Your Preview Verdict: Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni

A GIRL HAUNTED BY TRAGEDY.
A BOY SEEKING REDEMPTION.
A WILDERNESS AS BEAUTIFUL AS IT IS DEADLY.

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.

Buy a copy of Wandering Wild here.

Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:

This book is a really great read for all those romance fans out there, and also tackles challenges faced by young adults today. It’s a great age appropriate book, and I would recommend! Alice, 14, NSW, 5 stars

This book warmed my heart and had my inner teenager bursting with delight! I have loved my fair share of heartthrobs, and how I would have given anything to be in Charlie’s shoes – minus the perilous near death experiences of course! I love the development of Zander and Charlie’s relationship, slow burn is the best kind, how Zander was fiercely protective of his friends and how Charlie and Ember’s friendship reminded me so much of my own girlfriends. How I would do anything for them. But mostly I was cheering for Charlie opening herself up to living again, despite all the challenges she had faced. An absolutely wonderful read by one of my favourite authors! Deni, WA, 5 stars

It was the best story line I have read I a long time – she is a terrific writer – looking forward to more books by her Kathy, NSW, 5 stars

Charlie Hart is a teen who via a comp with Zander Rune teenage heartthrob gets flung into the world of Tv with Rykon Hawke Winner and about to embark on a survivor challenge in Australia. How will this go about survival skills in a foreign land. Many twists turns and much more. This is a great YA read and also great read for many. Perfect to settle in during a winters night and enjoy. Tianne, NSW, 5 stars

Lynette Noni does it again. I absolutely loved wandering wild, plenty of adventure, romance and lots of twists to keep you guessing. If you love adventure novels this one’s for you. Set aside some reading time and grab a cuppa, because you won’t want to put the book down. Emma, VIC, 5 stars

I love Lynette Noni’s previous works, the Medoran Chronicles, The Prison Healer trilogy, and the Whisper duology, so I was excited to read her latest book, Wandering Wild, and let me tell you, it definitely did not disappoint. Our main characters are 18 year old Hollywood movie star Zander Rune, and almost 18 year old small town Australian girl Charlie Hart (side note: I was once owned by a beloved cat named Charlie Heart, and this made me think of him). Zander has recently developed a ‘bad boy’ reputation, and although she was a big fan, what Charlie has heard about Zander lately has turned her against him. Zander and Charlie find themselves in the wilderness, and through a series of mishaps and shared experiences, they find themselves trusting and sharing with each other, and the delightfully warm development of their relationship was touching and heartwarming. I fell in love with both of them, and being with them on their journey, both physically and emotionally, was so enjoyable that I could not put this book down. At times I laughed, at times I cried, and at times I was on the edge of my seat. Wandering Wild is a beautiful story of friendship, forgiveness, and love, and one you should absolutely treat yourself to. Wendy, NSW, 5 stars

A lighthearted and enjoyable read. I’m probably a little older than the intended reader so it took me a little to get into it, but once I did I enjoyed myself. A lovely mix of adventure and romance. Mellisa, QLD, 4 stars

This story is a movie star trying to repair his image by taking a fan on a four day Bear Grylls-esque trek in the wilderness for reality TV. Obviously nothing can go wrong there. I did find that this book didn’t really match the way it was described. Not a majority portion of pages or time are spent with them in the wilderness together. For something that is being sold as the entire concept of the book, it was under 100 pages of content. The time in the wilderness is super fun to read though, especially when weather and unexpected events come into play. It gets wild, guys. There are definitely some artistic liberties taken in here, but I found the setting to be exceptional and enjoyed the journey. Alicia, QLD, 4 stars

Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni was a interesting book to read. It’s about a guy called Zander Rune who’s a 18 year old movie star who has been charged with DUI and has 2 weeks to clean up his image or he’ll loise the role of his lifetime and all the dreams he had with it. The other main character was a girl called Charlie Hart who is just a normal teenager. She’s pretending that’s she’s Zanders biggest fan on a 4 day reality TV show but she really hates him. Charlie and Zander end up stuck in the wilderness and need to rely on each other to survive. Will they survive out in wilderness? This book was a great read, I’d definitely recommend it to teenagers and young adults. Alyssa, 13, SA, 4 stars

Sometimes all it takes is everything to be stripped away, in the absence of distractions one can remember forgotten dreams. Every now and then we need a reminder of what it means to truly live. Not the constant rush of life and the constant feeling of being in survival mode. Wandering Wild was an emotive and picturesque tale of survival against all odds and rediscovering oneself. Amy, WA, 4 stars

Buy a copy of Wandering Wild here.