The Simple Wild – Published 2018
“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.” – Goodreads
THOUGHTS
Alright, I’m sorry. I saw all of you rave about this book, and I just never jumped on board. I get the hype now, ya’ll. It’s really good. I speed read it for a group read this month! #ReadingThroughBookClub
Alaska is somewhere I absolutely want to travel someday. A lot of people have said they got some Moose Springs vibes from this one, in that Jonah is sort of grumpy like Graham, they’re both set in Alaska, and have some female characters that aren’t used to that lifestyle. And I agree. However, this book is a lot heavier than those lighthearted romcoms. There’s some witty banter in this one, surely, but it also absolutely wrecked me. I cried very hard at the end of this book, which I rarely do. Gah, Wren!
Calla is a product of a marriage that didn’t work out because her mom had no desire to live in Alaska. That does not mean, however, that her parents didn’t love one another. Calla’s never been back to Alaska, since her mom took her away when she was two, and she’s barely had a relationship with her father since. When she gets an unexpected call to come to Alaska because her father is sick, everything changes. Her mom warns her not to fall in love with a pilot while she’s there, and well, you can imagine how that goes.
Highly recommend this one if you’ve also been living under a rock and haven’t read it yet!
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