Wild Things

A Novel

By: Laura Kay

Narrated by: Abigail Hardiman

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S PICK • Two best friends. One huge crush. A year that could change everything...

A warmhearted, hilarious queer rom-com about what happens when a group of friends are actually brave enough to live the dream and give up their dreary city apartments to buy a house in the country together. • “Real Emily Henry vibes but gay. Joyous, funny, sexy, and romantic—a triumph!”—Kate Sawyer, award-winning author of The Stranding

“Buoyant, charming, delectably wistful, and quietly earnest—not to mention, British enough to beguile even the subset of Americans who cuddle up to The Great British Bake Off on a Sunday afternoon.” —Casey McQuiston, The New York Times

"A delightful romance, complete with DIY home repair, a beautiful queer found family, and backyard hen.” —Ashley Herring Blake, bestselling author of Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail

El is in a rut. She’s been hiding in the photocopier room at the same dead-end job for longer than she cares to remember, she’s sharing a flat with a girl who leaves passive-aggressive smiley face notes on the fridge about milk consumption and, worst of all, she’s been in unrequited love with her best friend, effortlessly cool lesbian Ray, for years. So when a plan is hatched for El, Ray, and their two other closest friends—newly heartbroken Will and karaoke-and-Twilight-superfan Jamie—to ditch the big city and move out to a ramshackle house on the edge of an English country village, it feels like just the escape she needs.

Despite being the DIY challenge of a lifetime, the newly named Lavender House has all the makings of becoming the queer commune of the friends' dreams. (Will has been given a pass as the gang's Token Straight.) But as they start plotting their bright new future and making preparations for a grand housewarming party to thank the surprisingly but wonderfully welcoming community, El is forced to confront her feelings for Ray—the feelings that she’s been desperately trying to keep buried. Is it worth ruining a perfectly good friendship for a chance at love?

A VINTAGE ORIGINAL.

©2023 Laura Kay (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED ROMANCE OF SPRING 2023 (Publisher's Weekly)!

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PASTE • ELECTRIC LITERATURE • LGBTQ READS

“Buoyant, charming, delectably wistful, and quietly earnest—not to mention, British enough to beguile even the subset of Americans who cuddle up to The Great British Bake Off on a Sunday afternoon. Eleanor blunders through love and sex with the exasperated, self-effacing vulnerability of Hugh Grant in Notting Hill. The friends’ slug-filled cottage is like living in the England half of The Holiday, if Jude Law were a butch lesbian devoted to refinishing the floorboards. Kay writes with a breezy but grounded crispness, like a bike ride through the country. . . . Wild Things is an excellent romantic comedy. It is not a sunny sky, but a sunbeam: energy focused into a patch of hopeful light.” —Casey McQuiston, The New York Times

“Laura Kay could teach a masterclass on the low-key, wholesome, slightly messy queer rom com. . . . Wild Things is a friends-to-lovers romance, yes, but also a heartwarming exploration of found family. Kay breathes life into the book’s characters, all of whom are flawed and lovable and distinctly themselves. . . . Recommended for fans of droll British humor, readers of In at the Deep End and Queenie, and watchers of Fleabag and Feel Good.” —The Lesbrary

“Every few months, my pandemic pod of queer nerds jokes about leaving Brooklyn behind to build a rural commune that we lovingly refer to as Mount Gay, so I was the ideal audience for this book. . . . While there is a slow burn romance, the real love story is among this quartet [of friends], as they figure out how to build a home together.” —Natalie Zutter, Paste

A lovely book

This was overall a really fun and sweet book. There were some things that annoyed me with how the main protagonist chose to handle things that knocked off a star for me, but even that was done in a way that seemed realistic. I loved the “found family” aspect of this book. It was so cute. I thought the narration was outstanding on this one, and I think it really added to the story and made some characters (Jamie in particular) even more lovable than he might have been in print.

So slow

The whole story wasn’t bad but there was one main subject that was dragged out till I was sick of it.

Enjoyed it a lot

Much better than I expected. Very well written and performed 😃
Made me happy
Love the accent