Getting Wild is a fun and fluffy read, but it is also the type of books that is either going to be right up your alley or piss you off. Personally, I fell somewhere in between. This is my third Barrie book - although it is her debut - and I did expect something a little more than what I got. Her other books had the same brilliant and addictive writing style that this did, but her characters, romance and plotlines were much stronger in her latest novels than they were in Getting Wild. I think it’s fair to say this is her weakest work, but is still pretty good for a debut.
What I love about Barrie’s work most of all is a) her writing style - which is somehow both simplistic in a straight-to-the-point sort of way and engaging - and b) her strong female protagonist. Getting Wild’s protagonist, Ella, was fantastic. She was so much more than the typical “cold-hearted ice queen/bitch” that everyone assumed she was. She was ambitious, knew how good she was at her job, and made sure to put herself first, everyone else’s opinions and expectations of her be damned. I admired her perseverance and resilience. I loved that she had drive and talent, but I did think she was a little too easy to dislike at times and her backstory was a little bit too tragic. That being said, I did find that - in the end - this made her a stronger and more well-rounded character. No one is flawless! We did really get inside of her headspace and I left this book wanting more from her character in the best possible way.
The romance - and consequently, Ryan’s character - was pretty solid but still a little… lacking? For one, Ella and Ryan have a love/hate relationship (at first) which - if you didn’t know by now - is not my favourite thing. I think Ryan was a decent character, but we didn’t get to know him as well as Ella, and because we were in Ella’s head and she disliked him so much - at first, of course - it was hard to warm up to him. I never got to the place where I was completely rooting for him. It didn’t help that he said some things that made me cringe or raise my eyebrows. He was a little too possessive at times. I liked that he pushed Ella to open up and embrace herself, but at times he went too far. I am not a fan of the “alpha male” trope because - in my opinion - it’s too much of a precursor to abusive relationships. Ryan did say some things that would have, personally, had me running. He took things a step too far at times, especially towards the end of the book. However, he genuinely cared for Ella and didn’t abuse her at any stage - or I really would have been running. If you like this sort of romance, maybe it’ll be more of your thing.
The plotline, in general, was fun at first because of its obvious Devil Wears Prada influences (which is one of my favourite chicklit movies). The more the story went along, the more I thought the main storyline got predominated by the romance. Seeing as this book is pitched as a romance though, I guess that was to be expected. Would I have enjoyed more journalism and writing? Yes. Did it bother me a whole deal that we didn’t? Not particularly. Just worth noting.
Overall? I thought this was an enjoyable read. The protagonist and addictive quality to the writing were certainly my favourite parts, but the romance was not my favourite. If more time was taken building up Ryan’s character than I do think I could have enjoyed this story more. However, if you love a good contemporary romance (with some great Australian settings!) then I wouldn’t turn you away from this. I still look forward to Barrie’s future books!