Reviews with content warning for Death - Something Wilder

Steam level: 🌶

I didn't have very high expectations when I started this book—I don't tend to enjoy road trip stories, or have much affinity with cowboys, so at best I figured this would be a good enough palate cleanser. A nice book to take with me on vacation—easy to drop if I'm not enjoying it, easy to unhaul when I'm done.

I was so, so wrong. This book turned all my expectations upside down, and I was so here for it.

With second chance romances you already know there's going to be a moment of confrontation, where they deal with what went wrong the first time. I thought that would happen towards the end of the story, and that most of the time would be spent on Leo and Lily simmering in their "I still love them but they also hurt me and I don't know what to do about it" feelings. Instead, they talk about it frankly before we hit the 30% mark, which was a pleasant surprise. And then the book took a turn I wasn't expecting, and I was immediately hooked and invested. I don't want to say more than this, because I think that's part of the magic of this story. All I can say is that it took me on a fun adventure, while avoiding the pitfalls that can ruin a romance for me (like unnecessary third act conflicts). I had no idea I would have such a fantastic time with it when I started, and I want to apologize to the book for judging it by its synopsis and cover.

What I can talk a little bit more about is the romance, and how Leo and Lily had me grinning from ear to ear. They had a lot of cute and sweet moments, and it was easy to root for them as a couple (also hard to achieve in a second chance romance).

Content Warnings

julierambaeck's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A CAMPY (in all senses of the word) romance, and I don't know if I liked that...

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babblingbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Completely unhinged, but very entertaining. Jumped the shark quite early on and just got more ridiculous, but did manage to stay coherent.

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milesofkiles's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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readswithtayee's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Keeping it short:

🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3 spicy peppers. Open door spice scenes.
Characters: very interesting and funny. Very enjoyable
Plot: very unique. Just know: slight mystery, romance, second chance.

Took me longer to read since I’ve been busy. But I really enjoyed this book! I think I would’ve given it a 5 star, if I connected more with the characters. Especially the romantic interest, I felt like I was just not as connected to give it 5 star. I felt like Leo was more well rounded and understandable. Lily felt a little confusing at times. Was she a farm girly girl, a tougher strong girl, pretty horse girl, I wasn’t sure.

Official rating: 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

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ellacat11's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jennp28's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Different than I’d expect from this author(s) but fun! And a sweet and a little spicy bit of second-chance romance along with the adventure story just for good measure. I want to go see the slot canyons now! But I’ll listen to the disclaimer in the beginning *not* to do what these characters did lest I die, don’t worry.

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