This was a cute summer romcom. Light and nostalgic and only a little bit angsty, which was exactly what I wanted.

Paisley is hurting and feeling like her feelings don't matter and her mom is making all these life decisions without her and not listening to her. And in her (valid) anger and pain she lashes out at her mom's new boyfriend even though she doesn't even dislike him - he just represents the force that's changing things beyond her control.

Her mom wants her to keep secrets and her relationship with her best friend is on the rocks and the bad boy who annoys her shows up and is annoyingly cute and she just can't handle it.

Not an earthshatteringly dramatic plot but it's not supposed to be. It's fun and sweet and while the specifics of the plot are different it has those nostalgic Parent Trap vibes.

Paisley grudgingly learns that her mom's boyfriend isn't all that bad and maybe change doesn't have to be awful. And that sometimes you have to break a rule or two to get what you want. And reputations aren't always all that accurate.

The audiobook was done well and kept me engaged. I found Paisley to be a very sympathetic character, and Hayden was as well. So was Dave.

It was light and cute and summery and a thoroughly enjoyable easy read when my brain wasn't up to anything more.

Some of the pranks did go a little far and caused more harm than I would have liked, and there weren't really any consequences for them. That part I wasn't completely thrilled about.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and underlined for providing an early copy for review.

I love Annie Rains' adult novels and series, so I expected this to be the same. It was really good. The characters were written with depth and faced some real situations. The enemies-to-lovers trope was fun, and I was rooting for Paisley and Hayden to finally get on the same page. Safe to say, I'' read anything Annie Rains writes.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 by @annierainsbooks and it makes me craving for some summery romance and cute rom-com.

Sixteen-year-old Paisley Manning has been attending Camp Seabrook since she was a little girl when her parents ran it together. For the last few years, since her father’s death, she’s been the one helping her mom run the camp behind the scenes. This year, however, will be Camp Seabrook’s last hurrah because Paisley’s mom has met a guy online and they’re getting married.

Enter Hayden Bennett, who is working alongside Paisley. Paisley and Hayden are like oil and water. She follows the rules, and he seems to live to break them all. But when Hayden catches wind of Paisley’s predicament, he has an idea. If a matchmaker in some computer algorithm caused the issue, a couple of real-life matchbreakers can fix it.

As they work to break up the happy couple, Paisley discovers that maybe Hayden’s not so bad after all. Has she met her own perfect match in her fellow matchbreaker?

⬦𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝⬦
+ This is such a cute summery romance that easily will be one of your comfortable reads.
+ I'm not someone who is into camping but the way summer camp is explained in this book makes me want to experience one
+ It's such a lovely coming-of-age story that will be a perfect read for the younger reader.
- if we get more time to explore the characters, then this story will feel even richer

"The Matchbreaker Summer" by Annie Rains is a heartwarming and delightful romance novel that captures the essence of young love, self-discovery, and the magic of summer. Rains' storytelling prowess shines as she crafts a tale of unexpected connections, personal growth, and the power of taking chances. The book's relatable characters and charming plot create an immersive reading experience that resonates with both teens and young adults. Rains skillfully navigates the emotions of blossoming romance, friendship, and the joys of seizing opportunities, adding depth to the narrative. "The Matchbreaker Summer" is a sweet reminder that the warm days of summer can lead to unforgettable experiences and life-changing connections, leaving readers with a sense of nostalgia and a renewed appreciation for the magic of love and the enchantment of summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Ugh, I really struggled with this book. I do adore summer camp books, YA books, and a dash of YA romance. However, the FMC, Paisley, was just so darn unlikeable that I couldn't find myself caring about her story, development or feelings.

I truly feel bad saying it - but it just seemed it took way too long for her to show any sign of remorse or maturity, so it was a struggle for me to feel invested.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @prhaudio for a free download of the audiobook.

Paisley has been helping her mom run Camp Starling since her father passed away. But this summer she was told it would be their last. Her mother has met someone and is wanting to move them to be with his mother. Paisley has set Operation Matchbreaker for the summer, intending to have her mom stay put.

This book has themes of change, losing a parent and fresh starts. I love that Paisley is using her voice to express what she wants, but also learns the lesson that there are reasons adults make the decisions. The main character comes across as much younger than sixteen so the romance element threw me off a bit. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #randomhouse #prhaudio #goodreads #ltbreaderteam #thematchbreakersummer #annierains

The Matchbreaker Summer is an adorable teen romance that tacks on the themes of change, losing a parent, healing from grief, taking charge of your own life, and fresh starts. Paisley has lost her father, her mother has a new man in her life, and the beloved camp that her family has run for her whole life is slated to be sold. She's always walked in the shadow of her best friend, but this summer, she's ready to step into the light and speak out, letting those she loves know what she needs. Along the way, she'll run headfirst into Hayden, who has his own methods of acting out. Together they will find a healthy balance and some very sweet moments at camp!

I will say that I think this one reads more like a middle grade than a young adult romance, simply because of the voice of our main character, Paisley, and the innocence of the love story. That being said, I enjoyed my time in this world and think that a younger reader would truly see themselves in some of Paisley's struggles.

The whole concept of this book is adorable. I love the main relationship and would definitely recommend to lovers of summer romance and easy going YA!

The narrator was perfect for this one. What a perfect book for the summer. Nothing says summer like camp and first love. I loved the friendships in this one. For Paisley this is a summer of changes. Her mom is getting serious with her boyfriend and talking about moving. Paisley has to figure out what is important to her. I loved this one. Thank you to Netgalley and Underlined in exchange for my honest review.

This was fine and objectively enjoyable, but for me, it didn't have that spark to make it stand out. I love reading summer books in summer, and a summer camp story is always fun, but I didn't FEEL the atmosphere of it.

This read more like middlegrade than YA for the most part, and I wish the author would have committed to that, because it could have been a really cute middlegrade story. Or possibly a lower YA with like a 14 year old MC, which we don't have nearly enough of!

The romance was okay to me though, I did think the Rory and Jess vibes of it all were cute. However, the way the MC's toxic best friend interfered with that ruined the fun a little.

The Matchbreaker Summer is a teenage romance book with themes of loss, friendship, love, change and letting go. The writing style is engaging and carried me through a book that was - unfortunately - rather predictable and sometimes even nonsensical. I did not care too much for the characters and was annoyed and confused by the contradictions of the main character's actions.


My full review you'll find <a href="https://tirilu.com/2022/05/10/review-the-matchbreaker-summer/">here.</a>

The Matchbreaker Summer by Annie Rains is a little different from most of her books, but it was still an enjoyable story. It is a teen romance story about two very different teens, who end up teaming up to put an end to one of their parents relationship and that is how matchbreaker gets started. Well things don’t go quite as they planned for instance they mess with her mom’s boyfriend’s sunscreen and he becomes a bee magnet unfortunately he is allergic and has to use his EpiPen. As they are working together she comes to realize that she has feelings for him and that just maybe she was wrong about him and hopes that he likes her too. Then things get worse another camper gets hold of her diary and reads it and starts to do the things that she had written in her diary and never would have actually done to the boyfriend thinking that she is helping. But then she comes to realize that she actually likes him for her mom that he makes her happy, but did she come to this conclusion to late? Read The Matchbreaker Summer to find out.

I really enjoyed the summer setting and the camp details. I'm not sure if I liked Paisley enough as the main character. She seemed younger than the age that she was supposed to be. I also think she was a little immature and that some things didn't get fleshed out all the way. I would've loved more information about some parts of the book.

i love love loved this book!! it was a great young adult debut for this author and it was a fast paced enjoyable read overall :))

the matchbreaker summer is the perfect summery read for when you want to be completely sucked up by the storyline and entertained the whole way throughout!

this book really reminds me of summer camps i've been on myself and really struck a chord with me which makes it especially stand out to me!

i can't wait to read more from annie rains!

(rated 4.5 stars)

thank you to tbr beyond tours for the advanced e-copy of this book:)

I am a fan of Annie Rains' adult contemporary romances and wanted to give her YA debut a try.

This had a similar feel to her other books with a cute concept and sweet romance. Overall, though, it felt a bit uneven. I liked some aspects more than others and there seemed to be just a bit too many drama/conflicts. They were all so easily and quickly resolved in most cases that they didn't seem to add much to the overall story.

I did love the summer camp setting and could see why it meant so much to Paisley. It made me wish I could go to camp, too.

Paisley Manning has been going to Camp Starling every year since she was a kid. Of course she did. The camp was her father’s brainchild. He built the cabins, and every summer he ran the camp with energy and joy. Paisley grew up there, and she loved every minute of it. When Paisley’s father died, her mother took over the camp, and it became even more important to Paisley to preserve his memory.

But this summer things are different.

For one thing, Paisley is no longer a camper. She is 16, so it’s her turn to be a counselor for the two weeks of camp. For another thing, her mother’s boyfriend Dave will be there too. He’s not really an outdoorsy guy, but he’s going to try, because he knows that Camp Starling is important to Paisley and her mother.

And as Paisley was getting herself settled in her cabin, she found the other thing that was unusual for that summer. Hayden Bennett, a troublemaker from Paisley’s school, found his way to the camp and got caught spray painting on the cabins. Paisley’s mom knew Hayden all too well. As the principal at their school, she had seen Hayden in her office many things throughout the school year. And as a way for Hayden to take responsibility for his graffiti, Paisley’s mom invites him to the camp too. He’ll have to clean his paint off the cabins and clean the bathrooms, but he’s also going to be a counselor in the cabin with Dave and create some art projects for the campers.

Paisley isn’t all that excited about spending her camp weeks with Hayden Bennett, troublemaker, but this is her year to be a counselor, along with all her friends. She is excited and ready to make these two weeks the best ever. Especially since she has a secret. After these two weeks, her mother is putting the camp up for sale. Dave’s mother is not doing well, and he’s moving back home to take care of her. And Paisley’s mom is going with him, which means Paisley is too. This is Camp Staling’s last year.

Having Hayden in the camp throws Paisley off, but she finds herself enjoying getting to talk to him. And when she lets her secret slip, that she’s moving \away after camp is over, then he has an idea. If they break up her mother and Dave, then Paisley won’t be moving and her mother won’t have to sell the camp. Paisley doesn’t want to do it at first. She tries to talk to her mother about how she’s feeling about the move. But her mother is busy and won’t listen. So Paisley decides that Hayden might have a good idea, and The Matchbreaker Summer is on.

Romance author Annie Rains is here for summer camp and a charming YA romance. The Matchbreaker Summer is a sweet story of finding your voice and learning to use it in positive ways. Paisley learns to deal with change, both in her relationships and in her future. Readers nostalgic for their own camp memories will want to to catch some fireflies in a jar (humanely, and to release later, of course) and make some s’mores while reading this fun celebration of summer.

I so enjoyed reading The Matchbreaker Summer. To me, it had the best of camp, along with all those awkward moments that come with growing up and learning to take responsibility for your own life. There is a lot of sweetness, some friendship (with all its teenage imperfections), some Parent Trap style pranks for Dave, and a lot of camp spirit. My one concern is that these kids seem a little immature for 16. I myself was immature for 16, but that was more than a few years ago, and I feel like kids today are more savvy than we were back then. But I really liked everything else about this story, and I think readers can experience some summer camp fun no matter what time of year they get to read this.

Egalleys for The Matchbreaker Summer were provided by Random House Children’s through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Unfortunately this fell flat for me.

The characters were very bland and could have been flushed out more.
Paisley herself was very annoying and had little personality. She also talked extremely young.

This could've worked more for a middle grade book and audience. I'm not sure it will bode well for 16 and up audiences.

Paisley is looking forward to being a first-time counselor at the campground that her parents have owned and run for as long as she can remember. The camp is her happy place and after getting the news that her mother is selling the camp, the place where Paisley has so many memories of her father and that they are moving to Wyoming with her mom’s boyfriend Dave, she is struggling to say goodbye to the camp. Adding to her problems, is the school trouble-maker, Hayden, who is the camp's newest counselor.

This is a great summer read for younger YA readers. This was a cute read. I enjoyed how the characters were developed and the author did a good job of connecting me to the characters, especially Paisley. The story was a little predictable in some parts but the journey had plenty of surprises along the way. I loved the setting. I do wish we could have seen the characters at camp for a longer amount of time to see some of the relationships develop more.

The ending felt a little unfinished and I took a little bit away from my rating because of it. An epilogue or flash-forward scene would have completed the story better.

Overall, this was a 3.75 for me!

Thank you to Netgalley, Underlined, and Random House Children’s for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Paisley's happy place is within the campgrounds her parents have owned and ran for as long as she can remember. With the passing of her father, it has become her connection to him in a way that makes it difficult to say goodbye with any amount of grace. With her mother's declaration that they will be moving out of state and selling all, Paisley is bound and determined to change her mind. Joining forces with the school's bad boy seems like the surest way to put a stop to it all.
My only hesitance for absolutely loving this book is the lack of any of the unexpected. I find it hard to believe that a mother would ignore the feelings of her child, who we're led to believe is her entire focus up to the beginning of this novel. The immature antics, attempts at perfection, and acting out were completely realistic and something I can relate to based on my own childhood.
Otherwise, I love so much that I can hand this book to a young reader starting out in this genre. With an advanced reader at home, I need sweet books within the young adults I can pass on to her without some of the mature content others contain that she is not quite ready for at her age.
Thank you to Underlined and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.