Brilliant absolutely brilliant, clear your diary because once you start you WONT put it down.

An unheard of author for me, I took a chance and I loved it.
Dillon finds herself single and unemployed all in the space of 24 hours. Dillon decides to return to her family farm for some rest and to figure out the rest of her life. Does being home help Dillon decide her next move?
An easy read, but gripping, oh and it includes a vintage caravan. What more can you want?

Highly recommend you purchase.

I absolutely loved The Happy Camper. Melody Carlson has another winner. Reading this book made me want to acquire a vintage camper and refurbish it. Good plot and fun characters. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

This was a sweet story of a woman finding her way in the world after being fired from her job the same day she breaks up with her boyfriend that has a commitment problem. Dillon moves back home to her grandparents farm in Oregon intending to stay a while and decide what to do with her life next. When she arrives she discovers her mother is already there and staying in her old room so Dillon has to sleep on the couch. That is until her grandpa lets her have an old vintage camper that was left to him by one of his hunting buddies.

I won't go into details because that is part of the fun of the story but Dillon discovers new interests as the story evolves and also a bit of aggravation. Being that my husband travels for work we spend a good bit of the year in a camper. Granted it is what some might consider luxury since we have a washer/dryer and full bath and a house size refrigerator in it I could relate to the excitement Dillon had of fixing up the old trailer and staying in it.

This is the first book that I've read by Melody Carlson and it didn't disappoint! I was first intrigued by the fact that the main character, Dillon, was going to restore a vintage camper and I was pleasantly surprised that vintage campers played a large roll in the story! This romance was clean, cute and had a Christian base.

Synopsis:
Dillon Michaels had reached her limit with her noncommittal boyfriend, Brandon. After being stood up for the last time, Dillon broke off their relationship. The next day (Saturday), her boss called her in to work and she'd had enough of that too. She quit! With no boyfriend, no job and no clear direction in life, Dillon packed up her car and moved from Colorado back to her family farm in Oregon where her mom was staying with her grandpa to "help" him out.

Back home on the family farm, Dillon was faced with no adequate place to sleep, a child-like mom who she called Margot and a heap of housework.

As the story continues, Dillon is gifted a vintage camper by her grandfather and she begins to fix it up so she has a nice place to sleep, not the sagging sofa. This leads Dillon to multiple trips to the hardware store where she meets the town's eternal bachelor, Jordan. Just as Dillon and Jordan begin to hit it off, in pops Brandon, Dillon's ex. He's ready to do anything to win Dillon back. He's a changed man! He shows up unannounced a few times with flowers, dinner offers, dancing and even a ring!

Dillon must choose between going back to her old life in Colorado with Brandon or forging a new life in Oregon with her cute vintage trailer and maybe even Jordan. What will she choose?

Anytime I pick up a book by Melody Carlson, I know that it is going to be a joy to read. She was actually one of the first authors that really introduced me to the Christian fiction genre when I was a teen with her Diary of a Teenage Girl series, and she is one that I have continued to enjoy even as an adult. While I've not read ALL of her books, I do try to grab them whenever I see them and have therefor read many. Out of those many, I must say that I think this one might just be my favorite.

For some time, I have loved the idea of getting an RV and traveling the country with my little family. More than that though, I would absolutely LOVE to give new life to a vintage model. Needless to say, if the author didn't appeal to me already, the topic of this book certainly did! I so enjoyed reading about this transformation of Dillon's camper and envisioning it all in my head. The author does such a great job of describing those details that I could picture it so clearly. I certainly appreciated that, and I am certain that others who enjoy vintage trailers will also very much appreciate that too. But even those who could care less about the topic will still love the romance aspect too. It was lighthearted and fun, with humor and family drama mixed in to really make things interesting. I loved getting to know this unique cast of characters, and couldn't help but wish I didn't have to say goodbye to them so soon!

Overall, this was a great read... it's fast pace made it quick, easy and oh-so-enjoyable! Whether you love vintage campers or just enjoy a sweet romance, this will certainly be one worth checking out.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own.

Dillion heads home after a few unexpected events that derail her life. She didn’t expect to be excited about this new beginning and about going home to a small Oregon farm where she was raised by her grandparents. The last time she came it home it wasn’t happy.

She finds Margo, her mother at the farm. Could the two of them get along? Margo was afraid of commitment. Dillion just ditched a boyfriend with the same issues. Nothing could have prepared her for the feelings that hit her heart. She remembers things she once loved and discovers talents she never knew she had.

Melody Carlson creates another fun, heart-warming story with endearing characters I delight in getting to know. I had enjoyed part about restoring campers and the adventures one can have staying in one. This authors’ passion for camping and everything RV shines through this story of heartache, family relationships and love. I enjoyed the spiritual thread that wasn’t preachy. I liked hanging out with these happy campers. I learned so much.. I’ll be circling back around to read this again. This was a fun getaway

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com

Oh, how I love Melody Carlson! She writes some adorable and clean romances that warm the heart. And "Happy Camper" was so fulfilling!


Poor Dillon Michaels seems to be having a rough time of it. She gets fired and breaks up with her boyfriend around the same time. So, as expected, this leads her down the road of needing change. So, Dillon decides to head to Oregon to her grandfather's.


Unfortunately for Dillon, however, this don't go as planned once she gets there.


There's romance, humor, and all of it takes place in one of my favorite states of Oregon. Unfortunately, this book was a bit on the predictable side, but, I find that that didn't deter me at all from enjoying it.


Melody Carlson is a longtime favorite of mine, and I'm reminded of why, when she so flawlessly ties faith, romance, and familial relationships in an adorable story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy and wonderful little romance book by Carlson! If you love warm and happy books, then pick this one up! It was not too steamy, which is actually really nice and it kept this book feeling sweet and innocent. I honestly do not have a single criticism for this book! Pick it up if you need a break between heavy books or just want to escape for awhile. Again, I really loved it and I will happily pick up her next book!

The Happy Camper is a cute quick read. Dillion loses her boyfriend and job within hours of each other. She moves home to Oregon to look in on her grandfather and discovers her mother in residence as well. Soon she's immersed in redoing a little trailer her grandfather gives her and perhaps finding new love interest. I love the cover and all the descriptions of the vintage trailers. I'm not a camper but I enjoyed reading about it.

I enjoyed the research into vintage campers and all the decorating details but this story seemed to be very similar to many others. The main character loses job and boyfriend to move back home then ex-boyfriend comes along about the time that a new interest is sparked.

After a series of mishaps, Dilly packs up her life and heads back to small-town home to nurse her wounds. What she finds there is a new beginning and the chance to reinvent herself. Although this fresh start is fraught with a few annoying interruptions, she manages to stay the course for what is best in her life. Insert a few love interests...some toxic folks that she has to learn to handle....and a not-so-much-of-a-mother, and you have quite the cast of characters helping her to dig deep and find her true self. The biggest problem with this book is that you won't want to put it down until the very last page...and maybe not even then!

'Sometimes a life needs to get shaken up...in order to put the pieces together right.'

Dillon Michaels has had enough of her life in Colorado and her unwilling to commit boyfriend. So she heads off to Oregon to help her grandfather out after her grandmother dies. She wasn't happy with her career, anyway. When she arrives, she finds her eccentric and erratic mother has arrived before her and taken up residence and trying to boss her grandfather around. Dillon pitches in and goes to work, but after a few nights on an old worn out sofa, her grandfather gives her an run down vintage travel camp trailer. She falls in love with it and sets out to restore it, with the help of the town's hardware store owner, Jordan, who is quite handsome. Then....her bumbling boyfriend shows up wanting to make amends, with flowers and a ring! Ooops!

Melody Carlson has written a delightful tale of quirky characters, some likeable, some not. And the travel trailer portion of the story is precious. So, sit back and be prepared to enter a sweet story.

*My thanks to Revell Publishers for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion here is my own. (less)


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Sweetly enjoyable story of finding yourself, understanding what you want in life and embracing it. Dillon appreciates her family ties and returns to them when everything in her life just goes wrong and feels worse.
Her camper obsession is delightful. Her close relationship with her Grandfather is beautiful. A very touching story.