Big Wild Love Adventure

I loved Emmy and Wes. They were so great. I loved their background and their chemistry, the love and support for one another, the angst, the push and pull, the sexual tension between them, everything was so well executed by the author. I have always adored Julianna Keyes’ books—she just has the best kind of heroines, the ones who are always likeable and down to earth.

The characters were not perfect, they had their own struggles and obstacles they had to overcome before they came to the realization that they are better together than apart. I’m so happy with how everything wrapped up at the end. It was such an enjoyable story.

Julianna does such a beautiful job curating these endearing and wonderful characters with seemingly real personalities and ambitions. I absolutely busted out laughing so many times! This book was so fun, witty and honest. I hope the author continues to write more books like this.

I loved this book! It was a bit of Bachelor in Paradise combined with Survivor and totally accessible events those who are not big fans of reality TV. The story was really fun, with humorous moments mixed with a really sweet love story. I enjoyed Emmy and Wes’ journey together and felt they both grew individually and as a couple which was nice to see. I definitely recommend this book and cannot wait to read it again! Love the cover also.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early copy of “Big Wild Love Adventure.”

This book was the perfect mix of two of my guilty pleasures - rom com books and reality dating shows. It reminded me a lot of the show Love Island, but BETTER because you get inside one of the person’s minds as she navigates through the craziness that is Big Wild Love Adventure!

After being left at the altar, crashing her food truck, and becoming a viral hashtag (#emmystrashtruck), Emmy drunkenly applies for a new reality TV show called Big Wild Love Adventure. Next thing she knows she’s in a jungle in Panama competing for the chance to win $250,000. Emmy desperately needs this money to turn her life around, so she’s not all that focused on the “love” part of Big Wild Love Adventure. UNTIL she meets her hot and sexy fellow cast member, Wes. To many Wes may seem too boring or serious, but throughout their journey in Panama Emmy starts to see how thoughtful, kind, and witty he can be.

While I loved watching Emmy and Wes’ connection grow throughout their journey, I also loved watching Emmy’s emotional healing. This girl has been put through SO MUCH in the past year. It made me so happy to see her begin to realize her worth and how awesome she is.

Needless to say, this book is AMAZING. I literally felt like I was watching a show as I read the book. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone!

Thank you to NetGallery, Julianna Keyes, and Victory Editing Co-Op for providing this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

First off, let me just say - I am LOVING the trend of reality dating show books that are coming on the market. This is a fun 2022 trend! I have a guilty pleasure with reality tv (aka trash tv) - and this definitely hit the mark for me! It was a hilarious rom-com experience that was mixed in with adventure, and Bachelor in Paradise vibes (but different).

Poor Emmy - she has just been going through it. Being left at the alter... and facing financial difficulties so many business owners face (and more on the viral front). I love that her friend peer pressures her into drunken shenanigans and applies to be on this show. She never imagined it would actually happen! So when she is presented with the reality (hehe) of becoming a cast member on this show BIG WILD LOVE ADVENTURE - it has the potential to be life changing!

I felt like I was actually watching the show, but I loved that the narrative allowed the reader to get inside of the contestant's mind to see what was really going on underneath the facade of what viewers see on a tv. After being thrown into the Panama jungle, Emmy never expected... Wes. Suddenly more than just money is in the line here.

I really enjoyed the development of Emmy and Wes's love story. I loved how this experience helped her emotionally heal, and learn her worth. She is a FMC that is inspirational. I am looking forward to purchasing a physical copy of this when it launches next month!

Big Wild Love Adventure is... exactly that! Big characters, challenges, and drama. Wild locations, reality-show hijinx, and shocking reveals. Love under waterfalls, in private moments, and in front of a national audience. Adventure in the jungle, in each character's own journey of self-discovery and, of course, between the sheets. It is, simply, a joy--lush and verdant like the book's backdrop, but sensitive and soft in the middle like it's characters, who want only to be seen and loved.

The book perfectly captures what we love about reality shows--it's absurd, wild, and over-the-top, but the characters within the bizarre and hilarious machinations of the show are sincere and often vulnerable, literally wading through mud for a chance at love. They are all of us--looking for meaning and connection in whatever means possible, even if it means racing through a candy-themed obstacle course or professing their most intimate feelings for all the world to see.

Emmy, a hilariously self-deprecating hot baker, is an absolutely charming narrator. As she enters the absurd world of the Big WIld Love Adventure show, hoping only to stay in long enough to win some cash for her failing business, we roll our eyes along with her at the dramatic reveals, behind-the-scenes machinations, and over-the-top challenges one expects from a Bachelor meets Amazing Race reality dating show. But as Emmy faces challenges that ask her to work outside her comfort zone, and gets to know the full three dimensions of her fellow contestants, she grows despite herself, and it's a joy to watch. We see through Emmy that sometimes life's most absurd situations can create its deepest connections.

Big Wild Love Adventure is a funny, sexy, absolutely hilarious romp through the jungle, complete with hot dentists, candy-themed obstacle courses, surprise and shocking reveals, and, of course--love.

This book combines my love for rom com novels with my guilty pleasure of watching reality tv dating shows and I couldn’t be happier.

Emmy finds herself in a situation where she‘s living back in her parents basement after she got left at the altar, drove her food truck in a ditch and is evicted from her apartment. What better solution is there than to drown out her sorrows by drunkenly sign up to an adventurous reality dating show. What can go wrong?

I really loved this story. Not only was Emmy very lovable as a main character, all the other participants in the show also quickly became my favorites. The relationship between all these different personalities and how they grow and evolve as a result of getting to know each other is what makes this book special. The slow burn love story between Emmy and Wes is the icing on the cake!

Definitely highly recommend this to anyone who loves the Bachelor franchise and can’t get enough of slow burn romances!

4.75/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing for this arc. In return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review.

This review will be posted to my Goodreads and Storygraph accounts immediately and to my instagram account @colada_books upon publication on 20/06/22.