I think this was really cute. If you’re a fan of reality tv, you’ll enjoy this. The challenges were well written and executed, great banter, and being set on Appalachian trail was a beautiful and relatable setting. ALMOST made me want to go for a hike . I do wish that Finn and Natalia had a bit more of a deeper connection, but that’s just a me thing!

This might become one of those books I end up being insufferable about because I won’t stop talking about it. It was FUN. It was EMOTIONAL. It was SO SWEET.

Natalie is in educational financial aid dire straits when she applies to be on a reality show that drops her on the Appalachian Trail. Partnered with a reluctant Finn, the two have to navigate challenges from nature and as teammates in hopes of winning a $100,000 scholarship.

I didn’t realize until I started reading that this was Reese’s Natalie from ‘Love From Scratch’. I was so happy when I made the connection. I loved Natalie (and Clara) in her supportive role in LFS and was excited to spend more time with her. I didn’t know I would feel so connected to her. Between her recent anxiety escalation to grieving the loss of her grandma, there were so many moments I felt like she could be my younger sister. In addition to all that, her spirit and personality were such a joy. I frequently laughed out loud at some of her one-liners and throwaway comments. I was also rooting hard for her the entire time. Her determination was admirable.

And then…Finn. Something about the name Finn seems to make it a guarantee in the books I read that he’s going to be a top tier man. Was he a little bit of a judgmental grump to start? Sure was, but his explanation tugged at my heart. The way he really saw Natalie and the support and reassurance he gave her made me adore him. He really had the most genuine heart. I just wanted to squeeze him for being so sweet.

I love a YA romance where the characters feel their age but always face emotions and struggles and life challenges that readers can relate to at any age. This is absolutely one of those books. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Romance for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was an easy read and I enjoyed the setting. However, I wasn't a fan of the FMC. The immaturity of the character wasn't for me personally but I can see the appeal to others!

Natalie Hart is not what you would call "outdoorsy." She prefers doing her intense skincare routine in the comforts of her own home, not in the middle of the Appalachian Trail. So what made her sign up for the wilderness reality show Wild Adventures? Natalie recently lost her merit scholarship for college after being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, which caused her grades to plummet, so she's desperate for the $100,000 prize money. But there's a twist to this year's game-- each player will be paired with another player of the show's choosing. Enter Finn Markum, who could make a grizzly bear seem friendly. The pair immediately start things off on the wrong foot, and Natalie is worried it'll affect her chances in the competition. But the more time they spend trekking through the woods, the more they can't deny that something is brewing between them that might be worth more than the prize money.

Like the main character, Natalie, I'm not one for outdoor activities, but the premise sounded too fun to pass up. The idea of a bunch of college co-eds participating in this wild adventure through the woods sounded chaotic in the best way. There were some things I liked, mostly Finn. He was broody, but beneath his gruff exterior was a soft, gooey inside. Watching him open up to Natalie and be vulnerable about his past was so sweet. I also liked the Appalachian Trail setting. I didn't love the writing style. I was a little bored and never fully invested in what was happening. I also really didn't like Natalie; I found her so annoying. She was supposed to be in college, but she read so much younger. This had a lot of promise but fell a little short of my expectations.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC! I would probably give 3.5 stars. While I felt like Finn and Natalie’s story had some strengths, it fell a little short for me. First, the good parts included a cute love story set in a reality TV setting that was well-written and seemed believable out in nature with various challenges. Natalie was funny and hammed it up for the camera, and Finn changes for the better (not a spoiler, just a duh moment bc it’s a love story). There were some diverse characters in here but not super outrageous where it didn’t seem like a realistic mix of people, and they were easy to picture and mostly likeable. I dropped some stars because I have trouble when things start off so hate strong but then do a big turnaround for seemingly no reason. I also felt that Finn felt, at times, too good to be true and not the typical college boy. Sorry if that seems harsh, but even with me raising respectful, aware boys not intimated by strong women but supportive of them, I couldn’t see Finn as a real person the way he was written. I also had trouble visualizing Natalie’s parents as they were written. Overall, it was cute and would be something I would put in the hands of my middle school kids. It was fairly clean in terms of language and love, and the end message was pretty solid.

Natalie Hart and Finn Markum are two contestents paired up on the reality show Wild Adventures. Natalie is a freshmen in college who has just lost her scholarship and needs to earn the money to stay in school. Enter grumpy outdoorsman Finn as her flirtatious partner on a crazy hiking/camping/challenge-filled adventure through the Appalachian Trail. A Upper YA novel

Positives:
I always like a reality show premise as the background of a book
The outdoor wilderness made for a fun setting
There was a nice evolution in the romatic relationship-well paced
The theme of grief and loss of a loved one was handled well with some memorable quotes
The cover was adorable and what drew me to the book in the first place

Negatives:
I did think the book was a little long and could have been trimmed in the middle for a shorter read.

Also-I didn't know until after I read it that this is a follow up book with previously written about characters. I did not feel I had missed anything and would also enjoy going back and reading the first book.

A cute hate you to love you romance about two college age students who need money for college. They individually join a reality show where they have to hike the Appalachian Trail. They get paired together and spend the first half of the hike hating each other until they open up to one another about themselves. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy..

This was a generically pleasing cute and fun read. I'm not a reality television show person, but the challenges, other competitors, host of the show, etc. all felt believable. I liked the epilogue and that we get a glimpse into the future, four months later.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book hit me in multiple ways! First it is a great YA book to recommend to my students and has some great images of the beauty that can be found all around us if we just stop long enough to take it in. Second, it hit home with Natalie’s struggle with anxiety and self love. This book is a great story and I have already told my daughter that she has to read it!

this book is so cute and so well written!!! i absolutely loved it so much. can't wait to read more from this author!!!!

Kaitlyn Hill's Wild About You is a sweet YA opposites-attract novel featuring a strong female protagonist with a new anxiety diagnosis. That's not the crux of the story, but it's what stuck out the most to me, as a reader with anxiety. Natalie, the main character, joins the cast of an adventure reality tv series in hopes of winning money to pay for school. She is paired up with a grumpy know-it-all, Finn, who is dealing with his own trauma. Chaos and comedy ensue. This book is a quick, enjoyable read, with some hilarious banter throughout.

I didn’t know when I started this book, but it is connecting to this author’s first two books but can definitely be read as a standalone. (The main character Natalie is best friends with the two main characters of the prior two books.)

Anyway, this follows Natalie, who has finished her first year of college (so it’s upper YA) and Finn who are competing in a reality TV show surrounding hiking part of the Appalachian Trail.

I really liked the relationship between Finn and Natalie. There was a lot of character growth as they start off very much at odds but also get to know and understand each other.

There’s anxiety representation (and quite a bit of it) which I wasn’t expecting.

I did think it dragged slightly in the middle but I still have no problem recommending this one.
Definitely a cute contemporary (with an adorable cover too!).

Wild about you waa a cute read that was like American Idol meets Appalacian Trail. I did have a hars time getting into the book at first, but I did midway through finally. I liked Natalie and Finn a lot, how they were enemies to lovers and their romance was adorable.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing the chance to read and review.

Thank you to @RHCBEducators for the ARC and opportunity to share this review!

4/5 Star Rating

It took a little time for me to like the main character. However, I did find myself liking her more as the story went on. I feel I would have related well to her life when I was in college. Thus giving me a reason to recommend this to college age students.

I feel the author accurately captured anxiety’s voice inside of the main characters head. I found myself agreeing a lot with how she was thinking and processing things. At times, I felt like the author could have been inside my head! This made the character more relatable for me and would be a main reason I would recommend for patrons.

I love reading stories about thru hiking on the AT! I have had Grandma Gatewood on my TBR list for years. This story encouraged me to seek out a copy now. It also made me ready for hiking season to start.

A fun story! Overall, I would recommend this book for libraries to purchase for their YA collections.

Like a lot of other contempory fiction centered around a reality tv show, it doesn't do a great job showing the contrast between what is shown on tv and what really happens on set. And I found a hard time believing producers would pick such a - for lack of a better word - wild setting where they couldn't have cameras everywhere at all times and control every single action. And I could just imagine the lawyers for the studio having a conniption over the liability issues. And why no confessionals?

But while I had issues with the set up, I loved the characters here - both the two main characters and all of the side characters. The host and all his fakeness was spot on and always hilarious! Natalie was a blast with her ambition, drive, humor, and real struggles, both mental and physical. And the love interest, despite a stiff start, thawed in a realistic manner, and, for once, I was willing to let slide his original grumpiness when he explains the VERY fresh grief he is dealing with. A delightful romance blossoming in a beautiful setting.

A new season of Wild Adventures is on the way. This season will be a little different, with college students pairing up as strangers instead of the usual family/friend combination. The prize? A $100,000 college scholarship.

Nineteen year old Natlaie Hart desperately needs the money to continue with college, not that money is the only problem she's having there. But desperate times and convenient timing, right? Who's going to let a lack of experience and a lot of anxiety stop them?

When Natalie is paired with grumpy, silent Finn hiking the Appalachian Trail and avoiding bears is only part of what she has to endure. As the challenges get under way though Natalie and Finn find themselves becoming more than teammates. As they work together to win the money they may find they've already won.

Wild Adventures drew me in with an amazing cover and the appeal of a reality adventure/survival show. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the challenges and the feeling of being inside a reality show. The survival/nature aspects are nice too. I just wanted more of them as they seem to take a backseat as Natalie and Finn grow closer.

Natalie and Finn are cute and sweet together. It seems to happen a little too easily though. Most of the focus is on. Natlaie and her anxiety. It's important to her character and plays a role in how she performs in the competition. But it also takes up large chunks at a time and some of the chapters feel long.

Wild About You is a light romance, sure to please many readers. The unique setting makes it stand out.

3.5/5 stars

“Wild About You” is the first book I’ve read by Kaitlyn Hill and it will not be my last. I absolutely loved the banter between Finn and Natalie. These two characters have a bit of a rocky start, but they soon learn that they work well together. They learn to listen to the other, know just when to tease and when to encourage.
I requested an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley because it sounded like a fun easy read. I was not disappointed. The grumpy sunshine, forced proximity tropes are a couple of my favorite tropes put them together and how can you go wrong? The unique spin on these tropes being that the characters are hiking the Appalachian trail and competing in a reality show, not something you come across every book. I say that this was a fun read, but there was more depth to it than the cover reveals. The author did a good job (IMO) of describing how hard it is to get a handle on anxiety especially when you don’t have a great support system. I also really appreciated how both main characters were dealing with the loss of a loved one and the understanding that grieving is a lifetime event. You don’t just wake up one morning and stop missing that person and there is not right or wrong way to grieve. I really took that to heart!

Could there possibly be a Zeke and Harper book in our future? Fingers crossed

Thank you to Kaitlyn Hill, Random House, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest voluntary review

I am so sad to say that I had to dnf this book. I had really high hopes for it but I just found the main character to be too annoying at times and I felt like they acted younger than they were. I loved the anxiety rep and the talk about grief, however I wish there was a deeper connection between Natalie and Finn. I would 100% recommend this to others because it's a cute fun read, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!!

I wanted to like this book, but it felt very unbelievable even for a tv show. Also feel like it could have been a lot shorter of a book felt dragged out to just add page numbers.

3.5 stars from me for wild about you by kaitlyn hill!

this was a fairly fast-paced and enjoyable read. i thought it was a little cliche, but took some of my favorite tropes and put a unique spin on them. i thought the characters were sweet, although they were missing some chemistry here and there for me, but overall a sweet progression of their relationship and i loved seeing their separate character development. would still recommend to my audience but not a favorite and probably wouldn't reread!