Scan barcode
emskiewings's review against another edition
1.0
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. This is one of the reasons why I (almost completely) stopped reading books from Wattpad; they need more work but hardly ever receive it.
And maybe the book gets better as you go along, but I will never know because I couldn't make it further.
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. This is one of the reasons why I (almost completely) stopped reading books from Wattpad; they need more work but hardly ever receive it.
And maybe the book gets better as you go along, but I will never know because I couldn't make it further.
irasobrietate's review against another edition
2.0
Unfortunately, this was just not a very good book. The plot was illogical and jumped all over the place. The characters just weren't interesting or compelling and I couldn't find it in myself to root for Emma at all. All in all, it really just needed a lot of editing and maybe a couple of run throughs to flesh out characters and relationships.
martereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
raychelbennet's review against another edition
2.0
I am reluctant to rate anything I read for free and before publication negatively because I by no means want to harm the livelihood and future of the author involved but there was a lot in this book that was really problematic. I am just fine with writing that isn't exactly my taste or characters that I don't love 100%--my issues with this book are not along those lines. My main concern here is the extreme lack of reflection and awareness involving consensual relationships. The character of Lauren was kind of a representation of the harmful belief "ha ha I can pick on you because I have a crush on you." That behavior should not be normalized in heterosexual relationships and it ABSOLUTELY should not be dismissed as funny, unassuming, or blasé in queer teenage relationships when queer teens are at a significantly higher likelihood of being in an abusive relationship. Consent was spoken of a few times but it was not taken seriously. Instead, several characters steamrolled over the scenario without it developing into any sort of conversation. The whole thing was just icky.
On a less serious note, several of the characters just felt like cardboard caricatures of people rather than fully-realized individuals. Fanfiction and shipping was a significant part of how I came to terms with my sexuality and, again, it just felt like a joke. I know there are people that talk about "shipping" real life people and make jokes about it but when fanfiction is such a staple of the queer community, I feel like it should be taken at least a little bit seriously. I'm not saying it can't be joked about at all...just. This book felt a little tone deaf.
On a less serious note, several of the characters just felt like cardboard caricatures of people rather than fully-realized individuals. Fanfiction and shipping was a significant part of how I came to terms with my sexuality and, again, it just felt like a joke. I know there are people that talk about "shipping" real life people and make jokes about it but when fanfiction is such a staple of the queer community, I feel like it should be taken at least a little bit seriously. I'm not saying it can't be joked about at all...just. This book felt a little tone deaf.
dostojevskijs's review against another edition
1.0
I tried to finish this but I just couldn't get into it. Some might like it, but it just could have used some editing and perhaps a few more beta readers.
miloblue's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
astraeal's review against another edition
2.0
I’m not gonna lie, I kind of skimmed through the last hundred pages or so. I completely lost the little interest I had in this story. I feel like there wasn’t much plot there?
Emma is stuck at a camp where she had a very bad experience some years ago and while there were the words PTSD, depression, and anxiety on pages, it felt like a second thought to all. She also wants to be kicked out of camp but don’t do anything major that would do it? And when she has an opportunity she’s like ‘oh no I couldn’t do that’ and it just??? doesn’t make sense.
And enough with the big meanie bully I don’t like this trope, and even less when that character has a secret crush on the one they’re bullying. NOPE.
There was some talk about consent and privacy (especially with the letters) but Emma absolutely didn’t react at all when Vivian looked through her phone without her knowing? She was fine with it?? That’s definitely not something to do hello????
I did like the friendship between Emma and Gwen (and Gwen as a character in general) and the same for Walter.
The rest at the end felt too easy.
Emma is stuck at a camp where she had a very bad experience some years ago and while there were the words PTSD, depression, and anxiety on pages, it felt like a second thought to all. She also wants to be kicked out of camp but don’t do anything major that would do it? And when she has an opportunity she’s like ‘oh no I couldn’t do that’ and it just??? doesn’t make sense.
And enough with the big meanie bully I don’t like this trope, and even less when that character has a secret crush on the one they’re bullying. NOPE.
There was some talk about consent and privacy (especially with the letters) but Emma absolutely didn’t react at all when Vivian looked through her phone without her knowing? She was fine with it?? That’s definitely not something to do hello????
I did like the friendship between Emma and Gwen (and Gwen as a character in general) and the same for Walter.
The rest at the end felt too easy.
epilieaspiechick's review against another edition
1.0
Thank you to Wattpad Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Why is it always the books that have important representation of typically misunderstood populations that seem to have the most offensive material?
The last time I got offended this quickly (single digits page wise), the book was about the Autism Spectrum.
This time, this story is about a lesbian girl being forced to go to a summer camp where she experienced bullying and homophobia. The father is made out to sound like someone who genuinely cares and is just following custody rules with her mother. The mom is not only offensive, but if the dad cared as much as he is meant to appear to, he would NOT have been okay with what the mom pulls. She openly refuses to accept her daughter's sexuality and truthfully, bullies her own daughter. She belittles the experiences she went through and calls it "dramatic".
Really lady? Try saying that to my face and you'll see what happens. I get that sometimes these situations happen, but it doesn't make writing it okay or appropriate.
There are so many poor choices made in rapid time that I have an extremely difficult time believing would occur. With a main character written to be as confident as she is post-assistance from mental health specialist, I highly doubt she would've stopped as quickly as she did to contact her father. Plus, I doubt that any camp worth their weight would so willfully allow someone back who had that terrible of an experience without some seriously careful handling.
I hope the publisher takes better consideration of the material before agreeing to publish in the future. This story is offensive and displays poor behavior that does not send the right message (or an okay one) on any level.
Why is it always the books that have important representation of typically misunderstood populations that seem to have the most offensive material?
The last time I got offended this quickly (single digits page wise), the book was about the Autism Spectrum.
This time, this story is about a lesbian girl being forced to go to a summer camp where she experienced bullying and homophobia. The father is made out to sound like someone who genuinely cares and is just following custody rules with her mother. The mom is not only offensive, but if the dad cared as much as he is meant to appear to, he would NOT have been okay with what the mom pulls. She openly refuses to accept her daughter's sexuality and truthfully, bullies her own daughter. She belittles the experiences she went through and calls it "dramatic".
Really lady? Try saying that to my face and you'll see what happens. I get that sometimes these situations happen, but it doesn't make writing it okay or appropriate.
There are so many poor choices made in rapid time that I have an extremely difficult time believing would occur. With a main character written to be as confident as she is post-assistance from mental health specialist, I highly doubt she would've stopped as quickly as she did to contact her father. Plus, I doubt that any camp worth their weight would so willfully allow someone back who had that terrible of an experience without some seriously careful handling.
I hope the publisher takes better consideration of the material before agreeing to publish in the future. This story is offensive and displays poor behavior that does not send the right message (or an okay one) on any level.
thefreckledbookworm's review against another edition
DNF 15%
I really wanted to love this book, because mental health rep and a GAY SUMMER ROMANCE?? But I just couldn't get into it. I was constantly going back and forth, because I couldn't remember what was happening. The characters are very two dimensional and it's hard to tell who is talking in the dialogues. There are also quite a few inconsistencies (ex : brushed off panic attacks, for one).
What I DID appreciate :
• The well developed father / daughter relationship. Reading about such a bond is so rare and it SHOULDN'T be
• The well established sexuality of the MC
I can't really write more, as I DNFed the book. But I'm tired of forcing myself through books that I just can't get into.
I really wanted to love this book, because mental health rep and a GAY SUMMER ROMANCE?? But I just couldn't get into it. I was constantly going back and forth, because I couldn't remember what was happening. The characters are very two dimensional and it's hard to tell who is talking in the dialogues. There are also quite a few inconsistencies (ex : brushed off panic attacks, for one).
What I DID appreciate :
• The well developed father / daughter relationship. Reading about such a bond is so rare and it SHOULDN'T be
• The well established sexuality of the MC
I can't really write more, as I DNFed the book. But I'm tired of forcing myself through books that I just can't get into.