Wild at Heart (The Simple Wild #2)

Ahhhh!! I looooooooooooooovvvvvvveeed this book! This is everything I wanted in a sequel about Calla and Jonah. They have both decided to uproot their lives and make a real go at their relationship (in Alaska). At first, they are so happy to be together after a few months apart, but as time moves on, there are some bumps in the road. Can Calla deal with the risks and fear of living in Alaska while trying to find her own way and happiness? Can she cope with the dangers Jonah seeks in a new adventure? Does work come first for Jonah and does he think Calla will regret moving to Alaska (and ultimately him)? Can they both learn to meet halfway? These are just a few of the scenarios and challenges they face alone and together in Alaska. They have so many obstacles that felt so natural for a couple in this situation. The way they both reacted and dealt with their struggles felt completely true to the characters that we loved in the first book. However, there is a lot of growth for both of them that felt so completely genuine.

I love this book in a different way than The Simple Wild, but it had as much of an impact on me (if not more) as the original. I loved seeing Calla an Jonah (and their new friends) in a new place while they chase their dreams and happy ever after (hopefully!). It felt like a book about relationships and how even though you can love someone, there will be difficulties along the way. I loved the format of the book by giving us a month by month glance of their lives. The banter between the characters had me laughing out loud at times and the really heartfelt moments are still sticking with me 12 hours after reading this book. In fact, I woke up at 2 am still thinking about several passages from this book that hit me in the feels (thanks, K.A. Tucker). You will not be disappointed in this sequel, like, at all. You will not be able to put this book down and will be feel like you back in Alaska with Calla, Jonah, and all their friends and family!

Calla returns to Alaska with Jonah, full of hope in the future and determined to be the opposite of her mother. Calla and Jonah start a charter company together, buy a cabin in the woods, and then promptly begin to live their own separate lives. Calla is devastated to discover that, despite all of his promises to the contrary, Jonah spends more time away than at home, and she struggles to adjust to a life so profoundly different than she ever imagined or desired.

I am definitely in the minority here but this didn’t quite work for me. In The Simple Wild, Calla and Jonah both must grow and mature in their interactions with each other, and just with the world in general. In this book, however, Jonah is right back to his cave man Yeti ways (and not the good kind), and Calla must endure all of the changing and adjusting on her own. I just felt like the relationship was entirely too one-sided and poor Calla had NOTHING, not even Jonah! I was FURIOUS with him when he accused her of not trying to build her own life there because what I saw as I was reading was the exact opposite. Calla gave in and bought the house Jonah wanted, Calla built a website for Jonah’s charter company, Calla decorated the house, learned to cook, learned to garden, joined social groups in the local town, made local friends….all while Jonah was off flying and fighting fires and doing whatever the heck he wanted. UGH I am getting aggravated all over again.

Some have said that Calla complained too much, but I totally disagree. Calla had to endure a really earth-shattering life adjustment, with no support from her partner, family, or friends. I found her behavior to be really admirable, and this book cemented my like of her as a character.

I also loved seeing Calla’s friendships with Muriel and Roy develop. They were excellent supporting characters and I was really invested in them. I loved how K.A. Tucker discussed Roy’s past and how culpable he ought to be 30 years later. Basically, I would love to have this book be reworked as a Roy spin-off.

As with The Simple Wild, the setting of Alaska makes the book for me, and if this was set anywhere else I probably would not have even given it 3 stars. Jonah is just *that* bad. But most readers seem to love the Yeti, so ignore me, and just go about your day. Hashtag Team Calla. 😉

Im trying desperately to write a review worthy of this book. Heres my short and sweet review. Its like being in your favorite dream and not wanting to wake up. I could spend my time (day dreaming) reading about Jonah and Calla. I mean who wouldnt love this story. A beautiful couple starting a life together in Alaska. Learning to live together. Their day to day life with their pet goat and raccoon growing strawberries with the nosy lady next door and fighting with the other grumpy neighbor down the road. Ill would never get tired of them. I never wanted Wild at Heart to end. It was so deeply comforting being back in their world. It felt soo right. I wanted to climb into this book and live there forever. Ka Tucker gives us Alaska, lets me live there without leaving my comfy couch. Wild at Heart was my most anticipated read of 2020 and my favorite read of 2020.

Book one left me with a book funk, no new books would do, so I had to resort to rereading old favorites. I feared the same would happen with this one and I think I’m psychic because it did.

Please don’t read this review – or book – if you haven’t read The Simple Wild yet. This is a sequel with what became my favorite couple, Calla and Jonah, but yet again, much more.

So Calla made all the necessary arrangements to move to Alaska, live with her beau, Jonah. See, he couldn’t stand being without her, so he flew all the way to Canada and asked her to take that step with him. Even if Calla feared she’d turn into her mom, start hating Alaska, she still did it. And she did it with her chin high.

I swear, she changed so much from the obnoxious girl I encountered at the beginning of book one, I can barely recognize her. I applaud the author for this amazing character development and growth. Same goes for Jonah. From the grumpy a-hole he became this giant teddy bear who’d move mountains for Calla.

So, a story about their life as a couple. If Calla went to Alaska for the first time, to find parts of herself she didn’t know she was missing, in this one, she needs to do her best not to lose those parts and Jonah. Which is a bit hard, when there are certain external factors seeing to it and when Jonah’s kind of an idiot – in certain cases. I would be pissed too, if I were Calla.

Whirlwind of feels in this one, as well. While I didn’t cry, my heart did ache for these two and I’ll miss them terribly. Luckily, I love rereading favorites.

5 stars.

The book takes place four days after the end of The Simple Wild, as Calla and Jonah decide to pack up and move to Wasilla, Alaska. At this point, the new couple are totally and completely besotted with each other, and plan to spend the rest of their lives together in an adorable log cabin with a breath-taking view. Jonah resumes his sky cowboy ways, flying almost every day. While Calla struggles to adjust to her secluded life in an unfamiliar place.

Calla in Wild at Heart is a new and improved woman. I really enjoyed her development as a character in the first book and this continues in the second. Shes mature, open-minded, adventurous and kind, all traits she cultivated spending the first summer in Alaska.

Jonahs a dream anyway, but we get to see more of his personality in this book. Hes still as stubborn as ever, while I didnt love him in the beginning of The Simple Wild, he eventually became my favourite character. He has a good sense of humour, as well as a generous spirit above all his flaws.

A large portion of the book concentrates on Callas personal character growth since the events of the first book. Shes adapting to huge life changes, while still trying to find her identity and her place in a new place. She was constantly worried about following in her mothers footsteps, and learned the importance of being honest with yourself and finding something you really love. Her voice felt consistent and familiar from the first book, but it was clear she was a new person. I absolutely adored the way Calla handled her obstacles and fears, and found her to be very inspiring.

The hopeless romantic in me was on a high from start to finish. Jonah and Calla are two people who are made for each other. Although they started off as enemies, they have a natural banter between them, which makes them work so perfectly. As a new couple, they face a lot of big decisions when it comes to the future, and fought against doubt, trust and self-esteem natural hurdles in a relationship. While not all of their conversations went smoothly, I loved their candid and authentic interactions with one another. I loved the fluff, the angst and everything in between.

Sadly, I wasnt as interested in the sub-plots from Wild at Heart as I was with The Simple Wild. And I didnt care for the secondary characters as much. Roy was OK, and I grew to like him as the author developed his character. I wanted to like Muriel but I just didnt! I know Calla struggled to like the pushy neighbour, constantly feeling the need to please or gratify her. And I tried to have the same sympathies, but I wasnt warming to her.

However, I really like that Calla found a friend in Toby. Before starting this book, one of my biggest worries was that Calla would be alone in Alaska, thousands of miles from her best friend, and desperate to speak to someone while Jonah was in the air. There was also a subtle mention of Mabel and her rebellious ways but it wasnt explored as much as I would have liked.

One of my favourite things about this book, and The Simple Wild series, is the atmosphere Tucker builds. The characters are living in these idyllic, rural towns that are picturesque in natural simplicity. Theres a beautiful sense of community, and the descriptions of the tranquil but scenic landscapes were enjoyable to read. From the lakes, to the mountains, the town centres and the wildlife, it all sounds like a fantasy. As a reader, you get a genuine sense of life in Alaska from these books, even though it isnt the main focus of the story.

Wild at Heart is a journey, but a charming one. Its humorous, heart-warming, and enchanting. If theres a third book in the series, I dont think Ill be able to resist buying that plane ticket to Trappers Crossing. Compared to The Simple Wild, this book feels longer and slower. The pacing slows in some places, but is perfect in others. Understandably, its not as emotional, but twice as romantic. But overall, Wild at Heart is a delightful read.

Anika | chaptersofmay.com

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