In the Deep End: A Camp Lonely Pine Romance Novella

by Michelle Zeynep

She’s in over her head when she ends up spending the summer with her best friend’s twin brother.

Ellie wasn’t looking for love when she agreed to work at Camp Lonely Pine for the summer, but she’s practically swimming in it. As the activity director for Girls Camp, she’s imagining days filled with fun games and evening campfires, not hours staring across the pool at Charlie, the handsome head lifeguard…. who happens to be the man she’s had a crush on for years— and her best friend’s twin brother.

When Ellie has to make sure that an upcoming event goes on without a hitch, she’s going to have to use all of her resources— including Charlie. Will she be able to reach out and ask for help from the one person she wants to be closest too? Or will she be left out to tread water alone in the deep end?

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2024

Reviews

[Lillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Michelle Zeynep for allowing me to read a copy of this book. This was SO MUCH FUN. I loved the romance, the atmosphere, and the story. And the confession?! That scene was so wholesome, and I just was squealing and kicking my feet while reading this novella. And I need to read more from Michelle Zeynep and from this series.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelle was kind enough to send me her second novella and I posted an edit on instagram but here are my thoughts on it! It comes out this month!

First of all I wanna say, I have never been to a summer camp but from what I watched in movies the vibes were immaculate! It’s a heartwarming comforting read all the way!

It is a standalone so you can start the series with this novella but I totally recommend you read both of them! If I had to choose between them, I think my favorite would be this one, Michelle books just get better and better!

And also I am begging her to write a book, novellas aren’t enough for me girl. I need more of their beginning, their friendships, everything!

𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭. 𝐀𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩, 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝…. 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬— 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝’𝐬 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡, 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬— 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞. 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨? 𝐎𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐞𝐧𝐝?

I loved Charlie, as much as I loved Dominic, or maybe a little bit more. Sometimes it feels tacky when one of the main characters has had a crush for years, but they were so sweet, and the way they supported each other was priceless!

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever seen the movie Meatballs and enjoyed it then this book will have some instant appeal for you. The trials and tribulations of Ellie in her job at camp did make me think of the old Allan Sherman song - Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh.
There is a romance here at camp and it's a very popular trope - sibling's best friend romance. It's Ellie with Charlie and his twin Cece and a camp full of kids.
The character development is spot on and gives depth to even secondary characters. The scene depiction is also strong. You can feel you are at the summer camp. The author has the gift to let a reader get lost in a scene.
The romantic journey of Ellie and Charlie is beautifully done. Don't go thinking this is another H-mark style book either. That formula doesn't apply here.
A really fun book that ticks every box a reader needs. A solid romance with a touch of mystery. Can't think of any romance reader who won't enjoy this book. If you like romance genre books then buy this book and sit back and enjoy summer at the camp!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie and Charlie’s Story . . .

Ellie is an experienced lifeguard. Her best friend Cece’s twin brother, Charlie, is the gorgeous head lifeguard she gets to work with. It’s difficult to keep all the girls safe as they literally fall all over themselves to be near him. Ellie has known him for years and also has a crush on him, but she keeps her feelings hidden from him. Now she finds herself working at Camp Lonely Pine over the summer as the activity director and again works with Charlie. But how does Charlie feel about Ellie? Is he ready to make his move and tell her how he feels? Or is he comfortable maintaining a working relationship?

The author does an excellent job of presenting the reader with likable characters and a comfortable storyline where we can experience the interactions as they work together. Grab your copy and cheer them on to a HEA.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in a novella series that features a summer camp setting. The books in this series make the perfect read for a plane ride or car trip because you can finish them in just a few hours. The main characters are adorable, and the setting gives nostalgia for summer and summer camp days. I have never been to a summer camp, but from what I watched in movies, this book sets the scene very well. There isn't any spice in this novella, it's a clean "Hallmark" type of romance. I enjoyed this book more than the first one so the books keep getting better and better in this series. You won't be confused if you choose to read them out of order, but I always suggest going in order. If you're looking for a sweet and clean read for the summer, this is the book for you.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to spend my whole summer at an American camp, so this was the perfect read before the trip. I loved both FMC and MMC and their chemistry. It has the best friend’s brother trope. I loved how the author made us feel like we’re truly in the camp, her description of the story is amazing. I’d definitely recommend for romance lovers!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was Charlie and Ellie’s story. Ellie wasn’t looking for love when she agreed to work at Camp Lonely Pine for the summer. She imagining days filled with fun games and evening campfires. Not hours staring across the pool at Charlie, the handsome head lifeguard…. who happens to be the man she’s had a crush on for years— and her best friend’s twin brother. It was a fun, entertaining read. And was a new author, for me. Am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Madelyn- The Squeaky Clean Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet summer romance

On the deep end is a sweet novella with a friends to lovers story. There's a hint of mystery and mischief, and lots of swoony moments. Great quick read for those who love summer camps and reminders of the beauty and fun of nature.

💋Just kisses, some innuendo comments
🤬 Two swear words when a character gets burnt
⚠️Character with malicious intent, FMC struggles with perfectionism

[Melissa Kereji Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this Novella and it was truly delightful.

Camp Lonely Pine seems like a magical place and the sweet summer romances in this series leave you wanting to suck in the next one!

[Lisa J Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story of Ellie and her adventures at Camp Lonely Pine. Michelle captures the fun and experience of a summer camp. Looking forward to reading more of her work especially in this series, well done.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lori Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Such a cute and fun read! Quick and refreshing story. Love the summer camp nostalgia, and the build up romance. I was really rooting for Ellie and Charlie!