Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly
Product Details
Web ID: 16836402Sensitive M/M romance/great story
(4.5 stars) I was lucky to read an excerpt several months ago of Something Wild and Wonderful and I loved it. I later got access to the full novel and somehow didn’t make the time to read it until just now. Bad move - this was a great book. Something Wild and Wonderful is a sensitive look at two young men who meet while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). They are both there for different but similar reasons; they both have emotional issues to come to terms with. Alexei was raised in a very conservative, religious home and his parents basically disowned him when he came out as gay. Ben has been trying to get his life together, after drifting from one job to another, and has recently gotten his nursing degree. They meet by chance and the results are simply magic. They become friends before they become lovers. While there are definitely some detailed steamy scenes, I felt the emphasis on the book was on the emotional journey of these two young men. In addition to dealing with the feelings of Alexei and Ben, the author brings to life the beauty of the PCT, from the desert to the mountains and the woods. I could really feel Alexei’s love of the outdoors (especially loved his knowledge of birds!) and sympathized with his need for trees! This is my first book by Anita Kelly and it won’t be the last. "Because maybe, You're gonna be the one that saves me, And after all, You're my wonderwall" (OASIS) Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was a bit late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Mark Sanderlin, did a great job with the various voices. All opinions are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Queer friends to lovers, neurodiverse rep
Alexei is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and it starts off with a snake. Lex is always prepared, but what he wasn’t expecting, was to keep bumping into Ben, along the 2,500 mile trail. I absolutely adored both of these characters, and loved the setting too. I didn’t think I needed a romance set on a hiking trail, until I read this one. It’s such a fun, a different setting. I appreciate that Alexei is autistic, it gives even more light, and brings normalcy to those who are neurodiverse. I cannot recommend this enough! It’s such a sweet, beautiful, and heartwarming story. It doesn’t shy away from heavy subjects such as homophobia, family rejection, and even emotional abuse. Includes: - meet cute on a hiking trail - Neurodiverse characters - Friends to lovers - Queer love story - Spicy - Instant attraction **There are some heavy topics, so check trigger warnings
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
New favorite
I’m about to make this book my personality. This means I’m incapable of writing a thoughtful, coherent review. It’s too tender and close to my heart. At the same time, the amount of love I have for Alexei and Ben means I want to at least mention why this hit home so hard. In no particular order, I loved: the setting (hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and then time in my beloved Nashville!), the angst (so many feeeeelings!!!! it made me cry so much, the best), the letters (incredibly moving to see both what was written, as well as which letters weren’t sent), and the exploration of faith (Alexei making sense of what he believes after coming out and losing his faith community and parents.) Also: massive points for letting Alexei stay estranged from his parents. Some fences are not meant to be fixed. Anita Kelly keeps getting better and better. I’m so grateful for their work. Disclosure: I’m friendly with the author.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Really good!
I thought that this was really good! This is the first time I have read any of Anita Kelly’s work and I was impressed. Alexei and Ben were fantastic characters and I really enjoyed watching them open up to one another. They seemed perfect together even if they each had a few issues they needed to work through independently. I had a great time watching them find a future together. Alexei and Ben were wonderful together. They meet on the Pacific Coast Trail and eventually decide to walk together. Alexei is a bit of a loner so this is a big deal for him to agree to walk with Ben. I liked watching these two get to know each other and I thought it was interesting that they were both at a crossroads in their lives. I felt that the descriptions of life on the Pacific Coast Trail were wonderful and almost made me want to pack up and take the journey myself (but then I remembered how much I like sleeping in beds and air-conditioning). I listened to the audiobook and thought that Mark Sanderlin did an excellent job with the narration. I liked the way that he was able to bring each of the characters to life and added just the right amount of emotion to his reading. I found his voice to be very pleasant and had no problem listening to the book for hours at a time. I am certain that his narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story. I would definitely recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a wonderful romance featuring two characters that were easy to root for. I hope to read more of this author’s work very soon. I received a digital review copy of this book from Forever and purchased a copy of the audiobook.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
a warm, cozy hug of a book
This was a warm, cozy hug of a book. Alexei and Ben were such warm characters. Well, Alexei took a bit of warming up to people, but he was earnest and friendly. Ben befriended everyone he met and just exuded friendliness and warmth. They had such an easy, peaceful companionship that they fell into as they walked the Pacific Crest Trail. It was so nice to read. The descriptions of the trail and the hiking were so beautiful and so appealing. It made me feel like I was there with them and made me want to attempt the hike myself. There's no way I could actually do it, but imagining it feels nice. The difficult parts were not so much conflict between the two (aside from a few misunderstandings) but rather things each was struggling with internally. For Ben it was the loss of a close relative to Alzheimers and his past abusive relationships. For Alexei it was being cut off by his parents after coming out as gay. These were things each had to wrestle with on their own, and I really like that they weren't swept under the rug when they got together. They took the time and space they needed and came to terms with them, allowing them to build a stronger future together. It was wonderful to see Alexei being welcomed into Ben's family and friend group, and it was wonderful to see Alexei and Ben's close relationships with their little sisters. There is a section toward the end where it becomes an epistolary novel for a bit, the sort where most of the letters are unsent. Those are always heartbreaking, and this was no exception. I really, really, like the way it was written. Having the letters be unsent halves of conversations made them so much more impactful. Most of all, this is a book emphasizing the wonders of queer companionship. As a queer person myself, who values that sort of companionship very highly indeed, this book hit all the right notes for me. The audiobook performance was beautiful and the narrator imbued the characters with so much personality. I loved listening to it and definitely recommend it. I received a review copy of this book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
An escape with tenderness and trail magic
Something Wild & Wonderful is a tender, atmospheric and thoughtful story with the loveliest, softest characters finding their way to each other and healing their hearts in the process. Ben & Lex are the sweetest characters and show the utmost kindness to one another. This story is full of hope, acceptance, Queer joy and love. Highly recommend!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Emotional romance on the Pacific Crest Trail
This story follows two men's journey on the Pacific Crest Trail and brings me back to the days of reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Alexei and Ben set out to hike alone, but when their paths keep crossing they decide to trek together. I really enjoyed this one as our leads reveal more of themselves throughout the trails and help each other get through the treacherous circumstances they come across. The story is so tender as they are both figuring out their place in the world -- they build up an emotional connection but also sweetly bond over bird songs and pictures of bugs. It's intimate and immersed in nature and I really enjoyed this one overall.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Absolutely delightful and so sweet!
I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this. I saw Anita Kelly at a book launch last year, and when they described the premise for this book, I was completely sold. It's set on the Pacific Crest Trail with a journey toward the Pacific Northwest. It has Cheryl Strayed's Wild vibes, but make it a fictional romance. Alexei is looking to find himself on the trail and come to terms with his family's awful reaction to him coming out to them. Ben is on the trail because he wants to follow through with a goal and be more mature before starting a new career in nursing. The book highlights family and what that can look like. It tackles so many hard topics and does so thoroughly and well. It made me cry, as it resonated so deeply. And the journey on the trail was an amazing metaphor for the depth of character growth we see. Parts were difficult to read, but overall, this book felt like a warm hug. I fell so hard for both Alexei and Ben, and I absolutely loved their journeys. It was great to revisit London and Dahlia, but this can be read as a stand alone. Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own. CW: homophobia
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com