A review by lawbooks600
Wildfire by Hannah Grace

funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

Representation: N/A
Score: Two out of ten.

Wildfire was as awful, if not worse, than Icebreaker. Perhaps I should stop reading from Hannah Grace, as all her books have been overhyped. I wanted to read this one for a while, hoping it would be much better than Icebreaker, but unfortunately, it was at the same level as Icebreaker. The ratings were low, the blurb didn't seem intriguing and I was underwhelmed.

It starts with Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts meeting and briefly interacting with each other in a college party, but Aurora escapes before Russ asks for her surname, then it cuts to a summer camp, where Russ and Aurora meet again. Everything looks typical except for one rule, the camp staff can't develop relationships, much to their dismay, but I know what's going to happen. They develop a relationship anyway. There is little plot other than that, and all the issues I saw in Icebreaker reappear in Wildfire. First the characters are difficult to connect or relate with, making me disconnect from the central storyline. While the length of Wildfire is less than Grace's debut creation, Icebreaker, clocking in at less than 400 pages, the pacing is still slow and continues to be this way, which made me enjoy it less. 

I didn't feel like Russ and Aurora had any chemistry or character development, since they lacked depth and never changed from the beginning to the end. Adding more depth and development would've improved the reading experience. Wildfire has no literary value, as it is nothing more than a mere contemporary romance, meaning those looking for diversity or literary value should look elsewhere. At least the setting of the camp was interesting, but I would've liked to see more of the side characters, like Anastasia, of which there aren't many. The writing style is enough to keep the plot going, since it's accessible and there's nothing too literary. I don't think Grace will improve based on this one. I'm done with her now. The climax is heartwarming though, as the couple is together.
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