I wanted to love this book so much - I loved icebreaker and have reread that book many times. This book was hard to get through, and was pretty boring. I think the sports aspect of Icebreaker was fun and it was an interesting choice in Wildfire to have an athlete be a main character but not have anything to sports related in the plot. It wasn’t my favorite, but I will read her next book because of Icebreaker. One note - I do like how the author writes female main characters that like sex and are normal about it. Thanks!

Thank you so, so, so much to NetGalley and Altria for this ARC. I don't know how I got so lucky to receive an ARC of one of my most anticipated books of the year, but wow I am grateful.

I absolutely adored this book. I loved it even more than Icebreaker. Which is really impressive, cause I REALLY loved Icebreaker. I did not think I could love a Hannah Grace MMC more than Nate but DANG Russ took that spot.

I absolutely adored Aurora and Russ. They had such a believable journey; I understood all their choices, all their worries, and how they came to be together. I was so invested in them, their lives, and their relationship that I was genuinely sad to see it end. I want more of them so badly. Hannah Grace did such a wonderful job at writing these two. And the entire cast of characters, for that matter. I am begging for a Xander book please. I love him.

Even outside of their relationship, I really loved the personal journeys these two went on. Having them both have such horrible relationships with their fathers and finding solace in each other through it was so wonderful. And wow, I felt so incredibly seen by both of them. Even if you don't have daddy/parent issues but have a fear of being abandoned, let down, or just not being good enough, you may find yourself in this book. It definitely told me some things I've needed to hear for a long time.

If you are struggling to accept that summer is over and it’s already fall, pick this book up for some great summer vibes. I cannot recommend it enough. Though now I’m really mad at my parents for never sending me to summer camp….

A very fun follow up to the sensation that was Icebreaker! While Icebreaker wasn’t really my favorite and I am itching for a JJ book, Russ and Aurora’s story was so good. The tropes were better for me in this book, with sort of a second change and forced proximity situation with the backdrop of summer camp. A fun summer read for sure.

LOVED! LOVED! LOVED! I will always be a Hannah Grace fan! I DEVOURED this book just like I did her last one. If you are a romance lover of the new age kind, you will love this book!

Wildfire was such a cute college romance set at a summer camp! We loved the two main characters, and their instant attraction to one another. Some aspects that we really enjoyed was the small Disney references, the golden retriever puppies, and mentions of all the other characters from Icebreaker! The two main characters had so much growth throughout the story with their relationship, but also with their parents that they both had a strained relationship with. Fans of Icebreaker will adore this new release by Hannah Grace!

I really liked Icebreaker and was excited to read this one! Russ and Aurora were a cute couple and I liked their banter.

It did take me a bit longer to get through Wildfire - some parts of the plot fell a bit flat for me and I got a bit lost with the side characters. Will still keep up with the series though!

This was a really sweet and fun contemporary romance. I loved both characters, but Russ, with his sweet dog-loving personality was my favorite. I also really liked the witty way the relationships with the friend side characters were written. Their banter made me laugh out loud more than once. Even though the characters were great, something about the story fell just a little flat with me. I didn't speed through this book like I have others in this genre. But overall, I liked it and would recommend to contemporary romance fans, especially younger adults.

I am obsessed! Once starting I immediately knew that this book would pull me in until the end. I love the two main characters and the banter between them. I was laughing out loud and feeling all the emotions. This is definitely a book to read as soon as it comes out

This is my first read from the Maple Hills series and I went in with low expectations even with all the buzz I’ve seen. Although to my surprise, I was blown away by this romance so much so that I finished it in a day. This type of story with forced contact usually loses me but this one is fast paced and hard to put down. I loved the epilogue because Rory and Russ deserve a happy ending.

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Maple Hills students Russ and Aurora are ready to leave their complicated college lives behind for the summer - but first, a party. When one thing leads to another (much to Russ’s surprise) and the two end up sharing a passionate one-night stand, neither of them expects to meet up anytime soon, if ever. Imagine their surprise when they run into each other at orientation for the sleepaway camp where they will both be working as counselors for the summer. Though the two cannot deny their attraction to each other, neither is keen on breaking the camp’s strict nonfraternization rule. More importantly, Russ and Aurora both chose to work at the camp for a reason. Russ, to avoid his family, and Aurora, to engage in some serious self-reflection. Can they figure out how to co-exist and accomplish their personal goals? (Spoiler: Yes, they can.)

Hannah Grace writes men so beautifully. Russ is loveable from the jump and he and Aurora’s personalities complement each other so well. I loved that she started out strong with the spice and yet still managed to build up tension throughout the first half of the book. The slight miscommunication trope that showed up in the beginning didn’t even annoy me (as it normally would), as she cleverly worked it into the story as part of a larger conversation about the romance genre. This was an improvement over Icebreaker and I look forward to future installments of the Maple Hills series!

I absolutely loved this book. ❤️ After a brief encounter at college, Russ and Aurora find themselves as counselors as a sleep-away camp for kids. Their friendship grows and flexes as they learn more about each other.

Russ is a quiet hockey player, who doesn’t take many risks. Aurora is a fun, outgoing woman, who doesn’t mind the risks. Together, they teach each other how to overcome their insecurities and family drama.

I love that this book is miscommunication free. As a result, there really is a lot of character growth. It might seem slightly u realistic to have two incredibly mature 20 year olds, but it didn’t take away from the narrative.

I really hope that there are more books in this series — I can’t wait to hear all about how the hockey boys get into relationships.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Hannah Grace. Icebreaker was an instant favorite of mine and originally I thought it was going to be a stand alone. I was so excited to hear there were going to me more stories. I love how this was not a tradition sports romance as a lot of these series end up being. I loved Russ and Aurora's banter and forced proximity is a favorite of mine. I hope she continues to write this series and we get more of these background characters!

Probably a hot take but I maybe liked Wildfire more than Icebreaker? Still deciding, but my barometer for if a book was good or not is the level of hangover I get afterwards, and Wildfire hit me hard! (that epilogue though)

The official review: Where do I began?! Maybe with Russ… ugh sweet baby Russ. Such a man written by a woman. It was hard not to fall for that guy (even though I wanted the second book to be about Henry… please say that’s happening!) Who doesn’t love a guy who just wants to deserve the girl he’s with? Also, he loves dogs. (That will make sense if you read it, not just a random quip)

Although, I think one of the main reasons this book was better than Icebreaker for me was that Aurora was awesome. Sometimes Stassie was a little annoying, but it was so easy to understand and like Aurora. Plus including the F1 element was fun. Oh! And the new side characters introduced to the Maple Hills universe were enjoyable too. Totally loved Xander. 10/10

Now this is the part where I share a few of my favorite quotes - skip if you don’t want to read - but they aren’t really spoilers.

“I’m not going anywhere, but you don’t need me, Aurora. You’re strong and sweet and funny. You’re smart and affectionate and you’re those things without me. You don’t need anyone but yourself, but you have me anyway. I worry I’m going to fuck this up, too, but we have to trust ourselves as much as we trust each other” -Russ our unproblematic king.

“It’s no secret that I love books. I love stories about people I don’t know, and places I haven’t been to. I’ve lived a thousand lives between a thousand pages, but no story, no life, no page has ever made me as happy as you do, Russ Callaghan.”
I MEAN COME ON.
Please write more Maple Hills books, Hannah Grace!

Thank you to the publisher for providing the ARC.

Respectfully, her writing is not for me. Still, this was very sweet. I liked the setting a lot. Fans will be happy and it's a good college romance, meaning it reads like a good bridge from YA Romance to Adult.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for providing an unbiased review.

3.25 DNF

I just couldn’t do it. It’s unprecedented for me to stop a book once I’ve gotten through a couple of chapters. Early on, I was worried that the innocent misinterpretation each of the two characters had the beginning would be drawn out for 50% of the book like many authors do, but the relief was short-lived.

First, it’s well over 400 pages long and at 64% done, I knew that meant a lot was left. The whole time I was just waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop and for them to get into trouble. The main characters end up working as counselors at the same long-term summer camp where there is a very strict no fraternizing with the opposite sex rule. Russ is, as always, very concerned with the rules and really needs this job. Aurora is the more reckless character, but also the one with an insanely rich family, who would not be as affected if she lost her job, other than the fact that she considers this camp like a second home.

I’m sure there are other fun things happening, and some sort of hoopla and probably tears with the dads and the moms too, but it was just no fun to be looking over my proverbial shoulder waiting for what was coming.

Giving up at such a late point is very hard for me, but I cringe at the thought of skipping a bunch of it to the end and considering it read. When the audiobook is released, I’ll cue it up to the point where I stopped reading and let it play through, probably at an increased speed, just so I know. I’m sure the rest of the book is good, but I can’t. I just can’t.

I read Icebreaker whenever it first came out, and I vaguely remember it based on the early scenes of this book, though there really isn’t an update or a summary of any of the people or incidences they mention so I couldn’t tell you that much about it anymore. Also, it may be because I have an advanced copy, even though we are not too far from the release date, but some of the language felt a little choppy or confusing, and I had to read many sentences again to pick them apart to get the meaning.

Just as an FYI, even though these books have cutely drawn covers, and the characters are in college, if you’re a concerned parent who doesn’t want explicit sexual scenes in your kids' reading, consider yourself informed. I know there was some concern with the last book. I’m all for some steaminess, but it’s good to acknowledge that it’s there if you’re someone who want to avoid explicit sex scenes.

This sequel to the famed Icebreaker was so cute! Though I wasn’t sure about the choice of main character based on his role in the first book, I quickly came to care so much about him and the relationship he built with his love interest. I will say, I did enjoy the first book a bit more than this one, but it was a fun time nonetheless!

I've really enjoyed the Maple Hills series and all the characters in their friend group. I loved Russ and Rory's relationship for many reasons: their chemistry, their vulnerability, their flaws and insecurities. Russ needing a pep talk from his friend to be able to talk to Aurora at the party where they met was adorable. I found both Russ's family issues and Rory's family drama to be very real and relatable. I could appreciate how their families shaped them and created some emotional baggage, and that the two of them were able to overcome more and face their families together. Other things I loved: the summer camp setting, the text chain with Russ and his friends, the "big sister" relationship between Jenna at camp and Aurora. My only critique would be that the romantic conflict/tension part of the book was very, very short. I suppose this book focused more on rifts between family members than strain between the protagonists.

As others have mentioned, shoutout to Xander for being a hilarious and supportive roommate and I would totally read his story.

Hannah Grace knocked this sequel out of the park. After falling in love with Stassie and Nathan in Icebreaker, staying in their world and following Russ and Rory felt like putting on my favorite sweater. I absolutely loved the depth and dimension of these two characters. Their family issues were both realistic and fleshed out, and I couldn’t help but feel such deep empathy for their situation. Plus forced proximity and forbidden romance?? Incredible. I ate this up.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Thank you to the publisher for the eArc.

I didn’t really like Icebreaker but still wanted to give the author a second chance, and I’m glad I did!

I found that a lot of the problems I had with Icebreaker (Fluffy scenes feeling to repetitive, feeling bored by the main conflict) weren’t an issue in Wildfire and it feels like the author is growing into her writing style a bit more. The banter between Aurora, Russ, and all of their friends was one of my favourite parts of the book. If you love a found family dynamic this is definitely for you. Aurora and Russ’s relationship was also sweet, and the chemistry between them felt natural making it easy to root for them. I also appreciated that the spice was well done without feeling like it was added in just to be there.

One thing that I did find to be a bit distracting was the dialogue during heart to heart moments between Russ and Aurora. It felt a little forced/scripted in a way that didn’t feel entirely natural to the characters.

Overall, I will definitely check out this author’s next book and will recommend this to anyone looking for a fun summer camp romance!

I read this book not long after I finished Icebreaker so the characters were fresh in my mind. I really enjoyed the story. I appreciated that there wasn't a lot of drama. I like how the characters from Icebreaker show up in this novel too. It was a sweet story and I highly recommend it. I can't wait for Hannah Grace's next book.