There is nothing better than a book you don't want to end.  K.A. Tucker never fails to disappoint and The Simple Wild is as captivating as it is breathtaking.  Calla's life is unraveling and at 26 she's at a crossroads.  Her stability is her mom and step father whom she lives with.  Her estranged father lives in Alaska and she hasn't seen him in 24 years, hasn't spoken to him since she was 12.  A Simple Wild is about a girl reconnecting with a place she's never known, reconciling with her father, while trying not to fall for a man she can never have.

This story beautifully navigates the wounds left by divorce.  The misunderstandings and confusion, the anger and disappointment when expectations aren't met.  The realization that sometimes love isn't enough.  That people are imperfect, personalities flawed, that parents make the wrong decisions even with the best intentions.  The Simple Wild challenges you the reader to understand and then forgive, to find that redemption before it's too late.

Calla wasn't looking for love.  What she found in Alaska was the polar opposite of what she knew.  Crazy mixed up daylight hours, no cellphone signal, none of the conveniences she was used to back home.  Jonah was exactly what her mother warned her about.  He's a bush pilot that lives for the risk and the challenge, a Sky Cowboy who pushes Calla to see the world in a different way.  To come down from her ivory tower and explore a different way of life. The push and pull of their relationship was refreshing in what may otherwise have been a deeply emotional story.  The banter between Calla and Jonah was hilarious and I found myself giggling at their antics.

The romantic in me loved the way this story played out.  City girl meets small town guy, on the surface they have nothing in common, when in reality they're more alike than they realize.  The harsh reality of living in remote areas and the way people come together to make up a communal family.  Sometimes blood doesn't always have to mean family.  I thought about that a lot while I was reading this book.  How this tight knit community relied on each other for not just survival but friendship, and love. I truly didn't want this story to end.  The reason for Calla's reconciliation with her dad was hard to read.  I too was in the same situation, yet different.  I too had to reconcile with my dad under the same circumstances.  Needless to say I shed many many tears while reading this story.  There is a strong message of forgiveness in The Simple Wild.  Don't waste opportunities to reconnect with the ones you love. Be open to new adventures.  Fall in love and fight for it.

A Simple Wild is one of the best books I've read in 2018.

* I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book *

<B>4.5 Stars!</b>

<B>The Simple Wild</b> is one of those slow-burn type books that really invest the reader emotionally in all the characters. A young woman who travels back to her home state of Alaska to spend some time with her estranged father after he learns of his lung cancer diagnosis. It’s a story about not only family, but community. About roots and not needing trivial things to make oneself happy in this life. It’s about forgiveness. Yes, most importantly forgiveness. Second chances at relationships with loved ones and an unexpected connection with a burly bush-plane pilot our heroine would never have thought she would find herself attracted to.

I found this book really well written and nicely paced. Sometimes I felt it dragged a bit but that was entirely needed to get fully invested in the relationships amongst all the characters. It had a very realistic sense to it yet it was mostly taken place in rural Alaska, an area I have no familiarity with. The core story, however, I feel happens often to families and that need to go back to an estranged parent when they find their days are numbered. A chance for forgiveness. Healing.

I loved everything about this book and I highly recommend it to all readers who crave a solid, well-rounded love story filled with not only romance but family.
And yes, I did cry, but luckily KA Tucker balanced the happy with the sad!

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OMG.. I’m all over the place with this one.. just wow...
This story tugs those heart strings.. not lightly.. it jerks on them hard!!
Such progression and flow in this amazing tale. The characters and their complexities completely captivate you. Each and every one of them. I fell in love with each one and by the time I finished I felt like a piece of me was being left with this story.
There was witty humor, gut wrenching moments, love and passion, romance.. a young woman who needed to grow in ways she didn’t think she needed to..
I don’t think I could ever put in to words just how brilliantly breathtaking this story is and what depth of emotions it brought from me...
it’s a definite must read!!

I think KA Tucker has proven once again she can write anything. This is like women’s fic meets contemporary romance. It has a little bit of everything. A little drama, a little action, a bit of romance (hello #yummyyeti), humor, and family. There’s SO much heart in this book I think it will stay with you for a very long time. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read in a really long time.

The Simple Wild is KA Tucker at her best. I've read a lot of this authors work, most of her books, actually. And this book one is tied as my favorite of hers (Ten Tiny Breaths is hard to top). It had romance, adventure, and was a story about finding yourself. A perfect combination. I loved everything about it!

Calla Fletcher was born in the Alaskan wild, but was moved to Canada with her mother when she was only 2. She hasn't been back since. She's 26 now, living in Toronto and life is good. Until things start to fall apart. On top of that, she finds out that her father is unwell. Even though she hasn't seen or spoken to him in a while, she knows the right thing to do is to see him, so to Alaska she goes.

Calla can't begin to imagine what life is like in rural Alaska. She's heard stories from her mother, but it's nothing like living it. Calla's father, Wren, owns a line of airplanes that transports goods, people, etc around Alaska and has quite a few pilots that work for him. The one that picks Calla up is Jonah. Jonah and Calla seem like the most unlikely pair. And in a lot of ways, they are.

I love the way these two bicker and banter. Enemies to lovers story-lines really work for me. Jonah and Calla's relationship made me laugh, smile, and swoon. They are the epitome of opposites attract, because under all that bickering, there is some serious chemistry between them.But how could things work out when they're from opposite ends?

Jonah is a fantastic hero. He's rugged, alpha (but not in a jerky or over the top way) and an all around good guy. And I really loved Calla's character as well. The romance in this story was fantastic. I loved watching in build and watching things change and grow between the two of them, but this book isn't just a romance. It's SO MUCH MORE than a romance. This is a story about family ties. It's a story about growth, about learning who you are, and about discovering what life is really all about.

I am in love with this book. The writing is stunning, the story is character driven in the best way, and the plot was original and kept me captivated from the start. I loved so many of the characters, aside from Calla and Jonah. Simon and Wren were both especially fantastic. The Simple Wild goes beyond the surface. It's a profound story and one I will carry with me. It will definitely make my top favorites list of 2018 and it's a book I highly recommend!

The Simple Wild snuck up on me and forced me to fall in love with it. I honestly was not prepared for the emotions that it stirred in me.

Calla hasn’t known her father for most of her life but when she gets a call telling her that he has lung cancer and it’s time to come home, she makes the long trip to rediscover who her father is. All she has known about Alaska is her mother’s description and it doesn’t seem like her cup of tea.

From the moment she lands in Alaska, it’s one thing after another. The most irritating? The surprisingly rugged Jonah who grates on her nerves from the start. Not only is she in the tinniest plane known, he’s made sure to keep the digs coming.

When the dust settles and Calla becomes familiar with her new surroundings, she actually enjoys the set up around her father’s home town. Everyone knows everyone and they are like family but the biggest surprise is just how giving her father and his company are.

As she takes the time to get to know her father, she finds herself getting closer and closer to Jonah. It will never work. Her life is in Toronto and he won’t leave Alaska but they find themselves falling for each other anyway. Problem is, they are falling into the same pattern that her parents did and she’s not OK with that.

So my absolute favorite thing about this book is the the banter between Calla and Jonah. It’s witty and sarcastic and I just couldn’t get enough of it. Tucker built the tension between them so well that I was hanging on to every word.

I also enjoyed the sense of family that everyone is and or becomes. Every single person had this undying love for one another, including Calla’s mother and stepfather.

I honestly can’t express to you how much I loved The Simple Wild. It’s heartbreaking, uplifting and emotional. At first I felt like it was a really good book that I was enjoying and couldn’t put down and then it morphed into a book that made me feel. Made me cry. Made me remember. You don’t want to miss out on this gem!

This was not a story or a book that I just read. It was an adventure I lived through and enjoyed immensely. This 6 star story made me feel so much for these amazing characters.

Calla gets a phone call she never expected. At the age of 2, her mother left Alaska with her to never return. Leaving a father rooted to the Alaskan wilderness. Now at 26 she must decide if she goes back to see her father. Her mother left because she wasn’t meant to live that life. Now Calla needs to decide if she’s like her mother.

I literally felt like I was living through these amazing characters that made me fall in love with. The bantering and camaraderie between Calla and Jonah had me laughing out loud quite a bit. They made this adventure so much more fun in the light of the heartbreaking events. There was never, I mean NEVER a dull moment. It was highly captivating an addicting.

A lot of effort seems to have been put into creating this amazing adventure. The details, the scenes were impeccable. I felt like I was there, like a movie playing in my mind. An original storyline that captured my undivided attention. Bottomline is this a MUST read.

Standalone told in Calla POV only, but I felt everything from the other characters in this story. It does come with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.

I have enjoyed every book written by this author. She writes great characters that are well-developed and easy to like. This particular story was set in Canada and Alaska, which is quite a bit different than what she has written before; but, I feel like she did a great job with it. K.A. Tucker has become one of the authors that I automatically read when a new book by her comes out.

I went into this book unsure. I didn't really enjoy Ms. Tucker's previous book and I've never had much of an interest in Alaska (come on, I'm from the Midwest, it's cold here. I dream of the ocean and palm treas and sunshine). 

But thank goodness I gave The Simple Wild a chance, because this is one of my favorite books of 2018.

We'll start with what I didn't like: which is nothing.

I loved Calla's development in this book. I think I really identified with her - when I was her age I floated along a lot like she did. So when she gets a chance to go visit her dad, I could understand why she wanted to leave her life behind for a little bit, even though it scared her.

I also really loved learning about Alaska. I couldn't really understand it, which I think was how Calla felt at first as well. But like a growing relationship I could understand how she came to love it.

I fell in love with the people, especially Calla's relationship with her dad. And I absolutely adored her relationship with Jonah.

But here's why this is one of my favorites of 2018: near the end I was in bed finishing this book, and at one point I had to set it aside because of how hard I was crying.

Any book that can make you cry like that is an amazing book.

So go read it. But don't forget the Kleenex.

The Simple Wild was so, so, so good. The begin (not the prologue exactly, but the first two chapters) did immediately have me invested in Calla. The book begins with Calla having just about the worst day possible. This made her relatable which would come in handy later in the book. It took me 20-30% to feel thoroughly hooked. Fortunately, I'm familiar enough with KA Tucker's books that the slow start didn't cause me to slow my pace or put The Simple Wild down.

Calla has had an easy life in that she grew up with her mother and stepfather who have a great relationship. Her stepfather has helped her process most of her major life events and emotions as he's a therapist. Her family is well off financially. But Calla's life has not been without pain. Her father has disappointed her time and time again. But when she finally takes that trip to Alaska her world view opens up. Even though she's lived a life of privilege (especially compared to the lives of those in Alaska that she meets), she's open to changing. She's not spoiled exactly. But she's just never had to consider some of the things she encounters while in Alaska before now.

And then there's Jonah. He really has a chip on his shoulder where Calla is concerned. He sees her privilege and resents her for it. He also resents that she's taken for granted her father being alive and the time she has left to spend with him. Yet as he gets to know her he realizes that he's been a bit harder on her than she deserves. Yet we see glimpses of Jonah's real personality in the little gestures.

I absolutely loved Calla and Jonah's back and forth banter. Their love/hate relationship. I couldn't stop cheesing like an idiot during the clippers scene.

Calla's relationship with her father was something else I loved. It really pulled at my heartstrings and I even teared up towards the end. As a parent I'm able to see both sides of relationships like these that previously I just wasn't able to do.

Favorite quotes:
-Because no matter how many times I’ve lain in bed, wondering why my father didn’t love me enough, the little girl inside me still desperately wants him to.

-How do you form a relationship with someone without forgiving them first?

I will say that my one complaint with The Simple Wild was the period of time where Calla doesn't see her relationship with Jonah going anyway, yet she thinks "Letting that happen with Jonah this morning was a bad idea. I don’t regret it—how can I regret anything that felt that good?—but it can’t lead anywhere, so what’s the point?" I hate this line of thinking. The "it feels so right, how can it be wrong" attitude. Quite frankly, there are tons of things in life that might feel very good in the moment but are not good for us at all. And we can't succumb to the feel goods of the moment to the detriment of what is actually right.

All of that being said, The Simple Wild gets 4 stars. I loved the characters, the setting, the relationships, the lessons and story... all of it added up to a wonderfully enjoyable experience. I texted my sister right before I finished and told her to add this one to her list as soon as she can. Have you read The Simple Wild ? What did you think? Let me know!

I am not sure how I have gone through life and not read a single K.A. Tucker novel. Simply Wild wrecked me and I loved every minute of it. I honestly can't come up with one thing I didn't like about this story.

I have so many thoughts and feeling about this book but I feel like I can't say most of it without spoilers. Therefore, I will be short and sweet. The characters, all of them, from Calla and Jonah to Wren and Agnes were so complete and well-rounded. You felt all their frustrations, sadness, anger and happiness. K.A. Tucker brought these characters to life in a beautiful and real way.

Calla and Jonah are angsty, steamy and adorable together when they finally let their walls down. Jonah is one of my favorite types of man, a blue eyed bearded viking and just thinking of him has me fanning myself hehe The chemistry between them is hard for them to ignore and it's hard to watch their bond grow knowing the future for them is so unknown.

This book is going to stick with me for a while and I will be definitely recommending it everyone !! I can't wait to read more of K.A. Tuckers books because she is such a talented writer and Simply Wild was perfect !

Have you ever read a book that just felt like more?

More than a romance.
More than a contemporary.
More than a just a story...

That's The Simple Wild for me.
Beautifully written, I felt transported into the fictional Alaskan town, where Calla struggles to make peace with her estranged father (who is my favorite character in the book by the way).
While there is a love story woven throughout the contemporary story (hey, Jonah!), the romantic love wasn't the star for me. The empathy I came to have for Wren was my favorite part.
Page after page, I fell deeper in love with this story. The characters were beautifully crafted and they all served a meaningful purpose to the story...
And then there was Alaska.
Gosh.
The writing truly created this world around me that was full of a kind of beauty that left me longing to visit in my real life.

K.A. Tucker has written some of my favorite books ever and The Simple Wild is now on that list... and sitting near the top.

So well done.

TOP REC

The Simple Wild beautifully illustrated the chains of regret and grief while balancing the beauty of family and second chances in a novel centered around finding oneself among the wilds of Alaska. With a romance as atmospheric as its location—rugged and wild and vast—Tucker’s slow-burn of a story thrilled and captivated with the subtleties of its many relationships and the weight of the past on them all. In a story so unlike what this author has previously published but still somehow very much a Tucker-like story, readers will find themselves gripped by this woman’s adventurous tale.

What was most captivating was simply watching Calla adapt to a place and its people while attempting to navigate a familial relationship that was disjointed and broken. It isn’t a coming-of-age tale, but felt like one with a heroine set on capturing a piece of herself that was lost before she was even aware it was missing. Tucker’s way of writing that path, both crooked and with circles, led to a true depiction of a fractured father-daughter bond and how it rippled through both of their lives—and, rightly so, how that anger and repentance had no correct form or display. Calla was allowed to be reactive and emotional, but also forgiving and kind while still maintaining all the pieces that made her her. All of that paired so exquisitely with the intrinsic and raw connection she shared with the mercurial pilot—an all-encompassing romance to round out her journey perfectly.

When I wasn’t swooning, or feeling the fissures created by this story burst in my heart, I was giggling with the rare moments of humor injected into a mostly heavy story, and I loved how this story truly evoked the spectrum of emotion from me. If you’ve ever felt something so strongly that you had to hold your hand to your heart, you’ll understand what this novel did to me. There aren’t words to explain how touching and inspiring The Simple Wild was other than it was simply breathtaking.

Truthfully, I had some mixed feelings going into The Simple Wild. On the one hand, I enjoy K.A. Tucker's novels and characters. On the other hand, I wasn't sure if I was up for the wilds of Alaska. I'm less a camping and more of a glamping type girl and the idea of inhabiting a space that was going to be as spare and harsh as Alaska seemed like work. My curiosity about who I'd meet in this novel won out, though, and after a bumpy start, I was flying through the pages.

I'm not sure I necessarily liked Calla, her mom, her dad, or Jonah, at first. All of them seemed a bit stubborn about some pretty important things--things that would impact their lives or the lives of their loved ones, or the way they perceived things--and I found myself shaking my head at them all. I also had a little of a hard time getting into the setting of Alaska--it seemed like such a harsh setting to live in, especially for someone as spoiled as Calla (or me, for that matter) and I just couldn't (and can't) fathom making a choice to live in the wilds of Alaska. That being said, once I got passed those things and got to know the characters, I was invested. I laughed at the games and snark between Jonah and Calla and I came to really enjoy the interactions Calla had with her dad and her new Alaskan friends. And, I was so completely caught up in their stories that the ending snuck up on me faster than I was prepared for--making me sad to see that there wasn't another page of chapter to flip to after the last page.

So, all in all, while it took me a little longer to fully sink into this novel, I found that once I got passed my own preferences, I enjoyed what these characters had to offer.

4.5 Stars

This is the first book I've read from this author and now I'm a big fan. Ms. Tucker's knows how to deliver a story that is romantic, sweet, humorous and a little heartbreaking. I will be sure to go back and read previous books from her.

The Simple Wild is a wonderful story of second chances and finding love in the most unexpected place. Calla Fletcher lives the city-life in Toronto with her mother and step-father. She's originally from Alaska, but moved as a toddler with her mother, who wanted more than the Alaska lifestyle. Wren Fletcher loves his wife and daughter, but knew setting them free, is the only thing he can do to make them happy.

Years later, Calla finds herself back in Alaska, reconnecting with Wren. She still harbors anger towards her father for abandonment and broken promises when she was growing up. But she knows that she has to give Wren a second chance of being a Dad. There are too many misunderstandings that this father and daughter begins to discover.

What Calla didn't expect is to find the annoying (and sexy) Alaskan lumberjack, pilot, Jonah, to change her world. But it wasn't that easy. Jonah right away was a jerk to Calla. He quickly labeled her as a spoiled, rich princess. But the more time these two spent time together, the more they started to learn about each other and their differences were put aside.

As Calla rebuilds her relationship with her father, she starts to build a relationship with Jonah. But the problem is...she lives in Toronto and Jonah lives in Alaska. The Simple Wild is a book that will have you breaking out the tissues and hoping that these characters find their HEA.

Review link on blog will be live on 8/7: https://2girlsasianwhitechickbookblog.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-simple-wild-by-ka-tucker.html

This has to be one of the best book I have ever read. I was so enthralled by this book, it consumed me. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it or telling people about it. It moved me so much. Such a wonderful story. 5 million stars from me!!

I have read 95% of K.A Tucker's books, but I have to say, The Simple Wild might be her strongest. She has truly outdone herself as a romance writer here. From the characters to the setting to the romance, every aspect of this book was breathtakingly beautiful. There aren't many books that make you feel as much as The Simple Wild did.

At the age of 2, Calla's mother whisks her away from Alaska and her dad as a result of her parents' marriage ending. She hasn't seen her father since. Fast forward to the future and Calla receives a call that her dad is ill and she heads over to Alaska in the hopes of reconnecting with the man she never knew. Little does she know, this will change her entire life forever. A major theme in The Simple Wild was Calla's discovery of herself. A city girl moving to the wilderness of Alaska sounds like the recipe for a disaster, right? Not for this girl. Sure, she stumbled and struggled at first, but she wasn't snooty about the simpler life in Alaska and she made do as best as she could with her situation. Calla grew immensely throughout The Simple Wild, blooming into a much stronger version of herself - more empathetic, more confident and more motivated. K.A Tucker did such a beautiful job with her character and making her come to life.

Another major theme in The Simple Wild was the father-daughter relationship. Calla and her dad's, Wren's, relationship wasn't initially very rosy. There were some awkwardness, some hurt feelings and a lack of serious communication between the two. Throughout Calla's stay, they forced themselves to get to know the people they were. Damn if that wasn't heart-touching. In a short time, their bond grew exponentially, but realistically. The two of them together made my heart ache, especially with Wren's imminent death looming. Many secrets come out and they only served to make their relationship stronger. Calla also found love in the arms of the grumpy pilot, Jonah. Oh, Jonah! I could write an essay about how much I loved this guy. He was initially quite the rude a-hole to our heroine, but there was still something about him that I found irresistible. What can I say I may have a teeny thing for dickish heroes who find themselves all flustered around their heroines. Anyways, the two of them forged a connection and Jonah helped push Calla in the right direction, especially when it came to her relationship with her dad. He also showed her just how beautiful Alaska was. The bickering and chemistry between them kept me turning the pages of the book. Their slow-burn romance truly was stunning in every way - I couldn't get enough of them!

The Simple Wild is going into my "to re-read in the future" shelf because it was that good for me. If you're looking for an emotional romance read with themes that go beyond the romance, this is the book for you.

I've been a fan of Tucker since her ten tiny breaths series.  I absolutely love the directions her writing has taken. The Simple Wild is a standalone adult contemporary with a cute, "haters to lovers" romance.  It also shares an emotional father-daughter story and its all delivered with a breathtaking view of Alaska. I laughed, swooned and cried as I fell for these characters and landscape. Full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer on August 7th.

4 stars - This book was a really satisfying mix of adventure, family dynamics and found family dynamics, romance, humor, and bittersweet moments. While this book is romantic it has a lot more to it than just romance. Though it took a while to get to the Alaska plot, I loved it fully once we got there. I definitely recommend if you like a well rounded contemporary novel with some romance in it.

This was a beautifully written book that reads as if you are part of the story. I truly felt like I was in Alaska from the descriptions. I loved Calla and Wren's story. Calla feels abandoned by Wren never being there for her, and Wren doesn't know how to connect with his daughter that he hasn't seen since she was 2. Add in romance and it is the perfect book to lose yourself in. This is a beautifully written story of family, love, and redemption. I received and advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books. All opinions are my own.