Review: Beautiful Wild by Anna Godbersen

Vida Hazzard can see her future: aboard the heralded “Millionaire’s Ship of the West,” she’ll charm the young scion Fitzhugh Farrar, resulting in a proposal of marriage.

But Vida didn’t plan on Fitz’s best friend, Sal, a rough-around-the-edges boy with a talent for getting under her skin. Nor did she anticipate a hurricane dashing their ship to pieces, along with her dreams.

Stranded on an island with both Fitz and Sal, Vida is torn between the life she’s always planned for, and a future she’s never dared to want. As they desperately plot a course for home, Vida will discover just which boy can capture her wild heart—and where her future truly lies.But Vida didn’t plan on Fitz’s best friend, Sal, a rough-around-the-edges boy with a talent for getting under her skin. Nor did she anticipate a hurricane dashing their ship to pieces, along with her dreams.

Stranded on an island with both Fitz and Sal, Vida is torn between the life she’s always planned for, and a future she’s never dared to want. As they desperately plot a course for home, Vida will discover just which boy can capture her wild heart—and where her future truly lies.

Review
The blurb of this one immediately appealed to me. I mean, shipwrecks, desert islands and love triangles, with the backdrop of American high society - what’s not to love!? So I dived in with high expectations. The story follows Vida, star of the gossip columns and subject of society’s scrutiny, who boards The Princess of the Pacific for its maiden voyage with the intention of snaring Fitzhugh Farrar, the younger son of a prolific shipping magnate. When disaster strikes Vida finds herself stranded with Fitzhugh, his companion Sal, and a host of other passengers.

Vida is a grower of a character. Initially self absorbed and shallow, we slowly see her bloom into a mature, forward thinking young woman. On board the ship all of the characters are purposefully little more than cardboard cut outs, restrained by the roles they have been given by society - the eligible bachelor, the gossip columnist, the ‘nobody.’ It’s only when they are marooned that the true characters emerge, when everyone is equal and the rules of society no longer apply (but even then some of the survivors can’t shake the convention that has been drilled into them their entire lives).

I wasn’t as emotionally gripped by the plot as I expected to be - a ship of Titanic proportions goes down and the Island survivors shrug it off surprisingly quickly with only passing references to the trauma they must have been through. Again though characters are restricted by the time period - showing emotion isn’t really ‘done’. We see events solely from Vida’s point of view so the narrative also reflects her initial detached view of the world, with little empathy for those around her. That said I did expect a bit more drama! 

The descriptions, particularly of the island, are so vivid that I could picture them easily. The golden sand, the spectacular sunsets, the dense jungle with its bright flowers and beautiful waterfalls. It almost makes me want to live there. Almost. 

I’ll say no more for fear of spoilers (although I did guess fairly early on exactly what would happen - which is no bad thing!) I would recommend Beautiful Wild to YA readers after something a bit different, an escapist read that isn’t fantasy makes for a refreshing change. Fans of Anna Godbersen’s precious works will eat this up. I’ve had her Luxe series sitting unread of my shelves for years now. Maybe it’s time to change that!