This was charming! It's about four friends who decided to move out of London, and into the countryside and we follow them buying the house, renovating, getting chickens, and making friends with the locals in the village. There's also an element of romance, with the main character El being in love with her best friend Rae. Overall, this was a really enjoyable read and I'll be checking out the author's other books as this is the first Laura Kay book I've read. I'd recommend this if you're looking for a queer contemporary romance, with themes of friendship, chosen family, finding yourself, and home makeovers!

I was absolutely thrilled to get my hands on this ARC after adoring Kay’s first novel THE SPLIT. Four pals move out of the city to start a queer commune in the countryside, raising chickens and renovating the house? Sign me up 🙌🏼

This was a WHOLESOME, lighthearted + adorable read. From the stunning front cover (PERFECTION🤌🏼) and loveable characters, to the dry wit and slow burn romance, this plot was just so much FUN. I actually ended up listening to the audio version for most of the book — the narration was brilliant, with each character having a distinct voice, resulting in a super enjoyable listen.

The romance was VERY slow burn, but the rest of the plot (from the loveable neighbours and El’s wild things bucket list, to Jamie’s commune instagram page and chickens named after a twilight characters) was so much fun, that the book flew past without me once getting impatient for Ray and El to end up together. I did actually end up preferring the side characters to El herself; I know it was kinda the point of the storyline, but I just wanted to shake her and tell her to take control of the situation and stop pining. She got there eventually but she was a teensy 🤏🏼 bit frustrating.

To sum up: if you’ve ever dreamed of moving to the countryside with your pals, and want a summery read full of queer joy, humour, emotion and everything in between, you NEED to pick this up (and also read THE SPLIT!) I’m super excited to read TELL ME EVERYTHING from my TBR 🫶🏼

𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @ 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🪻

The audiobook version of "Wild Things" flawlessly narrates a heart-warming tale of friends who become lovers.

The descriptive writing style paints a vivid picture of the community, offering a refreshing perspective for me. It perfectly matched the narration style of the story to the plot, injecting a sense of vitality and liveliness into each character. The plot flows effortlessly, and every character is modern and likeable. A really enjoyable new release!

I am confident there are many individuals who will find this relatable.

Get ready for the summer breeze and a story that will leave you feeling inspired and happy.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. This book is a wholesome and heart-warming story which reads like a memoir due to the incredible depth Laura Kay wrote into her characters. The story surrounds El, who decides she needs to have a 'wild year' to push herself out of her comfort zone, her crush for her best friend Ray and the array of personalities in their friendship group that are thrown together when they decide to vacate London and live together.


This book features beautiful portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships and it is the perfect fun summer read. It was both easy and entertaining. The pet chickens were the stars of the show for sure!

The narrator was great and kept me engaged throughout. I enjoyed the vastly different voice used for each character. They were distinct and enabled you to invisage each one.

I would like to say a big thank you to the publisher for providing me with the eARC and audibook of this book prior to release.

This is a wholesome and heartwarming read, great for a quick comfort read in between bigger books. I listened to the audiobook of this book in as little as 3 days, this is saying a lot since I have a pretty busy working schedule. Once I started listening, I didn't want to stop!

I'm usually a fantasy and romance reader, but I haven't had much interaction with LGBTQ books and felt like this was a perfect book to begin my reading adventure. The main story roles around a main character: El (Eleanor) , who decides to have a wild year by completing a new wild thing each month, hence the title of the book. Within this book there is a range of LGBTQ relationships that are portrayed in a number of ways, for a first time reader I felt that the book was written really well and did not overwhelm me in any way. - actually completely opposite, I am currently looking to add more books like this to my TBR for the year.

The story kept me guessing, some parts of the story such as El being traumatised of ponds felt a little random but ended up being a great laugh out loud moment. Good pick me up if anyone needs one!

If you like any of the following: Chickens, village living, friends to lovers, house renovations, band of brothers.
You should read this book as soon as it's released!

Although I loved this book, it is one of those stories which I will forever cherish in my heart and not read again. I am very picky with what books I re-read due to the large TBR pile I am constantly adding to. Although, I plan to add this book to my recommendations for friends and family, as well as all other readers!

Two best friends
One huge crush.
A year that could change everything….

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an audiobook copy of Wild Things by Laura Kay. This was so fun! There was found family and a slow-burn friends to lovers with the ‘it’s always been you’ trope; what more could you want?! There was some amazing LGBTQIA+ representation with a number of characters being a part of the community and I enjoyed every second of it. I would definitely recommend for anyone who wants a sweet and cosy read!

Wild Things

The gorgeous pastel cover pulled me right in on this one - I knew it would be a good lighthearted pick and an easy listen.

This one was really engaging - from some of the “wild” antics that were described early on, I knew this one would be entertaining! I’m not usually massive on friends to lovers, but in this case the added forced proximity trope upped the ante in keeping me interested in this slow burn.

I really enjoyed this cast of characters - I loved the whole “queer commune” that they created and that move to village life. Jamie was the star of the show frankly with his chickens 🤣

Overall an easy and entertaining listen that’s great for anyone after something nice and lighthearted!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my audio of this book.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author. I had a copy for the kindle but decided to listen to the ARC on audiobook. I’m not sure I’ve ready anything quite like the story line in this book however it does feature one of my favourite tropes.

The story follows main character El and her three friends. El is on a mission to be more wild as part of her new year resolution inspired by her best friend Ray. One of the wildest things I can imagine is moving out of London to the country side with Ray and two other friends to live in a commune complete with chickens. So I’d say she nailed the whole being wild thing!

Throughout the book I really didn’t like El’s friend Ray although I think that’s maybe how we’re supposed to feel. She’s portrayed as having commitment issues and maybe as a bit of a user so I immediately felt I couldn’t trust her and that El shouldn’t either. In this respect El really surprised me with how her character handled it and it certainly wasn’t what I was expecting.

The narrator, Abigail Hardiman, was very easy to listen to and I finished this in a few car journeys to and from work. I’d definitely read more from Laura Kay in the future.

Thank you Quercus, Net Galley and Laura Kay for giving me this audio arc.

What do you do when you hate your job, hate your roommate and have a 5 year long crush on your best friend? You move in with your best friend.

This was such an easy light hearted listen that I really enjoyed. And the whole time you are left thinking will they? Won't they?

El's character was irritate at times and I find myself shouting "just do it El!!!" But she is also so relatable! Maybe that's why I found her so frustrating?

I have read two of Laura Kay's books already and I did enjoy them too. This book helped me get out a book slump and I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read it.

Thank you NetGalley and Quercus Audio for the audio ARC of this book.
3.5 stars out of 5

I really liked the book. It was an easy listen that kept me both entertained and engaged the whole time. The Narrator did a great job.

I loved the friend group and the family they built together. I would say the story focuses more on that, and El's self-discovery throughout the book. The romance is more of a side plot, besides El pining after Ray throughout the entire book.

But what i loved the most was El's queer-friend mentorship she was giving to the young girl (whose name has completely escaped me), that was so precious, especially the chicken storybook.

I had a few minor problems with some of the decisions the characters made, like the fact that El abandoned and ghosted her entire friend group for 4 weeks. And also that Ray let her be ignored for 4 weeks after she finally found out what had been going on for all this time.

I felt very drawn to the characters in this, a lot more than I expected to be and found myself strongly rooting for them both. The story line was really heart-warming and overall it was such a feel-good book.

I adored this book, right up to the very last chapter. I'm possibly in the minority here but I really wanted our girl Ellie to find someone else - someone better and healthier for her. And ditto for our girl Ray. That aside, I really enjoyed this book, it's a light and fluffy story, a lovely easy read with some gentle but truthful explorations of life, love and how family shapes us. It made me want to make my own wild goals and left me feeling buoyed like a good glass of champagne.

A perfect friends to lovers romance/feel-good novel.

A friendship group tired of the crowded and expensive London life decide to ban together to buy a house and start a commune in the countryside. Our main character Elinor is, and has been for about five years, in love with one of the friends in their commune and this is the main relationship of the story.

I really enjoyed how this unrequited love was constantly there, always present, but that it wasn’t the only thing that mattered. I love a good love story, as this of course turns into, but I’m 100% over love stories that renders everything else obsolete. This had a great balance, showing that one can value and prioritize other relationships while still being head over heals in love with someone new.

Love a good commune situation as well, and the chosen family situation is portrayed with love and care.

Would definitely recommend this for a great summer read 👏

Such a strong book, Stayed up all night to read it after reading the first chapter and planning on reading it the next day,

The strong friendships that are not half done is something you don't read very often and part of the reason I loved this book so much was the strong side characters that didn't feel to much like side characters.

Friends to lovers is also perfect for this kind of story, I don't remember the last time I cried like this while reading a book

The only issues I have are formatting issues, The main one being long chapters, a lot of them felt as if they could be cut down or split into 2 chapters, and I am unsure if this is a kindle thing, but the way the chapters were on the same page, if chapter 4 ended on one page 5 would start right under it.
3.5/5

This year, El wants to make a change from the monotony her life has become. As the New Year rings in, she promises herself this year she's going to be wild, she's going to live. But so far, instead of leaving her soul-crushing job, moving out of her awful flat share and having crazy adventures; she's managed a small tattoo, broken up with her boyfriend, had a very unsatisfying threesome and given herself a huge headache. And then of course, there's the issue that no matter how wild she tries to be, she's still hopelessly in love with her best friend, Ray - who is not only the most beautiful woman she's ever seen but who knows how to live on the wild side.

So when the perfect chance for a new start, for a wild adventure comes up - she grabs it. Her, Ray and their two friends leave the city behind and move into the countryside to live together in their own personal commune, to start a life together, be closer to nature and make something beautiful in this run down manor in the middle of nowhere.

But now they're here, trying to live in perfect harmony, can she ever tell Ray how she feels? Would she love her back, or will it ruin the life they've worked so hard to build forever?

"The version of myself that only exists in my head, the one who takes chances, steps out of my room and spends the night running wild."

Gloriously funny and brimming with heart, Wild Things shows you exactly why they call it a crush - it's tough enough being crazy for someone and not knowing how they feel, but imagine living with them, meeting their dates, hugging them and still having to act normal? I almost felt in love with Ray myself a few chapters into this book.

Eleanor and Ramona - El and Ray - were sides of the same coin; shy and confident, calculated and impulsive, quiet and loud, but it just worked. Their friends and now co-commune owners, Will and Jamie complete the group to make an honestly stunning display of friendship and love - supporting, nurturing, caring - but so playful and fun. The characters are really the driving force of this story and it's clear how they've all been shaped by not only each other but the other people in their lives that have left a part of them along the way. They're all very different people, with different backgrounds, sexualities, personalities, but they share their love for each other (and Pret sandwiches!)

El is a brilliant narrator, always ready with a witty observation or joke just for us. The pace moves quickly and naturally, showing us little moments of real life that fly by before you've even realised - as El reflects on the past and anxiously over-thinks even now she's a wild woman, letting us into her thoughts in a personal style that makes it feel like a diary or a conversation with a friend. It was like little snapshots, patchwork moments strung together like a memory or a scrapbook and I absolutely loved it. I absolutely adored the way Kay set the scene throughout - the peaceful village life and the bustling business of the city (also, Polo Bar? Wow, that took me back to my own wild nights!)

The romance in this story is slow, sweet, a little steamy and so heartwarmingly tender - but this isn't just a love story, in fact romance is just one part of life that El is trying to work out. It's a story about a woman stuck in her life and trying to find her place, her people and her purpose. A brilliantly queer, painfully relatable and joyously uplifting story about love in it's countless forms.