Something Wilder

Overview

From Christina Lauren, the duo behind beloved romantic comedies, comes a cinematic second-chance romance and wild treasure hunt through the breathtaking canyons of Utah — praised by Jodi Picoult as "a true escape within the pages of a book."

Lily Wilder grew up chasing a father who was always more interested in lost treasure than in her. Duke Wilder was legendary in the world of treasure hunting — and legendarily absent as a dad. Now Lily has turned his hand-drawn maps into something practical: guided fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah, just convincing enough to pay the bills. What the work doesn't cover is the cost of buying back the family ranch her father sold out from under her. That dream feels further away than ever — especially when a ghost from her past shows up in her tour group.

Leo Grady is the last person Lily expected to see stepping off the trail bus and into her carefully constructed life. He was her first love, and the one she never quite got over. She's got no interest in revisiting any of that. The rules are simple: this is a business arrangement, nothing more, and the past stays buried.

Leo has his own ideas. He came to Utah looking for an adventure, but finding Lily feels like the universe offering him a second shot at something he threw away. She's made it clear she's not interested. He's determined to prove he's changed. Neither of them is prepared for what happens next.

When the trip goes spectacularly, hilariously off the rails, the group starts to wonder if Duke's old maps might point to something real after all. The legend of a hidden treasure suddenly doesn't seem like such a gimmick — and the stakes climb fast. In the isolated, maze-like wilderness of the Canyonlands, with danger closing in from every direction, Lily and Leo are forced to work together. Old wounds resurface. Old feelings do too. And somewhere between survival and the search for lost gold, they'll have to decide what they're really willing to risk.

"Equal parts exhilarating puzzle-filled adventure and steamy second-chance romance, this cinematic wild-west rom-com is a must-have." — Booklist (starred review)

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