Thank you @ReadForeverPub and @Netgalley for the #gifted ARC of SOMETHING WILD & WONDERFUL!

I adored Anita Kelly’s debut romance, LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS, so I was thrilled when I found out they had a new book coming out and then when I received a galley of it.

Once again, Anita Kelly has written the most beautiful queer love story. I loved how Alexei and Ben fell for each other after a chance encounter on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Both men are complete precious cinnamon rolls and must be protected at all costs!

Both Alexei and Ben have their respective traumas from their pasts and watching them communicate and navigate around those traumas together was so touching. This is just the most tender romance. Swoon!

SOMETHING WILD & WONDERFUL comes out on March 7!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5369394584
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CpX5iV0JwO1/

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! If you love sweet, queer romances, IMMEDIATELY READ AND BUY THIS BOOK. This book is soft, quiet, swoony, angsty perfection. I LOVED this book so much, there is no way I can do it justice in a short review, but here we go. Ben and Alexei meet on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), both hiking to move on from very different past trauma. There is an immediate attraction, but can they make this new relationship work with their very different lives? The beauty and imagery of the plot point of these characters meeting on a gorgeous, challenging trail really works. The character's past trauma is sad, but the lessons learned are poignant and beautiful. I cried a lot in the last quarter of the book, but in a good way because I was just so moved by the character progression and ending. The dual point of view works so well here because Ben and Alexei are really different, but they’re both so likable and kind. This book has a great pace, and the author is a great writer. This is definitely one of the best books I have read this year. I am getting teary just thinking about how much I loved this book. I truly have no criticisms of this book, and I will hear none either :) I recommend this book for fans of Anita Kelly, queer romances, nature, and sweet love stories.

Genre/tropes: fiction, queer romance, forced proximity
CW/TW: anxiety, homophobia, religious bigotry

Alexei and Ben first meet as they’re traversing the Pacific Crest Trail. Alexei’s the quiet, introverted type whereas Ben is the social butterfly. After Alexei saves Ben from a near catastrophe - stepping on a rattlesnake - Ben ditches the group he was temporarily traveling with to walk the trail with Lex. They travel well together; their companionship based on mutual respect and appreciation for each other’s idiosyncrasies.

This is such a beautiful and thoughtful story. Alexei’s on the PCT to reinvent himself after coming out to his uber religious family who’ve rejected him, and cut off all contact. Alexei has to reconcile his feelings for his parents, and for the church he once found solace in. Ben who’s never been the greatest student is on the PCT before he starts his career as a nurse.

The most poignant moments come via the letter writing. Alexei writes to his family and sister. He and Ben write to each other. Their vulnerabilities are laid bare and pure. It made me teary-eyed, and also want to envelope them in a massive hug.

I can’t express to you how in love I am with this novel! Kelly hit it out of the park with last year’s, 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 & 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, and they did again here! (Speaking of, London and Dahlia from LAOD appear here.) I also loved looking up pictures of the PCT and its landmarks as Alexei and Ben came across them. Honestly, this book about love, self-acceptance, and found family deserves an entire cluster of stars.

Thank you @ NetGalley & @readforeverpub for my ARC. This is my honest review.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 & 𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 is available March 7th.

I am astounded by how much I adored this lovely romance by Anita Kelly. I had enjoyed Kelly's previous book, but there was something about the use of the Pacific Crest Trail as a device for characters to work out their own demons as well as fall in love that really feels like something special.

I've read and seen Cheryl Strayed's Wild which is about as close as I have ever wanted to get to hiking the Trail. However, the way that Kelly describes the trail and the hike here was absolutely lovely and surprised me by how engaging and interesting a love story could be on the trail. Both Ben and Alexei have their own issues to work through and I loved how they both help each other and how their journeys on the trail inform their past as well as their future.

I was particularly drawn to Alexi's story and trauma, recently coming out to his religious parents as gay and working through that on the trail only to meet up with human golden retriever Ben, who, having just passed his nursing exams, is taking the time on the trail to reflect about what he wants from life (as well as maybe delaying his future).

The chemistry Alexei and Ben have is just so wonderful and I loved every minute of being on the trail with them. In the Author's Note, Kelly talks about how they have also hiked the trail and you can feel the love they have for the experience on every page of this book.

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Alexei, after coming out to and being disowned by his parents, begins his journey of solitude on the Pacific Coast Trail to become a better version of himself. The plan is to hike alone anyway, until he saves a passing hiker from stepping on a rattlesnake. Ben, no longer a stranger, seems to pull people into his orbit, Alexei included - as the two merge and continue their journey together, they form a bond that goes beyond anything Alexei has ever experienced.

THIS BOOK. I was completely blown away by the careful crafting of this emotional journey. I was immediately drawn to Alexei, and his struggle to find a place in an upturned world. This sweet neurodivergent man who is unlearning the hatred of himself as a gay man, and trying to find his faith again is also trying his best to open up.

Ben, who grew up with a family who accepted him without question, is still struggling, but more with his own high expectations of himself and past relationships. He can talk to anyone, and yet finds comfort in Alexei’s silence. I loved his passion for working with older adults as a nurse! The medical system and personal care homes need a Ben!

I don’t typically annotate or mark pages to return to, but I found myself saving a large amount passages, pages and moments. Anita Kelly writes with such care and empathy to create a tender romance unlike anything I have ever read. I’m so excited for everyone to meet these characters, and revisit some of our faves from Love & Other Disasters!

I laughed, I cried (full on SOBBED) and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Give this book a go!

This book was amazing! It made my heart so happy. I liked this author's book, Love and Other Disaster, which I read last year. But this book I absolutely loved!

This book follows Ben and Alexei. Two men hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. They meet while on the trail and decide to hike together. Along the way they start developing feelings for one another. Both of these main characters are going through a lot, and are hiking the trail not only to hike it, but to deal with their individual tribulations. To see a better summary check out the second picture.

It’s emotional, funny, cute, gay and some steam! I included some content warnings at the bottom as it deals with some heavy stuff at times.

A bonus thing I loved so much is that Ben is a nurse. (Hence why my stethoscope makes an appearance) He talks about passing the NCLEX and worrying about his future. I related so much! I have my BScN, and passing my NCLEX four years ago to become an RN was one of the most stressful times I’ve ever had. Ben talking about why he loves nursing also made me smile so much. It’s some of the reasons I love it too. Just really cool to see a character I related so much too. Losing patients and processing grief. I related to Ben so much.

All together it’s an amazing LGBT adventure romance, I highly recommend this one! It will give you all the feels. It’s one of those books that reminds me why I love the romance genre so much.

Thanks to Netgalley, Forever Publishing and Hachette Audio for the copy In exchange for my honest review

CW: homophobia, anxiety, religious trauma (past), alzheimers/dementia, familial estrangement due to identity.

Anita Kelly has done it again. The depth and dimension each of these main characters has is as breathtaking as the vivid depictions of the wilderness. It’s impossible not to root for Ben and Alexei. From their first meeting, you know they were meant to be, even if they didn’t. The trail knew, and she kept pushing them back together. My favorite working Kelly’s to date and I can’t wait to read their next one.

There isn’t a book by Anita Kelly that I haven’t adored and Something Wild & Wonderful is no exception. With endearing characters you can’t help but fall for as they fall for each other, and a gorgeous setting in the wilds of the Pacific Crest Trail, this book was both incredibly peaceful and joyful despite its commentary on the realities of religious trauma. Following Alexei on his journey to heal and grieve and grow made this romance one of the most emotionally tender books I’ll probably read this year.

How does Anita Kelly do it?! This is the SECOND novel they've written set against a backdrop that I could not have less interest in/knowledge about and yet I have managed to fall in love AGAIN. First it was a reality tv cooking competiton with Love and Other Disasters. Now, in Something Wild and Wonderful, Alexei and Ben are hiking the PCT (yes, I had to google what that was) separately, for different reasons, when their paths cross unexpectedly. As they journey together and get closer, I couldn't help but fall in love. Anita Kelly writes such beautiful, well-rounded characters. They are so good at not giving it all away and the slow build up here and the layers of family dynamics, the past, complicated relationships...it all adds up to a book I could not put down. This is not your typical rom com: Alexei's family dynamics and struggles are heavy and written with such compassion and complexity. All of his struggles and anxieties hurt my heart. I love when I read characters I just desperately want to be happy and that's exactly what happened here. Also, though I would still not be found hiking anytime, anywhere, this book did make me appreciate the beauty of solitude and the magnitude of such a wild journey. Anita Kelly is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!

I absolutely adore this setting, this novel, this story line, these characters. AHH. I am so overjoyed about this story and sad it took me so long to read it!

Alexei and Ben immediately from the first meeting of them. I honestly was so disgusted with how Alexei’s parents handled him coming out and it hurts my heart how common that is individuals when they come out. Ben warmed my heart though. The way he interacted with Alexei just warmed my heart.

THE SETTING. The author did an amazing job at really putting the reader on the hike with them, but it didn’t feel like too much setting and not enough story.

This will definitely be a top read of the month/year.

Be sure to check trigger warnings before diving into this novel.

“That was the beauty of a trail. All you had to do was walk, and like a prayer, it healed you.”

While there is not enough money in the world to get me to go hiking like this, I dearly loved going on Alexei and Ben’s journey with them. I was SO invested in their story, right from the start. Anita Kelly really puts you into the setting of the Pacific Crest Trail and I can see why both Ben and Alexei felt that surrounding themselves in the beauty of nature could help them on their internal journey.

The romance here is so soft and tender. I loved how they become more vulnerable with each other along the trail, how they help each other grow into the person they want to become, and especially how they both help the other see the *good* things about themself. And the epistolary elements? So good 😭😭

Something Wild and Wonderful comes out on Tuesday and I HIGHLY recommend checking it out. I’m going to be thinking about Alexei and Ben for a long time 🥺

Thank you to Forever for the netgalley arc in exchange for an honest review!!

CW: familial estrangement due to queer identity; harsh homophobic language (used in Chapter 16); religion and strict religious upbringing (Christianity); mentions of Alzheimer’s/dementia care; brief references to past toxic romantic relationships.

How do your review a book that was literal perfection? I don’t throw that word around often, but Something Wild & Wonderful was perfect. This was a beautiful tale of two people finding themselves and finding love while on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I didn’t expect to fall in love with this book so quickly, but the characters and their journey hooked me immediately and swept me away. I was an emotional mess at the end because I was just so happy for Alexei and Ben.

After being disowned by his family for being gay and at a bit of a crossroads in his life, Alexei Lebedev decided to tackle the 2,500-mile Pacific Crest Trail to challenge himself and discover who Alexei 2.0 is. He’s prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. But he isn’t ready for Ben Caravalho, the outgoing and charismatic hiker he keeps running into. Ben’s made his fair share of bad decisions when it comes to handsome men, but there is something about the gorgeous and quietly nerdy Alexei that he cannot walk away from. Alexei and Ben become trail buddies, hiking together, reading Tamora Pierce’s Alanna together at night, and slowly falling in love during the biggest adventure of their lives. But when the world outside the trail comes calling, they wonder if it is possible to hold on to something this wild and wonderful.

Ben and Alexei give this book so much life and personality. It’s a testament to Anita Kelly’s writing that both of them jump off the page as if they’re real people. Alexei is more quiet and reserved – he sees things in a different light than most people. Ben is outgoing and charismatic – he can easily pull people into his orbit and make them feel comfortable. And both are a little bit broken in their own way. They’re an unlikely match on paper, but together, they balance each other out and see the best in each other. I fell in love with them so quickly and wanted to protect them from any heartache or pain at all costs. But of course, they’re going to have to face some of that on their own.

The journey Alexei and Ben go on together, both physically and emotionally, is beautiful. The PCT changes both of them for the better. It’s not always an easy journey, but it’s one they both needed to tackle on their own terms to come out better in the end. There is a section towards the end that I truly loved, even if it was a bit emotional, as it played such a crucial role in Ben and Alexei’s journey. Those chapters are told in the epistolary format, and I found them to be some of the most powerful and emotional. In letters, both sent and unsent, Ben and Alexei can be open, honest, and raw about their emotions regarding the people in their lives. They were some of my favorite chapters for that reason.

The romance in this book is beautiful. Alexei and Ben seemed like they were meant to find each other on the trail. For Alexei, all he’s ever wanted is a relationship, but since coming out, he’s not had luck finding it and feels more alone after his parents disowned him. Ben’s got his own hangups with relationships as he feels he falls hard and fast for the wrong guy and blames himself for that. Both are not looking for a relationship, but they cannot deny the connection between them. I loved watching these two fall into love, navigating the awkwardness and beauty of it. There is an ease between them that is apparent from the start, and all I wanted was for them to get their happily ever after together. The romance gave me all the warm, gooey feelings inside, as it was such a beautiful depiction of queer love.

If this book wasn’t on your radar yet, please immediately add it to your TBR! Anita Kelly has such a way with words as their stories are truly magical and can make you feel all the emotions. Love & Other Disasters was one of my favorite books in 2022, and I feel Something Wild & Wonderful will be a top read of 2023 as it’s the type of story that sticks with you. This is a wonderful read, filled with humor, heart, and hope, and I cannot recommend it enough!

Thank you to Forever/Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

After really enjoying LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS, I was probably going to read Anita Kelly's next romance, no matter what, but I was delighted that this is a backpacking romance. Set on the Pacific Crest Trail!

If you've ever read or seen Wild, you probably get that most people don't just spend week after week on the PCT for funsies -- many come in search of something, even if (maybe especially if) just themselves. Both Alexei and Ben are working out who and where they want to be moving forward.

Highlights included their meet-cute, the ways in which they supported each other along the trail, and an epistolary element later on. Not to mention, Kelly has a gift with side characters. SOMETHING WILD & WONDERFUL is a tad long, but I enjoyed my time with these people.

P.S. Be advised that parts of Alexei's storyline are heartbreaking (read: homophobia and fractured family ties).

✨ Review ✨ Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly; Narrated by Mark Sanderlin

I really enjoyed Kelly's last book in this series, but thought the cooking show part was under-featured...BUT this book I absolutely adored! It gave me such happy, heart-warming feelings (a la Heartstopper), and I totally binged listening to this!

Alexei and Ben meet on Alexei's first day on the Pacific Crest Trail, when Alexei stops Ben from tromping over a rattlesnake. They begin hiking the trail together, at first with some reluctance, but then increasingly with comfortable familiarity. There's something about the silence of their surroundings that really helps their budding friendship and then attraction to feature across the pages. While they certainly encounter other people in meaningful ways, these connections are brief, returning us quickly to the Alexei/Ben trail adventure.

This book, even while talking about challenging topics (family estrangement, relationship catastrophes, loss, and more), still just felt like a giant hug to read. I loved watching their relationship grow and evolve, and to see their trust in each other blossom. Their surroundings in the natural world also felt very pure, and it was such a great read.

The audio narration was great and kept me in the narrative -- highly recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Location: Pacific Crest Trail (mostly in CA desert)
Reminds me of: Cheryl Strayed's Wild meets Heartstopper
Pub Date: Mar 7, 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ heart-warming m/m romances; dual POV
⭕️ friends-to-lovers (albeit a new friendship)
⭕️ hiking and the outdoors
⭕️ found family feels

Thanks to Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio, and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

alexei and ben are both hoping to find something on the pacific crest trail. what they don’t expect is to find, and fall for, each other. but with their pasts and their presents, will they be able to hold on to one another?

i saw that anita kelly had a new book coming out and ran to get it! i loved love & other disasters and i couldn’t imagine not loving this just the same. though this was a lot different than their first book, kelly still lived up to my expectations with this one and i had a great time reading it. i know nothing about hiking super-long trails like the PCT, but i found myself intrigued in the men’s progress and what got them into hiking in the first place.

i highly recommend to any adult romance fan.

Okay, so I loved this. And also, I should have read it when I was feeling a tad less overly emotional. I really really loved the whole beginning. The setting and them bit by bit getting to know one another and the awkwardness and figuring out all these little quirks about one another. It was just perfection and I adored it. Unfortunately because I am an emotional wreck right now (and frankly, a majority of the time these days) I was full on dreading the inevitable parts where things were not constantly peachy keen between these two. Which really only goes to show how much I loved and cared about their characters. It was pretty damn painful to read some of the low moments. Ow. My heart.
It's even possible I might have had to skip ahead and reassure myself things were going to turn out fine even though obviously they were going to because this is a romance people, and Anita Kelly would never commit such a travesty upon their readers. I really did love the book as a whole, even the parts that hurt, because it felt so true to the characters and their journey.
And I absolutely adore books that have characters needing to work on their own shit for awhile before they can really be in a healthy relationship. Because finding the love of your life doesn't automatically fix the stuff you need to fix for yourself. Anyway, this was overflowing with feels and I absolutely loved it and I never ever want to hike but I did super enjoy the armchair travel aspect of it. Buy it or get it from your library (or request that they buy it if they don't have it) because you're gonna wanna read this one. A really epic and beautiful romance.

Read this if you like: Dual POV third person, LGBTQ representation, neurodivergent representation, outdoors, grumpy sunshine, spicy 🔥

I loved this book so much. 😭 The characters are realistic, raw, complex, and sweet. This isn't just a romance, it's about self-discovery. I could not put this down. I laughed, I cried, I felt all the feels. It hit on so many hard subjects but did them perfectly. It's spicy too. 🔥 I highly recommend it! I will read anything Anita writes.

Thank you to the author and Forever Books for the gifted book ❤️

This book was just so soft in the best way. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t serious or emotionally deep. I think Kelly just treats both her characters and her readers with a particular gentle softness that I don’t know that I’ve seen elsewhere. This book was excellent, and I’m excited to yell about it to all my friends.

I absolutely adored this book! I started it last night and woke up thinking about it, excited to finish. I loved both MMCs so much. These two precious cinnamon rolls had my heart. Ben was patient and kind and boisterous. His easy joy and excitement had me chuckling out loud from the very beginning. Seriously Ben’s POV as he gets to know Lex is just *chefs kiss* And I felt such a kinship with Lex as he navigated his insecurities and struggled with his faith upbringing being at odds with his identity. My heart literally hurt for him, and myself, at times. His nerdiness, sweetness, and vulnerability made me want to be friends with him and I fell in love with him right alongside Ben. And the story itself! You can tell Kelly did their research and/or hiked the trail themselves. I was immersed in the journey almost as much as their love story. And there’s nothing quite like sweaty hikes, tick bites, and stomach cramps in the open wilderness to really get to know and love someone. I definitely recommend this one!

I usually wait a day or two after reading a book to write a review of it, to give my brain time to work out my thoughts, but I literally finished reading Something Wild & Wonderful like three minutes ago and if I don't get this overwhelming love out of my head right now I might literally explode. This book was so beautiful, y'all. Like, it wrapped me up in this cloud of happiness, even when there were tears streaming down my face (tissue count: 5).

Ben and Alexei are such beautiful characters, and I identified with parts of each them so much it felt like I knew them deeply. Each of them has come to hike the Pacific Crest Trail as a means of processing grief and trauma. And while the 2600 miles of the PCT serves as the dazzling, treacherous, awe-inspiring background for most of this story, the focus here is on the characters. And I fell hard for all of them. Alexei and Ben entered into the ranks of those "If you could spend a day with any fictional character, who would it be?" people, because they just burrowed so far into my heart.

Because I always strive to keep my reviews spoiler-free, I really can't talk about the part of this book that was mostly responsible for those five tissues I mentioned above. IYKYK. Sitting in my living room, NC headphones on to block out the Saturday morning noise of my family and dogs. Kindle in front of me, eyes overflowing as I read, desperate to know if the words "sent" or "unsent" would appear. What can I say? Epistolary content gets me every time.

TL;DR: Five stars simply doesn't seem like enough. I would like to give this book all the stars. Please read it. You will not regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Forever Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.