The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker.
Calla Fletcher and her mom left Alaska when she was two years old, unable to handle the remote isolation. Fast forward 24 years, Calla has never returned to Alaska and has a good life in Toronto when she receives a call that her estranged father has cancer. She decides to take a chance and return to her place of birth. For a city girl like Calla the transition to the rural setting is not easy and it’s not made any easier by Jonah, the brooding pilot that works for her dad’s charter company. The story follows Calla as she struggles to adjust to her new environment, tries to get to know the dad that was absent her whole life and realizes that first impressions can be deceiving.
Oh this book… I didn’t want to put it down, but I didn’t want it to end! I thought this would be a light and fluffy read, but there is so much more depth to this story. It deals with loss, family, love and the importance of community. I found Calla’s personal journey to feel so human and realistic. I’m not always a fan of hate-to-love storylines, but Tucker nails it here and has created a great fictional crush for readers in Jonah. I can’t say enough good things about this book, so do yourself a favor and pick it up! Dare I say this is my favorite book of 2019 so far?
The one comfort I feel in finishing this is realizing the author has a large backlist of titles and another book coming out this summer! What authors have caused you to rejoice when you’ve had this same discovery?
Summary from publisher:
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.
Publisher: Atria Books
ISBN: 9781501133435
Get it at… Amazon or Book Depository
This blog uses affiliate links. For more on affiliate links, please visit our Policies page. Thank you!
