When I heard that KA Tucker was writing a sequel to The Simple Wild, I was ecstatic. Normally when there’s a “sequel” to a romance book, the author shifts the focus to a side character and expands upon his or her story. But in this case, we were getting more Jonah and Calla and I WAS HERE FOR IT. (And when she moved up the release date from March to February, I did a little happy dance.)

The Simple Wild is one of my favorite enemies to lovers romances, and while I was satisfied with the way it ended, to pick up where we left off was a dream, and pick up RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT OFF WE DID. Jonah has declared that Calla has ruined Alaska for him, and Calla can’t imagine a world without Jonah–so she packs up her many suitcases and travels north, this time for good.

I loved watching Calla and Jonah settle into their new life together in Alaska. Their love sprang up quickly and fiercely in The Simple Wild, but in Wild at Heart we get to see the roots develop. They are such different people with such vastly different life experiences and goals that it was obvious to me that there were going to be plenty of challenges to overcome before their happy ever after.

From the small bumps in the road to the giant hurdles they had to cross, I was rooting for them the entire way. The issues they faced–breakdowns in communication, different expectations, insecurity, pride, etc.–felt incredibly real because they are the issues EVERY couple has to face at some point in their relationship. It was completely relatable and refreshing to watch a couple work to make it work.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about a book without Wren because he was such an important part of their story, but I felt like Tucker really honored Wren and his memory in this new chapter of Jonah and Calla’s story. And while the grief is still very much present, with the passing of time Calla is able to more fully process her loss. Actually, Calla grows and changes in many important ways over the course of the sequel, and I love watching her gain confidence in herself and her relationship with Jonah.

In telling more of Jonah and Calla’s story, Tucker also introduces a whole new cast of side characters in the new little town they settle into. I wish Agnes and Mabel were more a part of this story–I missed how much the little group felt like a family–but I’m pretty attached to these new characters now, too. I wish the story had been about a hundred pages longer because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Jonah, Calla, and the rest.

If I’m being honest, a few plot devices felt recycled, but I GOT MORE JONAH AND CALLA, so I am not complaining, not even a little bit. Bottom line: KA Tucker delivered a doozy of a sequel, and if you loved watching Jonah and Calla fight WITH each other in The Simple Wild, you NEED to watch them fight FOR each other in Wild at Heart.

Have I mentioned that now I really want to go back and visit Alaska again? There’s really no place in the world like it.

(Enjoy this photo of me at 17, next to one of my cousin’s planes up in Alaska circa 2004.)

Thank you to NetGalley, KA Tucker, and Butterfly PR for my advance reading copy of Wild at Heart in exchange for an honest review.