Wildfire

Wildfire (2023) is a new adult contemporary romance novel by BookTok sensation Hannah Grace. Grace is a romance author based in Manchester who got her start self-publishing on Wattpad before transitioning to traditional publishing. Wildfire follows a forbidden romance between two camp counselors, Aurora Roberts and Russ Callaghan. After a one-night stand, Aurora and Russ expect to go their separate ways for the summer yet end up as coworkers at Honey Acres sleepaway camp. Russ wants to avoid his troubled family for the summer, and Aurora hopes to rediscover herself by returning to her childhood home away from home. As they’re forced to spend more time together and bond over their shared family issues, fighting their mutual attraction to avoid losing their jobs becomes nearly impossible.

This guide refers to the e-book edition published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in 2023.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss gambling addiction, parental neglect and verbal abuse, and alcohol abuse.

Plot Summary

Aurora Roberts is a student at the University of California, Maple Hills who has a reputation for reckless behavior and no-strings-attached hookups. She tries not to suffocate under her helicopter mother’s affection and struggles to obtain the attention of her disinterested father who is preoccupied with his Formula 1 racing team; his girlfriend, Norah; and Norah’s daughter, Isobel. Russ Callaghan is a hockey player at Maple Hills who lives with his hockey teammates, including his friend Henry Turner. He lacks confidence and lives a private life to avoid anyone learning about his dysfunctional family, particularly his father’s gambling addiction.

When Aurora attends a house party at the hockey house with Emilia Bennett, her best friend and roommate, a game of drunk Jenga forces her into an intimate situation with Russ, leading to a one-night stand. After they have sex, Aurora sneaks out, unaware that Russ is preparing to ask her on a date. They don’t expect to cross paths again, but unbeknownst to them, they’re both incoming counselors at Honey Acres sleepaway camp for the entire summer.

The next morning, Russ drives to Honey Acres, looking forward to disconnecting from the outside world. The spotty cell service and busy schedule are the perfect distractions from his father’s texts begging for money and guilt-inducing phone calls from his mother and brother. Russ meets his cabinmate, Xander.

Aurora hopes that at Honey Acres, she will stop acting recklessly and rediscover herself. When Aurora and Emilia arrive at camp, Aurora is shocked to discover that Russ is a counselor and offended by his apparent indifference toward her following their one-night stand the night prior. Meanwhile, Russ lacks confidence after her sly escape and assumes that she’s no longer interested in him.

Team-bonding activities among the counselors only fuel the attraction still simmering between Russ and Aurora. Throughout the week they spend preparing for the campers’ arrival, they clear up their miscommunication and agree to be friends: Romance between counselors is prohibited and would lead to them both being fired. Their friendship strengthens, and Aurora slowly opens up about her personal life, her strained relationships with her family, and her insecurities and lack of self-worth. However, Russ remains closed off about the details of his own relationship with his family. While Aurora becomes aware that he has issues with his father, Russ never reveals that it’s due to a gambling addiction.

Just as Russ is becoming comfortable at camp, he receives a call from his older brother, Ethan, who reveals that Russ’s father has been in a car accident. Russ is guilted into leaving camp immediately to visit the hospital, where he finally confronts both his father for hurting Russ with his gambling and drinking and his mother for enabling his father’s behavior. When Russ returns to camp, Aurora is upset by the fact that he left without warning. On a hike to a remote swimming hole that Aurora treasures, Russ admits that his father was in a car accident and reveals that his father is verbally cruel when he drinks, but the gambling addiction remains a secret. Aurora tells Russ about her father’s neglect and expresses her pride in finding newfound confidence at Honey Acres. She fears that she’ll lose the progress once returning to Maple Hills, and Russ promises not to let that happen.

Russ calls his friend JJ to express his growing feelings for Aurora, and JJ encourages him to disregard camp rules and act on his feelings. During a stormy night when Xander and Emilia are scheduled to sleep in the kids’ cabins as supervisors, Aurora visits Russ’s cabin for comfort. They break camp rules by having sex. Rather than leave afterward, Aurora stays the night. For several weeks, Aurora and Russ sneak around. While Emilia and Xander find out, they manage to keep their romance a secret from the camp director, Jenna.

On a day trip to the nearby town of Meadow Springs on their day off, Aurora tells Russ about her dream of owning a bookstore. When she asks about Russ’s dreams, he expresses not wanting to go pro in hockey because he prefers privacy. When she admits that her family is in the public eye because her father owns a Formula 1 racing team, Russ becomes spooked about their relationship, but the following day, Xander manages to dissolve Russ’s anxiety. Aurora throws Russ a surprise 21st birthday party, inviting his hockey teammates and friends to Honey Acres. She gives Russ one redeemable wish for his birthday, which he uses to take her on a date. One night, they sneak out of camp, and he drives her to an open field where they picnic under the stars and watch a movie.

Aurora’s father proposes to Norah and invites her to be a bridesmaid. Aurora is elated before he reveals that the bridesmaid offer is only for publicity. Russ calms Aurora down, and the two have sex. They’re caught by Jenna, who has come to inform them that Aurora’s mother and Russ’s father have arrived at camp. Aurora speaks to her mother, who has come to keep her company after hearing the news that Aurora’s father is getting married. Meanwhile, Russ speaks to his father, who is genuinely remorseful about the destruction that his gambling addiction and drinking have caused and intends to seek help after being kicked out of the family home by Russ’s mother. Afterward, Jenna punishes Russ and Aurora with mucking out the horse stalls for a week but does not fire them.

On departure day, Aurora visits Russ’s cabin before her flight to her father’s wedding—which she’s reluctantly decided to attend. While he’s in the shower, his phone continuously rings, and Aurora decides to answer. Ethan tells Aurora that Russ’s father has entered a Gambler’s Anonymous program. Russ reacts angrily out of embarrassment at her discovery, and Aurora misses her flight to mend things with Russ. On the drive back to Maple Hills, Russ tells her everything about his family. When her father calls, angered by her absence from the wedding, Aurora confronts him about how his neglect has made her feel. Her father shows no remorse, and she decides that she no longer cares about seeking his affections.

After returning Aurora to Maple Hills, Russ visits his family and sees proof of his father’s commitment to improvement. The following day, Aurora plans a homecoming party for Russ with all their friends in attendance, and they profess their love for each other. The Epilogue reveals that nine years later, Russ and Aurora have moved to Meadow Springs, built a house on the plot of land where they had their first date, and opened Aurora’s dream bookstore. While Aurora’s father has not made efforts to form a relationship with her, Russ’s father has recovered from his addiction and has a strong relationship with Russ.