5 shining stars to this truly wonderful romance.

Something Wild & Wonderful is a beautiful slow burn romance set along the Pacific Crest Trail. Alexei is hiking alone to find himself and grow into the person he wants to become after being disowned by his religious family for coming out as gay. Ben is hiking to meet new people and have an adventure before starting to work as a nurse, something he feels doubts about his ability to do successfully. They meet and form a partnership, each having strengths and weaknesses that balance each other.

The romance is so gentle and sweet, both men having respect and care for each other. Anita Kelly masterfully weaves together an airy and loving romance with heavier topics of grief over the loss of family, religious trauma, homophobia, fear or failure, and (unspecified) lasting trauma from past relationships.

The letters section pushed this book to even further to a 5++ star read for me.

Absolutely adored this book! The characters were so interesting and fully fleshed out people, and the romance was sweet and had me aching at times. I also thought the backdrop of the Pacific Crest Trail was really good. The observations on life and hiking were thought provoking and nicely interwoven with the romance, and the descriptions of the scenery were exquisite. I also really appreciate how the author tackles a gay character who comes from a religious background and struggles with the loss of that community and that part of who he was and still is. Also lots of great found family vibes on the trail as well as all the things that home provides in its various forms. I could go on and on, everything in this book was perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC I received.

Love this story. This was really different due to the setting and overall premise. The relationships were believable and the characters likable. I really enjoy the slow burn as these character grow into one another over the hiking journey. I really enjoyed the personal struggles of the main character and combing to terms with who he is.

Absolutely one of my favorite books that I've read in 2023!! I loved reading about the characters and seeing their love story unfold.

I’m a sucker for a good romcom, but through queer into it and its an automatic banger for me. Anita Kelly became an auto-buy/read for me after this book. Absolutely amazing.

Quite simply one of my favorite books of all time. It's life affirming and tender and the setting is its own incredible character, and I would protect Ben and Alexei with my life. Anita Kelly is and will remain a forever favorite author for me.

This was in my top ten books read last year and continues to have my whole damn heart. I don't have any personal knowledge of the PCT, and I'm sure this is an extra special read for those who do- but it doesn't matter. The two MMCs are so completely perfect that you could plop them anywhere on the globe and it would still be a Very Special Book.

Anita Kelly is an auto-buy.

Thanks to Forever Books for the review copy!

Anita Kelly knows how to write a queer fic and this one was of the best. That ending!!!! I just adored this. Alexei and Ben! Swoon. I'm so glad that space is being made for authors and stories like these.

Anita Kelly has become one of my go-to queer romance readers. I love the way she sets the story and romance between two individuals and easily entices the reader on the journey.

Something Wild & Wonderful was a great reading experience, but it did take me a few chapters to full become invested in the story. Once I was it was hard to put down. I loved that Kelly isn't afraid to show the highs and lows of queer experiences in her fiction writing. In Something Wild & Wonderful we see one characters with a loving family who has always accepted their sexuality and the other comes from a religiously bigoted family that can't get past their sexuality. It's about so much more than the sexuality of the characters as Ben and Alexei grow as individuals on their journey on the PCT together. I felt like I went through all the emotions with Ben and Alexei throughout their journey and I'm looking forward to the last book in this somewhat linked series, How to Get the Girl, coming out in 2024.

If you haven't read the first book in the "series", Love & Other Disasters, I also highly recommend that book. You see a little bit of London and Dahlia in Something Wild & Wonderful so it isn't necessary for the story, but you'll fall in love with their love story as well.

Thank you to Forever Pub for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

I don’t even have the words. This book was perfect in every way. As everyone knows I love a good grumpy x sunshine and this delivered. I fell in love with Alexei and Ben the moment I met them. This is an amazing but emotional story that I think everyone would enjoy.

Anita Kelly is one of my recent favorites and I looked forward to this read. Though this was not a 5-star read for me, this was still an incredibly sweet story. Watching Alexei and Ben fall for each other was adorable and I enjoyed following their journey along the hike.

That ending with the bridge was cinematic and brilliant and sappy and made me so incredibly joyous!!

I'll always go back for more and more Anita Kelly. If you're looking for a soft, gentle, loving queer story - this is it. Plus, the outdoors are gorgeous.

Thank you to Forever for the ARC via Netgalley!

This book sneaks up on you little by little. A story about two young adults hiking the PCT(Pacific Coast Trail) Alexei and Ben meet over an encounter with a snake and from there attraction starts to develop, filled with understanding one’s emotional baggage and mental health, and the willingness of trying to find one’s self out on the trail. Ben and Alexei will encounter many moments along the way that will have them questioning everything but in the end will love save the day. Can what they have on the trail lead to something more and be something that can last. I absolutely adored this book and had my heartstrings being pulled in all the right ways.

I loved this one! What a beautiful, emotional journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. Anita Kelly has such a great voice.

Idkkkk I just didn’t really like this one. I personally prefer sapphic romance so that could be it. It could be that it was third person and there was one audiobook narrator and I hate that. Idk but this just didn’t hit for me at all.

Absolutely loved this book. Ben and Alexei are such well-developed, heartfelt characters, and their story is so emotional. There's a lot of serious, devastating moments, but also a lot of levity - it feels so realistic to actual relationships and how one would unfold between these two. Anita Kelly also paints a gorgeous picture of the PCT and makes you feel like you're hiking alongside Ben and Lex. Thank you to Forever for the ARC via Netgalley!

Not my typical type of read but I enjoyed it none the less! Enjoyed reading about them falling in love along the PCT - it was an emotional, beautiful journey! Thanks for the ARC!

Anita Kelly is absolutely incredible. Love & Other Disasters was a 5 star read for me- though this book wasn’t quite as good, it was still 4 stars. I think things got a little messy once the characters weren’t in the wilderness, and that’s my only complaint.

A very charming and lovely book. Both of the main characters were so easy to love and felt very well rounded. The setting of the pacific crest trail was exciting for me as a lover of the book Wild and a romance novel done in the wilderness was new for me and I thought it worked very well. It was nice to have at least one of the queer characters not struggling with their sexuality and having a stable family

This is a beautiful book. Anita Kelly has such talent for putting you in the head of their characters and addressing all the messy, complicated emotions you’ll find there. They're so real, and relatable, and I've never read one I didn't root for.

Alexei and Ben are both hikers on the Pacific Coast Trail. They meet by chance and decide to hike together. Both of them are on the trail for different reasons, and they end up learning a lot from and about each other.

This book is so sweet! It read more like a YA romance to me, but I truly enjoyed it. Watching Ben and Alexei fall in love was adorable. While their communication skills needed work, they grew so much over the course of the novel. I really liked how this book was broken into acts, especially loved the letters in the last act. A beautiful story of found family, love, finding yourself, and perseverance.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.