5 Stars - A Fun Summer Camp Romance

Romance is my absolute favorite... there’s just something addicting with books that make my heart skip a beat and leave me feeling happy. Breaking the Rules of Revenge by Samantha Bohrman definitely did that and more. It’s a fun sweet story about first love, but it also delivers a great message about self-discovery, honesty and forgiveness. 

The writing in this book is fantastic and easy to read. The plot, while a bit predictable at times, is fast-paced, engaging, and so much fun! As a teen, I’ve always wanted to go to summer camp ever since I watched Bug Juice on the Disney Channel. Gosh.. I don’t even know if anyone still remembers that show, but this book brought me back to those days… And it’s absolutely the best feeling ever! I loved every moment and I honestly could not stop reading. (Bug Juice is a reality show about teens in summer camp and I just read that it's actually being revived in 2018 just in case you wanted to know).

I thought Bohrman did a such great job creating genuine and relatable characters. They acted their age -- teenagers just trying to figure out who they are and learn from their mistakes. Mallory is shy and a bit insecure. She’s always overshadowed by her popular twin sister, Blake, and I just felt for her. Ben comes off as the “bad guy,” but you learn that he’s actually quite charming, sweet, and kind. George is just delightful! I loved his quirky personality. And Blake…she’s everything Mallory wants to be -- beautiful, confident, and popular. But underneath all that, Blake is still just a teenager with her own insecurities. At one point of another, I’ve been a Mallory, envied a Blake, had a friend like George, and crushed on someone like Ben. They’re just so real and I absolutely adored them.

I also really enjoyed the dual POVs between Mallory and Ben. It was interesting to read how they saw each other and how they dealt with their growing attraction. I honestly just wanted to squeeze the both them… Mallory and Ben are just so cute together. Their chemistry had me smiling the entire time and I loved watching their relationship develop into something more. From pranking each other to calling truce and being friends and to almost kissing and actually kissing, I swooned over and over. This is why I’m forever a romance junkie… I love feeling giddy, and happy, and getting those butterflies in my stomach. 

This book is charming in so many ways and I just love it to pieces! If you’re looking for something quick, light and sweet, then I definitely recommend you pick this up. 

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

mallory thinks that trading places with her identical twin sister blake will be a good thing for her. she'll spend a couple of weeks in the woods, her sister will pass her math class for her, and she can try her hand at being more like her confident, good-with-the-boys sister.

if only ben iron cloud, the boy blake has been feuding with over a series of escalating pranks hadn't also been sent to camp. and even though mallory knows that he has every right to be mad at blake. he doesn't actually have any reason to be mad at her. so when he decides to get revenge on blake, mallory ends up in his crosshairs.

what ben can't figure out is why he's suddenly seeing blake in a new light. she doesn't seem as selfish. and she keeps apologizing. and when he realizes that he's breaking the rules of revenge that he set for himself, he has to admit that his heart isn't into it. there's more to blake than he thought. (mainly because who he thinks is blake is actually mallory.)

this secret identity causes way more problems than mallory could have ever imagined. because she really likes ben. and she knows he's going to be so angry at her when he learns the truth. and there's also a part of her that is afraid that ben likes the parts of her that are pretending to be blake and won't like the real mallory.

when everything blows up it ends up blowing over pretty quickly. blake for all her awfulness does actually care for mallory, and she ends up helping in a surprising way. when you think of summer camp and identical twins and pranks you can't help but think of the parent trap, but this is definitely not a retelling of that particular story, it is just as enjoyable though. the pranks that ben ends up pulling off on mallory are pretty epic. orange hair and green teeth are definitely something.

Contemporary is my favourite! And this book has my heart. The author did mention 'Parent Trap' a few times and yes, it is kind of having that in this book except the twins know each other and live with their father. But Breaking the Rules of Revenge is not about their parents. The light is shining on the twins and the boy.

The two identical twins were so different in many parts. Blake Jones, she is a popular girl in her school. Many people want to be friends with her especially the boys, however, it's different from her twin sister, Mallory Jones, who is a very low profile person and always has a book with her. It makes Mallory thing that Blake has a really perfect life, people know her and loves her and that makes her want to be like Blake. So, when the opportunity came to her, to be Blake for six weeks at Camp Pine Ridge. She does not hesitate to grab it but being Blake, there are consequences she has to face - the anger from the guy name Benjamin Iron Cloud is unbearable at Blake for what she had done to him, those pranks really makes him hate her. Ben Iron Cloud start to plot revenge when sees 'Blake' at Camp Pine Ridge. 

The book really caught my interest from the first page. I love the plot, the story, and the characters. It's really wonderful. What I love even more about the book is that the setting is at a Summer Camp! I'm dying to be in Summer Camp. I really do want to experience it. Nonetheless, just by reading from the book has made feel like I'm at Summer Camp.

The only thing that confused me a bit was when the real Blake came to camp and both of them need to take turn. Well, that what confused me a bit.

To sum up, I really do enjoy the book. Ben and Mallory is perfect for each other. The most importantly, Blake has taken the responsibility to accept the punishment for what she has done. It is a beautiful ending of a sweet, loving story.

Rating: 4.5 Star

Very fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed!  The story was very well done and had me laughing and smiling all the way through.  

A set of twins, one a good girl and one a bit wilder.  When Blake finds herself in trouble, again, and doomed to summer camp she convinces her twin Mallory to go in her place.  Ben Iron Cloud can't believe his bad luck.  His nemesis Blake Jones is at the same camp as he is.  She's the one that got him in trouble to start with and now he has to deal with her for 6 weeks of his summer.  He's confused though, she's nothing like the girl he knew at home.  This Blake is nice, kind, and generally perfect.Which one is the real Blake???

A fantastic YA read that I think you will enjoy.  I highly recommend it.

I've been on a big contemporary kick lately and have probably read just about every topic - okay, not EVERY topic - but I have to admit that this is the first one that I read about twins. I'd like to say that it's sort of Parent Trap-esque but the only similarity there is twins and the story taking place at a summer camp. Oh, and the old switcheroo!

Mallory sort of reminded me of myself in quite a few different ways. I think we can all relate to being bookworms and having book boyfriends. Unfortunately, the awkwardness also comes with it. Mal had a low confidence level and figured that stepping into her sister's shoes would help her get out of her own shell. It's something I've wondered about as well.

I loved that Ben and Mallory fell for each other. There was added drama with him and Blake being enemies - which was the whole reason why both were at the camp - but they were able to put the differences aside while Mal pretended to be her sister.

I do wish she had fessed up once the real Blake showed up. I feel like there would have been less angst and that Ben would have handled the situation better. I'd love to see more of them in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Teen for giving me the opportunity to read an e-ARC of this!

Breaking the Rules of Revenge by Samantha Bohrman is an sweet, fun, and  delightful YA contemporary romance.   I love this genre, there is something so innocent about first loves.   I love the quirky people and situations in this book, and watching the characters grow over their summer at camp.  I found this book to be a quick read, and recommend it to all YA romance readers, young and old.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Now that summer is coming to an end so is the lovely world of sleep away camps, and we all know what happens at camps (or at least we can imagine) a whole lot of shenanigans.  This book did not disappoint in the whole camp pranks that’s for sure.  Samantha Bohrman did a great job bringing this camping experience to life.  We met some interesting characters and had a laugh or two. 

We meet Mallory, who is Blake’s identical sister (but she’s also the one no one notices), she decides to take over Blake’s life for her at camp.  Yes they are pulling the old switch-a-roo almost parent trap like but not, man I really loved that movie.  Anyway so Mallory wants to come out and be a different person, someone people will notice and will interact with her more, little did she know that Blake’s nemesis will also be at the same camp, Ben.  

I really liked the fact that Ben was a Native American, as you don’t often see that in young adult novels (not included you know what Team Jacob lol).  But it was sad to see that he really didn’t know much about his heritage to begin with, regardless he was an interesting character.  Especially when he thought he was dealing with the real Blake and was fooled the whole time.  Oh the regret of those silly, silly pranks.  Although they were quite funny and unique.  

Anyway the dynamic between Mallory and Ben is adorable.  They get each other and complement each other very well, but again there are secrets that are being held and won’t be revealed until the end, with that as I’m sure you can imagine will be consequences.  Things happen between the two of them, truths come out and realities are finally in play.  It’s what you do with the information you are given that make you the better person and I think the two of them figured out exactly what they needed to do with each other. 

Overall I thought the book was a quick and easy fun read.  Perfect for the end of summer, with a few funny hijinks, some very interesting secondary characters and typical people you would expect to see at camp.  The setting was great, the people were great, just an overall good book.  I really liked the cover too, it was very eye catching.

Breaking the Rules of Revenge is your typical summer teen romance novel. I enjoyed the summer camp setting and the "parent trap" kind of switcheroo situation. Told from the perspective of Mallory Jones and Ben Iron Cloud, I loved how their stories ran sort of parallel to the romance novel that Mallory is reading. And I could definitely relate to Mallory's bookworm tendencies. I also could relate to the feelings of being overshadowed by a sibling who is more athletic and more popular than you although I did appreciate how Blake was able to slightly redeem herself at the end. Additionally, I think it would be interesting to have a book told from Blake's point of view as she was starting to show that she's more than just your typical flaky, materialistic rich girl. Breaking the Rules of Revenge is a light and fun summer read with an adorable female protagonist!

Cute. Funny. Loveable. This was also another quick read and it had some funny moments in there along with embarrassing and tear-jerking moments. I loved the characters Mallory and Ben, although I do wish there was more of a back story to the characters because they were a little one dimensional. The plot was a little basic for me I kinda wish things were a bit crazier and that the Climax would build up more and shatter you, but you can't have everything.
The writing was easy to understand and I still enjoyed the story, but I was hoping for more. In short, I recommend this book to cliche lovers and 12+ because this is something cute and easy, and it's the modern day teen fairy tale, so a little unrealistic.
3/5

I’m typically not the first to jump at a romance novel, but for Bohrman’s novel I made the exception. The synopsis piqued my interest, and I dove into reading. I’m a fan of mistaken identities and the trope of pretending to be a sibling (I’m going to blame Shakespeare for that one). Needless to say, this seemed like it would fulfill those not-so-guilty pleasures of mine.

Breaking the Rules of Revenge took me a bit to get into. Blake’s personality and the entire family set up went to the extreme in order to defend character choices and personalities. Character personal growth occurred off-screen so that those gradual wars of morals that I looked forward to were summarized blurbs and the end decision by the time they were presented in the story. Ben’s inability to make a conclusion further than “Wow, Blake sure seems different than I thought! She’s actually amazing!” having known what he dealt with when socializing with her was a bit of a stretch. Each time the “wow this is what I expected” moment popped up, I was expecting him to get onto something. Him not knowing Blake had a twin until like a week before the big reveal seemed a bit like a cheap shot - seeing how Mallory and Blake are portrayed as so differently in presentation that he would think they were one person at school seems a bit unbelievable.

Granted, once Mallory (posing as Blake) and Ben began tumbling down the road to head over heels for each other, the writing was sweet, savory, and intriguing. The bonding over cleaning the hiking trail, such a sweet and authentic build. Rainstorm + cave? Yesssss. 

I liked that Ben wasn’t the typical buff, white, bad boy. Points for diversity. Points for him dealing with the romanticization and sexualization of his ethnicity and being done with it. However, there were multiple times where the handling of his heritage and family history felt stereotyped and failed to address any nuance; this created a rift in my appreciation.

Overall, I adored Bohrman’s concept and she had some beautifully sizzling moments, but the ticks against characterization and believability knocked down the rating for me.

*Thanks so much to Entangled Teen for sending me over an e-ARC of this! I really appreciate it, and it did not change my opinion in any way!*

I have a thing for camp books. Like, I really like camp books (i. e. why I have a thing for them - wow, I'm being Princess Obvious). Therefore, the moment I saw some trees on the cover, I WAS LIKE, THAT'S A CAMP BOOK AND I WANT TO READ IT. While the book started off strong, it fell apart for me and my camp love couldn't quite save it.

There were quite a few good things that I did enjoy about the novel. As I said, I was fully invested for about 40% of the novel and it was riding at easily a 4 crown rating. Bohrman has a very easy writing style, and it really does feel like the perfect, easy read to pick up when summer is winding down with fall up on deck. The atmosphere was wonderful, and the setting of camp was a lot of fun. 

Our main characters were fun as well. Gosh, I could relate to Mallory. She has a perchance for regency romance, and dear gosh, I wanted the book that she was reading so badly. I literally kept going, um, I need an update on the duke and Lydia. They were some of my favorite parts of the novel. I've never been so invested in such a ridiculously small subplot before and I think the author deserves a major round of applause for making me care so much about that. Other than that, I could relate with Mallory in other ways, and I thought she was quite real and realistic. 

One of the issues I had was that it seems to get a bit too repetitive. After reading about the pranks and whole keeping a secret thing, I felt like something had to give. Yes, the twist was put in, but it took a little too long to get there and then I grew restless and bored. And then when it did come, I knew it was going to happen and I didn't really care as much because I was so done with waiting for it. I just bored and felt so eh. 

And then the characters. While I had an investment in them in the beginning, I thought their growth got a bit stunted. Some of it didn't feel as natural as it should have been, and I really kind of just stopped rooting them on. There was the whole reveal tension, of course, and that was amazing, but then the aftermath didn't feel as satisfactory for me. The ending just felt so meh to me and I kind of just...I felt nothing at the end, and you're usually supposed to have a super happy feeling at the end of a contemporary novel.

I'm not sure if I even explained my thoughts on this properly, but it did feel like this book had an odd switch. The beginning half of the story was very strong, and I thought it was fun and a perfect end of summer read. However, lack of growth in the story and characters brought the ending half down for me, and I failed to get into the ending half due to that. 2 crowns and a Cinderella rating!

Mallory and Blake are identical twins, but the similarities stop there, because they could not be more different from each other. Blake is the popular girl who gets everything she wants and Mallory is the invisible girl who has spent her entire life in the shadow of her sister.
On this vacation everything can change,  as punishment for made too many bad things Blake will be sent to a camp. However she convinces her sister to go in her place.

Mallory wants to be noticed at least once in her life and posing as her sister was her chance.
Problem is that Ben, a badboy with vengeful thirst also goes to this camp and decides to turn the life of "Blake" into a hell.

With a light and funny writing, I delighted in this book that practically swallowed me because I could not leave until I discovered how the exchange and all the confusion generated by the twins would be undone.

I loved the cover very much after all, even though it was a book about the twins overcoming themselves and finding out what they really want, Ben was very important to both of them and deserves to be the cover. I loved that it was narrated from the point of view of Ben and Mallory because it helps a lot in the understanding of each one's feelings.
The end was cute mostly a scene in the middle of the woods with Mallory and Ben.

5/5 stars

I received this book via NetGallery in exchange for my honest review. 

This was a cute read, that had some humor and parent trap moments. The book had some ups and downs. The characters were ok to me, they did not stand out. Really did not like Blake. 

The pranks that they did between them were funny brought some humor to the book. 

I felt like the end was a bit rushed. When I was reading I felt like I was missing things. The book was a bit long and dragged a bit but then rushed the ending. I also thought that it was a little weird that Ben didn't know the Blake had a twin sister as they went to school together.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really like a lot about this book. The kid in me whose favorite movie was The Parent Trap loved the storyline of twins trading places. 

Mallory is a shy girl who lived in the shadows of her twin sister Blake for too long, so she jumps at the opportunity to switch places at camp for the summer. Switching places allows her to live a little and be more confident. 

Ben hates Blake and can't seem to understand why at camp he seems to like her so much. 

This book is an interesting take on a sort of enemies to more romance with lots of twists and turns keeping you on your toes!

Overall, I would recommend this book as a cute, adorable summer camp romance book!

The story was a bit cookie cutter for me.   I had several issues with it.  The teens did not act like 16 year olds.  They seemed much younger most of the time.   Ben had been in school with Blake and Mallory but only knows Blake?   If there were twins in the school I'm sure he would have known.  They had to have been some talk.  The guys that thought Mallory was Blake in the rain knew right away it wasn't Blake, so why didn't Ben?  The fact the camp leader sent them on the trails alone at their age and it said they walked for 3 hours before stopping was a bit far fetched.   I didn't feel the relationship develop into a boyfriend/girlfriend area before they were making out.  The ending part with Blake just felt thrown in for added drama.  This book just didn't work for me.  I received a free ebook in exchange for a honest review.

Sadly this one missed the mark for me. The characters were under developed and the plot just didn't hold my interest.

Breaking the Rules of Revenge
Samantha Bohrman
Book Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ +
Absolutely loved this book! It had everything I like rolled into one beautiful little parcel. Breaking the Rules of Revenge is definitely going on my favourite shelf.

Mallory Jones is an identical twin. She is the quiet, head in a book twin, while her twin is an extrovert. Blake is loud, over confident and a whole dose of trouble. Mallory plays an instrument, follows the rules and keeps her head down. Blake is good at sport, popular, and still Math smart. Mallory is given the chance to swap her life for Blakes and she decides to take her up on the offer. Little does she know Blakes life is about to catch up with her.

Ben hates Blake with a passion. He would go as far as calling her evil. She has made his life a living hell over the last year, and he has had enough. His mother has sent him away for the summer to camp, but his problems have followed him. The root of all evil is at camp too! He decides to take matters into his own hands, and get Blake back for all the trouble she caused him.

This summer Blake seems different to what he remembers from school. She actually seems nice. He might even dare to say he likes her but, Blake isn't what she seems.

This book had me laughing and loving every minute. Twin swap at its best. Mallory is about to get what Blake deserves, and it may just turn out to be the hottest summer ever. 

This is a camp story full of pranks and summer fun. 5+ stars out of 5. I didn't want this book to end. I want more!!!

*ARC Received in exchange for a fair review*                  ***Read this book! ***

ebook £4.70
Expected publication: September 11th 2017 by Entangled Publishing, LLC (Crush)

Identical twins Mallory and Blake couldn't be more different. Mallory the quiet, rule abiding and somewhat invisible book worm who deep down wants to be just like her sister. Blake is popular, beautiful and self centered. blake gets everything she wants and when she lands herself in trouble she wants her sister to pretend to be her and do her punishment. But Mallory doesn't seem to mind if it means she can see how it feels to be her sister. At least until Ben iron cloud decides to get his revenge on Blake making mallory his accidental target. 
With romance, revenge and heartache this is a story that brings not just two lovers together but two sisters too.

This was such a cute little read. Usually most contemporaries are. A bit on the cliched side but it really was just a fun little contemporary. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It reminded me of the Parent Trap but more modern. 

The book switched between two POVs- Mallory and Ben. Mallory's twin, Blake, has to be sent to a camp in order to learn how to behave. Mallory takes her place and to her horror, she discovers that Ben is there. The Ben that her sister got in trouble with a very bad prank.

Mallory was awesome. She reminded me of me. She is a book worm that is very shy and would much rather be reading and looking for fireflies. She was anxious and was constantly overshadowed by her amazing twin. Even though this was a short little book, I could see the change that happened to Mallory when she went to camp. Like I've said before, I love a book that has a character growth arc. 

Ben was kind of the stereotypical "bad boy" from the "wrong side of the tracks". Although, A plus to Samantha Bohrman for Native American representation. We soon learn that there is more to Ben then what meets the eye. I appreciated him as a character and I appreciated his POV but I didn't bond with him like I did with Mallory. I usually have a hard time bonding with male characters, though, so this is just a me not you case. 

Overall, this was a fun pleasant read. It wasn't super deep or anything like but it was a fun break from all the serious novels that I have been reading. I would definitely recommend this if you are in between series or just need a light and happy fun read.

Received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review from Entangled Publishing, LLC via NetGalley.

Awww, another great book taking place at Camp Pine Ridge! I really enjoyed this book. Mallory and Ben were such great characters! Mallory decided she was tired of her life as the unseen and boring twin. Her twin, Blake, is the “It” girl with popularity, athleticism, and a mean streak! The girls decide that Mallory is going to go to Camp Pine Ridge in place of Blake. Mallory decides to use this time to channel her “inner-Blake”. Ben is at Camp Pine Ridge because of Blake and he is ready to get his revenge on her! As he gets to know her, he sees a side of her that makes him question everything he thought about her. Mallory is so sweet and kind! Ben is a nice guy with the exception of getting revenge on Blake! The chemistry between Mallory and Ben is fabulous! I loved all of the interactions between them. The pranks involved in Ben’s Revenge Plan are hilarious! I also really enjoyed Ben’s friend, George’s spot on psychoanalysis of everyone. Something that I thought was really fun and clever was the book Mallory was reading paralleled what she was going through in her life. This book had revenge, romance, twin hi-jinks, and a summer camp setting that really had me smiling and laughing throughout the whole book!