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A review by eesh25
Arctic Wild by Annabeth Albert
4.0
Arctic Wild follows Reuben, a workaholic and very successful layer. He'd finally agreed to go on a vacation in Alaska with a couple of his friends. But when they have to cancel at the last minute, he goes anyway. On the trip, it's only him and Tobias, the pilot and guide. And despite the significant age difference between the two (Reuben is 48 while Toby is 31), they slowly got along.
Then a plane crash happens, leaving Toby very injured. Reuben, who likes Toby and wants to help, offers Toby a place to stay while he recovers, since Toby's home is too cramped to be good for recovery.
And though the story starts beforehand, this was kind of the real start of the romance. Before, we saw Reuben and Toby become comfortable around each other and become friends. And yes, there was attraction between the two, but Toby didn't want to start anything with a client and their trip was more about the beautiful places they were visiting and about Reuben lifting his eyes off his cell phone and laptop to appreciate the trip.
After the accident, we see them really start to bond. And... I have no idea what to write. Somehow, I've run out of words...
*One day later*
I'm back. Let's try this again. I liked the book and that seems to be the essence of how I feel about it. Hence the lack of words. I don't have anything overwhelmingly positive or negative to say, and it's all about the story, which makes me feel like I'm just writing the plot of the novel (I do that sometimes).
The writing is good, both with describing the scenery of Alaska and when helping the reader understand what the characters are going through. We get both Reuben and Toby's perspective, though the understanding part is crucial more for Toby. Reuben, though uninterested in most things initially, soon becomes a lot more open to finding out what more there is to life. Also, he's taking the summer to reconnect with his teenage daughter, who is also a main character in the book.
There are a few side character. Reuben's daughter, Amelia, is one; there's also one of Toby's sisters and his father who are prominently featured. I liked Amelia, despite her initial bratty-ness, but Toby's family never really grew on me. They were so dismissive about Reuben and about Toby's worries and feelings, especially Toby's father. It also didn't help that the conflict was basically his fault.
Toby, though open to a fling or maybe even something more, is quite repressed in other ways. For one, he doesn't share his troubles and doesn't accept help at all. And that's because his father's raised him to think that needing help, even with a broken arm and leg, makes a person weak. Which is such utter bullshit. But it's easy to see what Toby is going through. Yes, it can be tad frustrating when Toby misinterprets Reuben's care and desire to be helpful, but the novel is pretty angst free overall.
In terms of pace, I liked it better than that of Arctic Sun, but because the events of the novel are so contained in personal feelings and conversations, it can feel long. Could've used something to liven things up. I vote humour.
And that's it. I'm hoping I did a decent job with this review. It's a very tame book that's good for when you wanna have a relaxing day, rather than if you're looking for something exciting. I'd still recommend reading it though, and while I'm not particularly eager about the future of the series, I'd definitely like to give some of the author's other books a shot. Maybe when I've made some headway with my "currently reading" list.
Then a plane crash happens, leaving Toby very injured. Reuben, who likes Toby and wants to help, offers Toby a place to stay while he recovers, since Toby's home is too cramped to be good for recovery.
And though the story starts beforehand, this was kind of the real start of the romance. Before, we saw Reuben and Toby become comfortable around each other and become friends. And yes, there was attraction between the two, but Toby didn't want to start anything with a client and their trip was more about the beautiful places they were visiting and about Reuben lifting his eyes off his cell phone and laptop to appreciate the trip.
After the accident, we see them really start to bond. And... I have no idea what to write. Somehow, I've run out of words...
*One day later*
I'm back. Let's try this again. I liked the book and that seems to be the essence of how I feel about it. Hence the lack of words. I don't have anything overwhelmingly positive or negative to say, and it's all about the story, which makes me feel like I'm just writing the plot of the novel (I do that sometimes).
The writing is good, both with describing the scenery of Alaska and when helping the reader understand what the characters are going through. We get both Reuben and Toby's perspective, though the understanding part is crucial more for Toby. Reuben, though uninterested in most things initially, soon becomes a lot more open to finding out what more there is to life. Also, he's taking the summer to reconnect with his teenage daughter, who is also a main character in the book.
There are a few side character. Reuben's daughter, Amelia, is one; there's also one of Toby's sisters and his father who are prominently featured. I liked Amelia, despite her initial bratty-ness, but Toby's family never really grew on me. They were so dismissive about Reuben and about Toby's worries and feelings, especially Toby's father. It also didn't help that the conflict was basically his fault.
Toby, though open to a fling or maybe even something more, is quite repressed in other ways. For one, he doesn't share his troubles and doesn't accept help at all. And that's because his father's raised him to think that needing help, even with a broken arm and leg, makes a person weak. Which is such utter bullshit. But it's easy to see what Toby is going through. Yes, it can be tad frustrating when Toby misinterprets Reuben's care and desire to be helpful, but the novel is pretty angst free overall.
In terms of pace, I liked it better than that of Arctic Sun, but because the events of the novel are so contained in personal feelings and conversations, it can feel long. Could've used something to liven things up. I vote humour.
And that's it. I'm hoping I did a decent job with this review. It's a very tame book that's good for when you wanna have a relaxing day, rather than if you're looking for something exciting. I'd still recommend reading it though, and while I'm not particularly eager about the future of the series, I'd definitely like to give some of the author's other books a shot. Maybe when I've made some headway with my "currently reading" list.