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.