The adventure of a lifetime. When Sander agrees to a publicity stunt to help straighten his acting career little does he knows that it will endure meeting an incredible young woman, helping each other stay alive while sharing their most intimate thoughts and achieving more than they thought at the beginning of their journey. Charlie and Zander’s story is amazing and the audiobook, and Unabridged version from Blackstone publishing, and with Nikki Thomas and Heath Miller is awesome. They change between the different accents of the characters seamlessly and bringing all the emotion of the story alive.

This book was a total delight, and I can absolutely see it becoming a staple in the YA genre. It’s firmly in the PG zone, making it the perfect gateway “romance” for preteens and early teens dipping their toes into the genre for the first time. The writing style is spot-on for a younger audience—fun, light, and engaging without ever feeling dumbed down.

But here’s the thing: I’m an adult, and I still had a blast reading it. There’s something so charming about the storytelling that it sneaks right past the age gap and pulls you in anyway. It’s sweet, refreshing, and gives off that cozy, nostalgic feeling you get from revisiting your favorite childhood shows. Honestly, it’s the kind of book you recommend to your younger sibling and then totally borrow back just to reread for yourself.

Audiobook/Book Review 🏔️🥾

Thank you so much Blackstone Publishing for the gifted ARC and audiobook!

Wandering Wild
by Lynette Noni
Narrated by Nikki Thomas & Heath Miller

About the book 👇🏽

Zander Rune was the darling of Hollywood until he fell from glory and was labeled a problematic bad boy. His public image needs fixing—fast—or he’ll lose the role of a lifetime, and all his dreams with it.

Charlie Hart is a regular teenage girl who despises everything Zander represents. But thanks to her scheming best friend and an ill-timed social media competition, Charlie finds herself pretending to be Zander’s biggest fan on a four-day reality TV adventure led by renowned survivalist Rykon Hawke.

Scaling towering cliffs, navigating claustrophobic caves, and encountering deadly wildlife aren’t the only dangers facing Zander and Charlie. Because when their trip goes horribly wrong, they’re left stranded in the Australian wilderness. No Rykon, no film crew, no rescue.

🏔️ My thoughts:

This is a YA book I can get behind! I switched between physical read and audiobook for this one. I don’t know what I was expecting but this was pretty dang good. The pacing was great, I loved the adventure, and I literally found myself telling the characters to just do it already OUT LOUD. Everyone around me probably thought I was crazy, and they’re probably not wrong. I really enjoyed that the point of views changed between chapters, it kept me fully committed to this story and truthfully if it wasn’t that, it was the tension. Tension between the characters, tension over the wilderness, the inner thoughts... all of it. The narrators did a wonderful job and didn’t skip a beat when I switched between ARC and ALC making this is a book and audiobook I’d recommend! Wandering Wild hits shelves 5/20/25!

Happy reading 📖 🏔️🥾🎧