Thank you To NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for the eARC.

To begin this friend group is just so fun. I found myself giggling during certain portions of this book. But, that does not trump the fact that this book is a super slow read. It takes forever to get there it seems. I also wonder if my age played a factor despite being in my early 30s. It just missed the mark for me overall.

What happens when four friends decide on a whim to move to the London countryside, and one is secretly in love with the other? I expected a sweet queer romance with chickens. What I got was a book where so much is happening, that nothing happens.

Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. I was genuinely intrigued by the premise, but it takes nearly 40% of the book to get to the countryside and 70% to get to a romance. I am all for a slow burn, but a flame or two along the way would be nice. I think there were too many plot points, and none felt focused.

I did enjoy the found family and the community that they moved to.

You may love this if you want an easy read with queer representation and a great found family.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vintage Anchor, and Vintage for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet and quick with enough emotional depth and a lot of fully realized characters. The main romance didn’t really work for me but I suspect that has more to do with me than with the book itself, looking forward to reading more from this author!

def 17% Nothing happens. I think I finally got to where the story starts with them deciding to get the house together, but that should have been page one, not almost 20% into the book. All the descriptions were of the most random things but never the characters. El's obsession with her friend is weird, yes I know this is going to become the romance (which other reviews tell me doesn't happen until 70+%) but it just seems creepy. I like the idea of this book, but I think the author was trying too many things and it just didn't work.

Wild Things by Laura Kay

Published: May 23, 2023
Vintage
Pages: 313
Genre: LGBTQ+ Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Laura Kay is a writer and editor. She has an MA in American History from the University of Sheffield and now lives in East London with her wife and cats.

“You’re enough, yeah?”

El has decided this is going to be her year of wild things. She will leave her comfort zone and do one whole thing a month. After a rocky start, she moves to a house in the country with her best mates, Will, Jamie, and Ray. That is where things get complicated.

This was such a sweet story. I loved the humor mixed with the prose. The storytelling was seamless, and the character development was strong.

El was such a fun character. I loved her journey of getting to know herself and accepting that she is enough as she is. Ray was a solid character who had confidence and poise. Will was a steady presence, and Jamie was fun.

I loved the idea of living with a group of friends, and I loved the adventures they shared. The way the story unfolded felt authentic. The emotion was well played, and the build-up was realistic.

The last half of this book was beautiful. I loved the growth El goes through and the emotional path she embraced. This was a lovely story about believing in yourself and taking the plunge.

Wild Things is a light queer rom com. Meet a group of friends who decide to buy a house together and form essentially a gay commune. It is a light-hearted read with a non-complicated plot line. Meet El who is in a rut in her life and finding confidence in herself. The best part of the book is towards the end, so beware (the first half or so moves slowly in my opinion). The character building is strong in this book. The characters were very well developed, but with this said, I have mixed feelings about this book. Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

I was given a free eCopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The main character’s dilemma is fun and speaks to those who have a hard time letting go and going with the flow. The romance is sweet and I found the story to be immensely compelling. I was rooting for the main character nearly every time.

This is a great book to represent those who find themselves outside the current cultural norm, and it’s an awesome, clever and humorous novel that talks about stepping outside our comfort zones and taking a leap toward what we want most.

4/5 stars!

I thought this was fine, and it's more that it didn't work as well for me in particular. It's a fun rom com about a group of friends who buy a house in the English countryside, with a focus on one F/F friends to lovers couple. I just felt that the drama over the romance lasted way too long and then was immediately resolved at the end.

Wild things by Laura Kay missed the mark for me. I definitely think this book is a for a younger crowd and I couldn't relate to the characters. However, there were some laugh out loud moments and the friend group is hilarious. While this was not for me, I can see a lot of people who would love this book and I think it will be a great read for them!

I think I'm too old for this book, but it was charming. My Gen X self was telling my millennial roommate that I feel like someone as entrenched in anxious unspoken feelings as Eleanor a couple decades ago would not be a sympathetic heroine. But I don't think anyone can grow up in this world without anxiety and I don't think it stays localized. I'm glad this book exists and I love a small town that isn't represented as perfect or awful but rather just a nice little place to live.

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Wild Things was everything I dreamed of during the height of the pandemic. It is a cozy, low-stakes romance about a group of friends who leave the big city to go fix up and live in a dilapidated house in the countryside. It is an escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life and just so thoroughly enjoyable to read.

In the book, El, feels like she is in a rut and makes a resolution to be 'wild' for the next year. This involves doing one wild thing every month (and then journalling about it in her favorite stationary). El has been in love with her best friend, Ray, since she met her but Ray is a serial dater and El couldn't stand to lose Ray. The two of them and their other two best friends, Jamie and Will, have the opportunity to buy a house outside of London. Unsurprisingly, living with Ray forces El to confront her feelings and actually deal with them.

I can't recommend this enough. It was just so so good.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
🌶 🌶 🌶

Tropes: best-friends-to-roommates-to-lovers, best-friends-to-lovers, roommates-to-lovers, escape to the country, slow-burn,

#WildThings #NetGalley

This book just wasn't for me in genre aspects. I wanted to give this rom-com a try but wasn't into it. However this would be great for audiences that enjoy rom-coms/cute romance stories.

I thought that this book was super cute! I will say that I was expecting a bit more of the romance plot than what I feel you get, but getting to know the different characters and watch Eleanor blossom into herself more was just really heartwarming and charming and good for the soul.

I also adore the diary portion in the very back! I thought that was such a fun way to really make you feel closer to Eleanor as a character and to follow along her journey since the book does start a few months into the year.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it for a cozy, heartwarming spring- or summer-time read!

What happens when four friends decide to move out of the busy city and to the serene countryside, where they will all be staying under the same roof? Laura Kay, tell us the story of these quirky and boisterous friends who are trying to work together in a new space. The main character El, is trying to find her way by completing a list of so called "Wild Things". She thinks this will make her life more exciting so when the opportunity arises for her to move in with three of her friends on a whim, she decides why not? The only things is, one of the people she is now living with is her best friend, Ray. Now that shouldn't be an issue, but El has been in love with her best friend Ray for years. The only thing is that El is too scared to admit to Ray that she has true feelings for her. This book is a slow burn romance about El trying to figure out who she truly is while also working up the courage to admit her true feeling for Ray.

If you are a romance lover, who is looking to read a book with LGBTQIA+ main character, or just a book about someone trying to find themselves then I highly recommend this book. It is funny, with main characters you will immediately like. This book is great if you love a slow burn romance, but it was just not for me. I just wish there was a little more. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

El is trying to do one wild thing a month for a year. While she realizes she isn't exactly a "wild woman" she' feels she has to show her crush Ray that she doesn't always have a spreadsheet at the ready for everything. After a few disappointing months, their friend offers them both the chance of a lifetime. Stop renting a room in the city and together purchase a large home in the country and start a queer commune.

What follows is the queer, cottage-core, farm life love story of my dreams. Twilight chickens, local gossips, and the down the road pub are truly the icing on the cake. Wild Things is definitely a romance of the slow burn variety but that doesn't take from the beauty of it. If you're looking for a smutty good time you won't find it here, but you will find a sweet sapphic love story with heart, found family, and CHICKENS! Seriously some of the best parts are the parts of living on the commute and everyday farm life. This is truly one of the best lighthearted slow burn love stories of the year!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5


Thank you to NetGalley, Vintage Anchor, and Laura Kay for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Laura Kay, Vintage Anchor, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchnage for my honest opinion. Wild Things comes out May 23, 2023.

Wild Things is a sapphic romcom fun of found family, humor and heart. El is done being boring so she has committed to doing new and wild things this year. Part of that is moving out to the country to start a queer commune with her best friends. Too bad she happens to be in love with her best friend Ray, but feels like she cant do anything about it. In the end will she get the courage to risk her friendship and will it be worth it. I honestly thought this book a had really good bones, and I am a sucker for a found family plot. The problem for me was that the starting a commune part took a lot of the story that the romance between her and Ray was a huge slow burn. I think that the ending was amazing and made up for some of the slowness in the beginning. If you are looking for a light hearted queer romance you should give Wild Things a try!!

This was exactly the kind of low-stakes, lighthearted, romance story I was in the mood for! Eleanor has embarked on a year of doing wild things to try to switch things up in her life. Partway through the year she and three friends jump at a chance to move out of the city and purchase an old house in the country to start a queer commune. The only catch is Eleanor is in love with her best friend and is terrified of rocking the boat.

These characters are so well developed and lovable. The first half of the book was a little slow for my taste, but overall just a pleasant reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 2/5⭐️

Publication Date: May 23rd 2023

Author: Laura Kay

Review: This book could of been so good but it honestly just feel a little flat for me, I have been trying to branch out and really a different type of rom com but they really aren’t doing it for me, It was a little too YA for me. I really did like the diversity of this book that was one of the reasons what drawn me in along with the cover it was cute. I did have some moments of actually laughing out loud.

I would suggest this book to others but I can’t ever see myself reading it again.

“Wild Things” follows a bisexual woman named El as she navigates her feelings for her best friend Ray and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. In spite of its promise, the execution was slow paced and underdeveloped.

The slow-burn sapphic romance appealed to me at first, but the romance itself took a while to develop. There was more focus on El and her friends moving into their new house in the country, making the romance seem like a subplot. Three quarters into the book, the romance finally took center stage, and El and Ray's confession of feelings was just what the book needed.

It was a slow burn gone too far, which made for a dull and repetitive read. Neither El nor Ray had chemistry, and their connection paled in comparison to other characters like Rachel or Sabine. The character descriptions and personalities were underdeveloped, so it was hard to connect with them.

Certain elements of the plot, like the monthly "wild things" challenges, weren't explored enough. Despite the title's suggestion, these challenges were overshadowed by El's personal growth and the slow-paced romance. A lot of unnecessary side characters were also introduced, like Rozalia and Lisa. Also, Rob and Polly's story didn't live up to its initial promise.

Although I enjoyed the light-hearted themes of growth and self-discovery, "Wild Things" wasn't for me. There were some characters I didn't like, and the slow pace left me disinterested. Although the book had potential, the engaging elements weren't fully explored. "Wild Things" falls short of its promise, offering a slow-paced narrative and underdeveloped characters. The book failed to capture my attention, leaving me wanting more depth and excitement.

A group of friends ditch their London apartments and buy a house together in the countryside to create a queer commune, called the lavender house. The chosen family/friend dynamic here is SO good, and the thing that carried this book for me. This house turns into a massive DIY project that gains an incredible instagram following. The book is from El’s POV, who is in her early 30’s has been a dead end job for 5+ years, and has feelings for her best friend…who she’s now moving in with.

Where I felt the story lacking, was between the developed history and chemistry between El and Ray. We just know that El has had feelings for Ray for five years, but we get no historical details as to why, and almost no banter/chemistry in the present that shows how they are as best friends, never mind how they could work as romantic partners. The beginning also felt slow— and I’m not sure where the year of wild things really even played into the book? It felt unnecessary. I also felt like El didn’t actual have a journey of self discovery, which I think was supposed to be important. I was a bit shocked that she was 30+ when she came across more as 20+.

Overall this book had SO MUCH potential, but I wanted more character development, more growth, and more romance. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!