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.