This book had me in a giant bag of balled up, emotional messiness. Completely shook. Yes, honestly, I was a crybaby mess by the time I was at the end. And I ended up staying up way later after I finished it, contemplating reading it again. Hoping to experience a smidge of all those feelings once more.

At the start I couldn’t understand why Calla didn’t go off on Jonah every time he made some mean spirited remark, which started from the moment they met. I couldn’t fathom why she would stick around when it seemed like her dad didn’t want to put the effort into actually spending time with her, getting to know her.

But then the jabs that Calla and Jonah slung back and forth soon started being a bit more fun and not so hateful. Flirting even? The moments her father shared with her soon became softer and more comfortable. And I realized I was happy that she didn't run home when she first arrived never knowing this new world. A world she missed out on since she was nearly 2.

Then there was the last 20% of the book where I was in a perpetual state of ugly cries. My heart couldn't take it. My mind raced back to the hurt I experienced when my own father. My feelings mirrored those that Calla felt. It was all so bittersweet.

At first I was wanting more than that ending but quickly realized it was actually pretty perfect the longer I sat there and pondered on it. Tucker gave a darn good story, quite possibly her best story yet. And I got to say, I loved every ounce of it. It was exceptional. It was heart wrenching. It was beautiful. My heart will forever think back on it and the wide array of emotions I experienced while reading it. Definitely a re-read worthy story. 5 Wild and Risky Stars!

I was given an advanced copy from the publisher for an honest review.

I have never read anything by K.A. Tucker before this book and I have to say, this one makes me want to read everything she's written. I absolutely loved, loved this book!

Tucker is an amazing writer. Everything flows well, nothing is choppy, and her dialogue is fantastic. Her characters are very well rounded, well thought out, and very dynamic.

At first, and for probably the first 50% of the book, Calla was annoying. She was an entitled, materialistic, brat, BUT she was also a good person despite all of that. Jonah calling her out on it made my day. She slowly started letting go of that side of herself, but I also like that it never completely went away. I liked her growth throughout the entire book, actually. The friendships and relationships she developed and the way she grew as a person were very organic.

Jonah was awesome. I loved his take-no-prisoners and kind of in your face attitude. He didn't hold back even when he probably should and he had a heart of gold. Everyone should have a Jonah in their lives. I liked that he brought the best out in Calla.

Wren, Agnes, and Mabel were all wonderful secondary characters. Simon may have been my favorite secondary character, though. He really made Calla see things from a different perspective and really helped her work through her issues.

Overall, this book is just fantastic and I highly recommend it. It's pretty emotional towards the end, but not sob into your book emotional. More like quiet tears down your face emotional. Pick it up ASAP, you won't regret it.

I absolutely adored this book. Every single word of this book blew me away. It was such an unique and beautiful read that I never wanted to end.

4.5/5 stars

I went into this book completely blind except for knowing that Alaska played a part in the story. Wow, the last 100 pages blew my mind. This book was so much more emotional than I was expecting. I am happy to say that this book made me feel so much!

The Simple Wild is a contemporary romance. Although I would say that there is so much more to the story than just the romance. The narrator is 26 year old Calla Fletcher. The book takes place in both Toronto and rural Alaska.

I am a big KA Tucker fan. So I absolutely could not wait to read this book. I have a huge TBR pile and only very few books get read as soon as I get them. But this was one of them. I also love that the cover model for this book is another favorite author, Renée Carlino.

There are a bunch of aspects of this book that I think are note worthy: 1. Alaskan setting, 2. the relationship with her dad, 3. Calla herself, 4. the romance, 5. the supporting characters.

The Alaskan setting is the star of this book. I can't recall if I've ever read a book where Alaska was the main setting. But it was such a key and important part of this story. I really enjoyed how Alaska was such an important/amazing part of this book. The setting was like nothing I have ever experienced. And the people were so different and amazing, especially Mabel and Agnes. The setting was so unique. And I really enjoyed the airplane/pilots aspect of the story.

The relationship with her dad was really compelling. I thought that her trying to reconnect with her dad was such a key and amazing part of this story. It definitely added so much to this book.

Calla was an interesting narrator. Truthfully at the start of the book she was not the most likable narrator. She was nice enough. She definitely wasn't horrible. But she seemed a bit bratty and materialistic. Buying all kinds of fancy clothes, wearing fancy shoes, and needing tons of make-up seemed so snobby. But she definitely grew on me.

Okay so I am going to put this out there: I did not really like Jonah at the start. It's not that Jonah was a bad guy. But the idea of Calla falling for him did not really make sense to me. For the first half of the book I was not really ecstatic with the romance aspect of the story. I was not really invested in the romance. I was hoping that the author could change my opinion. And she really did.

There were some really amazing supporting characters in this book. I really liked Calla's mom. But I was completely in love with her stepfather Simon. I loved that he was British and that he was a shrink. Him giving Calla advice was such a great part of this book.

The second half of the book was so good. The end was strong. And honestly for the last 100 pages I could not put the book down.

I tend to love books that are emotional or that make me feel. And honestly I was not expecting this book to be as emotional as it was. And I was not expecting to feel as much as I did. There was one thing that happened at 95% that made me feel so much. I could hardly stand it.

I was so curious how this book would end. What would happen with her dad? What would happen with the romance? I was trying to figure out in my head what would be a satisfying ending. And I had trouble wrapping my head around anything that would make sense. But I think that the author did a good job.

First half of the book was 4 stars. Second half of the book was 5 stars. However, to me the end is everything. And overall, the last 100 pages were so good, and made me feel so much. I really loved this story!