Wild Side

Wild Side is a contemporary romance novel by Canadian author Elsie Silver. Originally published by Bloom Books in March of 2025, Wild Side is the third and final installment in Silver’s Rose Hill Series. When Tabitha Garrison’s older sister Erika Garrison unexpectedly passes away, Tabitha is forced to clean out the apartment Erika was renting from the mysterious and handsome Rhys Dupris. Although attracted to Rhys, Tabitha is convinced he evicted Erika and made her relapse and overdose on painkillers. Therefore, Tabitha and Rhys’s relationship begins tumultuously. Over time, however, they realize they have to put aside their differences to care for Erika’s three-year-old son Milo Garrison. Tabitha and Rhys have an enemies-to-lovers romance that explores themes such as Navigating Grief and Loss, Developing Family and Community Relationships, and Identity and Trust in Intimate Relationships.

This guide refers to the 2025 Bloom Books paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: Both the source text and guide include cursing, sexual content, and references to drug addiction, child welfare, and the death of a loved one.

Plot Summary

The novel is set in Rose Hill, Canada, and written from Tabitha and Rhys’s alternating first-person points of view. The novel’s opening chapter is set two years prior to the narrative present, while the remainder of the novel is set in the narrative present.

When Erika Garrison’s son Milo Carrison is one year old, her sister Tabitha Garrison helps her to secure a rental in Emerald Lake, Canada. Erika and Milo move into an apartment that is conjoined with their new landlord Rhys Dupris’s apartment. The day they move in, Tabitha addresses Rhys. She explains that her sister has been addicted to painkillers since her sports injury in high school and needs someone to look out for her. Erika has been doing better since her pregnancy and Milo’s birth, but Tabitha wants Rhys to check in on her when he can. Tabitha also makes him promise that he’ll contact her if Erika needs financial help. Charmed and intrigued by Tabitha, Rhys agrees.

Two years later, Tabitha returns to Erika’s empty apartment in the wake of her sister’s death. Over the past years, Erika grew increasingly distant and unreliable. Tabitha worried when Erika pushed her away, but also wanted to give her space to establish her own life. She watched Milo at her house in Rose Hill whenever Erika needed but respected Erika’s wishes not to visit her in Emerald Lake. She was therefore shocked when she got the call that Erika was using drugs again and had overdosed.

At Erika’s apartment, Tabitha spends the night drinking and trying to sort through her late sister’s things. In the morning, Rhys appears and demands to know what she’s doing. He’s shocked to learn of Erika’s death and shows genuine worry for Milo. Tabitha bristles, convinced that Rhys evicted Erika and left her in a tenuous living and emotional state. Rhys argues otherwise and shows Tabitha Erika’s will: Erika named Rhys Milo’s legal guardian should anything happen to her.

Tabitha is furious with Rhys but arranges a meeting between them and a grief counselor. Together, the three discuss how best to tell Milo about Erika and how to care for him in the coming months. Tabitha doesn’t want Rhys in her or Milo’s life, but she can’t deny how attached Rhys and Milo seem. She reluctantly invites Rhys to live in her basement apartment when he’s in town. Rhys often travels to the States, although he won’t tell Tabitha why.

Over the following weeks, Rhys moves back and forth between Florida and Rose Hill. He’s a professional wrestler based in the States but isn’t ready to open up to Tabitha about his athletic success. When he’s off from work, he devotes his time to Milo and Tabitha.

As time passes and Rhys and Tabitha start spending more time together, they realize how attracted they are to one another. They try to dismiss their feelings but end up kissing whenever they’re alone. One day, Rhys returns from the States and expresses his fears about violating his visa. Tabitha impulsively suggests that they get married, and Rhys agrees.

After Tabitha and Rhys’s wedding, the two begin to build a family life together. Rhys continues to travel for work, but the two become increasingly close. Rhys opens up about his career and traumatic childhood; Tabitha confides in Rhys about her complicated familial relationships. Finally, the two have sex for the first time. From this night on, they realize that their marriage isn’t fake at all and that they’re falling in love. They profess their feelings and agree to stay together, not only for Milo but for each other.

Then one day, Rhys gets injured during a wrestling match. Tabitha races to see him in the hospital and promises to stay by his side during and after his surgery. Rhys insists that he doesn’t want Tabitha there and demands that she leave. Tabitha momentarily falters but decides not to give up on Rhys. The two make amends and promise to stay by each other’s sides forever.

Over the following four years, Tabitha and Rhys settle into their family life. They continue raising Milo and have a daughter together. They both feel happier than they ever imagined.