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destinynichole11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
jeanettesreadingcorner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- I enjoyed Wildfire a billion times more than Icebreaker. I actually liked Aurora and Russ more as a couple. They are really cute together and the sneaking around was so steamy! I love how they support each other and lift each other up. The book ending and the epilogue are perfect. They both feel so authentic to Aurora and Russ and not cliched or an overdone trope.
- The structure of the story was organize and flowed well. It’s actually made sense and that alone made this book more enjoyable.
- The summer camp setting and plot was really fun and added some depth to the story. The book wasn’t just about the Aurora, Russ, and the other camp staff. I worked as a camp counselor for 9 years. It wasn’t sleep away camp like the book and the children’s ages were younger (3-5 years old 😅) but the children characters reminded me of working at camp. I do miss the kids sometimes even though they tested my patience.
- Wildfire is astoundingly better than Icebreaker and I’m surprised that Wildfire doesn’t get as much attention (from what I’ve seen). I would read more about Aurora and Russ as a couple and I’m glad I was able to get the Target exclusive edition! I’m looking forward to reading Daydream, Hannah Grace’s new release next month.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
marissa__'s review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Medical content
uranaishi'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, and Car accident
nat_in_bookland's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Car accident, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
kayji's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The conversations seemed too unrealistic between the couple, especially during "deep", "emotional" or "romantic" moments. I wish Honey Acres as a setting was explored more alongside the whole camp atmosphere.
The side characters also deserved more moments to shine, as I really loved Xanders banter with the other characters.
Some moments in the book gave me whiplash just from how quickly the scenes and conversation topics were changing. Some moments and conversations also felt like they finished too abruptly before moving on.
TDLR: Great setting, funny side characters, unrealistic mmc and fmc.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
amre23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The way the toxic parents were handled did seem realistic and how the characters moved through the issues/progressed were stressful at times, If you've experienced these similar issues, but also relieving around any resolutions.
Happy to see the continuation of the characters from Icebreaker also making appearances.
Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
roorooreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction and Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Alcohol
graceev's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Car accident
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, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, and Gaslighting