Book Review: THE SIMPLE WILD: The Simple Wild Series, Book 1 by K.A. Tucker
Calla Fletcher was 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 her father reaches out to inform her that his days are numbered, Calla 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 new subarctic environment, Jonah—the quiet, brooding, and proud Alaskan pilot who keeps 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. As time passes, she unexpectedly finds herself forming a 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.
I know this is the first book in a much-loved series, so please don’t poke needles in my voodoo doll. Here goes: The Simple Wild was just okay for me.
I disliked all the characters, particularly Calla, our pampered-princess star. Ugh. Her character arc did sorta redeem her in the end, which I appreciated.
Most of this story is more family drama than the expected romance, which is neither a positive nor a negative, but simply an observation.
I was bored with the slow pace and irritated with Calla through the first half, and I might’ve given up had this not been a buddy read. The second half picked up, and the final quarter saved the book for me.
Though it takes a while to get there, this story takes on some heavy topics. Full disclosure: Because my own life experiences mirror Calla’s in substantial ways, I came into this story with biases that made empathy a challenge.
I listened to this on audio, via Scribd, and the narration is excellent.
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