This book was interesting, and the plot was fun and adventurous. I love Lynette Noni, and The Prison Healer series is one of my favorites, so I was thrilled to receive this ARC from NetGalley! Her writing was entertaining and the characters were all relatable and felt real. Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. There was nothing specifically wrong with it at all, I just didn't click with it. That doesn't mean that many other's won't, however, and I'd still recommend Noni's writing to anyone and everyone!

This was very cute! I found myself pretty uninterested in the nature/adventure storyline which was unfortunate but Noni managed to keep me interested in the characters and their stories! Definitely a good fit for anyone who loves contemporary YA stories filled with hope and heartache!

I enjoy reading "lost in the wilderness/live by your wits" stories, and this one more than delivered in the end.

It took quite some time for me to really get into this story. There was a lot of high octane teenage energy in the first few chapters as Ember solicited her best friend Charlie's help to submit as many entries as possible to win a wilderness getaway contest guest spot with Ember's favourite teen idol, Zander Rune!

Tons of young adult squealing and hyperbole in the first couple of chapters had me worried that this story might not be my cup of tea after all, but things improved dramatically in the second half of the novel. Of course, predictably, when Ember actually wins the contest, she is too sick to go, so she begs Charlie to go in her place.

As the story progresses, we are given to understand that Charlie's mother recently passed away and that Charlie is therefore NOT in high alt over this opportunity to wander the wilderness with Ember's crush. Zander's attempts to deflect attention from his recent DUI court appearance did nothing to endear him to a grieving Charlie. Charlie snubbed Zander's friendly overtures and threatened to derail the entire publicity stunt.

After a bit of feuding, Zander and Charlie ultimately agree to bury the hatchet and make things look good for the camera. Little did they know that this "reality outback adventure" would go way off script and these two intrepid young adults would have to save themselves and each other time and again.

I'm rating <u>Wandering Wild</u> a 3.8 stars rounded up to a 4 because while the writing was good, there was a fair amount of repetition throughout the novel, and Ember's over the top "sick girl" character was a bit of a cliche. Still a great read for fans of Lynette Noni. The last half of the novel really held my attention, that's for sure!

4.5 !!! i LOVE how lynette noni writes tension and lets her characters have their own voice and sense of self. charlie is so dignified and i love how adventurous she is!!

Okay, this was such a fun survival romance! I have enjoyed the author's fantasy books, but apparently she can do contemporary too, because this one was very entertaining! Now, maybe I am biased because I do love a survival story, but I did not want to put the book down. Both main characters (Zander and Charlie) were incredibly likable and relatable, even Zander who is a famous movie star.

Now, as you can imagine, some of the elements of the story may be a wee bit far-fetched, but since the characters acknowledge it, it feels more plausible- like okay, they get that this is bananas too, you know? That is to say, I was able to suspend any disbelief and enjoy the story. It is equal parts survival and action and character development and emotions. A great balance, really. And, a great balance of said emotions- I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I swooned. I also really loved the friendships that were portrayed in the book, too. It ended in a way that left me satisfied, and it was overall just a solid win!

Did someone say ✨trauma bonding✨

I was super pleased to receive this ARC because The Prison Healer series by Lynette Noni is perhaps one of my most favourite series EVER so I was incredibly hyped to read her new YA!

The story centers around “bad boy” actor Zander and “regular” teenager Charlie, setting off into the wilderness to help fix Zander’s image in the public eye. Things obviously don’t go to plan, and Zander and Charlie are pretty much left alone fighting for their lives.

This was super cute! Noni has proven that she can definitely write a YA contemporary, the plot was there, the character growth was there, the adorable building romance was there, you couldn’t really ask for more in an easy read YA romance.

I would have loved an epilogue, the ending to me felt a little bit rushed and “convenient”, but it was cute and gave me the warm and fuzzies so I’m not too mad at it.

Overall I had a an enjoyable time reading this book! If you’re looking for an adventure with a side of fluff then I would definitely recommend this.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC ✨

A fast paced, action packed, adventure filled, ya romance.

Wow. What a crazy ride. The twist in the middle and at the end! 🤯 I was not expecting that.

In this book there are two POVs. We follow Charlie who is struggling and grieving the recently loss of her mother. Ember her best friend persuades her to apply to go on an adventure with Zander Rune while also starring on Rykon Hawke’s survival TV show. She somehow gets roped into this four day adventure with Zander Rune a bad boy actor from Hollywood.

We also follow Zander who has a past full of bad decisions that follow him. He also gets roped into starring on this survival TV show to try and redeem some of his mistakes and revive his image.

Together they navigate this grueling journey through the Australian Outback. They have to lean and rely on each other and literally save each other from deadly encounters. Because of the close proximity and dangers they face they grow close and share intimate details of the hurts and pains from their pasts. I loved their chemistry and the fun banter. I loved how they were forced to be vulnerable which helped them both understand and heal from past traumas.

In the first 30ish pages there were some heavy gender inclusive aspects that really turned me off from the story. After reading that it left a bad taste in my mouth. Once I pushed past I really enjoyed the fast paced and action packed story and it held my attention for the rest of the book. The ending was sooooo good!


Favorite Quote:

Life isn't about survival— life is beautiful, and it's meant to be lived.

Firstly thank you NetGalley and Lynette Noni for letting me be an ARC reader for Wandering Wild.

I have read every book by Lynette Noni and when I saw she was writing a contemporary book I knew I was going to have to read it. The premise of the book sounded super interesting! An actor who needs to fix his image has to do a survivor reality show with a fan who doesn’t like him? Sign me up!!

The FMC, Charlie, was a fun character and very relatable. Seeing her reactions to the different obstacles and situations she’s put in made me laugh and empathize with her because I would 100% be acting the same way. Her sarcasm and banter when she interacted with the MMC were definitely some of my favorite parts.

The MMC, Zander, is such a cinnamon roll. He definitely gives golden retriever energy. He is always willing to help Charlie out when she needs him even if she doesn’t want to admit it. But he has secrets of his own and the more the story goes on the more we get to see what exactly he’s keeping hidden. And Charlie begins to realize that they may have more in common than she originally thought.

Overall this book and the premise of it was really interesting and I love the chemistry between the two MCs. Seeing them help each other through their respective struggles and come together was also very satisfying and the slow burn made me both so happy and also want to just throw the book across the room waiting for them to get together.

CW: Mentions of Character death, mentioned Suicide attempt, injury description, mild swearing, grief discussed, dealing with grief

I think I just LOVE Lynette Noni's writing. This was SO good! I LOVED our two MC's, they were so different but worked so well together! The opposites attract trope really worked in this one! I loved how we really got time with the characters, got to know them thoroughly. It really helped me connect to them. Also, this felt so incredibly unique. There was action and danger and my ultra fave: romance.

If Lynette writes it, i'm picking it up!

Thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing for my ARC!

4/5

This book was intense!!! But so good. Love the "enemies" to lovers aspects, and the angst and tension were top tier. I loved The Prison Healer series and was concerned I wouldn't like a contemporary by the author as well as that one, but I think it was even better!!

thank you to netgalley and blackstone publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I did not finish this book because I am currently in a reading slump. I’m sure this book would be right up my alley if I was in the mood to read but I currently am not. So I will be reading this at a later date but I had to write a review for feedback.

This was an absolutely lovely book! This is my first book by Lynette Noni, and it certainly will not be my last! This book drew me in right from the beginning and held my attention the entire way. I think that this is a wonderful YA Romcom, and I believe that the story itself will draw teen audiences in - especially with the added addition of high stakes being involved! I will definitely be recommending this book to my teens.

This was such a great book! I'm so glad I read The Prison Healer books when I did so I knew enough to request this book on NetGalley. It's obviously not fantasy so it has very different vibes from her other books, but Lynette Noni did a fantastic job with this one. I found the characters very lovable and enjoyed the survival aspect. I was skeptical about a couple details but the end wrapped everything up very well.

There was a lot I enjoyed about this book. I liked the Main characters, Charlie and Xander. I liked the way their relationship progressed and developed. I liked the survival in the wild storyline. It I also found it got to be a bit too much and too intense, and a little too unbelievable in the second half. I was also disappointed in a twist at the end and I felt like the end was rushed a little. I really like the way Lynette Noni writes and that made it a quick and fun read.

4 ⭐️
This was such a fun book. For being my first book by Lynette Noni I absolutely loved it. The characters were so easy to connect to, especially for it just being a standalone. Even the side character stood out, which was awesome because you really don’t get a lot of time to interact and see the side characters in a normal standalone but in this one you did. Also the suspense in this book was so good. The way I was wondering what had happened and what was happening the whole time was insane not to mention the adventure that they did. And just the way that this book was written like at the start I wasn’t really sure where it was gonna be going but then I finally figured it out how it was going to work.

Overall, for it being her first YA romance book and not a fantasy. It was a really solid one and definitely one that I would recommend to people. I normally struggle to find good YA romance books, but this one was really good and I hope she continues to make more.

Thanks to @Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was super excited to read this book because I am such a big fan of Lynette Noni's Prison Healer series. I knew this was a lot different given the premise, but I was still hoping for Lynette's signature plot twists or engaging prose. I loved the characters so much but the plot just was not for me. This might be personal preference since I'm not big on adventure novels but I think this was a great YA novel, especially for someone just getting into YA, so would recommend it to that audience.

I’m a huge fan of Lynette Noni’s The Prison Healer series so I was excited to see what she could do with contemporary. Wandering Wild had some of my favorite aspects of TPG with interesting characters who had a lot of chemistry and a twist! I appreciated Noni’s authors note that explains she took some creative liberties because the time that Charlie and Zander spend in the Australian wilderness is harrowing! With every new disaster that befell them I would audibly groan. Haven’t they been through enough?!

The romance between the two is very sweet and very slow and I loved as they got to know each other they had a real human connection that came apart from the adrenaline empathizing tasks the jungle kept providing. The two of them handle their adventures way better than I would but they also discover a lot about themselves along the way.

There is a twist at the end that is sort of horrifyingly invasive and everyone moved on quicker than I would have but at the end of the day I really love where the characters end up.

I think I would follow Noni most anywhere although maybe not on a wilderness adventure.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfect for a teen reader that has interest in the outdoors and enjoys adventure novels. This novel discusses themes of grief and bullying. As much as I love Lynette Noni’s writing, this book isn’t my favorite of hers. I found the plot too far fetched at times, almost comically so. The survival and nature facts were a bit heavy handed but lessened in the second half. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read!

4.75 stars

Wandering Wild is about Zander, a movie star who's gotten a bit of a bad reputation recently, and needs something to make the public like him again, and Charlie, selfless best friend who used to love Zander with all her heart, and now hates him for some reason! The wild part of this title, is that the PR stunt to help Zander is a contest to go on a wilderness expedition with him and a super cool TV survivalist as their guide, and Charlie ends up going in place of her best friend. Shenanigans, nature and craziness commences.

Let's start with the negatives, because there aren't that many. This was really close to perfect for me, I took off that quarter star for very minor things. Firstly, I didn't love that small glimpse into the future at the beginning, I just didn't need it to be happy with the story. Secondly, some things felt a little predictable, like Charlie's big reveal, and thirdly, I needed more fallback for the thing at the end.

Honestly those are my only issues. I loved this story so much. Charlie was a great character who was just struggling with grief and trying to remember who she is, Zander is pretty down to earth considering his celebrity status, and he's also dealing with some pretty rough things, that I felt were handled well. Their friends were a highlight, and I did love the dynamics they added. The adults were good sometimes, and kind of enraging at other times, which was pretty frustrating, but at the same time, just the experience of being the kid in a situation is really frustrating, so I felt Charlie and Zander's pain, and the ending actually really stuck it for me, I was nervous, but I did love it. Lynette Noni is really becoming an autobuy author for me, and I'll probably head to a bookstore to pick this up the day it comes out.