I have read almost everything Christina Lauren has ever written and was THRILLED to be given an early NetGalley copy of Something Wilder. This novel contained almost everything I love about Christina Lauren novels and I was desperate for Lil and Leo to get together from about page 40! I would have loved more of them! The treasure hunt plot was good but admittedly not one of my favourites. However, I still flew through this is one sitting.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Thank you Netgalley, Christina Lauren and Simon & Schuster for giving me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was different and original and I was here for it! It isn't your typical romance, Lily isn't your typical girl and the scene isn't the typical scene. This took a wild (get it?) turn about 40% through and I didn't see it coming which just made it all the better! I loved Leo and Lily, I love Nicole and Walter, heck I even loved Duke! This book just kept giving, and I was willing to take. 5 stars.

What a fun ride this was.So different but then again so Christina Lauren.Loved it. Omg Leo...swoon. ps.everyone needs Nicole in their life. She better get a book.Like yesterday.please and thank you!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I’ve read a few Christina Lauren books now and generally I’ve been a fan as they are easy reads and the plots have all be slightly different, so I didn’t even read the blurb when I requested this one from NetGalley… I just knew I wanted to read it regardless. Wow I’m so glad I did that and actually the plot came as a really pleasant surprise. Set in Wyoming and centring around horse trekking and Butch Cassidy, it was a really clever plot that I devoured in 24 hours. I loved that it was not a conventional romance and there wasn’t a tonne of false hurdles that stopped the characters getting together. The focus was very much on the other element of the plot which I really liked to be honest. Possibly my favourite Christina Lauren book so far or at least tied with The Unhoneymooners!

Apologies for the pun, but that was a wild ride!

I thought I was in for a fun, flirty and hilarious story with a sweet second chance romance out in the wilderness. Something Wilder, however, was a story I could not have predicted.

Lily Wilder grew up in the shade of her treasure hunting father, Duke Wilder, legendary cowboy and master riddle maker. When her father sells the beloved ranch that Lily one day wanted to own and needs care that spends the last of their money, Lily is left running treasure hunting trails through the desert and canyonlands to survive. It’s a hard life, but with the help of her best friend Nicole, maybe she’ll be able to get through it and one day reach her dreams.

Leo Grady is a tech-savvy, code-master nerd from New York, taking off on his annual friends' holiday. One of his friends oversaw the booking this year and decided that the three friends needed an adventure. They were to head out to Utah and participate in a ‘Wilder Adventures’ wild west cowboy adventure. What Leo didn’t expect was to run into his first and only love, Lily Wilder, ten years after the tragic death of his mother and the subsequent break of their relationship.

This book is packed with adventure; there are car chases, hidden treasure, cryptic riddles, and betrayal. What I thought would be a sweet and easy read turned into an adrenaline spiking tale. I did not expect anything that happened in this book. With death and heartache, twists that came out of nowhere and flipping betrayal (yes, I'm repeating it because it was shocking).

It was clear that Lily and Leo still loved each other when they set eyes on each other again. Lily had been living a hard life the past ten years, moving from gig to gig, anything to dull the ache of not being enough to make Leo stay. At the same time, Leo turned off all emotions and moved through the past decade in a fog, trying to give his sister everything she could need.

Miscommunication was the main factor in the breakdown of their relationship. Lily didn’t know that Leo’s mother had died, and he’d been left as the sole guardian of his little sister; she also didn’t know that Leo had called and left messages with her father that he never gave her. Leo didn’t know that Lily hadn’t gotten his messages, just that she’d never reached out to him again. It was heart-breaking to discover what had kept them apart where things that could have so simply been rectified.

Meeting up once again, in the middle of the desert on a trip destined to turn regular city folk into hardened cowboys, there was always going to be tension in a wonderful, forced proximity kind of way. Throw into that a huge plot twist that took the fun and replaced it with danger, anticipation, and heightened emotions; there was no one these two couldn’t fall for each other all over again.

'Something Wilder' has hits all the spots for me - action and adventure with a second chance romance.

Lily Wilder is the daughter of famous treasure hunter Duke Wilder struggling to carve out a living conducting wild west treasure hunting tours for corporate types so she can save to buy the family ranch.

All she wanted to do was run the family ranch with Leo Grady. But ten years previously Leo broke her heart after ghosting her and her dad sold the ranch.

Their paths cross on Lily's final tour, where things do not go to plan and they are forced to start a quest in Duke's footsteps to see if there really is treasure.

The chemistry between Lily and Leo aka 'Lovesick City Boy' was palpable even ten years later. I also loved Nicole and Walt as supporting characters (please give them a book!). Refreshingly we are spared a back and forth of Lily being pissed off with Leo for half the book (like what normally happens in books which drives me nuts), and have them have them address their long-standing issues early.

Writing duo Chrisina Lauren have really hit it out with this one. I know many people gush over these two, but apart from a couple of theirs I've enjoyed, I've mostly found them a miss. I tried but it was like they decide to write a book based on the latest trending trope and jump on that bandwagon. But with 'Something Wilder' I don't get that at all (if anything I think they will be leading the trend), and I really hope they continue with a few more in this vein.

Saddle up and keep your heels down for pure unadulterated fun set in the desert. The real treasure is the smile on your face when you finish reading it.

Thank you to Little, Brown Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Wow! This is one of the best books I have read in a while!

This was the top Christina Lauren book that I have read since Love & other words. I love that it is something different to their normal work. It was easy to read, entertaining and made me not want to put it down. This unique book provides a perfect blend of humour, tension, mystery, angst and heartfelt moments. This novel follows the group as they live in the wild whilst following a fake treasure,

Something Wilder follows Lily Wilder and Leo Grady. This is a second chance romance with chemistry and dual POV. Lily is the Daughter of Duke Wilder who is a famous archaeologist/treasure hunter. After losing everything that she once had due to her father selling the ranch that she was brought up in, Lily now runs hunts where they find fake treasure with her best friend Nicole ‘Nic’. Leo ‘Love sick city boy’ is on a yearly trip with his best friends when he sees Lily again after 10 years.

Tropes
- second chance romance
- one bed (well sleeping bag)

Thank you to net galley for the opportunity to read this eARC.

My review will be posted on 3/05/2022 so it is within the 2 weeks of publication as requested.

Tropes: second chance romance, city boy country girl, forced proximity, one bed (sorta), misunderstanding

This is a second chance romance between Leo, a city boy, and Lily - the daughter of a famous treasure hunter. Since they separated, Lily's life has been hard. She relies on running fake treasure hunts based on her (deceased and disliked) dad's maps. When Leo is booked on to one of these hunts, it forces them to discuss what forced them apart, and see if those feelings ever left. Then THE TREASURE HUNT BECOMES REAL!!

I have read a few Christina Lauren books and enjoyed them all, but the ones I haven't read I have zero interest in. It is a really marmite situation. I absolutely LOVED this one. It is definitely a very different book from CL. It focuses primarily on the adventure, with the romance happening alongside it. I found the treasure hunt so interesting and couldn't put it down - I just wanted to know how it would all go. I also loved the secondary characters (especially Walter and Nic).

The romance was definitely there, but it grew alongside the adventure. There was such a deep bond and chemistry between Leo and Lily, but their romance had very sad overtones. It was very... bittersweet?? I really routed for them getting together.

4.5 stars overall. Pick it up when it is published on 17 May!

Thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Christina Lauren for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book!

Full of romance, adventure and action - this is a perfect summer read!

This is a second chance romance between Lily and Leo. Lily is essentially a cowgirl with an adventurer for a father, and Leo is the soft city boy who fell in love at first sight.

Things happen, and then POOF its been 10 years since they have seen each other.

Lily now owns an adventure getaway, and Leos friends sign up to partake... Enter awkward reunions! (Also, forget 1 bed trope, how about 1 sleeping bag trope)

This book had plot twists I didn't see coming, so much drama and lots of sweet romance. I haven't read a romance where the love story is just pure hearted and sweet for so long, and I absolutely loved it!

This book was nothing like I’d expected it to be; it was better!Second chance, swoon worthy romance - that I expected and it delivered. But what I wasn’t expecting, and what I adored was the drama and the mystery. By half way through I was absolutely hooked and could not put it down. It was fantastic.

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book for this ARC.

Something Wilder was very different to the other Christina Lauren books I've read, but it was a lot of fun and definitely delivered on the Indiana Jones vibes. This book had a bit of everything: a second chance romance, codes and puzzles, and lots of high-stakes action. I really liked the strength and independence of Lily (and Nicole, for that matter), and how her relationship with Leo slowly changed over the course of the trip. Leo was so sweet and patient, and it was refreshing to see the miscommunication that had happened in their past resolve itself early on. I also really enjoyed all the codes and puzzles, and I was rooting for them to find the treasure. Much of the action is fast and crazy (and, yes, sometimes over-the-top), but it all somehow tied itself together in a heartwarming ending that gave me fuzzy feelings.

Something Wilder was....definitely something wilder, compared to the usual Christina Lauren books we've had before. They've dabbled a bit in magical realism/time-travel in In a Holidaze, this time we see a romcom mixed with a very dramatic western as the second chance romance couple and their gang of friends look for hidden treasure in the desert.

The writing is fun, easy to read and to follow. The characters felt like they were an archetype though, like "the heroine", "the hero", "the sweet potato friend", "the loud friend", etc. I didn't mind it that much since they were all fun and full of life, but yeah it definitely felt like that.

While I liked both main characters, I wish their romance, past and present had more development. Everything was quite fast paced and I felt like they just ignored some things.

I knew this was going to be like a treasure hunt thing, but I didn't expect it to escalate into a full on melodramatic western. And I'm not sure if I liked those parts. A lot of it was funny but some of it made me raise an eyebrow or two. I don't know, I'm quite on the fence about it. It was certainly a unique thing and not often found in romance books. Perhaps it just wasn't for me.

5⭐️

This was like Holes meets Indiana Jones with a swoony romance to boot! I thought this was really atmospheric and I enjoyed the vibes and mystery a lot. In the end, it was pretty wholesome and an easy read.

Something Wilder is a fabulous read, a romance, mystery, thriller and a rollicking adventure all in one.
Lily and Leo had a deep love affair 10 years previously which abruptly ended but neither has gotten over it.
Fast forward 10 years and Lily is now following in her treasure hunter fathers footsteps, running outdoor adventure tours that takes city slickers into the Canyonlands of Utah to get away from the rat race. This involves horse riding ,camping and treasure hunting.
When Leo turns up with a group of friends from New York for their annual get away from it all trip they are both shocked to see each other. So starts the adventure with twists and turns and a great cast of characters good and bad and events you just don’t see coming.
I loved this book, with its descriptive prose of the Canyonlands and the reconnecting of Leo and Lily is wonderful. A fabulous read.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly

So it would be fair to say that Something Wilder is now my new favourite Christina Lauren book and I’d go so far as to say it might be one of my new favourite books ever! Goodness me I loved Something Wilder, never before have I read a romance so perfectly entwined with pure action and adventure. What a wild ride! I also want to know who I need to petition to get this book made into a movie.

Something Wilder is the story of Lily Wilder, daughter of the notorious treasure hunter Duke Wilder. She makes ends meet by using her father’s hand drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts across Utah. But when the man she once loved walks back into her life, ready to hit the trails with a motley crew of friends, Lily can’t believe her eyes. But what happens when their trip goes horribly wrong and the group begins to wonder if there are some truths to the legends after all? Lily and Leo will need to decide if they’re ready to risk their hearts, their lives and their love for an adventure of a lifetime….

If we consider Something Wilder from a romance lovers perspective you’ve got
💛 characters written with depth and their own clear identifies and backstories
💛 a second chance romance
💛 mutual pining
💛 brilliant chemistry and hilarious banter
💛 misunderstanding cleared up very early (no painful dragging out here!)
💛 a couple who balance each other so well
💛 duel perspective narrative
💛 and a steamy one bed scene - or rather one sleeping bag!

I loved Lily and Leo. There is so much I want to say about them, but I also think with this pair it’s better to leave it to the reader to discover more about them for themselves. But as main characters I thought they were just brilliant. Also I have to mention my love of Nicole, Lily’s fiercely loyal firecracker of a best friend and the absolutely adorable sweet potato that is Walter. The secondary characters in something Wilder add so much to the story, whether they be the best friends or the antagonists.

As an action adventure Something Wilder is equally perfect, you’ve got:
🐎 The most beautiful descriptions of the Utah deserts and canyons that make you feel as though you’re there
🐎 An actual treasure hunt!
🐎 Amazing riddles, puzzles & clues to try and solve the aforementioned treasure hunt
🐎 Horse riding and car chases
🐎 And as many twists and turns as the slot canyons themselves, leaving me quite literally on the edge of my seat throughout

Something Wilder is pure escapist joy. Already I can’t wait to read it again. I cannot praise this book highly enough. Christina Lauren have been an autobuy authors for me for a while now, but this one, we’ll it’s something else, what a wonderful book.

ARC received with thanks to Netgalley, all opinions are entirely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 1/5🌶

Review/What I Thought: So I received this arc and didn’t read the synopsis prior to reading this book and I LOVED every minute of the journey I went on reading this! It was not at all what I expected.

I went into this thinking I’d be reading a second chance romance novel but ended up out in the Wild West on a hunt and I have to say I really enjoyed that! This book is really plot focussed and really well paced. I managed to stay engaged throughout the whole book and I was excited to see where this went!

I thought the descriptions in this book was fantastic and although I’ve never been to Utah I felt like I could picture it vividly. I’d now like to experience my own treasure hunt but maybe with a little more glam 😂. I’ll also point out that I totally got caught out by the plot twists in this too!

The only thing I felt was missing was a little more of the romance element to this. I would have loved a little more depth to the relationship between Lily and Leo.

I really recommend this and it’s a book I’ll be getting for myself too!

Borrow or Buy? Buy it

Would I Recommend? I would

Would I Re-read? Yeah!!

TW: Please search before reading!

One of the highlights of every new year, in my opinion, is finding out what new experience Christina Lauren will have in store for us with their new book. In 2020, they gave us In a Holidaze, a sweet holiday book with a side of Groundhog Day and last year, it was The Soulmate Equation an unexpectedly nerdy foray into the world of genetics and answering the question: “Can our soulmate be matched through our DNA?” (The short answer is yes.) And this 2022, Christina Lauren is guaranteed to wow new and old readers with this second chance adventure Romance that will melt your heart with how warm it is while also increasing your heart rate with its thrills and touch of suspense.

I was 90% there for Lily and her absolutely badass, takes-no-shit attitude. All her experiences shaped her up to be the woman we see her in Something Wilder, one that is fascinating, whip-smart, and not afraid to throw down. There were moments wherein I wish she’d let herself be vulnerable and open but given the things she’d went through and had to give up, I understand her apprehension. She was constantly let down by the people she loved and who were supposed to love her back, moving on from that isn’t easy, especially when the consequences of all those things leave her in a situation she’s unfortunately stuck in. But her drive and tenacity are nothing short of amazing.

And while I was cheering Lily on most of the book, the remaining 10% was just me being a simple person and simping over Leo and his juicy thighs. He complements Lily so well; his soft, lovesickness for Lily offsets her fierce need to protect her heart, his cute mathematician/IT-nerdiness goes well with her survival smarts and codebreaking, and of course, his pining for her matches with her longing for him. But beyond his relationship with Lily, he’s his very own person and it gave me joy that we got POVs from Leo as well, allowing us an insight into his thoughts. Leo’s never had the opportunity to be selfish, after tragedy struck when his when younger and then having to be a parent to his sister for years, this is the first time he’s ever had the opportunity to do something for himself, and seeing him… blossom and find that place for himself was such an awe-inspiring moment. It’s honestly impossible not to fall in love with Leo, trust me on this.

If there are two things that I will say impressed me the most about Something Wilder, it’s 1) the incredible detail in which Christina Lauren describes the sceneries in Utah, it was my first time feeling overwhelmed by the setting in their books and how lush the landscape was. I’ve never been to those canyons but with the way everything was described, it felt like I was there, having the sun beating at my back, touching the rock surfaces while trying to find my footing… the experience was nothing short of transformative; and 2) all the notes and riddles and codes were so. Much. Fun. I love that there were actual pages put into the book and as a reader, we’re also given the opportunity to try and solve these clues as the characters do as well. The amount of research the authors must have done on Butch Cassidy, his heists, all the types of ciphers in order to create the codes, and everything else must have been extensive and the effort really paid off.

The plot itself was just plain fun and in true Christina Lauren fashion, the tense moments end up veering to a more humorous route. And this book wouldn’t be as successful without the rest of the ensemble cast, even the side characters had something to contribute to this book; I absolutely adored the bond between Nicole and Lily, and the friendship between Leo, Walt and Bradley and even though tiny hands Terry is an asshole, he gave something…? to the story as well.

Something Wilder is the Adventure Romance of your dreams, Christina Lauren takes you on this unbelievable journey of discovering not just treasure, but finding lost love and the place where you truly belong. There was never a dull moment in this one, amongst all the excitement and surprising tension, it was difficult to pull away, the need to turn the next page and see what would happen next was nearing obsessive. This is the perfect escapist novel and I can definitely see myself going back to this just to seek comfort and some adventure (and yes, the one bed scene it had wasn't FTB #bless but I definitely wish there was more...). Christina Lauren’s 2022 release is an absolutely fun success and this only makes me more excited to see what they’ll have in store for us with their next release.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending me and e-ARC in return for my honest review.

She wanted to put down roots, but growing roots wasn't easy in the desert."

I am a huge Christina Lauren fan and have yet to read a book of theirs I didn't a) devour and b) love. No book I've read by this powerhouse duo slips beneath four stars.

Something Wilder continues that trend. Here are the things I loved:

- A relatable, fun and extremely capable FMC who knows what she wants and is gunning for it no matter how many curve balls life throws her way
- A gorgeous, sweet, kind, nerdy, loyal and all around cinnamon-roll MMC who is also swoon-worthy, of course
- A host of great side characters that make the story even more well rounded and fun
- A completely wild and unexpected plot which hots the ground running
- A miscommunication that is resolved in the first 25% of the book instead of being a lazy plotline for the majority of the read
- More information on Butch Cassidy than I ever thought I'd learn in a romcom novel!

The amount of detailed research Christina and Lauren put into their books is phenomenal. I'm in awe of how they can seamlessly flit from a Groundhog Day style Christmas romance to a rip-roaring cowboy treasure hunt romance.

I loved this book, such an easy five stars for me and I've already pre-ordered the paperback for my trophy shelf!

Romance isn't really a genre I usually go for, but thought the concept for something wilder sounded really interesting, the camping / treasure hunting aspect sounded really fun, and will always be something I love in books. The riddles and puzzles throughout the book were a lot of fun, and well crafted, and made the book really enjoyable.

The main character Lily, didn't really have a defined personality, there were moments where she would be sassy, but felt quite underwhelming, whereas the male character's were all given over exaggerated personalities, and boxed into individual tropes; the quiet one, the creep, etc.

I struggled to see a strong romantic connection between Lily and Leo, and wasn't really sure where the book plot was going, I felt the book focused more on the treasure hunting, than the romance, which I liked, but felt there were parts that needed explaining, especially with Leo and Lily's relationship, before the fallout. However, I did appreciate that the miscommunication was dealt with early and didn't drag through the book.

Some of the plot twists felt overly dramatic and weirdly placed in the story, but regardless, I enjoyed it enough to read it within a day. This was my first book by the author's and have heard great things about their more recent works, and would be open to reading more by them.

Something Wilder is told in third person from Lily and Leo's POV. The prologue is set 10 years before the present when Lily and Leo are together and are saying goodbye to Lily's father Duke Wilder at Lily's family ranch. Going to the present Lily and Leo are no longer together and are living completely separate lives. Lily is running experience days where people sign up to learn how to be a cowboy so they ride horses, sit around campfires and go on adventure days. Leo is with his friends on a surprise trip and ends up going on this experience and sees Lily again, From there a romance ensues. Now this is a second chance forced proximity romance. Lily and Leo fall in love again whilst chaos ensues on the trip. If you love second chance romances you will love this and if you are familiar with Christina Lauren's work then this is perfect for you. For me the writing felt a little forced and I always struggle to connect with romances when they are written in third person. However the story was perfectly fine and I'm sure many will enjoy this. It didn't do much for me and because of the writing I can only give this three stars.