REVIEW: Wild Life by Opal Wei

Wild Life by Opal Wei: Zoey has a plan, its a simple one, with one major objective; find a cure to the cancer that took her sister way from them way to early. The only problem being all her research has amounted to nothing thus far and she is just about reaching a personal burnout. Well that is until a vital tissue sample accidentally lands up in the possession of the wrong person. Davey too has a plan and while his might not be as grand as Zoey’s, Davey is determined to live a simple life on his wild island estate and establish a legitimate animal sanctuary. However it would seem that fate is determined to keep these two opposites together when a storm strands Zoey on Davey’s island for a few days, leading them to form an unexpected connection and having to rethinking their plans…Well the thing about plans are even the best thought out ones can not always factor in fates plan, can these two throw their well crafted plans out of the window something a little more wild but oh so beautiful?

Wild Life was one incredibly fun, eventful read that I enjoyed. This book is a sassy combination of sunshine meets grump and the forced proximity trope. There were loads of banter, mayhem and so many laughs, this was a playful read that touched on a few serious topics. I have to take a minute to appreciate the cover of this book, not only does it capture Zoey and Davey’s wild island, it was also what drew me to the book initially.

I love reading a book with women in STEM and that was largely our leading lady Zoey. Though I will say that for the majority of the book it felt like she was not fully invested in the research part of her job. She had good motives for wanting to get into the field but it felt that somewhere along the line it had become more of a task than a passion. In saying this I really loved getting to see her open up and really fins herself while with Davey. We got to see Zoey reexamine what she had thought were her only options. Now our hero, Davey, was a bit all over the place. He was a former boy band super star dealing with anxiety, but he still wanted to create music but on his own terms. As much as he was trying to deal with his anxiety I liked the fact that he was still willing to try new things to find his new normal. Most of all I loved that he had a soft spot for animals and creating a safe place for them to live.

Davey and Zoey could not be more different but gosh did they have some incredible chemistry. There was a nice level of playful but spicy banter between them that only increased they connection. However it was the fact that they could both help each other find their true happiness that made me like this couple so much. Zoey helped Davey really embrace his accomplishments, while he helped her find her true passion outside of a lab.

I think the only real issue I had with this book was the pacing, I could not help but feel that the entire pace of this book was a bit chaotic. The start was fast and frantic then it moved to super slow burn and ended pretty abruptly. While this was a bit annoying it was not the end of the world for me personally. One of the things that I did really like about this book was the animal sanctuary, as an animal lover myself this just won my heart over, also Baby the cougar was just the cutest!

All in all Wild Life is definitely worth checking out, if you are looking for a cute opposites attract, grump meets sunshine romcom then this is the book for you!

Book Info:

Publication: January 23, 2024 | Harlequin |

They’re walking on the wild side…

The Plan was simple: find a cure for the cancer that nearly took her sister’s life. But for Zoey Fong, something about The Plan isn’t working anymore. Maybe it’s her unsuccessful research, maybe it’s burnout. But when a crucial tissue sample accidentally winds up in the hands of a very distracting—and disarmingly handsome—visitor, Zoey jumps at the chance to follow him home to retrieve it.

Davy Hsieh’s rugged island estate is no manicured suburban park. His plan is simple: establish a legitimate animal sanctuary and embrace life as a hermit to make up for a sketchy past. Zoey invading his fortress of solitude should not, under any circumstances, be a romantic development.

And yet it’s the single most invigorating week of their lives…when they’re able to set their many differences aside and embrace it. Stranded amid all manner of flora and fauna—including a semidomesticated cougar called Baby—Davy and Zoey first have to survive the island. Then they’ll need to take a leap of faith, maybe even trusting in each other, to save it.