Wildlife by Fiona Wood Review

Title: Wildlife

Author: Fiona Wood

Series: None

Publisher: Poppy

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

Genre: Fiction; Contemporary; Realistic Fiction; Coming of Age; Romance; Young Adult

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

During a semester in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sib expects the tough outdoor education program and the horrors of dorm life, but friendship drama and love that gets complicated? That will take some navigating.
New girl Lou has zero interest in fitting in, or joining in. Still reeling from a loss that occurred almost a year ago, she just wants to be left alone. But as she witnesses a betrayal unfolding around Sib and her best friend Holly, Lou can't help but be drawn back into the land of the living.

In this tender, funny story of first love, good friendship, and going a little bit wild, Fiona Wood introduces two unforgettable girls who discover that before you can be true to yourself, you have to figure out exactly who you are.

First of all, love the cover. Even though it has nothing to do with the story and is very misleading.

Set in an outdoor program, this book follows the lives of two girls: Sib and Lou. Sib experienced a brief stardom when her aunt put her face on a billboard for all to see, and the aftermath is still resonating throughout her life. She was never the popular one, but after her face was blown up and plastered on the huge advertisement, everyone wants to be her friend, even Holly, the most popular girl in school. It’s like all Sib needed for people to see her was her face enlarged and shoved in their faces. Mesmerized by her newfound popularity, Sib happily accepts all the attention and the friendship of Holly (because we all know the most popular people at school are the best at being friends). Lou is the new kid at school and is not looking for new friends. After suffering the death of her boyfriend, Lou never fully recovered even with all the not-so-subtle hints of everyone around her to move on, push past, and forget about it. Through the trials and tribulations of first love, betrayal, and camp activities, Sib and Lou find their way into each other’s live with the help of Sib’s hopeless admirer and mutual friend, Michael. Hiking, canoeing, and general teenage rambunctiousness are accompanied by vital life lessons about friendship and love in this endearing tale of growing up.

The cover really should have two girls on it because there really is not a romance in Wildlife. Okay, fine, there is romance, but it’s not the whole story. The real story is the unlikely friendship between two girls with completely different backgrounds. Does the cover reveal that? No, not so much.

If I were to compare this book with a Melina Marchetta or E. Lockhart book, I would consider this book 50 times lighter than anything Marchetta or Lockhart could come up with it. Don’t get me wrong, I like it that way. Marchetta and Lockhart are more serious and heavy. Wildlife was a light summer read with a couple dark undertones streaked throughout.

The writing was simple and pleasing. Nothing too hard core. It didn’t leave me with a feeling of absolute wonder, nor did it leave me with a feeling of bewilderment or disgust. I appreciated the sincerity and honesty of the stories Wood brought to the table. Betrayal of friends, bad friendships, disappointment, and first loves are things almost everyone lives through. I could relate with both Sib and Lou and their dynamics.

While good in an easy, vanilla sort of way, this book wasn’t really anything extraordinarily special. It was forgettable, yet enjoyable.