I was really delighted by Wild Life by Opal Wei and enjoyed it even more than I was anticipating. Essentially Wild Life is about this woman who lives her life according to The Plan. When confronted with the fact that actually maybe she does not want to spend her life in the lab researching bone cancer, she’s not really sure what to do. Fortunately, she’s confronted with that fact at the same time that she winds up needing (“needing”) to accompany a very cute man to his private island that he’s trying to turn into an animal sanctuary. Honestly, with this premise, things could go the romance route or a pretty decent thriller route, but I was thoroughly delighted with the romance route. I really enjoyed this one and although there is a melancholic note to parts of this romance (think Honey Girl almost), ultimately, I found it an easy read that kept me company during a January that refused to end.

Very cute, it read like a movie in the best way possible! The romance and humor were so on point and entertaining, and it was just a fun read. Absolutely delightful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will say this book was a tough one for me to get into. The pace is fast and not in an action-packed way. The story did start off really strong but lulled in the middle and then fell off at the end.
The two main characters didn't have enough depth laid out in the book for md to connect or have an opinion other than chaotic.
With some work im sure the book could be better but i cant pinpoint what it is that was missing because I was lost most of the time.

For fans who love some science with their romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it helps to set the mood for the upcoming Valentine's Day season.

Heat Factor: Things get pretty sloppy

Character Chemistry: Lust and trust

Plot: A scientist with a missing bone + a himbo in distress + a geriatric cougar. All on an isolated island during a storm.

Overall: I was glad that I had forgotten everything about this book when I finally read it, because if I had been expecting a comedy, I would have left disappointed. But I loved the book on its own merits.

First thing’s first: let’s talk about that whole romantic comedy label. This bad boy is being marketed as a “screwball comedy,” and, in case my above plot summary didn’t clue you in, is a direct homage to the 1938 film Bringing Up Baby.

Now, it’s been a minute since I saw this movie, but I went and looked at some clips, and I do have to say that Wild Life does not match the energy of say, this scene: https://youtu.be/xAmgUnwxCUc


So if you come expecting manic energy and just complete farcical nonsense, that’s not what you’re going to get, killer attack geese notwithstanding. However, the distinguishing characteristics, at least according to Wikipedia, of screwball comedy include a dominant female character, a male character whose masculinity is challenged, a battle of the sexes, banter, escapism, masquerade1, a spoof of love rather than actual love, and an antagonists to lovers dynamic, and I would say that Wild Life ticks many of these boxes (but with the gender stuff updated). However, the comedy is balanced by introspection—perhaps a little too much introspection. The third act drags a bit as our protagonists get really into their own heads and start figuring out what they really want in life, to the point that when I finished the book, my takeaway feeling was not “comedy,” but rather, “angst.”2 But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning.

Here’s the set up. Zoey is a graduate student in an MD/PhD program, intent on becoming a cancer researcher. Except she, and I cannot state this strongly enough, fucking hates it (even if she’s lying to herself). She neither excels at nor enjoys research and everyone in the lab seems to treat her like garbage.

Enter Davy. Davy is kind of a bumbling doofus who knocks on her door asking for help finding some other professor in a completely different field. Zoey is not impressed because she is not a secretary. (See: antagonists to lovers dynamic.) However, one thing leads to another, and in the mad rush to get out of the office, Davy ends up leaving the lab with a bone cancer sample plate in his coat pocket, and Zoey *must* have it back. Enter farce and escapism, as Zoey follows Davy around town, and then onto a boat heading to his private island. It must be noted: Zoey does not actually need this slide (though losing it would be hard to explain to her advisor), but one thing she does need, desperately, is a vacation.

While at first glance it may seem that Zoey and Davy are your standard tropey grumpy scientist woman / sunshine himbo combination, there’s a lot going on underneath the surface. Yes, Zoey is brilliant and angry. Yes, Davy is a major people-pleaser who was once in a boy band. But they are also both making themselves unhappy due to their respective overdeveloped senses of responsibility. (In case you are wondering, yes, yes this does lead to a scene where one party breaks up with the other party for their own good.)

Before I bring this rambly review to a close, I do want to talk about the sex. I found the sex scenes striking because they were so…real. And real sex is, let’s be real, messy. There’s spit and sweat and awkward positions and hair in your mouth and muscle cramps and Wei captures all of this—and, perhaps because of her willingness to go there, the sex scenes do an incredible amount of character work, especially in establishing the trusting bond between them. In reading this book, it occurred to me that many sex scenes in romance novels are beautifully choreographed for maximum pleasure. So when I read something like this:

Her muscles were burning from riding him, her thighs were sticky, one leg was tangled so badly in the blankets and she couldn’t move her toes, and she was panting as he grasped her hips and pulled her up and down faster and harder, but she didn’t want to shift, she didn’t want to move, because she was so close, so close, and it was curling out of her reach. She wanted everything to be exactly as it was at this moment, except she wanted to reach the next moment so badly.

Well. (Don’t worry, Zoey still gets off. We’re not THAT far into the realm of real sex here.)

This hasn’t quite turned into a squee review, but I did really enjoy this book, It’s thoughtful, well-constructed, and mostly quite fun to read.

PS: For those who are interested in such things, Opal Wei is a new pen name for Ruby Lang. We’ve reviewed several of her earlier books (here and here), which tend more toward the angst side with much less comedy. In my opinion, the comedy capers made this a more balanced book, even though the characters are going through similar moments of internal crisis.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This had such a great set-up, top tier "romance reasons!" It eventually got a little too zany for my tastes, when I wish it would have gone deeper emotionally. Nonetheless, I love creative romances and this is definitely one.

Wild Life by Opal Wei

Published: January 23, 2024
Harlequin
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Pages: 295
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

This was so much more than a rom-com. There was so much heart, compassion, and realistic elements. This book handles some heavy topics (cancer anxiety, among other mental illnesses), but Opal handled it perfectly.

I loved the way she wrote about mental illness and the struggles that go along with it. The balance of wanting to do it all and needing a break was so realistic it brought tears to my eyes.

The way this story builds, with the impeccable balance of humor and sass, kept the story rolling at an engaging pace. The whole situation was well done and presented superbly.

I enjoyed how Wei wove together the heaviness of reality with the fun and shenanigans of a romantic comedy.

The rants were top-notch, and the way these characters fell together was sweet. This was my first book by this author; I look forward to reading her again. This would make the cutest film!

I loved how culture was represented, and it was beautiful having characters that were not the typical stars of the rom-com show. The representation was stellar, and Opal Wei is a rock star.

Quick Summary: Contemporary fiction

My Review: Wild Life by Opal Wei is a Harlequin Feature romance. It follows the relationship between a cancer survivor and an ex C-Pop artist with an anxiety disorder.

About the Book: After a weirdly amusing meet-cute, a grad student and a former boy band member escape to an island. He's there to care for his animal rescues, and she is there to locate a priceless slide. While there, they each deal with the things that have been holding them back.

My Final Say: This was an ok read. It respectfully addressed anxiety. The characters were conflicted, but likable. It was funny and sweet. I loved that it ended on a good note.

Rating: 2.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: ⏳

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (HARLEQUIN, Harlequin Feature), and to NetGalley for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

A delightfully funny sweet rom com that wraps the reality of mental health throughout the story in a meaningful way while keeping the humor and entertainment at the forefront. He deals with anxiety and panic attacks thus choosing to seclude himself away from the world as much as possible. She takes on the worry of everyone and everything around her, set her life on a path to cure cancer and whether she likes it or not, she is sticking with the plan. When both characters realize that they are doing damage to their own lives through the actions or paths that they have each taken, will they be strong enough to choose a different path or will they just keep foraging forward on the poorly forged paths that they started? The author did a great job of creating fun, quirky, serious, romantic characters and wrapped them in a plot of insta-love with a bit of close proximity drawing them together faster than typical. The humor is on point and I can honestly say that I hope the author turns this into a series so we can see more of the side characters that were introduced in this book!

I really enjoyed this book. It was cute, fun, sexy and I loved all the Canadian references. Especially, the goose 🙈.

I loved how the author approached anxieties and panic attacks. She did it beautifully. The romance was also really well-written. I love the impulsivity of Zoey and that it wasn't common for her. She learned so much about herself with Davey. And Davey grew so much because of Zoey. Their romance was cute and full of banter.

The only part, I had difficulties with, was the end. There were so many events happening at the same time and really close to each other, it felt rushed. I had difficulties following.

If you want a quick read with :

✨ Anxiety representation;
✨ Banter;
✨ Spicy 🥵 ;
✨ Forced proximity ;
✨ Slow burn ;
✨ Romance.

A fun read, the story of Zoey and Davy. Both have a past that is influencing their life in a bit way. Will their time together change things for them both?

They're walking on the wild side…
-
This was such a fun and quirky romance. Zoey is such a mess but in a brilliant phD candidate, clumsy way. She runs into Davy who is hot and all her plans go away.
She ends up on his private island cause he has a piece of her research which honestly seems very slippery cause it just kept getting lost, I think it was a sign she didn't want it.
They had a slow burn romance and he suffered from anxiety and just wanted to be a hermit because of experiences from his past.
I would totally watch this if it was a romcom. It was funny, had an elderly Jaguar, a Scooby doo neighbor trying to cause trouble and all the feels.


Thank you harlequinpublicityteam and harlequinbooks for my gifted copy.

This was a fun and a bit wacky strangers to lover story between Zoey, a scientist trying to find a cure for the cancer that took her sister's life and a wealthy recluse she meets while on vacation who accidentally leaves with a crucial tissue sample Zoey needs for her research.

Determined to retrieve it, she follows him to his private retreat on a remote island off the British Columbia coast. While there they fall hard, get involved in lots of small island community antics involving a cougar named Baby and other random animals.

While this was definitely steamy and full of laughs, it also addresses some serious issues like social anxiety, panic attacks and grief/loss of a loved one. Good on audio and definitely a new Canadian author to watch! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: open door

Content Note: anxiety, panic attacks, neglectful parents, discussion of non-fatal cancer

Dear Opal Wei,

I’d heard good things about Wild Life and Olivia Dade blurbed it which is a meaningful recommendation to me in itself, but knowing you are also Ruby Lang* made me even more inclined to dive in. (*Not a secret, I checked.)

Davy Hsieh, former member of a C-pop band and current hermit, bumps into Zoey Fong at the university where she is a Phd student undertaking cancer research. Davy is hoping to meet with a professor at the college to get some help starting a wild life sanctuary. Davy comes from a wealthy Taiwanese family and owns a small island off the Sunshine Coast of Canada. He rescued a cougar from a zoo and big cat Baby lives on the island with him. Davy has anxiety and a huge fear of letting people down (in part because his father told him constantly that he does let people down all the time. His father is obviously a complete jerk) and keeps away from others and very much to himself as a result.

Zoey’s sister, Mimi, had bone cancer some years ago. She made a full recovery after treatment but Zoey, who as the older sister, had to step up quite a bit during Mimi’s illness, has dedicated herself to “The Plan” which involves getting both a medical degree and a doctorate in cancer research and curing the bone cancer from which her sister suffered. (Or, at least creating a better treatment). Only, she’s miserable. She’s worked hard for years and spent a lot of money but she’s very unsatisfied. Maybe The Plan isn’t what’s good for her? But if she does not have The Plan, what does she have? And, if she quits the program she will be letting people down and become a quitter – things that Zoey Fong is not a fan of.

When Davy and Zoey bump into one another (Davy never does meet the professor he’s looking for), Zoey asks him to hold an envelope for her. The envelope contains a slide of cancer cells of the kind Mimi had and is a kind of talisman for Zoey. After some confusion between them, Zoey and Davy separate – but Davy still has the slide. Zoey, desperate to get the slide back so she can continue with The Plan, tags along with Davy the next day to get it back only for reasons, the three never seem to be in the same place at the same time. The next day, Zoey ends up traveling to Davy’s island* with him in order to locate the slide which has been packed away somewhere among all the other stuff he’s shipping there. (*I admit I was a little surprised that the island where Davy was hoping to start a wild life sanctuary was not tropical. I guess I was influenced by the very tropical cover. )

Zoey refers to Davy in her mind as “the Handsome” even though she’s mad at him for not having the slide and giving it back to her straight away. He’s very good-looking and very distracting. Davy, for his part, is immediately deeply smitten and guilt-ridden about Zoey being upset.

Davy Hsieh did not often know what he was doing. He didn’t operate with a plan—it was more a set of loose guidelines. And even then, he usually forgot about them.

This—this situation—however, seemed to call for some sort of forethought. While Zoey stood on the deck of the boat, talking on her phone, he jotted down a quick list.

1. Don’t screw up Zoey Fong’s life

2. Don’t screw up MY life

3. Help Zoey get the slide back

4. Win Zoey’s forgiveness

5. Get to know Zoey better

6. Let Zoey get to know me

7. That’s kind of scary that most of this list is about Zoey

But he had to make sure of a few things. She had to be protected and safe at all times. So even if she insisted on doing something foolhardy, like getting on a boat with a stranger (this plan was already going well), then he was going to object and stand his ground and not let her dark eyes bore into him until he couldn’t think straight.

There’s a kind of humour within the writing which I found very endearing.

Davy settled them onto the piano bench and thought of how nice it was to have contact with another person again, especially when that person was Zoey, so alive and snappish and vibrant and—

“I’m not joining in on a song I don’t know,” Zoey said snappishly and vibrantly.

While on the island, the story veers into something like caper territory. A little bit farce, a little bit ridiculous, mostly fun. A grumpy neighbour makes an accusation and Fierce Zoey comes to the fore.

Meanwhile, Zoey and Davy give into their attraction and also open up to one another. So there was this mix of serious (discussion of anxiety and addiction to pills for example), romance and intimacy and zany set pieces. Somehow it all worked together. I have the feeling that the humour and/or the mix won’t work for everyone (no book will ever do that of course) but it worked for me. Mostly.

I did get a bit tired of Davy constantly leaping to self-blame. Fortunately, so did Zoey. And she called it out.

“I’m getting really tired of this. Is blaming yourself the way you keep people from getting close to you? Who needs an island when you’ve got that thick wall of self-regard masquerading as self-blame keeping people out?”

Thank you Zoey! If Davy never moved on from that, it would have made him hard to be around for very long I think. (Also, by the end, Davy was in therapy which was a very good thing.)

Davy needs to learn to let people in. Zoey needs something similar. She doesn’t always have to know everything. She doesn’t have to save the world. She doesn’t have to save her sister that’s for sure – her sister is fine. I really liked how Davy talked to Zoey about the possibility of moving on from The Plan and making a new plan.

“It depends on where you end the story, doesn’t it?”

Someone once gave me similar advice when I was struggling and it made all the difference to me.

I enjoyed the side characters, Li-leng – Zoey’s roommate and best friend, Davy’s good friend and former babysitter, George, in particular. George is exhausting but passionate and devoted to Davy.

Apart from the epilogue the story takes place over less than a week and it was that which gave me a little pause. Both main characters fall in love and completely change their lives after such a short time. I was prepared to go with it for romance reasons but it also seemed out of character for each of them so I had a bit of cognitive dissonance about it.

Wild Life leans heavily on the zany to leaven the more serious aspects of the story – at times, it was just a little bit too zany for me but for the most part, I was charmed.

Grade: B

Regards,
Kaetrin

Included as a top pick in weekly January New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

Oh my goodness, Wild Life was SO fun. While it is ostensibly a romcom, it's also sensitive, heartfelt, and just so sweet, I loved every minute. Zooey is SO relatable, Davy is adorable, and the whole premise is so wild and wacky - and yet also totally made me want to jet off the the Pacific Northwest to hang out on a scenic island.

The premise of this story is honestly kind of hilarious. Davey accidentally ends up with a very important lab sample slide of Zooey's, and she then proceeds to upend her life following him around trying to get it back. The slide is clearly a bit of a metaphor for Zooey's dissatisfaction with her life, and I love how it ends up being the catalyst for her making big changes for herself. Meanwhile, Davey has been hiding on his island to keep his anxiety at bay, but I loved the frank discussion of mental health that ends up prompting.

Zooey is so driven, a high achiever and perfectionist who is so devoted to her "Plan" that she cannot see anything beyond it. Davy is the perfect match for her - he's a little more steady (despite his issues with anxiety) and seems to have a knack for actually getting her to slow down. There is definitely an element of instalust going on in this book, but the chemistry is so palpable from the moment they meet that I found it totally believable. And I mean, you throw any two people with some level of attraction together onto a remote island and sparks are going to fly. I loved that despite the intensity of their connection, the actual spice was slow to develop. There are lots of loaded looks and subtle touches beforehand - oh gosh, I loved it. And I always love depictions of imperfect, yet very realistic sex - it just makes the story seem more real.

If you are looking for a fast-paced, funny yet deep romcom, definitely check this one out. The writing is beautiful, there characters are so real, and I couldn't put it down. Thanks to Ruby Land (writing as Opal Wei), Netgalley, and Harlequin for allowing me the opportunity to read this one early!

Thank you to the author Opal Wei, publishers Harlequin, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of WILD LIFE. All views are mine.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I got a great feeling about this book immediately, right from the introduction written by the author. She includes content warnings, which I slways value. I have ptsd and I appreciate the opportunity to prepare myself for triggers in books. She also includes a few lines of my favorite poem, "Wild Geese" from Mary Oliver. I had very high expectations going, because of the front matter.

2. I really love all the animals in the book. The pissed off hawk was a pretty great description!

3. The steamy scenes in this one are extremely intimate and well-written. I'm usually so serious when I read steamy scenes, but I had this goofy smile on my face while I read these ones!

4. Cute ending; good character development.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. I didn't really appreciate the author's diminution and infantalization of her fmc in the opening lines of the book. This was a huge disappointment for me.

2. The narrative in this one is a little wiggly, but still en example for the genre.

Rating: 🐆🐆🐆.5 / 5 big cats
Spice: 🌶🌶
Recommend? Yes
Finished: Jan 23 '24
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
💖 romance
🚪 open door romance
🏘 small town life
🏝 island life
👥️ forced proximity trope
🦁 animals

A retelling of Bringing Up Baby? Yes please!! This story follows Zoey, a burned out cancer research student, and Davy, a reclusive aspiring animal sanctuary owner. They meet by chance at Zoey's lab, where her prized bone slide accidentally falls into his possession. After some back and forth, it becomes necessary for Zoey to travel with Davy to his small private island in order to retrieve it. Hijinks and romance ensue.

Things I liked: the Bringing Up Baby call backs, Asian American representation, mental health representation.
Things I didn't like: it was a little silly for me, but I get that it was based on a screw ball comedy. The spice was kind of awkward.

This would have been a 3 star but it's based on one of my all time favorite movies so it gets a bump. Thanks to HARLEQUIN - Romance and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love love loved this book. Mismatched-but-meant-to-be romance? Secluded island? A storm? AGGRESSIVE GEESE? It was a joy to follow along with Zoey and Davy as they got to know each other (and themselves!) in this funny, shenanigan-filled romance.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for this ARC!

- Zoey and Davy are incredibly odd, but also incredibly sweet! While I found some parts a little awkward, it just fit the characters so well!
- I loved all the anxiety rep! It was so well done, and it showed how varied anxiety can be.
- The setting is phenomenal, and it adds so much to the story. The descriptions of the island and all the storms were so cozy and encompassing.
- Some of the narration felt a little off, and that took me out of the story while reading. I noticed this especially during the spicy scenes-some descriptions felt very out of place? It was easy to write it off as both of the MCs are very, very strange.