Jana may have gone to the wild but she most definitely did not go wild. I absolutely adored Accidentally Engaged and was so looking forward to Jana Goes Wild.  i hate to say it but this book just fell flat for me and it was so disappointing. I didn't care for Jana. She was stubborn, in quite an immature way. The big "secret" that Jana's family was trying to keep was infantile and something literally nobody would care about. I liked Anil though. Cutesy but I could have DNFed.

“Jana Suleiman has never really fit in—everyone always sees her as too aloof, too cool, too perfect. The one time she stepped out of her comfort zone she ended up with a broken heart and a baby on the way. Aaaand lesson learned.”

This book was a good time. I absolutely loved the setting, the positive representation of the father, the cast of BIPOC, and the Second Chance at Love trope. Even the Accidental Pregnancy didn’t piss me off – probably because it was in the past.

I found the book a bit draggy, however. Mostly because there was a tonne of repetition.

This was a very slow burn romance. Understandably, considering the consequences of their past, but something to consider.

This author wrote Accidentally Engage, another I quite enjoyed, so I’ll be on the lookout for her next book.

6.5/10

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC.

A fun adventure of self discovery with an astounding backdrop in Tanzania. This one is a combination of fake relationship and second chance romance. Jana and Amir had a fling that resulted in a daughter, but haven't been together since for a very good reason. When they are both on a destination wedding trip with the head of the company Jana just interviewed for, they pretend to be well-adjusted co-parents. and partners. As usual in romance, it isn't all pretend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙧𝙤𝙢-𝙘𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨—𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜—𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨.

📍 Read if you like:
• Second Chance Romances
• Wedding Festivities
• Disney References
• Tanzania

This was a fun and quick second-chance romance with so many Disney references, which I really enjoyed.

We follow single mom Jana, who wants to give her daughter the best life. She ends up falling for Anil, who happens to be already married.

They’re both forced to see each other when they’re part of a destination wedding in Tanzania, East Africa. I just loved the setting so much and I had a great time reading about the wedding festivities and culture there.

There were some entertaining scenes in this book involving food and safari adventures. I really want to read more romances set in Africa, I just love the culture there so much.

There’s also a lot of drama that added so much spice to this story.

However, there were times when Jana got a bit over the top and it got repetitive. I didn’t like the way she treated Anil at times. Some of their interactions felt too forced and it felt uncomfortable.

Overall, this was such a fun read. I loved the chemistry between the characters and the setting was the absolute best. I loved the rich cultural activities and local foods. Highly recommend picking this romance up!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Forever for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Infidelity, sexual content, pregnancy, panic attacks/disorder, sexism

My flight is delayed and what better way to spend my time than telling you how utterly delightful JANA GOES WILD is!

The descriptions of Tanzania, the wedding events, and food transported me far, far away from a very busy airport. I loved Jana's complex relationship with Anil and Imani has completely stolen my heart.

Balancing career, parenthood, friends, and family is no easy feat, and @farahheronauthor takes us on that roller-coaster of an emotional journey with Jana, with no shortage of laughs along the way. I'm a real sucker for the laughs.

.....

Jana Suleiman has never really fit in—everyone always sees her as too aloof, too cool, too perfect. The one time she stepped out of her comfort zone she ended up with a broken heart and a baby on the way. Aaaand lesson learned . Now she’s a bridesmaid for a destination wedding in Serengeti National Park, and almost everyone she knows will be there. Her five-year-old daughter. Her mom. Her friends. Even her potential new boss. And of course (because who doesn’t love surprises!) her gorgeous-but-not-to-be-trusted ex.

Fortunately, Anil Malek is a great dad, even if Jana hasn’t quite forgiven him for lying to her all those years ago. Determined to show he has no effect on her whatsoever, she and the bridesmaids concoct a go-wild list to get Jana through the week. Sing karaoke? Sure. Perform their high school dance routine in front of strangers? Okay. But the more she lets down her guard, the less protection she has against her attraction to Anil. And Jana soon realizes it’s one thing to walk on the wild side . . . and quite another to fall for her ex all over again.

#bookstagram #reading #janagoeswild #review #romcom #canadianauthor

I LOVED THIS

It took a while for my mood reading soul to pick this one up - but once I did I devoured it in one sitting. What a fantastic second chance romance featuring strong familial relationships.

Wow this one dealt with everything - grief, love, loss, struggling with familial and cultural expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Highly recommend everyone reads this beautiful story about a single mom rediscovering herself and learning how to let go on a safari adventure.

Jana Goes Wild is the newest book from Farah Heron and it does not disappoint. I loved the fun setting, the romance, and Jana going out of her way to try new things (with some push from her friends & family that is). It is a great summer read and especially a good vacation read (though I'd read this book any time of the year).

Jana Suleiman just doesn't fit in. She is quiet, smart and seemingly perfect. Yet, after a two week affair she become pregnant and broken hearted. She is off to Tanzania as part of a bridal party when her ex lover shows up, along with her potential new boss. What could be worse? Only that her mother has told everyone she is divorced. She must keep up the pretense during the two weeks. She and the bridesmaid come up with a go-wild list to get Jana out of her comfort zone. Will she really walk on the wild side? Will she get back with her ex?

Humorous, adventurous, and a beautifully written multi-generational tale. I always enjoy books that feature a grandma, mom, and daughter because I grew up in a similar family unit and learned so much from the women who raised me! This one was entertaining and as someone who enjoys studying cultural Geography especially I loved learning about different ways of living.

really sweet second chance romcom that takes place in an irresistible setting. I loved all the colorful customs, food and cultural references. this was a REALLY slow burn, but it had a pretty good payoff. I loved all aspects of the co-parenting relationship and there were some pretty funny moments as well. Pacing was a tad slow for me, but overall it was an easy read.

Jana is a bridesmaid in a fabulous destination wedding when her ex (and father of her child) shows up unexpectedly. Things quickly get complicated for these co-parents.

This isn't tagged as being part of a series, as it definitely can be read as a standalone, but it does share overlapping characters with Kamila Knows Best.

I struggled a bit with how repetitive this storyline felt. It always seemed like Jana and Anil had these moments of connection, then cycled through misunderstanding and miscommunication. It was hard to get past just how negative Jana was as a main character, I found her constantly assuming the worst about everyone, from her mother to her future employer to even her friends and especially Amil--after a while, I found it weighed on me a bit as a reader.

I did really enjoy "traveling" along with this fun wedding party. Farah Heron clearly has such a strong connection to Tanzania and I really appreciated the detail included on the customs, the safaris and the food!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

I would rate this story 3.5 stars I think. I really loved all of the travel/wedding aspects of this story - the game drives, the hotels, the parties and all of the food! But as a romance, I felt like it fell flat for me.

Jana and Anil had two amazing weeks together before something ended their relationship before it could really start. And then Jana realized she was pregnant. The story jumps to five years later when Jana and Anil are both in the wedding party for mutual friends so they’re all going to Tanzania for two weeks to go on safari and celebrate the wedding. They apparently are excellent co-parents sharing equal custody of their daughter Imani, but really don’t interact otherwise. Anil continues his many years of apologizing and on this trip asks Jana to really give them a chance at being friends for Imani’s sake.

I think part of my struggle with this story was that it was single POV from Jana’s perspective so we spent a LOT of time reading her inner monologue which was very repetitive throughout the course of the book. The forced proximity did give Jana and Anil to have a few moments together but if this hadn’t been a romance novel, I wouldn’t have seen enough from Anil to make me excited at all for their relationship. At one point he texts “You know how I feel about you” and I literally spoke out loud and said “I don’t even know how you feel!” Also, the final conflict was a little far-fetched. Jana even said to herself “What are the chances …” - yes, what ARE the chances. Lastly, there was a distinct lack of honest and direct communication between the characters and I just really felt like they were too old to still do such a poor job communicating.

Jana Goes Wild is a bop and it surpassed my expectation after loving Kamila Knows Best.

The cover alone is a reason to order this book because it's such an eye-catching cover.

Another fun romance from Farah Heron! Jana and all the other characters were so human, I love that the author wrote them all to be slightly in likable. It made the story feel like I really knew these people. The descriptions of the scenery and animals were fantastic, the romance was steamy- overall, a great experience. Readers who liked Heron’s Kamila Knows Best will be excited to revisit those characters in this book.

A second chance romance with a lot of travel/adventure!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶️

Jana & Anil got together 5 years ago, leading to them having a daughter together, after Anil broke her heart (failing to mention being still married, though separated).
Present day, they are co-parenting Imani (their daughter) and cordial with each other - but definitely not friends.

Now they’re both in the bridal party at a destination wedding in Tanzania for their best friends. Being forced to see Anil again, Jana begins to get confused about her feelings. Does she really hate him as she’s tried so hard to do?

So… this book took me almost a month to read (where I generally read books in 2-3 days).
I think the timing just wasn't right for me! The chapters were quite long and there was a lot of describing of Tanzania, which wasn’t what I was expecting in a rom-com.

I could relate a lot with Jana - she’s an introvert who isn’t a fan of social gatherings or crowds, and gets overwhelmed. I could see myself reacting similarly to Jana in the situations she was put in.

Read if you enjoy:
⭐️ Second chance
⭐️ Separated/co-parenting
⭐️ Forced proximity
⭐️ Travel/adventure
⭐️ Mother/daughter relationships
⭐️ Family expectations
⭐️ Only one bed
⭐️ Slow burn
⭐️ Single POV/3rd person

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

Jana Goes Wild was such a fun book. I've been loving second-chance romances recently and this one does the trope proud. Jana has a wild affair with Anil, but they break up (for good reasons) and she finds out she's pregnant. Fast forward to a toddler, an international trip, and an opportunity to reconnect with the man who drove her wild for a few weeks.

Sometimes I feel like the author made Jana too obstinant in her inability to overcome the past. I never got the whole "no one thinks I'm fun" plot, but I appreciate that Jana needed to grow in order to make it back to Anil, and not just because they are co-parenting, but because they genuinely should be together as partners.

Either way, Anil and Jana are fantastic, I loved their story, more of this forever please.

This felt a tad bit long but overall a super cute and heartwarming second chance romance.

Despite being *kind of* annoying, I still found myself rooting for Jana as she worked through her traumas. And I loved how much Anil was still gentle and understanding.

My only gripe is it felt like there was one too many disagreements/miscommunications.

I loved this! Farah has put together a lovely little romance here complete with a beautiful self-discovery journey for Jana. I will definitely be picking up more of her books in the future.

Unfortunately this one did not work for me personally. I was not a fan of the lying plot points that took place and I just didn't find the relationship to be believable as a long lasting one.

I did really enjoy the unique setting but I will not be recommending.

This book was a fun read, but unfortunately we didn’t find anything notable or distinctive enough to recommend inclusion for our book club.