Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!!

Alexei and Ben are hiking the famed Pacific Crest Trail - 2,500 miles from Mexico to Canada. Alexei, trying to spend some time alone in nature to figure out who he is after a great loss, and Ben, attempting to get some deep feelings of restlessness out of his system before he begins his nursing career. The trail keeps bringing the two together again and again, and they both begin developing feelings for one another. But as plans for the future begin to look as tumultuous as the trail ahead, Alexei and Ben wonder if this great adventure can truly last.

!!!!!! I just don't have words. I loved this book. Anita Kelly has done it again, and no surprise, I am a fan. I feel like stories told on great natural adventures are so often nonfiction, that setting a fictional love story in the middle of one of North America's biggest hikes is such a creative breath of air.

Alexei and Ben are both just so lovely and sweet. I love character-driven books, so no surprise, this was a knockout for me. Alexei's sense of contemplativeness really made me think about my own inability to sit in silence in a way that I hadn't before. The way that he and Ben are so comfortable in one another's silence felt so natural and different - not to mention important if you're literally spending every moment together while walking hundreds of miles. Both of them, for tough nearly thru-hikers, had a softness to their personality that I thought was invaluable and made me love them even more.

The story itself felt like a hug - even the few moments of angst, I felt soothed again soon after with its softness. That balance is really something that makes a good romance for me - I don't need (or really want) a super angsty, scream-fighting kind of romance novel. With Anita Kelly, you always know you're going to get the HEA you're craving for the characters you've grown to love in such a short time. Something Wild & Wonderful truly lives up to its name in every way!

3.5/5 stars

I read Love & Other Disasters last year and was thrilled to receive this book early. I was not disappointed, it was a great book. I loved Alexei and Ben and honestly adored the PCT/hiking content. And of course I loved the London and Dahlia appearances.

It is a book with heavy themes and content so readers should be aware but Kelly handled the content in a respectful manner. I really appreciated Alexei's connection to religion even after everything that happened. You rarely see LGBTQ characters who have a connection to religion (often for good reason) but it's an important part of many peoples lives.

I really loved this novel, which I thought was better than Cheryl Strayed's Wild, which Kelly credits as one of her inspirations. (To be honest, I ditched Wild partway through because I was annoyed at it, so I'm probably not a fair judge.)

I found Alexei Lebedev's spiritual and literal journey poignant and moving. I also appreciated the novel's insistence that being a completionist was a seriously unimportant element of hiking even a famous trail. Alexei's Russian family and Ben's Portuguese family were treated unsparingly and lovingly. I can imagine returning to this heartwarming novel as a comfort read, even though I also cried during it. I recommend it!

Out of all the Anita Kelly books I’ve read this one has to be one of my favorites.

I loved the characters Lex and Ben and the story was really beautiful and written so well.

This cover art is AMAZING.

Thank you so much for this ARC copy.

Oh, I so enjoyed this book! Ben and Alexei were adorable and I loved how they were so very different, yet really complemented each other. They were both hiking the PCT to try and find something different within themselves, though that thing was very different for each of them.

While this was a lovely, romantic story, there is also a lot of heaviness in it. Alexei was raised by very religious parents, and when he came out to them they disowned him. There is a lot of Alexei thinking about and talking about this, and its rather heartbreaking. He's also very lonely, even before deciding to hike the PCT, and that loneliness comes through in a lot of different ways.

One thing that I really loved about the book is that Alexei is a birder. I don't think I've ever read a book before with a character who is a birder, and it was perfect! I loved that he could identify birds by ear, and it was fun to be able to both picture the birds he was seeing/hearing, and know what their songs are (as an avid birder myself).

I just have so much love for this book. It is so good, and I highly recommend it. It also makes me want to go on a long hike somewhere. Probably not the PCT, as that is quite the time commitment, but maybe Hadrian's Wall? That one is definitely on my to do list.

From the beginning, this story drew me in. Kelly does a wonderful job of writing about people falling in love in the midst of odd situations. No regular meet cute, Alexei and Ben meet on the Pacific Crest Trail when Lex saves Ben from stepping in the paths of a snake. From there, the two keep running into another and finally decide to hike together.
I adored both characters but Lex, especially made me feel so tender hearted. He’s recently come out and it didn’t go well. He is grappling with that as he hikes. He is just the sweetest and gentlest soul, I wanted to protect him and hug him.

I appreciated the really difficult position he is in, the pull between faith/family and one’s sense of identity. Both characters are authentic and vibrant and you can understand the conflict as you see it coming.

This book made me cry and laugh and cry again. My complaint is there are similar plot points to Kelly’s first book. There’s also something that happens near the end that feels tacked on and not fully developed or nuanced but as I’ve thought about it, maybe makes sense. But those are so minor? I still give this 5 stars on feelings.

How many reading apps to you have on your phone? I jumped to add a 5th one (NetGalley Shelf) so I could read an ARC of Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly.

The cover is gorgeous and, as an occasional back-country camper, I was really interested by the premise of this one: a romance on a long distance hiking trail.

Anita Kelly is a wonderful romance author who writes memorable characters, and I loved this story. It was a great balance of beautiful setting and adventure with a tender # and sexy romance that has gut punching emotional depth. I’m so happy Ingot to read Alexei and Ben’s story.

This one releases in March 2023.

I really did enjoy this book. The characters were unique and developed throughout the story. One criticism I do have is that the beginning 1/2 was slow. which I didn't have a problem with, but the meat of the story was so rushed. the meeting the family and end bit of the book was so rushed it was all just explaining what happened in those moments and moving on.

Anita Kelly is a beautiful writer and a beautiful human being who writes stories specifically for my gay little heart and that's why all my coins go directly to her. I loved the...darker tone, I guess? The more somber nature of this one and Kellly is an autobuy!

Very sweet! Both of the main characters were very fleshed out in a way that I really appreciated. I also loved how Alexei’s journey really paralleled what he faced on the PCT, especially in the last part of the book, and I wished that this had been truer for Ben and also truer for the development of their relationship.

I, unfortunately, had to DNF this book. I gave it six chapter to capture my interest and it failed to do so. I found that the writing lacked a natural flow and the narrative seemed a bit fragmented and distracting. I liked the premise, but this one was just not for me.

I love Anita Kelly and will read everything from this amazing author. The first book of this series was a favorite of mine last year, so I was delighted to read an early release of Something Wild & Wonderful.

Reading about Lex and Ben's adventures on the Pacific Crest Trail is a swoony romp that also tackles deep issues. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

If I could somehow give this more than five stars, I would without a single ounce of hesitation. I went into this with no expectations, just expecting a cute story set in the good old wilderness but what I actually received was something far more magical than just that. The imagery alone is beautiful and I’ve personally never spent much time on the west coast but I could see it all as if it was right there in front of me. The vividness of the desert, the trees, the birds — it was like a painting being displayed.

Ben and Alexei are two very different people with different paths for their future but the connections feels seamless, soulmate like. They’re easily two of the most likable characters I’ve ever read. They thrive just as much apart, in their own povs, as they do together. I was endeared to them instantly and their love story had me shouting constantly with giddiness. There’s passion, anger, and a tenderness that pulls your heart in and doesn’t let go. I had to set my book down several times to just relish in how gorgeous it was. Watching them grow together and apart was so far beyond just a simple romance. They overcame miles, months, insecurities, and became new people by the end.

My own mother witnessed me crying while reading the last fourth of this book and said, “that’s how you know it’s good.” I connected to Alexei and Ben because they felt not only like people I would know but they felt like me. I’m the same age as Ben and have been through a very similar situation that it actually made my chest ache to read it all put down in words. While Alexei and I have struggled the same mentally. It was so genuine and I know there was care put into every word.

I truly can’t put into words how much I adore this story. There’s no singular way to describe it. I want to start it all over again. The way that Anita Kelly writes is a gift and it should be cherished and experienced by everyone.

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had some ups and downs with this book, but overall it was a lovely, heartfelt story of falling in love on the PCT. I'm going to start with the downs, just to get them out of the way. At the beginning, I felt like the characters were rather one dimensional and flat. That expanded and got better, and by about 20% it wasn't an issue for me. Additionally, (spoiler for ending) (seriously, go to the next paragraph if you don't want spoilers) (Ok, I warned you) the Alexei leaving without any communication scene felt wildly jarring for me. He had never been cruel up until that point, so having a reaction that extreme felt out of place and unwarranted. I almost didn't want Ben to want him back, since no one deserves to be treated that way. Anyway, that was my biggest complaint with the book, and it is a big one, but moving on...

To the good stuff! This was beautifully tender. Watching Alexei grapple with his family, and religion, and how things fit into his world was lovely to explore, and I felt honored to experience it with him as a reader. Ben felt a little more archetypal, but he was still a great character. Their relationship was so heartfelt, and I loved reading about it. Also, as a person whose childhood was shaped by Tamora Pierce, having one of her books as a central point in the story just made my day (though it killed me a little that Alexei was through-hiking with paperbacks rather than loading them up on an e-reader). So, to recap, this was an overall lovely read even if I had some issues with it, and I think it will be absolutely perfect for fans of "The Charm Offensive."

Give me allll the Pacific Crest Trail stories! Especially those with two people coming together to ensure the highs and lows of the trail and ~maybe~ find love along the way.

Something Wild and Wonderful is an adventure that unfolds between Alexei, an introverted nerd that is grappling with being estranged from his family after coming out, and Ben, an amiable newbie to the trail life with a fear of heights and an ability to pull stories out of everyone he meets. The boys hike up mountains, pass all sorts of (dangerous?) wildlife, and admire the beauty that runs from California to Washington.

As an Oregonian and avid hiker, I was thrilled by descriptions of several notable landmarks (both trail and food related), as well as the depiction of how this grueling walk can bring two people together so quickly. There were so many feels, all of them great. Don’t miss this emotional, gay romp through dust, snow, and forest when it comes out next year. Thanks to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.

I don’t even have words for how beautiful this book is. Alexei and Ben are two of the most genuine characters I’ve ever met in romance novels. Their journey really is something wild and wonderful.

Anita Kelly’s writing is just so emotional and beautiful, it’s impossible not to want to keep reading. At the same time, I didn’t want to get to the end because I wanted to have Ben and Alexei with me for a bit longer.

They’re both so precious. Each with their own individuality. Each amazing in their own way.

“Part II”, which is told only through letters, had me sobbing. The intensity of their feelings was so well explored in those pages, it left me wanting more.

This was the first book I read by Anita, but I’m definitely going back to read more of their work, especially Love & Other Disasters now.

I loved this book! I found Anita Kelly by way of Love & Other Disasters. I have been anxiously awaiting the next book by this wonderful author, and it certainly did not disappoint. I LOVED the banter between the two main characters. Additionally, some books are lacking diversity in the queer experience. There is no one way to come out, be queer, and find love. This is something the two characters must grapple with, and I loved that.

A wonderful, cute, read. As an avid outdoors person, I now feel drawn to go hike the PCT and find my crew.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the arc!

This book takes place on the Pacific Coast Hiking trail. Where the two main characters are trying to heal. Ben and Alexei have a meet cute and continue to run into one another. They eventually start hiking together.

Alexei is trying to find himself after the traumatic estrangement of his parents. While Ben is find himself after a toxic relationship.

This book contains the raw, powerful, and emotional journey of Ben and Alexei. It is a must read.

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Anita Kelly’s books so far have had an odd sense of emotional catharsis that I can never put my finger on. I barely relate to 30% of the characters’ lives and struggles yet I find myself letting go of a massive weight after finishing books written by them.

Something Wild and Wonderful is like kicking off a pile of heavy blankets to finally take a breath of fresh and unsmothered air. The pain and release of the book was deep and healing. I love Ben. I love Alexei. I loved everything about this book.

Two small changes: the line “lizard brain” comes from antisemitic dog whistles and the line “spazzed out” has ableist roots primarily against people with neurodivergencies. Neither were in the book maliciously and were probably just an oversight but should be taken out if there is still time to do so before final print runs.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I immediately felt kinship with Alexai as a neurodivergent spreadsheet nerd, who loves the quiet and connects with minimal people.

I loved Ben's huge open loveable heart, how he slowly but surely coaxed Lex out from behind the walls built.

I loved how the story, while predominantly following Alexei's journey, coordinated so well with Ben's own journey.

The love, which was somewhat insta but not..(I don't usually like insta love) just worked here. It's something many people do, when you've been broken hearted, and you lack confidence, it's easier to get sucked into the orbit of someone else. But it morphed into this super aware, slow burn love of absolute acceptance of themselves and each other.

There were parts that made me smirk, laugh and many more parts that brought tears to my eyes.

The author dealt with really heavy topics of grief and loss of family after coming out in such an excellent way, highlighting that not everyone gets their preferred family ending, but that the individual can be okay with support from friends, found family, therapy etc.

The spice was perfect; enough detail to feel their desires, mutual consent, their discussions of what they liked or didn't, while highlighting the intrusive thoughts that are normal.

I thought the pacing was excellent, at first when they came together around 30 something % in I wondered where the story could go l, and while I thought the PCT setting was done so well, by not shoving 'nature is the best' etc down your throats I was a little concerned that the day in and day out of the hike would get repetitive.

The author broke it down into parts and the letter section just broke me. There's something about being able to experience some letters being sent, and some just written, weeks apart showing the characters growth...

I'm going to be thinking of this book for a long long time.