Keep It Wild (The Big Five Book 5)

“You have been staring at the ground for so long you forgot there’s a whole sky up there.” Have you ever been to a place that just takes your breath away while simultaneously leaving you feeling like you can finally breathe again? A place that leaves you feeling like for the first time, you’re home? Keep It Wild is that and more! I can’t believe we are at the end of the Big Five Series but what a way to wrap it up! I’ve been longing for Bryce Canyon since book 1 and I am in awe of the picture Katie paints, not only with the landscape (she nails it btw), but also with her characters. Sophie and Clay. Just WOW. These two are something special! Sophie is our uber independent, animal rescuing, free spirit. She longs for the next adventure while simultaneously wanting roots she doesn’t think she’ll find. She’s unapologetically herself and when she finds herself the voice of revolution in town; she holds on with both hands. Clay, this man. He’s is guarded and full of depth. His past keeps him leery and he’s not sure why he’s stayed in one place so long, but also can’t bring himself to leave. He’d rather deal with animals than people until a fiery redhead steps into town and knocks him off his axis. Sophie and Clay are utterly electric together. The way they are drawn together. The way Sophie makes Clay think. The way they anchor each other in the best ways. The depth in each of these characters blows me away. And the side characters… Everyone needs a Sammy in their life!…

I’m the kind of reader that falls hard for a series and wants to devour each book, but I also want to slow down and soak each one in. I’m also the kind of reader that wants to know what happens but gets sad when it’s all over. Why does a great series have to end? Are we sure we can’t get just one more? Will I be okay to just return to these books from time to time like visiting old friends? I guess I don’t have much of a choice. KEEP IT WILD is the final installment of the Big 5 Series by Katie West and I am reviewing this book as an ARC. I was incredibly excited to read this book, but at the same time, not ready to say goodbye. I don’t usually pick favorites, but right now I’m sitting here trying to figure out if this one might actually be my fave. This story centers around Sophie, who is new to the Bryce Canyon area, and Clay, a grumpy, quiet cowboy who tends to keep to himself. This story is a good one, with much more than romance. You can find love, found family, some romantic spiciness, ride or die friendships, and strong female characters in KEEP IT WILD. You will feel a connection to these characters, and you will be invested. This story takes place in a small town in the beautiful Bryce Canyon, full of beauty and out of this world sights which West brilliantly makes you envision and feel like you are visiting. When big developers try to close in on the town and the small, local businesses, like Sophie’s new coffee shop, the town decides to fight back. They band…

“She’s always looking at the stars. He stopped looking years ago.” This book was absolutely adorable and I literally could not put it down. I fell in love with Sophie and Clay’s characters pretty much instantly, and that’s not something that happens super often for me. I adored their communication style and understanding between the two, and they really just felt like two halves of the same whole. The eclectic witchy vibes blending with a stoic cowboy aesthetic was 10000% not something I would’ve ever put on my bingo card, let alone ever thinking that it would work. But this book wove the two so beautifully and seamlessly, that I feel like it really healed something in my soul that I didn’t even realize I needed. I don’t think a book has ever spoken to me this much, and I feel like that’s something super special. This book was so freaking cute, I’d give it 6 stars if It would let me. Enjoy some of my favorite quotes ✨ “You’re powered entirely by espresso and spite” “That is deeply unfair.” “But accurate.” ✨ But I kept watching him. Not because I was interested, I told myself. Not because something about him had already gotten under my skin. Just because some people drew the eye. Like storms. And fires. Like the first star appearing over a canyon that looked too strange and beautiful to belong to earth. And Clay Davis, for all his coldness, for all the sharp edges he wore like armor, had that same kind of pull. The kind you noticed before you had the good sense…

ARC @ 4.75 ⭐️ the thing that honestly stuck out the most to me about this book was just how good the writing style is. without the amount and kind of detail we got from the writing, i can almost guarantee that this story wouldn’t have been nearly as consuming and enjoyable as it turned out to be. i absolutely loved both of the main characters and felt that all the things that were perfect about them as individuals is exactly what made them so great together. Clay’s ruggedness matched so well with Sophie’s whimsy, just as his seriousness was matched with her lightheartedness. they really made this story what it is! lastly, coming to the story itself, i thought that this series of events played out perfectly and actually did leave us with a surprising and satisfying conclusion. there was just one point toward the middle of the story where i felt that we could have used an extra chapter from Clay’s perspective, just a little something for him to let the readers in a little bit more before the big reveal to Sophie. the biggest aspect though, of Sophie having to fight for a town that she wasn’t even sure was hers, was handled with so much care and played out for us exactly how it needed to be. the biggest thanks to Katie for trusting me to read and review your work! i am eternally grateful and hoping to read more from the characters in Bryce Canyon!

Well, now I have another destination added to my bucket list - putting Bryce Canyon National Park on my travel list and the rest of The Big Five series on my TBR! I want to know more about the rest of this extended Taylor family. This was a refreshing story about two wanderers, barista Sophie and rodeo rider/trail ride leader Clay, finding each other amid discovering what they truly want and facing that the reason they are ready to settle somewhere is because they finally found someone and somewhere to set themselves for. I love that they are able to open up to each other and trust each other so soon - instalove or instalust isn't always a bad thing. There is lots of representation of different sexualities and choices of lifestyle throughout this story. There's no third act break up in this one either! Our FMC, Sophie, moves to Bryce Canyon to open a new location of her friends coffe shop just in time for our MCs along with the cast of locals and other transplants that have settled in Bryce Canyon to face corporate investors that want to buy up and bulldoze and rebuild the downtown area. We get some great community organizing and advocacy as they fight to keep Bryce Canyon wild! Thank you to the author for an advanced reader copy.