I want to thank the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC for my honest review. I have to admit, I have struggled to write this review a bit. I did enjoy this book, and felt it was well written, but it really took me a while to get into it. I loved the friendships in this book, and how they really formed their own family. I loved reading about the cute town, and the party, and the Instagram stories. I really feel like the romance piece of it wasn’t the part of the book that I looked forward to reading more of. Maybe it’s because I have never read a LGBTQ romance, and I honestly didn’t even realize that was what this was until after I started reading, so it was a little out of my wheelhouse. I thought the first half of the book was really pretty slow, but the 2nd half had me hooked.

3.5 stars.

"Wild Things" by Laura Kay is a low-stakes, slow-burning queer found family romantic comedy about a group of friends who kiss living in London goodbye by buying a home/commune in the countryside. As I said, the story is slow to start... actually, it's slow in the middle, too. The romantic aspect doesn't really start to pick up until late in the book. In fact, the romance really isn't the focal point of the book. A lot of the story revolves around main characters El, Ray, Jamie, and Will buying and renovating their countryside house so they can turn it into a commune. They get chickens, they make a big garden, they figure out the perils and trials of homeownership, they learn how to rebuild and fix things via YouTube videos, etc, they prepare to throw a lavish housewarming party, etc. The found family aspect is also focused on a lot, and this is where I believe the book succeeds. Laura Kay has written such a wonderful sense of friendship and community within these characters. Each one of the four main friends gets time for their personalities to shine. We get to know El, Ray, Will, and Jamie on intimate levels, get to know their quirks, etc. Still, El and Ray are the main protagonists here, as is El's infatuation with Ray (that she seems to be painfully oblivious of, even after being told about it). The "wild year" that El starts to have in the beginning of the book sort of falls by the wayside once she moves into their shared home because all of her adventures shift to focus on their endeavors there. El spends most of the beginning of the story trying to be someone she's not because she thinks she's boring and not adventurous. She starts the year off by doing things that scare her, like (trying to have)/having a threesome, doing Molly, etc. I liked her better as a character when she was just being herself, though she learns to find confidence within herself as the story goes on. I sort of disliked Ray for the most part... she seemed oblivious in a mean way. El made her feelings known on multiple occasions, that she has had a crush on her for years, but Ray disregards them and continues to hurt El. Their "relationship" is one-sided until about ~85%, and even then, I didn't really buy what happens in the end. This is a fine book, but it likely won't be on my year-end list of best-of novels.

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Kay, and Vintage Anchor for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

WILD THINGS by Laura Kay was a real delight! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.

WILD THINGS chronicles the story of Eleanor "El" who commits to do one wild thing every month for a year. Together with her closest friends - loveable Ray, hilarious Jamie, and endearing Will - and with heartwarming appearances by her brother and his partner, El embarks on a wild journey. El, Ray, Jamie, and Will purchase a country home outside of London to fix up - calling it their queer commune - and El confronts her long-held love for Ray, her best friend. This story is equal parts romantic and hopeful and heartfelt - I loved Kay's writing and I will definitely look out for her future work!

I need to start out with, this is a SLOW (maybe slowest) BURN. While I loved seeing our MC grow and mature throughout the novel it felt like it took half the book to get to the countryside, which was what I thought the location of the book was going to be from the beginning, and then ¾ of the book to get to the romance. I loved the witty one-liners that Kay provided and the found family + queer representation made up for some of the other parts I felt weren't as developed and lacking a bit.

I found this book to be a light and enjoyable read. While it was advertised as a romance, it felt more like a story of four friends navigating life in the country. Their chemistry as a group and the funny moments they shared were highlights for me.

Although there were a few significant events, the pacing felt a bit slow overall, relying heavily on the friendship dynamic. The romance between El and Ray didn't resonate with me. El's unrequited feelings and the lack of honest communication made it frustrating to read.

If you're seeking a light romance without heavy themes, this book would be a good fit. It's satisfying to witness El's personal growth and self-belief throughout the story.

I think this is a fine book, but it didn't sell me in practice the way the summary sold me. Found Family is such a buzzword, and it does get me every time, so I liked that about this -- otherwise, I found it a bit boring. I love a road trip as a concept, but I think in play it needs to be a bit more exciting to fill a book.

I initially found this difficult to get into, which I think was just a me thing. I had trouble keeping all of the characters straight. But I did really enjoy it once I got further along in the story.

What I really loved about this book was the found family moving out to the country together. All the characters were fun and unique, and I really enjoyed the romance. I liked that the found family aspect took on a bigger role than the romance.

If you’re looking for a sapphic friends to lovers story with a fun cast of characters look no further than Wild Things!

This is a super fun romance with a unique premise: four friends from London move into a house in the English countryside. My favorite part was the found family aspect, plus the authentic and lovable characters.

For someone who has absolutely no skills when it comes to DIY home repair, I find myself reading and loving a lot of books that feature this as a main topic. Wild Things is one of those books.
Wild Things follows a group of friends who decide to buy an old house that is in desperate need of fixing on the outskirts of London. We then learn that the friends have some complicated relationships since one of them has been in the love with the other for years. While I loved the set up, this book wasn't quite for me since I'm not the biggest fan of slow burn - but it was really well done and I'm pretty sure that fans of that trope will devour this story!
What I did absolutely love about this book was the focus on found family and friendship. You could really tell that these friends would go to the ends of the earth for each other and I loved that the romance part wasn't the big draw here but the fact that these friends just have so much fun together.

I absolutely adored this book! It was really well written and I loved all the characters. I wish I could move into Lavender House with them!

This book follows El who is in a rut. She is still in the same dead end job she hates, and hopelessly in love with her best friend Ray. When El, Ray, and their two friends Will and Jamie, hatch a plan to ditch the big city and move into a house in the countryside together, it feels like the perfect opportunity to shake things up. Despite being a DIY challenge, the friends are excited and hopeful for their newly named "Lavender House".
However, being in such close quarters with Ray forces El to confront her feelings and decide if it's worth ruining a their wonderful friendship for a chance at love.

I want to start by clarifying: I typically read romances that are aligned to my particular tastes (cis/heterosexual/female POV), so this was a bit out of my wheelhouse. So I can't really speak to the emotional pull of the steamy scenes (which are PG-13 at best)
That being said, its really well written. Its a great vantage point into friendships that span friend circles, what is considered 'wild', and could you be 'wild', and the impact of unrequited love. This is a solid 3.5 stars, and a great break-in story for anyone looking to move outside of their typical tropes/genres

In this story we follow a group of friends who decide to buy an old fixer-upper house on the outskirts of London. This is all fine, but one of the friends is in love with the other and has been for years. The romance was the definition of slow burn as it took the entire book to make any progress. El and Ray’s story didn’t seem like the focus of the book. About 80% of the book was based on the group of friends and the house. I really loved the community that they ended up building. The found family aspect is always great to read! I loved the premise of this book but it just missed the mark for me; I found too much happening all at once. Thank you Vintage Anchor via NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wild Things - Laura Kay

Thank you @netgalley for the #gifted earc in exchange for my completely honest review.

El is in a dead-end job and is struggling to get over a big crush on her best friend Ray. When her friends propose buying a house in the countryside and creating a “queer commune” (with the Token Straight, Will) - El is excited. Will living together be the best thing ever, or will El have to confront her feelings for her best friend? And will she feel the same way?

This was exactly what I needed to break my reading slump. I loved this friend group and their easy friendship. I’m not usually a friends-to-lovers fan, but it worked here. I could’ve read about their little house in the village forever. I need a friend like Jamie in my life, honestly I want a Sally too, maybe even the chickens 😂 The story gets off to a slower start and it’s definitely a slow burn, but it’s cute. El is absolutely pining over an apparently totally oblivious Ray. I’ll be honest - for most of the book I thought El was too good for Ray and that Ray is kind of a jerk. I’m still not sure the story proved me wrong 😂 As far as friends-to-lovers go, this was a cute one!

Thank you to @Vintage for the ARC. This book was a fun read. I usually do not like the slow burn troupe, but this one changed my mind. I enjoyed the friendship between Ray and El and how their relationship developed. Jaime was my favorite, I would love a story all about him.

This book was cute. Overall, I thought it was okay, but it was a little too slow of a slow-burn for me. I liked the idea behind the MC wild year, but I feel like it could have been executed better and been a way to add a little more fun and excitement to the storyline.

Thank you To NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for the eARC.

To begin this friend group is just so fun. I found myself giggling during certain portions of this book. But, that does not trump the fact that this book is a super slow read. It takes forever to get there it seems. I also wonder if my age played a factor despite being in my early 30s. It just missed the mark for me overall.

What happens when four friends decide on a whim to move to the London countryside, and one is secretly in love with the other? I expected a sweet queer romance with chickens. What I got was a book where so much is happening, that nothing happens.

Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. I was genuinely intrigued by the premise, but it takes nearly 40% of the book to get to the countryside and 70% to get to a romance. I am all for a slow burn, but a flame or two along the way would be nice. I think there were too many plot points, and none felt focused.

I did enjoy the found family and the community that they moved to.

You may love this if you want an easy read with queer representation and a great found family.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vintage Anchor, and Vintage for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet and quick with enough emotional depth and a lot of fully realized characters. The main romance didn’t really work for me but I suspect that has more to do with me than with the book itself, looking forward to reading more from this author!

def 17% Nothing happens. I think I finally got to where the story starts with them deciding to get the house together, but that should have been page one, not almost 20% into the book. All the descriptions were of the most random things but never the characters. El's obsession with her friend is weird, yes I know this is going to become the romance (which other reviews tell me doesn't happen until 70+%) but it just seems creepy. I like the idea of this book, but I think the author was trying too many things and it just didn't work.

Wild Things by Laura Kay

Published: May 23, 2023
Vintage
Pages: 313
Genre: LGBTQ+ Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Laura Kay is a writer and editor. She has an MA in American History from the University of Sheffield and now lives in East London with her wife and cats.

“You’re enough, yeah?”

El has decided this is going to be her year of wild things. She will leave her comfort zone and do one whole thing a month. After a rocky start, she moves to a house in the country with her best mates, Will, Jamie, and Ray. That is where things get complicated.

This was such a sweet story. I loved the humor mixed with the prose. The storytelling was seamless, and the character development was strong.

El was such a fun character. I loved her journey of getting to know herself and accepting that she is enough as she is. Ray was a solid character who had confidence and poise. Will was a steady presence, and Jamie was fun.

I loved the idea of living with a group of friends, and I loved the adventures they shared. The way the story unfolded felt authentic. The emotion was well played, and the build-up was realistic.

The last half of this book was beautiful. I loved the growth El goes through and the emotional path she embraced. This was a lovely story about believing in yourself and taking the plunge.