This was such an intriguing story. It’s tagged as YA romance, which sure we can say that but I’d consider it more of a survival story with trauma bonding and an eventual romance. I appreciate the trials and tribulations the MCs go through and how there is steady emotional growth to accompany it, I really enjoyed this book!

This book is the perfect YA summer adventure book. It was folk of adventure, action, survival situations and everything just felt very high stakes. And amidst it all were these 2 people with trauma and baggage learning how to through it all together.

This book had
✨YA romance
✨reverse grumpy x sunshine
✨she hates him and he doesn’t know why
✨one cave
✨action adventure
✨ Survivor vibes but is life threatening😆
✨celebrity trying to reform his image
✨former fan doing a friend a favor
✨MH rep

I live how Lynette Noni crafts her characters. They’re always raw and flawed and easy to love because they feel so real. My heart went out to Charlie and Zander. Both of them just wanted to be seen and finding that in each other was so unexpected which makes it so much more powerful. I just adored this book and the audio book was dual narration which made the story even more fun to read!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni
🎧 Advanced Listening Copy | Thank you Blackstone Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you love survival stories with emotional depth and a dash of celebrity drama, Wandering Wild delivers just that! This YA adventure follows Hollywood bad boy Zander Rune and regular teen Charlie Hart as they’re thrown together on a wilderness reality show—only for everything to go completely off-script. No cameras. No rescue. Just two very different people forced to rely on each other to survive.

I really enjoyed the audiobook version—shoutout to the narrator who brought both Zander and Charlie to life so well. Their chemistry, snarky banter, and emotional growth had me hooked. Zander’s character arc was a standout—he was layered, vulnerable, and surprisingly endearing. Charlie, though stubborn, brought a lot of heart to the story as she confronted her past and gradually softened toward Zander.

The premise stretches believability at times (some plot points had me raising an eyebrow), but I was invested enough to suspend disbelief and keep going. The wilderness setting added great tension and atmosphere, and there were definitely some high-stakes, heart-pounding moments.

As for the ending… let’s just say it will definitely spark discussion. I have mixed feelings about a certain twist (no spoilers!), but overall, I appreciated how the story wrapped up and the emotional closure it gave.

If you enjoy:
🌲 wilderness survival
🎬 celebrity/“enemies-to-friends” romance
💔 themes of grief, healing, and second chances

...this one’s worth picking up. A compelling, heartfelt YA with just enough grit and drama to keep you turning the page.

More miss than hit for me, Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni didn't deliver on the romance or the adventure. First, what I thought worked really well was Noni's visual descriptions of the forest, cave, and waterway. It definitely transported me to the wilderness of Australia. Where I failed to connect with was the characters. The male celebrity falls for a normal teen girl trope is often overdone, and rarely written well; Wandering Wild is no exception. The projection from Charlie to Zander felt forced as did their chemistry. I also found the entire premise of the reality TV reveal to be really icky. The ending was just really bleh, and I was glad it was over. The narrators did a great job with what they had.

Thank you Blackstone for the gifted ALC.

An adventure-filled, YA contemporary (clean) romance, high-stakes survival tale.

Zander and Charlie end up in a reality survival show, that neither is particular keen for. They end up stranded in the Australian bush and have to work together in order to survive.

I enjoyed the audiobook version which is narrated well by Nikki Thomas & Heath Miller. Initially I found the accent of Heath a little jarring, although it suited the character of Zander, and it did not impact my engagement with the storyline.

Lynette Noni is a fantastic Australian author, and this story is no exception.

With thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the audio review copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Two narrators alternated telling both Zander's and Charlie's stories in this suspenseful adventure audiobook. Both characters have had some pretty traumatic life experiences neither has fully recovered from, when they are thrown into a reality survival show neither of them wants to be on. The summary of the book from the publishers had me waiting for everything to go "horribly wrong" around every corner, but I'm glad that there was time for survival lessons first. The narrators do a wonderful job expressing both the care and concern for their family and friends, as well as the fear of dying or losing the other, without completely terrifying the reader in the numerous death-defying situations.

The book is definitely heavier on the suspense and adventure than the romance. But there is a balance of risking their lives that is interrupted by reflective or touching moments before the next nail-biting challenge. This was a quick read as I constantly needed to know what was going to happen next. There were enough hints to many of the big life reveals that they were expected, even when the characters had not yet admitted to things out loud. This book is also about the power of friendship and how we try to help our friends in the best ways we know how. It also encourages you to TALK about what is bothering you.

As a seasoned adult reading this story, I struggled with my emotional responses to many of the things happening in the story, making it hard for me to completely believe the realistic nature of the story. But maybe as a teen, I would look past those issues and just fall into the adventure. For example, the physical exertion required to complete almost all of the quests means that a random person who does not exercise or train for many of these adventures just would not be able to do them. No adult in this entire situation thought they should test how well the winner of this competition could swim, climb, repel, or even ask about phobias like small spaces or heights before throwing them into this survival situation. Having attempted many of the things in this book just for fun at various stages in my life, I understand the strength required to even try many of these activities, let alone depend on my skill to survive. As an adult, there were so many possible lawsuits, and incredibly irresponsible adults who were supposed to be looking out for these kids at every turn. That took me out of the story so many times. But emotionally, I was rooting for these two to find support in each other and grow beyond their traumatic pasts. Even with my issues just listed, and some others with spoilers I won't mention, I still overall really enjoyed the book.

I have had this book on hold for a while from a library that had pre-ordered it, but instead, THANK YOU Netgalley and publisher, for allowing me the audiobook in advance! This is my first Lynette Noni book; I was excited about the adventure in the wilderness.

I have never read anything by this author, but I will be looking out for other books they write in the future. I really enjoyed the story as well as the pacing of the story.

When I got the opportunity to get an ARC for the audiobook of Wandering Wild but Lynette Noni, I was stoked for two reasons. First of all, a new Lynette Noni book, but also Heath Miller as an audiobook narrator.

I’ve only ever listen to Heath Miller doing litRPG books where he is doing lots of random voices, so to hear him do just a straight away a book was very different but also really enjoyable. He is definitely one of my go to audiobook narrators. This one did not disappoint.

Wandering Wild is an enemies to lovers, lost in the bush survival style novel. Zander is an actor who needs to recover his image, and Charlie used to be a fan but not so much anymore. While they are doing a survival TV show stuff happens and they get a little stranded in the Australian bush. What could possibly go wrong?

This was just a really good read, it was really enjoyable to listen to. Plus the paperback version we have at the moment at work has pretty pinky purple end pages, so that’s one extra reason to pick one up.

I loved Lynette Nonis writing while reading the prison Healer trilogy so I was really looking forward to reading Wandering Wild. I think I expected to love the characters more, but both fell a bit flat. I do think a middle school audience would enjoy the simplistic romance and reality 'survivor' edge to the plot. Overall I was left wanting more.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing for providing me with the audiobook to review!

Wandering Wild gave me the vibes of Disney's Starstruck with an Australian backdrop and a dash of Bear Grylls adventure. The premise had me intrigued, and the story being set on home soil was an enticing element since so much of the YA contemporary genre is set in the US. Unfortunately, the execution fell quite flat for me.

The more I read, the more the concept felt kind of...icky? This girl developed a parasocial relationship with a movie star only to feel personally betrayed when he did something bad, and now holds resentment towards him like he personally wronged her. I get that Charlie had her own trauma with her mum dying, but it just felt super immature and made their romance hard to buy. It didn't help that Zander was basically into her from the get go, and the whole 'hotshot male celebrity falls for regular teen girl' trope belongs in a 2010s Wattpad story. I'm all for tropes, but the whole romance plot felt a bit outdated and so overdone. If this had offered a fresh perspective or an interesting commentary, I would have been down, but the story ended with no character having undergone any real development. Zander went back to...happily being famous? And yes Charlie realised she wanted to travel, but considering the book took place over a couple of days, I think it's safe to say she could have reached that conclusion in another way without Zander's contribution.

As for the TV adventure plot, I'll be honest, I was so bored. A lot of it was just walking through the wilderness with not much happening. We'd learn some random survival fact, then do some more walking. When Zander and Charlie got stranded together it piqued my interest, but their solo journey lasted for so little of the book and was over in a blink. Also to reveal at the end that people KNEW they were deceiving minors and sending them into the bush to survive on their own? When SO MUCH went wrong? It's absurd to the point of being unbelievable, which completely took me out of the story. I get the whole 'Hollywood producers are ruthless and will do anything for TV success' line of thinking, but to suspend disbelief enough to buy that even Charlie's guardian signed off on this was insane.

The narration was fine, I don't really have criticism or praise. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Australian narrators don't emote that well? I never really felt connected to Charlie or Xander's voices, and while I didn't hate the narration, it didn't suck me in the way I wanted.

I really really wish I had loved this book more, as I adore Lynette Noni's other books, but I think her strength lies in fantasy.

4 Stars ✨

Clean YA Adventure/Romance

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this advanced audio arc of Wandering Wild in exchange for an honest review.


Zander was once an A-list young actor, but one night may have ruined his reputation for good. With his career hanging in the balance, his agent is forced to do damage control to clean up his image. Zander has agreed to do a reality tv show out in the wilderness in Australia, the catch- he will have to work together with one of his fans. Charlie is just a normal teenage girl who can’t stand Zander. Due to her best friends scheming, Charlie finds herself being Zander’s biggest fan on their four day adventure through the wilderness.

I really enjoyed this story! It was unlike any of this authors other books. The characters were likable and the romance was sweet and clean. Wandering Wild explores themes of trust, forgiveness, love and growth. I really enjoyed the way it handled perceptions of others and how true character can really be shown in times of adversity. It’s a simple story, with high stakes adventure- and a twist that will make your heart drop.

Audio 🎧 5/5 Stars ✨
Narrator :
Nikki Thomas and Heath Miller

The narration of this book was great. It was so nice to listen to a book with a different accent. Nikki Millers Australian accent was perfect for this story. Her voice, along with the vivid descriptions really gave it a unique Aussie vibe. Heath Miller also did a great job with Zander’s character. I would definitely recommend the audiobook.

Content ⚠️
-one use of the word SOB
-kissing only
-death of parent
-mention of alcohol and drugs (someone tells a story about a Hollywood party)

4.25 stars

I read this in one sitting it was so bingeable! It was fast paced, had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, plus the narrators were incredible! All that combined made it impossible to put down!

Zander and Charlie I loved! I was scared for their lives every second of the book, but the peaceful moments of connection even the heated in anger parts, they just have this amazing connection!

Not only was this book adventurous, it had emotional elements that had me shedding some tears. Then there were the twists that came one after the other! It was like I couldn’t take a breath before another hit! And the last of them completely left me reeling! I have many emotions about it and I’m not sure I’m over it tbh 🤣, but it ended so wonderfully!

This was my first book by this author and certainly not my last!

This book just wasn't it for me. 2.5 stars.
That is not to say the book is bad, but I just didn't enjoy it.
The characters were okay and decently developed. Zander was definitely the most developed.
Zander was the most relatable, but I still just didn't enjoy much about the story.
Zander and Charlie were a decent couple.
Both are forced together on a survival reality show, and they must survive together. Both grumpy teens will need one another.
I didn't feel that this was a true romance - that may just be me.
The plot fell flat as I mentioned earlier, but it was decently structured.
The pace was okay - I think if I felt more engaged, the pace wouldn't have been bad.
The chemistry wasn't there for me, nor was there a connection.
Give it a shot, you might like it, but friends, I just couldn't get into this one!
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

Over the years, I’ve become a much bigger fan of audiobooks than I used to be—call this the effect of having easier access to audio versions or simply attribute it to the fact that, as an adult, I will be forever grateful for the increased access because it means I can read while also tackling all the annoying adult things (like cleaning!) that crop up in life and need to be done.

All of that to say, I’d already read Lynette Noni’s Wandering Wild at this point, but the moment I saw that an audiobook version was available, I knew I had to request it. Gotta say, I’m incredibly grateful to those in publishing who regularly approve my audiobook requests because you’re the true MVPs for me here. And I just had so much fun listening to Nikki Thomas—yes, accurate accent!—and Heath Miller contribute their voices to bringing these fun characters alive for me.

Their narration truly felt so immersive that I’m positive the only thing left to truly improve this audiobook would be to add some sound effects; I wonder what adding the sound of the helicopter or the wind when they jumped out would do for the immersion?—actually, who needs to be contacted to get that done? Anyway, my full review for the book is below, but I did also just want to include this shout out to the exceptional narrators because I had a blast with the second round of this book.
“The books I write are intended to offer you an escape, and since reality can often get in the way of a good story (annoying!), I had no shame in bending a few truths for entertainment purposes.”

There was a point along my read of Lynette Noni’s Wandering Wild where I highlighted a section of the text and left a comment: And this was the moment I realized I just have to completely suspend my disbelief.

I feel like Noni’s author’s note truly encompasses a lot about how I felt while reading Wandering Wild. But what’s interesting about this is the fact that once I decided the book I was reading was one in which I simply needed to accept that certain rules and understandings I have of the world are just not going to apply to this one, I found I really enjoyed the vast majority of the book. Sure, many of the adventures were rather unrealistic. No, it didn’t make sense at all that Hawke, this experienced mountaineer, would suggest that the untrained people he was supervising should be the first to repel down a significantly high cliff without someone at the bottom. Yeah, the dangers that our lead characters faced were a bit excessive in number. The twist was incredibly silly, sometimes the dialogue got really cheesy, and even the book’s main premise is one that requires a bit of disbelief suspension.

But, did I care? Nah.

Honestly, as I wrap up my experience with this book, I’m genuinely left with only one final thought: if I hadn’t felt like I needed to edit the events of the ending, this probably would have gotten five stars from me. To be clear, when I say this I do not mean the goofy twist. That, ironically, I was all in on and incredibly amused by. What I mean, instead, is the timing of the kiss—<spoiler>should’ve happened in the wild, specifically when Charlie pulled Zander up and right before they heard the helicopter; in fact, the sound of the helicopter should have been the reason the kiss ends early and the reason they don’t get to talk about it is because they need to make it back</spoiler>—and the removal of the manufactured conflict at the end.

I genuinely do believe that this one change mentioned in my spoiler tag is more than enough to create a conflict that would have worked significantly better than the forced drama that a character had to just…make up. And I get the sense that the author sort of knew that her final piece of conflict wasn’t working, didn’t make sense—shown rather obviously in the way that this character instantly regretted the decision.

So, all in all, I’d say this was a pretty entertaining escapist novel that I had a blast reading. The opportunity to have a phenomenal ending was truly missed, but I’m not so fussed about it that I’d write off the entire book.

I really loved this, overall. We need an Ember/Maddox HEA story next for the heartbreaking back stories.

For a YA, why did I cry so much?! Charlie and Xander had so much in common when it comes to the pain and losses they've experienced. Some were predictable (Charlie's mom), but others were not and added some much needed depth to both main characters.

The adventure was traumatic and I would need lots of therapy to recover from that. I am pretty mad for Charlie and Xander that the reality TV aspect was prioritized over a 17 year old's safety, but I also see this as a real-life possibility. Therapy should be strongly encouraged for the main character's after all of this.

My only complaint is one that I have for so many YA books. Might just be a me problem then. There are some really heavy topics that are discussed. YA according to Google is 12 - 16 age range. All ages deal with grieving and loss but I have a hard time thinking of a 12 year old reading about some of the other heavier topics in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this arc!

I really enjoyed this, I did the audiobook and I loved the accents.

I didn’t see that plot twist coming, I do feel it should have been addressed more than it was… I don’t wank to spoil anything, but I would have been HEATED!!

I love how Charlie and Zander were both going through their own struggles and ended up trusting eachother enough, through trying to survive to opening up about what they were struggling with.

I’m glad that Zander wasn’t who she thought he was at the beginning and got to know the truth.

Misunderstandings and assumptions abound in this enemies-to-lovers troupe. Charlie must look past her hate to help her best friend achieve her dream. Will she survive the experience?

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

Audio Review: the narrators for this are perfect, highly recommend

Review: I think those who are within the target age range will love this book. It does a great job of showing how adolcenes and new adults experience very adult problems much earlier than we give them credit for. I enjoyed the wilderness aspects that's the main reason I requested this book. The writing is good, it has witty banter and lines that actually made me laugh. My only downside, is not a fair one but one I want to communicate to other potential readers, it does not translate to adult reading. This premise would make an excellent adult book as well. For YA readers this is a great and heartfelt read. If I had a teen at home I would love for them to read and experience it.

*rating is based on age group

Loved this young adult adventure/romance book. It was entertaining, and kept my interest the whole way through. I enjoyed to plot and the characters. They both showed tons of growth and figured out how to move forward through their personal grief and demons. The ending was really good and would like to see more of these characters in a future book.

The narration was well done and I enjoyed that someone with an actual Australian (or who was really good at emulating one) was used.

I fell in love with Lynette, like most people, through the prison healer trilogy. This new genre of YA romance for her did not disappoint. I loved the complexity of the characters, Zander and Charli. They are both much more than they appear. The journey they embark on, although physically difficult and demanding, seems to challenge them emotionally more than anything. The way they showed up for each other in the darkest moments and in reliving trauma together was absolutely beautiful! The plot twist at the end was icing on the cake too!! Another home run for Lynette Noni!!

The voice actors for the audio book were fantastic, all the way down to making Charli’s authentic Australian accent! Wonderful performance!

Thank you Blackstone publishing and NetGalley for the early copy of the audio and eARC!