The Simple Wild

Calla is the only daughter of Wren, and flies to Bangor, Alaska to visit him and revive their relationship as his days may be numbered. She left Alaska as a toddler with her mother, and is used to the fast-paced life of Toronto. Her dad quickly became a stranger as she grew up.Jonah is a pilot, and who is very close to Wren and the small community in the remote but friendly territory. He lives a simple life, and has a deep love for his planes and Alaska Wild. He’s a little too honest from time to time, and likes to play tricks, but has a good heart.The minute I met Jonah I didn’t like him. While he is described as a “teddy bear” by Agnes, I thought he was unnecessarily rude to Calla and went out of his way to be awkward. But my dislike for him faded away very quickly. He is actually a humble, genuine and warm-hearted man, it’s just hidden beneath a yeti-esque beard and an intimidating exterior. He cares deeply for people, and is adored by almost everyone in Bangor and the neighbouring villages. So while he does have a mischievous streak, his is a gentle giant.Jonah calls Calla “shallow, self-absorbed and entitled” early on, and he was right. Calla is someone who doesn’t acknowledge or appreciate her privilege. So the moment she’s in a new place, with a new culture of people, and a new lifestyle, she’s in complete shock and sees it as something beneath her standard of living. I understood some of her reactions but occasionally did find them annoying. She is 26, but acts immaturely because almost everything in her life has been done for her. From getting a job to the weekly food shop, Calla isn’t used to hard work and doesn’t have a grasp on the reality of independence.In the beginning, instead of taking in the breath-taking landscapes and marvelling at this untouched area of the world, all she could think of were the negatives. The only thing going through Calla’s mind is Calla. But as she spends more time with Jonah, begins to see more of the beauty that Alaska has to offer and meets more native and local people, her eyes begin to open and hard truths hit home. Sure, her thinking frustrated me in the beginning, but that faded as she developed and matured. Calla became a likeable character as soon as she stopped being closed-minded.Enemies-to-lovers relationships are always fun to read about, and Jonah and Calla’s banter was no different. They absolutely despised one another in the beginning, and their back and forth was gripping. As both Calla and Jonah are quick-witted, there were plenty of laugh out loud moments during their slow-burning romance. The tension between them became obvious as they were forced into more situations together, and began to tolerate and then enjoy each other’s company. They are complete opposites in every way, but fit so perfectly together.The father-daughter relationship between Calla and Wren is heart-wrenching and highly emotional. Calla understandably feels abandoned by her father; Wren avoids confrontation like the plague, even if it means avoiding his daughter. But they love each other, even if they don’t scream it from the mountaintops. There’s a lot of pain and regret that has built up over the years, but as the walls begin to come down and they start to actually speak to one another, they realise just how special their bond is. From the moment Calla landed in Alaska, I was wishing for her connection with her father to grow before time ran out.Agnes, Mabel and Simon were radiantly written secondary characters, each with their own distinctive voice and personalities. A backstory on them wasn’t necessary for you to grasp what kind of people they are, and I love how they were involved in grounding Calla. These characters, along with the community-like feel Alaska gave throughout the book, Bangor began to feel like home to Calla and to me as a reader. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of rural parts of Alaska, and how the author made each corner of the small town feel like a scenic landscape. Just reading about places with endless expanses of deep blue and rich green makes me want to grab a camera and head there myself.I didn’t expect The Simple Wild to be as emotional as it was, but the author packs plenty of heart-wrenching moments into the ending of the book before a beautiful and satisfying ending. This is my first K.A. Tucker book, but definitely not my last.Anika | chaptersofmay.com

Idk where to start… this story was an emotional roller coaster— and that is the definition of my favourite kind of book.This story is visual as it is emotional, I felt like I was transported to the fictional Alaskan wilderness town of Bangor, I understood their ways and customs.The Simple Wild wasn’t a full-on hot and heavy romance, and honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting as this is the first read by this author. I did buy the paperbacks in this series with every intention of it being a top favourite read… the Barbie City Girl and Sky Cowboy Yeti stole my heart, but the most profound part of this story was Calla’s relationship with her dad, that is what hit me with the biggest gut punch, I lived for every interaction they had. I got into calla’s head from the very start- I understood her way of thinking- but I saw her character development from the reader PoV too.This is a super slow burn, and I’ll admit it took me a while to fully immerse myself in reading- but that’s because I was distracted by life around me. Calla and Jonah had me in stitches- city girl in the Alaskan wilderness with a bush pilot- it was either going to be all-out cheesy and/or predictable, or written with depth and authenticity to make the story believable- it was the latter.Enemies to Lovers has the best kind of banter and I loved that Jonah brought out the fiery side of an otherwise non-confrontational Calla and that despite his gruff ways Jonah was a sweetheart to the core. The beard grooming was one of the highlights of this story, I might’ve peed a little laughing at the aftermath.I found myself was so invested in all secondary characters, from Simon (bless his heart, this man is pure GOLD!); Agnes, what a beautiful soul, Susan, okay I wanted her to not carry a flame for her ex even after she remarried- but I got it, even if I didn’t like it; Mabel, okay, so like Calla I got super jealous of her too; and Wren- I don’t feel he was as a much a secondary character- he was a main character by all accounts- I would’ve loved a small epilogue POV from him, a letter to Calla- something a little more. I wanted to resent him for not fighting for love or his family and later his relationship with his daughter but I understood his actions, and more importantly that they reconciled.What I got from this story:Love is forgiveness and understanding. Life is short, and we never truly know what lies ahead…Live in the moments.Family are the people who live in your heart, and home is the place where you belong…Raccoons are not pet material, but they sure moved up my cute pet meter- shout out to Tim and Sid, and BanditIn the end, I’m unsure if this is a standalone or a TBC but all in all I have high hopes for Calla and Jonah’s future, and that they are living their HEA, not repeating her parents’ past.4.999999 CITY GIRL MEETS YETI STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨💫