4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the eARC!

I absolutely loved the Rosewood Hunt and before I started reading The Wilde Trials, I had not read the description for it and thought it was the sequel for The Rosewood Hunt. TRH had a very fitting, satisfying ending, but I was excited to read about the characters again. So I was disappointed when I realized The Wilde Trials was a new story, set in the same world but with different characters. But oh my gosh I loved this book! Mackenzie Reed writes characters with deep and real flaws. I’m also really obsessed with found families and this author continues to write some pretty sweet friendships. Now, I’m not sure how much I can say about this book without spoiling it, but it was fast paced with a great mystery that is light enough for a YA book, but it still had high stakes.

I can’t wait to read Mackenzie Reed’s next book, I hope she will eventually write a book in this same world, bringing all of her characters together for one grand mystery.

the cutest friendships and relationships coming out of a mystery thriller... seriously, what is it with this genre’s authors being able to nail either the best relationships or the best characters???

the ensemble cast of *the wild trails* has this flipped version of high school romance vibes. we've got the resident asshole, the beloved prince, the violent jokester, the nerd—basically everyone you’ve either loved or hated in those classic hs romances—but mackenzie reed gives them a grounded feel without stripping away their quirks. i honestly couldn’t bring myself to hate anyone. i really appreciated how the author considered the characters' ages and didn't make their mistakes feel like the end of the world.

all in all, if you were obsessed with tight-knit friendship groups ruling the campus in high school romances, this is a book that *needs* to be on your 2025 tbr. i’m so obsessed with the relationships in this book, it's not enough... I NEED MORE! 😍

I think my expectations for what this book would be were too off. I saw another review comparing this to Panic (which I think had one of the most thrilling concepts in YA) and maybe having that comparison in mind shaped my expectations of this book too much into something it isn’t. The Wilde Trials is about a competition consisting of seven trials in the wilderness, with one winner taking $600,000 and bragging rights. To top it all off, all contestants will spend 2 weeks living in a decrepit and partially collapsed estate in the middle of the woods. When I first started this, I was like, why are these already rich kids scrambling to enter this competition and putting themselves in this much danger just for prides sake when none of them actually need the money? Keep in mind, I was picturing dangerous tasks that were at least somewhat on the level of what I read in Panic. I got my answer once the trials started; it’s because this competition isn’t actually deadly or dangerous at all. That’s not at all what I was expecting and was a bummer.

I can see how this can be compared to Panic, but boarding school edition, and with lower stakes as the competition itself isn’t dangerous. I found the trials themselves a total snore, since they were mainly just riddles and brain teasers, while I was expecting actual dangerous, death defying trials. I kid you not, one of the trials was literally rowing across the lake and the first people who get there wins. What is this, a relay race? I was expecting something so high stakes that people died from it, when this was just teenagers running around the woods solving riddles and answering history questions on paper? I guess I was just expecting something more thrilling than this.

The Wilde Trials did have the added subplot of discovering a mystery about the trials and the manor, which added some much needed substance to the plot. This is less about the competition itself and more about the people competing in it, and the mystery behind the blackmailing of the contestants. I couldn’t care less about the blackmailing plot for most of it but it picked up at the end and I did become invested by the end.

I think that the right reader will enjoy this book more than I did if they keep their expectations in check. Do not go into this expecting a book consisting of terrifying, or even interesting trials. It’s not going to be thrilling in that kind of way. If you go into this expecting this to be more about the mystery behind the trials and more of a whodunnit sort of thing, rather than the events of the trials themselves, you’ll likely enjoy this more. As a horror fan and high stakes reader, this was a disappointment to me personally, but not every reader will have the same preferences as me.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you, #NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, for allowing me to read Mackenzie Reed's The Wilde Trials in exchange for my honest review.

Chloe Gatti is nothing but determined. She is constantly proving herself to others, including her peers at school. To make a point to her peers and maybe for herself, she signed up for the Wilde Trials, which is a competition held at her school. This fierce competition is held two weeks before graduation. A student competitor must be the last to win the trials and ultimately win the grand prize money. On the day they announced the list of students going to the Wilde trials, Chloe and her friend check this list to see not only her name but every one that is her archnemsis, including her ex-boyfriend Hayes, is also going to the trials. Chloe does not let this bother her because she is winning this money for her family. After all, her sister's cancer treatments are becoming expensive and taking a toll on the family. Fast forward to the first night at the Wilde trials, which are at the old campus of her school, and the competition takes a dark turn for the worse. Chloe's darkest secret is being used against her by another competitor. To win and figure out who is blackmailing, she must decide who to trust, and that might mean she has to join forces with her ex to solve the many mysteries in the competition.

With her sophomore novel, Reed has solidified herself as a star in the YA thriller genre. The Wilde Trials had me on the edge of my seat one moment and giggling the next. It takes a rare talent to write a story that is as sure of itself as this one.

"The Wilde Trials" by Mackenzie Reed is a teen/young adult mystery novel where high schoolers attending a private boarding school apply to be part of a two week competition in the woods (consisting of puzzles, riddles, physical competitions, etc.) and the winner will receive $600,000. Chloe has applied to be part of the Wilde Trials to win the money to pay for her sister's cancer costs. She is ecstatic when she is one of the accepted entrants, but then sees that her ex-boyfriend is also participating. Once the trials have started, Chloe notices that someone is sabotaging her. A brick is thrown through her window with a threatening message and photo, saying that they know that she cheated on some of her exams and they will tell everyone if she tells anyone about the sabotage. A humorous and thrilling teen mystery that keeps you guessing. Recommended for YA collections where Maureen Johnson's "Truly Devious" series is popular.

I was a little bit torn on this one and ultimately what to rate it, but I think those true YA audience readers will love it. The pacing was a little slow for my liking, and it really didn’t pick up until about 60% in. I was curious enough to know what was going to happen and what would be revealed to keep reading though. Once it did really get going I found myself very invested. I liked the characters and particularly the relationship between Chloe and her sister. Reed does a nice job of making you question the motives of everyone in the game and was able to share some solid character development even when some characters weren’t always on the page as frequently. The ending wrapped up nicely, although it did seem a bit rushed after everything. If you are into stories that are about games or competitions, you will definitely enjoy this one. Lots of clues and challenges within the Wilde Trials themselves as well as other secrets that are simultaneously uncovered.

This one has a bit of "The Inheritance Games" to it with the twist of being at a private school. Honestly, one of the better puzzle mysteries I have had the chance to read in many years.

I'd highly recommend for those who like some puzzles on the side of their mystery!

Thanks NetGalley for the e-ARC!

The Wilde Trials was lots of fun.
12 high school seniors compete in a wilderness competition for $600,000. Everyone has their reasons for being there, butt when Chloe starts getting sabotaged and blackmailed, she's determined to find out who.
Lots of twists and turns as we discover everyone's secrets. I couldn't put this one down.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for an early copy for review.

Book:
THE WILDE TRIALS by Mackenzie Reed
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc (Jan 21)

Review:
4⭐
THE WILDE TRIALS is the first book I've read by this author, and after reading, I now know that I need to read Mackenzie's debut.
THE WILDE TRIALS follows Chloe and a group of eleven other students who were chose to compete for the chance to win $600000. Everything starts great, but then someone starts sabotaging everything. Chloe must work with [Redacted] in order to stop the sabotages and keep from getting hurt.
I literally binged read this book. It reminded me of THEIR VICIOUS GAMES by Joelle Wellington---which was my favorite book last year---and that made it all more enjoyable.THE WILDE TRIALS was so suspenseful and thrilling. I had to know the whodunnit, and honestly I had my fair share of wrong guesses. I gasped at the revelation of who was the sabotage-e. Seriously, I never would have saw it coming. Such a delightful, easily devourable novel.

If you liked The Rosewood Hunt, you’ll like this one too. The story is interesting and engaging and it has a good group of characters. I will admit that Chloe annoyed me at times but it wasn’t a deterrent

The premise here is all-too familiar, and the characters (their motivations and their world) were too vague to immerse me.. I never had a clear sense of the school, the woods, the overall setting, which is important for a book centered on a location-based competition.

Another issue for me was pacing. When the trials begin, we go from an explanation of a hunt involving riddles on one page, to the first riddle discovered on the next page, then the entire hunt over in a matter of pages. We don’t even get to see the MC being clever as most of the riddles are brushed over. But these puzzles are what’s meant to be so cool about the trials, no?

Overall, this will be a fun, twisty time for a young teen new to the genre and its conventions. But for fans of school mysteries with Squid Game or Hunger Game echoes, It might not live up to the competition.

It's fine. I mean not life changing or shocking or anything, but for sure fine. But my thing is: Adults exist? Yes, I'm certain of it, though you'll find no evidence supporting that claim here.

4.5 rounded up.

Mackenzie Reed really knows how to make a well-paced and exhilarating story! I really thoroughly enjoyed this book, from start to finish. There was such a strong pull of plot mixed with character development that just hit in the right spots. And I love her writing style SO MUCH. I swear, just reading that first page made me smile.

So this time, my favorite character was Woolf. What? How? Right? It's so weird but I'm over here like "Yes, give me that silly brutish guy who is such a fiercely loyal best friend." I laughed at almost everything he said and then some. He was so interesting as a character and I'm glad he ended up getting more screen time than I originally thought he would!

The two main characters in this one were also delightful: we get an ambitious and unlikeable FMC (my favorite kind!) in Chloe who just... gosh, Reed knew what she was doing when she made her the protagonist. The perfect protagonist for this book. If you've read One of Us is Lying, she reminds me SO much of Bronwyn (who I also love dearly). Then we get such a refreshing and unusual MMC in Hayes. He's not easy to pinpoint - and I can't think of a comparable character either. He's like... one of those internal silent brooding types but also intense when it comes to those he loves. I thought the two of them worked splendidly together.

I think why I give this a 4.5 instead of a perfect 5... is just because I don't think it was quite on par with The Rosewood Hunt. There was something about the found family in that book that didn't get an equal in this one... It was there but not as prevalent.

I did guess the ending but Reed was very good at foreshadowing just enough that it wasn't super obvious! I really enjoyed sleuthing it out.

Oh, one other thing is I can only think of one other book that sort of feels similar - and that's Lauren Oliver's Panic. I will say though that this book was WAY better.

All in all, a must read for any mystery fans and for anyone looking for a fun and intriguing YA.

Hear ye, hear ye! Tis time for the annual Tri Wizard Tournament, oops, I mean, The Wilde Trials! (RIP Cedric, we will never forget).

So, that’s kind of what you’ve got here; in the two weeks leading to graduation was Wilde Academy twelve outstanding seniors are chosen to compete in seven trials, comprised of both physical and mental tasks. The winner gets more than a half million dollars.

Our erstwhile heroine Chloe Gatti is a scholarship student and her younger sister is sick. She really needs that money to help pay for her treatments. But it won’t be easy. Her competition includes her ex-boyfriend Hayes Stratford (a name that sounds like every private school douche you can imagine. Many apologies if your name is, in fact, “Hayes Stratford,” but I’m guessing you already knew about your dickish name, right?) whose older brother was the only student ever to die during the trials (but the school continues to have them? In the real world we have this little thing called “insurance” which, apparently, does not exist in the world of YA.

And if that wasn’t bad enough someone starts blackmailing Chloe during the trials, so she’s forced to work with Hayes to try to win and see what really happened to his brother.

This wasn’t a bad book, just definitely YA for YA in that none of this could ever actually happen. Because, you know, adults.

5 stars

This is the YA thriller that should be on everyone's TBR. This was absolutely incredible.

A group of high school seniors from Wilde Academy are in a wilderness competition called the Wilde Trials for $600K. There's an ex-boyfriend whose brother mysteriously died three years ago in the challenge, Chloe who needs to win for her sick sister, and someone sabotaging the competition. It is suspenseful and intense. I could not put this down.

The mysteries were well done. It was fun uncovering the old estate and it's many secrets. The characters had incredible depth as well. Everyone's reasonings for doing what they did clued the reader into more of the human experience. It was intriguing watching the characters interact with all their different secrets and seeing the mysteries unfold.

Good YA thrillers always give me good highs afterwards. I am soaring after this.

This was a fantastic second novel and I'm thankful for netgalley for allowing me an early read in exchange for my honest opinion. Chloe has found herself in the short list of competitors for "The Wilde Trials", a final wilderness competition for students are her private boarding school. The issues is that her ex-boyfriend's brother died while competing and her decision to apply for a chance has changed her social circle significantly. Chloe is a fighter and is motivated to win because of her desire to help her younger sister, who is fighting for her life, with the prize money. Once the trials begin, things start to happen that make Chloe wonder if history will repeat its self! I devoured this arc the past two days and it was another fantastic YA story filled with all things I love in a novel: adventure, puzzles, mystery, romance, a boarding school setting, drama, blackmail and steadfast love between siblings. Mackenzie Reed is now a must buy author for this high school English teacher!

Mackenzie Reed's The Wilde Trials is an enthralling blend of suspense, competition, and deep emotional complexity that grips readers from start to finish. Set against the backdrop of the prestigious Wilde Academy, this novel delivers a riveting story filled with intense challenges and intricate personal dynamics.

Chloe Gatti, our determined protagonist, is driven by her need to win the Wilde Trials to secure a future for her sick sister. Mackenzie deftly portrays Chloe's strength and vulnerability, making her a character readers will genuinely connect with and cheer for. With a life-changing prize of half a million dollars at stake, Chloe's journey is thrilling and emotionally charged.

The addition of Hayes Stratford, Chloe’s brooding ex-boyfriend, adds a rich layer of tension and intrigue. Their complicated past and the shadow of Hayes’s brother’s tragic death during the trials years ago create a compelling dynamic. Forced to team up to uncover the saboteur threatening Chloe's chances, their evolving relationship and shared quest for answers keep the plot brimming with suspense and unexpected twists.

Mackenzie excels in crafting vivid descriptions of the trials, each one a test of the character's physical and mental limits. The atmosphere of Wilde Academy is brought to life with precise detail, immersing readers in a setting that is both captivating and ominous. The tightly woven plot ensures that every clue and revelation adds depth to the overarching mystery of the trials and the academy's hidden secrets.

One of the novel's standout elements is its exploration of the ethical and moral dilemmas faced by the characters. Chloe’s internal struggle about what is truly worth fighting for, and the potential consequences of her decisions, adds a profound layer to the narrative. Mackenzie does not stop depicting the harsh realities and sacrifices inherent in such a high-stakes competition, making Chloe’s journey all the more compelling.

The Wilde Trials is a thrilling, emotionally rich adventure that captivates with its blend of action, mystery, and romance. Mackenzie Reed has crafted a story that is not only a page-turner but also a poignant exploration of loyalty, love, and the lengths one will go to for family. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a story that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant. Highly recommended!

Binge-worthy! I loved this book a lot, it was quickly placed and held your attention till the very end! Loved this book!

The Wilde Trials by Mackenzie Reed is a quick paced YA mystery thriller that will keep you turning pages until the end.

We start the story immediately with our MC Chloe finding out she's secured her spot in her school's Wilde Trials: a 2 week challenge for seniors about to graduate from an elite academy. The winner of seven physical and mental challenges gets to take home the title of valedictorian and, of course, a huge pot of prize money. Chloe, one of the only students on scholarship, is brilliant but also desperately needs the money to help her sick sister. But of course, she's thwarted every step of the way. Not only is her ex-boyfriend a competitor, but so are a few other former friends who didn't take her side in the breakup. And she's quickly targeted by a secret blackmailer trying to get her out of the competition. Ultimately, she teams up with her ex to figure out who's threatening her and in turn, help him solve the mystery of how and why his brother died in his Wilde Trials a few years before.

I enjoyed the higher stakes, creepy setting of being an a run down old mansion way out in the woods. I also always love a good competition, so it was great to be able to see what they had to accomplish for each challenge, but I wouldn't have minded spending more time on these. Chloe isn't my favorite MC of all time - she truly makes some terrible choices - but I think it's a relatively accurate portrayal of an 18 year old in this situation. And we do see some growth out of her over the pages. Overall, it's much more of a plot driven story than character driven, but that's my preference anyway. I can usually pick up the ending of a whodunit plot pretty early, but this kept me guessing a good way through! I wanted to keep reading, so I flew through this. 4.25 stars.