After some out-of-bounds behavior that ends badly, Alex's parents send her to work for her aunt who runs a camp for troubled kids.

I usually enjoy these kinds of stories but something about this one didn't work for me. The book starts really dramatically, then ends up with Alex in an airport declaring that her new co-counselor is her future husband. When he doesn't immediately reciprocate, she decides she hates him.

I think it was realistic that Alex's emotions were all over the place, but for me the mixing of the romance with her personal journey to come to terms with what happened to her was a little weird to me. I often prefer that stories with a strong personal emotional journey put romance to the side a little bit.

But that's just me - I know other readers have really enjoyed this one.

A very quick read. Loved the setting and the story, but it needed to be longer so really delve into everything. Felt things moved a little too quickly for my liking. I felt like Alex's recovery was rushed and we never really delved into her grief about her friend's death, And Grant's story was kind of just an added extra that could have been used a little bit deeper. But even with those minor issues it was all in all a good read.

2.5 stars
***TRIGGER WARNING***
drunk driving, death of a loved one

I needed more information. This seemed like the first pass on a story. I felt like I didn’t know these people at all. I would have liked for it to have spanned the whole summer, not just a few weeks. She hits a breakthrough in her recovery and then it skip to the end, That could have been a jumping of point to see her develop across the entire summer.

The conversations and dialogue were strong, but dragged on way too long. There could have been more room for backstory and descriptions.

I had so much fun with this one! I am absolute trash for hate to love/enemies to lovers and you definitely get that here in the beginning which of course soon leads to mutual respect/understanding that of course opens the doors for romance. Yes, this type of story has been done a hundred times over..even the type of setting, but once you've read enough of these stories you really get an appreciation of the character tweaks that authors do to make them their own. I loved Alex and Grant. I loved both of their emotional backstories that paralleled with each other that made their coming together even more special. It's a story where you are absolutely rooting for these characters and their happiness. Why do the standalones leave me wanting more, why?! Last Chance Summer is one of those perfect summer reads that is sure to delight readers across the board!

Wanted to like this more than I did. Cute premise, but I didn't connect to it as much as I wanted. I still think it's worth the read if you like the description.

This was a lovely book! I enjoyed the slow romance, and the setting was great as well; I love reading about summer camps. The banter between the two main characters was hilarious at times, and I laughed out loud once or twice, which rarely happens.

I especially loved the James Arthur reference; he's one of my favourite artists!

In everything going on right now, I needed a fun summer book. What I found with this book, is although it was good, it was more serious than I expected. Alex is a counselor at her aunt camp for troubled teens. Grant is her co-counselor who will not give her an inch. What you find is that Alex is struggling with guilt than most adults will never understand.
This well written and completely honest book made me realize that sometimes people do not need to be fixed. They just need someone who is willing to stand by them and not judge.

This book was provided by the author through Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Shannon Klare and Xpresso Book Tours.

Last Chance Summer is a standalone Young Adult Contemporary and tells the story of Alex and Grant.

Last Chance Summer was the second book I’ve read by Shannon Klare and I really enjoyed it! Last Chance Summer was a quick, and fun read with some relatable characters. It’s hard not to enjoy a good YA Contemporary and I think that Shannon Klare did a good job with this book!

In the beginning, I had some troubles with liking Alex, but I started to enjoy reading about her the more I read. Grant is a character you cannot not like. I think he’s a good character because he’s there for Alex and he’s just really funny and likes to tease Alex.

I really liked the concept of Last Chance Summer. This isn’t just a normal YA Contemporary because it also talks about grief and struggling. I think more books should talk about these topics because they’re really important. Last Chance Summer was a good read and I really enjoyed it!

3.5/5*

I was unable to finish Last Chance Summer because I could not get past the main character and some of the descriptions in the book. I was not a fan of the CONSTANT descriptions of cars and clothing. I understand in the prequel it was written that way to show growth for Alex, but in later chapters, she remained shallow...focusing on how cute Grant was and other factors.

This was a quick and easy read about Alex, a girl dealing with a tragedy and a few mistakes, who is given an ultimatum and shipped off to a summer camp to counsel troubled youth. She thinks she has to just endure the summer, but ends up finding forgiveness and love in the process.

I enjoyed this book, a quick read with likeable characters. Grant was adorable and I appreciated his graciousness with Alex, to help her forgive herself and move forward. I loved the summer camp aspect; as someone who ran a summer camp for 4 years, I felt a deep connection with the location and scenery of this story.

I feel like I wanted this story to go just a bit deeper. The ending felt a bit rushed, and I feel like I didn't get to emotionally bond with Grant and Alex as much as I wanted to, that it just skimmed the surface of what was going on in each character. And I wanted more romance! But I do love a good happy for now ending, and I appreciated that the author wrapped everything up with a tidy bow.

I would recommend this book for a quick, easy YA read about second chances and young love.

Just like Surviving Adam Mead, I completely inhaled Last Chance Summer and stayed up to the wee hours of the morning reading it. Shannon Klare brought a unique setting to this novel with trouble teenagers, summer camp and an unexpected relationship.

Our main protagonist Alex is the sheriff’s daughter. Trying desperately to break away from the automatic mold, she’s been put in by her peers, Alex made a few mistakes and is currently under “house arrest” by her parents. Tragic happens when she decided to sneak out with her best friend Nikki, to a party held on the outskirts of town. I did not expect an event like this to happen. So right away I taken back and felt grief on her behalf.

Fast forwarding a few months, Alex was given an ultimatum by her parents, repeat her senior year at boarding school or working in summer camp for troubled youth that is ran by her aunt. Choosing summer camp, Alex is put in a camp counselor position. Having no experience at all, she’s teamed up with camp counselor supreme Grant. It wasn’t love at first sight; they weren’t even friends the first day. Their relationship was filled never ending sarcasm, bickering and border lining flirtation. Grant irritated me at first. For someone who knew first hand about troubled youth, he sure wasn’t friendly and a little on the abrasive side with Alex. Thankfully, Alex held her own ground with fast, witty responses. The girl was quick on her feet. I truly enjoyed their growth throughout this book. Both individual and together. They made a great team once the walls had crumbled.

I loved that the majority of this book took place at a summer camp for troubled youth. The girls in Alex’s cabin were written very well with their lango, personalities and description. I liked that it shed some light on a troubled youth in general. Shannon Klare took a new approach on the typical summer camp romance and made it very relatable. I can’t wait to add this to my library’s collection.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Last Chance Summer Review:

Last Chance Summer was a fun and fast read that I flew through. I read it in one sitting because I just didn’t want to put it down! But even though it was a super quick read, I still had some issues with the book that made it a three star rating.

Things I liked:
- I love the camp setting. There’s something about summer camps in books that really gets me. The woodsy setting was super fun, and I love the summer vibes from the book as a whole.
- I also loved that this was a summer camp about kids who didn’t have the best lives back at home, as it made the bonding between characters feel more special
- Speaking of bonding, I loved most of the girls in Alex’s cabin. Jess, especially was super mature (a little unrealistically mature) for a fourteen-year-old, but I loved her character nonetheless. I also loved Kiara, the junior counselor a lot! I hope we can read more about her one day!
- I enjoyed the flirty banter and interactions between Alex and Grant. Their relationship was a bit wonky throughout since they argued a lot, but they still made a cute couple.
- I loved Alex’s mom for the short amount of time she was actually in the book. She was always vocal of her support for Alex, and she truly had her best interests in heart whether or not Alex was able to see that


Things I didn’t like:
- Alex herself got quite annoying throughout the boon. She was unnecessarily stubborn and selfish, but when others called her out for it, she would always pull the victim card. And even though I think the author intended for that to be a character flaw that Alex is supposed to grow out of, I don’t think she ever really does. Her growth was instantaneous, after she came to the life-altering realization of her problems toward the end.
- I wish Alex and Grants romance was a little more slowly paced. They just went to “enemies” (they really aren’t even enemies for more than two days) to lovers in a snap. I wish there was a friendship stage, where Alex and Grant had moments where they both opened up to one another and began to relate to each other instead of the one sided vulnerability actually in the book.
- I wish there were more interactions with side characters. Throughout the whole book, Alex really only talked to her grandmother, and one other courser at the camp. I understand that the main focus of this book is the romance, but when side characters like Line are only mentioned and never introduced, it makes the reader feel disconnected. Especially when side characters are constantly mentioned, yet their interactions with Alex are never on the page, so you are never given the chance to connect or really like the side characters.

*I will be posting my review on my blog and goodreads on July 16th for the blog tour hosted by Expresso Tours*

Last Chance Summer by Shannon Klare is a sweet YA romance novel about a girl named Alex, who is traumatized after the death of her best friend. A year later, Alex's parents decide to send her to work at her Aunt's camp in hopes that it will help Alex work through her feelings of her best friend's death. This is not a typical summer camp, but instead, it is a summer camp for troubled youth. Camp and getting used to her surroundings is a challenge that Alex needs to meet head-on as is the challenge of working with her male counterpart, Grant. Grant is the most trusted counselor at camp, but unfortunately, he does not seem to like Alex at first. He believes that she is an ineffective counselor and will only lead her campers to get hurt. As time goes on, the reader will see how Grant and Alex's friendship changes into romance and how Alex deal with the loss of her friend through working at this camp.

As a life long camp counselor, this book made me smile, thinking of my summer adventures and the feelings brought up by camp. Fans of Klare's other novel will also enjoy this novel. Thank you to Netgalley for this arc!

This book hit every range of emotions and I enjoyed the ride. Two teens that experienced more than one person should in a lifetime! The characters are real and the plot had me so involved I felt like I was at camp. My only disappointment was how quickly it ended . I would’ve liked more, but it was a great read.

Alex was a selfish, snarky and entitled bit** who thought everything should be handed to her in a silver platter. I get something totally awful happened to her but even before that she rubbed me that wrong way. A year after her accident and she’s still floundering, lashing out at those just trying to help her. This lands her with the ultimatum of boarding school or summer camp counselor for troubled kids. She could also pick neither but would end up losing her college fund which her entitled ass thinks is hers. News flash her parents worked hard to save their money and this brat thinks she doesn’t have to do anything to earn it. Every page made me more angry to the point where I wanted to DNF but it had so many good reviews and I still wanted Alex to be redeemed.

Grant and Alex have good chemistry right off the bat. They’re both sarcastic, witty and stubborn to the core. I loved their interactions but I never really saw them as romantic or flirty, that was just how they interacted with almost everyone. They also don’t really know each other beyond trading snarky remarks and trying to counsel these groups of kids that have their own issues. Alex needed someone to see her in a good light, to be there to listen when she finally exploded and that’s what she found in Grant.

The camp is meant for troubled kids with issues. There is a strong focus on team activities and opening up. These kids really got not only to me but also Alex. While it was a rough start, we get to see this program, this second chance summer, really help not only Alex but her campers. I would have liked to have gotten to know her girls better though and have seen the relationships they formed with Alex firsthand.

Overall it was a quick read with a perfect for the poolside vibe. While the book covered some heavy topics it managed to stay light and upbeat. I do wish the ending hadn’t been so clean though and that we’d gotten to know the secondary characters better than beyond just knowing their names. It did take me about 50% of the book to really want to continue reading it though because of my extreme dislike of Alex. This is one I’d recommend a sample of before going all in on.

After a few bad decisions and a great tragedy, Alex is given an ultimatum, work at her aunt's camp or give up her college fund. She thought this was her last chance summer, but it ends up being her second chance to live.

From the synopsis, I bet you are all thinking this is just some summer romance, and well, it is set in the summer time, and it features a wondrous romance, but it is so much more.

Not only did Alex make some bad decisions, she also lost her best friend. Though it was almost a year since the accident, Alex still struggled with her grief, pain, and guilt. Klare did a wonderful job painting a portrait of someone, who was stuck in their grieving cycle. Alex was bottling up her emotions, and needed a way to release her pain. The camp was the perfect place for this to happen. There, she had the space and the encouragement to start dealing with her emotions and push forward.

Don't worry, this is not all super heavy emotions all the time. The story is set in a summer camp, and Klare utilized it well. There is swimming, arts and crafts, smores, and even a mini prank war. And what kind of camp experience would it be without a camp boyfriend.

The sparks were flying upon the initial meeting between Alex and Grant, and that attraction manifests in some rather fun banter-filled tiffs. I had a great time watching these two work through their tension, but really delighted in seeing their friendship form and go to the next level. Grant was an important part of Alex's team. He had also experienced profound loss, and could relate to her on that level. He, along with some other members of the camp, were sources of support. They provided the encouragement, ears to listen, and shoulders to cry on, as Alex finally really processed her grief. It was lovely seeing them all rally for her, and even better to know she was on the road to recovery.

Overall: A beautiful story about picking up the pieces, and finding the strength to move forward.

Last Chance Summer is about making the tough choices that help guide a person through difficult times in life. For Alex, her resistance to grieving lands her a job as a counselor at a Texas camp for "troubled teens," where her lackluster skills garner the not-so-positive attention of her attractive co-counselor, Grant..

As the summer progresses, Alex must decide if she can handle breaking down her own walls to let others really know her, including the teens in her cabin, the counselor, and Grant. Learning about Grant's past will push her to a breaking point, but it the point that will start to heal her, or destroy her.

This novel delves into serious issues about families and mental health, and the roles every individual plays throughout another person's healing process. It's a reflective story for the main character, and therefore, only the characters within her small circle are truly brought to life, but they are viable, very real characters. To top it all of, the story has the perfect amount of romance, and the tension between Alex and Grant is believable and satisfying

An enjoyable read, and one that is worthy of recommendation to teens.

A touching story of overcoming grief and picking up the pieces again.

Forced to focus on others over the summer instead of a bad attitude and one bad decision after the next. Alex is drowning in guilt and grief after her friend died.

When she meets Grant he challenges her and gives the attitude right back. He also does not take any of her crap. She is a counselor in the camp and needs to learn to open up herself to have the girls relate to her.

This was a well done book on grief with flirty banter and swoon along the way.

Alex being the sheriff's daughter is pretty much always up to something and eventually it brings her life to a screaming halt. After facing a tragedy and refusing to deal with it and act like everything is fine, her parents send her to her Aunt's came in Texas for the summer.
This YA romance will touch your heart. It shows how dealing with grief and the journey through it can sometimes lead to the unexpected. . Alex is sent to work as a counselor and her parents hope that this will help her get started on the path to recovery. At camp Alex meets Grant, a rock star of a counselor, who makes her feel things she hasn't felt in a while. We see her grow through this development. Her experiences dealing with many troubled campers helps her to move forward, even as she tries to fight her emotions that are bubbling to the surface. This story really went quickly and I was so glad to see Alex working through things and letting herself feel things again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was a great take on a "typical" teenage love story. The author did a GREAT job of showing grief and the many feelings that go along with it. Alex is a sheriff's daughter who gets caught up in a horrible accident. She is dealing with all the feelings about this accident and is shipped off to her Aunt's summer camp in Texas. Throughout her time there, she learns a lot about herself and her feelings. Overall I really enjoyed this book and it was the perfect quick read.