Rowena’s review of Camp Boyfriend by J.K. Rock.

The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.

They said it couldn’t be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren’s nerves and she can’t wait to return to summer camp where she’s valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she’s broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn’t even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn’t giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn’t really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she’s more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren’s friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she’s changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

I’m a fan of cute summer reads and by reading the blurb, this one looked like it would fit the bill.  This book follows Lauren Carlson as she tries to get rid of all strings that will get in the way of what she really wants. To be Seth’s year-round girlfriend.  Seth is Lauren’s summer camp boyfriend.  The entire time that they’re at camp, they’re together but when the summer comes to an end, they’re free to do whatever they want and the cycle repeats itself each year.  Lauren really likes Seth and even though she’s morphed into a new person over the year that she’s been apart from Seth, she likes the person that she is with Seth and wants to have that relationship year round but things don’t always go her way when the boy she’s trying to break up with, Matt ends up going to summer camp…WITH HER.

While reading this book, I definitely didn’t see the ending coming the way that it came.  And I kept reading to see who she’d end up with and the guy she ends up with was not the guy I thought.  I saw the appeal of both boys and liked them each in their own way but I don’t know, I don’t think I would have chosen the guy she ends up choosing.  I’m not even sure why, I just liked the other guy a tad bit more.

This should have been a short read but for some reason, it was hard to get through the beginning. I kept waiting for things to pick up already and so it took me a lot longer to immerse myself into the story but once it finally picked up, I was glad.  Lauren was hard to take through most of the book, her wishy washy attitude made me want to smack her upside her head but in the end, it was all good. I’m still interested in continuing this series.

Grade: 2.5 out of 5

This book is available from Spencer Hill Contemporary. You can purchase it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.