Synopsis
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.
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Review
I have seen The Simple Wild all over bookstagram so I finally picked it up. My expectations were high, and while I get why this book is hyped I would not say it exceeded my expectations.
Calla is the type of character who grew on me. It took me a little bit of time to warm up to her and I think that’s intentional. Just as the people of Alaska grow to like her, you as the reader do too. This book is really about Calla discovering herself as well as her relationship with her father. Jonah is another character that you grow to like though, for me at least he was a little quicker to grow on me than Calla. He comes off as the typical grumpy alphamale but grows into so much more.
As I mentioned the story is about Calla reconnecting with her father and finding herself in the process. It was fun to watch her get out of her comfort zone and realize her idea of things wasn’t necessarily the right one. Of course, her relationship with Jonah was very fun. I loved their pranking and banter!
I listened to the audiobook for this one and I think that along with my high expectations were the contributing factors for giving this one 4 stars instead of 5. The narrator was great for Calla, but I didn’t love the other voices. I already bought the next book in the series so I will certainly be reading that one!
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