Anita Kelly has once again taken me on an emotional and spiritual journey that I didn't know I needed. She did this through her characters Alexi and Ben and their individual and interactions on their hike on the Pacific Crest trail. Anyone going on a 2,000+ mile hike will go through a journey and changes and boy did they do that.

Both men spent time hiking individually and then together throughout the trail and they both learned and grew in their time together and apart. They built a strong friendship and more during this time. This discussed some sensitive issues related to family and coming out and more.

There is something about the way that Anita Kelly writes that lets you both be with the characters in their world experiencing what they do and watching them from the outside. The storyline is perfect, the trail and area is described perfectly and the characters are incredibly realistic. I will never skip an Anita Kelly novel as she always takes me on a journey that I need to go on and a journey that I learn from. This story is incredibly compelling and quite beautiful despite some of the hard topics. A best book of the year for sure!

When they say it’s about he journey not about the destination, they are talking about this book. Although the characters end up in a wonderful place, it would not be as meaningful with out the journey. For these two the journey is both emotional and physical, and it’s hard on both accounts.

As far as the physical journey, you feel like you are on the train walking right beside them. The descriptions are vivid as are the characters they encounter. They encounter so many other hikers on the PCT that add to their story.

I love that it was an unexpected connection between these to and an unconventional location for a love story. They definitely have interesting “meet cute!”

This was a beautiful, emotional journey with Alexi and Ben and I totally recommend it.

3.75 ⭐️
2 🌶️

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book to review.

I loved the story of Alexi and Ben. There was a softness to their love story. It was not big gestures but more soft moments that built up to a bigger moment. I liked the hiking aspect and I really loved seeing both of them grow individually and together.

Where I struggled a bit:
- pacing was off a bit and it ended up being a too slow for me and I struggled making it through it only thing that kept me from stopping it was the love I had for the couple.

Pull up your chairs, kids, I've got some gushing to do. 🏔️

I RACED through this book in one night back in October, but sat on my review because in general I don't like to get people hyped about a book they won't be able to get their hands on for months. But the wait is (almost) over—SOMETHING WILD & WONDERFUL comes out in just over a week, so mark March 7th on your calendar as a day you can expect a Very Nice Thing!

Here's the quick summary: two guys encounter one another while thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). They've got different personalities, different trail approaches, & different reasons for being out there in the first place. But they strike up a friendship and over the miles (~2600 of them, some hiked together and some apart), that friendship deepens & strengthens into something more.

This book was transcendent for me on about 5 different levels. I’ve abstractly wanted a PCT novel/romance long enough that I would’ve read basically anything with a smile on my face. But to be gifted THIS? These gorgeous descriptions of places near & dear to my heart, two characters I was invested in from the jump as individuals, written with this level of nuance, care and depth? Equal attention given to the land/trail, the characters, their myriad relationships, AND the sociopolitics of distance hiking as a cultural practice??? WE ARE ABSOLUTELY SPOILED by Anita Kelly. I was elated. I was beside myself.

I am re-reading it now and even with that first rush of heady excitement over Getting Something You Always Wanted behind me? Not a single note out of key in the whole symphony. 5/5 stars, Anita Kelly fan for life, yearning so hard for a few California mountains & Oregonian forests that I might cry a lil bit.

@anitakellywrites has been giving this book a song a day for the past couple weeks & the soundtrack serves. Check it out right after you call in a pre-order for this at your local indie. Thanks @readforeverpub #partner for the dARC!

4.75⭐️

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an earc!

ANITA HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!! they have made me fall head over heels with two mcs and had me going through all the emotions. i absolutely loved this even more than book 1 - i think i could read 1000+ more pages of alexei and ben just doing mundane stuff. this also made me kinda want to go hiking?? although i’m the least outdoorsy person EVER so do with that what you will. i just really enjoyed every second - the emotional journeys both alexei and ben were on were heartbreaking and again, had me feeling all the emotions. i just love them both so much, and i cannot wait for julie’s book!!!

This book was so good. Both Ben and Alexei head to the Pacific Crest Trail to deal with some heavy personal stuff - one of them has been disowned by their parents after coming out - so the book does deal with a lot of heavy content and material. That said, it was beautifully written and there were funny (and steamy) moments as well. I loved both characters and Ben’s wonderful family, and of course all the other interesting characters they cross paths with on the PCT!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC.

Alexei and Ben are a sweet couple that brought the story to life. I was not expecting much depth, but Alexei's journey to finding himself felt authentic and carried the story from start to finish. I appreciated that they were dealing with real-world problems, which made the couple's eventual coming together very satisfying. I give this book a solid 4/5 stars.

This is an incredibly moving story. So much so that my stone cold heart cracked open and I wept, heavily, at least 3 times. I mean, I had to take my glasses all the way off and use more than one tissue to wipe my tears away. And yet, at the same time, I wouldn’t call this a high angst story. Instead, it’s just honest.

Both Alexei and Ben have experienced a kind of trauma, and have headed out West to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. They hope to find out who they are along the way and decide what comes next in their lives, but instead they find each other. And even though their interest in each other was almost instant (more so on Ben's part), the development of the relationship was well-paced and felt organic. Not instalust or instalove, but not quite a slow burn either.

These two men go through a lot, both on the trail and off it. But what I valued most was that even though these two helped each other on their separate journeys of healing, their love wasn’t written as the solution that magically cured all past hurts. The author didn’t use their relationship as a way to shortcut to the book’s inevitable HEA. Both men stood on their own, working on themselves and discovering what they wanted their future to look like before coming together to find a way forward as a couple.

In regards to portrayal, I wanted to mention two things:

(1) I have never hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, but after reading this book I feel like I have a sense of what it would be like to pass through this, ahem, wild and wonderful terrain. And the author didn’t just focus on the vistas or the wildlife, Kelly also gave us a sense of trail life, all the way from meeting strangers on the trail and hearing their stories to blisters and smelling rank after weeks without access to a laundromat. When Ben expressed the simple joy of having access to running water in the public restroom in a restaurant off the trail, I felt that joy too.

(2). Alexei. Some of us just are quiet. We don’t make a lot of noise when we move, our personality doesn’t fill up a room, and we don’t always feel compelled to fill the silence. Alexei is quiet, and that is part of the reason he was, for me, so relatable. I’ve never read an author who wrote quiet so well.

This was a beautiful book. Highly recommend!

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2/5 🌶️🌶️

Alexei and Ben, you sweet, joyous, characters. What a privilege it was to witness their stories, both as a couple and as separate individuals.

Anita Kelly really knocked it out of the park with Something Wild & Wonderful. The writing is incredibly immersive and the storytelling had me feeling like I was floating on cloud nine.

I felt so content while reading about Alexei and Ben. The pain, joy, love, grief, and devastation they had to walk through in order to heal was so comforting to read about. I could not put this book down. I simply had to know what was going to happen next. Kelly really makes you believe in hope after loss, which is something I’m sure all of us can relate to. And I would be amiss if I don’t mention how beautiful it was to read the lush descriptions of the Pacific Crest Trail. So stunning.

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly is a breathtakingly beautiful narrative about two people who fall in love while hiking the PCT, only to fall apart in order to discover who they are as individuals.

Thank you, Alexei and Ben, for healing parts of my heart I didn’t even know needed healing. And thank you, Anita Kelly, for writing a happily ever after that us queer people deserve.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Something Wild & Wonderful hits shelves on March 7, 2023!

Alexei is closed off, and for good reason: his conservative Christian parents disowned him when he came out. To heal from the grief, Alexei takes to the PCT to figure out Alexei 2.0. After saving Ben from a rattle snake, Alexei doesn't think he'll ever see Ben again - but trail magic happens, the two become friends and make a pact to keep hiking together. Alexei starts to fall for Ben, and is shocked when it turns out that Ben likes him back. They two decide to give in to their feelings, but things go sideways when their plans change.

As an avid hiker it was so fun to read a romance set on the PCT. I have no intentions of ever becoming a through-hiker - I'd probably react like Ben did when he saw the snowy ridge, but no one would be able to talk me down 😅 The characters were so adorable, the setting was amazing, and I enjoyed this book so much! Definitely will be recommending this to friends :)

This book. I don't even know where to start with this book because I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!!! I went into it expecting just another run-of-the-mill romance, but left having fallen in love with one of the best duos written in a romance novel. Seriously, Ben & Lex have my whole heart, they are a top tier pair! I finished the book days ago and I find my brain randomly wandering back to the Pacific Crest Trail, imagining Ben & Lex alternating hiking in silence and having heart-to-hearts.

Honestly, I'm having trouble putting my very big wonderful feelings about this book into words. It's difficult for me to put my thumb on what made this book so special. All I can say is that it feels like this book quietly snuck its way into my heart. I'm not a hiker but I loved the PCT setting. I loved both Ben and Lex's journeys as individuals and as a couple. Everything from the dialogue to the journal entries to the letters was so well written. At times I was smiling like an idiot and other times I was moved to tears.

This book is funny and sweet but it also deals with more difficult topics such as parental estrangement and homophobia. Anita Kelly addressed these topics with care.

This book is a MUST READ. I highly recommend!

5⭐
R for some 🌶️ scenes

The way I loved this book!!!! This will be a top romance favorite of 2023 for me. It spoke to my hiking loving heart but also to the part of me that loves a tender romance. There were also so many small things about Alexei that reminded me of the things I love about my hiker partner that just made me smile.

The Pacific Coast Trail is a perfect backdrop for a love story. Hiking truly bonds people in a way that is so unique and Anita Kelly perfectly captured this as someone who had clearly been a thru hiker. My heart broke so many times for both Alexei and Ben as they dealt with their past hurts, especially Alexei's homophobic parents. And seeing how these two healed both together and separately, including Alexei finding new family and accepting it, was just so satisfying.

This book is truly special. If you love to hike and love romance books, I think you will be just as obsessed with it as I am. I love these two so much and I love how Anita Kelly connects her books together a little bit because I know that means I'll be seeing more of these two in the future. An absolute must read this spring!!

Well this was a wonderful and sweet story! When Alexei Lebedev came out to his parents it went poorly so he decided to use the solitude of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) to figure out what he wants to do next with his life. Along the way he meets charismatic and outgoing Ben Caravalho and finds himself unable to say no when he offers to be his trail partner.

Alexei and Ben had such a sweet and wonderful story. Alexei is a shy, quiet soul who struggles in social situations but thrives being outdoors. He is struggling to deal with his parents disowning him for being gay and with his religion’s part in that. I really enjoyed seeing Alexei open up to Ben and start trying to make changes with his life. He still makes mistakes, like always running away from emotional situations, but by the end he realizes what he wants from life and seeks therapy to help with that. I loved how much growth we see in Alexei in this one, but I did get a bit annoyed by him running from situations.

"Alexei was a butterfly, just emerging from his chrysalis, and he was showing Ben his wings."

Ben was a sweetheart who really brought Alexei out of his shell. Ben is struggling with his self worth because he is just now finding out what he wants to do with his life. His toxic relationships have made him feel like he isn’t worthy but we see him start to let go of that in this. Ben was just a sweet man who loved to take care of people and Alexei fit him perfectly.

This book was beautifully written and I loved how it was broken down into different parts of their journey and time apart. I found the chapter written in just letters to be so emotional and heartbreaking, but also very healthy for both Alexei and Ben. I loved that we get to see them voice their emotions that they would have probably hid if they had been together. One of the best things about this book for me was that Alexei shows you don’t have to forgive your family for their actions, but you do have to move on. It isn’t healthy to expect them to change so seek help and move on with your life.

Overall, this was another amazing novel from Anita Kelly. I really enjoy their writing and they really know how to create an emotional story with great characters.

Trigger Warnings: Alexei was disowned by his parents when he came out as gay; strict religions upbringing discussed; anxiety; on page alcohol usage; homophobic language (Ch. 16); family member with Alzheimer’s and their care discussed; brief references to past toxic relationships;

- What a gift SOMETHING WILD AND WONDERFUL is. It pulls of the balancing act of dealing with very real homophobia and giving the characters real queer joy.
- Kelly excels at writing characters who care so deeply for each other, for all their quirks and complicated personal histories. I particularly loved being there with Alexei while he tried to figure out his new relationship to faith and church.
- This is also the rare romance novel that didn't have me rolling my eyes and speeding through the third act breakup. The way Alexei and Ben worked through it was so beautiful and precious.
- And! We also get to see Dahlia and London from LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS!

Trigger Warnings: wild animals (snakes, birds, foxes), alcohol, familial estrangement due to queer identity, lay off, cursing, religion and strict religious upbringing (Christianity); brief references to past toxic romantic relationships, mentions of Alzheimer’s/dementia care, sex, nudity, homophobia, harsh homophobic language (used in Chapter 16), underage drinking, grief

Representation: Gay, Portuguese, Queer, Autism

Something Wild and Wonderful is a contemporary romance about Alexei and Ben who are both hiking the Pacific Crest Trail to process their individual traumas. After coming out to his conservative community doesn’t go well, Alexei plans to be alone with his thoughts. His plans do not include meeting and falling in love. Ben is quite the opposite of Alexei, but the two can’t seem to help but cross paths. Alexei slowly lets Ben in until a change in plan forces him to decide if this new feeling is something he’s willing to face head on or will run away from.

Wow! Just wow! I absolutely loved this book! Easily going to be a top read for this year! I loved both characters, I loved the trip through the PCT, and I loved Ben’s friends in Nashville. This story has a lot of depth and darkness, but it also contains so much joy and light! I loved the crossover from the author’s prior book as well!

The author does a great job with creating this instant love which then turns into a slow burn plus including the heat! I loved the love and realness of these men’s characters, and thought they were portrayed with so much relatable-ness. Both men are flawed and struggle within their own realms, yet those are some of the things that make them so lovable. And the nature aspect of the story was so descriptive and peaceful. I loved walking the trail with them!

This was a cute story with some surprisingly deeper themes. Something Wild & Wonderful is a queer romance set against the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail), which is over 2,500 miles of walking across the US and into Canada. Our two MCs, Alexei and Ben, both have their own reasons for deciding to give the PAC a try and although they begin the journey alone, their travel quickly becomes intertwined.

I mentioned earlier how this story deals with some more difficult topics, some that may be slightly triggering to some readers, so maybe be mindful of that before deciding to read. Lex is grieving the loss of his family and coming to terms with his sexuality, he is using the 2,500 miles of PAC to try and come to terms with that loss/realization. Ben is trying to dispel all of his wanderlust before settling down and finding a nursing job, Ben is also taking a break from relationships after some really terrible men left him feeling broken (mentions abusive relationship, but does not go into too much detail). What starts out as couple of strangers keeping each other company on the trail, slowly morphs into friendship, then eventually, despite their best efforts not to, into something more.

Something Wild & Wonderful was an enjoyable read. I have heard of the PAC before, but have never read anything about it, so that added an interesting element to the story. As a casual hiker it was intriguing to read about, though I would never want to undertake something like that myself. I also liked both the main characters, the story was a duel POV between the MCs which I always prefer in romances. The pacing of the story was good, it had some heavy moments and lots of sweet moments, plus there was even a little bit of spice as well. Definitely a worth while read to pick up if you enjoy queer romances!

I love Anita Kelly’s writing. Her debut novel, Love & Other Disasters was one of my favorite reads last year and I truly think she is one of the best voices in the adult LGBTQ+ literature world. Something Wild & Wonderful is a bit deeper than her debut, but still has some beautiful lighthearted moments. I struggled with the setting, the Pacific Crest Trail, as I have no experience with or interest in hiking/the wilderness. Obviously, this is a “me issue”, but my level of personal enjoyment is the reason why I ultimately rated it four-stars instead of five.

After giving fives stars to the author’s previous book Love & Other Disasters (Jan 2022) I was thrilled to start this new ARC. Alexei Lebedev is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. The entire trail is 2,500 miles from Mexico to the Canadian border. Lex has recently come out to and been disowned by his conservative religious parents. He is on this hike to re-discover himself to become the person he wants to be. His Alexei 2.0. Along the way he meets Ben Caravalho and they end up hiking together. Ben’s upbringing and life has been vastly different. He’s spent years playing and being a barista before finally choosing to become a nurse to help others. This hike is his last wanderlust before starting his new career.

Anita Kelly writes beautifully about two different souls as they experience nature, challenges, obstacles and joys of the journey. Their conversations are wonderful beginnings of friendship which leads to more. I love getting both of their POVs. Ben is social, confident in his actions with others and so incredibly patient with the more introverted Lex. Listening to birds or catching a sunset are perfect settings for shared confidences. These are both people you want to know and Kelly slowly gives more the reader more and more of the characters as they hike the PCT.

The author brings in extra depth as Alexei is reeling from the loss of his religion which is central to his sense of self and dominated his upbringing. Ben is trying to overcome impulsiveness and poor decisions from his past. They are both on journeys in so many way. I love that the trail gives them answers but doesn’t solve everything. There is need for therapy, love, family and acceptance as part of the healing. A later part of the story is epistolary and so much is communicated in them. More than one made me pause to let me feel my reactions and emotions to them.

This book is a heartfelt and a joy. I can’t recommend Ben and Lex's story enough. And I’m sure I will read it again. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Given how much I absolutely hate hiking, and the thought of being out in the wilderness with no bed or shower is my literal worst nightmare, I thought I was not going to be a fan of this book, but it might have (almost) convinced me to give hiking a try. I really enjoyed the moments on the trail, especially how the hikers all seemed to form this kind of community. Alexei and Ben were very sweet and I enjoyed watching them fall in love.

YES YES YES YES YES. It is 2:35 in the morning as I write this review - partially because I could not put this book down and partially because I leave for the airport to fly to Antarctica at 4am. But seriously, YES. This book was so much more than I could have imagined. Alexei and Ben are like two halves of my very own soul, awkward but dreaming of independence, autistic but finding my own way in social situations, adventurous but also very overprepared for emergencies. Their story is incredible and while this is a standalone novel, it is also a beautiful follow-on from Love & Other Disasters too. This book manages to perfectly and delicately balance beautiful soft tender love with incredibly dense and heavy topics. Anita Kelly does it again! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.