Member Reviews

Man, this was a letdown after CANADIAN BOYFRIEND! I loved that book but this one was a major miss for me. It would have been a DNF if I wasn't so hopeful it would take a turn for the better as the story progressed.

I think the major problem I had with this book was how juvenile it sounded. These characters are supposedly in their forties and well-seasoned in life? I could not see it. The voice and dialogue, even the characters behavior, was so juvenile and cringey. I wasn't buying it, and the teenybopper tone really pulled me out of the story.

Also, the FMC leaping everywhere was just...it gave me the ick.

Not a showstopper for me in any way! Sadly.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. INTO THE WOODS is out now.

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this was a cute one!! the whole idea of having a wilderness retreat / summer camp in which various artists are the counselors for was genius. i love a good "i've sworn this off but he is making me change my mind" plot. they had such a relationship that was perfect just like any couple of teenagers at summer camp would, but with adult emotions. i loved the emphasis on rediscovering your purpose in life or creating a new path for yourself no matter how late in life it may be. this book really highlighted that even if you think you "should" be doing something and it's making you financially stable, doesn't mean it's your only path to a happy life, and that is such a big takeaway!

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Thank you Forever for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

Last Winter, I loved Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday so I was very excited to continue on in that world. I thought that book was clever, sexy, fun and just the right amount of emotional. I had a completely different experience with Into the Woods. I would say the Romance is the secondary plot line and the A plot is definitely more about the individual characters finding love and artistic fulfillment later in life.

I liked it. The last 25-30% of the book made up for the second act being lack luster. But it sadly won’t be a new favorite of mine.

Synopsis:

“Gretchen Miller is a bit of a badass. But even badasses get the blues when it comes to romance, and Gretchen could use a break from dating. So, when she gets the offer to be the summer dance instructor at Camp Wild Arts, she leaps at the chance to embrace clean air, nature, and her inner crone. But every forest has pests—and the biggest one at Wild Arts is none other than Tennyson “Teddy” Knight, the A) arrogant, B) infuriating, C) kinda hot if it weren’t for A & B rockstar who happens to be Gretchen’s fellow artist-in-residence.Fresh off his band's epic and ultra-public breakup, Teddy's grouchier than a black bear in spring, and Gretchen is happy to ignore the unexpected heat she feels around him. Yet a wary friendship blooms, and before she knows it, Gretchen finds herself sneaking around to have one last summer fling with the broody musician before she swears off men for good. But as they grow closer, Gretchen has to figure out if she's ready to take this summer camp romance out of the woods and into real life.”

What I Liked:

The Focus on Artistic Fulfillment—This is something I identify with deeply, especially pivoting careers and allowing yourself to grow outside of what you feel is expected of you. I thought this was handled very beautifully and will resonate with a lot of people.

Older FMC—It’s refreshing to find romances with older characters. In this book, they are 39 and 35. I found my partner as a teenager, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t had to grow together and communicate in different ways. I think it’s a nice change to read about people who aren’t in their twenties.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

Rockstar MMC—I just don’t like this trope. It’s not a huge aspect of this book, but I don’t know. Just not my vibe!

Repetitive Plot—Points seemed to be made over and over again.

Pacing—The second act of this book didn’t work for me. The chapters were also on the long side, making it hard to pick up and read throughout the day because I didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of one.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 3/5

Content Warnings:

abandonment, misogyny, toxic relationship

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this was a cute little camp romance! I can't say I loved it as much as CANADIAN BOYFRIEND, but I loved that book an abnormal amount (if you haven't read it yet... go, go now). my lukewarm sentiments on this one come from the fact that I didn't really connect with Gretchen or Teddy, and that's entirely on me. I do think that others will enjoy this book, and I can't say I regret reading it because it did make me smile.

3 stars!

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Into the Woods was such a fun read and I loved the summer camp setting. Approaching her 40th birthday Gretchen is done with dating apps and men in general. So she accepts a last minute minute opportunity to be a dance mentor at an arts camp for teens. Allowing her to begin her transition into a "crone". But there's a hitch in her no more men plans. Broody yes charming Teddy Knight. Former bassist for the now defunct band Concrete Temple after he has a major and now public blow up.

The two swear to stay away from each other but fate keeps throwing them together. And after a misadventure in the woods they decide what can one last fling hurt. It was refreshing to watch Teddy come to terms with and start to deal with his past and the affect it has on his mental health. Aided by Grethen's patience, mutual understanding and wisdom from her own past.

We get a great balance of both some tough topics ( food insecurity, toxic parents, mental health rep) and spicy light hearted romance. Combined with some great side friendships.

This was a fast paced read that I couldn't put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever pub for my advanced copy in return for an honest review.

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I loved everything about this! But especially as I approach my next birthday where I’ll be closer to 40 than 30 I loved seeing older MCs that hadn’t been married & were childless.

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I absolutely adored this story and will absolutely snag a physical copy for my shelf. It’s already on the list for book club!

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Gretchen Miller is done with men and is so focused on her career. She accepts an invite to an arts summer camp that makes her okay with putting work aside for a few weeks. Teddy Knight had recently gone through a breakup with the band he was apart of and forgot he made a commitment to the art camp. They both meet at camp, and sparks fly, but that doesn't mean they can't have a little fling. Will Gretchen make this romance known, or will she leave it in the woods?

This book was so so cute!! I loved the banter between Gretchen and Teddy. I have always enjoyed the atmosphere of a summer camp so that drew me in right away. Both stories were filled with vulnerability which can lack in a romance book, but I appreciated it. These characters are a bit older than normal romance characters, but I still found them enjoyable! I would recommend this to someone who is looking for a more mature romance.

Thank you NetGalley, Forever Romance, and Jenny Holiday for the ARC!

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Heat Factor: There’s some hanky panky

Character Chemistry: Bonding through similar traumatic childhood experiences

Plot: Gretchen and Teddy are both artists-in-residence at a summer camp and have a camp fling

Overall: This one really worked for me

Thoreau went into the woods because he wanted to live deliberately; the fairy tale princess went into the woods to find a prince.

Gretchen goes into the woods to embrace her inner crone. (hastag relatable)

Teddy goes into the woods to reset and write an album after his band and public image explode.

Gretchen and Teddy don’t get off to a great start, mainly because Teddy is rude and grouchy. But also, when Gretchen is rudely rebuffed, she doesn’t make herself smaller to appease or try to win Teddy over, because being a crone is also about embracing her post-dating era. While they don’t actively work together every day, they are both at the same summer camp, staying in neighboring cabins—and they’re not actively avoiding each other either.

There’s a bit of push and pull in the early part of the book. They acknowledge their attraction (internally only!), but don’t pursue anything…until they literally go into the woods and get lost. The second part of the book is then classic camp romance: super intense and close, but with the mutual understanding that there’s a clearly defined end date.

The conceit of the camp (boy/girl)friend is a great one for a romance novel because it allows the characters to get real vulnerable, real fast while still feeling realistic. Holiday builds a great emotional intimacy between Gretchen and Teddy, based on a well-balanced mix of common childhood experiences (poverty and negligent parents, though Teddy had it way worse), shared interests in art, banter, and sexual chemistry. Honestly, Holiday just nails the at-camp interactions between these two, and I was sad, just as they were, when camp came to an end and it was time to return to real life.

I do want to address the overt feminism in this book, especially because I flagged it as feeling tacked on in Canadian Boyfriend (to which this is a loose sequel). There, the nanny explained emotional labor to her employer. Here, we see Gretchen go on a terrible date and then swear off men, so the bits about toxic masculinity and women making themselves small in order to be lovable felt more natural. I didn’t find them distracting. On the other hand, figuring out a good balance for domestic emotional labor is part of my life, and going on awful dates is not—so maybe hearing someone talk about emotional labor pushes more of my buttons.

To close out, I must mention that the grand gesture does reference this guy:

Lloyd. Fucking. Dobbler. with his boombox.
…but in a way that knows that standing outside someone’s house with a boombox is creepy, actually.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

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Gretchen Miller is nearing forty and feeling stuck. She's stagnantated with her career and dating is even more bleak. She's decided to branch out and open another, bigger dance studio, and give up on men. Before she closes on her new building, she gets an invitation to be an artist-in-residence at an arts camp and she agrees, looking for something to shake up the mundane. While there, she meets rockstar Teddy Knight, who is going through his own crisis after his band breaks up. After a rocky start, Teddy and Gretchen learn they're more alike than they think.

I loved this book so much! I was a huge fan of Canadian Boyfriend, Jenny Holiday's last release before this, and Gretchen's best friend Rory's book, and was so glad to go back to that world. Gretchen was so strong and had had enough of the world - and especially men's - shit and I really admired her for that. She was building a life for herself, even if she felt a little suffocated by it. Teddy was such a grump and I loved watching him slowly blossom (iykyk) into a more social and joyful person. Watching him open up to Gretchen and have the deep, hard but necessary conversations with his sister was so heartwarming. I loved the pace of relationship and the camp setting that really allowed the love story to flourish, while also allowing Gretchen and Teddy to focus on their own baggage and work through it, while also exploring their passions.

TW: parental neglect/abandonment, rage episode (off page), misogyny

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I will thank this book for one thing: some great sleep. I fell asleep not once, not twice, but three times reading this. I so so loved Canadian boyfriend and was so excited to read this one but it just did not work for me. I didn't love either of the characters, found the dialogue to be unrealistic and the way they described each other was not for me. The amount of times I have read “cotton candy hair” is just not reasonable. Will continue to recommend Canadian BF but this was a miss for me.

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A dance instructor ready to ditch dating and become a crone and a heavy metal musician who just broke up with his band become unlikely counselors at a summer art camp. They become unlikely friends too… and then something more when he agrees to be her last hurrah in bed before she goes full-on crone. But peaceful swims in the lake, sharing an emergency blanket when lost in the woods, and the honesty that comes with not trying to impress anyone has them growing closer. But what happens when your camp boyfriend tries to enter your real life? Fun, introspective, & steamy.

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So can I go to adult summer camp now? Into the Woods is a fun dual POV story about Gretchen, a successful single woman who is tired of playing the dating game and is taking a vow to become a ‘crone’ and give up on dating to focus on her new dancing studio. Teddy is a successful bass player who just broke up with his band and looking for some time away from the limelight. They both attend a music retreat where some self discoveries and camp ‘ friends ‘ tension arises!
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was such an easy read, and the camp sounds actually awesome. The connection between Gretchen and teddy was genuine and I’m glad it wasn’t a typical insta love story! They both experienced some childhood trauma and the discussions around that were well written and addressed IMO. I found the ending wrapped up really quickly, so I am glad for the epilogue ! Very sweet and wholesome to see Teddy’s connection with his banjo playing camp protege Anna.

Thanks to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central publishing) and Jenny Holiday for the ARC :)

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Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read and review Into the Woods by Jenny Holiday. This book completely blew me away!

My first introduction to Jenny Holiday’s writing was through Canadian Boyfriend, a sentimental, thought-provoking story that stuck with me. With Into the Woods, she takes us in a very different direction while maintaining the same thoughtful, heartfelt storytelling that I’ve come to admire.

The story follows Teddy, a grumpy rock star fresh off a band breakup, and Gretchen, a fiercely independent dance teacher at a crossroads in her life, as they find themselves spending the summer at a remote arts camp. Teddy reluctantly accepts a last-minute gig as the camp’s artist-in-residence, hoping to hide away in a cabin and work on a revenge album. Gretchen, meanwhile, sees her summer job as a chance to escape societal expectations, embrace solitude, and figure out her next steps as she approaches 40. Their first meeting is a clash of personalities, with Gretchen’s no-nonsense demeanor standing in stark contrast to Teddy’s entitled rock-star attitude.

What follows is a beautifully written enemies-to-lovers romance where two complex characters bond over shared experiences of growing up in poverty and creating lives they can be proud of. Gretchen is one of my favorite female main characters in a long time. We don’t often see romance highlighting women approaching 40 who are single and childless, and Into the Woods gives us a woman who is accomplished, grounded, and yet still navigating what fulfillment and relationships mean to her. She’s a smart, strong, and badass woman who is impossible not to admire. Teddy is also much more than the grumpy rock star trope suggests. Behind his gruff exterior is a man full of heart, creativity, and a longing for connection, and I loved seeing how Gretchen brought out those qualities in him.

This book isn’t just about their romance—it’s also a celebration of art, creativity, and the healing power of nature. The summer camp setting provides a sense of escape and reflection, with lakeside moments and campfire conversations adding layers of intimacy to Teddy and Gretchen’s journey. The thoughtful exploration of what it means to rebuild and redefine yourself makes their story all the more resonant.

Jenny Holiday writes with such insight and care, and this book will stick with me for a long time. Into the Woods is a truly special romance that I hope more people discover—it’s heartfelt, unique, and utterly unforgettable. Highly recommend! 💘

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Rating: 4.75/5

Every now and then, I come across a book that, from the first page, I can completely visualize it as if it’s on a screen. This book was like that, and it was stunning.

Jenny Holiday was somehow able to maintain a conversational tone throughout the entire story while utilizing metaphors and almost poetic language. It’s hard to explain, but this book just made me ✨feel✨.

Our lead characters had depth and connected on a personal level before and outside of their romantic arc, which was really lovely to see. I really enjoyed reading about characters in their thirties who were still figuring their shit out.

Gretchen and Teddy were funny and full of heart, and they were inspiring in ways I didn’t expect. Safe to say I loved this one and will be reading everything Jenny Holiday puts out in the future.

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for this arc.

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Read If You Like::
- Enemies-to-lovers romance
- Summer camp settings
- Grumpy-sunshine dynamics
- Stories featuring artists and musicians
- Midlife reinvention themes
- Humorous and heartwarming narratives

This story features enemies-to-lovers romance set against the backdrop of a summer arts camp. The story follows Gretchen Miller, a dance instructor seeking a break from her routine, and Teddy Knight, a rockstar reeling from his band's recent breakup. Both accept positions as artists-in-residence at Camp Wild Arts, each hoping to find solace and inspiration in the secluded setting.

Gretchen, approaching forty, is determined to embrace her independence and has sworn off dating, humorously referring to her retreat as a journey into "cronedom." Teddy, on the other hand, arrives at the camp with plans to work on a solo album, harboring a grumpy demeanor following his band's public split. Their initial encounters are marked by misunderstandings and mutual annoyance, but as they spend more time together, a tentative friendship blossoms, leading to deeper emotional connections.

The novel excels in character development, portraying Gretchen and Teddy as multifaceted individuals grappling with personal and professional crossroads. Their interactions are filled with witty banter and genuine moments of vulnerability, making their evolving relationship both engaging and believable. The summer camp setting adds charm to the narrative, serving as a catalyst for self-discovery and artistic rejuvenation.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my gifted ARC!

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I've started 2025 in a Contemporary romance mood, so this was a great read to start the year with. I read Canadian Boyfriend last summer, and had a really fun time, so I was excited to read another book from Jenny Holiday. And I have to say, it was a really fun read.
With Into the Woods, we get two main characters who are basically going through a big life change, with Teddy coming out of a professional break up with his band, and Gretchen deciding to give up on love and relationship to focus on her entrepreneurial project. It made it interesting to see them both meet in this disconnected setting (they are in a camp the middle of the woods after all), and see them go from basically disliking each other at first sight, to becoming friends to lover. It was also so interesting to see that, despite the banter and humor that was present throughout the book, we still get to see their backstory and trauma.
Honestly, Into the Woods ended up being just a fun ride. This really makes me want to go and look into more of her books, since I've only read another one from her, and so far, I've enjoyed it both. I definitely recommend it if you are looking for a fun grumpy x sunshine romance that also has a little bit of a deeper side (with the childhood trauma part), this book is definitely worth a shot.

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I really enjoyed reading Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday last year. The idea was cute and fun but Holiday weaved important topics throughout the romance and I found it so refreshing and so well done. Naturally, I was excited to find out that Gretchen, the friend of the female main character in Canadian Boyfriend, would be starring in her own novel. I’m happy to report I also adored reading Into the Woods, which is just out today!

Here’s the book’s description:

Teddy Knight’s band has just broken up in spectacular fashion after his longtime bandmate and—he’d thought—closest friend decides to go solo. So when he’s offered a last-minute gig to fill in as an artist-in-residence at a summer arts camp—which comes with a lake cabin and lots of free time to work on a revenge album—he takes it. No matter that he knows nothing about nature, dislikes kids, and is generally a grump.

Gretchen Miller is having a mid-life crisis. Luckily, her summer job as the dance teacher at Wild Arts summer camp will allow her to drop out of society for a while. Having sworn off dating, she decides she’ll go into the woods and become a crone. She might skip the “luring innocent children to their death” part of cronedom, but she’s all for the “curse men” aspect.

Teddy and Gretchen clash from the get-go when he mistakes her for a fan, and she relegates him to the “entitled jerk” ash heap. Despite their determination to dislike each other, a wary friendship blooms as the magic of the woods starts to unwind them, and they spend long hours by the campfire talking about art, being stuck, and the idea of starting over. But woods are often filled with monsters, and Teddy and Gretchen will have to face their fears if they want to start over together.

I never went to summer camp and I don’t really feel like I missed out on anything. But I adored the setting of this book! It was so fun to see adults thrust into a summer camp experience while interacting with teens and fellow artists-in-residence. I do admit that part of the appeal may be that the characters were living in tank tops and shorts in sweltering heat and right now it’s bloody chilly where I live! I loved how Holiday talked about the concept of “camp friends” - becoming best friends with someone while at camp but never hanging out with them at any other time of year. I think a lot of adults can relate to that with friends they make at work and then, when they move on from that job, don’t talk to those people again. It was just an element to the story that made this more than “just a romance.”

Can I get three cheers for a romance novel heroine who’s not in her twenties? While I’m not 40 like Gretchen, I am in my late thirties and therefore far closer to 40 than 20. Hell, even 30. I’ve talked about this with my mom and other older women in my life and it’s so nice to see romances that feature characters of all ages. It’s still not that common - which is why it’s getting a mention - but it’s getting better. Everyone, no matter how old (or fictional) they are, deserves love and companionship.

Teddy and Gretchen were such great characters to read about. Teddy was such a prickly cactus of a man and getting to see under that grouchy exterior was delightful. I’m pretty sure it’s just because I’m currently watching Ted Lasso but I was definitely getting Roy Kent vibes from Teddy. Which was wonderful. His initial view of Gretchen didn’t really make a whole lot of sense to me, though. He thought of her at first as Sugarplum and then started referring to her, in his head, as Sourplum. And…I don’t really know why? He knew he was being a jerk the first time they met but still seemed to think her mood change was due to something else? Minor thing but it stuck in my head a little. Gretchen was on a major journey and her determination to go into the woods and become a crone was both inspiring and amusing. She knew what she wanted - though she got a little too stuck on that path - and she went after it. She was, quite frankly, an entrepreneurial badass. I loved it. I also loved that she had friends who told her she was being an idiot for sticking too closely to her plan and pushed, while also supporting, her.

I haven’t had to go on a first date in almost 20 years so I have no idea how dating works these days - like, literally, how do the apps actually work? But the stories Gretchen had of men being absolute assholes were not surprising. (Content warning-wise, there’s no violence or anything too extreme. Just some verbal conversations where the male character calls her a bitch, etc.) We’ve all heard the stories from friends or friends of friends who went out with someone who seemed perfectly fine but then turned into a totally different person when he was told a relationship (or a night in the bedroom) just wasn’t in the cards. Holiday may be preaching to the choir as many of her readers wouldn’t be surprised by what Gretchen dealt with. But I liked that Teddy was so open to hearing what she had to say and willing to learn to be better himself and be a better ally. It wasn’t obvious or overt but it was there and made Teddy that much more attractive.

Apparently I could talk about Into the Woods all day but I won’t carry on much longer. I’ll just say that romance readers will really enjoy Jenny Holiday’s latest novel. You don’t have to read Canadian Boyfriend first but I recommend it just because it’s also a good read. If you’re an audiobook listener, note that it’s co-narrated by Joshua Jackson!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

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I wanted to like this more than I did because of the rich setting (artistic camp for teens) and the well fleshed out backstories of the main characters: Teddy is misunderstood in the press & blamed for his longtime band breaking up and Gretchen is an entrepreneurial boss but discouraged from her efforts in her love life and feeling left behind. Unfortunately, I felt they had no chemistry even when things got spicy. They supported each other better as friends in my opinion.

Unfortunately this similar thing happened to me reading Canadian Boyfriend, like I'm actually kind of amazed at this author's ability to write first meets of characters with this level of zero chemistry. And that's a really low place to rise from and this one did not accomplish that for me. To the point that the spicy scenes felt sad and awkward so they weren't even used as an opportunity to express suppressed chemistry or emotions without words (like would have been a great opportunity to!).

But I can't go lower than 3 as the writing quality is well done, the development of the setting and side characters. It pains me almost because I needed more romance in this romance.

Thank you to Forever for the eARC.

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Camp....

I thought at first, this book was about NA characters, but the main characters were pushing forty, which is a plus. Gretchen is taking a breather and working at a camp. Teddy's band just imploded and he's focusing on his solo career, also at camp to regroup. Though these are adult characters, often times they were written quite immaturely.
There is humor, so that's a plus.

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