In The Happy Camper we meet Dillon Michaels, who is heading out to her grandfather’s farm after a serious bump in the road of her life.  She’s looking forward to her time there but when she arrives she finds that her eccentric mother has beaten her to it, and seems to be settling in for a long stay of her own.  With nowhere to sleep but the sofa, things change when her grandfather gives her his dilapidated vintage caravan and she sets out to restore it.  In the process she meets Jordan Atwood, owner of the nearby hardware store and fellow vintage trailer fan.  Their friendship begins to develop as he helps her with the materials and knowledge to repair her trailer, but local girl Vivian – who owns the fanciest vintage trailer in town - doesn’t seem too happy about it.

You know what you’re getting with a Melody Carlson novel.  Her stories are light reading, perfect for those dark evenings when you’re longing for the signs of spring. The settings are well described and the characters have enough complexity and depth to keep them believable and the required-but-not-too-trite misunderstandings and resolutions.  I’m a camper myself, and I absolutely love the way the vintage trailer of this book is a character in itself.  The details of the restoration are beautifully laid out, and I could almost picture the van, and the other vans described in the story.

I wanted to love this one or at least enjoy this one as I’ve enjoyed Melody Carlson’s books in the past. But for some reason this one hit to close to home. With the grief. Especially the ageing and grieving grandfather. Though in my case it’s an aging and grieving grandmother.  Though it was hard for me to read emotional it was still a good read.  So I do feel that fans of Melody Carlson will enjoy this one.

I requested this book on a whim. It is not really my genre of choice but I though that I would be adventurous and try something new. And though there were some things I liked about this book, unfortunately it was more of a miss than a hit.. It felt a little naïve and weak on the romance side. I get that not everyone wants the bodice ripppers   but this was to much of a middle school crush than an actual romance. It took way to long and they were way to innocent to believe that they had been in romantic relationships before. I did not like the family relationship between mother and daughter. In writing this review I have realized that the people interactions were the reason it was such a miss. I loved the fixing up the camper and re-establishing herself in the town. When Dillion was on her own I liked the book. When she had to interact with people I hated it.

I don't often read present day novels, but occasionally I get in the mood to read something different. I chose The Happy Camper for that very reason. It just seemed different to me. I mean, a book about a camper? Well, maybe that's what intrigued me with it. I've always dreamed of owning an old camper and being able to restore it. Our family likes to go camping and when we do we stay in a tent, but we always like to take a walk to the camper side and the one's that catch my eye are those restored vintage campers. They are so adorable. The way Melody Carlson describes the campers in this book is so detailed that I can picture them perfectly in my mind. But let's hold up a minute. This book isn't just about restoring vintage campers. It is fun, quirky and what I like to call a quick read. You just have to read and enjoy!

Dillon Michaels is fed up with her non-committal boyfriend and in a spur of the moment decision she breaks up with him, quits her job and heads home to her aging and grieving grandpa's house to help him in his time of loss. Upon arrival she is shocked to find her eccentric mother has beat her there and is staying in Dillon's room. Dillon gets stuck on a saggy couch, but to her surprise her grandpa gifts her with a run down camper. Dillon is thrilled and instantly begins the restoration process of her new tiny home. She seeks help from Jordan Atwood the owner of the local hardware store.

Her life finally seems to be falling in place, but when she least expects it her ex boyfriend shows up....with a proposal.

So to be a little nit-picky. First, the character names really bugged me in this book. Maybe I'm just showing my age here, but Dillon seems like a guys name to me and Jordan a girls. Second, it bugged me that Dillon called her mom by her first name. They didn't have the best relationship, but it still seemed strange to me. Third and last is that Dillon needed to be more firm with her ex. That was just ridiculous. Overall though, like I stated in the beginning, this was a fun and enjoyable book.

***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fired from her job, Dillon Michaels takes refuge at her grandfather’s farm. She grew up there, after her mother left her with the grandparents for child-rearing. She has an awkward relationship with her mother, who is also hiding out at the farm as the mother flees a commitment request from her long-time, live-in love.

The story really focuses on Dillon as she is currently adrift. With her mom and grandfather and then lots of “things” taking up the bedrooms of the farmhouse, Dillon is given the living room couch. After a few rough days, she is given the chance to live in the vintage camper (thus, “happy camper”) that was left to her grandfather from a friend who passed away. Seeing is as a way to escape the couch, but keep her at the farm. As she fixes up the camper, she interacts with confirmed bachelor, Jordan Atwood. Things seem to be blossoming, until the ex-boyfriend of Dillon shows up quite unexpectedly at the farm. Dillon cannot get him to take a hint and he seems on the verge of stalking her.

I enjoyed the backstory of the vintage campers. I thought the story of Dillon, Jordan and the ex-boyfriend was really odd.

The cover and title are so adorable. This was a fun one, that a romance reader looking for a quick escape would enjoy. The humor is a bit quirky and unique, which I always enjoy.  The camper was a fun setting and the characters were adorable.

Really enjoyed this book. Steady paced, great characters, I was absorbed throughout. Will be reading more Carlson books in the future!

The trailer needs help...but, so does her life...

So, I picked this book for 3 main reasons. #1. It's a Melody Carlson book, need I say more? #2. Because the quirky title caught my attention. #3. Because isn't it just the cutest cover? And trust me when I say that The Happy Camper was everything I thought it would be, and maybe just a little bit more.

This story is by turns sweet, poignant, charming, convicting, and just plain adorable. It reminded me of only the best Hallmark movies that I've enjoyed. A little comedy, a little drama, a little romance, and a whole lotta fun. I laughed out loud. I wanted to shake some sense into the characters. I sympathized with Dillon's grandfather's desire for real food and not seaweed or kale chips. Basically, I just flat out enjoyed myself immensely. 

If you like Melody Carlson's quirky romances you are going to love The Happy Camper. It has all of her trademark wonderfulness in its surprisingly quick to read 350+ pages. You really can't go wrong picking this story and if it's in your TBR stack it should go right to the top.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

First off love this cover! Adorable! Overall was nice story, would recommend for readers of women’s fiction

Tried really hard and got through this. The drama was silly and there wasn’t a lot going on. The camper thing was cute though..

I did enjoy the beginning and thought Dillon was a good protagonist. Her life falls apart and she decides to go back to her grandpa and his house. Which I thought was so happy and sweet making. I love my grandma so much, this made me happy. Her mother was so bad, and people should have been telling her to grow up and not be so selfish, That was frustrating, 

Enter Jordan. The development of the relationship went a natural course, and I really liked that it made it even more wholesome and wonderful to me. Even though it follows the same formulae of romance, drama, and happy ending. It is still good. The camper made me want to go on a summer vacation in one. 

This was a cute romance and great for those who wants a clean Christian romance.

I adored Melody Carlson's The Happy Camper. I thought it was a delightful and sweet story. I loved it! Five stars.

This is a fun, light read and I love the camper theme. I appreciated that Melody did her research when it comes to campers. My family does a lot of camping so I know quite a bit about campers. I could so relate to Dillon’s nervousness about backing up. She is way braver then me, I have never tried but am always impressed by my husband’s ability to do so.
The ending is so sweet, I couldn’t have pictured a better why to wrap up the story.
If you are looking for a fun summer read with a camping theme I think you will enjoy this one.

A copy of this book was given to me by Netgalley.com. All opinions are my own.

This was a cheesy, cute, and easy to read novel. It was filled with lots of details about characters and their campers which made things quite easy to envision. This was a great, clean escape read for me during the covid19 pandemic.

I rarely finish books that I wouldn’t give at least three stars to... this was borderline. I like books that make you see and feel the story, and this one felt like you were just being told the story. Does this make sense? It really could have been a cute story - I liked the vintage camper angle - but it just didn’t land for me. The main character wasn’t strong - she was a pushover - and she didn’t stand up for herself. And I’ll be the first to admit that some of the endings in romance books are super cheesy, but this one just felt so unrealistic. And also, this was pegged as Christian Romance and while church and God were mentioned, it definitely felt like an afterthought. The romance part felt like an afterthought too! I’d pass if I were you.

I received an ARC from @netgalley, and I listened to this via audiobook on @hoopladigital.

2 stars
This was not what I was expecting. There was more religious overtones that didn't work for me.. I hated the mother/daughter relationship and how it wasn't even really explained that they were mother and daughter. I felt lost and confused.

This was a sweet story. It was unexpectedly preachy at times but it wasn't too overbearing. I liked Dillon and Jordan but sometimes they acted more like teenagers than adults in their thirties. They were immature and wishy-washy, jumping to conclusions and making assumptions instead of having grown up conversations. I did love all the detail on the vintage trailers and the work that went into restoring them, although the phrase happy camper started to get redundant. Overall a good story with a clean romance.

Dillon Michael's is hoping to find her heart and a new road to travel as she leaves her disappointing career and nonstarter love life behind to help her grieving and aging grandfather on his small Oregon farm. But, her eccentric mother beat her there and has taken over Dillon's old room. After a few nights sleeping on a sagging sofa, Dillon finds her grandfather's run-down vintage camp trailer, which she quickly resolves to restore with the help of the handsome owner of the local hardware store. But just when things are finally beginning to run smoothly, Dillon's ex-boyfriend shows up with roses and a ring. I loved this book. Melody Carlson story is full of unpredictable characters, family drama, and sweet romance. I enjoy camping and this novel will have you searching for a camper to restore.

Melody Carlson's books are always so much fun for me! And, this one, The Happy Camper, is definitely a good one! The story is about Dillon, a woman in her thirties who is ready to make a change. And make a change she does! After breaking up with her boyfriend, she leaves her job and heads back home to the family farm where she lived with her grandparents. She looks forward to spending time on the farm and hanging out with her grandpa again. However, when she arrives, she finds her mom, who has always been slightly flighty, is also there, and she has taken over Dillon's room! Dillon tries to hang on, but she is thinking of leaving when her grandpa gifts her with an old vintage trailer. She spends some time redoing it and bringing back some of the original personality. She especially enjoys this, and working with Jordan, the owner of the hardware store in town. Just when she thinks romance might blossom though, her ex boyfriend shows back up. Now, she has to get rid of him and he is nothing if not persistent. The story is fun and relaxing and I really enjoyed it. I always look forward to Carlson's books because I know that I will finish with a smile on my face. The Happy Camper was no exception. Go get yourself a copy so you can smile too! 
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“TheHappy Camper” follows the story of Dillon, a young woman whose breakup with her boyfriend and her high-pressure job lead her to a totally new existence. Dillon relocates to her family farm, where she renews her relationship with her mom and her grandpa. She discovers an unknown talent for restoring vintage camping trailers, and in the process she finds a whole new set of camping friends. Dillon is torn between her old boyfriend, with his new and vigorous courting rituals, and her attraction to Jordan, a local hardware store owner. With the help of God, Dillon perseveres through her uncertainties and moves forward into her new lifestyle. My only comment is that I did not want the story to end, and I felt that it left the reader hanging, without a definitive feeling for a resolution. Maybe this leaves the door open for another novel about Dillon? I hope it does!

This can best be classified as a “feel-good” novel, with lightly applied Christian messages. The inclusion of details about vintage camping trailers adds a different and unique feel to this story of changing relationships. Readers who enjoy clean novels, without strong language, adult situations, and violence will treasure this little gem by a well-know author of Christian fiction.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Melody Carlson's The Happy Camper follows Dillon Michaels on a journey of self discovery.  Always responsible, she worked hard in her career and was loyal to a relationship she thought would lead to a loving marriage. As the pieces of her plans fall one by one like a juggler's balls, it dawns on her that her that she needs a big change.  Her last straw moment became the catalyst she needed to let Mr. not-so-right-after all and that empty job behind to help her lonely grandfather on his farm.

I enjoyed this book, first because it was written by Melody Carlson.  She has the gift of developing characters who may need a nudge to see just how good life can be if they are if pointed in the right direction. Dillon Michaels is a good example of a young woman who gives all to her job and boyfriend, but forgets to live the life she was designed to live. Starting over is scary but sometimes, looking back one can't help but wonder why they didn't do it sooner.

Secondly, this book is entertaining.  Restoring the vintage Oasis trailer is a metaphor of Dillon's life.  She was tired and feeling a bit neglected.  Underneath all of the dust and old paint was a beauty ready to show how much life was underneath.  Dillon found a gift she didn't expect to find in the middle of this restoration.  She had to leave her Colorado life behind to see that her life was right where she left it behind on her family's farm. 

I will admit that I did not look at Craigslist for a camper, I am a lake girl at heart.  I did, however, scour the net on the subject and the first picture I found showed the exact colors of Dillon's little Oasis, complete with burnt orange appliances. From now on, when I see the vintage trailers on the road, taking the glampers to congregate, I will have a new appreciation for their journey.  I recommend this book without hesitation to anyone who enjoys entertaining, Christian fiction.  Thank you to NetGalley.com for this book in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.