Camp People by Liz Vidulich

Camp People by Liz Vidulich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Prism for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Most 27-year-olds don't live full-time at summer camp, but in the years since tragedy left Paige Schilsky alone in the world, Mirror Lake has become her home, from the climbing tower she can scale blindfolded to the renovated boathouse she's decorated as most would their first apartment. When her boss tells her she's overstayed her welcome, Paige resolves to make the most of her last season as camp director-until the arrival of an old colleague threatens to ruin her summer before it begins.

Handsome and cocky, Oliver Trevenen earned Paige's ire from their first meeting, and nothing in the five years they worked together as counselors convinced her he was more than a loud mouth and pretty face. Now that he's back-cute as ever and living in the spare room of her boathouse-Paige is determined to keep her distance, but it's easier said than done in the bubble of summer camp. As they bring old camp traditions to a new generation and share late nights musing over the past, Paige discovers a sensitive person healing beneath Oliver's irreverent facade-and reveals a side of her heart she's long kept hidden.

But September is just around the corner, and with it the perils of adult life Paige has been avoiding. When camp ends, Paige must figure out whether a relationship nurtured by summer and nostalgia-and a life defined by it-can make it in the real world.
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This book called to me because I am a Camp Person. Some of my best days were spent in the great outdoors, having the same kind of experiences that campers go back to Mirror Lake for year after year. My camp was a Girl Scout camp, so it wasn't quite the same, but anyone who is a Camp Person knows the unique joy of spending a summer with all your belongings packed in a foot locker, working with coworkers who become family, leading kids on great adventures, and challenging yourself in ways that make your adult self sometimes wonder just what you were thinking. It's clear that the author of this book is also a Camp Person because she captured the magic of summer camp in this novel perfectly.

Beyond the memories that reading this brought up for me, this book contained within it a sweet frenemies-to-lovers romance that I really enjoyed. It also explores themes of grief, growing up and moving on, and making a brave leap into the unknown of adulthood outside the safety of camp. There were plenty of moments that were little emotional landmines for me, and I found myself shedding a tear or two more than once. And at the end of the book, I felt like I always did after a good summer at camp...a little sad that it was over but loving the experience. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has fond memories of their summer camp days, but it is also perfect for those who are looking for a romance novel with some emotional depth and a beautiful setting that is perfect for these late summer days.

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Return to Sender by Stephanie Parente

Return to Sender by Stephanie Parente
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Violet is usually an optimist. But between her father’s sudden death and the overnight responsibility of caring for her rebellious teenage sister, Phoebe, she’s barely holding it together. Then Phoebe discovers a love letter, never delivered and returned to the sisters’ address, begging its recipient to give him another chance. Phoebe seems excited for the first time since their dad died, and Violet will do anything to keep that smile on her face. Together, they set out to find the letter’s author, hoping to rectify a derailed happily-ever-after.

Despite Dex being rather abrasive (valid) and more than a little enigmatic (intriguing?), Phoebe talks him into a cross-country road trip to put the letter in the right hands. Violet is thrilled to see Phoebe thriving again. With every pit stop, they chip away at Dex’s moody exterior, and Violet realizes she might like what lies beneath . . . a lot. But what happens when they finally reach their destination—and Dex’s ex-girlfriend? Is what they’ve discovered on the road strong enough to make it back home?
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I have to be honest and admit that this book started out a little slow for me. However. Once I was into it, I was REALLY into it, and I could not put it down. Going along as Violet, Phoebe, and Dex set off on their cross-country adventure felt like I was on my own adventure. And the grumpy-sunshine-ness of the whole thing combined with the experience of witnessing Phoebe's evolution as they made their way across the map...I had a lot of feelings. I am actually writing this review several days after I finished reading the book, and I can still conjure up the feelings. It was heartwarming. There was a strong theme of grief throughout the entire book, but it was handled with sensitivity. I did cry, several times. And despite all that, it made me so, so happy.

I also have to say that I felt the perfect amount of anxiety (which is why I could not book the down...I do love a little bit of angst) as the characters got closer to the end of their road trip because I could not figure out how there was going to be a resolution that I could possibly be satisfied with. After all, there was what I wanted to happen, and there was what I thought was going to happen, and there was what I thought would be best for everyone in the end, and those were not always the same thing. This is not easy to do in a contemporary romance, as sometimes they can get a little predictable. I am happy to say that I did not find this predictable.

I have already added Parente to my auto-buy authors list.

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The Matchmaker's Cottage by Kat Sloane

The Matchmaker's Cottage by Kat Sloane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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Julia Schaeffer might run the most romantic little bed-and-breakfast in Upstate New York, but as far as that infuriating Ethan Duchamp is concerned, this older, wiser Julia has a strict “no vacancy” policy. Sure, she’s teetering on the edge of a financial cliff, and his half-baked plan to pair up his celebrity clients at her inn will undoubtedly be good for business…but how much forced proximity with the man who abandoned her is she supposed to take?

Ethan needs this to work. The dreamy, autumnal—and blissfully secluded—cottage from his childhood summers is the ideal setting for playing matchmaker to Hollywood’s next power couple. It’s the only way to save his PR career from the tabloid toilet. He knew that the inn and Julia’s warm, comforting homemade touch would inspire real feelings—he just didn’t expect them to be his. Again.

But as old wounds reopen, and their connection rekindles, Julia and Ethan are forced to confront the truths they’ve both tried to bury. In a town where nothing stays hidden for long, they’ll have to decide if they can rebuild what was lost—or if their second chance will be derailed by scars that have yet to heal.
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There were some things about this book that were really fun. It had a dual-timeline/dual-POV storyline that really worked. I liked learning about the history of the friendship between Ethan and Julia and how it had shaped them into the people they are in the present day. I loved the lakeside setting and the bed-and-breakfast, and I am a sucker for any book that has a food component included in it. I also really liked the entire cast of supporting characters (except for the "villain," but you're not supposed to like the villain, right?).

However, there were a couple of things that fell a little flat for me. There were a few plot points that were a little too unrealistic/coincidental, and there was one thread that felt like it was inserted just to add a little bit of friction but could have been omitted. However, I still really enjoyed the overall experience of reading about Ethan and Julia and their story, and I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fun fall romance with a little bit of spice, a second-chance romance, and a couple of plot twists to keep them guessing.

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