Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly (Review)

Title: Something Wild & Wonderful
Author: Anita Kelly
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ+
Publisher: Forever (Hachette Book Group)
Date published: March 7, 2023

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Alexei Lebedev’s journey on the Pacific Crest Trail begins with a single snake. And it is angling for the hot stranger who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Lex is prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. What he isn’t prepared for is Ben Caravalho. But somehow—on a 2,500-mile trail—Alexei keeps running into the outgoing and charismatic hiker with golden-brown eyes, again and again. It might be coincidence. Then again, maybe there’s a reason the trail keeps bringing them together . . .

Ben has made his fair share of bad decisions, and almost all of them involved beautiful men. And yet there’s something about the gorgeous and quietly nerdy Alexei that Ben can’t just walk away from. Surely a bad decision can’t be this cute and smart. And there are worse things than falling in love during the biggest adventure of your life. But when their plans for the future are turned upside down, Ben and Alexei begin to wonder if it’s possible to hold on to something this wild and wonderful.

⤖ My Review ⬻

As you can imagine, this led to me going through quite the emotional rollercoaster—or emotional high-stakes trail in this case. Throughout the book, I was taken on a journey with the main characters, experiencing the highs and lows alongside them.

I liked both of the leading characters from the very beginning! And I think that getting the story from both perspectives really helped in telling the story the way it should be told as well as giving insight into both characters’ personalities, thoughts, etc.

I cried (both happy and sad), I laughed, and I also flinched at some of the ways the characters were treated for being queer (definitely noting a trigger warning there, and the author does this at the start of the book as well).

One of the strengths of this book is the author’s ability to bring the setting to life. Readers will feel as though they are on the trail with the characters, experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells of the wilderness. Overall, Something Wild & Wonderful is a great read for those who enjoy realistic characters and emotional stories.

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Anita Kelly (she/they) is originally from a small town in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and now lives in the Pacific Northwest with their family, where they spend time in the woods when they can and drink too much tea. Anita also writes queer romance.