The Simple Wild

Loved the setting - so fascinating about how people live in rural Alaska! I could practically feel the cold and at times, feel that camaraderie between the people working at Wild and the people in the villages. I also enjoyed reading about Calla’s relationship with her mother and stepfather, and she reminded me a bit of myself and my friends when we were her age.

I liked Calla, even if she became unbearably whiny and insecure at times. But I remember being her age and I can relate to those feelings. I too, love my modern luxuries! And it was touching to read about her rekindling her relationship with her father, and I wished we could have seen more of them. I felt a hint of an emotional punch, but I didn’t feel as much as I would show more have liked.

I actually liked the ending a lot, it didn’t end the way I thought it would!

I didn’t like Jonah, though. But maybe it’s because I don’t find the bearded hulk type attractive? He seemed incredibly juvenile to me (actually, their whole courtship was very juvenile and at times I thought I was reading a YA book about high schoolers, not a 26 and 31 year old grown woman and man). Felt there was a bit of a controlling streak there, telling her she didn’t look good with makeup and literally hiding her things because apparently, she had been living life all wrong and he knew better than her. I hate that trope. And honestly? He was quite mean to her when they first met. Not my kind of guy. I didn’t feel much in terms of chemistry between the two, just that they got together because of proximity.

Story is told in first person from first Calla’s mom’s, and then Calla’s perspective in first person. show less

4,9 stars

Book no. 3 for #romanceathon.

This book was a kick in the chest. Possibly because I went in expecting an entertaining hate-to-love romance and got something so much more. I did think the romance was fun, and I actually think it had a really good resolution for a romance story. But the romance on it's own was "only" a solid 4 stars.

That father storyline, though. I'm not gonna lie, I cried pretty much though the last 20% or so of this book. And when I say cried, I mean ugly cried. Tears and snot and difficulties breathing were involved. I probably wouldn't have been physically able to finish this if it weren't for the audiobook. I think this might be one of those cases where people with different histories would maybe react in show more different ways to this plotline, but if you're a person who wasn't moved by it, I don't want to know you.

This was definitely an unexpected romance book, so much so that I'm a little hesitant to clump this into that category. I'm also going to admit that doing this #romanceathon has really managed to broaden my horizons when it comes to romance books and I can see now that I've still held some prejudice, even though I do read romance regularly.

I feel like I need a good sleep after this and no amount of concealer will save my puffy eyes tomorrow morning. show less

5 stars

For some reason, I was on the verge of crying during the saddest part of the book but never shed a tear. And now that I've finished it and knowing that it ends on a good note, I can't help but cry. Maybe it's because of all the lost opportunities between Calla and her dad. Maybe it's because it still ended with them not having so many more regrets. Maybe it's because it's a beautiful story about resentment, forgiveness, but mostly love. There is so much love my head doesn't know what to do with it. Neither does my heart.

I love Simon's patience and acute comments, his many quiet ways of showing how much love he has to give even though he always seems to come second for others. I love Mabel's enthousiastic and energetic take on show more life. I love Agnes' calmness and ability to keep on thinking of the positive. I love Jonah's brutal honesty and loyalty towards his loved ones. I love Wren's easy way of living and fondness of others. And first and foremost I love how Calla's journey made it possible for her to discover a whole new side of herself along her discovery of Alaska.
And now I'm crying again, Goddammit.

I was not expecting it. Calla seemed shallow to me, at first, and I think I can totally relate to how Jonah's first thought of her. But then again this book was perfect to remind me that we are a product of our environment, be it family and friends, but also culture and way of living. We also are capable of change, of evolving in a new territory if need be, and display amounts of new (and old) abilities. And I'm actually realising it as I'm writing those words whereas my body already knew all about it when it started crying. Just guess I had to give my brain a little time to catch up with my heart.

I'm not even sure I can say I enjoyed this book all along, but for some reason I can't get it out of my mind that it has a spot among my favorites. Guess the heart wants what it wants, no matter how I can't exactly reason with it.

Give it a try if you've got the chance. You might end up doing the same great journey I did. show less

I didn't expect myself to feel this much pain. My heart broke a few times at the end, a dull ache prodding at my chest accompanied by a few stray tears. This was wholesome, fulfilling, comedic, and can I just talk about how perfect the pacing was? K.A. Tucker transported me to the serenity of faraway Alaska and brought all these amazing characters to life. Shout out to Calla, the harbinger of all my pain, and Jonah, the cute grump. I know I should have given it a strong 5, but I wasn't as attached to it as I should have been. (And that's on me!!!) → 4.5 ★

4.5 stars.

The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker is a captivating novel which is set in a remote Alaskan town. I was initially not sure if I'd like the novel because of the main character, but thankfully my first impression was wrong!

Twenty-six year old Calla Fletcher might have been born in Alaska, but since she left before age two, she is a city girl through and through. Following her parents' short marriage, her mom, Susan, returned to Toronto where she remarried psychiatrist Simon Barlow. Calla remained in touch with her bush pilot and charter plane company owner father, Wren, until she was fourteen. But when her father's friend, Agnes, calls to let her know Wren has cancer, Calla decides to return to Alaska to see if she can salvage their show more fractured relationship.

Since Calla goes into her trip without any research, she is ill-prepared for life in the Alaskan bush. Jonah, one of her father's pilots, picks her up at the airport and well, he does not do ANYTHING to make her comfortable. As a matter of fact, Calla is convinced he is going out of his way to make her as miserable as possible especially when he never cuts her any slack after they arrive in Bangor. And well, Calla deserves part of the blame since she does not make any effort to assimilate to bush life. She is spoiled and pampered and she is rather disdainful of the townspeople. I have to admit I really disliked her for about half the novel because of her terrible attitude and high maintenance lifestyle.

Jonah is gruff and impatient but there is a heart of gold underneath his bush man look. He is comfortable in his skin and while he considers Wren family, he does have regrets about his own unresolved relationship with his father. While he has plenty of empathy for her situation with Wren, he has zero patience for Calla's prissy lifestyle and well, he is unfailingly honest about his opinions.

Calla and Jonah continually clash but underlying their mutual animosity is a growing attraction. Their banter is funny and there is plenty of tension every time they are together. As Calla becomes more accustomed to life in the bush, she is less prickly and they actually begin to get along. But their truces are uneasy since it does not take much to put them at odds.

As Calla's departure date draws near, she is making progress with her relationship with Wren. However, she is conflicted about whether or not she should extend her stay. Jonah offers helpful advice and as they grow closer, she is unsure if she should invest her energy in a romance that has a definite shelf life. Her parents' doomed marriage is always at the back of her mind and plays a huge role in her decision making progress.

The Simple Wild is a very charming novel that is fast-paced and engaging. Calla is an irritating character in the beginning, but she grows and evolves throughout her stay. Jonah is bit annoying as well, but because I lived in Alaska, I understood why both he and Wren felt such an affinity for their life there. K.A. Tucker brings the setting vibrantly to life and she perfectly captures why so many people love living in Alaska. But she also does a fantastic job underscoring the harsh living conditions that a lot of people just cannot endure. I loved the pitch perfect ending and I thought all of the storylines were realistically wrapped up. All in all, a wonderful novel that I am SOOO glad I read! show less

Yes there was a lot of cliche, and especially in the beginning I wasn't sure if I'd even finish. But glad I stuck it out. It's a your typical "spoiled city girl is humbled and learns to appreciate the smaller things" tale but it does have some deeper emotion in the second half that I appreciate and kind of was caught off guard by. And always a joy to read books set in Alaska.

You guys, I'm a mess. This wonderful, heart-wrenching, beautiful book got me. It's a good thing I'm at work because I would be sobbing my eyes out right now. It's been a long time since a book made me feel ALL THE FEELS. I finished it about 15 minutes ago and had to come write about it right away. I started this book on my commute this morning and finished it up at lunch. All 400 pages of it.

When the book starts, it's a little jarring because it's years ago and the person narrating is actually the female main character's mother. So it switches from Susan to Calla for the rest of the book. I know I had to go back to double check so just be forewarned. Anyway, fast forward to modern times. Calla lives with her mom, Susan and her step-dad, show more Simon. I want Simon for my dad but I digress. Calla gets a phone call from Alaska that she tries to ignore but the calls are persistent. Her biological father, who she hadn't seen since she was 2, has lung cancer. And so, being laid off from her job at a bank, Calla goes to Alaska to see her father.

Here we meet Jonah also known as the Yeti. Jonah works with Calla's dad and is an all around pain in the ass. And of course, where we have hot guy who is a pain in the ass, we have romance. Once Calla arrives in Alaska, everything goes wrong. Her luggage hasn't arrived, none of the grocery stores have her soy milk, there are bugs everywhere and her dad doesn't seem to be to keen on the idea of having her there.

Over time as the relationships begin to progress and layers begin to peel away, Calla begins to adjust to Alaska and take time to get to know her father, Jonah and the rest of the cast of characters. Of course Calla and Jonah strike up a relationship and of course there is trouble and unrevealed secrets and other roadblocks but in the end, the book is so much more than a romance. Every relationship in this book changed and every character in this book grew as a person. I don't remember the last time I could say that about a book and really mean it as much as I do for this story.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. It's out today. Bravo Ms. Tucker, Bravo. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this one. show less