(4.5 stars)
I was lucky to read an excerpt several months ago of Something Wild and Wonderful and I loved it. I later got access to the full novel and somehow didn’t make the time to read it until just now. Bad move - this was a great book.

Something Wild and Wonderful is a sensitive look at two young men who meet while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). They are both there for different but similar reasons; they both have emotional issues to come to terms with. Alexei was raised in a very conservative, religious home and his parents basically disowned him when he came out as gay. Ben has been trying to get his life together, after drifting from one job to another, and has recently gotten his nursing degree. They meet by chance and the results are simply magic. They become friends before they become lovers. While there are definitely some detailed steamy scenes, I felt the emphasis on the book was on the emotional journey of these two young men.

In addition to dealing with the feelings of Alexei and Ben, the author brings to life the beauty of the PCT, from the desert to the mountains and the woods. I could really feel Alexei’s love of the outdoors (especially loved his knowledge of birds!) and sympathized with his need for trees!

This is my first book by Anita Kelly and it won’t be the last.

"Because maybe, You're gonna be the one that saves me, And after all, You're my wonderwall" (OASIS)

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was a bit late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Mark Sanderlin, did a great job with the various voices. All opinions are my own.

Anita Kelly is one of my new absolute favorite authors I love her queer representation in books. Reading about the Pacific Northwest made me wish I was there. I loved this book so much and have recommended it to everyone I know!

Kelly once again blows me away with this 2SLGBTQIA+ romance; it’s the perfect melding of romance, self-discovery and a love letter to the great outdoors. Kelly's characters are complex and incredibly likable. Alexei and Ben's journeys aren't just physical, they're each looking for something along the trail but unexpectedly find each other. Oh and the OPS scenes are deliciously spicy. Additionally, it was great seeing Dahlia & London from Love & Other Disasters. I've never hiked or been to the West Coast but Kelly's descriptions of the sights and sounds of the PCT made me feel like I was there. While there are plenty of sweet and humorous moments, Kelly deftly tackles some heavier topics, so be sure check the CWs. And be sure to have some Kleenex when you read the epistolary section, so good! If this book isn’t on your TBR, then you need to add it now. Highly Recommend!


I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

This was an enjoyable romance that I didn't want to put down. I loved the main characters and the story was well developed.

From its opening scene, Something Wild and Wonderful reeled me in. Alexei Lebedev is just starting out in a brand new life chapter–emotionally and physically–as he sets off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Despite his quiet and reserved nature, he steps in to save a fellow hiker from crossing paths with a rattlesnake.

From there, Alexei and Ben Caravalho seemed to be destined to run into each other again. They decide to hike together, learning more about each other and themselves as they trek hundreds of miles. It’s a soft, tender book that also tackles tough issues with such care.

This entire reading experience was a peaceful, immersive, brain-tickling hug of a journey. It’s like a hike you know is going to be kind of tough but you know it’ll be worth it. You’ll get breathless. You’ll probably cry. (If you cry over basically everything.) You might have to take a break bc you just feel… so much. But you push through. And you get to the end. The endorphins kick in. It kinda hurts but in the best possible way. It’s so freaking exhilarating. Yeah. I guess the book is kinda like that. It’s an emotional read that will make your feelings feel feelings, and the hard-fought HEA will make your heart burst. The setting is spectacular–vivid detail that makes it easy to visualize every scene but doesn't take away from the plot or character journeys. Epistolary elements are my absolute jam, and the way it’s executed here… it’s just… it’s just perfection.

That authors are taking time to write us the ND experiences and main characters we (might not know we) need is validating at the least and life-changing at the most. So a million thank-yous to Anita for gifting us with this treasure. Not just a 2023 favorite but a forever favorite. Thanks to Forever for the digital review copy.

OH, MAN! I honestly didn’t really expect to be interested in this book. I loved the authors previous work, so I was willing to give it a shot, but absolutely NOTHING about hiking is interesting to me.
…or so I thought!
That’s the power of great fiction, though. Even an unappealing setting can be the basis for a story that stirs depth and even brings the reader to tears (multiple times. Me, I’m the reader!). And the spice! Wooh!
Overall, this was a classic story about two men who came to the same place to find themselves, and found each other instead. What sets this apart, in my mind, was the ways the author chose to still bring the characters to their OWN forward journey, also. Definitely a must-read, and I hope they keep expanding this universe.

This is a lovely book about two men finding love in an unexpected place: while hiking together. I liked learning about the two characters' histories and the difficult things in their past (particularly Alexei). I enjoyed the chemistry between them. And I enjoyed the way the relationship grew. I think this book was one I liked even more than Anita Kelly's previous book.

This is such a beautiful book, my favorite thus far in 2023. Alexei and Ben and their journeys, both literally as they trek the Pacific Coast Trail, and figuratively, as they tackle their family traumas and insecurities. My heart hurt for Alexei, whose ultra-religious parents have disowned him for being gay. And, I could so relate to Ben's feelings of mediocrity, of never really measuring up. But, now that they've found each other, is there a way to make their disparate lives fit together? Life is like the trail, the path isn't always smooth - all you can do is put one foot in front of the other and hope to find your way.

This book is so beautifully written, and almost made this city girl want to experience the beauty of nature that Anita Kelly has captured. Almost. :)

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever/Grand Central Publishing for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

ṡȏṃєṭһıṅɢ ẇıʟԀ & ẇȏṅԀєяғȗʟ ɞʏ ѧṅıṭѧ ҡєʟʟʏ

🥾🥾🥾🥾🥾
5/5

I received this from NetGally & Anita Kelly, in exchange for my honest opinion. I loved love & other disasters, so I was stocked to get this!

Alexei is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and it starts off with a snake 🐍 Lex is always prepared, but what he wasn’t expecting, was to keep bumping into Ben, along the 2,500 mile trail.

I absolutely adored both of these characters, and loved the setting too. I didn’t think I needed a romance set on a hiking trail, until I read this one. It’s such a fun, a different setting. I appreciate that Alexei is autistic, it gives even more light, and brings normalcy to those who are neurodiverse.

I cannot recommend this enough! It’s such a sweet, beautiful, and heartwarming story. It doesn’t shy away from heavy subjects such as homophobia, family rejection, and even emotional abuse.

Includes:
- meet cute on a hiking trail
- Neurodiverse characters
- Friends to lovers
- Queer love story
- Spicy
- Instant attraction


❗️There are some heavy topics, so check trigger warnings

Anita Kelly has done it again! This sophomore book treats the reader and the characters with such tenderness through the entire journey of the PCT. The story is raw and hard and beautiful. Truly something wild and wonderful.

OH MY GOSH DID THIS BOOK SURPRISE ME!!!!!!

Okay, so I adored Love & Other Disasters -- I am a simp for London & Dahlia. I am also an avid cooking competition show watcher so the setting was everything for me. This led me to feel kind of underwhelmed with the setting of this book (AT FIRST!!!! Let me finish!!!), which takes place on the Pacific Crest Trail for the most part, with interludes in Nashville, Tennessee & Portland, Oregon. I am *not* an outdoors hiking gworly so admittedly, I was not as enamored with the scenery as Alexei was. HOWEVER, THIS BECAME A BEAUTIFUL, MOVING SLOW BURN AND IT MADE ME WANT TO HIKE! WHO AM I?!??!!??!!?

I grew up as a Roman Catholic -- I attended private Catholic school from kindergarten to 8th grade, I went to church every Sunday with my family, & I grew up in a bubble, thinking everyone else was Catholic or believed in God/Jesus/Heaven too. I have since then redefined my spirituality and my relationship with the universe/a higher power. I am bisexual, which also took some time to proudly and wholly admit, so I deeply connected to Alexei's inner turmoil as he sifted through the dirt that was his parent's disowning of him, to find the diamonds in the reality of his new life, post-parents (I really tried with that metaphor lmao. I'm not a writer, just a passionate reader). I have been where Alexei has been, wanting to create Brittany 2.0 in the hopes that I could leave the pain and heartbreak of Brittany 1.0 behind. I cannot thank Anita enough for infusing such care, hope, nuance and love into Alexei's arc. Those letters at the end?! I am still crying.

Ben, on the other hand, oh my goodness. Major golden retriever energy and I could not get enough. The sunshine to Alexei's grumpy. I loved both of these characters' reasons for hiking this intimidating, infamous trail! Again, I am not a hiking bb but I loved the messaging behind this both literal and metaphorical journey that it took them on! Gosh, I am so emotional over this book and I really thought it would be a flop during the first 50 pages.

I wish Anita didn't use the phrasing of "Ben was always the one to spazz out," just because I know it can be interpreted as harmful/offensive. Besides that though, I adored this book. I adored Alexei's acceptance of not only himself, but of what his "new normal" could look like without the love or acceptance of his parents. I loved Ben's reflections on what he deserves, & that grand gesture?!?!?!!? I AM FERAL!!!! The steam was a solid 2/5 -- gimme more next time please hahaha.

Otherwise, I will continue to read everything Anita writes. They are amazing. Incredible. Spectacular. And their bio mentions they want you to adopt a dog -- OKAY ANITA I WILL!!!!!

Eat Pray love meets Wild but make it queer. A heartfelt fun book celebrating queer joy and love. Anita Kelly does it again. It took me a minute to get into the book but I fell in love with the complex characters of Alexei and Ben.

Tender, achingly beautiful, atmospheric- Anita Kelly can do NO wrong.

I had high expectations after LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS and I'm thrilled to report Ben and Alexei surpassed them all. They have my whole heart. Kelly is someone to read if you love love, but also if you adore when "setting" in a book is its own character.

Such a treat!!! This book manage really deftly handled the trauma and joy of this queer coming out journey while also giving space for the love interest to also have shit to work through!!! This book was sweet and sexy and made me want to go on a long hike and also learn more about beers. It was also fun to see characters from Anita’s last book pop in while also having a book that is an incredibly strong standalone story in its own right.

Alexei's first encounter on the Pacific Crest Trail is with a rattlesnake, which can't be a good sign, right? But after the way his life has gone lately, he's determined to hike this trail, hoping it will give him the chance to sort his issues out and start his life over again. Alexei is a very quiet man, and the silence often hides the overwhelming noise of his thoughts. But then he meets Ben Caravalho, who rarely stops talking, singing, or generally making noise. When Alexei agrees to hike with Ben for a bit, he thinks he will immediately regret it. But instead, he finds himself enjoying Ben's company...much more than he thought he would. Strange things have happened on the Pacific Crest Trail, but who would have guessed falling in love could happen?

At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like this one. It took me a bit to get into, and it was the first third-person point of view that I have read in while. But once I got into it, I couldn't get enough of this one. Alexei and Ben were such incredible and complex characters that I grew to love very quickly. I'm not a hiker at all, but I enjoyed the setting and the hiking aspect of this book much more than I thought I would. The queer and mental health representation in this one is some of the best that I have seen in a long time, and I will never be able to recommend this one enough.

"Something Wild & Wonderful" is like a spicy "Eat, Pray, Love" for romantic queerdos.

In other words, I found this book highly relatable.

Using the Pacific Crest Trail as a backdrop, Anita Kelly mostly avoids the most cliche stereotypes about gays and "roughing it," and instead presents two flawed but entirely capable protagonists ready to put 2,650 miles between themselves and their respective pasts.

And while neither Alexei nor Ben was looking for love, we all know how that turns out.

"Something Wild & Wonderful" isn't necessarily full of surprises, but it is about as comforting as a book can get, like a sticky and sweet s'more for the soul.

This book made me want to go on a hike and fall in love with a stranger. I loved it that much.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book🥹 SW&W, follows Alexei who is hiking the PCT in order to hopefully heal and figure out where he belongs in the world. Alexei came out to his parents and it didn’t go as he had hoped. The vibe of this book was so melancholy and sad. The letters at the end really wounded me.

This book also follows Ben. Ben meets Alexei on the trail when Alexei saves him from a rattlesnake. Eventually Ben asks to walk the trail with Alexei. God, I loved Ben! He loved Alexei for exactly who he was. I thought it was so sweet how much he loved when Alexei identified bird calls🥹

Both Ben and Alexei deserved each other and balanced each other out perfectly!! This book is 5 easy, beautiful stars!

The way I kept finding myself slowing down my natural reading speed so this book would last longer. Is BOOK EDGING a thing?

SOMETHING WILD & WONDERFUL is just so damn good! I loved it.

I almost never cry while reading, but this book had me sobbing. The themes of queerness, parent rejection, and healing from spiritual abuse are all in my own past and SOMETHING WILD & WONDERFUL healed some parts of my heart, I think. These tough topics are handled with realness and honesty.

Lex and Ben are just the perfect love story. I was gut-wrenchingly invested in these two amazing and flawed, but lovable, characters.

SOMETHING WILD & WONDERFUL has heart and meaningful ideas and is also seriously steamy. It has fantastic neuro-diverse representation and positive professional therapy experiences.

I absolutely adored this book and demand that you read it and love it as much as I did.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated R / 2-4 descriptive sex scenes, may have harsh language.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: homophobia (challenged), family member with Alzheimer's, parent estrangement
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 4/5 - Tackled some seriously tough topics.

Having enjoyed every book I've read from Kelly, I was so excited for Something Wild & Wonderful. But what I loved immediately was the ways in which we are able to so clearly see and get to know the characters. All the things we first notice about a person? Those careful details and considerations are one of the ways I love Something Wild & Wonderful. The characters are instantly clear and detailed to us. And Kelly is only getting started!

The characters Alexei and Ben hold their own as individuals. As Alexei is tackling his relationship with his family while Ben is trying to figure out his own future. Something Wild & Wonderful is a story about love and dreams. About why each of them find themselves on this path. From the beginning, their chemistry was so fantastic!