Thanks to NetGalley and Ink Monster for the opportunity to read and review One S'more Summer by Beth Merlin! This is a fun story filled with summer camp adventures and relationship struggles. Gigi is at a rough place and becomes a camp counselor to escape and hopefully regroup before she heads back to her regular life as unemployed and single, after a confusing affair. Perry has been a summer counselor for four years and he’s dealing with his own supposed skeletons in the closet. Gigi treats Perry with only anger, assuming he’s arrogant and immature when she hasn’t even given him a chance. Over the summer and in spite of their bad start, Gigi and Perry began to confide in each other and realize they have a lot in common. Gigi can’t seem to get away from her past and she faces everything head on, thanks to the support of her friends and family. The ending is cute and hopeful after the tumultuous distrust and intensity. One S’more Summer weaves a realistic and rocky story of how relationships come and go and how we handle them and how we deal with the in-betweenness of being single. 5 stars!

Gigi and her best friend Alicia met when they were nine at Summer Camp in Chinooka twenty years ago. During their time at camp, they also made a new friend Joshua. The three of them became inseparable but as they got older Alicia and Joshua became a couple and Gigi - the third wheel. Years later Alicia and Joshua have recently announced their engagement, and Gigi wants to be happy for them, but how can she be when she is still in love with Joshua. During Alicia and Joshua's break, Gigi and Joshua slept together and had a fling, but of course, as always Joshua went back to Alicia. Now that the wedding is coming up and Gigi has no career after a failed stint working for a fashion designer after her receiving Runner-Up on a fashion reality show called Top Designer. Her options are nil, so she decides to go where she was always at her happiest - back to Camp Chinooka. This summer, Gigi will be Head Counsellor for Cedar Girls. During her time at Camp Chinooka, she has a love/hate relationship with fellow Head Counsellor Perry Gilman - head of Birch Boys. They will both discover that Summer Camp can be not only a place to hide away and not confront your fears but that it can also help you to grow and move forward with life when you find that One perfect summer or person. Will this Summer be the one for Gigi to help get her life back on track? Find out in One S'more Summer by Beth Merlin.

I did not and could not connect with this book. Pining over her best friends boyfriend/fiance is annoying, especially since the pining began when they were 7. Now an adult and with their impending wedding, GiGi hopes that by doing something drastic that everything will change. I was super annoyed by GiGi and didn't finish the book.

I found parts of the book a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed the read. It was light and absolutely perfect for summer vacation

One S'more Summer was an idyllic, beautiful summer read and I loved it! It took me a little while to get into it at the start, but once I did, it was totally memorable and so great.
Review to come soon on my blog!

Three and a half stars: A lighthearted read, perfect for summer all about reconciling the past and self discovery.

Gigi isn’t surprised when she gets sacked from her designing job at an elite, high end fashion designing label. After nearly winning the designing reality tv show, her career sky rocketed. Then everything fell apart when she started dating the man, Joshua, whom she has been crushing on since she was nine years old. Joshua has been dating her best friend, Alicia, for years, but when Alicia went to London and called off the relationship, Gigi and Josh finally got together. Now Alicia is back, and she and Josh are reconciled. Brimming with guilt, Gigi can’t tell Alicia what happened, nor can she attend their wedding. So when a job opportunity presents itself at her old summer camp, Gigi decides to run away. Who says you can’t go back in time or can you?
What I Liked:
*One S'more Summer is the perfect book for light summer reading. What screams summer more than summer camp? I loved the setting of the book. It was fun to remember some of my own experiences at summer camp while reading this book.
*Surprisingly, this book has some depth as it is all about Gigi's journey of self discovery and finding herself after her careers crashes and burns, she loses her two best friends, and she finds herself adrift. I liked how Gigi got back on her feet, and how she not only helped herself but those around her. She learns so much about herself, and I liked her journey. I was happy to see that she made positive choices and that she didn’t fall back into the same old ruts. I even appreciate that she worked through her relationships with both of her parents.
*There is a light romance in this one, and I thought it was just right. It starts out completely antagonistic as Gigi butts heads with the boy’s head counselor. Then as time goes on, the two develop a friendship that moves into something more as they open up, learn to trust and help each other hurdle over their pasts. I liked that the relationship was positive, and that it was about maturing and getting over the past. I thought it was well done. Don’t expect heat and passion, it is a quieter, simpler romance.
*I loved some of the secondary characters. Gigi’s best friend, Jamie, a fellow designer, who is gay, and has an affinity for Gone with the Wind. I loved how Jamie always had Gigi's back and how he came to her rescue several times, he had her best interest at heart, unlike Joshua and Alicia. I also enjoyed the campers. Hannah, the insecure thirteen year old, who scores the lead in the play was so sweet and cute. I also loved Grace, the girl who was struggling with her self esteem and surprised that a popular boy liked her. Gordy, the head of the camp, was a riot. I loved his antics. I wished that I could have gone to a camp like this one.
*This book is so fun. It screams summer with its setting and all the shenanigans of summer camp. I loved the camp competitions and the pranks and all that. If you have ever been to summer camp, this book is a fun way to relive your youth.
And The Not So Much:
The ending was a bit open ended, which didn’t bother me because I felt like Gigi, Perry and Jamie *were on the right path after their summer of self discovery. Then I was disappointed when I read the synopsis for the second book which was included at the end. The next book is set to release December 2017, and it takes place four years after this one. The synopsis is full of spoilers, and I can say I am not at all happy to read what is in store. I am not sure whether I will go on or not, which is a shame because I did enjoy this one. It put on a damper on this read.
*I couldn’t stand Joshua and Alicia. They were supposedly Gigi’s best friends, but I saw them as nothing more than users. They both constantly counted on Gigi to sort out their relationship problems and be the glue that held them together. I couldn’t believe the way Alicia acted toward Gigi. *She was the one who ran away, she had no business reacting that way. I certainly wouldn’t want best friends like that.
*Even though I liked the romance, I thought it moved from the antagonistic stage to love a little too quickly, it almost didn’t feel believable to me. I don’t know, the relationship was lacking some depth, and I felt cheated at the end.

One S’more Summer is a lighthearted, fun read perfect for summer. I adored the camp setting, and I liked that this book was about self discovery and change. The romance is light and easy as well. I was disappointed to learn what is store for the characters in the next book, I am not sure if I want to continue, which is a shame because this book was such a fun summery read.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

I'm not sure that I know what this book wanted to be. On the one hand, it was a nostalgia-filled love/hate romance at summer camp. On the other, there was a love triangle and avoiding the wedding of the other two involved. This could have been a very fun summer read, but the love triangle really weighed it down and took away time that could have been spent developing the love/hate relationship between the head counselors. I think I can skip the sequel.

Gigi has spent two decades secretly in love with her best friend Alicia's boyfriend, someone Gigi technically saw first when the three met at the start of summer camp. All is fine and dandy until Alicia and Joshua get engaged, something that forces Gigi to admit that she will always be the Best Friend in this relationship.

Shortly after the engagement, Gigi loses her job. Between her heartbreak and her professional freedom, she needs a reboot. So how better to deal with this than to head back to that summer camp and reconnect with her childhood?

The problem is that camp presents, as another character tells Gigi, a veritable buffet of emotional landmines. Everything is connected to a memory, and every memory is connected to Alicia and Joshua. It is impossible for Gigi to escape, so how can she expect to figure out what she wants to do with her life?

Well, there is Perry, a hot camp counselor. He might just be the path to self-discovery.

Beth Merlin makes you feel as if you're right there at camp with Gigi, and she does a fine job of seamlessly blending Gigi's present at the camp with her past. You understand why Gigi loves Joshua, and you understand why she reacts so painfully to news of his engagement. The one character left undeveloped is Alicia. You aren't quite sure what to make of her. Does she know? If she doesn't, what sort of friend can she be if she's so blind to her BFF's feelings?

This is the first book in a series, yet I think you can read it as a standalone. Yes, it ends on a little bit of a cliffy, but not a terribly angsty one. You feel that Gigi is on her way, whether it's with Joshua or Perry or someone else or no one at all. Merlin tells a fun, sweet tale, making this a solid choice for your summer reading.


*** Review scheduled for publication on June 16

When I read the blurb for this book I thought it might be a teen, young adult novel but it's not. It's about a woman who has messed up here career and friendships and is escaping to the one place she always felt happy, Camp Chinooka. It seems fate had a hand in sending her a newsletter just as her life was falling apart. Set over a summer, Gigi learns that she needs to accept responsibility for her life and make the changes needed to return to New York City and her life. Very open ended with book 2 of the Campfire series on it's way.

This book is a breath of fresh air.
Almost all the characters have flaws. Filled with regrets and guilt, they try change things and forget their trouble past as camp counselors.
It is a tale of friendship and working together as a team.

Gigi's best friend is getting married to the guy she's loved for a long time. Now shes at a summer camp as a counselor where everything started to run from her past (At least temporarily), the truth and just ignore her problems. Last thing she expected was for the Head Counselor Perry to challenge and spark her interest. At camp she needs to think about whats shes going to do about her life choices and will have that chance at camp.

I liked this book, perfect for summer reading. This book really got me into the mood to go camping and really got me excited for the summer. I thought it was interesting how Gigi was when she first went to camp and seeing her think about her life choices, finding out what she was running from, how she was going to resolve everything. I also loved seeing the banter and challenges that went back and forth with her and Perry. I thought it was interesting seeing why Perry comes back to working at the camp and his own set of issues. Overall this book was a pretty good summer read and I really enjoyed it.

And they say you can't go back again...apparently they never told Gigi that. She goes back to summer camp to escape her problems only to have the memories come smack her in the face. If you can get through the teenage angst, you'll see that love wins in the end after all.

As debut novels go, this isn't bad. And before you wonder why it seems as though this is a little "meh", I'll explain why I'm less effusive.

I am not a fan of books where cheating is an underlying theme. I picked this book because whilst it skirts around the edge of that, it never quite fully morphs into a full blown issue.

That aside, and despite never having been to a camp such as this myself, I thought that the author managed to capture the teen/adult interactions pretty well, to set the backdrop for this story.

Overall, this really was a pretty drama free read. And in the context of the narrative, that worked. The relationship between Perry and Gigi was laced with humour and sarcasm thoughout, and it was fun to watch their interactions develop from animosity to something more.

I think that if you're looking for a light distraction then this will work. If you want something more complex, then I'm not sure that this is the right book for you.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Great book. I love the storyline and characters. However I found some of the relationships between characters a little odd, with large age gaps, for example Gigi and the other younger councillors. A bit of research would be ideal for British readers.... I couldn't get past Evie from Manchester with her Cockney accent!!!! Oh dear....

One S'more Summer by Beth Merlin is the first book I've read by this author and I was pleasantly entertained throughout the book. Gigi has encountered some setbacks in her career and to add salt to her wounds, her best friend is marrying the one guy she's ever been in love with. Gigi decided to run away from her life and enlisted herself as a counselor at the summer camp she used to go when she was a kid. But while she was there, memories came flooding back of her, her best friend, and the love of her life. After all, that's where they all met and became friends. Gigi felt she has always been the 5th wheel in this 3-person relationship.

While Gigi was at the summer camp, another counselor named Perry really got on her nerves. He's handsome and British and very cocky. Perry was the head counselor for the boys while Gigi was head counselor for the girls, you can imagine how fierce the competition is between the two teams. They were always at each other's necks fighting to win the Gordy award.

I'm not going to go into details regarding Gigi's past and her relationships with her best friend Alicia and the love of Gigi's life Josh. But this story ended beautifully with lots of promises for the future. I know there's a next book in the works and I can't wait to read that.

One S'more Summer wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it and read it in one afternoon. Gigi's life is a bit of a mess. She was recently fired, and her parents are pressuring her to attend law school. She's in love with one of her best friends who happens to be her other best friend's fiance. Gigi thought she'd have at least a year to get use to the idea of Joshua and Alicia getting married, but the wedding is scheduled to happen before the end of the summer. Gigi knows she can't watch the two people she loves most tie the knot, so she signs on as a counselor at the camp where the three of them met.

I liked how One S'more Summer was more about Gigi getting her life and her emotions in order rather than being a romance. There is a summer romance between Gigi and one of the foreign counselors, Perry, but it's not the focus. Gigi just doesn't know what to do with her life and the situations being thrown at her. She knows it's wrong to want Joshua to be with her instead, but you can't control who you fall in love with. She thinks getting away from it all will help her sort through her problems, but really she's surrounded by memories. And honestly, I was convinced that this is all Joshua's fault. He's selfish for stringing Gigi along. Yes, Gigi should be honest with Alicia, but so should he. He's the one getting married!

The one thing that kept me from fully enjoying One S'more Summer was time. Time passes in a weird way. The narrative alternates between Gigi's current stay at the camp and the months that she spent with Joshua. That's all well and good, except that the past chapters aren't always in order, so I was confused a lot about the series of events. It's important to know when things happened, because Gigi and Joshua come close to sneaking around behind Alicia's back. I wish it was clearer exactly when things happened. Then in the current chapters, there's many references to "in a few weeks" and "it's been a few weeks." Camp is only eight weeks long, how many "few weeks" could pass?!

One S'more Summer also has an open ending, which is why I'd consider this more Realistic Fiction or Chick Lit rather than Contemporary Romance. Gigi and Perry have an enemies to lovers kind of dynamic going, and it was fun seeing the rivalry between the boys and girls cabins. But the ending doesn't have them together. It really is about Gigi realizing what she wants to do with her life and fixing or not fixing things with her best friend. However, after reading the blurb for the next book, I'm curious about what did come next since there seems to be quite the time jump between books.

This book wasn't quite,what I was expecting from the blurb. I didn't like the structure of the flashbacks. It was unclear at times when events were happening. I also didn't love any of the characters, so I wasn't really rooting for a HEA. Good thing, cause I felt the ending was disappointing.

To say that our main character, Gigi, is going through a bit of a rough patch in her life would be an understatement. After getting fired from her job and a million other things going south in her life, she's forced to make a decision in hopes to get a much needed break from her life in New York City. With nothing left to lose, Gigi heads off to be the head counselor at her childhood summer camp.

I'm not going to lie, it got a little frustrating to read from Gigi's POV because she's so different than me. I couldn't handle how easy she gave up and just ran away from her problems, especially when it concerned her best friend and the guy she's been in love with her entire life (who is a total jerk, in my opinion). But I also related to her on a level because in my early 20s I went through a bit of a crisis myself, and running away from my problems was a lot easier than dealing with them, so on some level I got it. And Gigi is a kind, caring person at the end of the day.

I loved the aspect of Gigi going back to her childhood summer camp! It brought up so many fun summer memories for me while reading. And the activities at camp made the book fun, like the color war towards the end - so exciting! More characters are introduced once she settles into camp and I loved Perry and Jordana right off the bat. But let's talk Perry because his relationship with Gigi was the BESSSSST. I'm always here for "hate-love" romances and theirs was something special - and the banter was hilarious and perfect. Sure, they had some annoying moments when it was clear how in love they were with one another but overall I enjoyed their relationship. They balanced each other out and it was really sweet the way they helped each other overcome their pasts/burdens.

Beth Merlin's writing was fantastic - I really loved how well she blended in flashbacks with the present. I was happy we didn't know every piece of the puzzle when it came to what exactly Gigi and Perry were running away from. It kept the story fresh and unique for me. Plus, there was so much to enjoy outside Gigi's personal journey and romance, too. I loved her friendship with Jamie - who is the absolute best! And the family drama was just the right amount needed for this story.

The story wraps up beautifully. I was happy to see so much change in Gigi and her relationships, and how she comes forward with truths and gains closure for all the things she desperately tried to run away from at the beginning of the book. This is the first book in the series and it does a great job at leaving readers with questions. I'm looking forward to the next one!

If you're looking for a touching, fun chick lit book then definitely check this one out! :)

Hiding from the troubles of her life... mainly how she is in love with her best friends soon to be husband... and how she cheated with him... Gigi goes to her childhood camp to be a cabin leader. While there she runs into the sexy, sassy and moody male cabin leader, Perry. As the tension flares between them, she learns how to move one and how to love someone who is not her best friends man.

I did not like this novel. I had a weak, underdeveloped plot and I has major plot holes it overlooks. Lets starts with my biggest moral issue with the novel and the least plot related problem... Gigi not only cheats with her best friends fiancé, but she does not fess up to it or even acknowledge it to the readers. She strait up makes out with him WHILE he is in a engagement relationship with her best friend. They approach having sex and only stop when HER BEST FRIEND calls and interrupts! But after that moment it is not mentioned again or even acknowledged again. The main character lies by saying nothing happened after her best friend and him got engaged, multiple times! And it's clear that the main character is constantly justifying cheating between her and him and her own father and other women. This made me strongly dislike the main character and the book alongside it. It was very disturbing to read. All of that aside, the plot was just plain weak and had very minimal real development. Nothing happens. There is nothing of true conscience or interest throughout the "story". If you boiled the story down to its actual plot elements, it would be ridiculously short... just nothing really happens. In the end, I DO NOT recommend this story and I only give One S'More Summer the rating of TWO OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!

I loved this book! It captured so many different aspects with pinpoint accuracy! I felt the turmoil between Gigi & Joshua, I felt all the excitement of summer camp and all the teenage emotions. An excellent, fun & enjoyable read!