"Wish You Weren't Here" was a fun read about two frenemies exploring their sexuality and if they have romantic feelings for each other at summer camp. Fun read that really captures camp experience. Great character development as well. Funny a lot of the time with tender emotions as well. Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC.

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen/Viking Books for this eARC!
I absolutely loved this book. A sweet sapphic rom com set at camp! 💕🌻

If you enjoy a summer camp slower burn of friends to lovers romance- this is a book for you! Juliette and Priya's story is filled with banter and small tension filled moments that I always enjoy in this trope. The characters in this were all written out and given back stories, which admittedly it did feel like extra gravy, but it does make you feel that you know everyone in this story well. However, there was an exception of the counselor who seemed to have it out for Juliette, this character was not ever given an "why does she act this way" story, usually unnecessary but with all the other characters getting little blurbs I was left wondering. I was happy that there was a little epilogue, that I feel is the kindest thing to do for a reader is give us a little glimpse into their 'happy ending' Overall, I enjoyed this book- was not my favorite of its kind but it was a quick one sit read through that I could read just as easily again.

This YA simply wasnt for me. I made it about 35% into this book before I DNF’d because I wasnt invested and a bit bored. Juliette is annoying, a bit too whinny and her dislike for Priya feels very one-sided. I would’ve loved to see things from Priya’s POV to really make the “enemies to lovers” trope real. Priya sounded like the more interesting character outside of her apparent privilege which is mentioned quite often as a way to make her sound very self absorbed/self centered when to me she sounds like a confident and sweet girl with a multitude of interests. This read like one of those badly aged Summer Camp coming of age romance movies from the 90s that I never really enjoyed.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc!

I really want to read this but it is expiring very soon and I do not have plenty of time to read. There is no link to send it to my Kindle so I am dnfing this arc. I will pick up the final copy instead.

oh this was delightful. i love a good "and they were roommates" premise and this delivered and then some. i loved juliette. i loved priya. i loved fogridge, which was its own character. i myself have never been to camp but by the end of this book fogridge felt like MY home and i found myself getting misty eyed at juliette's inner monologue at the effigy.

a lot of the time pop culture references in books can feel shoehorned in but they felt organic here (am i biased as a survivor fan? probably). i reference "people are dying, kim" constantly and to see it written in this book killed me.

The main characters were cute in this one, but the book itself felt overall disjointed and rushed. Some parts really dragged while others were simply brushed over. Overall, it wasn’t awful, but it definitely was one I struggled to pick up and finished just to finish.

The central characters of the story are Juliette and Priya. Priya, being affluent and widely popular, stands in contrast to Juliette, who comes from a working-class background and harbors dreams of attending college. Despite their disparate backgrounds, Juliette feels a warm, motherly affection towards Priya's mother, Deepika.

A defining moment in their friendship occurred during their youth when Priya defended Juliette against a teacher who attempted to simplify her name, emphasizing that "there's no such thing as too complicated names." This sentiment deeply resonates with the me, who, as a mother with a name deemed "too complicated," encourages my daughter to assert her name, her identity proudly, much like Juliette.As the story unfolds, Priya finds herself attending the summer camp beloved by Juliette, thanks to Juliette's subtle persuasion of Deepika regarding the camp's potential benefits for college applications.

This review provides merely a glimpse into the engaging and enjoyable story. Thank you to Erin Baldwin and NetGalley for granting the opportunity to experience this great book.

My Rating 4.5/5
CAWPILE Rating 7.29/10

Juliette and frenemy Priya Pendley have an agreed upon truce where the two try to keep their lives as separate as possible despite the fact they share similar interests, the same classes, the same friends, and—unfortunately—this summer at Fogridge Sleepaway Camp. Juliette thought she'd be free of Priya and her Insta and instant popularity for the summer, but with one offhanded comment to Priya's mom, Juliette finds herself not only sharing the summer and her camp with Priya, but her coveted cabin she's worked so hard to earn over the years. Like a comedy of errors, Juliette's summer keeps getting worse the longer it goes on—camp counselors from hell, her camp friends liking Priya, and an unfortunate trip to the ER with a sprained ankle that sends her summer into an even further tailspin. Injured, Juliette and Priya and saddled with one another even further. As the two work through their differences, Juliette discovers she's falling for Priya and it seems like the end of the world for her. The rest of the summer has its up's and down's, but it concludes with Juliette's final everything as a senior, ushering her and Priya out of Fogridge and the differences they once had into whatever the future may hold for them.

-a goofy cast of characters
-the dynamic Priya and Juliette has, evolving over the course of the narrative
-Deepika Pendley; picture Granny from Mulan in her comedic effect and one liners

Read if you enjoy:
-meet cutes
-frenemies to lovers
-being more than meets the eye

"Instead, we find ourselves in the Tenth Circle of Hell: Cooperation."

Intended Audience: YA
LGBTQIA+: Yes, Sapphic
Romance: Yes
Diversity: Yes
#OwnVoices: Not stated

Analysis

Trigger Warnings:
unhappy home life, abandonment issues, competitive siblings, hostility at home, emotional abuse at home, crying over changing, adults passing judgement, adults exacting revenge through punishments

Tropes:
roommates, sharing a bed, sharing clothes, childhood friends, frenemies to lovers, dealing with adversity, dealing with loss, conflict through interpersonal relationships, family drama, small town, happy ending, forced proximity, misunderstandings, absentee parents, protagonist as a punching bag

Pros:
-fun
-loveable parental figure
-frenemies to lovers done well
-happy ending
-growth
-understanding

Cons:
-narrative falls apart if reader looks too close at some aspects, like many of the reasons for and surrounding theatre
-doesn't deal with resolution for Galahad situation and is unsatisfying in how that situation is concluded
-characterization issues
-absentee parent trope; almost lead to a 'Did Not Finish (DNF)'
-protagonist as the punching bag trope; protagonist is verbally accosted by almost every other character in the narrative and does nothing
-the narrative and romantic plot forcing the protagonist into situations to move the plot along despite the protagonist's protests
-protagonist has a breakdown about liking their romantic partner; this doesn't feel safe or healthy, nor does it feel very 'romantic' to continue on with the romance after this moment in the narrative
-the final confrontation between the protagonist and the romantic lead has no real conclusion and is unsatisfying in how that situation is brushed under the rug and not actually addressed; it felt very much like the narrative was so focused on beats it needed to hit, that it didn't actually matter how the protagonist felt in the moments leading up to those 'needed to be hit' beats

When you combine young adult fiction with summer camp and also there is a sexuality awakening and sticking it to a terrible authority AND overcoming your preconceived notions about someone to form a terrific bond? Yeah, I'm immediately there and having a good time. Juliette's story was very relatable, especially the moment where you realize that your talent isn't enough to be considered talented anymore. For being one of Juliette's best friends, I feel like I didn't know much about Gia and only minimally about Lucy. I enjoyed seeing Juliette take Priya off her pedestal and finally being able to see her as a peer; I think making Priya a theatre nerd and an avid fan of Survivor was hilarious.

“How lucky you are to have some thing that makes saying goodbye so hard”

As a former camp counselor, this book had me in my feels. It brought back such fun memories! This was incredibly well written. I loved all these characters. I recognize that this is not my target audience however, I just found so much joy in reading this. Ms.Baldwin did such an amazing job and definitely got me out of the worst slump I have been in, Juliette and Priya are more so rivals to lovers and honestly I wouldn’t even say rivals because I really didn’t see the rivalry that much just felt like people who just had to deal with each other growing up and weren’t the best of friends! This book simply had a lot of engagement from the banter, the humor, getting to know a little bit about the side characters and their personalities shinning through! it was just great especially Priya’s mom! A whole vibe. I absolutely could not stand Galahad tho because like at your big age. Why are you harassing this child? Are you not embarrassed? Anyways, this is a must read for camp lovers it’ll have you in your feels; a must read for anyone who ever finds themselves you know, being very doubtful of themselves, not really knowing where you fit in but also being able to find community and be able to find someone who just gets you and is able to affirm you. a solid read that I highly recommend and just great queer representation that does not fall into any pandering tropes! A must read and looking forward to all future works by Ms.Baldwin! She just gets it!

I say this as a queer and a former camp counselor: This book is perfect. I am so glad I read it. It filled my entire heart with joy. Our narrator, Juliette, is a longtime camp kid at her very last trip to Fogridge as a camper. She's one of a billion siblings, right in the middle, so she feels constantly overlooked and unseen, except when she's at camp. Priya Pendley is a social media influencing superstar who Juliette thinks she knows — and hates — oh so much. But she could not be more wrong. Over the course of the book, their antagonistic relationship turns so sweet without losing any of its flirty punch. Erin Baldwin absolutely nails the experience of camp, that one place where everyone, including the counselors, can't ever be Too Much. Juliette and Priya find out so much more about themselves and each other as nothing goes the way either of them planned it, and the end result is so much more than they could have hoped for. Wish You Weren't Here is also the funniest book I've read in months (so many theater kid LOLs) and is absolutely bursting with found family feelings. I read it with only one single break to sleep. Love, love, love.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group/Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

This book is an absolute gem! With its enemies-to-lovers plot and charming camp setting, it's a delightful and nostalgic read. The camp atmosphere is vividly depicted and I loved it. Whether you're a fan of summer adventures or simply love a good romance, this book is sure to leave you smiling.
Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Viking Books for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I love seeing queer representation in YA books and was excited to check this out! However, I’m finding as an older reader the teenage angst commonly present in YA is starting to get tedious for me, especially with a trope like enemies to lovers. I love the setting of this book but found the romance forced and the characters unlikable. I’m not sure if I’m too far removed from the intended audience to enjoy this, but it was my personal experience with it!

I love enemies to lovers, I love camp, and I love this fucking book. I flew through this book, it was so nostalgic and cute!! Juliette and Priya seem like the kinds of people I might actually be friends with. I was happily surprised how well written the friends were in this book too. If I didn't already go to adult summer camp every year, this would have convinced me!

I am slowly starting to learn through my own experiences reading books, that the "toxic lesbians" or "enemies to lovers" tropes are not my thing when it comes to sapphic relationships. or any queer relationship, really. I am very nuanced in my opinions that queer lives need more queer joy in them, and I don't pick up books to read about queer folk hating on each other, or trying to sabotage one another, being toxic, or even being enemies. it's hard enough for me to believe in some cases, that said enemies should become lovers, and it wasn't evident to me why these two should've become lovers.

Read up to 60% then skimmed through the rest. It wasn't as good as I wanted it to be and I think it's because the romance didn't feel believable for me. I didn't feel the chemistry between Priya and Juliette. One minute Juliette couldn't stand Priya and then the next second she wants to kiss her. Where's the build up? I also thought Priya was much more interesting than Juliette. I really wish this was written in a dual pov format. Maybe then, the romance could've been more believable.

I'm giving this two stars because I like the cover of the book and because of Priya.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for this book.

Wish You Weren't Here is a summer must read! It's cute, it's sapphic, it takes place at a summer camp, what more do you need?

Juliette is a delightful teenage protagonist who is trying to enjoy her last summer as a camper at resident camp, while going through all of the internal struggles of finding herself and coming to terms with things not going the way she planned. She has flaws but the reader experiences her internal dialogue as she works through them. Her nemesis Priya is easily likable and you root for them to fall in love throughout the whole book!

As an avid summer camp enthusiast who fell in love with a girl at camp, this book connected with me on so many levels. I understood the being good at camp and how Juliette's camp persona was different from who she is in the real world. Juliette's confliction about trying to enjoy her "last moments" as a camper and still enjoy all that camp had to offer was easily relatable and even for a reader who hasn't been to summer camp, we can still relate to her for not wanting to miss those "lasts". The camp vibes were real, and this book offers a happy nostalgia to my own past, complete with campfires, staff nicknames, and silly traditions that only make sense to someone who has attended summer camp.

I highly recommend this book and will be actively encouraging my summer camp staff to read this over the summer!

This was a cute read that gave me such happy feelings. Reading this felt like a fresh summer breeze.

I adored the characters and how well developed they were. Everyone felt real and relatable. I was amused by the humor and appreciated the buildup of the relationship. I'm not typically a fan of a slow burn, but this was so perfectly done that I enjoyed it.

The camp setting gave me nostalgia and I truly wish books like this were available in my youth.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Very cute and wholesome. Had a fun time with this one. Looking forward to more books from this author!