This was mostly enjoyable, though I definitely liked their first book better. That may just be due to the setting, as hiking the PCT is of no interest to me (the closest I will get is reading a book about it) and I enjoy food and cooking stories, so the first one was bound to appeal to me. I did appreciate Alexei's journey with coming out and leaving the community and people he grew up with because of it-- that's a hard topic but unfortunately often realistic and I'm not sure I've seen a queer character wrestle with it as thoroughly as Lex did.

BUT one of my fave poems that exists ever because my family relates to it so deeply was referenced and I LOVED that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC. The book releases Mar 7/23. My review will be saved in the ARCReviews story highlight on my IG, @chronically_KD. I gave it 3.5 stars.

This was such a wonderful book! MC Alexei and Ben meet hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. They are both solo hikers on the trail for different, very personal reasons and after a few encounters decide to walk together. Over the course of many many miles their back stories are revealed. Alexei is estranged from his conservative, religious family after coming out. Ben has been emotionally hurt by previous relationships. They are drawn to each other - Ben to Alexei's quiet, intense focus and intelligence and Alexei to Ben's easy charm and outward confidence. The PCT provides this physically and emotionally demanding setting for the story but also an equally quiet and reflective narrative and large sections of the book are the two characters walking, observing, thinking - processing and accepting. It is so well done that I was tempted to hike, go outside into nature - and I am not really a nature girl. But I am an appreciator of contemplation and quiet.

I thought both characters' personal journeys were handled sensitively and realistically. I love romances that are epistolary and there is a big section in the book of letters sent and unsent(!) that are just so heartbreaking and tender. And this section reinforces the loneliness of both characters' (but perhaps Alexei specifically) circumstances.

I devoured this book, completely absorbed in Kelly's writing - the dual POV, a very swoony romance, lots and lots of feelings, and the importance of found family. Highly recommend.

I absolutely LOVED Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly and I am so thankful to have received an ARC from Forever and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Although this book doesn’t publish until 3/7/23, I was so excited to read it - and now I must sing its praises!
What I loved:
*the main characters, Alexei and Ben, are excellently pictured as you read the book. As a reader, I wanted them to succeed more than anything!
*the setting, the Pacific Crest Trail! I’ve only spent a week on the PCT in the Goat Rocks area of Washington but it was an amazing experience, and I loved reading about more of its path.
*how realistically Anita Kelly portrays long distance backpacking!! I’ve done a decent amount of backpacking and I LOVE reading journals/books by thruhikers. It’s much more niche than the typical bookstagram, but Anita makes this subject accessible to all readers! They communicate that, while one may choose to pursue a thruhike, the physical and mental strengths of distance backpacking are a daily (or even minute-by-minute) struggle, where even one unintentional step or spontaneous decision can alter the future of the trip.
I’m not usually one to highlight as I read, but two parts really made me pause. First: “Hiking was a weirdly intimate thing to do with another person.” I can’t tell you how many very intimate things I know about my backpacking buddy of choice - and I don’t even know how I learned them! But it’s why I could chat for about 50 minutes on the phone one day and fly out to meet her for 8 days on her Arizona Trail thruhike with fantastic results. Through our 3 months together on the AT (15 years earlier) we learned to successfully coexist on the trail (and she learned to be patient with me in the mornings, even though I swear I’m a morning person in regular life!).
Second: “A casual stroll through the woods? Sure. But backpacking? Carrying around fifty pounds on your back through dangerous wilderness, day after day, when civilization was right there as a viable option? Having to transport your trash in a dirty Ziploc bag? Spending half of your days stressing about finding clean water?” That, in a nutshell, is what long distance hiking is. Getting excited about a place where you can empty your trash (not actually throw the whole Ziploc bag away because those are sacred!) and when/where you can get more water… and how much water you’re going to need to carry to the next water source. Water is heavy!!
Anyway, I loved reading Something Wild and Wonderful, and I do NOT think you need to be a backpacker to enjoy it - although it definitely added to my reading experience! There are some open door sex scenes and some language, plus the motivation for one character to be hiking is to distance himself from him unsupportive family after he comes out to them.
TL/DR: This book comes out 3/7/23 and I LOVED it!

This book was the beautiful, sweet, emotional and original queer love story my heart needed!

I loved Anita Kelly's book Love & Other Disasters and was not sure how they could top that one. Well they certainly did in this one. We are back in the same friend universe, this time following Ben Caravalho's story who we met briefly in L&OD.

Imagine if Cheryl Strayed's story was centered around meeting the love of her life on the Pacific Crest Trail and you have this amazing book. Alexi Lebedev is dealing with a huge loss in his personal and professional life. He decides hiking the PCT will help him find the clarity he needs in order to move forward. The alone time will allow him to grieve and become a better version of himself. He did not expect to literally smack into Ben Caravalho. Ben has been unsettled for a long time but has finally found a path he is proud to call his own. He also has sworn off having any relationships with men while he's hiking the trail.

The two instantly find relief in one another's presence. They become hiking partners and as they start to learn more and more about one another, the chemistry and love between them grows.

The story was written so beautifully and the PCT became a huge third main character in this book. Anita had the perfect amount of description to give you the best overall picture without being overwhelming from the character's story. The detail of creating this story was phenomenal. I really did feel like I was there hiking with them and could picture everything so well.

I loved seeing all the people that Alexi and Ben ran into on the trail. Also the scenes bringing in the friend group for L&OD were so wonderful. This story definitely has an add of found family and how important the friendships are we have in our lives. I adored the relationships with both Alexi's and Ben's sisters. It was so cute to see how close each of them were.

I found myself getting so emotional on this journey for the hardships of the trail for Alexi and Ben, the trauma that both of them had been through, the trauma they encountered on the trail, and all the things they each were able to unpack and figure out about themselves after their trips.

This book will move you and leave you wanting even more of this gorgeous journey and wonderful couple.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Pacific Crest Trial... two people dealing with falling in love after the struggles of their pasts, and the possibility of new love on this journey across the Western Wilderness. Alexei Lebedev has turned off his phone and set off on the PCT to become a new person, Alexei 2.0, he wants this adventure to help him find peace and confidence, and a 2,500 mile trail is going to give him the time to do it... except he keeps running into the handsome and charismatic hiker who just happens to be on the same trail as him...

Ben has had a history of dating people who break his heart and yet when he meets the gorgeous and shy but nerdy Alexei, he can’t walk away from him. When given the opportunity Ben suggests they both travel together... and soon both of them are hiking together, sleeping in the same space, getting to know each other, and possibly healing one another. This was a cute story about dealing with the difficulties of accepting yourself and dealing with the fallout of coming out to your family when they wont accept you. Both Ben and Alexei have been hurt but they both deeply love and cherish each other and it was sweet to get to see them fall for one another and grow as people from their past difficulties.

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes March 7, 2023.

This book gave me peace. It was absolutely my favorite romance book of 2022.

Alexei and Ben meet on the Pacific Coast Trail while they are both at a crossroads in their own lives. They spend the book hiking the trail while also finding the best version of themselves and figuring out what’s next for them on their life journey.

Alexei - has just come out to his parents, is working on healing religious trauma, is neurodivergent, and is deciding where to live after he finishes the trail.
Ben - has just passed his Nurse accreditation exam, has a large accepting family, is navigating healing from his past relationships, and is deciding where to start his nursing career.

Just like the characters took their time on their hiking journey, I took my time reading this book and enjoyed my time spent on this healing journey with Alexei and Ben. I enjoyed the slow pacing and emotional healing throughout. I enjoyed the care with which the author developed their characters. I enjoyed how the characters focused on individual self-improvement while also improving their romantic relationship.

I would recommend this to readers who want a cute swoony romance with more serious emotional healing topics discussed throughout.

Parent’s guide:
Sex & Nudity: moderate (Open door sex scenes, discussion of sex, oral and anal sex, nude bathing at hot springs)
Violence & Gore: mild (trail typical injuries, trail first aid)
Profanity: mild (fa****, f*** a few times)
Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking: mild (bar scene, alcohol drinking in a few scenes, all legal adults)
Frightening & Intense Scenes: mild (homophobia and homophobic slurs, disowning and family trauma, religious and internalized homophobia )

I loved this book so much. As a queer person from a high-demand religion this book hit so hard. Alexei and his struggles with his faith and family just felt so relatable, because he never truly left his faith, just redefined his personal theology. I am just so in love with how much he grows and comes into himself on the trail. I am just really proud of his development and of him as a character.

Ben is a bleeding heart and I am a sucker for bleeding hearts. He cares so much and takes care of everyone, which makes sense as he is going into nursing. I loved his character because he was someone who was finding their own path and dream career later than a “normal” timeline and seemed so content because he was confident and happy with his choice.

I also loved the side characters. The people Ben and Alexei meet on the PCT are so interesting. I love when side characters are well developed and feel like they are the main characters of their own stories. I especially loved Ruby and her quest to learn to listen to herself and her body. Essentially I loved this book and all the characters in it.
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When Alexei gets fired from his job and the rest of his life is falling apart, he decides to hike the PCT to feel closer to his father. When Ben is waiting to get accepted into nursing programs he hikes the PCT. They become hiking buddies, and they both work towards gaining what they came on the trail to find. However, hiking together for long periods means that they are both a help and a hinderance to each other’s goals. These two speed run a partnership forged in the highs and lows of the PCT.

I requested 'Something Wild and Wonderful,' as I have read and enjoyed Anita Kelly's first novel.

I think I liked Ben and Alexei even more than London and Dahlia.

Reading about the PCT kind of made me want go on a long life changing hike, but also kind of reminded me why I am an indoor girlie.

I am not sure how I feel about the resolution. I definitely am happy about how it all ended but the timeline of the end of the book didn't completely satisfy me.

All in all, will read all of Anita Kelly's books.

Wild and Wonderful is precisely that. The emotional and unexpected journey author Anita Kelly has taken me on is one of the best I've read.

Ben and Lex have stuck with me for weeks after finishing my ARC. I’m not sure if it’s the thought of a very sweet and heartbroken Alexei making his way across the PCT and struggling to find the words to make friends that really hit me in the heart or if it was the exuberant and joyful Ben who quietly understands him, that won me over. Nevertheless, this book has had a stranglehold on me. I can’t wait for everyone else to read it. Anita Kelly hit all the right spots with this. Absolute perfection.

From the moment they meet, until the end of the trial, I was in love with each unexpected nuance. Told with love and grace, I expect it to be one of 2023's biggest hits.

~Tanja

this was a lovely book. I have not read any of Anita Kelley's work before but trust me I will be seeking it out now.

This was the story of Alexei and Ben, but mostly it's Alexei's story. He was immediately engaging, from the very first page. My heart ached for him, the estrangement from his family weighing so heavily on him. This hiking adventure was meant to clear his mind and reinvent himself but it was more about finding himself and taking risks in an emotional as well as physical way.

The romance with Ben was well written and I felt their personalities really came through with the writing.

The epistolary sections were so moving, particularly the unsent messages. It was a good way for the reader to see their inner thoughts when they weren't together.

Overall this was one of my better reads of the year. Engaging, hard to put down, and characters that had dimension and evoked empathy.

4.5

I haven't been in the mood to read romance lately but the premise of this book stopped me in my tracks (no pun intended - yes, this is a hiking book). And this book is satisfying and hits almost all the beats I hoped it would. But it didn't quite click for me until I realized it's not only a romance, it's a book about grief. And the emotional dynamics between the two main characters are honest about how difficult it is to fall in love while grieving. Fair warning: This is not a romcom. But it is very sweet and full of fresh air.

Aaaaah, i loved this. I couldn't care less about hiking or really nature in general, but i DO love Anita Kelly, so when i heard they were coming out with a hiking book i figured i might as well read it. I felt... snuggled in a sleeping bag? But without it being cloying? I really grew to care about both of the MCs and believed in their growth. And there were lots of parts that were just a joy! Was there anything revelatory about it? No. But. I don't think there needs to be. It was a sweet, kind, funny, sarcastic, easy book with some emotional resonance and (spoiler) proof that every romance doesn't have to end in a proposal. Also, i loved the London and Delilah updates!

Sometimes I have a rating in my head a few pages in; sometimes it hits midway; I often close a book with a number of stars firmly assigned. This one crept up on me, and the more I wrote and reflected, the count just kept increasing. Truly, this is a five-star romance.

The Pacific Coast Trail is the backdrop for a relationship between a nurse and data analyst (computer analyst? something with IT? I can’t remember and eGalleys are not searchable, sadly.) Recently out–and ousted–by his religious Russian family, lonely Alexei is an avid birder and on the trail to come to terms with this loss and his identity as a gay man. Exuberant Ben has just passed the NCLEX and is on the trail to cleanse his palate from toxic relationships and gain some insight before settling into a health care career in geriatrics. Their meet cute is Alexei noticing a rattlesnake just before Ben and his hiking companions walk into it, and they reconnect again off the trail on a break for food and running water (sinks!) and decide to walk together for a bit.

Their particular chemistry is a mix of banter and attraction and deep appreciation and acceptance for who the other is. There are a few secrets (like the degree of Ben’s queerness) that are early humps to get over, but when Ben asks Alexei to step off the trail for a week to attend a family birthday party and his sister’s high school graduation, he allows the time for processing and Alexei agrees. Unfortunately, he returns to the trail alone when the weight of his loss is juxtaposed with Ben’s welcoming family. The next section of the book is a combination of sent and unsent letters to one another and to friends and family which becomes an excellent device for exploring thoughts and feelings, so Ben and Alexei can rejoin paths at the conclusion of the story.

The journey is a metaphor for their own character development through the desert and into lush woodlands. While told in both viewpoints, Alexei seems to be the one who is more introspective and has more to process, and so gets more screen time (page time?). Formerly observant, Alexei remains prayerful and his spirituality is a lovely thread throughout the novel.

Flora and fauna of the PCT, natural history of the area, and details of hiking culture (trail families, trail magic, trail names, rest days or “zero” days”) make the narrative highly authentic. I’m an armchair traveler and loved the vicarious trip towards the Canadian border, even though I would never want to walk all day and not shower for a week, myself. The descriptions of the setting make the story come alive; Alexei is without camera or phone and has an encyclopedic knowledge of plants and animals that Ben wholeheartedly embraces.

This title comes with thoughtful trigger warnings; medical descriptions stem from minor injuries, self-loathing and family rejection. Kelly is a candid but sensitive writer. The sex scenes are realistic and hot, and the writing hits a few really excellent notes, in particular when Alexei writes of desire lines, the paths that people and animals naturally form around developed paths, eschewing the planned way for the instinctual and right one. The character development is very well-executed (I’ll just say I figured some things out about Alexei before they were revealed). The many literary allusions speak to a very well read writer and augment the story, and the careful construction made this a five-star book for me.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #SomethingWildAndWonderful from #NetGalley.

Alexei is ready for Alexei 2.0 after a falling out with his parents he embarks on a 2,600 + mile discovery in hopes of solitude and finding a way to his new self. However after a not so meet cute involving a rattle snake Alexei’s path crosses with Ben as they make a pact to journey together until they at least cross the desert.

As if I needed one more reason to want to hike the PCT, Anita Kelly gives me 300 pages worth of reasons.

This was a sweet, spicy and angst romance all while set on the ever magical Pacific Crest Trail. It had everything I could need in a romance and then some. Forced Proximity, Found Family, and a sprinkle of angsty unsent letters. This book wasn’t without its hardships and I felt my heart break, and continue to break for Alexei everytime he spoke about his parents and how unaccepting of his true self they were.

So needless to say If you want to hike the PCT and find yourself and fall in love.. count me in.

This is an absolutely delightful romance, sensitive and kind to both the characters and the readers. I loved the pace of the relationship, and the way the conflict emerged naturally and resolved in a satisfying and romantic way. Highly recommend!

This book made my heart light. I don’t even have the words. I loved it so much, Anita is a genius and makes her characters feel so real.

What an amazingly heartwarming story! I didn’t really know what to expect other than this being a queer romance novel, and it was that and so much more. Ben and Alexei felt so real! It was a joy to read them and learn about their quirks and their histories. It was truly joyous to see them slowly become friends and then fall into something neither of them expected. I loved that the third act conflict was actually them both needing space to just figure their own issues out so they could (if they wanted to) get back together to give their love another shot. My heart aches for Alexei and I’m so glad he was able to truly love himself and connect with his sister.

This is such a special story and I am so happy I was granted an advanced copy! I’m definitely going to make all of my friends read this and I am going to preorder the audiobook!

This book was amazing!! Anita Kelly's beautiful writing takes you on a journey of the PCT with Ben and Alexei who are also on their own journeys -both physically hiking and personally. You laugh with them, you cry with them, and you fall in love with them along the way. There is a lot of heavy topics in this book but Kelly writes them with so much empathy and grace and there is always a moment of levity at the end. I loved the attention to detail with the setting of the story, as someone from the PNW who spends a lot of times outdoors I felt like I was on the trail with Ben and Alexei. I highly recommend this book and I have a strong feeling it will be one of my top books of 2023.

A thoughtful and compelling romance set in a surprising setting. I've been burned out on all the work place romances lately so it was really fun to see two people meeting in a totally different way. Ben and Alexei both worked through their issues in satisfying ways, and I always appreciate the way that Anita Kelly handles sensitive topics. Great for fans for Kelly's previous books, as well as anyone looking for a lovely slow burn in a unique setting. I hate hiking, but I loved this.

there are few books that make me outright sob as I read them. This is one of the few.

the sheer emotion, the grief at loosing parents who refuse to choose you, the anxiety of being closeted most of your life and discovering your identity in your mid-twenties, the neurodivergence that spoke directly to me, it all came together in a stunning sweep of emotion that knocked me off my feet. This is a masterpiece. Anyone who has struggled to find their footing after parental rejection will understand this story in a deeply personal way.