Much thanks to PRHAudio for a complimentary audio copy and NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really, really enjoyed this enemies to lovers workplace romance between primatologist Lucy and reality tv star Kai who get thrown together when Kai and his film crew are hired to promote Lucy's zoo. Lucy was an easy character to love! I enjoyed that she was so career-focused and wasn't afraid to admit she didn't want children. The chemistry between Lucy and Kai was also sizzling and I enjoyed how they were able to bond over shared toxic parental relationships. Full of humor and heart, this was great on audio and recommended for fans of books like An unexpected paradise by Chelsea Curto. It was also really refreshing to read about a career I haven't seen much in romance books! The gorillas definitely stole the show in this book as far as I was concerned!

OK, this was adorable. A primate keeper with intense stage fright meets a wildlife TV host who is filming at her zoo. They do NOT a get along at first, but eventually bond over bad parents, gorillas, and weird animal facts (did you know that female hyenas have a pseudo penis? 😂). Definitely recommend.

This is unlike any romcom I have ever read. It was absolutely HILARIOUS. (“Swear it on birthday cake Oreos” is my new favorite saying!)

Lucy was an awesome MC. I love reading about workaholic woman that know what they want and do whatever it takes to get there.

I loved Kai. He was such a spitfire! And how they met was so cringy and funny. Learning more about the animals and how zoos work was really cool. I had no idea all of the work and hours that go into making it possible for the public to see and meet wildlife. I also have so much more sympathy for the zoo keepers that have to teach all of those kids!!!

The writing was great! I can’t wait to see what else this author writes.

I loved the Wedding Ringer and this one as well.

I love watching shows about zoos and zookeepers with their animals. It is such an amazing job to care for an exotic, endangered animal.

A romance between the very competent career driven keeper and the host of the wildlife docuseries. Well he's the son of her idol and she can't wait to meet him but then after he makes a bad impression she does the same back.

I will say once they got into a good working relationship their crazy animal, bug facts was superb. I'm definitely a person that says something absurd when it gets to personal or I get uncomfortable.

They both had issues with their childhood. Not everyone is meant to be a parent or was the right time for them unfortunately. Especially for Lucy as she sees her little sister get the childhood of her dreams. It causes her to ignore her mother and not get close to her half sister.

I love when families get a second chance though it will take awhile to get to a good place. Whereas, some are just toxic and you have to cut out.

Thank you berkleyromance and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Short Review: Fully loaded with hilarious dialogue, animal facts, and some wild sizzle and spice. This book is fearless, feminist, and wildly wonderful.

Long Review: World, meet gorilla zookeeper Lucy, who hates public speaking, adores wildlife, and is the strong and career driven female we all want to be our bestie. I really loved meeting Lucy. I identified so much with her. Oh and let's not forget, Kai. He's just your average swoon-worthy, wildlife, television star-extraordinaire who gets on Lucy's last nerve.

Sparks soon fly, but it's not all roses. Lucy is soon faced with some hard self-reflections on life, love, and family dynamics. I did not expect to cry reading this book, but oh man it packs a punch. It totally hit me in the feels. Get it on your must read list. Just bring the tissues.

I absolutely loved The Wedding Ringer so Lucy On the Wild Side has been one of my more anticipated books this year. I’m happy to say I loved it just as much!

Lucy is a primate keeper looking to get her next promotion. She chooses to be child free which played a part in her last relationship ending. Her zoo is is set to film On The Wild Side with Kai Bridges which will be great publicity for them. They have a not so meet cute encounter or two before having to work together. Their banter was so good and the weird animal facts they threw at each other were really out there. I loved how Kai helped Lucy see so much more of herself and how she supported him in return.

The ending pulled at my heart strings in so many ways and I cannot wait to get my hands on more Kerry Rea books!

Thank you @berkleyromance @prhaudio for a copy of Lucy on the Wild Side. This was a fun enemies to lovers, work Place romance. Lucy is extremely devoted to the zoo and her love of gorillas. I don't know how many times the author talked about her obsession with Kai's mom who wrote a book about gorillas and it got to be a bit much. I enjoyed seeing Lucy's growth in the story and the romance development. The subplot with both Lucy and Kai's issues with their mother added a deeper element to the book. Overall, a fun enjoyable read.

The narrator did a great job with Lucy and expressed her love for gorillas.

This was such a sweet, fun romcom. I really enjoyed the relatable characters and setting in this one. Lucy is the primate keeper at the Columbus zoo. She would love to work her way up in her job. She loves her gorillas, and also loves her reality TV. When she finds out that Kai Bridges, the host of Animal Planet's docuseries "ON THE WILD SIDE", is going to be filming at her zoo, she is excited and thinks this could help her receive the promotion that she's wanted. When her and Kai meet, she realizes that she is nervous about being on camera, and definitely says some hilarious things.

I loved both of these main characters, and loved how they connected. I also enjoyed the fun facts about primates that I didn't know. There are also a fantastic cast of side characters that really add to the story. This one has some steam, but nothing crazy. I really enjoyed this one and cannot wait to read more by this author.


Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my. Out Sept. 13.

This was a fabulous book with a relatable and likable main character, who wasn't perfect and made some mistakes but she grew and learned from those mistakes by the end of the novel. Her reasons behind some of her actions made sense to me, knowing what we did about her childhood but I was pleased to see her progress through the novel. I liked that she was realistically portrayed as someone with anxiety, especially toward being in front of people because I have the exact same fears. Also, Kai, who was dealing with his own childhood traumas, was wonderful. This was a well-written, sweet romance with a lot of character development and growth and I loved it. I would definitely recommend this book to contemporary romance readers or just anyone who loves a feel-good story. 5 stars

Kerry Rea is wonderful at writing slightly broken people. I loved her first book and her second novel is a worthy follow up. Lucy is Rourke is a junior primate keeper working with her beloved gorillas. She works tirelessly and is always willing to go above and beyond for her animals care. She is competing for her dream job as senior keeper at the beautiful Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Kai Bridges is host of an Animal Planet tv show called On the Wild Side. His mother is a famous for working with gorillas and is Lucy’s inspiration for her life’s work.

Things get off to a bumpy start between the two MCs. Everything is told from Lucy’s POV and she often misreads others motives especially Kai’s. Her immaturity at first made me question if she really has a college degree and has been in a relationship before. She does and has been. But Kai needs his tv show to work and Lucy needs to do well to stay in the running for her promotion. Big problem for Lucy is she has terrible stage fright.

The romance is funny, sweet and caring. They have banter telling each other horribly odd animal facts that are hilarious. I also like that this time around the author opens the door and shows some intimacy between the MCs. Side characters are important to the story too. Best friends, family and co-workers all get some attention. And big shout out for teaching me more about primates and their care in zoos.

In Rea’s first novel, The Wedding Ringer, I a side story is heartbreaking (the realizing that the MC has forever lost her best friend) and almost as important as the romance. Again I was very touched by the side story of Lucy and her mom and half sister Mia. Lucy and Kai both have mother issues. Lucy really needs some professional counseling to work through her relationship and I’m surprised Nona the cardiac surgeon never got it for her. But I am happy to get some progress in Lucy’s complex family dynamics.

I will absolutely look forward to the authors next novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Romance with science!

In this case, the study of primates and other animals. Lucy and Kai, the hero and heroine, crash through a good deal of this book with pretty big chips on their shoulders, but there was enough banter and narrative humor to keep it this side of awful bickering, which I'm not a fan of.

When the two start communicating, and the reasoning behind their emotional prickliness emerges, I was solidly glued to the pages. And all along the descriptions of the animals, concerns about them, particularly paired with climate concerns, were just dynamite. Rea did what I thought a terrific job of making our characters aware of concerns without stopping the story in order to bang the drum. The result was layered and poignant.

If you love animals, workplace romances/enemies to lover trope, then this is a great pick for you!!

A rom-com set in a zoo....what a unique setting!!

I didn’t know I loved gorillas until after I read this book. They are so full of emotions and you learn to understand them through Lucy’s work at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium. You’ll also learn some gross animal facts that you could have probably lived without ever knowing :)

I loved that Lucy is a little awkward, but always herself no matter what her surroundings. She can be assigned to gorilla poop-scoop duty or attend a fundraiser to encourage donors to write big fat checks to the zoo, Lucy never strayed far from who she is....even sometimes wearing her “uniform” to the party functions at the discontent of her boss/best friend.

Saying that Lucy is an introvert is putting it mildly and of course, I loved this about her since I could relate to her so easily.

She is a workaholic and pushes herself outside her comfort zone in an effort to be promoted to a job that she has always wanted, senior keeper at the zoo. I’m sure most introverted bookworms will be able to relate!

All is going well at the zoo when Kai Bridges, host of On the Wild Side, enters the story. He is at the zoo to show viewers on his show the magic of wildlife starting with filming at Lucy’s zoo!! Lucy is camera shy by the way, so this does not make her happy at all!

I’ll just say that the relationship between Lucy and Kai is a rocky one and the banter is both fun and phenomenal, oh and the slow burn is so worth the wait!! I’m not going to give any spoilers here; you’ll just have to read it!!

The book does include some more serious subject matters such as parental neglect and wildlife conversation. I loved the way Kerry Rea was able to weave these issues into her master storytelling.

This is the first book I've read by this author, but I am anxious to read her first book which was published in 2021.

While I really liked The Wedding Singer last year, I absolutely loved this new book by Kerry Rea!

Lucy doesn’t have it all together, she shows up to events wearing khakis instead of dresses, probably as animal poop on her somewhere, and she loves her job with a passion we can only wish we had in our career.

Kai looks like he has it all together, he has a successful TV show, 5 million Instagram followers, a mother that is reknown for her work with gorillas, and he also has nightmares keeping him awake and checks in on Lucy at 3am because he worries about her.

This is a slow burn, work place romance, where Kai and Lucy don’t exactly start off on the right foot. But baby gorillas, working through their fears, mommy issues (because honestly everyone having daddy issues is over done sometimes), enough gross animal facts to meet your quota for a while, and a 90 Day Fiancé marathon all help them come together in the sweetest and funny ways. And they way they even stick up for each other and help each other heal when they don’t know the other is looking. Swoon. Kai and Lucy are so fun together and everyone needs to read their love story.

Thank you to berkley romance for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Junior Zoo Keeper, Lucy Rourke, specializes in gorillas; she gets along with them better than most people. From her early childhood after being essentially abandoned by her mother, Lucy has lived in a world all about the primates inspired by a Jane Goodall type heroine whose book she devoured. Lucy’s main goal in life is to become a senior keeper at the Ohio Zoo where she works. Saying that Lucy is a workaholic is putting it mildly, since her job is her life. Lucy is all about her charges with the only issue for her is interacting with public which is very painful but part of the job. When Lucy learns that a high-profile wild animal show will being filming at her zoo with a wildly popular Steve Irwin type host, Kai Brigdes, she is thrilled that this will help showcase her beloved gorillas. Kai just happens to be the son of her life hero, the famous Dr. Kimber whom she idolizes.

Kai immediately puts Lucy on the defensive and then later he overhears her telling some coworkers a very disparaging story of their first encounter so that sets up quite a tense situation with Lucy’s stage fright becoming a challenge between them. Once Lucy realizes she and Kai have more in common than she thought, and he truly cares for the wildlife he represents, things get better. Lucy has a lot of hang-ups and deals with them by binging reality shows, avoiding her half-sister and mother who is trying to be part of her life now, and spending as much time with the primates as possible.

As Kai and Lucy work together, she begins to reevaluate her life’s choices and goals figuring out that successes do not mean the joy she has been seeking. Kai has his own family baggage to deal with and after they become friends with benefits, things slowly start to change for both of them. Lucy has much to overcome in order find a healthy and balanced life while Kai has some important decisions to make about his career as well. Whether they can do it together will require a lot of effort on both their parts.

The book does overdose to some extent on the pop culture references to its detriment perhaps although is clear the reality TV helps Lucy emotionally engage in a way she does not have the skills for in real life. Lucy’s resentment and anger towards her family drag the story a bit, and her early on rough treatment of Kai despite his efforts to help her achieve her goals. I enjoyed aspects of this story such as Lucy and Kai when they were having fun and especially the behind the scenes look at the working in a zoo.

I went into this book completely blind! I didn't even read the synopsis. OMG I loved it so much. There was even a point where I cried. I usually never get too emotional when I read books but I couldn't help myself with this one. Its absolute perfection, such beautiful writing!
Enemies to Lovers
The banter
The quirky personalities
Slow Burn - like 50% of the book slo burn
complicated family dynamics
Total Cinnamon Roll hero
Set in a zoo with animals all through the book
I loved this book! Highly Recommend

Lucy loves nothing more than the gorillas she cares for at the zoo. Her latest goal is to get the promotion to head keeper. When Kai and his film crew arrive to film, that dream sees farther away than ever. She hates being on camera, and so far, she pretty much hates Kai. which obviously means the two will be forced to work closely together for the forseeable future.

Ok while reading this book all I could think about was @beyondthebookends and @cassiebartelme working at the zoo! Though Lucy never got lion pee in her mouth. (Jaguar? I cant remember!) The idea of a rom com set in a zoo was so different, but also so perfect. I really enjoyed both Lucy and Kai and that they were able to bond over their childhood issues. I thought this one was fun but with just the right amount of seriousness!

Ok, I ultimately enjoyed this one but it took a while to get there.

I definitely did not love Lucy at first. She was a bit whiny about only wanting to be with her gorillas/working all the time, and her constant complaints about her mom (though warranted, just how she sounded was grating). Lucy’s character arc and change in thought process comes so late. But of course it’s just in time to ride off into the sunset.

I liked her relationship with Kai, how it went from enemies to friends to more. How they supported each other in work and life. I would have loved to see a bit more about Kai and his mom, but since the book is about Lucy that makes sense to leave it.

Overall, this one was just ok and perhaps my dislike was because I actually listened to it and the character’s narration out loud bothered me.

Lucy is a fierce yet camera shy zoo keeper who has a deep passion for preserving critically endangered species, primarily gorillas. During her project, the annoyingly handsome Kai Bridges, TV show host for On the Wild Side, comes to her zoo to film. Of course, she thinks everything is about show ratings and what have you, but discovers they’re more alike than different.

A love story intertwined with saving and caring for baby gorillas? Say what? Rea did a lovely job executing a workplace romance with characters who had their own family issues, and really brought the environmental conservation aspect to life. Such a delight!

Lucy Rourke is a junior zoo keeper and loves her job taking care of her gorilla troop. If she could have it her way she'd change nothing about her job, except for getting that promotion she's been aiming at. Soon she has an opportunity to show her boss that she is up for the promotion when TV hot shot Kai Bridges wants to film Lucy and her crew with the gorilla habitat.

Lucy and Kai start off on the wrong foot and it only gets worse there. Lucy doesn't have the best time public speaking and she abhors the camera. Kai and Lucy get on each others last nerves, until they realize they have a lot of similarities. Will they try to make a relationship work between them, even knowing full well that Kai is set to leave at the end of filming?

After reading the synopsis of Lucy on the Wild Side I knew to expect an enemies-to-lovers rom-com, but I didn't expect to also feel so much for these characters. I loved every secondary character in this book from Lucy's grandmother to her half-sister. I was invested in this story and wanted these characters to end up happier than when we first met them.

Kai and Lucy had such great chemistry. And wowza (see what I did there ;) did Kerry bring the heat in this book 🔥🔥. I loved this delicious slow burn. These two characters were so funny and likable and yet they each had so much trauma to get past. They were so patient, kind and understanding of each others feelings and that made me root for them even more!

I loved Kerry's debut The Wedding Ringer when I read it last year and was really anticipating Lucy on the Wild Side and I have to say - if you haven't read Kerry's writing yet - please change that.

If you're looking for a rom-com filled with a lot of heart, I highly recommend adding Lucy on the Wild Side to your tbr!

CW: parental neglect, anxiety (public speaking), death of a beloved animal

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an ARC copy of Lucy on the Wild Side!

This book had great potential to be a fun, quirky, rom-com, but instead of making the MC a "cute" quirky, it came across and immature. At some points I felt like I was reading a YA story instead of an adult rom-com. The MC also comes across as judgmental, and the initial relationship she has with her little sister really left a bad taste in my mouth.

The trauma that both leads experienced revealed later in the book did give the book some depth, but the forced feel of the enemies to lovers trope was hard to come back from.

Cute read, but overall felt very forced from start to finish with some over the top "cheese."