The secondary characters, namely the townsfolk of Trapper’s Crossing, bring the setting to life, and in many ways, they are more intriguing and complex than the protagonists. The more I read about the town of Trapper’s Crossing, the more I began to wish that it were an actual place that I could visit. The story takes place in a lush, picturesque corner of Alaska in a rural and very close-knit community.

Wild at Heart’s saving graces are its setting and secondary characters. All of this made it difficult for me to relate to or care about her.

Her spendthrift ways are unreal (I mean, who spends several grand on a fake antler chandelier?), and her fear of every bump in the night and shadow in the woods is absurd. While reading Wild at Heart, I frequently found myself rolling my eyes at her behavior. Namely, she has circled back to being annoying. She grew and matured over the course of The Simple Wild, but she appears to have regressed in this book.

The protagonist, Calla, could also benefit from some reworking. The book is over 400 pages in length, but I imagine everything of importance could be conveyed in 300 pages or less. Some scenes go on for too long, and then other scenes feel a bit like filler. The primary issue with this book is that it feels drawn out. The book was at times tedious, and on more than one occasion, I contemplated shelving it and picking up another book. Whereas The Simple Wild grabbed my attention almost immediately, Wild at Heart failed to ever reel me in. The Simple Wild was one of my favorite reads of last year, but this sequel will unfortunately not be making the cut onto my favorite reads of this year.

Wild at heart review