The book was reviewed in Big Gay Fiction Podcast episode 251, which also included an interview with L.C. Rosen to discuss the book.

A year after reading this book, the characters and the camp are still with me—along with the energy and hope this book gave me. What a joy it was to read queer kids learning to and expressing their identities, being supported by adults, supporting each other, and learning to question and challenge societal norms.

My favorite quotes:

"But safer and happier don’t always go hand in hand. It’s a choice that a lot of us have to make—when to come out, who to come out to."

"Terrible things happening to you are never an excuse to do them to someone else."

If I could give this book more than five stars, I would.

This one wasn't really for me, but I imagine certain readers may find it incredibly fun and heartwarming. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

One of the best reads of 2020!! A fun read if there ever was one. Breaking the toxic masculinity mould and embracing oneself are the key themes. Absolutely loved it and can’t wait for more books by the author.

Reading this book really felt like being on camp. Lockdown had just been enforced when I received an advance review copy, so the days were strange and stressful, but the experience of climbing into bed to see what Randy and his (Incredible! Amazing!) friends were up to brought me so much joy.

Camp Outland is a literal queer oasis. There’s an inclusive, encouraging vibe from camp counselors and fellow campers. Randy’s dorm-mates share sparkly nail polish, wear spectacular clothes, sing and dance to show-tunes every morning while getting dressed! In that sense, Camp is dreamlike. In every other sense, it’s still very much camp. Almost too accurate a depiction of camp. I had actual flashes back to my high school camp days, finding myself nostalgic for the watery lasagna, desperately awkward moments with crushes during pool time, and mid-afternoon outfit changes while air-drying our hair before dinner.

A surprising thing, which speaks to the camp spirit at Camp Outland, is that there was no making fun of Randy, no snide remarks, no sabotaging the plan for Hudson to like him. Everyone had a wonderful ‘This is what he wants, so we’ll support it’ attitude. The result is a story that leaves room for a series of real discussions, exploring topics like toxic masculinity and performative gender expression in a way that I think teenagers would appreciate reading. The predicament is exactly as the blurb explains. What was unexpected is that the situation doesn’t always feel black-and-white. Randy has a bunch of great conversations with his best friends, his dorm, and camp counselors at various stages of this charade, and they all offer perspective, advice, and unconditional love while he navigates the blossoming romance.

And then... Hudson. Hudson is TRULY a problematic fave. I felt conflicted and uncomfortable about how the book would end, because he says some hurtful and (in my opinion) unforgivable things. But being immersed in my high school flashbacks reminded me that this is YA! When I was on those camps, I borderline idolized the boys I liked, knowing just a handful of facts about them, glossing over all kinds of things, and I loved every minute of it. It didn’t have to be wrapped up in a perfect ribbon that checks all the boxes. Having a crush and getting the guy? Being the person the ‘playboy’ chooses to actually date? That’s it. That’s camp romance, baby! It’s young love; you’ve gotta go all-in for the whole shebang. That’s Randy’s whole thing. And so I did! I hope you do, too.

The book isn't perfect, however. Randy is Jewish and white, Hudson is Korean (both his parents came from Korea to America as kids) but it's like, a forgettable fact, like I literally forgot about it even while reading the notes I made. It's mentioned in the middle of a line where Randy tells us about how "we were late to the meeting because making out, but we did talk a little bit so I feel like I'm making progress, like now I know his parents names and jobs and that they both came over from Korea, and his dad's great-grandparents fled pogroms in the Ukraine" (which is a very intense thing to just throw out in the middle a makeout.) As for Randy, he is white and Jewish, as is the author.

Overall, if you have ever wished for a queer summer camp, or been so heart-eyes-emoji over someone that you could not see past the seriousness of wanting them to be your boyfriend: Get. This. Book. It’s a wonderland of excellent, supportive queer people, and it will give you camp crush feels!

Content Warnings: internalized homophobia, mentions of bullying that happened back home, homophobic slurs (used by Hudson, at Randy), Hudson’s parents are mean, homophobic and conditionally accepting of him being gay, flashbacks to Hudson grieving his grandmother’s death, mention of the pogroms

“I am, I think, Hudson’s dream boy. A masc fantasy. Sure, I watch everything I do now, and I won’t be able to be in the show this summer, but it’ll all be worth it for love.”

Randall “Randy” Kapplehoff will do anything for love, a fact proven in his fourth year at Camp Outland (a four-week LGBTQ+ sleep-away camp in the lush wilderness of Connecticut) when he shows up as “Del” – a butch fantasy: short hair, button-downs, gruff voice – changing his personality from femme to masc by giving up his favorite things (glitter, unicorns and theater, most notably) in order to win over his straight-acting fantasy in Hudson Aaronson-Lim, the boy of his dreams.

Dedicated to “the plan” – a rom-com plot with red flags, fueled by naivete and method acting, despite the warnings of his closest friends (Ashleigh & George), not to mention long-time camp counselors, Del launches into a four-week mission: woo Hudson, start a relationship, and fall in love.

Sharp changes in personality make the sixteen-year-old almost unrecognizable, including not just a change in hair and clothing (goodbye short shorts, satin robes, and nail polish), but in mannerisms such as speech, body language and even gait. Pair that with a newfound “interest” in sports and Del is able to gain Hudson’s attention, sparks flying when the duo interact on the obstacle course and in sports club activities rather than a gender-queer performance of Bye Bye Birdie, much to Randy’s dismay.

Founded on lies, the rom com unfolds, wherein L.C. Rosen artfully plumbs the depths of toxic masculinity, exploring the masks that queer teens must wear to be accepted (not just in love, but in life) – a facet explored further Hudson, especially, who has been conditioned to life in fear of his sexuality due to internalized homophobia on behalf of his parents.

Over the course of four weeks, the reader embarks on a romance as rocky and varied as the camp’s obstacle course – fueled by passion and desire, complicated by unexpected accidents and falls, including past trauma, prejudice, and a very harsh world. While Camp Outland may be a safe haven to explore different identities, the real world is another story, one full of fear, prompting a much-needed discussion on presenting and the difficulties that queer teens face in coming out.

“I think he believes in me, and that makes me feel like I have a thousand stars – a galaxy – inside me, glowing brightly.”

Brimming with depth, Rosen brings Hudson and Randy to life, shimmering attraction and desire melding into complex conversation when things get too heated, mirroring the ebb and flow of teen relationships in real life. Whether things are moving too fast or too slow, Rosen explores teen relationships with ease, tapping into the conflicted (and somewhat naïve) mindset all while focusing on the very real sensations of love (and lust), not to mention physical and emotional connection. Hidden truths surface over stolen kisses and conversation, paving the way for an important discussion on masking, presenting, and questioning one’s identity.

Inclusive and eye-opening, Camp is more than just a passionate (and sex positive!) teen romance; it’s an examination of queer struggle. Alongside love, Rosen explores the importance of platonic relationships and support groups, all while reinforcing the idea that it is okay to be yourself without neglecting the very real dangers of a world that doesn’t understand you. A queer love letter, Camp is a devastatingly brilliant summer rom-com that should be required reading – a perfect choice for pride month and beyond.

Camp is a delightful story of self-discovery – after years of suppressing one’s true self – with cute, multi-dimensional main characters, teenage crushes, amusing antics, and Randy’s elaborate strategy to get the boy of his dreams. This is Camp Outland, dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth, where they can be “unashamedly queer” with a “who-cares-if-your-wrists-are-loose freedom.”
I’ve never been to camp. Most of the kids in my hometown went, it seems, but I spent my summers at home. So right there I found the blurb – heck, just the title and cover – compelling. Considering LGBTQ+ young adult is one of my favorite genres, this was a must-read for me. I just had to know, are all the stories of hijinks in the Catskills I heard about on the first day back to school real? What is real is that Camp is a refreshing novel, a perfect summer read and a welcome break from the heavy themes of coming out, bullying, disownment, and homelessness that I’ve been reading lately. There’s still plenty of angst, just balanced with a plethora of humor.
In an effort to attract the attention of fellow camper Hudson, his crush of four years, Randy undergoes a year-long transformation. It encompasses everything from losing twenty pounds, cutting his hair, changing his affectations and body movements, practicing sports, and even changing his name at camp to Del – everything to be more straight-acting and masc like Hudson – a marked departure from his nail polish wearing, theater loving, femme self. I cringed waiting for Randy’s trainwreck of a plan to play out, but he’s been pining for so long, so desperate measures and all that. But would it work? I couldn’t see how this level of deceit was going to end positively and I honestly didn’t see until the very end how the story would conclude. YA novels don’t always culminate in a happy ending, after all. The glaring problem with Randy’s plan is that he wants a long-term relationship, not just a camp hook-up, but at what point does he revert to his true self and how does Hudson react after falling for Del, not Randy?
At its core, the theme of the book is about “daring to be yourself, even when the world is telling you to be something else.” While the book starts out with Randy’s metamorphosis as the impetus of the plotline, in the end, it’s Hudson who undergoes the more important, internal transformation. Hudson is confused by his self identity due to outside influences, grapples with the ideas of masc versus femme and fights the idea of gay stereotypes.
I sometimes feel like I’m sort of split down the middle – like there’s normal world and there’s gay world, and here is the only time I get to experience gay world, and I love it – but I also feel like maybe I don’t fit in it? And I wish it were more like my kind of gay world? I don’t know, I’m not making sense.
Randy, who also learns he needs to be himself, helps guide Hudson to be his authentic self in what is a very satisfying happy-for-now ending.
My camp-deprived youth left me lapping up L.C. Rosen’s evocative world building. I can visualize every corner of the camp, from the bunks to the Peanut Butter Pit to the clifftop view. I can imagine the mannerisms, clothing choices, and physicality of Randy’s colorful friends. And I can hear the music in my head to the many musical soundtracks counselor Mark has the cabin singing and dancing to. The book is chock full of rich secondary characters who cover the queer spectrum, including non-binary, asexual, aromantic, demisexual, one heteroflexible woman, and numerous ethnicities. Vivacious George is a faithful friend, one-hundred percent in support of Randy. Ashleigh is a loyal but skeptical bunkmate. There are a handful of other important characters including friends of both Randy and Hudson and various counselors.
I appreciate that this is a sex positive book with adults who understand the realities of teenage hormones and make condoms and lube freely available to the campers. I also appreciate that the one sex scene is detailed, sprinkled with a bit of humor, and doesn’t fade to black like in many YA novels.
Camp hooked me with its alluring cover and title and didn’t let go, leading me on a sweet and humorous exploration of young love and identity. It’s the most fun I’ve had all summer – mind you, it’s only the second week of June. It’s a fabulous book (in more ways than one) that I adore and give my highest recommendation.

This is a very sweet, fun romcom that will make you nostalgic for CAMP. Despite the fact that the main character's decision to trick the object of his affection is a little dubious, you still care about the lovely people populating the summer camp. Randy/Del's motivations are purely to get the guy, and initially Hudson seems a bit lame, but what you know can change so much over the course of a few weeks at summer camp. Randy learns some important lessons about not losing himself in a relationship and learns to embrace his friends' talents. With a major theater subplot and a tender exploration of masculinity in the gay community, this book is a must-read for any teen thinking about their identity or an adult trying to think of what a queer summer camp could have been for them.

Throughout June, GeekMom will be celebrating Pride Month with lots of LGBTQ content. Follow the Pride Month tag to find all the content in one space and keep checking back for more throughout the month. Today’s book review is Camp by LC Rosen. This book contains some sexually explicit themes which are discussed in this review.

Please note: This post contains affiliate links.

Camp is set at a summer camp exclusively for LGBTQ youth. Randy is returning to camp for his fifth summer, but this time he has arrived with a plan. He’s arrived with newly shortened hair, a masculine wardrobe, and a new name—Del. Gone are his makeup, unicorn bedsheets, and femme behaviors. Why? This time he is determined to win the heart of Hudson, the tough, macho heartthrob of the camp who only looks twice at straight-acting, masculine guys. Remember that scene in Grease where Sandy changes her whole look and personality to “win over” Danny? Imagine if Danny hadn’t recognized her and her charade lasted for weeks…

Randy/Del’s friends are shocked and worried about the change. Rather than signing up to join the drama track and work on the camp’s annual musical production, he has signed up for sports and outdoor activities. But when they question whether it’s a wise choice, Del digs in deeper. This is the plan he has been devising on all year, and it seems to be working. By the end of the first day, Hudson is already flirting with him, but Del has told him he’s a new camper and the lies just keep on building. It’s inevitable that Hudson will eventually learn the truth, but will he be flattered by the effort Del has put in or horrified by the manipulation?

Camp was certainly one of the most unique LGBTQ romances I’ve read, and it explores some deep themes about what it means to be queer both on the inside and on the outside. As we learn more about Del and Hudson’s lives away from the camp, we begin to see how those experiences have molded them to become very different on the outside, even if those differences aren’t as marked under the skin. There is also an enormous range of representation on show: gays, lesbians, bisexuals naturally, but also characters who are trans, aromantic, asexual, and those using they/them pronouns. The entire rainbow is present and accounted for at this camp.

Throughout the book, Del’s cabin mates are preparing to put on their annual show—this year it will be a queer telling of Bye Bye Birdie. This allows for a constant parallel narrative about how much of the gay experience is performative. Are many gay men naturally effeminate or is that something they perform because of expectations? Does it even matter, providing the actual person is happy? When Del changes himself to become more outwardly attractive to Hudson, has it changed who he is inside? He doesn’t think so—he’s still the same person right? But his friends seem to have a different opinion.

Also on the theme of performative sexuality is the idea of whether or not the young people in the book should hide aspects of their personality to keep themselves safe. One memorable scene involves a male character’s choice to wear nail varnish and whether he should keep on doing so in front of unsupportive parents outside the camp. Arguments are put forward about whether he should continue to wear it—staying true to the person he wants to be—or stop and perform the image of his sexuality that his parents want to see. This is a scenario familiar to nearly all LGBTQ people at some point in their lives, and whether or not the decision made in the book is the correct one is going to be down to the reader and their interpretation.

One thing to note about Camp is that it is by far the most sexually explicit of all the books I’ve read for Pride Month this year. While the others have stopped at kissing and the odd fumble, Camp includes descriptions of the preparations for and the experience of blow jobs and penetrative anal sex between two teenage boys. These scenes are handled sensitively and in the context of a romantic relationship and will be incredibly useful for young people hoping to learn more about sex, but could well be quite shocking for those used to nothing more than kissing. Parents may wish to keep that in mind before handing the book over to younger readers. The summer camp of the book is very sex-positive with condoms freely available to all campers and while the realism of that seems highly questionable, it certainly provides an interesting experiment on how a super-liberal teenage experience could look.

I really enjoyed reading Camp and found it to be one of the most thought-provoking of all the LGBTQ books I have read this year. While I would shy away from recommending it to most younger readers, it could well be invaluable to older teens exploring their thoughts and feelings about having sex for the first time.

GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes.

~This book is unapologetically queer, every colour of the rainbow splashed liberally over each and every page. LC Rosen has a style of writing that draws you in, a natural storytelling ability that keeps you turning page after page. This book is sex positive; it doesn’t shy away from any aspect while also giving you that warm rush, heart skipping feeling that a new crush does. It dives headlong into accepting yourself, all of yourself, from your sparkled nails to your love of obstacle courses. The little dashes of previous camps and the overall character growth that takes place, really take this from merely a good read, to a genuinely wonderful story about the journey to not only accepting yourself but those around you. Without effort it remains light and funny, has you emotionally invested in Randy and deals with big issues which is such a credit to this brilliant author. ⁣
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This has been one of my favourite reads for the year, I will shout about its brilliance for some time and I cannot wait to read it again.⁣

In Camp we are following a group of teens who every summer go to Camp Outland, a camp for kids who are LGBTQ+. This is Randy’s 4th year and this summer he is determined to win over Hudson and not just be one of his conquests. To do this he changes his name to Del and hangs out with the more masculine crowd instead of his theater group. What follows is not only making Hudson fall in love him but also a discovery of himself. Randy learns that he does like sports and being a leader but also loves acting and theater.

This was a really cute story about learning to accept you and your peers for who they are and not who you think they should be. Randy’s family is very accepting of him and who he is while Hudson’s family is not. Hudson's family thinks he should be normal and to fall into stereotypes. At times I struggled with Randy because he was changing himself so much for someone who didn't know all of him and kept ditching his friends for Hudson but in the end it all worked out. I also really enjoyed the theater aspect of this book, every summer they do a musical but cast based on skill and not gender. I would have loved to see their version of Bye Bye Birdie where he was more of a Ziggy Stardust character! Overall this was a fun book and gave it 4 stars. Thank you Netgalley, Fantastic Flying BookClub and Little Brown Books for my copy in exchange for my review.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, Netgalley, and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

I think about places like this, where queer kids can be their true selves with other queer kids and wish that this was something that was available all around the world without there being a problem with it. Meaning I wish that it wasn’t so rare, or wasn’t so expensive, or wasn’t so controversial to have something like this because sometimes kids just need to be themselves without their parents or their regular school peers present. I think about some of my friends or even my family members that have felt like they had to hide a piece of themselves because of what others could have thought about them and I wonder how they would have benefited from something like this.

Now while I don’t know how it’s like to completely change my identity the way that Randy changed to Del, I do understand where he is coming from. I kind of felt bad for him though, because it seemed like Randy was giving up a lot of the things that he really loved in order to make Del completely opposite of what Randy was in order to get Hudson to finally see him and give him a chance. How many times have we seen people in their teenage years – or even us ourselves – change parts of our personality or even our physical selves to get our object of affection to feel something for us? Does that work out for us in the end? Is it ever worth it in the end?

This ended up being a truly emotional read for me, as a lot of this year’s books have been, and made me think of some of the people in my life that have felt like they needed to hide their true selves in order to feel loved and accepted. It made me truly upset for Randy that he felt like he needed to transform into Del in order to find love with Hudson, who was getting close with Del, but not knowing who the true Randy was.

Camp was the perfect combination of a sweet romcom with all its hijinks and sweet moments, and sexy moments. But also while discussing some very important themes and issues of the lgbt+ community and identity. I was pleasantly surprised by how good this book was, it gave me all the cute, funny, summer camp moments we all see in movies (if you're like me who has never been in a summer camp situation). But also all the characters were so well fleshed out and there was so much diversity, not only lgbt+ diversity but also cultural.

🌳 Camp, in short, is a story set in an all-queer summer camp where the main character Randy is trying to make his long-time crush fall in love with him.
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🌳 5 reasons to read it:
🌈 All queer cast! Almost every character in the book is queer and/or diverse. This was like a breath of fresh air.
🌈 Set in a camp! Like I can’t remember the last book I read which was set in a camp? And I wish I could go to a camp like that 🤩
🌈 Friendships! What an amazing cast of side characters and the friendships they have. Randy, George and Ashleigh, forms an epic trio.
🌈 Shatters the image of toxic ‘masculinity’ in queer community! And how important is this? What defines masculinity anyways?
🌈 Talks about so many ‘taboo’ subjects! Be it in YA world or queer lit. Topics like acceptance, queer stereotypes, expectations, struggles, queer sex and how queer teens often reject parts of themselves.

I would really recommend this book to not only queer teens but to every person to understand the state of mind of a queer person, to understand the things which are generally a taboo subject to talk about. This story made me laugh and emotional too. Being a fast read, it is really easy to get involved in the story and you would feel as if you are with those teens in that summer camp. A delightful read.

Camp is a wonderfully queer YA novel that will teach us not only how to be ourselves, but also to never let anyone’s prejudice define us. And also to kick toxic masculinity to the curb!

~

First of all, Camp was funny and so wonderfully queer that I want to hold the physical copy in my hand and just hold it.

The writing was good; it was light-hearted and funny, and was able to give the reader a personal connection to the main character. I have to say though, I struggled to like Randy, especially in the early parts of the book. There were so many things wrong with his “I’m-going-to-change-myself-and-make-Hudson-fall-in-love-plan”, and more often than not I wanted to shake him and tell him, “No, you don’t need to do this!“. I also didn’t like that he seemed to have forgotten about his friends in the midst of going with this plan. I was really rooting for him to get that character development. And he did, mostly. While Randy achieved character development, I still feel like it lacked. I was waiting for him to acknowledge some of his own faults/wrongdoings, but it didn’t exactly meet my expectations.

I did love the other characters, though: George, Ashleigh, Paz, even Brad! I’ve been wary about Hudson since the first page (he likes only “straight-acting” guys, and I’m just appalled), but I did get to know him at the end of the book and he achieved character development, which was really nice.

Despite a few shortcomings, I loved the core message that Camp was trying to send to the readers. At the very heart of this book is the idea that we should not hide our true selves and succumb to the faulty logic of those who are narrow-minded. This particularly applies to those who think masculine gay guys are better than those who are gender nonconforming. This toxic masculinity is so much more harmful than we realize, and I’m so glad the author chose to tackle this in the book, and in Randy and Hudson’s story.

I also loved all the discussions about sexuality and the freedom of being queer depicted in the book. In a way, I felt like one of the characters, like I was at Camp Outland as well, and I could simply be me.

Overall, Camp was such a great read and it’s such a necessary book tackling necessary issues within the queer community.

Is this one of my regular reads? Absolutely not. Changing yourself to get the man (or woman) is something abhorrent in my dictionary. Someone who is not able to love oneself can never find love. So why did I bother reading this novel? Because I wanted to tame this judgemental devil living inside me. As one of the counsellors says in the story, everyone is allowed to make their own mistakes. Isn't that the way we learn?
'Camp' offers a unique take on an oft used plotline with Camp Outland as its setting. It is not every day we get to read a book with an all queer cast and that makes this all the more special. Sure, it is not possible to cover every aspect of the queer spectrum, but considering the length of the novel, the author has done a remarkable job in giving representation to a wide variety of gender orientations. This camp for queer teens is nothing short of paradise.
The main story, as you have guessed already, is the love story between Randy and Hudson. Randy is determined to win over Hudson this year and thus his complete makeover as Del, a masc completely different from the femme personality of Randy. Well, we don't need an oracle to know where his crazy plan will lead to but what matters is the changes that come through this performance.
Simple though it may seem the novel addresses a series of issues a queer teen faces from his own family and also from the society. Seeing that we don't have that many great books in the LGBT genre, this book, without a doubt, is a rare gem. A pure delight from start to finish!

THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK MADE ME FEEL SO SOFT AND WARM. YEP I WAS A LITERAL *MARSHMALLOW* AFTER FINISHING THIS AH-MAZE-ING BOOK!!!!!

A QUEER YA SET IN A QUEER CAMP WITH A WHOLE CAST OF FUN QUEER CHARACTERS????
DO I NEED TO STATE ANOTHER REASON FOR YOU TO PICK THIS BOOK UP?

With a fantastic ensemble of diverse characters, L.C Rosen brings to us this cinnamon roll of a book that definitely throws spotlight on some of the lesser talked about issues of the queer community. Heck even I admit that I wasn't that aware of such shade being thrown. Yes! I am talking about toxic masculinity in the queer spectrum.

L.C Rosen weaves a story that puts into place and not only addresses the said topic in a delicate yet impactful way but also manages to make you feel as if you are a part of the process- a part of the cast! And trust me, very rarely does a book make me cry and smile so much at the same time that both my cheeks hurt and my eyes blur!

A safe haven for the LGBT youth where they can be unapologetic-ally themselves, away from the harsh societal judgements also comes with its own fleeces! But, L.C Rosen's "Camp" promises to tackle this femme shaming in the LGBT community and that too in a rather fun way as Randy tries to win over Hudson, by giving himself a complete makeover.

The pace, ohmy the pace was *chef's kiss* was utter perfection and once you are hooked, you won't be able to put it down. I have already talked about the diverse characters, but did I tell you how absolutely lively and vivacious they are! I MEAN TALK ABOUT MAGNIFICENCE!!!!! and THE FRIENDSHIPS ARE A DELIGHT , LIKE WHAT DID YOU EVEN EXPECT,HUH ? GEORGE-ASLEIGH-RANDY ARE THE SUPERIOR TRIO AND YOU CANNOT TELL ME OTHERWISE! THIS BOOK JUST OVERWHELMED ME AND I NEEDED MORE OF IT <3 THAT'S IT!

I MEAN THIS IS LITERALLY THE PERFECT BOOK AND YOU NEED TO GIVE IN TO THE HYPE AND PICK IT UP RIGHT NOW !!!!!!!!

This standalone YA contemporary is positively delightful. Set over the course one summer at a queer camp for terms it is perfect for fans of books such as Red White & Royal Blue.

Our main protagonist is Randy- or Del as he prefers to be called at the opening of the novel- who is determined to convince his crush Hudson that they are meant to be together. Del has done everything from getting fit to scrapping the nail polish and show tunes for for a tamer wardrobe and obstacle courses.

This book is light and fun while also addressing some important questions of living authentically and being true to yourself. It also shed light on wider issues in LGBTQIA+ ccommunity.

The cast of supporting character, especially Del’s friend in his cabin made the book for me. It’s rare for me to read a book where I love the side characters so much but Camp was a pleasant surprise.

Overall, I gave it 5/5 stars and recommend that you pack it on your next staycation.

I'll get to the main plot soon, but the first thing I wanted to gush about when it came to this book was that how refreshing it was to have an all-queer cast! Like, the setting of a camp exclusively for queer teens with most of the staff also being queer means it was like a warm embrace to read this book, especially if you are queer yourself. Not that having an all-queer casts doesn't create tensions, otherwise where would this plot even be? So, the plot - Randy has been crushing on Hudson, a fellow camp attendee for the last 4 years, and this is the year he has come prepared to win his heart. Randy is femme, like high femme, and he knows Hudson is masc4masc (according to his OkCupid profile) so he decides to go 'masc', as 'Del', at this year's camp to attract Hudson's attention and make him fall in love with him, after which he will reveal the femme side of him bit by bit. Hudson also has a reputation for only having a 2-week fling and Randy is playing for keeps, so he is determined that only by making him fall in love will he be able to keep him around.

Now, you, me and some of the cast of the book already looked at this situation and shook our heads going 'well, that's not going to end well, especially when you start a relationship on a lie' but Randy is too optimistic and excited about things possibly working out. And they do - while he has some fumbles at the start, Randy is pretty good at being Del - at doing sports and hiking instead of theatre, at keeping his wardrobe fairly constrained, at even getting Hudson to appreciate a few aspects of being femme. But soon, Randy starts to feel apart from his theatre group, and while he hangs out with his two best friends, George and Ashleigh, occasionally helping them with their respective relationships, he also feels the loss of the energy of the theatre group. He justifies it by saying the changes are worth Hudson's love (oh honey, no), but soon also starts feeling the first pangs of disappointment when he realizes where Hudson's preference for masc guys comes from.

Through the book, we also learn about Hudson's home life a bit, along with a fair bit of discussion from characters about how it is living out in the world with the Straights. Hudson's parents are particularly terrible, supporting him only to an extent, and even that is quite constricting; consequently, he has internalized their thoughts, as well as his own caution about being out, into an idea there is a good way and a bad way to be gay. Randy discusses it with him, his friends and some of the counselors. There is a lot more nuance to it that you will get while reading, but basically what it tries to explore is problems within the queer community like toxic masculinity, exclusion, racism, along with the problems from outside. There's also talk about what it means to be out, safely, especially if you are a minor, or in any way, constrained from doing so; it felt vital that this was included because there's more than simply 'being yourself'.

Finally, I loved and enjoyed the characters of this book, and the way they all interacted with each other. The camp activities were all so fun to read through, and I especially loved Mark ('I need to talk to my therapist') who was a delight. Honestly, it made me wish I could've gone to a camp like this, despite me NOT being: (1) a people person, (2) an outdoor person, or even (3) a theater person.

Firstly I want to say thank you to the Fantastic Flying Book Club for sending me a copy of this book and for allowing me to be part of the blog tour.

I am struggling with reviewing this one. It was okay, it was cute however I just didn't grip me. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I dont really know what to say about it.

At times I found some of the characters really irritating and the overuse of certain words started to annoy me. Once I noticed this it was something that I couldn't not notice which irritated me that little bit more. I mean none of the characters were bad characters, the writing style wasn't bad, but certain things I did find got on my nerves as the chapters went on which reduced my enjoyment.

I did like the underlying message that Camp gave to the reader. I think it is so important for young people going through this to know that you should never change yourself for anybody else. You should never pretend to be somebody else just to catch another persons eye. This message was so important and the author did a very good job at getting that across.

This was an easy to read book, it was cute and a very quick read. I devoured it within a day. I would recommend this book, I just dont think it is my favourite genre and maybe not the book for me.