Until Next Summer

by Ali Brady

USA Today bestseller

"A heartfelt and hilarious frolic through a nostalgic landscape of color wars, first kisses, and toilet-paper porch decor—with a cocktail in hand."—Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times Bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

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.”

Growing up, Jessie and Hillary lived for summer, when they’d be reunited at Camp Chickawah. The best friends vowed to become counselors together someday, but they drifted apart after Hillary broke her promise and only Jessie stuck to their plan, working her way up to become the camp director. 

When Jessie learns that the camp will be sold, she decides to plan one last hurrah, inviting past campers—including Hillary—to a nostalgic “adult summer camp” before closing for good. Jessie and Hillary rebuild their friendship as they relive the best time of their lives—only now there are adult beverages, skinny dipping, and romantic entanglements. Straitlaced Hillary agrees to a “no strings attached” summer fling with the camp chef, while outgoing Jessie is drawn to a moody, reclusive writer who’s rented a cabin to work on his novel.

The friends soon realize this doesn’t have to be the last summer. They’ll team up and work together, just like the old days. But if they can’t save their beloved camp, will they be able to take the happiness of this summer away with them?

Genres: Romance, Summer, Summer Reads, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit

447 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 9, 2024

About the author

Ali Brady is the pen name of writing BFFs Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey. They are the USA TODAY Bestselling authors of romantic, heartwarming, funny novels including The Beach Trap, The Comeback Summer, Until Next Summer, and Battle of the Bookstores. Their books have been “best of summer” picks by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Parade, and Katie Couric Media. Alison lives in Chicago and works as an advertising creative director. She’s also the Founder and Co-President of The Artists Against Antisemitism, and the author of You and Me and Us and Little Pieces of Me. Bradeigh lives in Utah with her husband, four children, and two dogs. She works as a doctor and is the author of psychological thrillers Imposter and The Followers.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AliBradyBooks/

Reviews

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (Semi-Hiatus-attempting return) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Stars- Super cute but I couldn't fully get onboard with the camping plot.

Such a cute and sweet story of second chances and finding true happiness. Jessie has her dream job as the director of her beloved childhood camp. When it is announced that this will be the camp's last summer, Jessie invites former campers for an adult sleepaway camp.

This includes her former best friend, Hillary, who abandoned Jessie in their dream of becoming camp counselors together. Hillary and Jessie, both at a crossroads in their professional and romantic lives, try to navigate forgiving one another while coming to terms what really makes them happy in their lives. All while trying to save their beloved camp.

I'm quickly becoming a fan of Alison and Bradeigh's stories - this one was super sweet with lovable and well rounded characters.

The writing was beautiful and the pacing was good - while initially I was pulled into the story with the adult camp premise, it didn't hold my interest throughout. Which could just be because I couldn't relate.

I wish I was a summer camp kid. I definitely think it would have been something I would have loved growing up, but I wasn't lol and so I don't think I could connect with the unwavering love for camp.

Super fun - worth a read for the summer and it's a definite plus that the audio was fantastic.

☀️Chick Lit
🍉Summer Nostalgia
🍹Found Family
☀️Dual Romances
🍉Camp Hijinks
🍹Jewish Rep
☀️LOL Moments
🍉Dual POV
🍹Adult Camp + Wine

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

[benedicta · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ a novel about two estranged childhood best friends whose friendship was solidified by yearly summer camps 🏕🔦🏞️🔥🥾🎒

I loved the story of Jessie and Hillary and the lead up to their reconciliation. I loved the idea behind this book and how former campers now adults got the chance to relive the nostalgia of returning to summer camp and possibly help prevent the site from being sold. The storytelling from both Jessie and Hillary's pov was great!!

I like that one of our fmc got an amazing love interest, Copper. What I didn't like is the other love interest, Luke 🙄 I don't care what you are going through there isn't enough reason to consistently be rude to a girl you say you care for, to the extent to slamming doors in her face not once or twice but three times just because you are having a hard time writing your book.

Luke was meant to come off as grumpy and mysterious but he just came off as rude and someone who is inconsiderate of the women in his lives. And it rubbed me the wrong way that he confessed he had an inappropriate dream about a 17 year old then started acting dismissive towards her so she will leave him alone.

[Keila (speedreadstagram) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Berkley Pub @BerkleyRomance and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.


Growing up, Jessie and Hillary were inseparable at summer camp. They vowed to become counselors together, so Jessie is disappointed when Hillary takes another path. She stays on and ultimately becomes camp director.

When Jessie learns that the camp will be sold, she decides that as a last hurrah, she will invite adult, past campers back for one week stays. She’s excited but nervous when Hillary signs on to be the arts director. Hilary strikes up a romance with the camp chef, while Jessie fancies a brooding camper.

The two work on their friendship, and realize that this doesn’t have to be the last summer. Working together, they try to say their beloved camp before it’s too late.



I loved going to summer camp as a kid, so reading books about camp always brings me back and give me nostalgia. This book was very atmospheric and took me back to camp in the best possible way. I felt like I was right there with everyone in the story trying to keep camp open another year. However, I never did feel fully connected to any of the characters. I didn’t feel invested in either of the main characters, I really only cared about the camp, so it did make for an interesting read. I kept hoping the whole time for more, that I would suddenly connect, but it never happened. I did enjoy that this book had a great found family and featured strong female friendships. The grumpy sunshine trope was also nice, though I did tear up at a few places. This one is a fun read, I was just looking for a little more depth.

This book is perfect for poolside or beach reading! The ultimate summer read and would be great on vacation.

3.5 rounded to 4

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a long estrangement, two former friends reunite to save their beloved Summer camp. As old friends are reunited, new relationships are formed, creating for both, the Summer of a lifetime.

This is the Summer read for those of us unlucky enough to have experienced sleep-away camp, and for those who have, the perfect nostalgia to bring back those cherished memories.

Ali Brady always write the most well developed characters, who by books end, you feel you know like the back of your hand. Their relationships are slow burn, in the very best of ways, and keep you coming back for more. I absolutely devoured this story, and while I loved both MCs and their counterparts, dare I say I held an extra special place in my heart for Jesse and Luke and his sweet fur-legged friend. 💕

Read if you like:
• women’s fiction
• summer nostalgia
• found family
• dual romances
• camp hijinks
• Jewish rep
• LOL moments

This book is Chick-amazing my friends!

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a treat and brings back so many memories. Even though I never actually went to camp I could envision absolutely everything the authors depicted.

The location and descriptions brought to mind vivid smells like bug spray, a campfire, and that musty cabin smell when you first open them up after the winter. Not to mention the best friends that you make summer after summer.

This book is a journey of the devotion of your life to one particular job that brings out the best in you. Happiness and joy; smiles of children experiencing life and growing each year.

It’s also a journey of friendships that come and go but still have that deep connection that can be found again and healed. It’s a journey of opening yourself up to the possibility of finding love, and happiness, plus finding a way to make your dream job become your forever job.

I love so many aspects of the story between the characters they developed especially the memories they invoked. We are treated to pranks, humor, grief, anger, and love. One thing that did get me was the character of Luke. It seemed he took so long to be a likable guy. However, the ending made it all right.

Until Next Summer is a delightful story of the richness of summer, the strength of friendship, living your life for yourself and finding love when you least expect it.

~~~
* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
* Full review - https://amidlifewife.com/until-next-s...

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been to camp, but I was obsessed with it as a kid. I’ve seen The Parent Trap! I've read Laura's Luck and countless other summery books! I love hot dogs and roasting marshmallows and sneaking around after dark with flashlights!

So this book, set at a soon-to-be-closed camp during its last hurrah with former campers, was such a pleasure. I loved the setting and all the activities, and the friendships and the sense of slowing down time. It made me feel nostalgic for something I’ve never actually experienced.

There are a few things that I think would have made me enjoy this more, however:

-- I really liked the two girls reconnecting, but I think focusing equal time on them (and specifically, their individual romances) diluted both their stories. I would have preferred if this was entirely Jessie’s POV with a strong Hillary friendship that either led into a book two for Hillary or just a reduced role/POV/relationship focus for her. Hillary’s romance wasn’t as compelling as Jessie’s anyway, and her back story is one we’ve read in many stories before.

-- There were a couple of times when the story lost its flow a little abruptly and I'm not sure why.

-- A little more time spent on Jessie's relationship would have made this more romantic. I liked it a lot, but it didn't quite hit swoon levels. (But ohhh—the dog!) I guess this is a hybrid of contemporary romance and “women’s” fiction.

-- But most importantly: call me heartless, but I think the ending would have been stronger if the camp had not been saved and there hadn't been such a perfectly tied up HEA across the board. One of the worst things about summer is that it comes to an end--but it's also part of your growth process and what makes those memories particularly bittersweet. The emotional weight of yearning and sadness and trying to be brave are so well described throughout the story that the ending would have felt deeper and truer if it hadn't been quite so conventional.

3.5 stars I'm totally reading this duo's other books, though. Looks like they love all the summery things.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until Next Summer by Ali Brady is a new standalone contemporary romance novel. The story in Until Next Summer is one that does change the point of view between the characters in the book to give all sides of the story.

Growing up Jessie found the one place she wanted to spend the rest of her life in Camp Chickawah where she spent her summers. Jessie thought her best friend Hillary also had the dream of them one day becoming counselors at the camp with each counting down the days until summer began and they could return to their friendship and the camp. However as they got older Hillary found other interests and took an opportunity away from the camp and their friendship ended.

Now Jessie is hanging onto her Camp Chickawah dreams by the thinnest of threads being head counselor for the last several years now but has just learned the owners want to sell. If this is going to be her last summer at her beloved camp Jessie wants to make it memorable and invites all past campers for an adult camp and one last hurrah which Hillary decides to attend to rekindle the friendship they’d lost.

I just have to say first off that with Ali Brady being the pen name of authors Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey that this pair has certainly found magic in writing together. Until Next Summer is the third book the duo has penned and I have loved each and every encounter. I’m a sucker for a summer camp setting even still picking up young adult in that vein so Until Next Summer immediately drew my interest and pulled me right into the story. This one is a double romance for readers too with both women finding someone as they repaired their own relationship and I was rooting for everyone every step of the way. Great book that I’d definitely recommend!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This last hurrah at summer camp for these now grown-ups is full of Broadway musical and Young Adult bestseller namedrops that will take many a reader on a trip down memory lane as the two narrators attempt to save their “Chicka-awesome” teenage getaway while rekindling respective romances with their old crushes (please be warned the smexuals are most definitely not in the fade-to-black category). Unfortunately for me, I never attended a sleepaway camp so there was no nostalgia to be had. My only experience came from watching the CITs of North Star on an endless loop during my pubescent summers off . . .



I will die on the hill that no fluff piece like this will EVER require 450 pages so this was a true 2.5 Star for me. Alas, no halfsies on the Goodreads so I’m rounding down rather than up.

Good news is, if this doesn’t work out for you, maybe The Beach Trap will be a better fit like it was for me : )

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Genni]

I have to send this to the DNF pile. 😩

I’ve had it for a year and saved it for my late summer read, got through 100 pages (25%) and decided I have way too many books too put the time in for another 300 pages.

I read all the reviews and they seem to concur with my thoughts.

The main character reminds me of Alyson Hannigan in the movie American Pie “That one time.. At band camp”…. We get it… you loved camp Jessie (FMC). But who loves camp THAT much?! Her whole life is camp- eat sleep camp repeat.

To drop a friendship- with your best friend- because she takes an amazing internship with a fabulous company that will shape her entire future- instead of devoting her life to being a camp counselor in the original teenage pact they made- who does that? I just can’t.

I also think I’m over the negative, broody, enemies to lovers troupe… there was dual relationships budding between the 2 FMC and their respective male characters however all the tension and angst. Seems to go against the summer camp vibe.

The writing is young (I hate to call it childish however it isn’t mature?). I think it’s better suited for a teen most of the book.

The positives however- it is easy reading and I did enjoy the camp highlights and nostalgia. The concept is there, the execution is not.

🏕️ ⛺️ 🔥

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

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! ​

[Lindsay (pawsomereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️
Until Next Summer by Ali Brady was a warm and nostalgic escape that captured the magic of camp and the power of second chances. Jessie and Hillary’s rekindled friendship added heart, while their respective romances brought just the right amount of heat and humor. The adult summer camp setting was both fun and sentimental, with just enough s’mores and skinny dipping to feel like a grown-up adventure. While I was a bit more invested in the first half of the book than the end, the story’s charm and emotional payoff made it a delightful summer read.

[Brandice · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Camp Chickawah is Jessie’s whole personality and the only existence she’s ever known. She arrived as a young camper and now, years later, is the Camp Director. ⁣
⁣
When the original owners pass away and leave the camp to their grown children, one of the siblings is eager to sell the property and reap the financial rewards. Jessie is devastated but determined to make the most of this final summer, and creates a plan to invite former campers for a special last hurrah. Her estranged childhood best friend, an amazing chef, a brooding author, a newlywed couple, and two long-time, loyal camp employees join Jessie as staff. ⁣
⁣
Overall, I enjoyed the camp crew and the nostalgic elements of childhood in Until Next Summer (despite never attending sleep-away camp myself). I enjoyed the characters’ growth, though the story started to feel a little long, and I wanted something different for one of the characters — 3.5 stars
⁣
This is the 3rd summer story I’ve read from author duo Ali Brady and while I’ve enjoyed each book, The Beach Trap remains my favorite. ⁣

[Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nostalgic vibes in this book will tug on your heartstrings all throughout your read!

Jessie and Hillary were summer camp BFFs, but haven’t seen each other in years. Their lives took different directions; with Jessie finding ways to make camp her whole life as the director, and Hillary as a business advisor. With a property sale looming, Jessie sets out to have one last epic summer, filed with adults who used to come to the camp as kids! Will these two long lost friends be able to reconnect?

This is the PERFECT summer read, especially if you plan to spend any time near a lake or a camp. I laughed, I cried, I cheered. All the emotions you could hope for in a swoony romance read.

Thank you to the authors and publisher for the gifted ARC

[Jamie Rosenblit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with Ali Brady's books when they first released their book, The Beach Trap. Since then, I have looked forward to summer novels from this dynamic duo ever since - Until Next Summer was no exception. Growing up as a sleepaway camp kid, I loved the concept of this being set at an adult sleepaway camp and I loved all the characters - bonus points for Jewish representation as well!

Thank you to Berkley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Shelby (allthebooksalltheways) · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW

A huge thanks to #partners @berkleyromance & @prhaudio for my #gifted finished and audio copies, and @alibradybooks & @marensreads for my gifted ARC and including me on the Traveling ARC #greenteam 💚

Until Next Summer
Ali Brady
7/9

📖 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.”

💭 Until Next Summer is a jubilant celebration of love, friendship, self-discovery, and summer camp! The nostalgic vibes are fierce with this one... it brought me back in time to swimming in the lake, late-night stargazing, and ghost stories by the campfire.

Equal parts women's fiction and romantic comedy, this high stakes, dual-perspective story blends a light, humourous read with the right amount of substance and complexity. At its core, this is a story about finding (and keeping) your happy place, and surrounding yourself with those who bring you joy. 💗 Pick this up if you're seeking the perfect summer escape!

Co-narrators Karissa Vacker and Brittany Pressley are superb! This dynamic duo is a match made in audiobook heaven! Their voices go together beautifully, and I absolutely LOVED reading along with the audiobook! 🎉

📌 Out Tuesday 7/9!

#berkleyig #berkleypartner #penguinrandomhousepartner

° ° ° ° °

[monica ✨ romantasyreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

don’t be fooled. this is more chick lit/women’s fic than a romance!!

this is my third adult summer camp book. I went to summer camp once as a kid and cried every single day and wrote letters to my parents begging to come home. so yeah, I don’t think this set up is for me.

however, the friendship repairing really is the main focus of this book. oh and saving the camp. the romance took a back seat and I feel a little confused. I wanted to like this for easy summer reading, and it is if you enjoy women’s fic with a summer camp setting.

the two povs are the two friends reconnecting with each other after not seeing each other for years. like, it’s not that deep? they were camp friends. idk.

I do love a fwb set up to oops actually I have real feelings, and that was my fav part of this.

thank you NetGalley and berkley romance for an arc. It’s out now.

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Lindsey Lanza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsessed doesn’t even begin to cover it. This was the perfect summer romance.

[Annissa Joy Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book!! This book!! I loved it so much and is the perfect summer read!! Coming out on 7/9 so get it preordered so you can take to the beach or the lake this summer!!

Camp Chickawah has been the summer home for many campers over the years. When they leave at the end of summer, they are counting down the days until they return. They love all that this camp had to offer and have formed lasting friendships.

Jessie and Hillary are inseparable while at summer camp and are going to return as counselors. Hillary lets Jessie down by going a different route and they have not talked since. The camp is being sold but not before one summer of adult camps. Hillary takes the position of being in charge of arts and crafts. Will she be able to reconcile with Jessie? Who else will be returning to summer camp??

I was absorbed into this book right from the beginning. I could smell the sunscreen being slathered on the campers. I rooted for Jessie and Hillary to be able to talk to each other and to maybe find the way back to their friendship. I enjoyed this book so much and highly recommend. It is a book of friendship, second chances, secrets, forgiveness, and so much more!!

Thank you Alison and Bradeigh for this traveling ARC. Team purple is honored to be a part of color wars!!!

[Cait | GoodeyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

NEW FAV.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I loved this book! It is easily my new favorite by this duo. I am not a summer camp girlie and this made me feel those nostalgic vibes that I absolutely understand those who loved camp would go through. I loved how this plot worked out with enjoying camp shenanigans, falling in love and rekindling friendships.

Jessie and Hillary were a fantastic pair. I loved seeing their friendship come alive again. I think both of them went through great growth and showed a lot of strength in perseverance and finding where you wanted to be in life.

I adored both romances too. I loved that both had a second chance vibe and had just the right amount of slow burn for the condensed timeline. I was smitten with both and loved the communication and effort each couple took to be together.

Definitely a book for all of the summertime vibes.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: moderate
- Romance: 2-3 open door

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the #gifted print and audio copies of this truly wonderful love letter to summer camp. Below is my honest review.

Jesse and Hillary became best friends as teens during transformative years at summer camp and dreamed of becoming camp counselors. Then, Hillary chose a different path; the two haven’t spoken in a decade. Now the camp director, Jesse has devoted her life to the camp but the owners recently passing away and their children have decided to close the camp and sell the land. That’s when Jesse chooses that this last summer will be dedicated to one last farewell for all the adults that attended as kids - ADULT SUMMER CAMP! Thousands of alums are set to return, including Hillary. As Jesse and Hillary spend the summer repairing their fractured friendship, Hillary finds herself in a very stringy no-strings-attached situation with Cooper, the camp chef. At the same time, Jesse keeps trying to deny her attraction to Luke, the grumpy author renting a cabin for the summer.

If you’ve ever been to summer camp, you will want to read this one. Brady gives us all the feels of childhood - games, pranks, swimming, campfire songs - but with grownup attendees. She also miraculously gives us four complex main characters, two rich romances, one life-defining friendship, an epic found family, and a cause they all rally behind - and does so in a way where you feel like they each get plenty of development. I loved that each of our main characters (Jessie, Hillary, Cooper, and Luke) had reasons that drove them back to camp, and the others at camp helped them work through them. There’s also a fun back-story to one of the characters that nods to a beloved character in another book, thus connecting them into the same fictional universe. I just loved it.

On top of this being a great book, it is co-narrated by 2 of my favorites - Brittany Presley and Karissa Vacker. They are perfect.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved everything about this book - summer camp, a quest to save it and a bit of romance. The perfect summer read.

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ali Brady writes friendships so well. Set at Camp Chickawah, it follows former best friends Jessie and Hillary as they reunite during an "adult summer camp" before its final closing.

It's a second-chance friendship, you could say! I found the reasons behind their past fallout a bit irrational, especially on Jessie's part, but I did empathize deeply with the sense of loss they both felt. I loved the example of platonic soulmates and enjoyed watching Jessie and Hillary mend their relationship to unite and attempt to save their beloved camp.

Both romances were incredibly sweet, too. Hillary's unexpected summer fling with the camp chef (my favourite of the two romances) and Jessie's bickering with the reclusive guest writer both made me so giddy!

A fun summery read, for sure. Though, I've realized I don't care for the silliness and pranks often associated with camp settings. I totally get the nostalgia that can bring out a natural sense of childishness, but I do think it hindered my overall enjoyment just a tad.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5 stars)

(heat level: a few open-door scenes, moderate details)

[Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book.... The ending as everything and I have to tell you my favorite line in the book... " I don't like Society that much."
This is a summer book I really enjoyed. I highly recommend it.

[Sherwood Smith]

This is one of those mixed bag reads that's hard to categorize. I grabbed it because the premise was about rescuing a summer camp, with romance. And the camp part was everything I could have wished for, evoking fond memories of summer camps when I was a camper and a counselor. I loved the enthusiasm, and the banter--and the way that pranks can turn sour quick, which is also a strong memory. The idea of a summer camp for grownups is an awesome idea! And I loved the execution of that aspect.

Alas, the relationships were disappointing, making that aspect of the story drag and drag, yet nothing could quite paper over the big, sucking energy-vacuum of what Jacob Proffitt calls Negative Motivation.

The story begins with Jessie's beloved camp being on the brink of being sold off for condos, but what she misses most is her old camp bestie, who walked away from their friendship years ago, for no reason that Jessie could figure. Then we switch over to Hillary, said ex-bestie, who is sorely missing her single good friendship, yep, with Jessie... and why didn't the two ever talk it out? Though I dislike that premise very much I can forgive it if the two clear the air the minute they see each other. But nope. They don't talk, and don't talk, then part in a snit, and I was counting the pages until that thread would be over. I no longer cared what had happened--these two were emotionally teenagers, apparently.

That sucking black hole even drained the romances, which felt like checkmarks. I wonder if the two authors suspected that as they added a subplot with an elderly dog that I think could have been handled much better. It, too, felt tacked on for the pathos.

Still, the camp does get saved, yay! But I closed the file feeling that the book was 100 pages longer than it needed to be--mainly all the negative energy wasted on maundering over that total lack of motivation for resolving an issue that ought to have been half a chapter of intense talk, then maybe rebuilding trust. But mileage varies, and I hope the book finds its fans in summer camp nostalgia readers!

[Rhonda Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a fun, layered story about adults returning to summer camp, then Until Next Summer is absolutely the book for you. Think friendship bracelets, campfire nostalgia, unresolved emotional baggage, and grown adults willingly sleeping in cabins again even though hotels with air-conditioning exist.

Jessie is the director of a beloved summer camp that is being sold to a development company. As one final hurrah, she invites former campers, who are now fully grown adults with jobs, responsibilities, and probably lower-back pain, to return for one last week of camp.

We follow both Jessie and Hillary, Jessie’s childhood best friend. The two had a falling out years ago, but Hillary is desperate to repair their friendship. Through their alternating perspectives, we get the history of their friendship, and both sides of what went wrong. Since this is a romance, there each character also gets their own summer fling. There is a lot happening here, but it never felt overcrowded. It felt warm and nostalgic.

This book is about friendship, romance, forgiveness, and what it means to always have a camper’s heart...even when your knees now make noises every time you stand up. I well and truly loved most of this. It was delightful, heartfelt, and gave me all the summer-camp feelings despite the fact that my personal idea of camping involves a hotel with complimentary breakfast.

Unfortunately, once I reached the final third, the story came to a screeching halt. It began to drag, several points became repetitive, and I was very much standing at the imaginary camp gate with my bags packed, waiting for someone to come pick me up. I was ready for it to wrap up long before it actually did. That slowdown is what brought this down to 3.5 stars for me. Still, this was an incredibly sweet summer read, and I loved the focus on lifelong friendship just as much as the romances. If you’re searching for another book to add to your summer reading list, look no further.

★★★½
Spicy Romance

[Meredith Schorr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ali Brady has done it again: penned the most delightful story of friendship with a large side of romance that should be in everyone's beach bag this summer. I was so vested in both Hillary and Jessie's individual stories, their summer "flings" and their friendship. I laughed (hard at times) and cried. The balance of friendship and romance combined with the camp and summer vibes make this book a must-read for 2024!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old besties Jessie and Hillary reunite after years apart as Camp Chickawah, the place they met and bonded at is about to be sold and close for good. They mend fences over wonderful memories and unite to save the camp, each finding romance with past campers, Luke, the broody author, and Cooper the camp chef.

Until Next Summer was full of nostalgia, looking back at the good times of summer, even if you didn’t do camp as a youngster. The story makes me remember summer vacations by the lake, swimming, boating, campfires, smores, and fun getting away from it all! I enjoyed both Jessie and Hillary’s journey back to friends and sorting out their lives along the way! This is the perfect feel-good, summer read!

I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy courtesy of the publisher. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Anna (annasbookstacks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

not me crying over a fictional summer camp

[Julie Zucker-LeMoine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for “camp people.” It transported me back to my summer camp where I spent 16 years. Also not to mention that I whole heartedly agree that camp love is the best love! Such a cute and happy read. I love camp!