Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron. Pub Date: May 2, 2023. Rating: 3 stars. I love the cover of this novel with all of the animals displayed. Secondly, I love second chance stories and this one was definitely an interesting one. Jana has some baggage in which she once stepped outside of her normal self and somehow ended up with an ex and a baby. Fast forward five years and she ends up in Serengeti National Park as a bridesmaid in a wedding. Also, her ex just so happens to be there. Regardless, Jana is determined to have a good time, but does she fall for him all over again? I thought the author did a good job portraying co parenting and diversity throughout the book, but I grew annoyed with Jana and all of her emotional resentfulness. Not that her feelings were not justified, but at some point you have to let it go to move forward. I liked this novel, but I did not love it. Thanks to #netgalley and #foreverpublishing for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really sweet second chance romance!! The way Anil was still pining over Jana was so cute; and I loved watching their relationship develop. I’ve always been a fan of Farah Heron, so I’m glad I ended up enjoying this one!

As just a novel, I actually really enjoyed Jana Goes Wild. As a book that has been marketed as a romance however, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much.

In the prologue, we are given a glimpse of what Jana and Anil's initial relationship looked like five years ago, before Jana learns Anil's secret. And instead of truly rebuilding a romance between the two, the story relies heavily on the chemistry seen in the prologue before Jana's (understandable) resentment clouds their relationship for most of the book. There was just not enough of a buildup for me to believe the declarations of love at the end of the book, especially considering how much of the book Jana holds onto her resentment.

I do, however, believe that the arc of forgiveness between Jana and Anil works. Their reconciliation feels genuine, and with a few changes, though what changes I couldn't tell you, the romance definitely could've worked. As it stands, it feels like just. because Jana can finally stand to be around Anil, Heron decides that's enough to say they're in love.

Aside from the romance, there was a lot I enjoyed about the story. I was invested in every relationship outside of the main romance, especially the platonic ones. There are many beautiful displays of friendship throughout the story that I loved.

I also really enjoyed seeing Jana grow as a person and in her relationships throughout the novel.

Overall, 3.5 stars.

There were a lot of things to like about this book: it was an African safari with lots of animals and had a road trip aspect, with the guests of the wedding all traveling from one National park to the next in Tanzania. I didn’t know there was an Indian community in Tanzania. And with Jana’s home base being in Canada and doing international work, the whole book had a very international feel. I thought the sexual tension between Jana and Anil was good and I kept reading to see when they would finally act on their feelings.

What I didn’t love was the way Jana’s feelings kept seesawing back and forth. Sometimes the will they or won’t they can create more tension, but in this case it felt like Jana was standing in her own way for no good reason.

Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron
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Jana is a single mom to her five year old daughter, so she needs to be very organized and responsible. She is asked to be a bridesmaid at a destination wedding. The other guests on the trip include lots of friends, her mother, her potential new boss, and her gorgeous-but-not-to-be-trusted ex and baby daddy.
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What I liked:
-There was a lot of humor throughout the story.
-The destination wedding takes place in Serengeti National Park, and that was pretty awesome to hear about.
-Jana’s friends are a close knit bunch who are really looking out for her. I liked the checklist they gave her to try to “go wild”.
-Usually second chance romances are not my favorites but this one was a lot of fun to read. I really liked Jana and Anil, and was really rooting for them.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I listened to the audio and it was excellent. If you love romcoms then this is a great one to read.

I loved this book so much. I enjoyed reading about the complications of co-parenting while still having strong feelings for your co-parent whether that be anger & bitterness or romantic feelings. It felt like fresh take on the second chance romance. I am not a parent and never will be but I still loved this side of the book. I also really loved the Bridal Brigade! And I liked how out of sorts Jana felt through much of this book. Her inner dialog felt so realistic.

Jana Goes Wild
Rating 3 stars
Audiobook : 11 hrs 33 minutes ( unabridged)
Narrated by : Soneela Nankani


What I didn't like
Jana's mother :
Jana
Rating 3 stars
Audiobook : 11 hrs 33 minutes ( unabridged)
Narrated by : Soneela Nankani

What I liked : I loved how Soneela Nankani brought the characters to life, as well as the places that was used in the story , she made seem like I was actually there in the park ,and could actually see and hear what the characters saw .


What I didn't like
Jana's mother :
Jana herself

More romance retellings should focus on the side characters. This was a beautifully angsty Frank Churchill/Jane Fairfax story and I was very, very here for it. I could have maybe used one less misunderstanding, but that's a nitpick and on the whole this book doesn't deserve it.

Jana goes around with everyone to see the wild animals in this novel but “Jana Goes Wild” feels like such a disingenuous title because she doesn’t do anything wild. If anything, we bet long inner monologues about how unhappy and miserable she is. I also haven’t read the other book which has the bride and groom from this one, so I felt like I was missing out. The writing wasn’t anything too memorable. Liked the setting though.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more by Heron in the future! I really love all the animals added in and all the hilarious banter.

DNF @ 45%

I really wanted to like this one but I just could not get into it. Jana felt insufferable and while I grew to like her in Kamilla Knows Best, she went right back to being annoying in this one. I did like the cast of characters I just did not have a desire to pick this one up so it went back on the shelf.

Second chance romance, with a destination wedding in Tanzania? That's pretty cool!

I think there were some things I would have enjoyed more had I read Kamila's book first.

All around this book was enjoyable but not one I'd go out of my way to recommend.

Content warning: sexism, death of parent (mentioned), panic attacks/anxiety

I hated all of the characters. I could totally understand why Jana didn't want anything to do with Anil but I just didn't like her. She would do things that wouldn't pan ok and then acted all surprised and annoyed when that happened. Anil was great to their daughter but he was not a good love interest - he created a lot of bad for her.

I just couldn't get over how invested everyone was in Jana's life including her employer. Why would any employer care about her personal life as long as she wasn't doing anything illegal? The author tried to justify it but I didn't buy it; it didn't make any sense.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Jana Suleiman is headed to her best friend’s destination wedding in Serengeti National Park with just about everyone she knows–her mom, five-year-old daughter, and apparently, her potential boss. To make matters more dramatic, her co-parent and ex will be on the two-week trip as well.

Anil Malek’s always been a great dad, but Jana’s never forgiven him for lying to her early on in their relationship. But she’s tired of not fitting in, and she plans to shed that energy this trip and branch out more than she’s used to.

Anil has an agenda of his own this trip–to win Jana back. And this new Jana? Well, she just might be willing to give Anil another shot.

The setting was so fun for this story, and the side characters always add so much fun to Farah’s books. It’s pretty angsty, but sometimes I’m just in the mood for a bit of drama, and this definitely delivers.

Second chance romance with lots of cultural references. Single mom and second chance. Also has recipes for samosas which I love!

I felt Jana Goes Wild offered a refreshing take on second chance romance. I did enjoy Farrah’s writing style.
While the title may have set certain expectations that I didn’t feel were fully met in the story, the quality of writing and the depth of the characters made it a worthwhile read.
I would recommend it overall as a good read for fans of this genre.
I would also read other books by this author.

Thankyou to author Farah Heron, Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Charlene 📚🌸🤗 @lastnownext

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Five years ago, Jana accidentally got pregnant. When she finds out the father, Anil, hasn't been honest with her, she breaks up with him. To make matters worse, his dishonesty has caused Jana's pregnancy to become a bit of a scandal and she even loses her job over it. For four years, Jana and Anil have co-parented despite Jana's very deep resentment of him. When their mutual friends get married, Jana and Anil, as well as their daughter, Imani, end up taking a vacation to Tanzania to attend the wedding. <i>Jana Goes Wild</i> is their second chance romance.

I'm DNF'ing at just past the 60% mark.

To start with the positives, I really liked the travel/safari aspect of this book. I thought that was really unique and fun. I've also never read a book set in Tanzania so that was exciting. I also love when romances involve weddings.

However, at the point that I reached, nearly <b>two-thirds</b> into the book, Jana and Anil have made very little progress in their relationship, which is honestly frustrating. I unfortunately felt zero chemistry between Jana and Anil, and worse, I didn't particularly like either of them as individuals either. I understood why Jana was mad at Anil but her angry thoughts and actions about/towards him became incredibly repetitive and tiresome. She resented him so deeply that I didn't really see the point of them being together and it was hard to root for their second chance. Furthermore, if it wasn't for Imani, these two never would've even attempted to repair their relationship and that didn't sit right with me. They could've cleared the air and been cordial co-parents without having what felt like a very forced relationship.

I do think there's an audience for this book. Readers who love second chance romance and don't mind a lot of angst might enjoy this.

I thought Jana Goes Wild had such a fresh, unique premise for a rom-com. Having been to Tanzania for my honeymoon, I especially loved the setting and the premise! Overall, I enjoyed the second chance romance and the characters. The Bridal Brigade was amazing! However, by the end I was feeling frustrated by the lack of communication, especially from Anil. I was invested in their relationship but it kind of felt like they kept making the same mistakes over and over.
Thank you Forever for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review!

UGH. A second chance romance in the Serengeti? Sign me the F up. I enjoyed this. I thought it was funny and sweet and felt fresh. It would have to to take place in the Serengeti. Jana went wild and I was here for it. I didn't always love the choices Amir made, but nonetheless, I enjoyed the book overall.