Camp Love

by Ellie Belmont, Lacey Cole

A workaholic lawyer embarks on an adventure to a whimsical summer camp for adults.

Lawyer Jamie Davis has one goal: to become a partner at his firm. He thinks he’s on track to living a successful life, but he struggles when it comes to relationships. When a friend forces Jamie to join him on a vacation, he finds himself at an adult summer camp smack dab in the Oregon wilderness.

Camp Starlight isn’t your typical camp. Brimming with possibilities, childhood nostalgia, and s’mores-flavored beverages, it hosts campers from all walks of life.

Jamie’s finally learning to unwind, until he runs into his ax-wielding ex-girlfriend, a camp counselor living her best life, and she’s nothing like the girl he used to know. She does, however, have a great memory, and as much as he’d hoped, time didn’t heal that wound.

Autumn Gardner worked her butt off all through high school and into college until she realized she was on the road to complete burnout. When her newfound friends started a summer camp resort, she jumped at the opportunity to help.

In the five years she’s been a counselor at Camp Starlight, Autumn has created a home for herself, and she couldn’t ask for more. That is, until her ex-boyfriend shows up, looking too handsome for his own good, and she can’t ignore their chemistry, even after he broke her heart.

As the couple rediscover each other and gain closure from their past, what is supposed to be only a week feels like so much more.

Will a connection they’re supposed to be over bring real feelings to the forefront and change everything? Or will they write it off as just Camp Love?

Camp Love is a steamy vacation romance about reconnecting with your first love. It is book one in the Camp Starlight series, a set of interconnected standalones taking place at a summer camp for adults.

Tropes

High school sweethearts
Second chances
Small town
Summer fling
Open door

Genres: Second Chance, Romance, Contemporary

329 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 5, 2025

About the author

Ellie Belmont lives in the Pacific Northwest with her partner and two dogs.

On a given day you can find her hanging out with her nieces and nephews, walking her fur babies, or huddled in a pillow fort with her laptop and too many emotional support drinks.

Reviews

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW TO COME💗!!!!!!! I HAD THE BEST TIME AT THIS BEAUTIFUL CAMP SETTING😍😍!!!!!!!!

[Ashley Zawojski · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

Camp love centers around Autumn, who is a camp counselor for an adult camp site named camp starlight. She loves meeting all the different people who show up, except when she notices her high school ex boyfriend Jamie arrives.

Jamie is a lawyer in the city who is all work, no play. He doesn’t make time for family or relationships, he’s just focused on the next big promotion at work.

When Jamie’s co worker/ best guy friend guilts him into a trip to camp, he’s also shocked to see high school ex girlfriend is a counselor there.

The story includes second chance romance, heart felt sappiness, and some spicy scenes. 🥵🌶️

I loved this story! It gave me the best summer vibes. I liked that the pacing of the story flowed well. You get to meet a bunch of side characters, and with the dual POV it really shows you inside autumn and Jamie’s heads, which helps understand major plots of the story.

I can’t wait to read more from this series in the future!

Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing, & authors Ellie Belmont and Lacey Cole for the ARC!

[Masha]

Thank you Netgalley and to ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op | Just a Spark Publishing as well as the author for providing me with this ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

As I start the book, the dedication is already bringing me in, as I am someone who wishes they could go back to summer camps and crafts.

[Sara ➽ Ink Is My Sword · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

pre-reading thoughts:
second chance at an adult summer camp sounds like everything i need, so pumped.🌼☀️

Thank you to the Authors and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

[Anna DiCiurcio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect summer read! Adult summer camp?! Sign me up!

The main tropes in this book are small town, second chance, and found family. I would say it has a 2.5/5 🌶️ level and the banter is 10/10!

This story follows Jamie who is a workaholic lawyer who needs a vacation. His best friend takes him to an adult summer camp where he finds out one of the camp counselors is his first love, his high school girlfriend and broke her heart after unexpectedly ending things after 3 years together.

Autumn dropped out of college to find herself and helped start Camp Starlight with her best friends. She never thought she would see Jamie again let alone at camp. They both decide on a camp fling, but both found themselves catching feelings again.

This book was so cute! It was under 300 pages so it was a quick fun read! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a cute spicy fun summer read and to anyone who wishes they could attend an adult summer camp!

I want to say a huge thank you to NetGalley, Just a Spark Publishing and authors Ellie Belmont and Lacey Cole for this wonderful arc!

I will also being posting a review on my TikTok page www.tiktok.com/@annamearabooks

[abi]

This sounds so cute!

[Manon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

Merci à l'auteur et à Netgalley, pour m'avoir fourni un arc de ce livre.
J'étais vraiment très hypée parce le résumé de ce livre et le concept. Un camp de vacances pour adultes, je trouvais ça complètement génial. Et puis l'aspect seconde chance aussi.
Ce fut une lecture sympathique mais j'ai trouvé que j'avais du mal à m'attacher pleinement aux personnages et à vouloir qu'ils soient ensembles (ce qui est dommage dans une romance).
Je l'ai quand même trouvé très bien écrit et pour une lecture de vacances, c'était vraiment très bien.

[Megan Harvell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camp Love 🏕️ ❤️
RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
SPICE: 3/5 🌶️
TROPES: Small town, open door romance, he falls first, second chance, found family
Expected Publishing Date- 8/5/25
WILL BE AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!

If you are looking for a cute and cozy summer romance, this is the one for you! Autumn and Jamie make the cutest couple of the summer!

Meet the main female character, Autumn- camp counselor at Camp Starlight for 5 years, sweetheart, and a hard worker.
Meet the main male character, Jamie- workaholic, struggles when it comes to relationships, up-tight and desperately needs to take a vacation.

Jamie needs to relax and take a break from work. What better way to do that, then to take a short vacation to an adult summer camp?
He’s settling in nicely so far. That is, until, he meets the camp counselor. His ex-girlfriend, highschool sweetheart, and first love. He broke her heart.
He was supposed to spend the his vacation disconnecting. Instead, he spends his vacation reconnecting with his first love, Autumn.

Watching Autumn and Jamie fall in love- again, was so much fun! This book is filled with humor and tension. I was hesitant about the main male character, Jamie, at first but he is the perfect man for Autumn. He has a great sense of humor and he is such a goof! The spice in this book was just *chef’s kiss*!
After reading this book, I realized that I also desperately need a vacation to an adult summer camp! This book was cozy, sweet, fun and perfect.
I cannot wait to read more from Ellie Belmont and Lacey Cole!

HUGE thank you to Netgalley, Just a Spark Publishing and authors Ellie Belmont and Lacey Cole for this amazing eARC!

Review will also be posted on Instagram!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganslittl...

[thebookishhalfling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premis of Camp Love, an adult summer camp to get away from your day to day and relax. This is a second chance romance where the two main characters unexpectedly run into each other at Camp Starlight. Jamie, is a lawyer who never takes a break and his best friend drags him a long for a much needed getaway. Autumn helped build this camp and is an ax throwing camp counselor. They also happen to be exes that dated in high school.

I was hoping for a bit more from this. I think there were many parts that were supposed to be funny but just fell flat for me. Being from the PNW I did love all the PNW references and the idea of the camp was fun. The romance was ok, not bad but also not great. With the humor lacking this was just a fluffy romance and wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this E-ARC.

[Mell_reads12 · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐️.5
🌶

“I feel like I’ve loved you for my entire life, Autumn. There’s nothing I want more than to make you happy. The moment you kicked my ass in our first debate, I knew I was done for.”

I honestly feel bad for not liking this book. I literally contemplated DNFing a couple of times. This is due to it feeling underwhelming and I just didn't connect or like the characters at all. Considering it's a second chance romance, it's supposed to pull you in, but with this one, it felt like they broke up, then decided to randomly get back together because they met after 10 years. No angst. No tension. No chemistry. And it honestly makes me feel horrible to write this.

Honestly even after reading it; it got to a point I just started skimming through it because I was ready to get it over and done with, It still didn't make proper sense why they were even together. It felt like they were two different people in two different paths that connected by chance. Maybe it's because we never got flashbacks of them as teenagers, but I just don't get it.

Also before it gets to these two, it goes around the secondary characters, who took over most of the book. But I had no interest in them at all. It just made me feel more confused.

And them just getting back together after the camp, suddenly reconnecting and feelings from ten years ago resurfacing, it just felt off. Their whole situation felt more like a summer fling. And then Jamie's decision at the end, that was literally my breaking point. As much as, yes it's fiction, yes it's not real, that decision was just unbelievable and unnecessary. Unfortunately i'm convinced these two won't last, they'll realise they're two different people chasing different things again and they'll end it again.

I apologise that I didn't like this book, I tried so hard, but it wasn't a bit of me unfortunately.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the authors for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[red · Rating 4 out of 5]

Camp Love by Ellie Belmont & Lacey Cole
My rating is 4.5/5
Spice is probably more like a 2/5
Camp love tropes are small town, second chance, ,and found family

A cute fluffy romance book. Perhaps a little cheesy (no hate to cheesy books here). The book is about adult summer camp so it all the warm and fun vibes. Jamie, a lawyer, gets convinced by his friend to take a vacation and his friend signed them up for summer camp. Autumn works at the camp.

I received this ARC on Netgally in exchange for my honest review.

[Dorina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay but why does this camp not actually exist?? Because I would 100% sign up tomorrow. The whole setting was so fun and whimsical — adult summer camp, s’mores drinks, lakeside vibes, bonfires — literally my dream vacation.
I really enjoyed Jamie and Autumn’s second-chance romance. High school sweethearts turned exes, thrown back together in the middle of camp chaos?? Yes, please. Their chemistry was definitely still there, and I loved the mix of nostalgia + steamy vibes.
Jamie’s character growth felt a little fast for me, but I still liked seeing him loosen up and realize there’s more to life than work. Autumn was amazing — she felt so grounded, and I loved the little found-family feel she had with the camp crew.
Such a fun, summery read with a swoony second-chance romance. Definitely makes me want to see what the rest of the Camp Starlight series has in store!

[BeccaXx · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book! I enjoyed the story and the setting a lot, was a super fun read! Managed to read it all in one day. Would recommend to anyone wanting a nice cutesy romance book!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book!

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Camp Love has a fun premise, but falls into the familiar trap of not being able to live up to the promise of what we could have had. While I was reading, there was something that just fell "off" about it and I never felt connected to the story. The story promises a second-chance romance between Jamie (James), a workaholic 30-ish year old lawyer, and Autumn, his high school girlfriend whose heart he broke 10 years ago, who reconnect at an adults only summer camp where she is the camp counselor and he is a camper.

All of the characters felt underdeveloped, flat, and rather immature. I understand that the setting is supposed to be an camp for adults where they get to disconnect from "adulting", slow down, and feel like a kid again. So why was so much of the focus on everyone hooking up and acting like they were 16, rather than on personal growth?

Jamie and Autumn are supposed to have history, as they dated for 3 years in high school, which was 10 years ago. I needed to know more about this history. Without that background, and only vague descriptions and one scene of Jamie explaining the reason he broke up with Autumn, I have no emotional stake in them as a couple. Their whole relationship during this week is based on the love they had when they were younger, how neither of them ever truly got over it, and are rekindling that love now. But I never FELT that. Give me some flashbacks to when they were younger, something about their lives over the past 10 years missing each other. Something! No tension. No chemistry.

There were so many side characters who were either only very briefly on page, or mentioned once or twice and then never again. Why was there so much focus on the gossip around characters who have no page time who are supposedly hooking up or getting flirty? I have no investment in these characters and therefore don't care about this "juicy gossip". Many of these names are only mentioned in this context. Jamie's best friend slash employee, Ren, who is also on the trip, is literally having his own summer romance with another camper, Grant, and we get less page time with them than we do with this side character gossip. Jack, Autumn's best friend and fellow counselor, goes through a gnarly break up during the week and Autumn doesn't even seem to care. He says he breaks up with her and she never even asks "Why?" or "What happened?". Just goes back to hooking up with Jamie. None of these people are good friends to one another, and continue the immaturity felt throughout the book.

At the end of the week, all of the campers are hugging and reminiscing about their week and Jamie makes a comment that outside of his family, all of the people from that week are his favorite people. Since when? Other than the first day at camp when he meets the other people in his pod, he isn't shown interacting with anyone other than Autumn, Ren, or Jack. When did these lifelong friendships develop? Again, I have no emotional connection to any of the characters because there is nothing being given to me to make that connection.

Don’t even get me started on the absolutely absurd ending. I really wanted to like this but did not have a good time reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Taylor Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

High school sweethearts ♥️
Second chances
Small town 🏡
Summer fling ☀️
Open door 🌶️

Jamie Davis has one goal: to become a partner at his law firm. He feels like his life is on track to being as successful as he's always dreamed, but he struggles when it comes to relationships. When his best friend forces Jamie to join him on a vacation, he finds himself at an adult summer camp smack dab in the Oregon wilderness.

Camp Starlight isn’t your typical summer camp. Brimming with possibilities, childhood nostalgia, and s’mores-flavored beverages, it hosts campers from all walks of life.

Jamie’s finally learning to relax, at least until he runs into his high school ex-girlfriend, and she's a camp counselor! She's out here living her best life, and nothing like the girl he used to know way back then. She does, however, have a great memory, and as much as he’d hoped, time didn’t heal all wounds.

Autumn Gardner worked her butt off all through high school and into college until she realized she was on the road to total burnout. When her newfound friends started a summer camp, she jumped at the change in scenery and the opportunity to start something new.

In the five years she’s been a counselor at Camp Starlight, Autumn has created a home for herself, and she couldn’t be happier. That is, until her ex-boyfriend shows up, looking far too handsome for his own good, and she can’t ignore their chemistry, even after all that he put her through.

As the couple rediscover each other and gain closure from their past, what is supposed to be only a week feels like so much more. Will they just write it off as just Camp Love, though?

This book was a very fun summer read. It makes me want to go to camp! I cannot wait for the rest of the series.

I loved how real the conflict was in this book. Oftentimes you run into scenerios that can be solved by a simple conversation or change in perspective, but the conflict of giving up your goals and dreams for the sake of a relationship is a real one. I like that it showed the conflict and working through the resolution throughout the story. It was a refreshing perspective.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the chance to read this book prior to release for my honest review.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚✨ ARC REVIEW ✨📚
Camp Love by @elliebelmontauthor & @laceycoleauthor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

Thank you to the authors and @netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Jamie is a workaholic lawyer, laser-focused on making senior partner. With no social or romantic life to speak of, he lets his BFF Ren drag him on a much-needed vacation to Camp Starlight, a summer camp for adults. 🍹🏕️

Autumn has worked at Camp Starlight since it opened. Between axe-throwing 🎯, arts and crafts, and working with her BFF Jack, it’s her dream job.

Neither of them expected to see the other again, but there they are. Autumn, Jamie’s high school sweetheart, the one he dated for three years before breaking her heart. And there he is: James, now a polished, handsome version of the boy who left. The reunion is as awkward as it is electric.

The spark between them hasn’t gone anywhere. But with just one week of camp, Jamie and Autumn must decide: is this a sweet summer fling... or are they ready to try again for real?

I absolutely LOVED this book! Camp Starlight is a genius idea. If this place doesn’t already exist, someone please build it before next summer so I can pack my bags. 🏕️🍸🔥

Autumn and Jamie are a perfect match. Their chemistry is sizzling, but what really made them shine was how much fun they had together. Whether they were flirting, reminiscing, or just hanging out, their connection felt authentic and natural.

The side friendships in this book were just as strong as the romance. Autumn and Jack prove that men and women can be just friends — no drama or jealousy to be found. And Jamie and Ren? Absolute friendship goals. 💙 Their bond is emotionally open and deeply caring in a way we rarely get to see in MM friendships.

This one’s a feel-good, flirty, friends-to-lovers second chance that left me smiling from start to finish.

Perfect for fans of:
💘 Second chance romance
🏕️ Camp settings
💬 Flirty banter
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Strong friendships
🔥 Slow burn with serious payoff

#CampLove #ARCReview #RomanceBooks #SecondChanceRomance #RomComReads #ContemporaryRomance #Bookstagram #SummerRomance #FeelGoodFiction #RomanceRecs #NetGalleyReviewer

[jensbooknookclub · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

This was a fun summer read, it felt like I was back at summer camp. The concepts of an adult only summer camp is so fun, allowing adults to unwind and reconnect with their passions. I liked the small town vibes the camp offered and all the side characters. I enjoyed reading a book based in the PNW especially when it’s close to home. If you want one last summer vibe read this may be your sign.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Autumn is where she belongs working at Camp Starlight in the PNW. Her parents wanted her to be a Doctor but leaving college and finding her true calling was the best decision she ever made. Camp Counselor for life and living with her Found Family.

Autumn is in her last session of the summer with “campers” aka adults. As this camp is a special experience for Adults to reconnect with themselves and leave the stress of the world behind. The last camper she ever expected to end up here was Jaime. Her high school boyfriend who broke her heart.

Jaime is a lawyer in Seattle and all he does is work, so his bestie booked them a week long vacation at some camp in Oregon by Mt Hood. He was shocked to find the one girl who got away, Autumn to be working there.

Now Jaime has a week to get to know her again but she is not same “sunflower” from HS. She has bloomed into the beautiful not afraid to take chances woman and he can’t help to fall even more in love with her. But camp is a week and their past is a lot of overcome for them to have even have a future, so maybe a week long summer camp fling will have to work.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“I don’t like it when animals see me in my underwear, Autumn. You know that.”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Second Chance - HS Sweethearts
* Summer Camp Counselor FMC
* Lawyer MMC
* Forced Proximity
* 1 Week Camp Romance
* All the Summer Vibes
* Dual POV - Slow Burn w/ Spice

🌻🏕️🔥🪓🌻🏕️🔥🪓🌻🏕️🔥🪓🌻

https://www.instagram.com/p/DOW5B8DEu...

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading books where I’d want to visit the place it takes place in, and this is 100% one of those cases. I wish Camp Starlight was real so I could visit/work there!

Autumn, once college bound to become a doctor, decided to follow her passion and instead is one of the founding members/camp counselors at Camp Starlight. Jamie, a lawyer who desperately needs a vacation, finds himself there after his best friend signs them up, and comes face to face with Autumn, who he had dated for years when they were teenagers. They broke up without much closure, and now get to spend a week together reconnecting.

Jamie and Autumn are wonderful characters, and all of their friends each bring something fun to the table. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their adventures, and watching Jamie and Autumn falling in love again as adults. They felt less like characters on a page and more like people I would actually be friends with.

As someone who works in corporate America, this book was the perfect form of escapism- Autumn is basically who I wish I could be if I ever had the chance. Dream job with the dream guy- my girl is living her best life!

The authors do a really great job describing the events of this week-long summer camp for adults, so much so that you can really paint a picture in your head as you’re reading through the book.

I know that this is just the first in a series, but I want a separate novel about every single person that works at this camp- this series could be 20 books long and I’d eat up every single one. Please never stop writing them!

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the setting of this. The idea of a summer camp for adults sounds fun. But I didn't really feel the romance. For some reason I couldn't seem to get a handle on who the characters really were - either back in high school or now. They filled their role in the story, but I didn't feel much personality from them beyond that. And their entire romance was based on how extremely in love they were in high school, but we never got to actually see them back then. A few flashbacks could've helped solidify their history, but instead we mainly got them ruminating on the fact that they never got over each other without any details of their past relationship fleshing out what it was that they never got over exactly. (Also, the reason for their breakup as teenagers is one of my least favorite tropes.) And in the present day, it's mainly about still being very attracted to each other on a sexual level. Also, yes, the whole idea of this summer camp for adults is about decompressing and rediscovering your inner child and the joy in simple things, but all of the characters acted much younger than they were. They seemed more like teenagers than like thirty-year-olds. So yeah, it was fine, but not very memorable and not as much character depth or relationship development as I wanted.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and to the authors for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Coree, The Book Devourer · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the minute I picked up this book, it reminded me of my childhood camp days. What a genius idea, a camp for adults… but okay, I’m getting a head of myself. Let me back up. This story follows Jamie Davis, a lawyer who has had a pretty hard time in and with relationships. He’s invited by a friend to go on vacation to an adult summer camp, Camp Starlight.

Enter Autumn Gardner, who was on the road to burnout herself and decided to help some friends out when they started their summer camp resort – you guessed it, Camp Starlight. You’ll never guess who she runs into this particular summer… if you said Jamie, you’d be right. Who is Jamie to Autumn? Just her high school ex-boyfriend and first love, who broke her heart. He looks too handsome, the two of them decide on a fling, but they can’t deny their chemistry.

He starts to fall first and instead of disconnecting, he’s spending time trying to reconnect with Autumn. If you’re interested in a spicy, quick and fun summer read, you’ll love this book. The banter in this book is chef’s kiss and the spicy scenes are on point.

Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing and the authors Ellie Belmont and Lacey Cole for this ARC! It was an amazing read, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the Camp Starlight series will offer.
This will be available August 5th – pick it up 😊

The tropes for this book are:
💗Small town romance
💗Second chance
💗Found family
💗High school sweethearts

[Kelly Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks for the ARC Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op!

If you’ve ever worked yourself into burnout and dreamed of chucking your laptop into a lake this one is for you!

Jamie’s journey in Camp Love is strikingly relatable. His relentless drive for career success leaves him isolated, until a forced trip to Camp Starlight nudges him toward rest and reconnection. This is a heartfelt exploration of what happens when we step away from the grind long enough to remember who we are—and who we might still become.

Autumn thought she had her dream career all figured out, but when that didn’t pan out, she had to rethink everything. So many of us can relate—thinking we have the perfect plan, only to realize it’s not what we really want. Sometimes, the best things come from letting go and trying something totally unexpected, just like Autumn did at Camp Starlight.

Reading Camp Love felt deeply nostalgic, with childhood memories coming alive through campfires, arts & crafts, and scavenger hunts.

I loved the pace of this story—it kept me hooked! The feelings it stirred were spot on, and those spicy scenes? The spice in this story wasn’t just thrown in for kicks—it truly added to the heart and heat of the story! As a child-free millennial I loved this didn't end with kids!

Together, their stories remind us that sometimes stepping away from the expected path opens the door to healing, growth, and unexpected connections.

At Camp Starlight, the only thing hotter than the campfire is the chemistry sizzling between Jamie and Autumn.

[pagesofzai · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC REVIEW*

I was kindly given an ARC of Camp Love and this was nothing like I’ve ever read before! it was so good! I really liked the idea of an adult camp and almost reliving your childhood as an adult, I’ve never read a book like this and it was so cool! I liked seeing Jamie and Autumn reconnecting and catch up after years, it was touching to see that they thought about each other over the years and there was still attraction there. I was constantly wanting to read more of the book, and wanting to know what happened in the past. I enjoyed Jamie and Autumn’s connection and how there was still love after all that time, it was sweet to see. the setting was great, it felt so comforting and cozy and I would love to go to a camp like this (and I hate the outdoors!) the friendships in this were amazing too, all of their friends were so kind and caring. Autumn and Jamie were both relatable characters and they’re both hardworking but Autumn especially was relatable with how she felt during college. I loved how the book ended, it was so good. I could see this book as a film, it was such a good read. it was such a sweet, heartwarming read and it’s perfect for summer! (thank you to Ellie Belmont, Lacey Cole and Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC, all opinions are my own)
Camp Love releases August 5!
4⭐

[myworldsinpages · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a perfect summer romance. I loved the idea of a summer camp for adults - with kids dropping the parents off! - and how it was a place for them to let loose and be carefree kids again. I loved the activities, and the general vibes.

This book is set over a week. I would have liked a divider between the chapters marking the start of the different days, as it got a bit confusing.

Some of the scenes felt a bit jumpy. A lot of it could have been cut.

The conflict between the FMC and her parents was solved too quickly it wasn’t really believable.

The book heavily suggested the MMC was a self centred prick, not caring about things which didn’t directly affect him. But, the reason why he broke up with her was because he was thinking about her and her future? I didn’t like that reasoning. If felt out of character. It would have been more believable if say, the FMC’s parents pressured him into breaking up with her.

How much do people change over a decade? The MMC went from one extreme the other and I didn’t really find it believable. But that being said, I haven’t met someone a decade later so maybe people do change that much.

Overall, I had fun. I liked the camp dynamics though there were too many characters popping up it was hard to keep track of them all. It was a really easy, fun read and I would recommend it.

I will definitely continue with the series. I’m hoping there’s going to be a book about Jack.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! This review is my honest opinion of the book and given freely.

The concept behind Camp Love had me immediately excited—summer camp for adults? Sign me up! Add in a second-chance romance with a first love and the potential for rekindled friendships? It sounded like the perfect nostalgic, heartwarming read.

Unfortunately, while the premise was full of promise, the execution left me a bit frustrated. The story seemed torn between two compelling directions: a heartfelt exploration of adult friendships at camp, or a swoony second-chance romance. Instead of blending the two seamlessly, the narrative felt like it was bouncing back and forth—never quite committing to either path.

New characters were introduced late in the book (some as late as 70% in!), which pulled focus away from the central storyline and made it hard to stay connected. I found myself wishing the authors had picked a clearer lane—either diving deeper into the emotional power of friendship or fully embracing the romantic reunion.

That said, the idea of this book is still a gem, and I’d love to see it reimagined with a tighter focus. With such a fun setup, Camp Love had the potential to be something really special.

[Alanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75!

As someone who grew up going to overnight summer camp for 6 weeks every summer from the age of 8 to 20, this book really hit home for me. Although this was a lot more glamping than the summer camp I attended, it would have to be for adults in their 30s or older. There were so many things I related to in this book that are 100% accurate. Every day feels like a week, every week a month when you're on camp time and the relationships you build in a very short amount of time reflect that. When you spend 24/7 with people, the barriers and insecurities melt away. Finding your partner or your best friends within the span of a week like the characters we saw in Camp Love is 100% accurate--I know and have experienced it myself.

Although the book itself was a little kitschy, it matched my expectations for a book about adult summer camp would be. It did what I anticipate the goal was, to allow readers to reflect on their childhoods and the relationships in their lives and remember that there must be balance. What I would give to go back to those easy and carefree summers of my childhood, where I spent every summer on the lake, sailing, canoeing, doing arts and crafts, and being with my favourite people.

[☆Laura☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jamie es un abogado corporativo de Seattle que ha dedicado su vida al trabajo, sacrificando cualquier rastro de vida personal. Su mejor amigo y asistente, Ren, lo convence a tomar unas vacaciones en un retiro poco convencional: un campamento de verano para adultos. Allí, en medio de la naturaleza, Jamie se reencuentra con algo que había perdido: la alegría de vivir, nuevas amistades, y... a ella.

Autumn ha encontrado su propósito en Camp Starlight, un campamento exclusivo en las montañas de Oregón donde adultos se reconectan con ellos mismos lejos del estrés cotidiano. Es feliz entre fogatas, manualidades y bromas internas con el personal. Lo que no esperaba era que uno de los nuevos campistas fuera Jamie, su primer amor y la persona que partió su corazón años atrás.

Mientras ambos lidian con recuerdos, expectativas y una química imposible de ignorar, el campamento se convierte en el escenario perfecto para segundas oportunidades. Pero ¿puede un amor que no funcionó en el pasado sobrevivir en el presente?


---
Me sorprendió que Jamie no le dijera a Jack lo que vio.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

[Jen Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
* Second chance romance
* Summer camp romance
* First loves

Thank you to NetGalley, Ellie Belmont & Lacey Cole, and Just a Spark Publishing for this eARC!
This was a good character-driven romance with an idyllic romantic setting at an adult summer camp, and I enjoyed it!

I liked their dual POV, and how in the beginning they do a lot of internal reminiscing to give a good description of their lives together before and then after for the last ten years. It helps propel the tension forward once all of that is established and understood, while at camp, so the in-the-moment events there make it interesting as you wonder how things will play out with them. It’s a long time to be apart, and how they handle their surprise and feelings made the buildup of their rekindled relationship really enjoyable!

While their HEA surprised me, it made sense and I really liked the epilogue as it gave great insight into how well things progressed for them once they chose each other. It was perfect for them! ❤️

[Chiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a digital arc from the publisher via netgalley.

2.5 stars, rounded to 3 stars.

I had a hard time starting this book, as the first chapter was really boring. However I started to enjoy it more, when they reached Camp Starlight.

The adult summer camp sounds really fun. Living and growing up in Europe, I never really got the american summer camp experience as a kid (and probably wouldn't have liked it as a total introvert) but Camp Starlight sounded like a really fun time. Arts & Crafts, really good food and connecting with other people escaping from their busy day-to-day life seems like a great way to spend your summer.

While I liked the setting, I didn't really feel the connection between the MMC and FMC, a lot of it seemed to be based on their past relationship as highschoolers and not on their current selfs. The romance just didn't really click with me and I was kind of bored through parts of the book.

However it was a casual, summery read and I can imagine this being really nostalgic for folks that actually spend their childhood summers in summer camps.

[Veeka · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
This was a cute, easy to read story that is a perfect summer time book. Also, the cover is absolutely gorgeous and immediately drew me in!

This is a perfect book to read to really get into the summer vibe, with the setting really capturing the camp and summer camp feeling. The romance between Autumn and Jamie was super cute and their banter and overall chemistry was a lot of fun to read. Plus, who doesn’t love a good (sorta) second chance romance between former high school sweet hearts.

However, the middle 50-60% did drag on a bit, where I did find myself pretty bored with what was going on. A lot of it was very predictable and it had me skimming through parts of it just to try to speed things along. With that said though, I still really enjoyed the story and the FMC & MMC.
If you’re looking for a light, summery romance that’s fun and comforting, this is definitely worth checking out!

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for this eARC!

[Lisa]

Autumn is as camp counselor at an adult retreat and we meet her as other staff members gather, placing bets around who from their next batch of guest are likely to hook up with. She has a rundown of everyone, including pictures.

Jamie is an overworked lawyer who's tricked by his best friend/coworker into going to camp. His friend has filled out his application and provided pictures.

Somehow Autumn is shocked on day 2 that Jamie is here. They dated in high school and possibly ended with a terrible and heartbreaking break up, based on a frosty first meeting. Then 6 hours later, with no explanation, internal or external, they're flirting like nothing has happened. There were too many missing pieces for me to be able to catch on with this story, which sucks cause I did get this through NetGalley and wanted to praise it but I just couldn't get into the plot or characters.