoo facts!), and just plain fun. A story of family and the complicated relationships we have, personal growth, and letting go. I'll definitely be picking up Rea's next book.