This was a cute, fun summer camp read - it’s a YA book, and it definitely brings back the memories and feeling of being a teenager. I thought it was a sweet ode to summers of youth friends, sunshine, first loves, and dreams.

This was my first Annie Rains book and I really enjoyed it - the premise was interesting and I really thought she did a great job capturing the intensity of teenage emotion, that longing to be seen as an adult and feelings of helplessness and not being heard or understood.

I was quickly drawn into the story, the pacing was good and I found both Paisley and Hayden to be likable and relatable characters. I was also rooting for their romance. I enjoyed the camp descriptions and the idea of forming lasting memories, I also enjoyed the match breaking (reverse parent trap ish vibe) of the story.

Ultimately the story (as with most YAs) was one of reflection, growth, and finding a way to move forward. I was mostly pleased with how things ended, I did have thing I wished worked out differently.

A nice nod to summer, I think fans of Emma Lord, Sarah Dessen, Katie West and Miranda Kenneally will enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s, Underlined for the opportunity to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions offered are my own and freely offered.

I loved the camp atmosphere and really wanted to like the story, but the characters were the downfall. Paisley was very immature and bratty, and even though she redeemed herself at the end and understood how awful she had been acting, by that point I just didn't care anymore. Her best friend wasn't the greatest either or her mom. The love interest was bland and the instant love between Hayden and Paisley was another dislike. I wanted to like this one, but the story just wasn't for me.

This book was a nice ode to summer camps, change, and all the rollercoaster feelings that come with first loves.

I am a sucker for any book that takes place at a summer camp which is why I knew I had to read this book before I really even knew what it was about. Then, once I did read the description, I knew I wanted to read it because who doesn't want to read a book about a girl who wants to break up her mom and her mom's boyfriend.

Paisley, our main character, is completely dedicated to Camp Starling and equally as dedicated to making sure her mom doesn't ruin everything by staying with her boyfriend, Dave. I loved that Paisley had an interest that was different than the typical YA main character. She was really into birds and very knowledgeable about them. She was also the quiet friend of the friend group. I do wish we could have seen more development in her character as the book progressed, but alas, we really only saw a couple of small changes. And it was mostly in how she viewed her future rather than her actual change and progression of self.

Hayden, however, was a really sweet character. He kinda gets thrown into the whole camp thing last minute and is really adorable about it all. He was supposed to be this bad boy love interest, but we really don't see that. He makes one mistake at the beginning and then is just this perfect human for the rest of the book. I felt like we were losing some of his dimension and personality as the book progressed, but I still like him. Sweet, sweet Hayden.

Nora, the best friend, was... not my favorite. On top of that, our main character is so wishy-washy about her. She complains one minute about how Nora is always putting her down and then gushes over her the next for being the best friend she could ever ask for. Like, I understand friendships aren't perfect, but this one felt like it had issues that were brought up and then just brushed off. They were never really resolved. I didn't love that.

This book actually did have a fun plot, however, it did so much telling instead of showing. I didn't really realize how much that would affect my opinion until reading this book. I didn't want Paisley telling me about kayaking on the lake. I wanted Rains to show me. I wanted to smell the murky water and feel the warm sun. It just wasn't there for me and that's what really dropped my rating in the end.

Overall, despite my negative thoughts, I enjoyed this book. It's relatable for adults and teens alike as it speaks of first love and the ever-dreaded change that must come in our lives. Not my favorite summer camp book, but a nice one nevertheless. 3.5 stars

Summer camp, crushes, and a devious break up plan. Sixteen year old paisley Manning has always loved Camp Seabrook, her family camp. However after the death of her father and her mother’s new boyfriend, Paisley is told that this will be her last summer there and that they’re moving and that her mother is selling the camp. The camp that is her last connection to her dad, the once place she feels happy and safe, and now its all going away. Throw in mischievous artist and bad boy, Hayden Bennett. Hayden and Paisley are complete opposites, but when she catches him doing graffiti on her camp cabin she really can’t stand him. To her surprise as punishment, Hayden now is a camp counselor alongside her and is in charge of helping the kids with art. For the next two weeks she’ll be stuck with him... and yet they seem to gravitate towards one another. Soon Paisley finds that Hayden isn’t as bad as she thought and they come up with a plan to break up her mom and her boyfriend to help Paisley keep her camp and stop her from moving. Throw in some camp fun, friend drama, boy drama, family fights, and first love... and you get a pretty cute summer rom-com. Two opposites, one matchbreaker plan, and a summer of first love.

*Thank you Random House Children's, Underlined for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*