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lauren716's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you Xpresso Book Tours and Shannon for proving me a copy! My full review can be found on my blog along with a giveaway!
https://laurenbodiford123.wordpress.com/2020/07/17/blog-tour-last-chance-summer-review-giveaway/
https://laurenbodiford123.wordpress.com/2020/07/17/blog-tour-last-chance-summer-review-giveaway/
carolbm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
erinevelynreads's review against another edition
4.0
Alex’s life is spiraling out of control after her best friend is killed in a drunk driving accident. Her parents have tried everything to help her, to no avail. They give her an ultimatum: work as a counselor at a summer camp for troubled youth run by her aunt Lorraine, or go to boarding school. With limited options, Alex chooses camp where she is paired up with veteran camp counselor Grant. Grant thinks Alex is wholly unprepared to be a counselor and begs Lorraine to change his assignment. But as the two get to know each other they soon realize there is more to the other than meets the eye.
This is a classic YA enemies to lovers story set at a summer camp. It has some of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, summer romance, summer camp, redemption. I especially loved the summer camp element of the story. My favorite characters were the camper’s in Alex’s cabin, and the pranks and hijinks were the best! My only criticism is that the camp seemed very half-formed. I honestly can’t recall the name and it felt like elements were just pulled out randomly, and some of them seemed thoroughly unrealistic, like the fact that the boys and girls cabins were attached.
This is definitely a lighter YA story, and quite a quick and fun read. The bulk of the story I read in an afternoon. It is told entirely in the first person from Alex’s perspective.
Thank you to XPresso Tours, Netgalley, and Swoon Reads for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
This is a classic YA enemies to lovers story set at a summer camp. It has some of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, summer romance, summer camp, redemption. I especially loved the summer camp element of the story. My favorite characters were the camper’s in Alex’s cabin, and the pranks and hijinks were the best! My only criticism is that the camp seemed very half-formed. I honestly can’t recall the name and it felt like elements were just pulled out randomly, and some of them seemed thoroughly unrealistic, like the fact that the boys and girls cabins were attached.
This is definitely a lighter YA story, and quite a quick and fun read. The bulk of the story I read in an afternoon. It is told entirely in the first person from Alex’s perspective.
Thank you to XPresso Tours, Netgalley, and Swoon Reads for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
becks__reads's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much! It really kept me on my toes.
The main character: so well written.
The love interest: sign me up.
The banter: oh lord have mercy.
The flirting: more please.
The realness: so fricken real.
The summer vibes: immaculate.
The background story: so intriguing.
The only thing it was missing was Grant accidentally seeing her scars or her struggling from them and then being all protected. But the everything else totally made up for it.
The main character: so well written.
The love interest: sign me up.
The banter: oh lord have mercy.
The flirting: more please.
The realness: so fricken real.
The summer vibes: immaculate.
The background story: so intriguing.
The only thing it was missing was Grant accidentally seeing her scars or her struggling from them and then being all protected. But the everything else totally made up for it.
stenaros's review against another edition
2.0
This book's setup is good. Pressed into work as a summer counselor at a camp for troubled youth, Alex is attracted too and repelled by Grant, her co-counselor. What it lacked was a rich back story.
*Who was Marcus and what was their relationship like?
*What about flashbacks with her friend?
*Why did her aunt think she could handle being a counselor?
Without a window into Alex's past, we're adrift and left with Grant saying too many times, "You're not qualified!" (Which she totally wasn't!)
*Who was Marcus and what was their relationship like?
*What about flashbacks with her friend?
*Why did her aunt think she could handle being a counselor?
Without a window into Alex's past, we're adrift and left with Grant saying too many times, "You're not qualified!" (Which she totally wasn't!)
meganjennifer424's review against another edition
4.0
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!
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!
kookiesandcream's review against another edition
3.0
I think there was a lot of potential for this book to be better than it was. A summer camp story with a bit of enemies-to-lovers between the counselors? Sign me up. Plus, I thought it was great that the author included the consequences of driving under the influence and how it's never worth it. However, the main issue that kind of ruined the book for me was the way that Grant and Alex's relationship was written out. It was great that they could connect with their pasts and Alex's current efforts to work through her grief and feelings. However, their relationship wasn't written in a way that feels natural and makes sense. There could've been a lot more time spent on it, because one moment they were bickering and innocently flirting and the next they were dating?
goodeyreads's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
SWEET SUMMERTIME.
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
An enjoyable backlist summer time read with allllll those camp vibes. I really liked this!
Alex and Grant had a solid enemies to lovers vibe, but yet sweet? I don’t know how to explain it. I loved the banter and the fun ways they got to know each other in a camp setting. They had maaaany super cute moments where I was cheering them on.
Alex had a lot to learn and explore within herself and this book did an alright job accomplishing that. I think there could have been a deeper dive into the entire story. It’s a short book and I felt much of it was surface level. The ending went kind of quickly with the bigger plots being wrapped up.
It was an engaging read I had a hard time putting down. It’s a simple read that’ll have you thinking of all things summer.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: mild
- Trigger/Content Warnings: drunk and underage driving (resulting in loss of life), loss of a parent, grief depiction
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
An enjoyable backlist summer time read with allllll those camp vibes. I really liked this!
Alex and Grant had a solid enemies to lovers vibe, but yet sweet? I don’t know how to explain it. I loved the banter and the fun ways they got to know each other in a camp setting. They had maaaany super cute moments where I was cheering them on.
Alex had a lot to learn and explore within herself and this book did an alright job accomplishing that. I think there could have been a deeper dive into the entire story. It’s a short book and I felt much of it was surface level. The ending went kind of quickly with the bigger plots being wrapped up.
It was an engaging read I had a hard time putting down. It’s a simple read that’ll have you thinking of all things summer.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: mild
- Trigger/Content Warnings: drunk and underage driving (resulting in loss of life), loss of a parent, grief depiction
lacyduckie's review against another edition
3.0
I'm still trying to process my thoughts about Last Chance Summer. The writing was fine and the plot was ok.
I've spent many of the summers of my life as a camper at a summer camp and then later as a counselor. I'm naturally drawn to stories with a camp setting. I've always believed camp is the perfect place to find yourself and figure things out. In a way, it makes sense, that Alex would start to heal from her grief there.
Don't go into this thinking it is only a summer romance. It's so much more than that. And it does deal with grief.
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
***Thank you to the author, for sending me a signed review copy!***
I've spent many of the summers of my life as a camper at a summer camp and then later as a counselor. I'm naturally drawn to stories with a camp setting. I've always believed camp is the perfect place to find yourself and figure things out. In a way, it makes sense, that Alex would start to heal from her grief there.
Don't go into this thinking it is only a summer romance. It's so much more than that. And it does deal with grief.
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Spoiler
drinking and driving, death from drinking and driving***Thank you to the author, for sending me a signed review copy!***