Wild Life is a bonkers yet surprisingly hard-hitting romance

Heading into January, it’s all about having a plan and making the best of a new year which is exactly what Wild Life by Opal Wei feels like.

Considering that Wei is a pen name, there’s a lot to be excited about as we’re getting the first take of her writing in 2024 along with getting a new book from Harlequin. I don’t know about you but that’s enough to get me excited.

In addition, the cover for this book is just adorable so how could I say no? Before getting into my review, I do want to mention a few content warnings which are that this book does deal with a sibling who had cancer that is in remission, a love interest with anxiety, and features themes of depression and addiction.

I’d like to thank Harlequin for sending me an ARC of this one as I was SO excited to pick it up to start the year.

Wild Life is an adorable and hard-hitting romp from Opal Wei.

Let me just start by saying that I don’t know if this author is publicizing their pen name so I’m not going to share it. While this isn’t her debut, this is her first book written as Opal Wei so in a way, it does feel like a debut.

With that being said, Wild Life follows Zoey Fong who has a run-in with Davy Hsieh at her office. It seems harmless until she finds out that Davy accidentally took her tissue sample with him and she has to track him down. From there, it’s truly a romp around Canada for these two as everything in the world goes wrong.

From going to a meat market to Davy’s grandmother to a boat, these two end up everywhere but in the meantime, they end up falling for each other and opening. Zoey is dealing with some unresolved feelings due to her sister having childhood cancer and feeling like she had to grow up too fast. Davy is dealing with anxiety and has had substance issues in the past so these two have a lot of baggage.

Regardless, it’s clear from the jump that these two have a connection. It all solidified when they got to the island where Davy was starting an animal sanctuary. From there, it’s forced proximity and lots of sexy moments between these two. The chemistry between them starts with a little spark and then it’s a bang before you know it.

In addition, it’s a book set in Canada which I feel is rare and I just liked this one. I also felt like Wild Life had such random moments that I was obsessed with. I mean Davy used to be a boybander which I loved?! Plus Zoey collects mugs which is awesome. In addition, the cast is filled out by Zoey’s sister and her best friend along with Davy’s surrogate mother and his grandmother which made for such a fun dynamic between all of them.

The only complaint I have is that the third-act conflict was incredibly frustrating. I know that the author had to add some tension in there, but it annoyed me. Then again, that’s just a personal problem and not a fault of the book. I think if you’re looking for a book to start 2024 with, you can’t go wrong in grabbing a copy of Wild Life by Opal Wei.

Wild Life by Opal Wei is out now where books are sold.

Will you be picking up Wild Life on release day and starting off January with this adorable read?