Something Wild and Wonderful follows Alexei and Ben, two strangers who are on the Pacific Crest Trail to deal with their respective trauma. Alexei is trying to heal from being ousted by his religious parents after coming out as gay whereas Ben is determined to not get sucked into another relationship after having had too many toxic experiences—both think they can leave the past behind them and move on with the trail. After all, nature and solitude is supposed to solve it all, right? Alexei is prepared for many things, but he isn’t prepared for Ben. Somehow, the trail keeps throwing the two of them together, almost like fate. As the two men, who couldn’t be more different if they tried, travel together on the biggest adventure of their lives, they can’t help but notice just how much they cherish the other’s presence…and kind words…and steamy kisses…Can a romance that started when they were in the worst headspace turn out to be their happily ever after?
Something Wild and Wonderful is downright magical. The setting? Absolutely riveting. The characters? Chef’s kiss. The relationship development? Utterly entrancing. Kelly paints wonderful pictures with their words as we follow Alexei and Ben on their journey. Would I ever go on a long hike that is not only dangerous but also super exhausting? No. Did I still google all the places they visited just so I could live even more vicariously through Alexei and Ben? Absolutely.
But at the heart of this story are of course our two amazing protagonists. Alexei and Ben are complete opposites—they grew up in very different households, live different lives and have very different support systems waiting for them once they come back from their hike. Whereas Alexei is struggling with the repercussions of coming out as gay, Ben has always been supported by his gigantic family at home. However, whereas Alexei hasn’t had a lot of experience in the romantic department, Ben has been burned time and again, constantly finding himself in toxic relationships. They both enter the trail for a multitude of reasons but it all boils down to coming to terms with their past and figuring out a better future. The amount of times I had to put down the book and just scream in my head that this!! Is how you do complex character development right is in the hundreds.
As the trail gets more dangerous, the stakes are also heightened between Alexei and Ben as they can’t ignore their mutual attraction any longer. But their baggage from their respective pasts not only influences how they see themselves…but also how they approach attraction, chemistry, and relationships. Both Alexei and Ben find and fight their demons off and on the trail and I couldn’t for the life of me put down the book because I needed to know how they could find their way to each other once they dealt with what kept them from accepting love in all its wonderous forms. The way Kelly manages to create these incredibly authentic characters who deal with so much baggage yet somehow manage to be each other’s biggest supporters and fight for their right to exist in the world and be cherished for who they are just amazed me to no end. Stories about healing from your painful past can be so cathartic and Alexei and Ben’s was exactly that. As they heal and grow, you yourself feel accomplished for having stuck it out with them – and having made it to the other side of that long hike. As with the trail, their road to happily ever after is a steep climb but so rewarding once you get to the end of the book.
Something Wild and Wonderful is a cathartic, unforgettable story about healing from the pain of the past and discovering the true beauty of unbridled and unconditional love in places you never thought to look for it. Filled with adventure, bravery and hope, this story cements Anita Kelly as one of the most versatile voices in queer fiction.
Something Wild and Wonderful is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
From the author of Love & Other Disasters comes a sparkling grumpy-meets-sunshine romance featuring two men’s sweeping journey across the Western wilderness.
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.
