Book Review – The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

The Simple Wild: A Novel
I LOVED IT!!! But I knew I would. K.A. Tucker has become one of my most favorite authors ever. I connect deeply with each one of her books (and heroines), and I feel like I’m actually living them. I love her “voice”, and her brand of storytelling that is so unique to her, and yet so relatable to me.

This one was exactly what I was hoping for. Funny, heartwarming, and bittersweet. I read it with an almost permanent smile on my face. I was delighted. They had me chuckling so hard…

He reaches up to drag his fingers through his beard. “What’s wrong with this?”

“Nothing, if you’re planning on living alone in the mountains and foraging for food. And now walking quite upright.”

“So you’re saying you don’t like it.” There’s no mistaking the amusement in his voice.

“Definitely not.”

He shrugs. “A lot of women like it.”

“No they don’t.”

“It’s my style.”

“No. Hipster is a style. Rockabilly is a style. Yeti is not a style.”

Tee hee!!! Oh the two of them and their banter… I LOVED it!! And then… the laugh-out-loud snorting too (but I’ll let you experience that chapter for yourself). 😉 Oh yes, and there was swooning… and even ugly-crying through quite a few pages.

That is how connected I was with these characters. EVERY SINGLE ONE. I especially loved her amazing step-father. What a fortunate woman to have such secure love surrounding her so deeply.

Kathy P: Just finished The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker. I stayed up late to finish it. Definitely one of my best reads of the year! Visiting Alaska is now at the top of my bucket list!!

Jean: Just about finished The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker and really loved it. For those of you who like the slow burn, and that initial dislike of each other slowly growing into something more, you will love this. And I loved all the aspects of Alaska and the types of people who live there and their way of life!

Maryse: I just wanna say… The Simple Wild <— I am still loving it, and it’s one of those books that you read with a sweet smile on your face. How I love this author, and her way with dialogue and introspection. It’s all so… real. Maybe she’s my new favorite. Okay… back to my book.

Kathy P: Get out the manny and your tissues on this book read. Someone posted on this site that you will feel and the emotions and that is true!! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Nay: …The story was powerful, just not at all what I was expecting. Hit a little close to home for me, another thing I wasn’t expecting, but I still enjoyed it 4 stars worth, I especially loved the last few chapters as far as the feelings they stirred in me.

Ash: I really enjoyed The Simple Wild – offbeat and even though I hate the cold, Alaska worked for me!

Kim: The simple Wild! K.A tucker does it again and better!

And while there’s nothing particularly … dramatic or uber-angsty, or jaw-dropping about this book, that doesn’t mean it won’t grip you. It hooks you right from the start, and it makes you feel (and feel everything…) every single step of the way.

So what’s it about?

Born in Alaska, but raised in a big city in an upper-class household by her mother and stepfather, Calla has pretty much only known the good things in life. Her mother, posh and prim, and her stepfather (a successful and sensible therapist) have made sure that she wants for nothing, and encourage and support her (and love each other, too). Sure, she’s been disappointed by the lack of her biological father (he’s in Alaska), but all in all, she’s a city girl at heart, operating a “Lifestyle blog” with her very best friend and living the good life.

But it’s when she receives a call from her dad’s neighbor in Alaska that her world really opens up. Her father is sick, and it would be time to get to know him, now, before it’s too late.

Arriving in Alaska with all of her luggage and trendy shoes, and meeting a surly Jonah (one of her father’s best pilots) is when her perception of reality comes to a screeching halt.

“Hell. Six other pilots available and I have to be the one to get you,” Jonah mutters to himself.

I close my eyes and lean my face against the window. The ice cold glass helps a bit even with the jarring bumps. “‘Don’t worry Calla.’ ‘It’s no big deal Calla.’ That’s what a decent person would say,” I mumble feebly.

“I’m here to get your high maintenance little ass to Bangor, not soothe your ego.”

He’s not impressed with her princessy fanfare…

I peer at his face – still masked by all the mangy hair and sunglasses and baseball cap, pulled low despite the lack of sun. How long has he been growing that bush for, anyway? Years? There are long, wiry hairs sticking out in every direction. I guarantee it’s never seen a pair of scissors or a comb. Ever.

My disgusted expression stares back at me from the reflection of his lenses and my mother’s words about falling in love with a pilot suddenly hit me.

I burst out laughing. Is Jonah what she would call a “sky cowboy”?
As if I’d ever fall for this guy.

…and she soon realizes life in Alaska is worlds away from what she’s used to.

All this open space around me and I’m trapped.

Priorities change significantly.

Along the way, she learns much about love of all kinds. The true love of family, friends and of course… true love 😉 And, she learns about herself.
It’s just fantastic!!! Truly vivid writing, believable characters that come to life and a subtle intensity that will take you by surprise BIG time. I sobbed. But I could not put it down, and the smile on my face from pretty much start-to-finish was well worth that bout of heartache.

4 stars!!!

P.S. So far, every single book I’ve read by this author, I would HIGHLY recommend. Next on my “K.A. Tucker list” is her latest psych-thriller. I’m SO excited about that one!!

P.P.S. Thank you to the publisher for sending me this review copy!!!

➔➔➔  Looking for more of my must-read recommendations? Browse my 5 star and 4.5 star reviews. 😀