Wildfire

I was in the middle of reading Before She Disappeared when I thought of this book. I had a sudden urge to read this because of the hopeful relationship between Frankie and Detective Lotham. I remembered thinking that a romance sounded good because I liked how Frankie and Lotham got off to a rough start but then remembering the hope of them ending up together reminded me of a book I once couldn’t wait to read. I can see ranch confide in Henry. The summer camp portion reminds me of ‘The Camp’ by Nacy Bush. So far, I’ve enjoyed the interactions between the gang; especially with Russ and Aurora. Even though I wish Aurora and Russ would just communicate their feelings instead of assuming the worst, I understand and appreciate the tension buildup. I mean, that’s what happens in real life and that’s also why I love these kinds of books; it’s because the characters are so relatable. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Russ and Aurora. I also like that their relationship isn’t just about lust. Aurora caved to her dad wanting her at his wedding even though he only wants him there for the publicity. I sincerely hoped she’d turn him down but I was wrong. She’ll do anything to please him even when he doesn’t deserve it. Her attempt at being a people pleaser makes he a weak female character and I hoped she’d grown a back bone by now but once again, wrong. I know what it’s like to do things just to please others whether it’s making an effort to be in their life or showing up at my dad’s memorial when we rarely talked. My dad rarely made an effort to be in my life unless I did but I stopped coz I was done being a people pleaser. Aside from the self-discovery Aurora and Russ experience, a heavy portion of this book revolves around their broken relationships with their families. I can definitely relate because for the longest time, I felt both physically and emotionally separated from my “family”. The only time they’d reach out to me was when I made the effort to (unless they reached out every few months which felt was rare) and I grew tired of trying because I felt like I was forcing people in my life who didn’t want to be apart of it. As with Icebreaker, the epilogue tied everything together and I couldn’t help but tear up just like I did with the acknowledgements. This was a masterpiece I felt like. Well done👏👏👏👏👏👏