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.

I really enjoyed Anita Kelly’s first book, so I was so excited to read this one. While I liked the hiking aspect, and both Ben and Alexei, I feel like not much happened and was a little bored.

I wanted more of a plot in this one, but it was still an enjoyable, easy read.

Something Wild and Wonderful is a beautiful story about two people who find love on the Pacific Crest Trail. Anita Kelly’s latest queer romance has complex characters who are treated with care and tenderness as they hike through spectacular scenery and work through their individual issues. It even had an indoor person like me wanting to head outside.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alexei intends to hike the PCT from Southern California to the Canadian border by himself to gain some perspective on his life. But then he keeps Ben from stumbling onto a snake, and afterwards can’t seem to stop running into him. Ben is entranced by the gorgeous yet quietly introspective Alexei, but is trying to avoid repeating his past mistakes with beautiful men. The two companions form a bond, and soon they each can’t imagine hiking without the other. But what happens when they really start opening up to each other? And what about that mutual attraction?

The intense yet quiet relationship between Ben and Alexei is handled with a tenderness that isn’t always present in romance, especially when there is obvious chemistry. I love that Alexei is so earnest about everything, from his journey to his relationship with his family to his growing feelings for Ben. With Ben’s outgoing nature and ability to talk to anyone, he and Alexei complement each other in all the best ways.

Ben has the most supportive family, as well as his found family of Julie, London and Dahlia, to lean on. His perspective is the opposite of Alexei, who feels completely alone in the world. This contrast is one of the things that makes circumstances even more devastating for Alexei when plans get upended.

It took me a while to finish this book, simply because I loved it and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters. This story is heartfelt, but it’s also romantic and funny and never gets too sappy. If you like a forced proximity queer romance where the characters eventually figure out that they too deserve happiness, read this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is truly about finding yourself. On the trail and in life. Both characters are on a journey and while it’s beautiful to watch them flourish separately, there was even more beauty in watching them flourish apart.

get ready for me to shout from the rooftops about how much i LOVED anita kelly's sophomore romance 'something wild & wonderful'!!! this book was a DREAM to read and pulled me from the depths of what was beginning to feel like a deep deep reading slump.

the book opens in the deserts of california on the pacific crest trail when alexie stops a fellow hiker, ben, from stepping on a rattlesnake. their eyes meet, and they both can't stop thinking about the other. deciding to hike for a while together, the time spent in each others' company allows for ben to reflect on his past failed relationships, and allows alexie to come out of his shell a bit more and think about the future he wants for himself after the trail. this is a slow burn romance set on the pct -- both our main characters have their own reasons for being on the trail, and the trail creates a setting for them both to explore their pasts and presents together.

i really don't want to say more, even though my summary does not do the book justice. everything about this book was perfection, including the romance, the stories from the trail, and the individual paths alexie & ben take alongside the other. the story is sincere, and left my heart aching at times as i desperately rooted for this unlikely pair. this book left me with the kind of book hangover i haven't felt in a long time, one that left me thinking about the story for hours after i finished the last page. run don't walk to pre-order this bad boy in anticipation of its release!

I’m here today to yell and scream about Something Wild & Wonderful. It’s my first 5-star read of 2023 and I fear my brain chemistry has been permanently altered by this book (in the best possible way). I don’t think any review will do this book justice, but I’m going to give it a whirl.

Something Wild & Wonderful tells the story of Alexei, a gay man who has been cut off by his conservative parents after coming out. Alexei’s personality appears to be shy and reserved (possibly repressed?) and he is undoubtably battling trauma related to his extremely religious upbringing and the subsequent rejection of his parents. Alexei decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in a cathartic attempt to start a new life as “Alexei 2.0”. It’s on the PCT that he meets the handsome and charismatic Ben. The two are completely captivated with one another from the beginning, and set off to hike the trail together, as friends. Through their arduous 700 miles in the desert, Ben shows Alexei what it’s like to be loved for exactly who you are, something he’s never experienced before. And unbeknownst to Ben at the time, Alexei does the same thing for him.

Friends to lovers enthusiasts rejoice because this 👏🏼 is 👏🏼 how 👏🏼 it’s 👏🏼 done. This book tugged at every single one of my emotions in the most beautiful way. There’s a section of this book written in letter format and oh. my. god. Your girl is not a crier but I was boohoo sobbing during these letters. They are such a powerful, beautiful, and poetic communication method for this story. I also have to commend Anita on the amount of diversity in this book. We have Russian and Portuguese MCs as well a ton of queer representation, which we always love to see!

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

🅶🅴🅽🆁🅴—𝒞𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝑅𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 / 𝐿𝒢𝐵𝒬𝒯
🗓ℙ𝕦𝕓 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖—𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕙 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟛

✂️ P L O T L I N E
Insta love queer romance meets processing emotional trauma in this adventurous story of finding yourself along the hiking paths of the Pacific Coast Trail. Aleksei and Ben can’t seem to stop their paths from crossing and maybe there is a reason for that. They have both suffered pasts that have led them to this point in time of finding love in one of the most beautiful yet dangerous places. Will the wonderful bond that they form in the wild be strong enough to keep them going beyond the next mile of the PCT?

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
Swoon worthy, emotional, gut wrenching, heartfelt, tender,
funny, hopeful…basically this book gives you ALL the feels. Seriously a beautiful story that leaves you wanting more of Ben and Lex and their love story. A story that praises finding your own identity and owning the crap out of it despite what other people might think. A story of faith in god, in yourself, and in humanity. The world isn’t perfect but this book celebrates finding and holding on to what makes you happy because everyone deserves love.

Side note—It was really fun to have a little crossover with some of the characters from Anita Kelly’s book, “Love & Other Disasters”❤️

📚Read if you like:
💫Queer Romance🌈
💫Ethnically Diverse Characters 🧍🏽
💫 Grumpy Sunshine/ Insta Love sad ☀️
💫PCT Descriptive Hiking Scenes 🦅
💫 Spice 🌶🌶🌶
💫Emotional Reads Involving Finding Yourself 😢

⚠️Trigger warnings: Family estrangement due to queer identity, homophobic language⚠️

🥾𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🥾
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

💕Q U O T E: “ But you taught me I can find people. That there will be other people I meet in my life you will understand me. Who will love me. Who will show me how wonderful and surprising the world can be.


🙏Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Anita Kelly for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts 💕

Rep: russian-american MC, portuguese-american MC, gay MCs, autistic rep, queer and diverse cast of SCs

TW: religious parents, homophobia, being cut-off from family

This was absolutely beautiful.
For me it was a total cover and well-loved-author purchase, I didn’t know much about the plot.
It’s about Alexei, who recently came out to his family, and now has to rebuilt his whole life and future after being cut-off by them. He decides to hike the PCT, taking time away from everything to grief ans think about his future plans.
But then he meets Ben, who’s also a single hiker. And he’s nice and lets him be quiet. He’s also extremely cute. Not that anything would ever happen between them, right? Right. Right?!

I loved them from the first second.
Ben grew up in a completely different environment than Alexei did.
They’re both kind of opposites, considering their personality, their upbringing and experiences.
But they both complimented each other so perfectly. They were so cute together.
This is not a coming out story, Alexei is already well into his journey to living his best queer life without shame. I loved to read about that, about the questions that still come up and about the grief and conclusions he comes to during the time on the PCT.
He still has to figure a lot of things out, and so does Ben.
Ben had some very horrible relationships and he wants to change his patterns and rethinks sone decisions he made in the past.
Alexei supports him so much and makes him realise how much he is worth.
They both made the other realise a lot of things about themselves, raised a lot of questions. Sometimes it’s just destiny meeting another person, because it will bring you so much further into your journey of life. And I loved to read about both their journeys.

I loved the whole setting of this, throughout the chapters I googled so much and looked up so many pictures of their surroundings. I love leading about new places I’ve never been to through books. It makes me feel like I’ve hiked the PCT myself, while I only sat with my ass on my couch. 😂
I also loved how many themes were raised about issues that appear while hiking for different people (queer, Black, fat).

The style of writing and humour of this was amazing and so gripping.
This book was an absolute highlight and I stayed up until 4am reading more than once (which is not good for my own sanity, but it was well worth it).




SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER:

Do I hate the miscommunication trope? Yes. Do I also hate the braking-up in the last third trope? Also yes.
But did it make absolutely perfect sense here? Big yes.
Alexei doesn’t know how to handle romantic and sexual feelings at all, because he never grew up being able to fully show them and experience them freely.
He has left his complete old life, lost his support system, his family. He doesn’t know up from down.
He has to rethink everything he grew up to believe and hope for his future.
It made perfect sense to me that he needs a little time on his own to find answers to all the questions he has, to grieve and to heal. Jumping right into another persons life and skipping all these steps would have only led to total disaster I think.
Should they have talked more and communicated better? Absolutely! But did they both have their own problems in life and (past) relationships? It made sense for them to be absolute idiots.
I think it was perfect that they met, because the other person made them rethink their future and raised a lot of questions for their future. I’m very glad they both took time alone to think everything through without having to make the decision keeping another person in mind though. I’m so so glad they both ended up doing therapy!
I loved the ending, I hope they will maybe appear in another book so we’ll know how their life together turned out.

Alexei and Ben set out to hike the Pacific Crest trail - a grueling journey from Mexico to Canada traversing both deserts and snowy mountains. Alexei is hiking the trail to say goodbye to the Pacific Northwest after living his whole life there, and to heal from the grief he feels after coming out to his parents and them disowning and abandoning him. Ben is hiking the trail as a last hurrah before he starts his career as a nurse and to grieve the death of his beloved aunt who he helped care for. After Alexei reflexively safes Ben from stepping on a rattlesnake, they decide to take this journey together. They get to know more about each other and their relationship develops as they become more open and honest with each other and learn about each others struggles.

I devoured this book in one evening! I loved watching Alexei and Ben's relationship and communication with each other - it felt like a really realistic relationship development over the course of the months they spent hiking this trail. My complaint in a lot of contemporary romances is that the relationship development tends to occur over a very short period of time so this was much more successful for me!

I also loved the romantic gesture at the end and it was the rare 3rd act breakup that didn't bother me because I think both characters needed to grow and figure themselves out in order to come together. Also I need more spicy scenes in epilogues because I really loved it in this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC in exchange for a review. Something Wild & Wonderful comes out March 7th

A beautiful journey of grief and love found on the Pacific Crest Trail. I love Ben and Lex and this book.

This is the best love story I’ve read so far this year! After finishing this book, I had to do an emotional inventory - the ups and downs, love and heartbreak they experience was throughly felt!

I know there’s a lot of you still waiting to read this, so I’ll keep the summary simple:
Alexei and Ben (both 29) meet while hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail - each for their own reasons. Alexei to bury his old life after being disowned by his parents. Ben to start his new, no bad decision adult life. A rattlesnake meet-cute starts this slow burn strangers to friends to lovers. Seriously - the story/relationship arch is so perfectly executed!

Congrats and thank you to Anita Kelly for creating this beautiful story for us.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Processing for a chance to early review this wonderful story in exchange for an honest review.

This was super cute! Ben and Alexei are adorable and I had such a fun time with this book. It is a bit heavier than I expected though. Alexei is dealing with a decent amount of religious trauma from his parents and I fully understand. He is learning how to truly be himself and I love that.

I received an arc through netgalley.

A huge thank you to Anita Kelly, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. Something Wild & Wonderful comes out March 7, 2023.

Alexei and Ben are both hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, but they are both doing it for different reasons. Alexie is grieving the loss of relationship with his parents after coming out to them as well as taking time to make a decision on what he is doing with his future. Ben is grieving the end of a toxic relationship; the death of an aunt and he is also about to step into his new career as a nurse. The two end up meeting after a chance encounter with a rattlesnake that Alexei saves Ben from stepping on. After that the two decide to hike together, and while doing that they start to forge a friendship that honestly is starting to feel like a lot more. Will the two be able to have a bright future after working through their own insecurities about themselves, the grief that both are working through and the fact that they live on different coast.

I absolutely loved Anita Kelly's previous book Love & Other Disasters, so I was extremely excited when I got approved for this book and it did not disappoint. Honestly this book was just packed full or humor, romance and found family that I know I will hold this book close to my heart for years to come. Both Ben and Alexei were such lovable characters that had their own struggles and griefs they were working through. I though they went through so much personal and emotion growth together and separate that by the end you were rooting for both of them and their HEA. The writing was quick paced and just so well done. I loved that is the moment that the book could have dragged Kelly changed the way we were receiving the story and it was perfect. It was also really cool to have the cameo of her previous character, although it is still a standalone. I would honestly recommend this book to anyone, but keep in mind that it does cover heavy topics including coming out. If you are looking for a book full or love and adventure Something Wild & Wonderful is for you.

Anita Kelly has very quickly become one of my favorite writers. They are on my very short auto-buy list. If you haven’t picked up Kelly’s Moonlighter’s series, you should do that. They are short, sweet, and very queer.

Something Wild & Wonderful is in the world of Love & Other Disasters, London and Delilah even make an appearance, but it is a stand alone in terms of plot. After being disowned by his parents and laid off from his job, Alexei is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (which runs from Mexico to Canada) to give himself a way to figure out who he will be going forward. Ben is on the trail to celebrate passing his nursing exams and as a last adventure before being more “adult”. He has promised himself that he will make good choices on the trail, like not hitting on the very handsome man who saves him from being bit by a rattlesnake.

I found the desire to use a big challenge to make a big change in your life so relatable. It’s like making a grand romantic gesture to yourself. And like a big romantic gesture, it isn’t the challenge itself that creates the change. Also relatable – they start out with the wrong goals. The joy of the book is watching them wrestle with themselves as they fall in love with each other.

One of the reasons I like Anita Kelly’s writing so much is that they write their characters with so much tenderness and respect. They give their characters, even characters we don’t meet on the page, believable complexity. Even Alexei’s parents, who have been monstrous to him, are not monsters. As Alexei comes to terms with his alienation from his parents, he writes a line in his journal that made me sob.

"Does it count if the person they miss isn’t actually me?"

Humans are social creatures and part of our identity will always be tied to our relationships and community. Having been rejected for who he is by his parents and their religious community, Alexei thinks he has to figure out his new identity in isolation. The revelations that Alexei and Ben have about their own lives and each other are less epiphanies and more understandings that build over time.

When I initially finished Something Wild & Wonderful, I thought it was lovely, but less ambitious than Love & Other Disasters. On reflection, I think its not less ambitious, just quieter.

CW: family alienation, childhood in a homophobic community, homophobia (challenged)

I received this as an advance reader copy from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Anita Kelly became one of my all time favorite authors after I read and LOVED Love & Other Disasters, and I know I would absolutely adore Something Wild & Wonderful. Alexei and Ben are absolutely everything, and I loved both of their characters so much!

I absolutely adored this book. The characters, the plot, the setting, everything about it was amazing. I started to love Anita Kelly right after i read Love and Other Disasters and this lived up to that and more. I could not put this down, I read it in the span of 24 hours and I strongly encourage everyone to read it!

I adored Something Wild & Wonderful! Anita Kelly writes the most lovable characters—I loved Alexei and Ben so much. They were both so sweet and relatable and I loved how their relationship was written so naturally.

The story follows Alexei and Ben as they both set out to find themselves while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. When they meet up along the trail, they immediately connect and decide to hike together—at least for awhile. But it’s hard for them to deny their attraction, even though they both try. Can they work through their own personal issues while also developing their relationship?

I loved the story and how Anita Kelly writes such genuine characters. What Ben and Alexei are working through seems so honest and real. She seems to know how to really tell stories as though the characters are real. 100% recommend if you want an adorable romance!

Anita Kelly writes amazing queer love stories. I've read Love & Other Disasters and now Something Wild and Wonderful, and she's two for two--five stars, both times.

Something Wild and Wonderful takes place mostly along the Pacific Crest Trail, where Alexie and Ben have a random encounter that leads to a trail friendship and eventually so much more. Alexie is hiking the trail to process some seriously heavy emotions centering around his religious family's rejection of him after he came out to them. Ben is hiking the trail as one last hurrah before growing up and getting an adult job as a nurse.

Their attraction is immediate. I loved watching them build each other up and take care of one another on the trail and off. I loved watching them fall in love.

Alexie's family situation broke my heart. My parents are very religious, and I couldn't' help comparing and wondering how they would have taken the news of a gay child. Alexie actually reminded me so much of my college best friend and his journey. Anita Kelly handles those incredibly difficult emotions with a deft and tender hand. The hurt was real and raw but there was hope woven in, as well. Ben's family acted as a foil to Alexie's, showing what a loving and accepting family can be like.

The narrator, Mark Sanderlin, delivered a wonderful performance. His portrayal of the characters was engaging and kept me listening straight through to the end.

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing for my physical ARC, and to Hachette Audio for my ALC.

This book left me with a giant smile on my face that didn't fade for hours.