Title: The Simple Wild

Author: K.A. Tucker

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Atria Books

Page Count: 390

ISBN: 9781501133435

Goodreads Rating: 4.44

Calla Fletcher wasn't even two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when Calla learns that Wren’s days may be numbered, she knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born. She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this rugged environment, Jonah—the unkempt, obnoxious, and proud Alaskan pilot who helps keep her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild. Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. Soon, she finds herself forming an unexpected bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago. It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.

A little while ago I read about ‘The Simple Wild’ on another book blog. They were so enthusiastic about this book, I couldn’t resist and got myself a copy from some GC money I had left. There was something about this book that really made me want to read it, and although I needed to read another ARC, I couldn’t wait any longer and started reading.

In ‘The Simple Wild’ we meet twenty six year old Calla Fletcher. Calla is living with her mom and her stepdad in Toronto. Her life is busy and filled with friends and family. But there is one thing she misses: her father. When Calla was two years, her mom left with Calla from Alaska to Toronto. Her mom simple couldn’t handle life in the Alaskan wild. She left Calla’s dad Wren behind and Calla has never seen him again. When she receives a phone call telling her, her dad is sick, she decides to go back to Alaska and the life she left more than two decades ago. Life is very different in Alaska. Calla has to get used to a lot of new things. And she doesn’t only have to get used to trying to get to know her own dad, but there is also another pilot called Jonah who seems to hate her from the start. But there is something about Jonah that makes Calla feels things, she really shouldn’t.

Wow. I just.. I mean wow! ‘The Simple Wild’ was such a great read! I loved it so much. From the moment I started reading, till the very moment I finished it at 1.00 a.m. in the morning. I simple couldn’t get enough of this read. ‘The Simple Wild’ was such an emotional read, that really made me feel all kinds of things. It was romantic, really funny, thrilling, touching and also sad. I definitely cried my eyes out in the end.

I haven’t talked or seen my own dad in more than fifteen years, so this story spoke to me in a lot of ways. And it made me sad, but it also really made me feel like I was a part of this story. And although my story is very different than Calla’s story, I felt like I could really connect with her, and I understood her pain for the most part. I could easily forget I was sitting in my own living room, and I was in Alaska with Calla.

Calla’s character was definitely fun. In the beginning she seemed a little shallow. Still living at home at twenty six, used to wearing a lot of make-up, got a boyfriend she isn’t really in love with and life just seems to go smoothly for her. But when Calla arrives in Alaska, where things as Starbucks and one day delivery services are unknown, she really has to take some time to get used to these new things.

Jonah’s character is just very mysterious and I totally loved him from the start. The interactions between him and Calla are really funny and I definitely liked these two. Reading about Calla and Jonah definitely gave me the butterflies, and even now.. 24 hours after finishing the book I still think about them a lot. I loved them so much.

‘The Simple Wild’ was definitely one of my favorite reads of 2020 so far. It was so good and touching and just perfect. I wouldn’t have changed one thing about it. And now I know there is a book two I can’t wait to dive into that one too.

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K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge. She is the internationally bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, The Simple Wild, Be the Girl, and Say You Still Love Me. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, Oprah Mag, and First for Women. She has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance 2013 for TEN TINY BREATHS and Best Romance 2018 for THE SIMPLE WILD. KEEP HER SAFE made Suspense Magazine’s Best of 2018 list for Romantic Suspense. K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto.

 

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Maureen Bakker

Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always!  Facebook | Instagram