Something Wild & Wonderful

By: Anita Kelly

Narrated by: Mark Sanderlin

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of Love & Other Disasters comes a sparkling sullen-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.

©2023 Anita Kelly (P)2023 Forever

Critic reviews

“Brimming with tenderness, hope, humor, and healing, this romance is truly something wild and wonderful. A must-read for those looking for stories with a big heart.”—Ashley Herring Blake, author of Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail

"Something Wild & Wonderful is my favorite kind of romance, a tender, achingly beautiful journey of love and healing—harrowing passages through grief, thrilling ascents of growth, that glorious vista of recognition that these two people are exactly where they're supposed to be, exactly as they are, learning to love themselves, to love another, to let themselves be loved, too."—Chloe Liese, author of Two Wrongs Make a Right

“I can’t get enough of Anita Kelly’s writing. As I followed Ben and Alexei on their journey, I was enthralled by the palpable care and tenderness that went into both the tiniest details and the most sweeping emotions, creating a stunning romance that feels epic and intimate all at once. Something Wild & Wonderful made my heart ache in the best way possible.”—Ava Wilder, author of How to Fake it in Hollywood

Perfect

The narrator was excellent. He held my attention the whole time. And it was always clear which character was speaking. I new nothing about the PCT prior to this book. I’m on the opposite coast. But it was fascinating to hear about and the descriptions were vivid. I could see it in my mind’s eye despite never having encountered some of the vegetation. Excellent escape on a cold weekend.

Great story, decent narrator

I’ve listened to a few books narrated by Mark Sanderlin and the characters always come across as more immature. It’s too bad given what a sophisticated story this is.

Sweet emotional journeys

I loved the pace of their relationship building. And the mirroring of that in the physical journey they were undertaking.

an absolute favorite!

things to look forward to: shy boi meets social butterfly; slowburn; mutual pining; tent sharing; queer acceptance + found family; Portuguese rep; Russian rep; autism rep

cw: religious-based homophobia; family estrangement; religious mc; miscommunication; internalized homophobia & ableism

thoughts: i really really cannot express how much i love this book! ben and lex are so precious and unique. i went through every emotion - Anita Kelly got me good. i cannot recommend this book enough! a must read for 2023!!!

Gay as hell in the best way

I loved this book. I liked both Ben and Alexei so much as individual characters, and they were beautiful together. Ben’s family is the family of my dreams: supportive, loving, and open. I wish I could relate to his family’s acceptance as much as I related to Alexei’s parents’ rejection, but it was nice to see both sides represented since that is the reality for many of us. I loved that Alexei had the strength to find chosen family and choose himself despite the struggle that comes with that. I also appreciate seeing neurodivergence represented! The only thing I would change is maybe the narrator; he did a good job, but his voice just sounds far too young and teenager-like for these characters in their late-20s/30s.

Narration Did Not Fit The Characters

Really enjoyed the story but I have to say I feel like this narrator was not the right choice. He is a great narrator but he sounds like a young teenager and that made it hard for me to remember these characters were 30 year olds and some of the intimate scenes were off because of it. Other than that I liked the storyline, the issues each man was dealing with and the way everything wrapped up in the end. Love a Good HEA!

awesome

I loved this book! The story is so great and cute! Definitely worth the read!