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A review by capyval
Camp by L.C. Rosen
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Cute book with good rep, in general. I must say, I'm not very convinced of the demisexual representation this book shows, I think demisexuality is hard to understand, and perhaps this author didn't grasp it completely (but hey, it might just be me, after all I'm not an expert in the topic either).
I'm not the biggest fan of plots based on characters lying, but somehow it worked in this book (although, yes, the way Hudson forgives Randy is a bit too fast... but well, these are teenagers, so we can use that excuse ).
My favourite thing about this book is the discussion about gender, more specifically, about the discrimination of effeminate men, something that is a real problem in the present (inside and outside of the LGBTQ+ community), and that I haven't seen discussed in any other of the many YA LGBTQ+ books that I read.
Apparently, many people dislike the fact this book has a lot of somewhat explicit mentions of sex, with a long sex scene. I wasn't put-off by this, because it still sounded like a YA book, not an adult one. In a way, the thoughts of Randy during the sex scene, might be reassuring for some teenagers. I do agree, though, with people remarking this: you definitely need to wash your hands if you put your finger in somebody's/your arshole, hand sanitizer doesn't work for that!!
The format I chose for this book was the audio version. The narrator was alright, I loved the fact that he had an effeminate voice, but at the beginning of the book I felt it was quite obvious he was reading, like, he wasn't trying to mask that at all, even sometimes in dialogues, and maybe struggling a bit with the punctuation of the book. That somehow changed during the audiobook, or maybe I got used to his style. On the other hand, he doesn't make different voices for the characters, so it can get a bit confusing to follow. Still, he is a good actor, so that added to the book, especially in some parts. I must clarify once again that during the sex scene, he definitely didn't narrate it like sex parts are narrated/acted in books for adults. So again, this is fitting.
Perhaps this book would sound a bit better if the main characters were 17, instead of 16 (given that Hudson already had sex with several guys, one wonders how that is possible being so young).
I'm not the biggest fan of plots based on characters lying, but somehow it worked in this book (
My favourite thing about this book is the discussion about gender, more specifically, about the discrimination of effeminate men, something that is a real problem in the present (inside and outside of the LGBTQ+ community), and that I haven't seen discussed in any other of the many YA LGBTQ+ books that I read.
Apparently, many people dislike the fact this book has a lot of somewhat explicit mentions of sex, with a long sex scene. I wasn't put-off by this, because it still sounded like a YA book, not an adult one. In a way, the thoughts of Randy during the sex scene, might be reassuring for some teenagers. I do agree, though, with people remarking this: you definitely need to wash your hands if you put your finger in somebody's/your arshole, hand sanitizer doesn't work for that!!
The format I chose for this book was the audio version. The narrator was alright, I loved the fact that he had an effeminate voice, but at the beginning of the book I felt it was quite obvious he was reading, like, he wasn't trying to mask that at all, even sometimes in dialogues, and maybe struggling a bit with the punctuation of the book. That somehow changed during the audiobook, or maybe I got used to his style. On the other hand, he doesn't make different voices for the characters, so it can get a bit confusing to follow. Still, he is a good actor, so that added to the book, especially in some parts. I must clarify once again that during the sex scene, he definitely didn't narrate it like sex parts are narrated/acted in books for adults. So again, this is fitting.
Perhaps this book would sound a bit better if the main characters were 17, instead of 16 (given that Hudson already had sex with several guys, one wonders how that is possible being so young).