This book is a love letter to summer camp, and even though that’s not something I ever did as a child I really enjoyed this one. It’s part friendship fiction and part romance, you actually get two separate romances for both Jessie and Hillary which was fun. The authors did a great job at making me feel like I was right alongside everyone at camp and the adult camp aspect was unique and entertaining. This is the author duos third summery book and I have to say, they nailed it again, I’ll be looking forward to reading their summer releases for as long as they continue writing them. If you wanna a seasonal read that has a little something for everyone this was great!

Jessie and Hillary became best friends at Camp Chickawah. Their friendship fell apart when Hillary chose an internship over another summer working at the camp. Jessie, who was heartbroken, was so devoted to the camp that she ended up as its director. Following the passing of the camp owners, their children decided it was time to sell the valuable property. To give former campers a chance to say goodbye, Jessie made the final summer at Camp Chickawah an adults-only camp. In addition to Hillary, who yearns to reconnect with Jessie, the camp also welcomes Luke, a past crush of Jessie's who is now a brooding writer and Cooper, who gave Hillary her first kiss. He is hired as the camp's chef. Everyone joins together to bid farewell to their beloved camp. Unless they can save it.

In this love-letter to summer camp, friendship and second chances, Until Next Year is a fun, swoony story that will have many memories flooding back especially if you were someone who lived for those two months of sleepaway camp. If you wonder why the author writes such engaging stories about friends, it's because Ali Brady is the pen name of writing BFFs Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey. Summer is the perfect time to immerse yourself in books that bring back wonderful memories. This one may inspire you to dig out your old bunk photos. 

4.25 stars.

Sweet summertime fun is here with Ali Brady’s latest, Until Next Summer.

This time, we are off to camp! While I was never a camp girlie, I always dreamed of a Parent Trap moment in the sun, on a lake, and surrounded by laughter and fun. It is apparent that camp holds many memories that impact people well into adulthood, so if you are a former camp kiddo- this one is for you!

This author duo just knows how to spin a tender story filled with hilarious antidotes and allusions, sweet and realistic situations, and characters that breathe life into the pages.

Make sure to find Until Next Summer on July 9 and hunker down for romance, friendships, and all of the s’mores you can eat!

Thank you Berkeley for my gifted copy.

Jessie and Hillary, once inseparable best friends, reconnect at an adults-only summer camp they cherished in their youth. As they navigate rekindled friendships, summer flings, and a shared mission to save their beloved camp, they rediscover the magic and bonds that shaped their lives.

Unfortunately, Until Next Summer wasn’t for me. I loved the premise and the fact that the setting itself felt like a character which I enjoyed. However, the execution fell flat. I found both Jessie and Hillary to be mediocre, with little character development for them or their love interests. The story focused more on the process of running the camp, and I wish it had focused more on repairing their estranged friendship. Their respective love interests were boring and lacked depth, making the romantic connections between Jessie and Luke, and Hillary and Cooper, feel forced and unconvincing. It took forever for the couples to get together, and once they did, it was boring. The pacing of the story was extremely slow, and the writing style felt inconsistent and choppy. Additionally, pet loss is mentioned without any prior content warning, and it felt carelessly tossed in without adding to the story—the dog could have been removed entirely. I wish I had DNF’ed this book, but by the time I realized it, I was already 60% in and just wanted to finish. Overall, I would not recommend reading this one. I would rate this 1.5 stars but rated to 2 stars on GoodReads.

A new Ali Brady book is always the PERFECT way to kick off the start of summer!! I loved this story about a beloved summer camp's last season, its owner, Jessie, who is fighting to save it and the found family of former campers, staff and her long estranged childhood best friend who reunite for the camp's final season.

Told from the POVs of both Jessie and Hillary, we get to see them repair their broken friendship, fall in love and band together to save the place they both love. Full of heart and ALL the feels, this is a must read book for the summer! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and ALC copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book has all the elements want from an Ali Brady book. There’s a great friendship storyline (they’re like sisters!), Jewish representation, and two swoony romances, plus the camp setting is a call back to their first book and it absolutely made me wonder if I should rethink my stance as an indoor kid.

Jessie and Hillary became best friends at Camp Chickawah, but when Hillary didn’t come back to be a counselor like she promised, they lost touch. Jessie never forgave Hillary, and she also never left Camp. She now runs it, devoting her life to the only place she’s ever called home. When the owners announce their plans to sell, Jessie is devastated, but decides to run an adult “reunion” camp for all the now adult campers with her one last summer. Hillary, who’s always regretted abandoning Jessie, has an opening in her schedule and applies to run the camp’s craft cabin.

That’s just the set up. As I said, there are two swoony romance arcs—one with a reclusive (some might say crabby) writer who looks like a young Paul Newman and one with a hot and cuddly camp chef with a speckled past. There are also a lot of insanely fun camp hijinks. Watching Jessie and Hillary figure out how to rebuild their friendship was a highlight of the book, and I especially loved seeing Hillary come into her own over the course of the story
The audio for this one had two amazing narrators—Brittany Pressley and Karrisa Vacker—and they did a fabulous job bringing the camp setting to life. I’d definitely recommend listening if you’re an audio fan.

Two former best friends each find love at an adults-only summer camp in this romantic and nostalgic novel that proves “once a camp person, always a camp person.”

Wow, this book made me miss my childhood camp days and I didn't even have a particularly positive experience the five years I went to sleepaway camp. It brought all the nostalgia! This book is the definition of second chances not just between friends who've grown apart, but also the romances we wanted but didn't get as kids. The camp itself is like a main character. We get not one, but two romances so buckle up! But putting the romance aside, this book is substantial in other topics including divorce, grief, father-daughter dynamics, and the power of community. I felt super seen in this book, not just my time at a Jewish summer camp, but the musical theater references, the love of books, and two locations in which I lived long term (Chicago and Minnesota).

Read if you like Grumpy/sunshine, (Jess) or Friends with Benefits (Hillary) second chance romances. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest opinion. This book releases 7/9!

Camp books seem to be the theme of the summer. I think this one might be my fave. These authors weave together two storylines of two characters in a way that shows depth and heart but also collaboration in their writing. Their voices are distinctly different but you can tell that they have worked closely to help it feel cohesive. I am loving watching their growth together as a team.

This is the story of two friends who "broke up" one summer at camp. One stayed and one didn't . When they come together for one final summer at their childhood camp, they reconnect with only a few minor skips. We get their own growth AND their romances so it is double satisfying. It reads fast and easy and almost feels like the warm sun on you while you read. I recommend with coffee or on the front porch if possible.

If you ever attended summer camp then this one will bring back all the camp community feels. Jessie and Hillary were bffs during the time they were campers at Camp Chickawah. Having the plan to work at the camp together their friendship abruptly ends when Jessie is alone at the camp while Hillary returned home and influenced by her father completed an internship in the city instead. Jessie learns the camp is being sold and wants to host one more adults-only camp so former campers can say goodbye to the place they all love. Even while preparing to say goodbye to the campsite Hillary and Jessie find love though I think the true love story is their friendship and how they rebuild it as adults. And if you’re obsessed with Broadway you’ll love all the musical references. I don’t care what anyone says Gerard Butler in The Phantom of the Opera was hot AF. Or as Ro said when I made him watch the movie for the first time: that’s 300?!?! No!!! Men I tell ya. This one is out next Tuesday so add it to your summer reading list, campers!

As a former camp counselor, I was excited to read Until Next Summer. Brady did not disappoint with the camp setting! It felt like I was back at summer camp. It was fun to read about the different weekly camps and the campers' shenanigans. Although the story felt a little too long, I enjoyed the plot. I liked the idea of two former camp friends getting back together to mend their relationship and save the camp. I thought Hillary and Jessie were fine main characters. I liked both of their POV's. Brady did a good job creating distinct voices for Hillary and Jessie. Each girl brought a unique perspective to the story. Hillary and Jessie's love interests were okay. I gravitated more towards Luke and Jessie's relationship. The romances sort of took a back burner with everything in the story. The story read more women's fiction than romance. I did find myself skimming towards the end. By page 350, I was ready for the story to be over. Overall, this was an okay read! I recommend reading this one in the summer. Thank you to Berkley for the ARC.

This fun summer-y novel has two narrators. Jessie is the year round camp director of Camp Chickasaw, the same camp she attended as a kid and kind of never left infirm her that they’re selling the camp. She decides as one last hurrah to offer one week “adult camp” sessions to former campers. Meanwhile, Hilary was Jessie’s camp BFF, but they haven’t spoken since Hilary broke her promise to come back and be a camp counselor with Jessie 10 years before. She decides to take a break from her corporate consulting job helping businesses turn around to work as the arts and crafts counselor for the summer and see if she can mend things with Jessie.

I read this one mostly in one day sitting by the pool and it couldn’t be a more perfect book to read in that setting. It’s got friendship, romance, a “can we band together to save this camp” plot, and lots of fun summery summer camp vibes. I am extremely not a sleepaway camp person but even I found it such a charming setting, so I’m sure those who loved their own sleepaway camp or who have kids who love(d) sleepaway camp would love it even more.

I just love the author duo that is Ali Brady - loved both of their previous books as a duo, loved Bradeigh Godfrey’s two books, and loved the one book by Alison Hammer I read (still need to read her other solo book). So of course they were going to write a terrific book about friendship, since they are best friends who write together. And I just love books that position friendship as just as or even more important than friendship. This one had a great line about being “platonic soulmates” which I think is so true.

This was a fun, nostalgic, summer camp read!!  Two former best friends each find love at an adults-only summer camp in this romantic and nostalgic novel that proves “once a camp person, always a camp person.”

I went to summer camp with girl scouts when I was young, and used to camp with my family every summer. Although I wouldn't call myself a camper anymore 🤣🤣 this was an easy and enjoyable read. It had all the emotions and heart you'd want. The romance was realistic and I really enjoyed the characters. I loved that these friends turned this camp into an adults summer camp. What a fun concept. This is definitely one you'll want to pick up this summer! Thoroughly enjoyed it! 

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I am a camp person 100% but even if you are not--the characters, stories and how they interact and evolve was SUPERB! I was so sad for this book to end. I hope there will be more CAMP-tastic stories! Thank you for reminding me how much I love and miss my camp friends and days. I am going to look for an adult camp to go to.

4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

🛶 My thoughts: I had the absolute best time reading this little gem! I went to summer camp once during childhood, and I felt so much nostalgia while reading! It’s the perfect summer read! I love the emphasis on loyalty, friendship, and fighting for what you believe in. It is a dual point of view and follows two romantic storylines, that were each unique and fun! There’s great character development and Ali Brady did a fantastic job of bringing Camp Chickawah to life!

🛶 Synopsis: The only place best friends, Jessie and Hillary, felt they belonged was their childhood summer camp. They lived and breathed Camp Chickawah as children over the years. However, after a falling out as young adults, Jessie started working as camp Director at Camp Chickawah, and Hillary began work as a business consultant in Chicago, and the two didn’t speak for years. Upon news that Camp Chickawah was closing indefinitely, Jessie had the idea to make the last summer of camp adults only, and wanted to bring back previous campers for one last hurrah. As a result, Jessie and Hillary were reunited, and they each happened to find themselves in complicated romantic relationships from their summer camp past. Will Jessie and Hillary repair their friendship, save Camp Chickawah, and possibly find love along the way?

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Two former best friends find each other again at a summer camp where they spent their childhoods. When they learn the camp is being sold, they come together, along with other former campers and some new to the camp, to create an adult summer camp for one last hurrah. When the two friends learn it doesn't have to be the last summer, they do everything in their power to ensure the camp will live on for others to enjoy.
This book was a bit of nostalgia for me. Having gone to sleep away camp for many summers of my young life, I immediately connected with the main characters and understood their love of all things camp. It was so much fun to see things I used to do during the summers written on the page. It made my camp loving heart truly happy and brought me back to those carefree days where all you worried about was when you were going swimming, what was for dinner, and who was becoming romantically involved with who. It made me miss those days!
Jessie is a sweet character. She has built her life around the camp. Coming from a broken family who didn't show her as much love as she wanted, the camp was always her refuge. A found family for someone who needed to feel a part of something. Hillary, on the other hand, has molded her life to be as different from the person she was at camp as she could be. But there is hope in her coming back to camp. Hope that she can find herself again. Hope that she can realize who she was at camp and how that was her true self.
The other characters in this book were just so much fun. And watching the friendships grow and blossom was really great. Each played an essential part in the plot and how it developed. Each had a distinct personality.
The romantic aspects of the book were nice, though a bit too convenient for me. But they were sweet and I liked watching them develop. I also enjoyed the fact that the author didn't make it just about the romance. It's very much about the plot but also about the rekindling of friendship and forgiveness.
I love the plot of having an adult camp. It makes me want to actually look around and see if this is a real thing. I would love the opportunity to go back to my sleep away camp and experience it all over again as an adult. I think that would be so much fun!
The authors created so much atmosphere in this book. She took us on a roller coaster ride of emotions: love, grief, pain, happiness. Her descriptions of the camp, the camp activities, the relationships were all spot on. I felt like I was, once again, experiencing camp in all its glory. Right down to the pranks we would always pull on each other! It made me feel like I was right there, as a camper. And I remember the feeling of having to leave after the summer was over and the anticipation of the next summer not coming quite quickly enough!
If you have gone to sleep away camp or grew up in any sort of camp at all in the course of your life, you are sure to enjoy this title! "There's no place like camp." Though those who have not experienced camp are bound to love the friendships and romance in this book, as well.

This was such a fun and lighthearted summer read! I’ve never even been to summer camp, but this book made me feel like I had and wish that I had gotten to experience that during my childhood. It felt so nostalgic! I loved how the book explores reconnecting with friends and exploring romantic relationships too! With the story being told from both Jessie and Hillary’s perspectives you get two very different viewpoints. There are so many funny moments, but heartfelt moments as well that had me feeling so many emotions.

Thank you so much Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc!

I really enjoyed this one! I was so excited to be a part of the traveling arc program.I loved the camp vibe of the story. The villains of this story were portrayed perfectly for us to hate them. I never went to camp but if I did, this one definitely would have given me great nostalgia. I enjoyed all of the personal and romantic self discoveries all of these characters went on!

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this story. My review has been added to goodreads, storygraph, Barnes & Noble and my instagram @manymerrybooks.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It had ALL of the best details of a summer read. Thank you @berkleyrom for my early copy! It publishes July 9th.

Summer Camp memories
Summer Camp as adults
Second changes for best friends
Summer Camp Love x2
Friends that become family

Jessie is a camp director and her beloved camp, where she’s lived 10 months for 2 year after year, is closing now that it has passed to the hands of the original owners’ “rat children.”

Hillary is Jessie’s long lost best friend from camp. She lives her life under her father’s pressure and influence, but she’s brave enough to go back when Jessie opens the camp for the summer for past campers who are now adults.

Cooper is an up-and-coming chef in Boston and he’s had a rough road through the kitchen. Jessie’s invitation to be the chef at camp is exactly what he needs.

Luke is the cute counselor from Jessie’s past, and he’s now the broodiest of authors I’ve ever read in a book. He brings his geriatric dog Scout (rip my heart strings out now!) along with him as he attempts to write his next (and final) book.

I loved the supporting characters, I loved the dual POV, I loved the FMCs, I loved the MMCs, I loved the conflict (owner’s son trying to strong arm a sale to a developer- everyone trying to stop it), I loved their memories of camp. LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT.

Gosh I literally just kicked off summer with the BEST book I could have selected. Ali Brady totally upped their game with writing this novel.

Jessie and Hillary became best summer friends at Camp Chickawah and promised that they would be counselors together when they grew up. Only Jessie kept that promise which fractured their friendship for a decade. Now Jessie, who is the director, is faced with her beloved camp being sold, she decides there will be one final session in a unique way. This time the campers will be adults who were former campers. Jessie and Hillary have a ways to go to heal their fractured relationship and along the way, they each find a summer love. Both men were also former campers who have come back to heal wounds of their own; one a chef, the other a writer who is resistant to being a part of the fun.

Jessie is an ersatz Peter Pan spending the last ten years living for the two months of summer because for her, Camp Chickawah is a home far beyond the one she grew up in after her parent’s divorce. Hillary has a successful business and a life that on the outside looks good; however, she feels stifled and unseen especially by her boyfriend who happens to work for her demanding father. While they and their fellow campers relive the good old days, Hillary realizes there might be a way to save the camp if she can get Jessie on board.

This story is more of a Women’s Fiction about friendship with the romances for each of the women taking a back seat. Jessie and Hillary redefine their relationship while herding a bunch of grownups who quickly revert to their childhood joy as well as less than cute antics. It is an interesting concept to go back to a special place as an adult and experience again the delights through a mature lens. This story drags in places but for the most part, this is an enjoyable summer read.

10* This was a beautiful story of friendship and love and second chances for both of them. It was heartfelt and simply wonderful. I loved it.