This book is about a girl, Emma, who goes to a summer camp for teens aged 15 to 18. There, she meets her first friend, Gwen, who is the youngest daughter of the director of the camp and falls in love with Vivian, the older daughter, who is a councillor at camp. The premise sounds amazing, as I'm usually a huge fan of the whole summer camps idea. Unfortunately, the whole book is just so unrealistic and, honestly, not very well written.

So let's start with my problems with the plot. The idea of a camp for older teens is really interesting for me, as normally camps *say* they are for all ages but then activities are quite boring for older teens. However, Camp Mapplewood was strictly for kids aged 15 and above and yet all the activities sounded like a 12 year old ideal of fun. If that was all, I'd have been able to overcome my problems and simply accept that american teens are simply different and actually enjoy that kind of thing. Notwithstanding, there were so many plotholes or simply things that made no sense at all. I don't want to go into any specifics so I don't give any spoilers but for example (SPOILER ALERT) how come Mr Black was so into following the rules of camp and there was a rule saying basically councillors couldn't date campers but when it's a lesbian couple they're all suddenly accepting relationships?? (END OF SPOILER). There were just too many things that didn't make sense, the world just seemed to change in order to accommodate their relationship and frankly I didn't like it.

About the writing, maybe this was a problem of my kindle or the format, but it was really hard to follow dialogues, as I wouldn't understand who was saying what. I think having a paragraph before each of the characters speaking would make it a lot more comprehensible, but again, maybe it was just a matter of formatting.

Overall, I think this book had the potential to be really amusing and heart-warming, but for me, it was a 2/5 book.

They are going to Maine to visit mom. I loved the cover. I didn't think the tone was too childish but it didn't click with me .

This is a decent foray into YA LBGTQ+ fiction, but the writing just felt a bit slow and stilted. Definitely good for if you aren't devoting your full attention to what you're reading.

The cute cover and premise of sapphic summer love at camp lured me in, and I whole-heartedly wish I enjoyed it more than I did. Unfortunately this book didn’t hit the mark for me, but it may appeal more to younger readers as it’s a quick easy read.

My first issue was that the development of the mental health aspect felt shallow to me. Emma suffers from depression and anxiety, including a crippling fear of the woods due to a traumatic incident in her past, but we rarely see her struggle with this. The book pays lip service to her issues instead of incorporating them properly into the storyline so that Emma goes from someone who supposedly has serious neuroses that majorly impact her life to the point where she had to be pulled out of school to a girl who has no issues facing her triggers and navigates everyday life with ease. I needed more to show WHY she was able to overcome these hangups instead of her being magically cured all of a sudden (with the minor implication that her love interest may have some of the credit).

I struggled with the one-dimensional characters who seemed to behave as best befitted the plot instead of like recognizable human beings. Emma’s childhood friend Julie apparently brings the letters Emma’s written to her over the years to read and re-read while she’s at camp, which seems strange to me given that they’re not very close anymore, and it comes off contrived simply because Emma’s letters are plot-relevant and need to show up in order to be used in people’s schemes. Lauren is the token Mean Girl which is a trope the author attempts to subvert by having her crush on Emma, but instead of making her a complicated character with conflicting emotions and motivations, she simply turns into a predatory lesbian stock type who keeps crossing boundaries with an unrealistically oblivious Emma (who doesn’t seem to realize that Lauren’s attempt at hand-holding and other obvious come-ons indicate her romantic interest).

Gwen is probably the most likable character in the book, but she’s basically Emma’s platonic Manic Pixie Dream Girl who is there to provide Emma with friendship and support and ship her with the love interest, she has no personality or interests outside of what’s happening with Emma. Gwen is ostracized by the other girls, but we don’t even get any nuance with her character on how that affects her, because it only matters in how it relates to Emma and her love interest Vivian.

Which brings me to the romance which was the biggest disappointment to me. If I honestly felt the chemistry between Emma and Vivian, I could’ve excused the other flaws, but when the central hook of the story is the Emma/Vivian relationship and it falls flat, there’s very little that can redeem it.

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Unable to contain myself anymore, I held Vivian’s head in my hands and pulled her into a fiery and passionate kiss. Her hands worked their way around my body, feeling each crevice, each line along my physique.

I lay on my back as she matched my body’s form by climbing on top of me. My hands ventured over her curved body, exploring. We pulled apart and opened our eyes. Staring deeply at one another, we breathed in tandem, our eyes searching; mine were full of wonder, hers of curiosity.
---

Obviously as an ARC, the text is subject to change, but this sample is indicative of the prose throughout the story which is too simplistic for my tastes. The banter isn’t any better with the verbal sparring sounding nothing like the way teens would actually talk, and I had to re-read some conversations to try and work out what was intended by the ‘witty dialogue’ because it felt so forced.

I appreciate the author’s efforts to bring greater diversity to YA in terms of LGBT+ characters and mental health representation, but this book’s premise was a lot more promising than its execution. While it didn’t work for me on any level, there are many other positive reviews out there and if it sounds like this might be up your alley, I would always suggest that you try it since my opinion doesn’t go for everyone!

Oh, this was unfortunate.

This is a YA, coming of age story about a lesbian finding love at summer camp; a summer camp which is tied up in a traumatising incident she had years ago. The themes and intent of this book are all very well-meaning, but the way in which it was executed was not very good at all. The writing isn't all bad; the author is trying for a sort of romantic comedy type feel, with humour and hijinks and sarcasm. Some of that gets pulled off well, but the majority of it just leaves me with a huge 'missed a step while going downstairs' feeling. Punchlines to jokes that weren't well executed, witty rejoinders that fell flat, banter that had no backbone and felt very meaningless. I get the <i>intention</i> of all the relationships that Emma had, but the way that they were built (or rather, not built) was so shallow. The book <i>told</i> me that Emma and Gwen were best friends, but I didn't feel that. The book <i>told</i> me that she cultivated a found family at camp, but I didn't feel that. The book <i>told</i> me that Emma and Vivian fell in love, and I certainly did not feel that.

And like. Yikes. Let's talk about Vivian. I'm was so sure that the book was doing the young adult thing were there's an unlikable character who does bad things, but by the end of the book they learn their lesson and they're a better person. But... no. Vivian does so much shady stuff that just isn't addressed. Going through Emma's phone, unfairly delegating tasks, cutting little comments and actions... The book focuses a lot on Lauren's bullying and calls her out for it, but honestly, a lot of the things Vivian does are not cute and could also be construed as bullying. And the thing is, I know that the author is NOT trying to be malicious, and portray a toxic relationship as something good. I know all this stuff is INTENDED to be light-hearted and humorous. But it just didn't work out that way. I didn't enjoy this relationship at all.

And unfortunately, the book in itself was just kind of dull. I skimmed through the last quarter.

Kudos to the author for writing it (I see that it was a NaNoWriMo book). It had some good things to say about coming out and being yourself, bad parents, and talked about therapy and mental health in positive ways. And I liked the way it ended.

But sadly, the bones of this book are shaky through and through. Wouldn't really recommend it for a young adult audience without some significant changes.

More like 3.5 stars

Emma has a lot going on in her life, and her mum dumping her at camp adds to the challenges. Camp delivers pain and suffering but also growth and hope.

There's definitely a lot of angst here, but given the YA audience, I think it delivers quite well and is a good read.

Really enjoyed this young adult/new adult novel. Pansexual and lesbian MCs. Summer camp romance.

Emma has faced a ton of challenges - depression, messy parent divorce, homophobic mum - but has finally graduated high school, is nearly 18 and has just one major hurdle left - two months court mandated visitation with her mum. But when she gets to Maine, her mum has decided to leave her behind at summer camp. Emma hates camp; is panic-inducingly afraid of the woods; and is stuck rooming with a mean-girl bully. But Emma also meets 19 year-old camp counselor, Vivian, so things may not be all bad.

**I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I really enjoyed this story. It was easy to read and the characters were unique in their own ways. I particularly loved Walter and how he interacted with Emma and his family. This story is one that is common in the world that includes an absent parent that is not willing to accept their child for who they are, a bully who is used to getting their own way and an unexpected friendship.
A beautiful story that had me laughing out loud in places an grimacing in others over the actions of one of the characters but even the way that was handled by the writer was, in my eyes, interesting and appropriate
Thank you to NetGalley and WattPad for the opportunity to review this eARC

On seeing the cover, I wanted to know what the book was about because the colors are really pretty and actually do remind me of a summer night sky. The blurb sounded interesting and I expected there to be a lot of extravagant pranking as Emma desperately tries to get out of summer camp. And I was curious to read a story that takes place in a summer camp.

Let me start by saying that, according to my Kindle, I only read the first 25% of the book.

What I liked:
Although there is only a small glimpse of Emma's relationship with her father, you can immediately tell that they have a good relationship and I would have loved to see more of this before she gets dropped off and her mother's.
Emma and Vivian constantly bicker but in a funny way. Emma is determined to get kicked out of camp, while Vivian seems determined to keep her there. Their interactions were fun to read.

What I didn't like:
Emma's mother. She is a whirlwind, definitely unfit to raise a child and even have the slightest say in her life. Yet, for the sake of the plot, she decides Emma will go to this summer camp that traumatized her when she was younger. It strikes me as a little unrealistic that she would do this without even mentioning it to Emma's father. I was happy to see her character disappear at the end of chapter one.
Emma herself. She is a confusing character. She obviously doesn't want to go to this summer camp, but, unlike a good 17-year-old puts up hardly any fuss when she gets dropped off. Even after that, her attempts to get kicked out are limited to making a mess in her cabin and sneaking food out of the canteen.
Very confusing. Does Emma know the other campers or doesn't she? At first, we are made to believe that she doesn't, but then she does and there is bad blood between them. Sometimes, it actually felt like I was reading a sequel to something and I didn't have all the necessary information for this book to make sense. But not only the characters were confusing, but also the writing itself; more than once, I had the impression connecting scenes were missing. One minute they are in location A doing something, the next they are in location B doing something else.
Summer camp. I have never been to one so correct me if I'm wrong on this. Would it not be possible for kids to leave if they didn't feel good being there? Or would they be forced to stay there against their will, even if it were bad for their mental health?

Overall impression of the book.
Considering I only read 25% of the book, I can't say I enjoyed it very much.. It was, in one word, confusing. Character interactions seem okay but confusing because of the lack of backstory given to the reader. Aside from that, the plot seems unrealistic and full of little things beta readers should have pointed out to the author.
And maybe the book gets better as you go along, but I will never know because I couldn't make it further.

Story overall is not very well written. It meanders and does not go anywhere or seem to have a point. Characters confusing and not developed for the reader.

was lucky to receive an ARC of this lovely book #NightOwlsandSummerSkies and I really enjoyed it. It was a light, quick read but I like how it talked about ways of coping with anxiety and even some ways to overcome them (with the right support). Thank you to #NetGalley and #Wattpadbooks for this #ARC, which will be available for purchase June 30, 2020. #bookstagram #bookworm #readingthroughthealphabet #yabooks #pridebooks

To be honest, my expectations hadn't been very high, and it has been a while since I read a book falling under teen romance, but against expectations I really liked it!

Emma is a very interesting protagonist, who I really started to like quickly despite her grumpiness and pranks. The other main characters are all well thought out and have their own personalities, fears and hopes - the engergetic Gwen who instantly clings to Emma; Vivian whose intentions and thoughts remain a mystery for a long time; Julie, the sweet wife of the camp director and cook; Lauren who seems to be like every other bully in the beginning; Walter as another camp group leader and brother of Vivian.

I especially liked how real all of the characters and their actions based on their personalities and backgrounds were, and how realistic and helpful some topics were incorporated - Emmas experiences in the Camp when she was 12 may seem insignificant to some, but can create a trauma; how depression can affect a person; what friendship and trust means; that a crush doesn't just excuse every action; what family means, that related by blood doesn't necessarily means unconditional love, hat family doesn't always have to be a blood relation.

It was also nice that while there was enough drama to keep it suspenseful and interesting, it's still on a good level and gets resolved, (almost) no "everybody dies and everything falls apart because nobody just talks to each other" à la Shakespeare.

A teen romance can be very entertaining after all, I really enjoyed reading the book and wanted to know how the story continues while reading - and I giggled constantly and had to laugh out loud a few times as well.

Conclusion: Just a beautiful story, talks about some important topics in a great way + found family + LGBT+. Very entertaining and funny.

This sounded really, really good. A story about finding yourself? Yes please! A F/F romance? Give it to me!

Unfortunately, when I came around to the 24% part, I decided I couldn't push myself through it anymore. I couldn't enjoy the actual story because of the writing style that bugged me and the dialogue that felt really flat and unrealistic.

I have nothing to say about the story though. Could be because I just couldn't fully absorb it, but I think this really could've been something for me. Sadly, not this book.

(I won't be posting this to my blog or Goodreads since it's a DNF)

Night owls and summer skies is beautifully written. It is a coming of age YA genre. Sullivan really places you in the setting with her writing. I can almost feel myself come alive with the teenage angst that is to be had at the summer camp. This is a book that will make you want to go to summer camp in hopes to find yourself.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

I'm not really sure about this one. I found reading this one to be quite a drag and long-winded. I didn't find that I empathized with the main character enough and the concept was a bit meh for my liking. It may just be a taste issue but I could have gone without reading this book (apologies!!).

I find the relationship between Emma and Vivian quite weird and it felt forced. Many times I had to remind myself that Emma wasn't 18 and actually she reads quite a lot younger, almost 15, and that the relationship seemed a bit inappropriate. I also didn't like the dialogue between Vivian and Emma - it seemed forced and I honestly just skimmed through what they said.

I didn't like the camp setting. I'm not an outdoors person that may be why.

All in all, this book wasn't for me but perhaps it is for someone else!

After reading the synopsis for this one, I was really excited. A F/F romance set at a camp and the cover is gorgeous. I thought it would have everything I wanted.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. I ended up DNFing this one about 20% into the book.
Night Owls and Summer Skies tells the story of Emma who is forced to spend the summer with her near-absent mother as part of her parents' custody agreement. When she arrives at her mother's house, she finds out that she has gotten married and will be going on her honeymoon all while Emma is forced to go to a summer camp. The last time Emma went to summer camp, she was traumatized by the other members.
The first thing that really jumped out to me was the dialogue. It was stilted and awkward. I don't know a single teenager that would take the way they do in this book. A lot of times the wording seemed inside-out and I would have to re-read a couple times to understand the sentence. Also, all of the characters talked the same and there weren't enough speaker tags, so I never knew who was talking.
Every scene that I read felt melodramatic and all the characters felt a little childish. Everything always seemed to escalate from nothing to really intense out of nowhere. I didn't find myself rooting for anybody in this story. Emma is extremely unlikable and came off as whiny and just plain rude sometimes.
When I read the synopsis, I (maybe naively) thought that Emma's crush on her camp counselor was going to be unrequited, so I didn't mind that going in. But it seems like that relationship is central to the story and I'm not a fan of that power dynamic. I already know I will be unable to root for them when their first interaction is Vivian telling her that she's basically being held at this camp against her will and then locks her in a shed. There's nothing romantic about that one.
I really wanted to like this one, so I'm disappointed that I wasn't even able to get all the way through it.

I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this cute story of a teenage girl who is sent to summer camp ‘Maplewood’ against her wishes because she has a childhood trauma related to it. This is the journey of Emma Lane, a bitter seventeen-year old, who ultimately finds love and companionship at a place where she least expected.

The writing was beautiful and easy flowing. I loved the conversations and come-backs throughout the book. The ending was pretty sweet even though a bit predictable. Overall, I think it is a good novel. I was surprised to know that the author is only twenty-two years old which both impressed and inspired me.

Full Review Here > https://bookishayushi.com/book-review-night-owls-and-summer-skies-by-rebecca-sullivan/

I wanted to like this book. The book's description was beautiful and intriguing. However, it was a complete mess. I couldn't relate to any of the characters. I found them to be extremely annoying and every time I tried to force my way through the story, I found myself growing more irritated with Emma. Actually, I didn't like any of the characters. Not a single one.

While I appreciate the opportunity to read this, it just wasn't for me. .

i'm sorry—this book is a complete disaster. i wish so badly it weren't. finishing it was a chore for innumerable reasons, and i literally cannot describe every single one of them, but i'll do my best.

night owls and summer skies opens with our main character, emma lane, going to stay with her toxic, bigoted mother for the summer; but things quickly go awry when it's revealed emma will be going to camp mapplewood while her mother and brand-new husband go on their honeymoon. she's determined to get out, but gets caught up in a whirlwind of drama, as well as a budding romance with vivian black, a counselor.

honestly, i don't even know where to start. the writing is unpolished, a little dry, but it's certainly not awful. and conceptually, this had a lot of potential.

my first issue showed up 3% of the way in. maybe this upset me because it struck me in a personal way—but emma says, "still gay, mom. i suppose the correct term would be lesbian, but gay kind of sits better with me." look, people can identify with whatever label they want. that's fine. i don't have an issue with it. but this is a character, not a real person, and it leaves a nasty taste in my mouth to see this kind of rhetoric where "lesbian" is treated as this—this word to avoid, this word that someone wouldn't want to identify with even after acknowledging that that's what they are. it took me years to be able to use that word proudly. it hurts that the only time it's actually said in this book is to say a more nonspecific term "sits better" with the main character. there was an opportunity here to actually use a label that's often treated as dirty or a fetish, to bring to light a community—my community—rich with love and passion and pain and history but often cast aside. that opportunity was very much not taken. i'm at least glad that emma is a character who's secure in her sexuality.

then there's the other stuff that stinks. lauren is the primary antagonist, and she's a bully, but she's also a predator. like, consistently pushing boundaries, violating consent, being a general creep. while i don't think her identity is ever specifically discussed, i really—and i mean really—do not think it was necessary to write what effectively ended up being a predatory lesbian narrative. she bullies emma because she's romantically interested in her. realizing that this was the road this book decided to go down was what made me realize this was not the representation i wanted of people like me. lauren sexually harasses emma—and vivian—incessantly. obviously this behavior isn't celebrated, as lauren is the villain, but the way it's dealt with is so... illogical to me?

but then again, pretty much everything about this plot, and this camp, and these characters, is illogical to me.

there's some weird stuff about teaching consent in there that lauren weaponizes, of course. but then we're told that lauren did this kind of stuff in the past—with no repercussions? why was she not banned from returning to camp after the first, frankly unacceptable, infraction? it seems like everyone, including the owner of the camp (vivian's father), is aware of lauren's predatory behavior. but literally nothing is done about it. i don't understand? the reasoning seems to be that mr. black wants to give "lost kids" the chance to find themselves or whatever, and that lauren's parents contribute to the reputation of the camp, but why would this be at the expense of everyone else's wellbeing, including his OWN DAUGHTER(S)? again, this isn't something small: there is a specific gravity to sexual harassment versus, say, emma's actions (sneaking out, trying to get her phone back, whatever). and emma is forced to stay in the same cabin as her?

lauren needs therapy!!!!!!! so badly!!!!!!!! and given what we know about her background that should have been an immediate suggestion? i think it's difficult for me to reconcile the fact that this is a story that's supposed to destigmatize and speak frankly about mental health while completely denying an entire character of the possibility of rehabilitation and accountability... sexual harassment is unacceptable!!!!!! but she clearly needs help!!!!!!!!!!!! vivian literally speaks to compulsive behaviors and obsessions? but then at the end she's just shipped off back with her abusive parents and that's supposed to be, what, a fulfilling ending? what is the point?

and i guess that in particular kind of speaks to the one-dimensional nature of every character in this book. if i had to come up with a comparison it's very much akin to a disney channel original in that respect—good characters are good, bad characters are bad, and while the so-called "bad" characters are occasionally sympathetic (take jessie, for instance) this sympathy exists not to aid in their development or growth, but to serve the greater purpose of moralizing to the reader (for example, through jessie and emma we learn that you can forgive, but not forget).

the only thing consistent about emma's character is that she's deeply unlikeable. she's supposed to be socially inept, i think, but the author only occasionally remembers this, and in incredibly weird ways—like the fact that emma is unsure as to whether people talk to other people about their pets. she acts like she's approximately ten years old for the majority of the book, but especially in the beginning. she has depression and anxiety but i honestly didn't see any actual evidence of this; like, she tells her dad she's "taking her anti-depressants," and "having an off day," but we're never actually shown this? she's supposed to have a multitude of phobias connecting back to one traumatic event (and i don't want to discount trauma—but frankly this is hard to believe) but, like, she seems to be perfectly ok with running around camp completely on her own in the dark, even though the entire place is a source of panic for her—she says that she's "scared of this entire experience" but maybe i misunderstood? and then of course it's kind of implied that vivian somehow... fixes one of these? i don't know. much of the discussion around mental health focused less on how it's actually experienced and lived and more on just... mentioning it? or thinking about it sometimes?

vivian, of course, never worked for me. i think she's supposed to be alluring and mysterious but she's not. there's an obvious power differential between her, as a counselor, and emma, and while this didn't particularly bother me as something problematic it was just... another one of those things that didn't make sense? why would a counselor ever make a camper sleep in the same sleeping bag as them and does that not also constitute sexual harassment? why would a counselor ever allow a camper to kiss them (even on the cheek) as a thank you? why would a counselor go through a camper's phone? or allow a camper to sleep in their cabin? why would a counselor take another camper on a search through the woods for another camper (and in what world would a camper not be punished for stealing and drinking alcohol underage at camp)? why would a counselor deliberately keep a camper who's acting out at camp? why would that camper's parent(s) not be notified? anyway—aside from all of this, vivian and emma are just not a good couple. they're both weird and boring and i don't understand why they'd ever be attracted to each other, and i don't understand how everyone seems to be ok with it.

then there's the dad, who's supposed to be one of the good guys, but i don't understand why it's pretty much completely unquestioned that he's putting his gay daughter in harm's way by making her spend extended time with her awful, homophobic parent? that's not what good parents do!!! that's not what a good father does! and i just don't understand how NOBODY CONTACTED HIM. why on earth would she be forced to stay at this camp? she has a way out! i've never been to a summer camp where i was effectively held prisoner because some random counselor wanted to "help me"!!!!! this is so implausible!!!!

my last issue is with how generally stilted and painfully awkward and just ridiculous everything is. vivian and gwen speak in this weird, jarringly formal way, and i don't really get why. there are passages of dialogue that are clearly supposed to be funny but instead are absolutely nonsensical. emma gets defensive over mike wazowski??? as if mike wazowski is the pinnacle of pop culture? walter, vivian and gwen's brother, is just... obsessed with pokemon? somehow emma is the only person who knows about pokemon? we spend the whole time hearing about these deep, dark, private letters emma wrote, and they're pretty central to the conflict, but we never actually know what's IN these letters, so why the hell should i care about them? emma has this random misogynistic streak where she calls lauren and co "bitches," and then says, "you think a guy shoving another into a locker is awful but girls are so much worse" (ch. 11). genuinely what? and then there's gwen just, like, as a character—she's supposed to be eccentric i think, but instead she's just a complete caricature. there's this weird scene where gwen tells them that emma's birthday is coming up and walter is just so shocked by the existence of birthdays that he throws his entire slice of pizza across the room (ch. 17). it's like every scene in this book was spat out by an algorithm approximating how real humans act. or like an AI trying to write comedy.

ok, so i went in pretty hard on this one. i'm just sad because i really liked it in theory, but instead i got... this. it needs a lot of work. 1 star.

*arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Okay, so when I saw this book was placed in a summer camp, and it was a fun LGBTQ+ romance between 2 girls, I just click the button, and wait for the publisher's approval. And I had great expectations,

I was not wrong, it was such a fast, cute, adorable read. Just the perfect romance for summer. The writing style is very simple, and it's perfect because it's a light read, and you really don't need a poetic writing style for that kind of book.

I love the relation between Emma and Gwen, and I love the reprensation of a young lesbian girl, and praise for her father who doesn't care about her sexuality but just want her to be happy. It's also talk about mental health, perfect for young adult.

Just read it if you want to spend a good, fun time reading a book.