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gerq's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Mental illness, Car accident, Cursing, Addiction, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
jadencove's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
sydapel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Addiction, Mental illness, and Abandonment
nagisasigh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Car accident and Drug use
sebradley29's review
5.0
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Vomit
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Author: Hannah Grace
Series: Maple Hills #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: October 3, 2023
I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Dissimilar • Sizzling • Juvenile
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Maple Hills students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts cross paths at a party celebrating the end of the academic year, where a drinking game results in them having a passionate one-night stand. Never one to overstay her welcome (or expect much from a man), Aurora slips away before Russ even has the chance to ask for her full name.
Imagine their surprise when they bump into each other on the first day of the summer camp where they are both counselors, hoping to escape their complicated home lives by spending the summer working. Russ hopes if he gets far enough away from Maple Hills, he can avoid dealing with the repercussions of his father’s gambling addiction, while Aurora is tired of craving attention from everyone around her, and wants to go back to the last place she truly felt at home.
Russ knows breaking the camp’s strict “no staff fraternizing” rule will have him heading back to Maple Hills before the summer is over, but unfortunately for him, Aurora has never been very good at caring about the rules. Will the two learn to peacefully coexist? Or did their one night together start a fire they can’t put out?
💭 T H O U G H T S
I absolutely (somewhat surprisingly) adored Icebreaker earlier in the year, so I was eagerly anticipating Wildfire, book two of the Maple Hills series. Unfortunately, so many of the elements I loved about book one were missing from this second installment, which left me rather disappointed.
I will start off by saying the romance between Russ and Aurora was wholesome. There's definitely a bit of a miscommunication vibe going early on, but it never overrode the development of their relationship. Both main characters have family issues that are at the heart of the story, yet there is a great emphasis on working through things together and developing an open line of communication.
There is a different sense of found family with the staff of the summer camp that I liked. However, I really missed all of the characters I'd come to love from book one. Additionally, I missed Maple Hills and the hockey backdrop. In my opinion, its because so many of the things I loved from book one were missing that I really struggled to form a deep connection with Russ and Aurora's story. Even the spice level felt completely different.
Wildfire was a bit of a letdown after being so excited to pick it up. One of the complaints about Icebreaker was the length, and that's exactly how I felt about this one. The summer camp setting felt completely different and honestly, made it seem like a standalone. I will still continue with the series (book 3 is Henry's story!!), but I am really hoping for a return to the college setting and sports romance trope.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the ONS trope
• readers who like the summer camp romance
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"You don't turn your back on people because they're not perfect."
"It's incredible how shame fills the cracks other people create."
"It's no secret that I love books. I love stories about people I don't know, and place I haven't been to. I've lived a thousand lives between a thousand pages, but no story, no life, no page has ever made me as happy as you do, Russ Callaghan."
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Medical content, Vomit, Car accident, and Gaslighting
culzean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
cdoubet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Minor: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
momma_needs_to_read's review
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, and Mental illness