Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of I Love You S'more. I really wish this was set as college age kids instead of high schoolers as I think the story would have read better. Overall I like the setting at camp and premise! Broccoli was a cute addition.

I really enjoyed this as a rivals-to-lovers and had that romance element that I was looking for. The realistic concept worked overall and enjoyed going on this journey with the characters. The concept was so well done and I enjoyed getting to go through this journey with these characters. Auriane Desombre has a great writing style and left me wanting to read more.

this one is pretty good. i honestly expected a bit less cheesiness and a bit more on the romance aspect, but it's still well-written and pretty cool. tysm for the arc. 3.5.

Overall, this was a wholesome YA sapphic summer camp book and I enjoyed the ride. However, I've read another YA sapphic summer camp book I liked more, so this wouldn't be my top recommendation.

I liked Ivy's overall character arc and I definitely related to some of her struggles. I also liked how the problems the campers were facing related back to Ivy and Rynn's problems from the past.

My biggest letdown from this was the lack of character depth across the board until the very end of the book. We barely get anything other than surface level characterization from all of the side charcters. Even Ivy I felt was very flat until she started to fall apart and put herself back together. IMO, summer camp settings really lend themselves to deep late night chats, so I really wish the counselor campfires had a bit more bonding and not just rehashing relationship drama.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the eArc.

This book was so cute! I love books that have elements of fame and explore the consequences of being/ being with a public figure, so this book was so fun! I also adore books set at camps, so this was definitely a great read for me. The characters were all pretty good, and I liked the main pairing in this book. I feel like the main character’s feelings for the love interest could have been shown more in depth, but I think the author still did a good job, especially since this is a pretty short book. Also, the background characters were fun, and getting to see their personalities was definitely a highlight of this book. Overall this is a great teen book that explores lots of themes that both younger and older readers can enjoy.

#ILoveYouSmore Is a cute, summer, camp read that has you rooting for love. The characters are teenagers and you have to understand that when picking the book up. They make very teen decisions which is appropriate for the characters. Overall this was an adorable quick read.
Thank you #netgalley for the ARC copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I truthfully didn’t think this was going to be a YA book haha so I didn’t love it like I thought I would, but it was a pleasant quick little read. A bit cheesy, but perfect as a YA novel.

If you want a quick, easy, summer camp romance 'I love you s'more' has you covered. When picking this up (and I mean this in the most complimenting way) I needed something that wouldn't make me think a ton whilst still enjoyable and digestible and this was perfect for that.

The characters made annoying decisions. the romance wasn't super compelling but it didn't need to be for me to enjoy the book. Sometimes a good no thoughts, head empty book is still all you need. and I'm happy to have read this.

This story is about Ivy, who just went through a breakup with her girlfriend Aly, who is famous. Ivy goes to her old camp to be a camp counselor and finds her ex-girlfriend before Aly is also a camp counselor.

I will say I really liked Rynn's character and loved the growth from Ivy, but I could care less about Aly, and every time information about her character popped up, I would find myself rolling my eyes.

Overall, this story is great for YA readers, because I feel like the way problems finally were resolved was great and loved the overall lessons that are taught, but for the time between I could feel myself at my age now fixating on wanting them to hash out early so it frustrated me for how long it took them to find a common ground.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for my advanced reader copy.

Releasing April 8, 2025

I Love you S’more
By Auriane Desombre
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Category: Enemies-to-lovers

Overall, I found this to be a cute read. It did take me some time to get into the book, as I wasn’t a huge fan of the constant conflict. Reading other reviews, I wasn’t the only one who was tricked by the age range. I was about halfway through the book when I realized the age was never explicitly stated and made for some confusion on my end thinking she was older. I didn’t find the media posts at the beginning of each chapter added anything to the book and was confused about what I was reading at the start each chapter. I do agree with another review that making this a dual POV with Rynn would have added a nice touch, and maybe have balanced the attitude of Ivy. I did enjoy the side characters and their personalities. Truly felt the summer camp vibes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC.

It's a good book. I don't have much to say because I realized it's not the type of book I like to read, I prefer more young adult books. Some of the actions and thinking of the characters didn't make sense to me which makes total sense because they are teenagers! Despite that, I was able to connect with the main character and I did in fact cry. So I do think it's a good book.

The main characters are Ivy & Rynn. Ivy was just dumped by her famous girlfriend and is trying to lay low. She decides the spend the summer working at a camp. What she doesn't know, is her first love, Rynn, is working there the summer too.
There is tension between the two due to the time that has passed. There is also the fact that all the campers have figured out who Ivy is and are always trying to get online to find out what is going on.
I would recommend.

I enjoyed reading this. Though, it seems like I fell into the same problem as a few other reviewers in mistaking it for a different age range as I was genuinely surprised when I realized it was YA. But overall, I really enjoyed this cute little book. I wish we’d gotten to see more of Ivy and Ally pre-breakup. But I feel like everyone can relate to the awful drifting feeling that comes after your first big breakup. Ivy is just super unlucky in the fact that her first big breakup was with a TV star on a beloved sci-fi series. She goes to this camp in hopes of proving her dream of becoming a teacher is something reasonable. There, she runs into her former best friend who she had a horrendous friendship breakup with years ago.

The writing style initially felt a bit juvenile. Then I realized oh, it’s YA. So it’s age appropriate. Honestly? Everyone does act their age. Yes, the main character makes some decisions that are a little frustrating. But she’s 15/16. No one is handling their big breakup in the best way at that age.

It did feel a bit tropey with the enemies to lovers mention. But there is clear chemistry between the main couple from the jump. I did like some of the side characters, espcially the other counselors. And the kids. They did feel like genuine preteens. Which I appriciate as I have read too many kids acting like tiny adults or idealizied perfect angels.

As a former theater kid, there was something sweet about the theater aspect of the camp. I love the rehearsal portions.

I would complain about how quickly the main couple go from I hate you to getting together. But again, they’re teenagers.

Overall, it’s a cute little book, I would say I think the marketing needs to be more clear that the main cast are teenagers as the blurb did come across as being more college-age. It’s also definetly more YA contemporary with a romance subplot.

I will be recommending this to my teen librarian friends.

Sweet concept but fell a bit flat for me. First off I didn't realize this was YA when requesting (that's on me of course) so I'm sure part of why I didn't really enjoy this was simply because I wasn't the intended audience. However even ignoring that, the book's main character Ivy was hard to connect with and I often found myself frustrated rather than rooting for her. I think including a dual POV with Rynn just to have some reprieve from the excessive self-pity that Ivy's narration made this story and offer another perspective, personality, etc. would have helped tremendously. Ivy certainly had the right to a pity party for some of the book but it reached a point where it was just too much and detracted rather than added to her character. I know everything is a big deal when you're that age but when Ivy referred to Rynn not wanting to be Ivy's "secret rebound" as Rynn "breaking up with her," my eyes rolled into the back of my head. The hyperbole of Ivy made her feel more like a caricature of a teenage girl and made what should have been a quick read unfortunately turn into more of a slog.

I thought this was cute for a YA book (somehow I missed that it was YA when I asked for an ARC). Nice quick read (2-2.5hr) that showed good personal growth for the main character Ivy, as well as relationship growth with multiple characters, over the span of a summer camp. It's great to see teens (& the pre-teen campers) have communication challenges, but they overcome their challenges by actually sharing their true feelings instead of keeping them bottled up, and the negative effects that some communication has (such as Ivy with her social blast). Seems spot on for YA level. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity. The only slightly negative critique I have is that the bio mom character is briefly mentioned as a teacher who, in Ivy's eyes, didn't seem to love her enough to fight for her during a divorce. Being YA, I can try to understand this is how the character feels. As a mother, I don't think anything is ever that simple. If the mom was truly that one note, then I'd like to see more examples of it (from Ivy, from her oldest sister, direct communication with her, etc).

i love summer camp romances give me more. mm good food.

and i hate ivy's extremely famous ex. they shouldve TALKED about the cheating thing ivy you can't just forgive her without at least CONFRONTING her. kind of love the drama though

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.5 | 😘=2 | 🤬=3 | 13/14+

summary: girl recently dumped by her famous actress ex-girlfriend is a camp counselor and sees a girl she used to be friends with who’s also a counselor and they like fall in love but also it’s mostly about the MC’s growth and recovery from the breakup more than their relationship

thoughts: this is okay? I’d call it more YA Contemporary with a romance subplot than straight up romance, so it wasn’t quite what I expected. the main character got a bit annoying towards the middleish, but overall this is fine? it’s emotional and a little cheesy but overall, like, okay.

Here is my confession…

I really wanted to like this novel, but unfortunately I didn’t. The premise, of “ I Love You S’more,” has a nostalgic feel, and reminds you days gone by. I was hooked by the blurb alone.

With that being said, the novel itself held inconsistency with the ages of the two main characters that I couldn’t get past. I know that sounds trite, but for this particular story the correct age of Ivy and Allyson was important. The story revolves around them and if you can’t be consistent in their ages, then the story will not flow and will seem unrealistic and ridiculous.

There was a great opportunity here, but for me, it was overshadowed by not being clear on the ages, and I didn’t want to have to suspend my disbelief and “ just go with it.”

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Do you have a nostalgic spot from growing up? Mine was my great-grandmother’s cottage north of Toronto. For Ivy, her childhood camp where she spent her summers is her happy place. And after a very public break-up, she cannot think of a better place to retreat to as the camp musical director. But of course life is not that simple but it sure can be serendipitously sweet when the summer provides a reunion with a first heartbreak- her childhood best friend. I Love You S’more reminds us that sometimes fresh wounds are like salt on old ones but they can also spark the perfect opportunity for healing.

Review will be on Goodreads when the book is on there and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

A great read that does an excellent job of presenting complex themes of relationships, self-love, divorce, and fame into a young adult friendly story. All the characters are excellently written (although some outside the main few can feel a bit two-dimensional at times) and their relationships with each other cover every type: platonic, romantic, mentor, student, and more. The setting and story were well developed, so much so I find myself wishing to watch a show that doesn’t exist.

I can’t wait to see what Desombre comes up with next!