Wild About You was a fun adventure along the Appalachian Trail. Natalie Hart is definitely not your typical nature girl, she loves her makeup, facial care routines, and romance novels… but desperate times call for desperate measures and Natalie is facing not being able to return to college unless she can win this Wild Co-Edventures competition. Natalie is the type of personality that took a little bit to warm up to, but by the end of the story I was her number one fan. She started off loud and a little bit in your space, but as she was finding her way along the Appalachian Trail, she was also finding her way into my heart as a very relatable character. I loved to see how she and Finn learned more about who they were and what they were capable of as they learned to work as a team. The secondary cast of characters were also a lot of fun to get to know along the way. Since I am a middle school librarian, I don’t feel this is a book I could have at my middle school, but I would definitely recommend it to my high school colleagues.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @getunderlined for an early copy of Wild About You by @thekaitlynhill. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5/5
Release date: May 21st, 2024

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198688539-wild-about-you?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ZzTbQnuBF3&rank=1

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

Wild About You is a grumpy-sunshine romance between Finn and Natalie, who have become partners in the reality adventure/survival show Wild Adventures. They both initially misjudged each other, with Finn thinking Natalie isn’t made for the wild, and Natalie thinking Finn was the outdoorsy know-it-all she was unfortunate to be paired with. The challenges the show handed them gave them a different perspective of each other, and sharing the difficulties of the challenges made them bond and grow to be more than friends during the show.

Natalie’s character was a delight! She’s funny and witty, but deep down, she is struggling with anxiety, as she needs the Wild Adventures’ prize money for her college tuition, she isn’t confident with her lack of camping skills, and she feels like she’s dragging both her and Finn down the leaderboard. But Finn, regardless of his grumpy demeanor, was nothing but supportive of Natalie once he got to know her quite a bit.

This novel has been a fun read; I loved reading about how Natalie and Finn overcame the challenges thrown at them while falling in love with each other. I just wished there were more heartwarming moments between them, and I would have loved it if they got some closure with their issues with their parents.

Wild About You is such a fun, banter-filled romance perfect for enjoying on a warm summer or fall night. I love a good forced proximity romance, and Kaitlyn Hill writes tension like no other. From the first chapters, I was fully invested in Natalie and Finn, and that only grew as they revealed more of their motivations and secret feelings. The banter is so witty and sharp and creates an excellent build up to their big conversations where they're honest with each other. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys romance with some added depth.

I beg you to stop what you're doing and add this book to your TBR for your sake, for my sake, for everyone’s sake so you'll have a free therapy session directly from your bed’s bedroom.

I know I should focus on the grumpy-sunshine trope and all the reasons why it's so well done it can make you rethink your idea of love, but what really stuck with me - aside from that monster of mushroom carbonara - is the portrayal of generalized anxiety.

I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I do feel like I'm crazy. Need-to-be-hospitalized kinda crazy. I mean, sometimes I feel like I'm the worst person alive and the moment after I'm thinking that I can't do anything about it anyway.
The most difficult part is explaining myself to people who just don't get it because their minds are healthy and don't make them think they are useless and unworthy of love and that they didn't deserve their trauma. I sound crazy just writing it, can you imagine trying to tell that face-to-face?!

Long story short, when you feel represented by a piece of literature, I believe you should scream at the top of your lungs its title.
So, anxious people from around the globe, I don't know how your love life is, how your family situation is, in which bad place you might end up after a sleepless night. What I do know is that Kaitlyn Hill nailed our situation and then she deserves all the love of this world.

Thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Finn is the BEST!!! Proof is that he ended up loving romance novels by the end of this one. 🎉

Also, even if I hadn’t liked this book (which I did), I would have given it a good rating solely because of the fact that menstruation was openly talked about and even a bit of a plot point. I love that it was not a taboo topic since menstruation happens with half the population.

Another thing I liked was that it was set on the AT. Kaitlyn did a good job writing about it.

Some things that could have been improved: I felt like the growth of their relationship was slow in the beginning, but then it picked up. Also, I would have liked to get more about healing the relationship with her parents.

A heartwarming story of a grump being paired up with a social butterfly for a challenge to win a scholarship that determines their futures. In order to win, Natalie must tackle her anxiety in the rugged wilderness of the Appalachian trail. Kaitlyn Hill writes anxiety as it is showing the difficulty managing the illness alone making it relatable to real life experiences and also showing what a network of support looks like.

“Wild About You” is a heartfelt and fun adventure. Join Natalie and Flynn as they set off on a wild journey navigating The Appalachian Trail in a Reality TV competition. This story encompasses a sweet romance with light-hearted fun and deeper themes.

For those who love:
🌲Only One Tent
🌲Grumpy/Sunshine Romance
🌲Reluctant Allies
🌲Forced Proximity
🌲Adventure
🌲Reality TV Competition
🌲Anxiety Representation

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a freaking delight. I went into this book with few expectations but lots of hope because one of my favorite authors (Anita Kelly) was hyping it up. But this book is a home run, touchdown, swish - and whatever the hiking/camping equivalent is. Clear skies and happy trails?

The main character, Natalie, is honestly a girl many authors would paint as annoying. A “high maintenance” theater major who is relentlessly cheerful and brings her full skincare routine to the Appalachian Trail. But she is endlessly lovable, and made all the more real by her experience with anxiety and her less than stellar relationship with her parents. Her sunshine pairs perfectly with Finn’s grumpy, completing my favorite trope and making this the YA romance of my dreams. Finn and Natalie comprise team Finatalie and compete their way through the wilderness to try to win huge scholarships on a reality tv show.

This book made me laugh out loud and hit some true emotional notes. I super super recommend this book for a story that feels true, has emotional depth, but is still somehow relatively low angst and a joyful read.

Huge thanks to Kaitlyn Hill for writing this wonderful book and to Kaitlyn and her publisher, Random House Children’s, for the early access ARC via Netgalley!

Wild About You is an adventurous romantic comedy about proving oneself and overcoming obstacles. This was a fun and entertaining book to read with some depth woven in. Thank you NetGalley for an arc copy.

I loved this! The characters were very relatable and I love the anxiety representation, as well as how the author handled grief.

"Wild About You" by Kaitlyn Hill is a hilarious, swoon-worthy YA romance. It ticks all the boxes: LGBTQIA+ representation, wilderness survival shenanigans, and a grumpy love interest who could moonlight as a grizzly bear. Sign me up for the next season of the wilderness survival show!

Natalie and Finn make a great team. I love how they help each other cope with the loss of loved ones and overcome deeply-rooted insecurities. That being said, I also LOVE their witty banter. Natalie is one of the funniest MCs I've ever read, and her commentary on Finn's grumpiness was priceless. Who knew that a college teenager grunting like a grizzly bear could be so attractive?

The reality TV show's wilderness survival challenges were also amazing. They had the contestants saddling horses, rappeling down water towers, and facing off against ACTUAL black bears. Just a typical summer vacation along the Appalachian Trail, right?

And the epilogue! It was a perfect ending and made me love the story even more. I know this book will appeal to a large audience, and I wish it all the best in finding a home on people's shelves.

4.25/5 stars and a solid recommendation.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

This book was so much fun to read and I love that her books are reality shows it was so much getting to know these new characters and I can't wait to see what is next you all should read by this one

I loved this book. Great enemies to lovers story. The setting of a wilderness reality show was so fun. Will be looking g for more books by the author.

A reality show that places contestants in the wilderness with a reward of scholarship money entices Natalie to join even with her lack of outdoor knowledge. She gets paired with someone totally opposite who knows how to survive in the woods. Can these two work together to win the money? Do they become more than friends in the process? I heartwarming and quick read. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fun, funny book. I've really enjoyed all of Kaitlyn Hill's books - the reality show universe is such a fun framing for a romance (I want to be able to subscribe to this streaming service!), and I quite like reading about characters in this age range. They have real heart but are quick, fun, relaxing reads.

As someone who grew up on the Appalachian Trail, and used to love watching The Amazing Race, this was so fun! The perfect romance tied up in a pretty bow. If you've been bogged down in dragons, faeries, magical worlds like I have, then this was the perfect palate cleanser. It reminded me why I love contemporary romance novels.

Two opposites must partner for a wilderness trek reality TV competition to win $100,000.

Despite no love for the great outdoors, theatre student Natalie Hart (best friend of Reese from Kaitlyn Hill's debut 'Love from Scratch') applies to be in reality TV show 'Wild Adventures' to pay for university after losing her merit scholarship. She's partnered with the taciturn and outdoorsy Finn Markum, who is horrified to learn chatterbox Natalie is his partner.

Kaitlyn Hill blends humour and witty banter with well-rounded characters who have a divine slow-burn chemistry. It's a book that sucked me in from the first chapter alone thanks to the strength of her characterisation and pace.

Where this could've veered into a story about reality TV manipulation (a plot already explored by Hill's 'Not Here to Stay Friends'), Hill keeps the focus on Natalie and slowly opening themselves up to each other about their grief and mental health struggles as they battle through each challenge in the competition.

Both Natalie and Finn wear masks to cope with their individual struggles. Natalie is dealing with unsupportive parents and a recently-diagnosed anxiety disorder and hides behind a big theatrical personality. A grief-stricken Finn hides behind a wall to keep anyone from getting close to him.

'Wild About You' is a poignant, fun and touching adventure romance. Long after finishing this book (which I devoured in one setting), I kept thinking about Natalie and Finn.

Thanks to Random House Children's/Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This super cute but extremely well written book flew by. I loved it start to finish. So many great side characters but the two main were amazing together. This might be classified as a YA but it is definitely a book most any age will enjoy.

This is such a fun enemies-to-lovers wilderness romance—I loved the character development, reality TV setting, and banter, as I do with all of Hill's YA romcoms! The extra depth of dealing with anxiety and grief was especially effective and moving. A total joy!

Very peak grumpy/sunshine, with the FMC really sunshine-ing and cheering people (and me) up, and the MMC evolving from a sighing grumpy teammate to someone who opens up about / heals from his past and also really appreciates the FMC (alongside a lot of much needed grovelling) ❤️

Also, the on-page anxiety rep was so on point in this book, the author really wove that into the story so seamlessly!

Also, also! The reality show / hiking aspect of this book was so interesting! Plus I definitely think I learnt a few things about wildness survival from this book 😂

AND! The third act grand gesture was so sweet 😭

TWs - death of parent/grandparent prior to the story + the lingering grief, cancer (cause of death of aforementioned parent), anxiety and panic attacks on page, negligent/bitter parents

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!