Based on reports from school that her daughter, Katie, is shy, Abdou vows to spend more time with her by hiking. Except one likes the hiking more than the other. Abdou writes about her struggles while Learning how to connect with her daughter. She refers to a huge controversy one of her books sparked so of course I had to look it up since I was unfamiliar with it. I give the author kudos for persevering. I thought she was honest in this book about her own self doubts, research, and learning how to navigate in life. She talks about hiking with Katie, but half of the trips involve her husband and son too, which was nice. I think all we can do is the best we can with all the situations life tosses at us. This One Wild Life is a good reminder of that.

I found this book to be very slow. I also just didn’t love the writing style and found the narrative to be quite depressive in content which I wasn’t expecting as I thought it would be more of an uplifting journey and story!

It was the title of this book which first grabbed me - I thought it was about the outdoors and from a brief glance at the synopsis, I thought it was a hiking book. It was both of those things, but it is also a book about parenting and psychology. I didn't expect that, but that is my fault for not reading the synopsis properly.

The writing style is a little bit academic. I didn't know anything about this author, but she is an academic, so it's not surprising that this comes across in her writing. I don't view this as a problem - I like a list of references and a mix of other books as well as journal articles.

I particularly liked the accounts of the different hikes undertaken - the week long camping trip to complete the Juan de Fuca trail on Vancouver Island and all of the different mountain hikes. Some maps or photographs would help give a sense of place in the physical book version (I read the e-book), especially for those of us readers who are not familiar with the Canadian Rockies.

Personally, I would have liked more of the hiking and less of the parenting/psychology. However, there is one piece of advice which has stuck in my mind which I think is very sound. It is to do with switching off whilst on holiday and detaching from social media. This is a quote:
"I don't pick up my phone once all weekend, don't share the details of our days on social media. I decide instead, to save the best of my family and my life for ourselves. I focus on living our lives rather than narrating them." I like that!

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book! Was nice and easy to read. The author gives the reader a real insight into her life and the challenges she faces. It's relatable, it's real, it's a must read!

An open honest look at the authors life her family her relationship with each of them.Trying to help her daughter lose her shyness she embarks on the adventure of hiking mountains together helping her gain confidence.She shares the ups and downs of her marriage the criticism and shunning by former friends she received after her last book,about team hockey in her small town.The author comes across as a complicated woman with rough edges that she’s brave enough to reveal,#netgalley#exw

What an honest look at life and parenting. The author is not afraid to say here is where I messed up learn from me. It was a great book.