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fharyya09's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Well I'm glad that they eventually got together at the end and that they found their happily ever after.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying and Death
samflowerv6's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Leo is the best Christina Lauren book boyfriend to date and this is my favorite of their books so far. The adventure was good, still with the miscommunication trope but I didn’t mind it this time around. The adventure and imagery set this book apart from the others. Some of the codes and math went over my head but this was a fun, exciting and beautiful read.
“He'd loved Lily so deeply that it changed his biology. Standing here now, it seemed his love for her hadn't gone away, it had just been vacuum-sealed and stored. Back in her presence, the physical memory of his infatuation was released in a deluge, gasping to life, and adrenaline flooded his bloodstream.”
“He wondered if, looking down, the stars ever felt like falling, lovesick, onto the planets. The instinct was in him when he was over her, moving, unable to believe that she was real and her quiet sounds were real and the way she looked up at him was real. Just fall. It's okay. She had to see the truth tattooed in his eyes and scrawled across every feature: that he had always loved her, was loving her still. Leo would love Lily Wilder forever.”
“He'd loved Lily so deeply that it changed his biology. Standing here now, it seemed his love for her hadn't gone away, it had just been vacuum-sealed and stored. Back in her presence, the physical memory of his infatuation was released in a deluge, gasping to life, and adrenaline flooded his bloodstream.”
“He wondered if, looking down, the stars ever felt like falling, lovesick, onto the planets. The instinct was in him when he was over her, moving, unable to believe that she was real and her quiet sounds were real and the way she looked up at him was real. Just fall. It's okay. She had to see the truth tattooed in his eyes and scrawled across every feature: that he had always loved her, was loving her still. Leo would love Lily Wilder forever.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
thatswhatshanread's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Talk about a book living up to its name… THIS WAS INDEED “SOMETHING WILDER”!!! In every definition. Something wild as in reminiscent and inspired by the old western times of Butch Cassidy. Something wild as in holy plot twists! Something wild as in something completely different and thrilling from my fave writer duo CLo!
Don’t get me wrong—this is miles from CLo’s usual romcom. This is like Indiana Jones meets The Goonies, interlaced with their signature flirty banter and heartwarming compassion. It is definitely not your typical romcom. But personally, I loved the genres blurring together.
As a SUPER FAN of Indiana Jones, I ate the adventure of this story entirely up. The Utah terrain setting (um hello The Last Crusade), the promise of long lost treasure, the dangers of the journey. A trip gone terribly… wild. God, this novel was SO much fun to read!! I loved the characters and the ins and outs of their relationships with each other, and I didn’t even mind how convenient Lily and Leo’s love story pieced together. I always melt for a second-chance romance, forced proximity, one bed, a decade of longing, the whole shebang. Throw in some crazy high stakes and I’m beyond sold.
I wish a few of the characters had been there for more than just very specific plot points, but otherwise? LOVED. THIS. BOOK.
Don’t get me wrong—this is miles from CLo’s usual romcom. This is like Indiana Jones meets The Goonies, interlaced with their signature flirty banter and heartwarming compassion. It is definitely not your typical romcom. But personally, I loved the genres blurring together.
As a SUPER FAN of Indiana Jones, I ate the adventure of this story entirely up. The Utah terrain setting (um hello The Last Crusade), the promise of long lost treasure, the dangers of the journey. A trip gone terribly… wild. God, this novel was SO much fun to read!! I loved the characters and the ins and outs of their relationships with each other, and I didn’t even mind how convenient Lily and Leo’s love story pieced together. I always melt for a second-chance romance, forced proximity, one bed, a decade of longing, the whole shebang. Throw in some crazy high stakes and I’m beyond sold.
I wish a few of the characters had been there for more than just very specific plot points, but otherwise? LOVED. THIS. BOOK.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, and Alcohol
nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I just don’t think Christina Lauren books are for me. I’ve tried a couple of them and just come out the other side feeling mediocre.
This story felt like it was trying to do too much. As other reviewers have said, this is a treasure hunt first and foremost with the romance taking a major backseat.
The backdrop of this story is that Leo & Lily spent five blissful months with each other at the age of 20. However, their time together is disrupted when Leo’s mom gets into an accident so Leo leaves the desert to go back to New York to be with his mom. Lily does not try and reach out to him, to see if he’s okay, if his mom is okay. No, it’s Leo’s job to reach out to her. Well Leo’s mom sadly dies from her injuries from the car crash so now Leo is taking care of his younger sister, Cora, all by himself as his dad is no longer in the picture. And for some reason, even though Lily never fought for him and let him go easy peasy, Leo never stopped loving her after long 10 years.
Side note: Even though the book builds up their romance as some love that transcends time, I feel like Leo was the only one that truly loved that way. If Lily loved Leo the way she says she did, she would have tried harder to be with him instead of letting him go so easily. Why did she not follow up with him? It just doesn’t make any sense to me. You had his phone number, WHY DID YOU NOT CALL HIM?
Now, fast forward, 10 years later and Lily is running a treasure hunt retreat for tourists out in the desert. Unbeknownst to Leo and his New York buddies, they’ve just planned a trip with Leo’s old flame. (Mind you, this story takes place over a single week out in the desert). Someone steals Lily’s dad’s journal (which has treasure maps in it from where Butch Cassidy might have buried his stolen bank treasure) and all chaos breaks loose. There is mutiny, hostages being held, gun fights, and oh yeah one of Leo’s friends FALLS TO HIS DEATH IN THE DESERT and literally no one cares. They’re all like “eh, we never liked that guy any way, whatever.” There is some talk of possible lawsuits, (possible prison time for possibly murdering someone!!) but all of that is pushed aside because oh my look at what Leo’s skin looks like in the firelight.
I know in romance books you are supposed to suspend your belief, I know it’s escapism. (I promise I’m not that much of a stick in the mud). But this book just went more and more off the rails as we kept going and as it turned into more John Wayne/60s Wild West movie-esque, it became more and more unbelievable. It was like reading some knock off version of National Treasure or The Goonies, with a little dash of cowboys and horses.
This story felt like it was trying to do too much. As other reviewers have said, this is a treasure hunt first and foremost with the romance taking a major backseat.
The backdrop of this story is that Leo & Lily spent five blissful months with each other at the age of 20. However, their time together is disrupted when Leo’s mom gets into an accident so Leo leaves the desert to go back to New York to be with his mom. Lily does not try and reach out to him, to see if he’s okay, if his mom is okay. No, it’s Leo’s job to reach out to her. Well Leo’s mom sadly dies from her injuries from the car crash so now Leo is taking care of his younger sister, Cora, all by himself as his dad is no longer in the picture. And for some reason, even though Lily never fought for him and let him go easy peasy, Leo never stopped loving her after long 10 years.
Side note: Even though the book builds up their romance as some love that transcends time, I feel like Leo was the only one that truly loved that way. If Lily loved Leo the way she says she did, she would have tried harder to be with him instead of letting him go so easily. Why did she not follow up with him? It just doesn’t make any sense to me. You had his phone number, WHY DID YOU NOT CALL HIM?
Now, fast forward, 10 years later and Lily is running a treasure hunt retreat for tourists out in the desert. Unbeknownst to Leo and his New York buddies, they’ve just planned a trip with Leo’s old flame. (Mind you, this story takes place over a single week out in the desert). Someone steals Lily’s dad’s journal (which has treasure maps in it from where Butch Cassidy might have buried his stolen bank treasure) and all chaos breaks loose. There is mutiny, hostages being held, gun fights, and oh yeah one of Leo’s friends FALLS TO HIS DEATH IN THE DESERT and literally no one cares. They’re all like “eh, we never liked that guy any way, whatever.” There is some talk of possible lawsuits, (possible prison time for possibly murdering someone!!) but all of that is pushed aside because oh my look at what Leo’s skin looks like in the firelight.
I know in romance books you are supposed to suspend your belief, I know it’s escapism. (I promise I’m not that much of a stick in the mud). But this book just went more and more off the rails as we kept going and as it turned into more John Wayne/60s Wild West movie-esque, it became more and more unbelievable. It was like reading some knock off version of National Treasure or The Goonies, with a little dash of cowboys and horses.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
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