This was a unique twist on an action/adventure read and a romance without being solidly in either category. This was not my favorite Christina Lauren book, but it was a fun read to break things up. Parts of the adventures and the resulting actions felt a little out there but the relationship between Leo and Lily was redeeming. Fans of the Christina Lauren duo (and adventure hunters) should add this to their list!

Y’all, this book is soooooo great. It has definitely changed my order of most loved Christina Lauren books. They’re already my most favorite writing duo ever, but this book has set a new bar. It was filled with all the things we’ve come to know and love in their stories: love, laughter, a dash of heartache, romance, and a very happily ever after, yet this one held so much more. There was action, adventure, mystery, and nail biting suspense. Let’s just say, they really take you for an exciting ride on this one. I wasn’t expecting that I would love it as much as I did.

From the breathtakingly beautiful landscape descriptions to the surprising cast of characters, this was one I couldn’t put down. I was dying to know how it was going to turn out. There were definitely twists and surprises along the way. I can’t give this one enough stars. It definitely has something for everyone in it.

Special thanks to NetGalley for this amazing ARC! I truly loved it and can’t wait to add an official copy to my bookshelf.

I really just couldn’t willingly suspend my disbelief on this one. I made it 50 perfect of the way through but just couldn’t continue. I didn’t care where the love interests would go from there, and that was the whole point. This one was just too wild, pardon the pun. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Lily and Leo quickly fell in love and decided to live on a ranch together. However, as quickly as that happened, Leo left town to see about his sick mother and never spoke with Lily again.

Time passed and Leo finds himself going with some other boys on an excursion out west for the weekend. They are going on a westward adventure, just like Butch Cassidy did in the early west. Leo and the other boys find themselves out west and about to go on a trail overnight with two ladies as guides. Leo and Lily have found that they have crossed paths again. The sparkle is rekindled as they embark on this guided tour. Along the journey, Leo finds that his friends weren't who they seemed to be and have other intentions for trying to find a 'lost treaure.'

The journey leads them into some dangerous situations. The reader will find out in the end how it all ties together.

I only gave this book a three because I found the plot took away from the romance that is usually found in her books. I also find the plot rather slow in the middle of the book.

A western romance... that I LOVED?!

Leo and Lily, Lily and Leo, what's not to love about lost flames reuniting?! Leo, the quiet city-boy who dreams of a simpler life with balanced responsibilities and more adventure and Lily, an incredibly independent woman used to rough desert living, find themselves reunited when Leo's friend group takes a trip on one of Lily's hiking excursions. Through SO MANY unexpected twists and turns in their journey, the steam and spice (and desert heat) bring all the passion I love in romances!

Christina Lauren outdid themselves and this one comes with a guaranteed need to re-read! It goes without saying, but I loved it!

This book was not anything like I expected! I am typically the biggest CLO stan, but this book was heavy on the adventure/treasure hunt, and a lot less on the romance. If you're someone who likes big stories, adventure and mystery - with some epic ooey gooey romance - this one's for you! But if you're someone more like me who is a big fan of Christina Lauren's typical romances - you may be a bit disappointed. I absolutely loved the last 40% of the book and was eager to know how it all turned out - and found the twists and turns to be SO much fun! I just wish there was more of a love story here for me to root for! Overall, a completely different type of book that I normally wouldn't have picked up, but I'm happy that I did!!

Eh. Not one of Christina Lauren's better ones. I will probably still buy it since Lauren's books are very popular., but I won't be specifically recommending it.

This is another great book by Christina Lauren. They did a wonderful job at creating suspense and romance throughout the book. I love the story about the money that was stolen and then later left in the canyon of Utah. It was a great story about lost love, misunderstood father, and finding each other again.

Can I just take a moment to *scream* about how much I loved this book?!

I realize the reference might be too old for many (most) of you but this gave me City Slickers vibes in the BEST way! City boys ruffin’ it to be pretend cowboys? Check! Bank robbers, outlaws and treasure maps? Check! Hilarious, sweet and heart pounding moments all at the same time? Major check!

This may be my new favorite romcom bc it was so much more than a romance story. Don’t get me wrong - I’m still swooning *hard* for Leo - but this story also gave me suspense and twists to have my heart racing!

Now that I’ve read a few CLo books (and have enjoyed them all), here are my rankings:

Something Wilder / Love and Other Words
In a Holidaze
The Unhoneymooners
The Soulmate Equation

And as a final note I just need to thank the authors for making me squeal at the end by teaching me the Morse code for my husbands nickname for me. •-•••••-••••

This was my first Christina Lauren book and I’ll be pulling those already on my TBR shelf out to read asap!

This is a second chance romance between Lily and Leo who were torn apart in their 20s but reunited a decade later when he shows up for a her Wild West adventure tour she leads except this time the treasure is real!

This was a good book especially if you like treasure adventures with puzzles and ciphers and all the fun involved. There was mystery, some thrills and a romance with good banter and real emotions. The bad guys are truly bad and in more than one part of the book so it comes full circle. You truly get invested in this story and it was a delight to read!

This was so fun! Christina and Lauren always know how to execute a good slow burn romance, but the adventure backdrop for this one made it extra fun and even really stressful at some parts. I could definitely see it being turned into a rom com adventure movie and fans are going to have such a good time following Lily and Leo on this wild ride.

Something Wilder
by Christian Lauren
Pub Date: May 17, 2022
Simon & Schuster
Thanks to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC. Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of
long-time writing partners/best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings.
As soon as I read the Author's note in the front of the book, I knew I was going to love this book! Keep CL's advice in mind while reading this book and/or traveling the wilds of Utah: " We wrote this book to be a fun, swoon-filled escape from the real world, not to serve as a guide to your own adventure. If you follow our route, you will die, lol."
I don't usually read this genre of book, but I am glad I took a chance with this one.
This book brought me back to the reasons that made me love their earlier novels: lovable characters, steamy chemistry, and something a little unexpected. Fun book!
5 stars

What a wild ride!!! I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book (or stayed up so late reading bc I couldn’t put it down). If you’re in need of an epic adventure — mark your calendar for the release of SOMETHING WILDER on May 17th!

When Lily’s famous treasure-hunting father, Duke Wilder, leaves her with nothing — she gets resourceful with his legacy, taking tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah using Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps. But when one trip goes horribly wrong, Lily begins to think maybe her father was right about the hidden treasure all along.

Major disclaimer for this book‼️ If you need a plot to be realistic to enjoy it, this isn’t the book for you. However, if you’re able to just roll with it and let go of reality, this book is an absolute blast to read.

READ IF YOU LOVE:
- National Treasure (movies)
- Indiana Jones (movies)
- second chance romance

Some Christina Lauren books work for me, some fall flat. This one was in the flat category. I liked the two main characters, I loved the setting. It was great to have a rough and tumble outfitter organization run by two women. It had all the components of a good story, but for me, it just didn't get there. And I can't say why, both for fear of spoilers, but also, I just don't know. It lacked something real to me.

Something Wilder is Christina Lauren’s newest novel releasing May 17th. This book takes place in the southwest, in a place I long to go back to, the canyons of Utah. Lily Wilder is the daughter of a world-renowned treasure hunter and archaeologist, Duke Wilder. But like most children, she has bitter feelings about how her father’s adventures took away from her childhood. Now, years after his death, her dreams are broken, she is broke, still recovering from the breakup of a boy 10 years ago, and is literally at the end of the road trying to make major life-changing decisions.

Leo Grady is heartbroken, uninspired, and lost after realizing that his sister, who he’s cared for since their mother died, no longer needs him. He, at the young age of 32, is experiencing empty nesters syndrome. When he finds out that his annual guys' trip involves riding horses, something he hasn’t done in decades with the girl who stole his heart and left him, he is less than excited to be unplugged and in the wilderness.

Yes, the two are past lovers who abruptly ended it without any explanations. And the boys' trip is Lily’s adventures business. Enough said?

No, because this novel isn’t just a rom-com about reconciling lovers. It’s a treasure hunt.

The story of Butch Cassidy runs deep in Lily’s Adventures trail ride. It’s who Duke was chasing. The legend goes that Butch robbed all these banks and then buried the money, somewhere along this very trail. And in various communities of Duke’s, people are mad that his journals were not left to anyone they deemed “worthy.” With the journal in Lily’s grasp and this boys' trip not as it seems, Lily and Leo not only have to determine whether they’re friend or foe, but who is on their side.

This novel is an adventure on all levels. I’ve always enjoyed Christina Lauren’s writing and this being my third read of theirs, I’m just as impressed. Each story is unique and that is what I enjoyed about this novel. The storyline is nothing I’ve ever read before. It may be romance but it’s an adventure and it’s a thriller and there are just so many different plots that all work together to keep you strapped into the story. I was as invested in the romance plot as I was in the adventure of treasure hunting. I particularly enjoyed this brief history of Butch Cassidy; it’s something that I haven’t read worked into a novel before, leaving this book fresh.

This novel is very plot-driven more than its character-driven. Though I enjoyed (but maybe didn’t like) all the characters I wasn’t particularly attached to them. I didn’t see myself in any one character, which made it hard to invest in them. But I do think this was made up with how thoroughly invested I was in the plotline. I wanted to know if the things existed that they were searching for. And with that, I will say no more, for fear of spoilers. 😉

The action/adventure that came with this story was a fun, different approach for CL. It was enjoyable to read at first, then I sort of skimmed through the end once I realized love story portion of the book resolved itself in a way. Still fun to read!

Much thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest review!

I just closed this book with the biggest grin on my face! What a ride!!

Lily and Leo are young lovers with their whole lives together, until circumstances separate them for a decade. It's now 10 years later and Leo unknowingly ends up on one of Lily's cowboy expeditions as part of his annual guy's trip. They're now stuck together with no cell phones, rugged conditions, and a whole lot of unresolved conflict.

However, this adventure turns into something insanely unexpected. A legitimate treasure hunt, filled with danger, betrayal, and death ensues. The two are grappling with their feelings while also trying to stay alive.

I can't even fathom how much I loved this book! I had NO idea it would turn into such an adventure, so everything took me completely by surprise and I ate it all up. It was insanely fun reading about the treasure hunt and surviving the wilderness.

The love story between Lily and Leo was just an absolute bonus!

This was great! So different than C.Lo’s other books, as they venture into romantic suspense. I really enjoyed Lily Wilder's bravery -- both physically as she trekked through the harsh terrain of Utah's Canyonlands and emotionally, as she revisits a relationship that ended badly the first time.

This book was so fun. Action, adventure in the desert and of course romance. Everything that you have come to expect from CLo and more. Of course I loved the witty banter and was laughing throughout the book. but I also enjoyed the treasure hunt that you go on with Lily and Leo. It just added more and I feel like I just got done traveling even though I finished the book two days ago. I will say this book was more adventure than romance; its more of a side plot. Honestly though, this book was a breath of fresh air and I loved all the little twists and turns. A solid 4.5 stars for me and Ill be recommending it to everyone. The perfect summer read!

Something Wilder is like no other Christina Lauren book which came before it...and I would know because I've read them all.

This is part adventure, part mystery, part thriller, and, sure, part romance, but mostly that other stuff.

The Good: I read the entire thing in one day so it's definitely readable.

The Bad: It's lacking all of the fun and humor of a classic CLo book. I never would have known who the authors were if I had been handed this book without a cover.