K.A. Tucker is one of those authors who write books that I jump to read without needing to know what they’re about, so of course, The Simple Wild was a must-read for me.

I was totally smitten with Calla and Jonah. My favorite trope is the loath-to-love and these two do it very well. 😉 I love their banter and pranks they pull on each other, and their chemistry was on fire! Something that bugs me is when a couple will have really good banter and tease each other, but then it drops once they get together. That isn’t the case with Calla and Jonah. They continue to tease and laugh at each other through it all.

I felt immensely for Calla and the situation with her father. Watching them mend their relationship was both really moving and heartbreaking because of the circumstances. It was an emotional read that I deeply connected with. There were definitely tears, but there were even more laughs involved.

Overall, The Simple Wild was a wonderful read that left me feeling genuinely light and happy.

K.A. Tucker has stepped out of the comfort zone and brought an emotional book which will bring us evaluating our father relationship. The Simple Wild is a standalone book that examines Calla relationship with her father and what makes her whole. It will make Calla question everything but it is will bring her closer self than ever.

Calla is a beautiful and bright woman that she often finds her bored of things when it is not true meaning or challenge. But a true challenge comes unexpectedly when she receives a phone call about her father. She does not have a relationship with her father but things always change when unexpected news appear. She drops everything and travels to the wild. And it is the wild in Ashkla.

She will find herself out of her depth but she is quick to learn. She is expected to experience a few bumps but that's expected when you travel to a new place. Its always take time to adapt to a new environment which she does. And she gets to know more about her father than ever. And discover few secrets in between.

While she is reuniting with her father, she also gets to meet a grumpy man, Jonah. Jonah is a grumpy man but he means well in his own way. They are quick to banter with each other that it makes the read enjoyable. They are totally fiesty of each other that makes you wonder when they relationship will build even more. it takes time but they built something strong yet unexpected true. They will support each other even when the dark time comes which it will.

The Simple Wild will make you question about your father relationship and examine what can or cannot be fixed. But it also gives hope in building a relationship with your father again if possible. Five Stars!

I read an excerpt of this book before it's release and the actual book went in a direction I never expected. I loved it!!

Calla is living life in Toronto with her mom and stepdad when she is let go from her employment. She has a couple months to figure out what she wants to do and in the meantime remains busy with her fashion blog she runs with her best friend. Her home life was awesome. Her mom was cool and her stepdad (a psychiatrist) was also an awesome person. She had a strong support system at home.

When she gets the call that her Dad is ill, she has to make a decision whether to go see the father who abandoned her 24 years ago. Oh, and her Dad lives in Alaska......a bush pilot.....and one of the reasons things didn't work out with her parents. Her mom just couldn't take that type of living and the fear of something happening to him while flying everyday.

Needless to say, she goes to Alaska. And what an adventure it is! She is not snobby, but she's a girl....she likes her clothes, her makeup, and beauty products. But in Alaska, that's just not something they worry about.

Her first meeting with Jonah, another bush pilot, is comical. His snarky remarks and obvious distaste for her priorities were priceless.

I loved this story! Seriously! Guys, if you like a slow burn, enemies to lovers, story, this is definitely for you! And I definitely loved all the secondary characters and getting a close-up look on life in Alaska!

My main complaint.....a happy for now ending with no epilogue!!!! Ugh!!! You're killing me K.A. Tucker!!! I want to know the rest of their story now!!!

This was such a sweet book. It was heart breaking but I think the softness carried you through how sad the entire story was. I absolutely loved the writing, and how you felt like you were right there with the characters. The description of the wild and what they were seeing around them was so real and vivid. I loved the characters. I want to be friends with them and i hope i get invited to the wedding! Great book and i will definitely be suggesting this one for weeks to come.

The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

What it’s about:

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.

My 411: I can’t stress enough how magical this book is. K.A. Tucker always writes a great story, but this is definitely my favorite! A city girl following a lifelong dream who finally meets her father in the wilds of Alaska. It’s also an opposites-attract romance, with rugged Jonah instantly hazing Calla to see what she’s made of. Their banter and antics made me giggle and swoon. There’s a beard scene that was amazing!!! There’s also such raw emotion in this book as she explores the challenge of meeting her father as an adult and on limited time. It’s a beautiful story of discovery and love. (See an excerpt from The Simple Wild on HEA.)

A city girl reluctantly travels to the Alaskan wild seeking peace with her absentee father, only to fall in love with a rugged pilot who challenges everything she ever thought she wanted.

Twenty-six-year-old Calla Fletcher has lived in bustling Toronto since she was two, when she and her mother left rural Alaska—and her father—behind. She’s built a life of comfort full of fancy morning lattes while working at a bank and trying to make it big as a lifestyle blogger with her best friend.

Her life is suddenly upended, however, when she’s let go from her job and learns her father’s days are numbered. Fueled by a storm of emotion and a list of unanswered questions, she flies back to the remote town in which she was born, to face a father she doesn’t really know.

The trip to Bangor, Alaska is anything but smooth, thanks to the teeny tiny plane and its arrogant, bearded pilot, Jonah. Calla hopes never to see him again, but their paths cross again and again as Jonah is her dad’s go-to pilot in his charter plane business, Alaska Wild.

Everything starts off horribly wrong—her bags are gone, there are mosquitos everywhere, everything costs a ludicrous amount of money, and things between her and her father are awkward at best. But gradually she begins to see a side of her dad, a side of Alaska, and even a side of Jonah, that she never expected.

Before her week is up, Calla finds herself falling for the boy, heartbroken by her father’s prognosis, and wanting to stay for them both. The truth is stark and stolid however, as the past repeats itself—she could never live in Alaska, and those she’s come to love deeply could never live beyond its rugged terrain.

THE SIMPLE WILD is one of my favorite of Tucker’s repertoire. Poignant and witty with an enemies-to-lovers thread that felt all the more fascinating and consuming with the wild Alaskan backdrop. It’s a compelling story of family, forgiveness and love that unravels with both emotional depth and delicious, romantic tension. I wanted to read it all over again the moment it was over.

Words can’t express how much I loved this book. This is KA Tucker at her best. I loved everything about this book.

Calla was born in Alaska but moved to Canada with her mom at a young age. She has been perfectly content with her life until things start to fall apart. After a phone call about her dad she decides to go back to Alaska. She hasn’t spoken to him in years but she knows she needs to go.

When Calla arrives in Alaska she meets Jonah a pilot who is going to take her to her dad. To say they got along is an understatement. Jonah thought she was spoiled and should have came to visit her father sooner. I loved Jonah and the banter between these two characters.

This was a story about forgiveness and second chances. Everything about this book was perfect and just so much! The Simple Wild has made it to my top favorites list for 2018. This is a must read you don’t want to miss!

Over the past year or so I've been diving into Kathleen Tucker's books here and there, loving everything I've picked up, but I don't think it was until I picked up her latest, The Simple Wild, that I found myself falling completely in love with her writing, thus adding her to my auto-buy author list. Basically, I am here for whatever she writes next because I just love her books that much!

I might be slightly biased with this book, though, because I have this overwhelming love for all things Alaska. It's a place I visited nearly 10 years ago and it hasn't left my memory. I think it's just the vastness of the place, it being the last frontier. I love stories about homesteaders moving to Alaska to make a living, about families in Alaska, and now this - a story about a girl who left her father in Alaska when she was just 2 years old, only to go back, 24 years later, to get to know the man she never got to know when she was growing up.

It would be easy to say that I loved Calla's character, and I think I did in a way, but lots of times throughout the story I wanted to throttle her. I found her to be one of those characters that was hard to love, only because she had certain qualities about her that drove me nuts. BUT as the story goes on I loved seeing how Calla grew up out of her superficial ways, realizing what the important things in life actually were. I feel like Tucker wrote her journey so well that you almost forget what her character was like, living in Toronto with her mom and step-dad, going out to clubs, most of her focus going towards her looks and showing perfection to all of her social media followers. If there was ever somewhere that would open her eyes, it would be Alaska.

I loved how Tucker showcased the state as well. I had read other books that take place in Alaska but are more historical fiction than contemporary, and so it's easy to think that Alaska operates like every other state, but when you hear of the fictional town of Bangor, you realize that life isn't all about convenience - and that's not only when it comes to things like clothing or food, but even just medical necessities. The story made me realize that Alaskans are made of tough stuff and while I might live in the country myself, it's nowhere near being the country that Alaskans live in.

As this book is categorized as a New Adult read, I found that it was the kind of New Adult fiction that I love: one with grown up characters who don't approach life looking for the bad boy or new sexual situations, as well as major character development and familial relationships. I mean, I LOVED the romance in this book and swooned majorly over Jonah and the slow romance that takes place, but the relationship between Calla and her father is what brought me to tears. I got so emotional over this book during the last 20% or so and that's really what cemented me in loving Tucker's writing. She writes phenomenal relationships where you end up knowing a character so well it's like they're your friend or family in real life, and her stories take you on a journey of self-discovery and awareness.

Honestly, I'm happy that I was reading numerous books at the same time as I was reading this one because had I not been, I would have suffered a HUGE book hangover after reading this. I loved all of the characters, the story, Alaska, and everything in between so much that I didn't want the book to end. When I reached the last page, all I wanted was for there to be a sequel or something (and I HATE sequels) because I wasn't ready to let these characters go!

If you haven't picked up anything by Kathleen Tucker, PLEASE GO AND PICK UP ONE OF HER BOOKS NOW! I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend The Simple Wild if you're looking for beautiful family relationships, characters who are flawed and who grow as the story goes on, and a slow burn romance that will bring out all of your swoons and keep you up late at night reading.

This was my first book by K.A. Tucker and most definitely will not be my last! City girl Calla travels to Alaska to connect with her father, who she has not seen in 24 years. What she doesn’t expect is to find herself caring deeply for both him, and the community he has surrounding himself with — particularly “the angry yeti”/Jonah, the burly Alaskan bush pilot that she can’t seem to get away from, or stop bickering with... If you like stories that leave you swooning, in giggle fits, AND teary eyed, read K.A. Tucker’s The Simple Wild!

*Arc provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

OMG, this book was

so

damn

good!!

I've been seeing a TON of hype going around for The Simple Wild for a few weeks now and I just knew I had to get my hands on it and see for myself what all the fuss was about

In The Simple Wild we follow our main character Calla Fletcher, who hasn't seen her father since she was two years old when her mother left him behind in Alaska. Her mother couldn't handle the huge isolation that came with living in the rural Alaskan lifestyle, or the danger that comes with his job of being a bush pilot. Since then their Calla and her father have had a pretty rocky relationship. After getting a call that her dad is sick and dying, she decides to take the offer to go stay with him for a week and try to salvage some of their relationship so that she won't have any regrets about it later on.

Jonah works for Calla's dad and after meeting her for the first time he decides that he doesn't like the spoiled and pampered girl from the city, and he's not afraid to let her know that. He's a burly, bearded man that loves living out in Alaska and loves doing his job and flying planes. He's determined to not let Calla get under his skin because he thinks he knows her type, but the more time the two spend around one another, the more feelings start to simmer between them.

Part romance, and self discovery, The Simple Wild blew me away from the very beginning!! From the first page I was hooked on the story and could not stop to do anything else until I finished. The writing was so beautiful, the story-line was emotional and utterly captivating, and the characters were filled with depth. This was easily a 5 star read for me, a favorite of the year, AND now one of my all time favorite books. I can' even begin to describe how much I loved reading this story y'all!!

I feel like I instantly connected with Calla from the very first page, although she came across as vain and shallow, I still enjoyed reading from her perspective. I think she was more of a woman that knew what she liked out of life and enjoyed the finer things, and hey, there's nothing wrong with that at all. As someone who loves makeup and fashion I loved that she wasn't ashamed about what she liked. The growth and development she went through throughout the story was done so well and I loved reading and seeing it happen. I think she was a very vulnerable character who was easy to connect to as she tried to navigate being in a new environment, while also trying to reconnect with someone all over again. There were a lot of aspects I felt like I could connect to and I love when that happens in a story because it makes the reading experience so much more meaningful and special.

I also loved Jonah from the very beginning because he was such a grumpy alpha male and I love when guys are written that way, especially when it's done well, and I definitely feel that in this case Tucker wrote him very well. He was gruff, but never to the point of being a controlling asshole, which is so appreciated because there's nothing worse than when the whole alpha male thing is so forced that it comes off as fake in a way. I loved the interactions and banter between Calla and Jonah from the very first time they met, and I was continuously looking forward to every scene when they were together. The relationship just flowed so naturally from enemies, to friends, and with the sweetest slow burn into love.

I also have to rave about the writing!! It was so damn beautiful and I found myself just so entranced with it from beginning to end. The Alaska setting was so atmospheric and I felt like I could vividly picture everything that was described. I love winter and cold places so reading about it made me want to snuggle down with a huge mug of hot chocolate and a cozy blanket (and maybe Jonah as well but he's taken now, but I'll live😂😔). The emotions presented tugged at my heart and would not let go. Hooked doesn't even begin to describe it honestly. I found myself flying through reading and not wanting to stop, and then reaching 95% and stopping because I didn't want the story to end. And then promptly waking up the next morning to finish up the last 5% feeling equally satisfied in finishing such an amazing read, but also wanting more because I needed more. More of the lush writing, the amazingly developed characters, the beautiful plot. I contemplated starting a re-read right then and there, but I told myself to just sit and let it all settle (but I definitely will still re-read super soon)

The Simple Wild was a read that couldn't get enough of. From page one I was deeply invested in all aspects of the book and quickly devoured all of the greatness. I was expecting a nice romance and I got that plus more. I can honestly say that this has not only become one of my favorite books of the year, but also one of my favorite books of all time. I highly recommend The Simple Wild to anyone looking for a deep love story to curl up with in the coming cool months. The fun banter ensures you get a great balance of emotions, and the beautiful writing will keep you hooked from the beginning.

There’s no doubt that K.A. Tucker has always been an amazing writer. But I feel like, truly, after each new book I read it just gets better and better. There’s something special about the way she crafts a story, how she unveils it, her characters and the way they can connect with you. Even if they are completely different than anything you know.

I was very excited about picking this book up because it’s mostly set in Alaska and I have an unhealthy fascination with life up there. I watch plenty of home shows about it and try to figure out how people live in those conditions. So having a book with that setting was already a big sell for me. And then I started reading it and I fell in love. I fell in love with the story, with the heartbreak of a broken home and the pieces that are left of it that the heroine has to try to put together.

Calla Fletcher lives the life of any young woman in a big city, thanks to her mother moving away from her hometown of small rural Alaska when she was just a small child. Her father was never really in her life and she doesn’t know much about him or the why. And then she gets a phone call that he’s very sick and would be a good time for her to at least know him before he passes away. What follows is not just a story about a romance with a grumpy hero, although there is that. It’s also a story about our main heroine and how she deals with all those years of hurt, how she can get to know her father. Maybe even forgive him. Understand him. And Ms. Tucker was able to take us on that journey while subtly making us fall in love with the hero.

Because, lets face it. Jonah is guaranteed to be your next book boyfriend. He’s a surly, grumpy, recluse, bearded Alaskan pilot. He has a bad attitude from the very beginning and their relationship is quite close to an enemies to lovers. There wasn’t a thing about him that I didn’t love. Same for their relationship. They are such polar opposites and they definitely attract. I couldn’t get enough of them.

In the end, this is a beautiful story of a journey that goes a little deeper than a simple romance. And it was addictive to read. I literally couldn’t put this one down. If you are looking for a unique read, look no further.

This was a hard one for me to get into, as the main character seems so purposely unlikeable. I understand that Calla is a city girl who falls for a Alaskan bush pilot, and the two need to be complete opposites for the tension of the narrative to unfold. But, being overly vapid and entitled doesn't seem necessary. Also, within the first pages there is an editorial error which kind of put me off, because I'm a stickler for such things (deep SEEDED instead of the correct term, deep SEATED) and I chalked it up to being an ARC that is hopefully rectified in the published copy. I'm glad I decided to stick with it, because I had heard so very many good things. Her father and the community of people she encounters in Alaska are vividly drawn characters that I felt drawn towards, and was moved by their plights. The romance was also fun, and I thought it ended in a well thought out and satisfying way.

The Simple Wild is my favorite book of the year. It's been a while since I've read KA Tucker and I was just overwhelmed with how much I loved this story. It does start a little slow but please, please keep reading!

Part women's fic, part contemporary romance, this book had all the feels. Calla and Jonah are pure perfection together and their hate to love turn friendship to love just, ahhhh. It hit me right in the heart. These are two people who are very much opposites but have a lot to teach other other. Their growth and the bit of star crossed lovers feel gave this a little different vibe than a lot of the romances I've been reading.

Tucker's writing is beautiful, the setting developed so realistically you feel like you're in Alaska. Yet the scenery doesn't take away from what's happening in the story which I've seen with some other authors. She got the balance just right. The cast of side characters are appealing and add so much depth to the story. I'd say the book is equal parts Calla developing a relationship with her dad AND her developing a relationship with Jonah.

She's a bit of a spoiled city girl and moving to the Alaskan bush rocks her world. I never ever hated her or thought she was a brat. She's acting like a normal city person would when they find themselves without a lot of the luxuries we take for granted. And Jonah is all too happy to let her know she needs to leave her big city ways behind if she wants to fit in. I'm pretty sure my heart twitterpated the moment they met and in all their scenes together after. He's got the broody, quiet guy thing going on but there is so much depth to his character. Such a great heart and he is fierce loyal to the ones he loves.

The author nailed the ending perfectly. I wouldn't have wanted any more or any less than I got although I would LOOOVE to see a short story or maybe a novella set a couple years in the future to check in on them and some of the other characters. Let's keep our fingers crossed this might happen.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. All the stars!

Loved the location! Loved all of the characters! I kept seeing Sam Elliot as Calla's father. I want to see this as a movie! I want more... another book or series. Now I need to rewatch Northern Exposure.

I love K A Tucker's books and this one is another great story. Even though it was a little harder for me to get into at first, it turned out to be a heartwarming tale about love, forgiveness and reconciliation. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys chicklit or romance.

This. This. And a million times THIS. THE SIMPLE WILD is exactly what I expected every single time I saw people raving about K.A. Tucker’s books. I finally get all the hype and now I can say it is well-deserved. I had only read one book by her before picking up this one—in my defense, it was a romantic suspense—so I knew she was good but if I’m being brutally honest, I didn’t consider her extraordinary. Now I want to eat all of those thoughts/words because she really is on another level of amazing. If only y’all could see my reactions while I was reading this gorgeous story, I bet all of you would want to pick it up right away and I also wouldn’t have to sit here for hours trying to gather my messy thoughts but that’s not possible now that my tears are all dried up so let’s move on.

It is usually hard for me to find an enemies-to-lovers romance that grips me from the first page to the last page because I loathe when the “hate” part is clearly not hate at all and the characters are just being proud and petty and feeling attraction based on their looks alone. I like when two characters start off truly not getting along but as they slowly get to know each other their feelings start to change and they start to discover their chemistry and attraction towards the other person. The latter is exactly what K.A. Tucker gave me in this book. She gave me Calla and Jonah, two completely different characters who started off bickering and teasing each other than slowly started falling for each other. Even when they weren’t getting along the pull and tension between them was palpable, which made the story even more exciting. Being able to see how their relationship slowly progressed was incredible. I loved their love!!

Aside from containing the most adorable and slow-paced enemies-to-lovers romance story in the history of romance stories, THE SIMPLE WILD is also a complex story about family bonds, home, Alaska and letting go. The story focuses a lot on Calla’s relationship with her father, who hasn’t been in her life for… pretty much all of it. Aside from a couple of calls, they never really stayed in touch so there’s a lot of emotions and things they figure out throughout the story. It is very heartfelt and full of emotion.

I can tell y’all right now this book is going to be on my list of favorite books of 2018. Mark my words. It couldn’t put it down. It made me grin, frown, swoon and cry, cry, cry. It had my heart dropping, then beating like crazy and my stomach all up in knots. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s wonderful.

Dawn's 5 Brilliant Blushes
I LOVED EVERYTHING about The Simple Wild by KA Tucker. It's a book about self discovery, healing, forgiveness and love. Having rural Alaska as it's backdrop only enhanced the book further. Despite it's serious content, a father with cancer, I found the book rather refreshing. There was no forced or unrealistic drama. Just brilliant storytelling. To keep it lighter, KA Tucker wove in humor, wit and tenderness perfectly. Her vivid details about Alaska actually brought me there. She did her homework!

Calla Fletcher is a city girl, who finds herself in a remote part of Alaska to spend time with her estranged father, Wren. Talk about a fish out of water. Although this is a romance, I loved how most of the book focused on Calla and her new relationship with her father. Oh my heart... So many tender and sad moments. I loved how her budding relationship with Jonah, an overbearing bush pilot, was in the background slowly coming to the forefront. Once Calla left her comfortable surroundings in Toronto, she began to see who she truly was and what brought her real happiness. Her insecure internal dialogue was spot on. As women we question everything!! So I found her very relatable. With a little, not so welcomed help and a big push from Jonah, Calla opened her eyes and heart to Alaska and it's people. ...and maybe even her father.

As for Jonah, my first impression of him was not good. He was such an ass to Calla. Rude and brash, but as the story progressed, I found out the cause of his animosity... Underneath his scruffy appearance and bark was a beautiful man who cared with all his heart and went above and beyond for everyone. Even strangers.
His and Calla's relationship was comical from the beginning and anything but love.... What could a mountain man and a real life Barbie have in common and how on earth could it ever work?? hummmm.

The Simple Wild had me fully invested. As I flipped page after page, I didn't want it to end. I fell for all the characters within its pages. They all brought so much to this story. Especially Simon, Calla's stepfather. He was wonderful, compassionate and caring.

The Simple Wild is my first KA Tucker book, and I am beyond impressed. Now I plan on reading her others.

Sandy's 5 Blush Review
Calla Fletcher does not remember the small isolated town of Bangor Alaska where she was born. Probably because her mother, Susan, left it and her father, Wren, behind 24 years prior and never looked back. Wren’s love for Alaska is only dwarfed by Susan’s disdain for it. Hoping against hope that he would come after them. Wren never did.

Everyone has now moved on. Calla is an adult living a comfortable life, rent free courtesy of her parents, a boyfriend, a job and a blog she runs with her bestie. Until that absolutely craptastic day that starts with her getting fired and ends with a phone call from a friend of her father’s in Alaska. He has cancer. Get on a plane and meet him before it’s too late or not. Needless to say she gets on a plane (or four) with no idea what to expect.

Jonah, her Dad’s right hand man, picks her up at the airport. His attitude makes it abundantly clear that she's not high on his list of favorite people. The culture shock is almost exactly what her mother told her to expect. Her Dad is not exactly warm and excited to see her.

We're so quick to judge. Finger pointing and assigning blame is easy. You could have called! You could have visited! Getting to the heart of things is much harder. As is living with regrets. Love is interpreted in different ways by every person.

Cancer is unforgiving. It tears a hole in the patient and their family too. Treatment does not guarantee survival. Irregardless our time here is finite.

Maybe she's not so selfish and spoiled. Maybe this giant of a man has a heart to match. Will Calla and Jonah move past their preconceived notions and explore what's blossoming between them? Or will the ghosts between them speak louder?

The Simple Wild is a beautifully written story that took me on a journey of the heart. K.A. Tucker writing is so evocative! In my mind, I saw the mountains, I breathed the air, I felt the love of the town folk like a warm hug, I felt the heartache, I laughed and I cried. This story is not about hot sex and handcuffs. It's about family - not just the kind related to us by blood - the one we choose. It’s about the inevitability that life continues. It's about learning lessons from the past. Its about saying hello and goodbye. It’s about accepting each other where we are, right now, in this moment!

The beauty and poignancy of this story will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

Christina's 4 Beautiful Alaskan Blushes!
I’ve loved every KA Tucker novel I’ve read and The Simple Wild was no exception. Set in a rural Alaskan town, Calla’s story is one of  self discovery and reflection, realization, making amends and finding love. Her story is not without heartbreak and loss. I teared up numerous times while reading especially towards the end. But I also really enjoyed reading the light hearted banter between Calla and Jonah (think Charlie Hunnam circa season 2 of Sons of Anarchy but instead of motorcycle he’s flying a plane- YUM), and the picturesque landscape that Tucker illustrates beautifully.



Their romance is one of enemies to lovers with a subtle, slow burning attraction that explodes once ignited. I loved Calla and Jonah together. Calla is a bonafide self-proclaimed city girl and Jonah the burley and brooding pilot tasked with bringing her to Alaska on his single engine plane. And so it begins....an unlikely bond is forged between the Barbie and her yeti. I’ve spent the last few days totally sucked into their world and loved every minute of it.

Stephanie's 4  Blush Review
"This man who I don’t even know still wounds me so deeply."

What a beautiful story. So emotional. The Simple Wild takes you on a journey. A journey of hope, healing, love, sadness and humor. The Alaska setting is a beautiful background. The pace is steady. My heart grew fuller with each chapter.

Calla is a city girl. Some would say high maintenance. Hair, nails, clothing. All are done to perfection. She enjoys fashion, social media and being with her friends. Her busy city life comes to an abrupt halt after receiving a phone call from her dad’s friend asking her to come for a visit. Her dad has lung cancer and the prognosis is not good. Calla Fletcher hasn’t seen her dad since she was 2 years old. Her mom was unable to handle the conditions of rural Alaska so she packed her up and headed home to Toronto.

“Just… prepare yourself. Life out there is different. Harder. And yet simpler, if that makes any sense.”

Jonah is an Alaskan bush pilot who works for Wren, Calla’s dad. He arrives to fly Calla to Bangor, the small Alaskan town where her father lives and owns the Alaska Wild charter company. Jonah is direct. And he tells Calla exactly what he thinks of her….

“You’re dramatic, entitled, and judgmental. You like attention and you’re used to getting it.”

So many things are set in motion. As Calla tries to get to know her dad she discovers that not everything is as it seem. Regrets are heavy for both of them. Add in the Jonah factor and things just got real interesting. There is a push and pull between them along with some animosity or is it chemistry?

Calla experiences so many things. Culture shock comes to mind. At first she seems selfish and snobby. But as she begins to understand the Alaskan way of life she becomes more attuned and adaptive. The story has so many beautiful people who are part of the community. Friends and neighbors who pull together to survive the rugged environment which is rural Alaska.

The story is beautifully written. I enjoyed the humor that was laced in between the serious situations that were occurring. There are so many layers to this story. I just could not imagine how it would all come together. KA Tucker does an amazing job of completing Calla’s journey and bringing it all together in a beautiful way. There are lots of surprises at the end as well…. Take your time and enjoy!

“Life will keep moving and changing, whether we want it to or not, Calla.”

Jade's 4 out of 5 "Alaska Wild" Blushes
KA Tucker, yet again, impresses me with her unique stories in The Simple Wild.  My favorite thing about KA's writing is her settings.  The Simple Wild takes place in Bangor, Alaska, and although Bangor itself doesn't actually exist, her depiction of what Alaska is, will engulf you.  You LIVE The Simple Wild!


Calla, the city girl from Toronto, gets a phone call that her father, whom she has never had a relationship with, is dying of cancer.  Wren lives in a place so completely foreign to her and her animosity for him almost overcomes her will to get on the plane to visit him.  Once she lands, she quickly realizes that the simple wild of Alaska isn't simple at all... and her entire life changes within two weeks time.

KA Tucker outs so much effort and energy not only into her settings for her stories, but her characters as well.  They each are so special and their stories are beautifully woven together.  The Simple Wild will school you in facing your fears, grieving, transforming that into hope and acceptance.  Fantastic read once again!

I cant believe a book that I was two seconds away from "DNF" turned into an epic 5 star read for me. There's a first time for everything, apparently 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sometimes it pays to take a break from a book and then go back in and start from the beginning. I started The Simple Wild by @katucker_ weeks ago and couldnt get passed 40% and even reaching that point was a struggle. And then today as I was about to call it, something made me want to try again. Maybe my struggles had everything to do with how this book hit close to home for me(daddy issues) but in the end Im so happy that I pushed through and was able to read it start to finish in one sitting. As hard as it was to read, it was exactly what I needed. Sometimes reading a book that makes you face reality instead of escaping it can be exactly what the soul needs.

This book had me in tears enough times to warn you all to have those tissues ready. Trust me you'll need it. And it wouldnt hurt to stock up on some chocolate while you're at it 😉 you're welcome 😏

K A Tucker does not help my yearning to go to Alaska problem with this book. Not one bit. Even though Calla's mother fled the state when Calla was a toddler, and even though Calla herself is utterly bemused (look that up, by the way, because it doesn't mean what some authors seem to think it means) by Bangor, Alaska's lack of decent coffee, I look at characters like Calla's father Wren, his neighbor Agnes, and his other neighbor Jonah, and they find peace and beauty in the state's not-at-all simple wild.

K A Tucker shows the distance, both physical and emotional, between Calla and Wren that must be breached in order for them to reconnect. They are strangers, borne of time and circumstance, and their time is running out. Tucker uses Calla's unfamiliarity with the Alaskan terrain as a sort of metaphor for her relationship with her father. She discovers that preconceived notions and knee-jerk reactions might be false, and she also discovers that there is nothing simple about her father or his life.

I loved this book. K A Tucker brought me into Calla's world from the first chapter, as she shows Calla's life is perhaps more simplistic than her father's. Tucker introduces a romance that develops her characters, allowing them to grow and change, and she makes you care so deeply about these characters. I cried several times, one of them so hard that I got a headache. When the book was over, I missed the people K A Tucker created. And I really, really want to go to Alaska.

I love K.A. Tucker, and The Simple Wild was one of my most anticipated reads coming out this year.

This started off really slow for me. I almost DNF (did not finish), but since this was written by one of favorite authors I kept going. I was surprised with how little romance there was in the beginning. I am all for slow burn romance, but the romance was not really there at all at first. This did start to pick up in the second half.

I also did like that this deals with Calla and her relationship with her sick father. However; I did not like Calla at all. I agree with others that she was very whiny. She is twenty-six years old with no job, acts entitled, and complains about everything. I never really connected with her.

Overall, I was disappointed in this. It makes me very sad to say that since I absolutely love the author.