Wildfire by Hannah Grace

Following a college party hook-up and a series of miscommunications, 20-year-olds Aurora and Russ are embarrassed to meet again as camp counsellors at Honey Acres summer camp. Here they will spend 10 weeks together over their summer break with plenty of time to get to the point where they have to decide if they will obey the ‘no staff fraternising’ rule.

The story is told from both Russ and Aurora’s points of view, who are both dogged by their less-than-perfect relationships with their families, particularly their fathers. This is a reoccurring (if over-worked) theme, and informs their personalities and need for constant reassurances, and limited ability to trust others.

Russ, embarrassed about his father’s gambling addiction, tries to remain inconspicuous. He comes across as shy and insecure and is a stickler for the rules. Aurora, in contrast, has a history of acting out to try to gain her father’s attention and is used to the paparazzi. She regularly describes herself as ‘needing to be needed’, but has vowed to ‘work on herself’ while out of the limelight at summer camp.

Although they do border on the extreme, and Aurora is not a strong female role-model, Russ and Aurora’s personalities and issues would be relatable to many readers. Their desire to help solve each other’s problems and heal their emotional hurts are enviable examples of a successful relationship. However, much of the plot and minor characters seem superfluous and add little to the overall story.

Wildfire is the second of three books that follow different college friends at Maple Hills. The first, Icebreaker, follows Stassi and Nate, and in the third, Daydream, Henry shines. These are stand-alone titles, but the interwoven stories give extra insights as supporting characters in one book become the main protagonists in another.

Grace self-describes as a 'fluffy comfort book' author, and the Wildfire cover suggests cute, light romance. However, given the main characters’ ages, numerous sex scenes (even though the sex is safe and consensual) and associated language, Wildfire is explicit enough to be an adult-only read.

Warnings sex, language, gambling, addictions.

Themes: Families, Friendship, Summer camp, Relationships.

Margaret Crohn