This book was charming. I sometimes am slow to warm up to romance, despite it being one of my most read genres. It sometimes just takes me a little while to find the rhythm and come to care for the characters. In this book, though, I was immediately pulled in by our leads. I appreciate that they met so early on in the book. I found the premise to be excellent and original. A great romance rec for pride month. Thanks for the ARC!

I absolutely adored Love and Other Disasters, so Something Wild and Wonderful was very high on my most anticipated list. I came for a love story, and I stayed for the incredible character growth and especially Alexei's journey with dealing with religious trauma and being disowned by his parents.
Something Wild and Wonderful is set on the PCT trail, that goes from Mexico to Canada. Our main characters, Ben and Alexei are both hiking the trail for reasons of personal growth: Ben is trying to have a fresh start as a nurse, and avoid toxic men, and Alexei is trying to become Alexei 2.0, someone who is confident and independent. They have a very romantic meet cute where Alexei saves Ben from stepping on snake. From there on, their paths on the trails are forever mingled.
Alexei was definitely my favourite character, I related to him so much. He grew up very sheltered by religious parents, he then loses said parents when he comes out and has to deal with the grief and trauma that comes with losing something that makes up a huge part of his identity: the community that comes with being religious. I loved that he didn't lose his faith after coming out, that he developed his own relationship with his god. Religious queer characters are very close to my heart. Also, the fact that he's autistic? the icing on the cake.
Anita Kelly blew it out of the water again. The romance was incredible, and again, the character growth was just beautiful to read (I did cry) 5/5 stars

I picked this up after a friend read and loved and am so happy that I did. The hike reminded me a little of one of my all time faves, Happiness for Beginners, and the threads of self discovery and acceptance were so well done. I thought Kelly approached faith and Alexei's relationship with both God and his parents with such a perfect touch. It was relatable and personal without being heavy handed. I thought Ben was handled just as well. His personal struggles were harder to see but needed care. It's a great mix of steam and depth and emotion that kept me so invested.

Two men hiking the Pacific Crest Trail meet by chance and decide to hike together. Kelly builds a carefully layered friendship and meaningful individual story arcs as the two fall in love. What a gorgeous book. Somehow funny, steamy and emotionally resonant, Something Wild & Wonderful is more than the sum of its parts. One character is adrift professionally, feeling like he's not accomplished anything with his life (he's a damn fine nurse though) and the other is trying to come to terms with the place of religion in his life after a disastrous coming out to his fundamentalist Christian family. Kelly handles the subject matter with great care as usual, but there's that spark of something more in their writing. The emotions are just... elevated. These two jellybeans deserve the whole world.
I strongly recommend this romance, even if you don't like hiking!

***

Content Warnings: religious trauma, homophobia, anxiety. For a more complete list, I recommend Leigh's review.

Anita Kelly is one of those authors that I just adore. Every book I read by Kelly has something magical about it and makes me love it. For starters I LOVED the setting. While I enjoy the outdoors and would do a nice hike in the summer there is no way I would do through hiking like this. However I adored reading about the setting and the PCT experience. The setting was just so vividly laid out and made me feel like I was in the wild with Alexei and Ben.

The other thing I loved about this is how soft and sweet it was, but not in a sickly way. I love soft romances that aren’t completely full of drama and angst, but there was a lot of trauma and emotional things to work through for both Ben and Alexei. I loved that they were both dealing with things and trying to figure out thier lives and what they want to do about what they’re dealing with.

I really loved Alexei and how he was working through his feelings and trauma on the hike. It was really sweet to see him and Ben get close and open up to each other. Also the letters! I’m not spoiling anything but dang, what a hit to the system! They were so sweet and sad at the same time. I loved it all. I also really loved how Alexei learned more about himself and found out he was autistic. It was really cool seeing him grow and understand himself better, plus find somewhere and people that make him feel happy and safe.

This slow burn romance from the author of Love and Other Disasters shines. I'd heard a lot of hype about this one, and I'm happy to say that it mostly lived up to it. Definitely recommended for fans of romance, hiking, and heartfelt stories.

I really enjoyed this romance, even though there was a lot of hiking! The two leads and the friend circles were well drawn

This book was very sweet. The characters felt real and so did their struggles. My favourite part was definitely the growth we got to see in the characters as the book progressed. I will definitely be recommending this one

Another triumph from Anita Kelly. It should be obvious but I super love their writing. We follow Alexei as he hikes the Pacific Crest Trail, meets Ben, and the two get to know each other while fending off the mortal peril of the wild. There’s a lot to live in this book, but for me it’s the learning to love yourself, just as you are. We all put so much stock in what others think of us and so often fail to acknowledge what we think of ourselves.

One of my new top favourite books! This was such a beautiful story about two people finding themselves and finding each other on the Pacific Crest Trail. So many ups and downs - I loved that it wasn't a straight 'trail' to instant happily ever after. The characters were so relatable in all their beautiful complexities and challenges. This book is great for fans of Casey McQuiston and Allison Cochrun!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Something Wild and Wonderful” by Anita Kelly. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

The beginning was so cute! I liked the premise a lot. I was impressed with how the author made me instantly root for the couple. I also liked the setting a lot. I have no desire to do such an intense hike but I really liked reading about it.

I do wish this had two different narrators for the dual POV but if you’re reading physically that wouldn’t be an issue. I have to pick up a lot of books on audio so I thought this was worth mentioning.

There were lots of time jumps but I think it works ok. There were a couple scenes I would have liked to see that were just referred to in the time jumps.

Schnitzel the ugly dog was hilarious. There were also cameos from the previous book but it’s been a bit since I read that so I couldn’t remember all the friends. I liked the first book too.

I feel like we lost momentum at the end with the exchanging letters although it was an effective way to do more time jumps. It felt like the couple should have done more inner work before they reconciled but that seems to be a common issue with contemporary romances.

Overall I enjoyed this especially at the beginning. I think contemporary romance writers should read this book if they want to see how to write a really effective meet cute that makes readers immediately root for the couple.

4/5 stars

“…maybe it was the detours that actually counted the most.”

I keep typing and deleting words, trying to come up with a way to tell you just how absolutely perfect SOMETHING WILD & WONDERFUL is. Described by the author as “WILD, but make it gay”, it’s a queer love story between two men who fall for each other after a chance meeting while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Alexei is in turmoil after his religious parents cut him off when he finally comes out as a gay, and Ben is nursing a wounded heart and corralling a scattered spirit in the wake of a toxic breakup and the loss of his aunt.

I love books with a physical journey, and this one is especially immersive: we experience the aches, the exhaustion, the sweeping vistas, and the songs of birds alongside Ben and Alexei as they hike up through California into Oregon. There’s simmering chemistry, tender intimacy, aching grief, and gorgeous, high-flying hope. As a person who used to be deeply embedded in a religious community, I felt so much of Alexei’s process around his own faith. Seeing him allow himself to experience God, to find everyday holiness in the outdoors and his love for Ben, healed something in me. I also loved how pure their affection is: Ben and Alexei are both such unique people, with different ways of processing and socializing, and they are constantly delighting in each other just as they both are.

It’s a love letter to the trail, to the wilderness, to the wild parts of ourselves that seek to be free and to find a home in another person. This story broke my heart wide open; I can’t recommend it enough. Also, the audiobook, performed by Mark Sanderlin, is lovely. Thanks to Forever Books and Hachette Audio for the review copies!

Content warnings: family rejection, homophobia, religious bigotry, loss of a loved one, injury, toxic relationship, panic attack

After loving Love & Other Disasters I could not wait to get my hands on something Wild & Wonderful! Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Alexei, quiet, introspective, and nerdy is looking for solitude and time to heal from religious trauma as he begins the hike of all hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). On day one, he runs into outgoing, charming, and hotter than hot Ben. Though Alexei had no intention of finding a trail buddy, he and Ben soon begin traveling together. What then unfolds is possibly the most tender and gentle romance I have ever read.

I am such a fan of Anita’s work and Something Wild & Wonderful is no exception. They write with such care and Alexei and Ben’s love for one another is so soft and gentle. It was so beautiful to watch Alexei come out of his shell around Ben and to see Alexei process and begin to heal from his past while on the trail. And speaking of the trail!! Wow. The PCT and the setting almost felt like another character. The setting was so vibrant and Anita did such an incredible job describing the terrain and the entire feeling of hiking and being outdoors. Reading this book made me itch for summer and to be on the trails. Lastly, I absolutely loved the familiar faces we got to see both mentioned throughout the book and then directly on the page when Ben and Alexei go to Nashville. Such a fun aspect for everyone that has also read Love & Other Disasters!

Overall, highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a soft and gentle queer love story, and as a bonus: features the incredible outdoors.

Alexei has a rough start to his journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. Lucky for him, Ben, a very attractive stranger, is there to save the day. When Alexei continues to run into Ben on the trail, they ultimately decide to take on the trail together. Neither one of them was prepared for this big adventure to also include a love story, but here they are.

This book is incredible - the emotions, the swoon-worthy moments, the character development - it truly has everything you could want in a romance story. Alexei and Ben were the sweetest characters you can’t help but love, both as individuals and as a couple. They each had some things to work through and their different reasons for being on the trail, and their individual journeys were beautiful, but the way they supported each other and were there for each other throughout those journeys was even more special. There were some pretty heavy topics, including the characters feeling like they weren’t enough, and this book had me emotional and tearing up at times. But it was also incredibly heartwarming and even funny at times. I can’t say it enough, this book is amazing.

Thanks to Forever Publishing for the advance copy.

✨Book Review✨

Something Wild and Wonderful
By Anita Kelly (@anitakellywrites)
Release Date:
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Review:
This book was SO good! I took a break in the middle to read my most anticipated book of the year that I received as an eARC, and I was still so thrilled to get back to it! I loved watching the relationship between Ben and Alexsi grow over their hike on the PCT. I think it was also a well-done representation of the characters, as it showcased that being a part of the LGBTQ+ community is not always an acceptable thing for all families, and navigating that for someone can be really challenging, lonely, and isolating. I loved how kind Ben was and I absolutely loved his family!

Thank you to Anita Kelly, @grandcentralpub @readforeverpub and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Something Wild and Wonderful
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Author: Anita Kelly
GR: 4.49

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This was a wonderfully written book that I really enjoyed. Their love story just touched my heart. Alexei is hiking the Pacific Coast Trail to get into his “second self,” really struggling with where he fits into the world and how he is treated. Enter Ben, and Alexei saving him from a rattlesnake, the chemistry was instant. The way their story blended and developed was so endearing and heartwarming. The way these two men were navigating the world in the best way they knew, and never giving up was just so special. The story was written with compassion, grief, healing, love, and human connection.

The way the author approached mental health was with grace and beautifully written. The details written about the trail was so well done, so inviting, that you really felt like you were there on the trail with Alexei and Ben. The plot line was very well written, you really get a glimpse into many people’s reality. The characters were fleshed out well, with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and engaging. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, thought provoking, beautiful, and brilliant! The plot was written with care, especially given the highly emotional nature, and was heartfelt.

This story took me on many emotional rollercoasters, I really love when a story can do that. The message is clear and can easily be for any sex, learning how to love and support yourself, especially when the world is so ugly at times. Kelly knows how to write a romance novel, it is truly a gift. I highly recommend picking this book up, and her prior book, Love and Other Disasters.

I absolutely adored Ben and Lex!! Their journey together on the PCT was so much fun and I loved seeing their love grow for one another. Lex needed this trip to find out who he was and to meet the other half of his soul. So beautiful.

Fun, heartfelt, and romantic, I am becoming a very big fan of Anita Kelly and her adult romance stories. The plot was fun and lent an air of adventure that perfectly complemented both characters' emotional arcs.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⬜⬜
Title: Something Wild & Wonderful
Author: Anita Kelly
Genre: LGBTQ Romance
Month Read: April 2023
Book Type: E-Arc
Publication: March 2023
Publisher: Forever
Pages: 368
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me this E-Arc. It in no way influences my review on this work in any way, shape, or form.

TRIGGER WARNING-
Family Estrangement / Homophobic Slurs / Blood/Bodily Injury


"Do they miss me?
Does it count if the person they miss isn’t actually me?”




No Spoiler Summary (Goodreads):
Alexei Lebedev’s journey on the Pacific Crest Trail begins with a single snake. And it is angling for the hot stranger who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Lex is prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. What he isn’t prepared for is Ben Caravalho. But somehow—on a 2,500-mile trail—Alexei keeps running into the outgoing and charismatic hiker with golden-brown eyes, again and again. It might be coincidence. Then again, maybe there’s a reason the trail keeps bringing them together . . .

Ben has made his fair share of bad decisions, and almost all of them involved beautiful men. And yet there’s something about the gorgeous and quietly nerdy Alexei that Ben can’t just walk away from. Surely a bad decision can’t be this cute and smart. And there are worse things than falling in love during the biggest adventure of your life. But when their plans for the future are turned upside down, Ben and Alexei begin to wonder if it’s possible to hold on to something this wild and wonderful.





Review:
I absolutely loved Anita Kelly's debut novel, and was so thoroughly excited to get this ARC. I am truly sorry it took me a few extra months to read this, and wasn't able to review before publication (I had a whole baby in January and things got a little thrown off track). I am glad to say, however, how beautiful and un-put-down-able this book truly was.

Alexei. He is so wonderful and complicated and grieving the loss of his homophobic religious parents, but he's so giving and kind and just wonderful. He's the type of guy you can't help but love and root for, and even if he is tragically self sabotaging you want him to realize he's worth so much more than he gives himself credit for. He's so fragile, but was also so tough in moments where he needed to be, and I am so glad we got to see him and Ben take charge at different times over such different things throughout the book (and their hike).

Ben. Ben is a little baby and I love him. I grew up with my Portuguese best friend, and his Uncle Jaco's party was so reminiscent of some of the best times of my life spending time with her and her family. I loved the random snippets of Russian and Portuguese in the book, as well, and it really brought the characters to life with so much more color. Ben is wonderful, and truly just is so excitable, and open, and honest, and I saw a lot of myself in him in a lot of ways (he truly doesn't stop speaking) which made the literal and figurative trip so much more fun.

If you want a book where you learn a lot (about birds, plants, hiking the PCT) this book is wonderful. I'm not and never will be someone who walks for fun, but this book almost made me want to go get some hiking boots. (Almost.) I also loved a lot of the side characters we got to meet, and you'd be glad to meet them, too. I highly recommend picking this up and giving it a try. LGBTQ romances are still not super easy to come by, and I love being able to read them.



Recommendation:
Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Simon and the Homosapiens Agenda (YA) by Becky Albertalli





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I love Anita Kelly and this is no different. Absolutely amazing and a 10/10 read. They make their characters so relatable and I love how easily you can jump into their novels.