This was such an unexpected good time! The cover is what initially drew me in but the storyline and the characters made me stay. I loved that the setting was a bit unusual in that it wasn't a big city, and all of the characters (I mean every last one of them) was quirky but likable. I'm looking forward to reading more from Wei.

Treat yourself to a heartwarming romance that blends adventure, humour, and passion. Wild Life by Opal Wei contains vivid descriptions that transport readers to the island. If you're looking for a feel-good read with a touch of the untamed, this book is a perfect escape.

Meet Zoey Fong. She’s a grad student with a mission to save her sister from the clutches of cancer. But life has a way of throwing curveballs, and Zoey's plan takes an unexpected detour. Meet Davy Hsieh. He’s a rugged, reclusive island dweller with a past and his island estate is no ordinary paradise. It's a sanctuary for animals, and what starts as a mission to retrieve the tissue sample turns into a week of adventure, survival, and more.

Wei weaves a delightful tale of opposites attracting. Amidst flora, fauna, and a semi-domesticated cougar, they navigate the challenges of the island. This story is not just about survival; it's about opening your heart and taking a leap of faith.

This book had me all in my feels. My Dad suffered from cancer in the last years of his life, and I really found myself relating and placing myself in situations. I absolutely loved it and will be picking up a physical copy for my home library.

Thank you to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN Romance (U.S. & Canada) for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

**Review ⭐⭐⭐.5(3.5)/5**
What a fun romance! I had a great time reading *Wild Life* by Opal Wei, which follows FMC Zoey Fong–an aspiring cancer researcher who is increasingly burned out by what she thought was her dream job–and MMC Davy Hsieh–a former boyband member turned island recluse. When Davy accidentally takes an important piece of Zoey’s research, Zoey takes a chance and follows him to his home on a tiny, remote island to retrieve it. Despite their best intentions to stay on their own paths. sparks fly as the two are stranded on the island and they find themselves opening up to one another about their past and uncertain futures.
❤️ What I loved: A fun island setting adds to the adventure (along with a somewhat absurdist storyline), and the connection between the two main characters feels surprisingly believable. It was also surprisingly emotional and dealt with some more serious mental health topics in a way that felt genuine.
😕 What I didn’t love: I found Zoey’s character a bit frustrating—some of the language used to describe her (or of her to describe herself) I wasn’t a fan of, and her commitment to “The Plan” felt a bit like overkill.
*Wild Life* is an easy recommendation to fans of contemporary romance who are looking for something quick, fun, and a little outside of the box!

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Opal Wei, and Harlequin Press, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

Zoey Fong has a Plan. She is obsessed with following it through despite not really enjoying anything about it because she is going to find a way to cure the cancer that almost took her sister's life. When she accidentally loses an important piece of her research to the disarmingly handsome Davy Hsieh, she of course has no other recourse than to follow him all the way to this private island. Davy meanwhile has a simple plan, to create an animal sanctuary on his island and slowly make up for all the damage he's done to his loved ones over years of youthful mistakes. It does not include finding the straightforward and determined Zoey irresistible. But a week of embracing their differences and baring it all leaves both of them forced to face if they're ready to take a leap of faith that will change their plans for the better.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end and honestly have not even the slightest bit of constructive criticism for it. Both Zoey and Davy are great characters that have their flaws and strengths. I liked them from the moment they're introduced and it only grew with every tidbit that gets revealed as they're both pushed out of their comfort zone. The fact that there are some legitimately funny scenes and serious conflict that doesn't rely on them doing something awful to each other only made me like this story even more. And that's not even going into how expertly Wei handled tough topics like cancer survival, drug rehab, and anxiety with aplomb and grace.
It might still be a bit early in the year to say this, but this one's going on my best reads of 2024 list.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Feature for the wonderful read!

I am extremely grateful to have been provided an eARC. (All opinions are my own.) As I devoured it, I was reminded of why Ruby Lang/Opal Wei is undoubtedly one of my favorite authors.

Zoey follows Davy to his island estate after he accidentally takes a crucial tissue sample. Romance ultimately ensues, but revelations are also made as Zoey starts to question her life's plan.

The two find themselves in some absurdly funny situations, which provide for entertaining interactions between them. I love the offhand remarks and the humor. I have lots of annotations consisting only of laughing emojis or "hahaha." Most importantly, Wei has convinced me that I should avoid Canadian geese at all costs. As Zoey points out, they lack the "Canadian politeness [Canadians] are known for."

Even while Zoey and Davy find themselves in these situations, their circumstances do not take away from the real-life feel of the characters. What Wei excels at, and is present here, are the characters' thoughtful reflections on their lives. More than once, I was prompted to think about my path while Zoey was taking another look at hers.

I enjoyed this one and would recommend it to those who like screwball comedies and romcoms.

This was too Insta-love for me. The characters had no chemistry; it was very forced. The story felt both too long and not long enough to draw out the relationship.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I had a hard time suspending disbelief for this one. I wanted to love it because I adore Bringing Up Baby, but you're falling in love with a guy you just met on a remote island and he could be a killer or something??? I had a hard time with the fast pace/insta-love.

This book was so cute!! Zoey and Davy get off to a rough start but their story gets a little wacky and a lot cute as it progresses and it's so much fun. Great mental health rep (anxiety; panic attacks) and talking about it in a cultural and community setting. Love all of it!

When Zoey runs into Davy in her research lab and accidentally leaves an important slide with him, she’s determined to get it back. When she ends up following Davy to his secluded island home with surrounding wild life Zoey isn’t sure what to expect. With close proximity and deep conversations about life and future goals, Davy and Zoey grow closer. When a neighbor tries to get Davy arrested due to his elderly cougar, Zoey and Davy have to confront the lives they want to lead.

I loved the setting of this secluded Canadian island! The characters talk openly about mental health and how their pasts contributed to their current issues. Not to mention the supporting characters are hilarious! This was a fun read!

Meet cute, nerdy rom-com perfect for fans of The Big Bang Theory. These two are so easy to fall in love with and root for. Adorable guffaws and all. Enjoyable read. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity for me to read and review this debut!

I tried to get into this one but after several chapters it's a DNF from me. I felt disconnected from the characters and the narrative. I didn't think the main woman was portrayed well and it felt very YA to me.

Thanks anyway for the ARC.

You know those books that are just fun and leave you feeling plain happy every time you pick it up!? That was Wild Life for me! The inside of this book is as lovely, fun, and enjoyable as the cover that initially drew me to it!

Where this book shines though is in the characters! I loved how opposite they were and how fiercely they fell for one another! Their romance was sweet, fun, humorous, tender, steamy, and sweeping!

Davy’s storyline though was my favorite! I loved how his character was crafted and how his story and struggles came together! The mental health rep was especially well done!

All in all this was a really enjoyable read and one I’ll definitely be able to recommend!

3.5, rounded up. This is cute and fluffy and full of shenanigans, but I also enjoyed seeing Zoey and Davy's feelings for one another grow. Their faults and anxieties are also realistic (despite the outlandish setting), which I appreciated.

WILD LIFE by Opal Wei (aka Ruby Lang) is a hot, wild ride. Zoey Fong is a cancer researcher student, while Davy Hsieh is a former boy band member turned animal sanctuary owner. While they seem an unlikely match, when they're thrown together, they find they're actually quite compatible in all the ways that matter most.

Opal Wei's writing is real and entertaining, and Zoey and Davy are moving and genuine feeling, despite what feel like zany circumstances. A keeper.

I was really delighted by Wild Life by Opal Wei and enjoyed it even more than I was anticipating. Essentially Wild Life is about this woman who lives her life according to The Plan. When confronted with the fact that actually maybe she does not want to spend her life in the lab researching bone cancer, she’s not really sure what to do. Fortunately, she’s confronted with that fact at the same time that she winds up needing (“needing”) to accompany a very cute man to his private island that he’s trying to turn into an animal sanctuary. Honestly, with this premise, things could go the romance route or a pretty decent thriller route, but I was thoroughly delighted with the romance route. I really enjoyed this one and although there is a melancholic note to parts of this romance (think Honey Girl almost), ultimately, I found it an easy read that kept me company during a January that refused to end.

Very cute, it read like a movie in the best way possible! The romance and humor were so on point and entertaining, and it was just a fun read. Absolutely delightful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will say this book was a tough one for me to get into. The pace is fast and not in an action-packed way. The story did start off really strong but lulled in the middle and then fell off at the end.
The two main characters didn't have enough depth laid out in the book for md to connect or have an opinion other than chaotic.
With some work im sure the book could be better but i cant pinpoint what it is that was missing because I was lost most of the time.

For fans who love some science with their romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it helps to set the mood for the upcoming Valentine's Day season.

Heat Factor: Things get pretty sloppy

Character Chemistry: Lust and trust

Plot: A scientist with a missing bone + a himbo in distress + a geriatric cougar. All on an isolated island during a storm.

Overall: I was glad that I had forgotten everything about this book when I finally read it, because if I had been expecting a comedy, I would have left disappointed. But I loved the book on its own merits.

First thing’s first: let’s talk about that whole romantic comedy label. This bad boy is being marketed as a “screwball comedy,” and, in case my above plot summary didn’t clue you in, is a direct homage to the 1938 film Bringing Up Baby.

Now, it’s been a minute since I saw this movie, but I went and looked at some clips, and I do have to say that Wild Life does not match the energy of say, this scene: https://youtu.be/xAmgUnwxCUc


So if you come expecting manic energy and just complete farcical nonsense, that’s not what you’re going to get, killer attack geese notwithstanding. However, the distinguishing characteristics, at least according to Wikipedia, of screwball comedy include a dominant female character, a male character whose masculinity is challenged, a battle of the sexes, banter, escapism, masquerade1, a spoof of love rather than actual love, and an antagonists to lovers dynamic, and I would say that Wild Life ticks many of these boxes (but with the gender stuff updated). However, the comedy is balanced by introspection—perhaps a little too much introspection. The third act drags a bit as our protagonists get really into their own heads and start figuring out what they really want in life, to the point that when I finished the book, my takeaway feeling was not “comedy,” but rather, “angst.”2 But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning.

Here’s the set up. Zoey is a graduate student in an MD/PhD program, intent on becoming a cancer researcher. Except she, and I cannot state this strongly enough, fucking hates it (even if she’s lying to herself). She neither excels at nor enjoys research and everyone in the lab seems to treat her like garbage.

Enter Davy. Davy is kind of a bumbling doofus who knocks on her door asking for help finding some other professor in a completely different field. Zoey is not impressed because she is not a secretary. (See: antagonists to lovers dynamic.) However, one thing leads to another, and in the mad rush to get out of the office, Davy ends up leaving the lab with a bone cancer sample plate in his coat pocket, and Zoey *must* have it back. Enter farce and escapism, as Zoey follows Davy around town, and then onto a boat heading to his private island. It must be noted: Zoey does not actually need this slide (though losing it would be hard to explain to her advisor), but one thing she does need, desperately, is a vacation.

While at first glance it may seem that Zoey and Davy are your standard tropey grumpy scientist woman / sunshine himbo combination, there’s a lot going on underneath the surface. Yes, Zoey is brilliant and angry. Yes, Davy is a major people-pleaser who was once in a boy band. But they are also both making themselves unhappy due to their respective overdeveloped senses of responsibility. (In case you are wondering, yes, yes this does lead to a scene where one party breaks up with the other party for their own good.)

Before I bring this rambly review to a close, I do want to talk about the sex. I found the sex scenes striking because they were so…real. And real sex is, let’s be real, messy. There’s spit and sweat and awkward positions and hair in your mouth and muscle cramps and Wei captures all of this—and, perhaps because of her willingness to go there, the sex scenes do an incredible amount of character work, especially in establishing the trusting bond between them. In reading this book, it occurred to me that many sex scenes in romance novels are beautifully choreographed for maximum pleasure. So when I read something like this:

Her muscles were burning from riding him, her thighs were sticky, one leg was tangled so badly in the blankets and she couldn’t move her toes, and she was panting as he grasped her hips and pulled her up and down faster and harder, but she didn’t want to shift, she didn’t want to move, because she was so close, so close, and it was curling out of her reach. She wanted everything to be exactly as it was at this moment, except she wanted to reach the next moment so badly.

Well. (Don’t worry, Zoey still gets off. We’re not THAT far into the realm of real sex here.)

This hasn’t quite turned into a squee review, but I did really enjoy this book, It’s thoughtful, well-constructed, and mostly quite fun to read.

PS: For those who are interested in such things, Opal Wei is a new pen name for Ruby Lang. We’ve reviewed several of her earlier books (here and here), which tend more toward the angst side with much less comedy. In my opinion, the comedy capers made this a more balanced book, even though the characters are going through similar moments of internal crisis.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This had such a great set-up, top tier "romance reasons!" It eventually got a little too zany for my tastes, when I wish it would have gone deeper emotionally. Nonetheless, I love creative romances and this is definitely one.