I just freaking love Jenny Holiday. The summer camp vibes of this are truly immaculate -- she really captures the immediate bonding of camp friends and how one week at camp is like three months in the real world. Summer camp can be magical and this book really gets to the core of that.

The romance, as per usual with a Holiday book, is pitch perfect. I loved the grumpy-sunshine dynamic of it all -- Gretchen is an incredibly easy heroine to root for and Teddy is a lovable curmudgeon. I love a romance novel with a MC in her late 30s, it's such a nice change of pace to read about characters who aren't in their early 20s and instead see myself represented in the pages. Their not-so-meet-cute is excellent and really sets up both characters well. I usually don't care about getting the male POV (#sorrynotsorry) but I actually liked seeing inside Teddy's head in this one.

Gretchen's struggle with following the life she THINKS she should be pursuing vs what she actually wants to do really punched me in the heart. I loved watching her evolution with her commitment to "becoming a crone" and the growing sexual tension with Teddy -- and layer on top of that her love of dance blossoming while at camp. The conflict in the book felt super authentic to who the characters were (as opposed to contrived and trite as many third act breakups do).

10/10 recommend, Jenny Holiday can do no wrong!

Absolutely delightful from start to finish, Into the Woods is Jenny’s best book to date.

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Jenny Holiday’s books around here, so we’re always excited to get our hands on her latest. And once again, she delivers with a sweet but thoughtful read sure to satisfy any romance lover.

Let’s start with the setting. I’m such a sucker for any natural setting but a summer camp? That’s like catnip for me. I went to camp as a kid and then was a camp counsellor myself as a teenager, so I have a lot of fond memories of those experiences. In my mind, camp is a prime location for a romance to blossom. There is a forced proximity and intimacy that comes from living in close quarters that lends itself well. Jenny really capitalised on this in the book and I loved every minute of it. The fact that it is an arts camp (raise your hands former dorky arts kids) made it even better.

We have two strong main characters here and I liked both of them. Gretchen is easy to love. The vivacious dance studio owner with pink hair is going through a period of transition. She’s about to expand her successful business, but her dating life is not where she had hoped, so she swears off men. She’s going to kick-off her “crone” years at camp. Meanwhile rockstar Teddy takes a little longer to love. His life is in shambles after the breakup of his band. He’s grumpy and rude. But as we get to know him better, we come to understand why he’s like that. Both Teddy and Gretchen grow and change a lot over the course of the book.

I loved the dynamic between Teddy and Gretchen. They don’t necessarily get along at the start. They befuddle each other, but through the magic of camp, they warily become friends and their attraction grows. Their relationship felt realistic and I loved how they brought out the best in each other.

Overall, another great read from Jenny Holiday.

I've read several Jenny Holiday books and totally fell for her 2024 release- 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. Her upcoming release, 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝗪𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒 (pub 01.07) is even better. Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publication and Netgalley for the early copy.

𝗪𝐇𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝗪𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐄:
- Set in MN. Love love love. But, no one would fly from Mpls to Duluth if they were local to the Twin Cities.
- Contemporary romance with heft
- Camp setting but with more focus on the adults than kids.
- Teddy Knight - Just left his longtime band and is looking to start over as a songwriter.
- Gretchen has run a successful dance studio in a strip mall and is taking a plunge into larger entrepreneurial pursuits.
- Loved that they are in their late 30s/early 40s
- Each of them are working towards getting "unstuck" and next steps in life- alone and together.
- Commiserating over similar less-than-stellar childhoods.
- A bit of forced proximity.
- Made me laugh and made me swoon.
- Sexy & perfectly steamy

Gretchen was such a fun character and honestly so relatable. I have one parent similar to her dad so that was fun to read about. Teddy, was an interesting character with depth. I loved the camp setting so much! These are my favorite types of books to read. I have to be honest, the multiple orgasms sex scene was a little unrealistic and a bit cringey. I loved Gretchen but her dialogue, both internal and external, during this scene gave me the ick. She was making things so awkward. It really took me out of a moment I was looking forward to.

Loved the, sort of, idealized adult summer camp setting. The freedom and loose mentor parameters they’re given seemed a tad unrealistic, BUT it did give a great setup for artistic and emotional growth for all characters involved. Overall it ends up working (even if Teddy’s purely platonic mentoring felt like it needed a different framing).

I love that it’s a dual POV romance. Midlife crisis characters, their struggles and anxieties feel all too real. But it’s also fun and flirty with great chemistry and, most importantly, fantastic emotional intimacy. Gretchen and Teddy’s individual, but also shared, childhood traumas bond them in a very visceral way. It’s wonderfully and thoughtfully written. I loved them together more and more as the pages turned.

Overall, it was a great read and one of the best Jenny Holiday has released in recent years. Definitely recommend.

3.5 stars

There is something about a romance where both characters are going through the wringer that always does it for me. I love watching them learn more about themselves while learning about each other, and both Teddy and Gretchen go on different forms of the same journey as they reconnect with themselves and connect with each other for the first time.

Both characters felt incredibly real to me, and the side characters did as well, which shows me that Jenny Holiday's characterization is her strong suit. I really enjoyed how Holiday used shared experiences as the main connecting point between Teddy and Gretchen, allowing their relationship to feel more emotional than most.

I started reading this at the beginning of the month, lost the will to do anything for several days there after the 5th, and then came back to it and finished it all in one go.

And honestly, Gretchen’s maybe-too-on-the-nose trench warfare and desire to be a crone in spite of really wanting love (don’t we all) was just what I needed. She’s angry, and sad, but mostly she’s TIRED. And then she meets Teddy, who is finally out of the cycle that has exhausted him for years and is realizing just how tired he’s been, and he doesn’t need anything from her. And she doesn’t need anything from him. And that makes all the difference, initially.

Watching them both unknowingly tumble closer into each other was so sweet. Seeing Rory live her dream with her Canadian Boyfriend in the background and use it as (rightful) justification for her determination was delightful.

And we love a grand gesture that’s sweet but also a little funny 😂

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a great book!! It had me hooked from page one! I couldn’t put this down. I finished it in one sitting. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. This was a first for me by this author but it will not be my last!!

4.25/5 Stars | Delightfully hilarious and deep, all at the same time!

What I liked: Jenny Holiday does this wonderfully disarming thing where you think she's giving the surface-level romance novel, and she seamlessly weaves in profoundness and real pain or emotion that absolutely GUTS you, but also brings you along in its astuteness where you're hashing out your own traumas alongside these beautiful characters. I know this book is being marketed to fans of Tessa Bailey and Lucy Score, but I think that downplays the strength that she's able to grip you with as a read and the depth of emotion she's able to help you feel. I think it would be much more appropriate to compare Holiday's writing to Emily Henry and Julia Quinn--the high-level of character development and hollistic writing is right there for me.

What I didn't like: I didn't like how little time we had with Teddy and Gretchen actually together.

OMG I LOVED THIS. Camp is just the best setting - this was everything I wanted from Wildfire (which was good, but this was better)! Enemies to lovers, rockstar MMC, witty banter, and just the best atmospheric vibes you could hope for - this is going to be a bestseller I am sure of it!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jenny Holiday is just SO GOOD. I loved this follow-up to Canadian Boyfriend, featuring Rory's best friend and dance studio owner/teacher Gretchen. Gretchen has spent her whole adult life trying to build something stable that she can be proud of after a childhood that offered virtually no financial stability. She's about to expand her business, and has decided the time is right to completely quit looking for love and enter her crone era, just in time for her 40th birthday. She gets a last minute opportunity to spend a month at Camp Wild Arts to serve as an artist-in-residence, and the timing coincides with her personal and business missions, so she takes it. On the way there, she meets fellow artist-in-residence Teddy Knight, of the recently dissolved rock band Concrete Temple, and they get off on the (very) wrong foot. But after getting lost in the woods together, they realize that they have a lot in common and Gretchen decides that having a camp hook-up, totally outside of her context in the real world, is what she needs. I loved Gretchen and Teddy, and something that felt really special about this story to me was that, while of course there's a romance here, there's also a ton of personal creative self-discovery for both of them, just when they need it. I'm very much an indoor person, but this whole book made we want to go to camp for a while and figure things out.

This fun, flirty dual POV rom-com is the perfect summer escape—complete with campfire vibes, unexpected sparks, and a whole lot of heart!

Gretchen is done with men after a string of cringe-worthy dates. She’s swearing them off for good and focusing all her energy on growing her dance and wellness business. No distractions allowed!

Teddy, on the other hand, has just been kicked out of his band and is channeling his anger into writing the ultimate revenge album. But after throwing a tantrum that ends with a trashed hotel room, he's not even sure if he still has a manager—or any semblance of control.

Enter Wild Art Summer Camp, where they both land last-minute gigs as the new Dance and Music experts. What starts as an enemies quickly turns into a sizzling summer fling. But as sparks fly and feelings get real, they’ll have to decide: was their original summer plan really what they needed all along?

Coming out with my rating up top. 4 stars for sure! Here’s why:
- Gretchen and Teddy are both slightly older and emotionally mature. Their conversations are honest and meaningful and the relationship they have feels like real friendship.
- There’s a storyline with a plot. It’s not just an excuse to write a bunch of steamy scenes. The story had real heart. But there’s still steam for those who like it.
- Holiday attempts to tackle the difficult topic of the “male gaze” and does a good job of it. So much of Gretchen’s growth happens when she decides she’s done living for men.
- both main characters have a friend or family member in their corner that challenges them and supports them wholeheartedly.

A really great read all around!

I like Jenny Holiday’s books and this one was charming, as her writing generally is. I wasn’t in love but it was fun.

So cute!!!! This makes me want to rad The Canadian Boyfriend, since I heard that they're connected.

We love a good ole grumpy x sunshine trope. I also feel that Teddy and Gretchen both had so much growth in this book!!! It was definitely an emotional journey.

I absolutely love Jenny Holiday so I knew I would love this one and to no one’s surprise- I did! I need to immediately buy this.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved the setting being in a summer camp setting. I love the FMC and MMC so much, but mostly I loved that their ages were relatable at 35 and 40 years old.
I would encourage everyone to pick this book up and read it because you will not be sorry.
The growth that Teddy and Gretchen take during this book is amazing and I really wanted it to keep going.

Thank you Netgalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Jenny Holiday for the opportunity to read this amazing book!

This was such a cute read, it's perfect for a cleanser book.
Jenny has become one of my must-buy authors

Thank you to Forever for the ARC of this book! I really loved Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday and I was excited to read this one as well. The two books are interconnected and it was fun to see what the characters from that book were up to, but I think this one could also be read as a standalone. This book follows Gretchen, a dance studio owner who is on the verge of expanding her dance studio. She has a desire to make sure that she is financially stable after a difficult childhood. She has also had a tough love life and is ready to give up on love all together. She agrees to take on a job as a mentor at an arts camp for a few weeks when she meets Teddy. Teddy was a member of a very popular rock band that has recently broken up. The two form an unlikely bond and despite not looking for love, they find connection and hope in their similar back stories and childhoods. I adored watching them find hope and love in each other and both characters were incredibly easy to root for. I think you'd really enjoy this book if you like the following: Older FMC and MMC, summer camp love stories, Love in unexpected places, Self discovery.

Jenny Holiday is officially an author that I was automatically read. This book had great banter, great character development and the love story was oh so sweet! Five stars for sure!

This might be Jenny's best work. No kidding. I personally loved Canadian Boyfriend and was a little worried about how much I loved it and how this would play out. Camp books aren't always my thing. But this one is so so good. It's not a second chance. It's not angsty with how much they hate each other. It's simply two grown adults trying to reset and make a fresh start in life and finding each other in the process It was the perfect blend of growth and humor and steamy romance and I loved it so much. Jenny just gets better with every single book and now she's stuck with me for life.