Something Wilder - Christina Lauren

[goodreads]

Title: Something Wilder
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook, ~9hrs
Date read: December, 2022

Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession… or much money in the bank. But Lily is nothing if not resourceful, and now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn’t leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness—and leave him there.

Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.

But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.


A fun read, even though it turned out to have much more of a western feel to it than I had expected. I enjoyed all the puzzles though, and was very gratified that I twice figured out the code that was being used before the characters did :-D

I did find it a lot less realistic than many of their other books, but still enjoyed it greatly. I'd originally feared it would be a bit like "The Roadtrip" in style, but fortunately that turned out not to be the case, with their past being quickly and easily talked about and explained. So kudos for that!