Wandering Wild

Don't take secrets to the woods, the trees are always watching and listening.

Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni is YA contemporary novel that is filled with romance and the ultimate need to survive. She hates him. He needs her. Can they survive when all they have is each other? Zander Rune was the darling of Hollywood until he fell from glory and was labelled a problematic bad boy. His public image needs fixing—fast—or he’ll lose the role of a lifetime, and all his dreams with it. Charlie Hart is a regular teenage girl who despises everything Zander represents. But thanks to her scheming best friend and an ill-timed social media competition, Charlie finds herself pretending to be Zander’s biggest fan on a four-day reality TV adventure led by renowned survivalist Rykon Hawke. When their trip goes horribly wrong, Charlie and Zander are left stranded in the wilderness. No Rykon, no film crew, no rescue. The only way they’ll survive is if they trust each other. But in order to do so, both will have to let go of the ghosts of their pasts, and just maybe find themselves—and one another—in the process.

What I liked most about Noni's work, is the relationship between Charlie and Ember. In this, it created a unique day time/nighttime juxtaposition between their personalities. I loved how Charlie cared for her, despite the rest of the world not really being able to nor really knowing how to. I also loved the general hiking aspects of the novel, as an avid hiker, I enjoyed that unique perspective Noni presented. I think my favorite part was when the tour guide tried to get them to propel down the waterfall.

I think the most lacking part of Wandering Wild was the general lack of romance. Even though it's advertised as a contemporary romance. The only real romantic thing happened on the very last page, but even then, it was a bit lack luster. And that is where I shall leave that complaint, so I don't spoil stuff.

Regardless, I think it would be grand to have a sequel from another character's perspective. But I know Noni mentioned that this would her one and only contemporary title. So one can only hope, one day.