I read everything Christina Lauren writes - I love their style and I always look forward to a new release. I was thrilled to get a chance to read this book in advance of its release and I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint! I love a second chance romance, but I really loved everything happening in this book. From the Wild West setting, to the treasure hunt, to the suspense thrown in. This book felt like Christina Lauren really leveled up as a team. This book makes our summer reading list for sure!

I want to start this review by stating that I am a huge Christina Lauren fan and have read 7 of their books. That being said, Something Wilder is my favorite. I was expecting the usual fun, quirky romance but this novel was different. It definitely is a romance and has all of their usual humor but I wasn’t expecting the adventure and thriller-like twists. I couldn’t put this book down and finished it quickly in a weekend. Hands down -5 stars!

Lili Wilder falls in love with Leo in their early 20s -this is true earth-shattering love, but the two of separated by unforeseen circumstances. Lili was raised by the renowned treasure hunter Duke Wilder who would leave for extended periods in search of adventure. Lili resented Duke’s absences and his insistence that she decoded messages and complete challenges created by him. However, Lili finds herself a decade later running a treasure hunting experience for those wealthy enough to afford such a trip (a girl has to make a living). Enter Leo -who after all of these years has not forgotten or stopped loving Lili. Leo and his college pals go on a weeklong trip each year. This year they will go on a real cowboy adventure looking for the lost treasure of Butch Cassidy. This is where the real adventure begins.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Christina Lauren, and Simon and Schuster Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy for this honest review.

At first glance, you think you're going to read a typical CLo second-chance, romance, but that's where you'd be wrong. Out of all the Christina Lauren books I've read, this one felt totally different. It almost reads as a western suspense romance. It felt completely unexpected from them and reminded me of the movie City Slickers, but with romance. Just when you think you've got it figured out, there's another twist or turn.

I liked that there was no miscommunication between the two MCs, once they reconnected, and there was no third act break-up. The story is more about their adventure, but with enough romance to call it a romance.

Overall, it was fun and kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed reading it. 4.5 Stars.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Second, I will read any Christina Lauren book you put in front of me. It's a fact.

Third, this is neither my favorite or least favorite of their books. It was mostly just fine. I didn't expect the adventure plot to be so wild and twisty. I think there was definitely a point where the twists went off the rails and was a twist too far, but I'm sure some readers will be delighted by it. The romance was OK. It all felt really predictable and under developed, and the second chance swoon wasn't for me.

So, between 3-4 stars for me, but I'm rounding up for the pretty scenery and a good treasure hunt.

I love that Christina Lauren places another of their books in Utah. The setting is the beautiful and desolate red rock Canyonlands in southern Utah. Lily Wilder runs a western adventure camp. She takes wanna be cowboys on horseback into the canyons to experience life on the trail. As part of the experience there are puzzles and clues to discover a to a fake treasure. Her father was Duke Wilder, a famous treasure hunter. He’s been gone for seven years now and this job pays the bills and lets her keep her horses but with nothing left over. Her family ranch is up for sale and the owner is giving her first chance to purchase it. The next tour group arrives and she shockingly her first and only true love Leo Grady is among the four men. He works in IT in NYC and has never gotten over Lily.

Instead of a typical CL rom-com this is a treasure hunting adventure romance. There are clues, maps and bad guys all after the treasure they think Duke found. Both Lily and Leo are great. I like that they quickly clear up the reasons they separated twelve years earlier. Leo decides early on he isn’t blowing this second chance at love even though their lives seem worlds apart. The adventure is good, with twists and turns looking for clues left behind by Duke. It isn’t written in a way for the reader to solve the clues but instead to watch the characters figure things out. I found the adventure great fun and can imagine how enjoyable it was for the authors to write. The only downside for me is that you never see Lily and Leo coming together when they were younger. You just have to accept their love as a given. So I didn’t feel as invested in their relationship as a couple in the beginning. There are a couple of limited flashbacks to when they were already a together. But you don’t know how they met up or started dating.

I recommend this romantic adventure and will continue to look out for any future books by the author. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When an author says "this book is totally different", I listen. I go into the reading with an open mind and a reminder to myself that they said up front this book is not the same. This book is not the same. It's setting in the national parks of Utah is completely different than anything that I have read from CLo. The adventure/treasure hunt story line takes a little bit of the front of the stage. Again, not what we usually get. But the second chance love story that happens through the race and twists and turns of the adventure is exactly what we want from CLo. It just doesn't take center stage.

I loved the setting. I am a cowboy romance lover at heart and this book fit that need in me and also hit all of the feels that I want from CLo. I loved the cast of characters. I enjoyed the bad guys and the adventures. I loved the clever plot twists and the external conflicts that allowed Lily and Leo to come together as people instead of big internal struggles. I openly admit to being a Christina Lauren fan from the beginnings of the Beautiful series and have read with them as they have grown as authors. So when they said, this is different, but this is what we needed to write. I let them have that and loved it just the same.

2.5⭐️

Something Wilder really felt like an action adventure, treasure hunting book - with a side of romance. So, I guess I was taken by surprise! You guys know I LOVE a great mystery and I read a couple every month, but this just didn’t do it for me. Too much Wild West (I swear if I hear the name Butch Cassidy again, I might scream), too many weird twists, some plot holes, and questionable moral moments all had me distracted.

Beneath the surface, there was a great second chance romance between Leo and Lily. CLo’s writing is easy to read as always and I appreciate their creativity. I truly think it would really make an incredible movie plot. There are many very positive reviews out there from reviewers I trust, so PLEASE go check those out!

If you are hoping for an action adventure story, set in the Wild West, with a side of romance, then this is the book for you!! I moved it up an extra half star for a great ONE SLEEPING BAG scene 💫

This book was WILD and definitely took some turns I was not expecting. While there were some parts that I don't think really worked, I did enjoy the escape that this story provided.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱

• second chance romance

• Indiana Jones vibes

• the setting - loved the descriptions of nature and the canyons of Utah

• the humor - definitely some laugh out loud moments

• Walter and Nicole - great friends to Lily and Leo and also very funny in their own ways; each had a very unique personality

• the fun puzzles

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗵𝗵𝗵

• the Lost Boys - I’ve got some questions

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was a lot of fun. It had everything - romance- mystery - comedy.

It was a nice, easy, fun read. Perfect for a beach read!

I always enjoy Christina Lauren books, and this one did not disappoint. It was certainly a trip from their usual, but in a good way. Fun and interesting mystery, with long lost lovers thrown in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

I typically enjoy a fun, predictable happy ending - but I just never got on board with this one. Too cheesy, too cliché, too stereotypical. I never set out to recommend this to my students, this was a personal choice for myself. The content is certainly too mature for my classroom. Even so, I wouldn’t recommend this my friends or reading groups. I had to force myself to finish it.

I enjoyed this love/adventure and the chase for treasure! Although this was not what I was expecting of Christina Lauren, I enjoyed something different. The added aspect of a treasure hunt with lost love found made for a great read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't get into it. This was my first Christina Lauren, and it's just not for me. It felt like it was written by two people passing a notebook back and forth.

Lily Wilder is a down-on-her-luck wild west adventure guide who is barely making ends meet. She is also still heartbroken over a summer fling that only lasted for a few months over a decade ago. She reconnects with her old flame during an adventure trip and things take a turn for the dangerous. Everything ends wrapped in a neat little bow.

The puzzle aspect was interesting, but ultimately underwhelming. The chemistry between characters was forced and lackluster. I feel like some of the horses had more personality than the side characters.

They did it again! Such a fun adventure. Who doesn’t love treasure, romance, and mystery. The characters are well written and fun!

One of the reasons I love these ladies is that they want to challenge themselves, and this one was complex. For me, it would have been a nonstarter. As a reader, however, I had a blast following this second chance romance on a treasure hunt in Wyoming. The reveals had me shook. The romance was swoon-worthy. I genuinely cared for the characters, and I cried towards the end. A beautiful outcome! Again, these two are always slam dunks, but I will be pushing this into customers' hands, believing it is one of their more accessible stories for new CL readers.

📖 Something Wilder
By Christina Lauren 💫
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Treasure hunting, second chance romance, funny, adventurous - ugh this book was just down right a good time. Nothing too deep or meaningful but also, just something that hits the mood PERFECTLY. I truly loved this read and couldn’t put it down!

This book started right from the get go with this crave for an adventure. The entire time I read this, I felt like I was experiencing everything first hand myself. I enjoyed also how it felt realistic. They do such a good job of getting their research and information figured out before writing. You never feel like it is just thrown together or ever rushed. No, Christina Lauren experiences these things and puts time and effort into creating something visually pleasing for the readers.

For a plot that has massive potential for being cheesy, or even hard to visualize - they did an impeccable job involving the reader. I laughed and enjoyed every once of this book! Cannot wait for their next adventure!

Definitely a City Slickers meets National Treasure book! I loved that Christina Lauren went outside of their regular rom-coms and presented readers with this sweet and exciting story. Lily’s love of her life walked out of her life a decade ago and she hasn’t heard from or seen him since until he shows up with his friends at her adventure camp in the wilds of Utah. Leo hasn’t seen Lily in 10 years, but when he is confronted with the fact that she’s leading the adventure his friends booked, he realizes he has never stopped loving her. The book progresses from just Lily’s routine adventure camp to actually hunting for real treasure her father may have found. There is excitement, adventure, love, family, and friendship. I really enjoyed this book and felt like I was watching an exciting western as I flipped the pages. If you enjoy the beautiful description of Utah canyons and desert matched with adventure, a love story, and long lost treasure, this is the book for you!!

Ho. Ly. Crap.

It's one of those books that make you hate responsibilities that keep you from reading and skip sleep so you can finish.

It's definitely different from other CL novels, but it's so fun. Suspenseful, adventurous, and a smidge of heat. Just delightful.

Christina Lauren....this was unexpected! Typically writers of romance, and don't get me wrong - there is plenty of romance happening here - but this was nearly a thriller....a mystery that kept me turning pages at lightning speed! Well done!