I LOVE ANITA KELLY. nobody writes romance like anita. a backpacking trip??? like who else can make that so emotional and romantic. NOBODY. i loved this if you all can't tell. read it in one sitting and was crying by the end; the story was that beautiful. READ THIS BOOK.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two men meet up on the PCT, but their decision to merely tolerate each other for the sake of not going alone turns into so much more. SOMETHING WILD & WONDERFUL is indeed wonderful in having deep characters, an intersting setting, and love at the center of it all. The issues both men are dealing with by walking the PCT comes out organically and really feeds into the fact that they fall for each other. A perfect romcom! Anita Kelly is an always-read for me.

Anita Kelly does it again! This story was everything I have ever wanted. Characters that you easily fall for and a plot that captivates you. It is the perfect queer rom-com for anytime of the year but especially for pride month !

GIRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL I AM UNWELL I have so many thoughts that I'm too blubbery to put together right now, but this book changed my brain chemistry. It gave me so much romance and joy but mostly it gave me a HEALING JOURNEY, easily one of the best I've ever read. For all the parts where the romance and Ben's journey are given space to take center stage, this is a book about the summer where Alexei learned to heal from the betrayal of his parents unwillingness to love him for who he is. And it was handled with such nuance and comfort that let the jagged edges show, didn't openly vilify anything while still showing a clear and correct point of view. This book is important and incredible.

For as many books as I both read and recommend to people, there honestly aren't many that I think are compulsory reads for anyone who wants to understand my tastes and desires in books/media/stories. This probably just made that list.

4.5

It took me longer than I expected to get into this book, but once I did I was sold. Don't let the cute cartoon cover fool you, this is a sweet romance but it's even more so about accepting and loving yourself. Alexei and Ben are both on the PCT in an attempt to better themselves. Alexei because he recently came out to his very religious parents and was disowned, and Ben as a way to feel more settled before starting his nursing career. They are so sweet and I loved watching their relationship grow, and I loved their personal journeys. The letters from the third act breakup section had me actually crying, and reading them was so cathartic.

I also loved that we got to see London and Dahlia from [book:Love & Other Disasters|55297669]. It would be fun if Anita Kelly continued threading characters through their books- I would love to see a Ruby book next!

If you're a fan of the outdoors and cute queer romances that also dive into very real and vulnerable themes, then PLEASE pick up Something Wild & Wonderful!

While I really enjoyed Anita Kelly's book Love & Other Disasters, Something Wild & Wonderful blew me out of the water. It made me laugh, tear up, get frustrated alongside the characters, and just overall left me feeling so happy. I'm not a big fan of hiking and camping, but it was so fun following Alexei and Ben's journey on the trail and watching their relationship grow and develop. Both characters struggled internally, and it was honestly beautiful to watch them grow together as they navigated their pasts, beliefs, and feelings for the other person while living isolated. Ugh, this book was just so fun and is definitely a favorite of 2023 so far!

CW for sexual content, homophobia, separation from religious family because of queer identity, toxic manipulation (in past).

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC of Something Wild & Wonderful!

This is my first book by Anita Kelly, but I'm so excited to read more! I loved this book so much! The slow burn romance was well developed, with lots of great banter between the characters. While I liked both leads, I especially loved Alexai as I too am a a spreadsheet nerd who doesn't make connections with that many people.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves queer love stories, anyone looking for neurodivergent rep in romance, and anyone who loves a good slow burn romance.

I loved Anita Kelly's first book, and this one lives in the same world but works as a stand alone.

Alexei and Ben meet while hiking the Pacific Coast Trail and their journey is both literal and figurative as they come to terms with what being queer means for them as people and as an eventual couple. They truly compliment each other and Kelly so beautifully weaves in the experience of life on the trail that I felt like I was there. It's a truly mature romance in that the characters communicate and share and the ending was sweet perfection. I can't wait to read what Kelly writes next!

4.5 stars

Thanks to Forever for the copy to review.

Never have I ever thought... hmmm maybe I could hike the PCT, until I read this gem of a book (spoiler alert - I can't hike the PCT with my bum knees)

No surprise to me that Anita Kelly wrote another really great book with dreamy love interests who were forced together in literal close proximity that could not fight their attraction to each other!

I completely forgot this was a second book to Love & Other Disasters until I picked it up and in popped London as a side character!

This was such a delight. First of all, I loved the setting: getting a taste of the PCT was a great addition to this romance. I also loved how the romance developed between Lex and Ben. The third act conflict didn't feel as forced as in some other romances and I loved the grand gesture at the end. Overall, this was a really fun romance.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly could NOT put this book down. It’s adventurous, romantic, sweet, has beautifully written characters, and constantly had me rooting for the main character, Alexei and Ben. As someone who has backpacked before it took me back to that nostalgic place. I love that the romantic and intimate scenes put a strong focus on consent. The story is witty and charming and I’m so happy I read this. Easily one of my favorite stories.

Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly is a wonderful representation of queer love. Alexei and Ben meet on the PCT unexpectedly and what follows is a tender love story. Highly recommend this read! Anita Kelly is bringing a new voice and perspective to the romance genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC - Something Wild and Wonderful is our now!

This book was charming. I sometimes am slow to warm up to romance, despite it being one of my most read genres. It sometimes just takes me a little while to find the rhythm and come to care for the characters. In this book, though, I was immediately pulled in by our leads. I appreciate that they met so early on in the book. I found the premise to be excellent and original. A great romance rec for pride month. Thanks for the ARC!

I absolutely adored Love and Other Disasters, so Something Wild and Wonderful was very high on my most anticipated list. I came for a love story, and I stayed for the incredible character growth and especially Alexei's journey with dealing with religious trauma and being disowned by his parents.
Something Wild and Wonderful is set on the PCT trail, that goes from Mexico to Canada. Our main characters, Ben and Alexei are both hiking the trail for reasons of personal growth: Ben is trying to have a fresh start as a nurse, and avoid toxic men, and Alexei is trying to become Alexei 2.0, someone who is confident and independent. They have a very romantic meet cute where Alexei saves Ben from stepping on snake. From there on, their paths on the trails are forever mingled.
Alexei was definitely my favourite character, I related to him so much. He grew up very sheltered by religious parents, he then loses said parents when he comes out and has to deal with the grief and trauma that comes with losing something that makes up a huge part of his identity: the community that comes with being religious. I loved that he didn't lose his faith after coming out, that he developed his own relationship with his god. Religious queer characters are very close to my heart. Also, the fact that he's autistic? the icing on the cake.
Anita Kelly blew it out of the water again. The romance was incredible, and again, the character growth was just beautiful to read (I did cry) 5/5 stars

I picked this up after a friend read and loved and am so happy that I did. The hike reminded me a little of one of my all time faves, Happiness for Beginners, and the threads of self discovery and acceptance were so well done. I thought Kelly approached faith and Alexei's relationship with both God and his parents with such a perfect touch. It was relatable and personal without being heavy handed. I thought Ben was handled just as well. His personal struggles were harder to see but needed care. It's a great mix of steam and depth and emotion that kept me so invested.

Two men hiking the Pacific Crest Trail meet by chance and decide to hike together. Kelly builds a carefully layered friendship and meaningful individual story arcs as the two fall in love. What a gorgeous book. Somehow funny, steamy and emotionally resonant, Something Wild & Wonderful is more than the sum of its parts. One character is adrift professionally, feeling like he's not accomplished anything with his life (he's a damn fine nurse though) and the other is trying to come to terms with the place of religion in his life after a disastrous coming out to his fundamentalist Christian family. Kelly handles the subject matter with great care as usual, but there's that spark of something more in their writing. The emotions are just... elevated. These two jellybeans deserve the whole world.
I strongly recommend this romance, even if you don't like hiking!

***

Content Warnings: religious trauma, homophobia, anxiety. For a more complete list, I recommend Leigh's review.

Anita Kelly is one of those authors that I just adore. Every book I read by Kelly has something magical about it and makes me love it. For starters I LOVED the setting. While I enjoy the outdoors and would do a nice hike in the summer there is no way I would do through hiking like this. However I adored reading about the setting and the PCT experience. The setting was just so vividly laid out and made me feel like I was in the wild with Alexei and Ben.

The other thing I loved about this is how soft and sweet it was, but not in a sickly way. I love soft romances that aren’t completely full of drama and angst, but there was a lot of trauma and emotional things to work through for both Ben and Alexei. I loved that they were both dealing with things and trying to figure out thier lives and what they want to do about what they’re dealing with.

I really loved Alexei and how he was working through his feelings and trauma on the hike. It was really sweet to see him and Ben get close and open up to each other. Also the letters! I’m not spoiling anything but dang, what a hit to the system! They were so sweet and sad at the same time. I loved it all. I also really loved how Alexei learned more about himself and found out he was autistic. It was really cool seeing him grow and understand himself better, plus find somewhere and people that make him feel happy and safe.

This slow burn romance from the author of Love and Other Disasters shines. I'd heard a lot of hype about this one, and I'm happy to say that it mostly lived up to it. Definitely recommended for fans of romance, hiking, and heartfelt stories.

I really enjoyed this romance, even though there was a lot of hiking! The two leads and the friend circles were well drawn

This book was very sweet. The characters felt real and so did their struggles. My favourite part was definitely the growth we got to see in the characters as the book progressed. I will definitely be recommending this one