🦍Lucy on the Wild Side🦍

I grew up going to zoos and my family spent long days in the summer watching the animals. I loved every minute. 🥰

🦍Lucy on The Wild Side was a fun return to zoos for me, with a romantic twist. This book is exactly the lighthearted fun that I needed! I absolutely loved the story of Lucy, a zookeeper working with gorillas. I learned so many facts about gorillas and other animals at the zoo, which was really fun. Plus now I have a bunch of quirky animal facts to share with my family at random times 😂

The characters were interesting and situations that Lucy got herself into had me laughing out loud. Plus her interactions with her enemy wildlife show host Kai had sparks flying. This is a book that I will find myself rereading any time I need a mood booster. So glad I got a chance to read it! 😁

Lucy in the Wild is a hilarious romcom with a fun enemies to lovers story. Lucy works in a zoo, caring for gorillas, with a goal of becoming a senior keeper. The behind the scenes info and relationship building with the gorillas was a cool bonus to this story. I really admired her dedication to her job and the care of the animals. Kai was a fun hero to get to know and his Australian accent was great to hear in the audiobook. Their banter in the beginning felt realistic and the progression to friends (and more) made this book a solid romcom, in comparison to The Wedding Ringer which was more of a chicklit book with romance.
Both Kai and Lucy have mother issues and their family dynamics were a big part of the story. I’m from a smallish city in Texas, a city that’s never in any of the books I read. So when my hometown was mentioned in the book in one quick line…I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. Kai and Lucy’s relationship is sweet, steamy and passionate. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read whatever comes next from Kerry Rea.
Thank you to @Berkleyromance for the ARC and to @PRHAudio for a free audiobook. All thoughts expressed are my own.

4.5 stars - If you're an animal lover of any kind, you'll adore this story!

This was such an emotional and heart-warming journey that will stay with you for days after you've finished reading. Beautifully written, you can't help being drawn into Lucy's world as she struggles to open her heart after so much heart in her life.

Fans of Mighty Joe Young and Tarzan will especially love watching Lucy as she adapts to changes in her beloved Ape House. It's the place she's always turned to for solace and when she starts to discover there's more to life than animals, her loyalty is torn.

I both laughed and cried during this, and loved it even more than the Wedding Ringer, which I didn't think was possible. I'm definitely going to be circling back around to this book again in the future, and it's a beautiful journey everyone should take part in.

Ok so let me hit the highlights for you of why you need to read this book ASAP:
1. Enemies to lovers trope
2. Animal sanctuary
3. Reality tv references
4. Quirky characters
5. Laugh out loud writing

Lucy is a zookeeper with a deep affection for her gorillas. So when Animal Planet sends their superstar to film his show at her zoo, Lucy panics because she has deep stage fright after growing up in her mother’s shadow, who was a successful tv actress in the past. When Lucy gets nervous she spouts out random animal facts and in Kai, the Animal Planet Superstar, she finds a kindred spirit. Can he help her get past her fears and make the show a success? Can she get past her fear and let him know she likes him?
I absolutely adored this and read it in one sitting and found myself giggling and weeping at various parts.
Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

This was my first novel by Kerry Rea and it certainly will not be my last! Lucy on the Wild Side stole my heart. Lucy is a dedicated (and a little obsessive) primatologist. Lucy's passion is caring for the Gorilla Troop at the zoo and while Lucy has the necessary skills to care for the primates, she lacks the social skills necessary for the job she wants as head keeper. To make matters worse, Kai Bridges is planning to film his latest docuseries at the zoo. While Lucy sees this as an opportunity to highlight her gorilla troop and with her extensive knowledge, she's quickly selected to participate in the series. However, Kai Bridges is nothing like the dream-boat she sees on TV. It's soon clear to Lucy that he only cares about high ratings and not much about animals at all. As the two work together (gotta love forced proximity), Lucy realizes there's more to Kai than reaches the eye.

How can I express how much I loved this book? Kerry Rea clearly did her research. I worked at the Pittsburgh Zoo in the Education Department for 8 years working summer camp and this book brought back so many fond memories I have working in animal conservation and education. This book is absolutely a romance, and what I admire about Rea is that she took the opportunity to show the importance of wildlife conservation and the challenges zoos across the country struggle with.While primates were not my primary passion working at the zoo, I had colleagues who worked closely with the primates and I was fortunate enough to learn so much about them. The story is heartbreaking at times and it has nothing to do with the romance and everything to do with Lucy's love for her gorillas. Now excuse me while I fall down the Insta-hole to watch animal videos!

Thank you Berkley Romance, Penguin Random House, PRH Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and read a free advanced copy!

Thank you @penguinrandomhouse and @berittalks books for the gifted copy and fun buddy read! I think we all ended up wanting to take care of a baby gorilla

I enjoyed this fun enemies to lovers rom com so much. The Columbus (Ohio) Zoo setting was unique and interesting, with all the “behind the scenes” activities. I also liked that it included protecting endangered animal species and how zoos play an important role.

The interactions and dialogue between the two MCs was hilarious! Lucy was such a goofus at first and so stubborn! I did admire her as the story and her character developed. I predicted Kai was an authentically good guy, pretty much from the start. I thought they made the perfect couple - eventually, hehe. There were emotional parts and plenty of steamy ones, too

The family dynamics between Lucy and her family, as well as Kai and his mother added another layer of interest and tension.

Gorillas are the love of Lucy’s life, and she is determined to become the head keeper at the Columbus Zoo. Will Kai, the host of a wildlife docuseries who’s filming his latest documentary at the zoo, derail Lucy’s plans?

The Wedding Ringer is one of my favorite romcom books, so I was beyond ecstatic for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Kerry Rea’s sophomore novel, Lucy on the Wild Side! Rea knocked it out of the park again! At this point, I will happily devour anything she writes!

This book gave me all the feels! I’ll even admit that I bawled my eyes out at least twice, but obviously I can’t say why without giving spoilers. I loved Lucy and Kai and couldn’t help rooting for them! They were both carrying baggage from their childhood, and it was so sweet how they eventually let their guards down and opened up to each other. Their jobs were fascinating and added a unique aspect to a romcom, and Lucy’s love for and dedication to gorillas was utterly heartwarming. I’ve always been an animal lover, but I never thought I’d become so invested in gorillas from reading a romcom. Lucy was also hilarious without even meaning to be, especially when she spewed out random weird animal facts! I was cracking up multiple times! Lucy’s friends, grandmother, and little sister were fantastic characters too! I just loved this book so much!

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

A love story.
A coming of age story.
Enemies to lovers trope.
A gorilla conservation story.
The Columbus Zoo (Ohio).
Random animal facts you never knew you needed to know!

Lucy on the Wild Side is an absolute delight. The audiobook narration is spot-on! Thank you Berkley for the advance reader copy and Penguin Random House Audio for the audiobook.

I enjoyed this enemies to lovers romance set at the Columbus Zoo.

Kai and Lucy make a perfect couple and play their enemies to lovers roles perfectly! Their competitive banter with random animal facts is hilarious!

The setting is unique and so interesting to me. I loved that Lucy was a zookeeper and all of the background information surrounding the lives of the gorillas.

I could see the conflict in the story coming, but it still felt real to me.

I think you’ll love this spicy and entertaining romcom.

Who wants to get a little wild?

Kerry Rea, you have a bright future ahead of you..

I read The Wedding Ringer last year and fell in love with Rea's writing style. I knew instantly that if Rea was writing it, I would be reading it.

When I saw Lucy on the Wild Side, hit the blogs I knew hell or high water, I would do what it took to get my hands on an ARC . Luckily, the book gods shined down upon me and granted me my wish.

Rea has done it again!!! I have not laughed so hard in my life.

Lucy on the Wild Side combined both my love for animals but also my guilty pleasure, reality tv shows. Following along with Lucy's romance will have you laughing out loud and rereading sentences just to laugh again that much harder.

I completely fell in love with Lucy and felt as though we would be friends in real life. You see, Lucy and I both suffer from the same disease.. Its called "word vomit" . We say what we think and then realize we should have put our foot in our mouth. Now, for Lucy, this makes for an incredibly fun and quirky character, for me, well, it just gets me in trouble (oops!!)

All of the gorilla knowledge kept me interested and vested in the story. The amount of research that Rea must have done showed on every page. Lucy on the Wild Side, was not rushed, or repetitive (two pet peeves) and kept me on my toes and excited to keep going.

If you have not yet read a book by Kerry Rea, stop what you are doing and head on over to your favorite bookstore to pre-order Lucy on the Wild Side but also to purchase The Wedding Ringer. Kerry Rea has become an auto-buy author for me and I can say with 100% certainty that I am not alone in this.

So, do you want to get a little wild?

Big thank you to Kerry Rea, Berkley, and Netgalley for trusting me with reading and reviewing Lucy on the Wild Side in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really charming romance, and I loved the animal facts and animal knowledge that Lucy and Kai shared, and the connections they found in their pasts. It was funny and sweet, and evolved really naturally. When they had the big break moment, it felt authentic to their relationship and who they were, and you could see the growth happen. Loved this.

4.5 Stars

Kerry Rea is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. She just has a way of telling a story that sits really well with me and Lucy on the Wild Side was no different. Lucy's story is a pretty emotional one. It appears that the book is going to be a story about a zookeeper falling for someone she hated, but there is so much more involved. Lucy and Kai have a lot going on in their personal lives and families so the story is so much more than an enemies to lover romance. By the end of the book I was invested and very very emotional. Kerry Rea has a way of bringing out the best emotions in her readers so don't sleep on her as an author. Make sure you add her books to your TBR. I personally can't wait until her next book comes out!

Lucy is a lifelong lover of Gorillas and she is able to work with them daily at the Columbus Zoo.

Kai is a docuseries producer and will be making a series on the zoo where Lucy works.

Kai also happens to be the son of Lucy's biggest influence in the Gorilla world, Dr. Kimber. But, Lucy can't stand Kai.

Can these two very different individuals get along long enough for the TV show?

🦍 This book at times was quite slow paced as we develop Lucy's character and storyline. However, about halfway through I was heavily invested.

TW: There is some pretty intense family drama that involves abandonment on a few levels.

I loved Kai, the random animal facts, and the supporting characters here. I would love to read more.

Lucy is a Zookeeper who is working hard to get promoted. She is bright, fun and can immediately tell you any animal fact you can think of. Kai is a celebrity tv host of Animal Planet who is doing a documentary of the Zoo. At first, these two clash like nobody’s business, but then sparks fly.

The chemistry and banter between these two is off the charts, and as you can imagine, things became quite steamy between Lucy and Kai, which admittedly ruined it for me as I prefer rom-coms where the romance “fades to black.” On another note entirely, I found Lucy and her friends to be extremely immature and the writing to be a bit sophomoric. Though this book wasn’t my favorite, I suggest checking out other reviews as I am only one reader.

A buddy read with Kaceey.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for the arc via NetGalley.

Short synopsis: Lucy has always loved gorillas and wanted to be head zookeeper. When the zoo has a once in a lifetime chance to incorporate a foster baby gorilla to the troop while being recorded by non other than Kai Bridges tv host of a wildlife documentary, Lucy discovers what true happiness really is.

My thoughts: When I was about 8 years old I wanted to be a zookeeper when I grew up, and work with monkeys. Clearly that didn’t really last long, but it made me laugh when I remembered that.

This was such a great romantic story mixed with some hilarious animal facts, a handsome tv star, and deeply buried childhood secrets.

Lucy was hilarious, and awkward, and a little hot headed but she was such a fun main character. And handsome Kai, he was sweet and tender and also somewhat broken. I enjoyed seeing Kai and Lucy help each other grow past their childhood insecurities and learned what is really most important to both of them.

Read if you love:
* Outrageous animal facts
* HEA
* Celebrity romance
* Childhood insecurity
* Gorillas or any animals

Highlights: opposites attract, nemeses-to-lovers, workplace romance, celebrity romance.

Lucy on the Wild Side is a delightful and heartwarming romance about two very different people who share a love for the majestic animals, gorillas. Lucy Rourke is a junior keeper at Columbus zoo who prefers the company of her beloved gorillas to the company of people. Kai Bridgers is a very charismatic and famous tv presenter on an Animal Planet show. Their paths cross when Kai arrives at the zoo to film a documentary. Their first meeting is disastrous, and their professional relationship starts on the wrong foot, but the more time they spend together, the more they realize that first impressions might be deceiving. Working side by side, Lucy and Kai learn that they have more in common than they thought.

Lucy on the Wild Side made me swoon, laugh, and cry. I loved Kai and Lucy's chemistry and their banter. Part of their banter was to trade outrageous facts about animals, which I found very entertaining (did you know that females hyenas have a pseudo-penis and owls have no eyeballs?)
Also, reading about Lucy's love and relationship with the gorillas was very touching and made me tear up quite a bit. Lucy on the Wild Side is a perfect mix of sweet and sexy, funny and angsty, educational and entertaining. I highly recommend this book to all romance readers but especially animal and nature lovers.

What a refreshing romcom!
This was what I was hoping Christina Lauren's Something Wilder was going to be.
Rea knows how to make readers laugh and fall in love with her characters. Lucy and Kai are light enemies to lovers. Their antics made me laugh out loud. Their banter was really good too. Lucy was such a fun heroine to follow. Her enthusiasm and passion for her career made me want to learn more about zoos/zookeepers and gorillas. I enjoyed her character arc and felt that she did change by the story's end. Kai was lovely and I bet his accent in the audiobook is delicious.
Lucy and Kai bond over shared childhood trauma (mommy issues). I liked that they both discuss this and found it to be a realistic thing for them to form a connection over.
I was pleasantly surprised by the spicy scenes since I was totally expecting this to be fade to black. They were pretty steamy too!
Overall this romcom is a lot of fun and different from what I've read recently.
Would recommend for readers who love romcoms, zoo setting, animals in books, light enemies to lovers, workplace romance, friends with benefits to lovers, slow burn and banter.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I am fast becoming a fan of Kerry Rea’s books. Once again, she crafted a story that made me laugh and touched my heart.

Five things I loved about Lucy on the Wild Side

1. Lucy was a wonderful heroine who I adored. She was passionate, sometimes awkward, but always trying to be her best. It was a pleasure being able to see her open up her heart and expand her world because she was meant for bigger things and worth loving.

2. Kai was a hero after my own heart. Another character who had so much passion for animals (and reminded me quite a bit of our beloved Steve Irwin). It was a thrill to crack through his hard shell and see was was underneath. I could only imagine how difficult it could be living in the shadow of a legend like his mother where her public image belied the reality of who she was with him. Despite that, he was a beautiful human, and he displayed that via his actions in this story.

3. I loved the setting! I wouldn’t say I am a huge zoo fan, but spending that much time with the animals and learning about them was fascinating. I got so attached to these beautiful creatures too.

4. This story had quite a bit of emotional depth. As I previously hinted, Kai had some mommy issues, but so did Lucy. In fact, that was something they shared and how they bonded. Because of these issues, both struggled with forming deep relationships, and I am always happy to see people working on themselves and letting love in. It was an absolute joy to watch them deal with some of their baggage.

5. I won’t lie, the flirting between Kai and Lucy was truly original and enchanting. So, how did they flirt? By sharing some of the most bizarre wildlife facts. I swear, there’s some memorable ones in there.

You know an indicator of how good a book was for me is if it evoked some sort of emotional response. Well, I cried the last ten percent of this book for various reasons, obviously, I was moved. The beginning of this book was humor heavy, and I was surprised by how deep the story became as Lucy began facing her past, her fears, and her issues. The romance between Kai and Lucy was a very special part of the story, and definitely a big step forward for Lucy as made strides to allow herself to expand her world. Overall, another stupendous story from Rea.

A true rom-com that had me literally laughing out loud, followed by laughter through tears. Ugh. And it’s set at the Columbus Zoo! Yay Ohio! This book is so enjoyable, and the characters so relatable - I loved it and read it in one long afternoon.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Much thanks to PRHAudio for a complimentary audio copy and NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really, really enjoyed this enemies to lovers workplace romance between primatologist Lucy and reality tv star Kai who get thrown together when Kai and his film crew are hired to promote Lucy's zoo. Lucy was an easy character to love! I enjoyed that she was so career-focused and wasn't afraid to admit she didn't want children. The chemistry between Lucy and Kai was also sizzling and I enjoyed how they were able to bond over shared toxic parental relationships. Full of humor and heart, this was great on audio and recommended for fans of books like An unexpected paradise by Chelsea Curto. It was also really refreshing to read about a career I haven't seen much in romance books! The gorillas definitely stole the show in this book as far as I was concerned!