2.75 ⭐
I’ll try to keep this review short, mostly because I honestly don’t have that much to say, which is kind of disappointing because this book had so many elements that sounded perfect for me on paper. Summer camp setting? Cowgirl vibes? Mystery subplot? Sign me up immediately. But unfortunately, the execution just didn’t live up to my expectations.
My biggest issue was with the romance itself and how the relationship between the MCs develops. Early on, I didn’t really see the point of the annoyance-to-lovers trope. It felt very one-sided, and there wasn’t a convincing reason for the tension between them in the first place. The trope seemed to exist only to create forced chemistry, almost like foreplay, because they quickly moved past that stage and jumped straight into sleeping together. Honestly, this book is very centered around sex.
Normally, I have zero issues with spicy romances. I actually love when intimacy is used to deepen the connection between characters. But here, it often felt like the physical side replaced that deeper bond instead of strengthening it. The insta-lust kicks in extremely early, and because so much focus is placed on the sexual aspect of their relationship, the emotional progression never felt fully developed to me. So when the story eventually expects me to believe these characters deeply trust and love each other, I struggled to buy into it. The emotional buildup simply wasn’t there.
A lot of this came down to Summer’s character for me. I really wanted to sympathize with her because it was obvious from the start that her behavior came from unresolved trauma and trust issues. But despite understanding why she acted the way she did, I still had a hard time connecting with her personality. At times, it felt like the book wanted her to come across as mysterious and confident, but instead she often felt emotionally unavailable and unnecessarily crass. Honestly, there were moments where I felt like she needed therapy more than a romantic relationship, especially considering how unfair some of her behavior felt toward Indy.
What ultimately stopped this from being a much lower rating was the mystery storyline because THAT part genuinely had me invested. I was fully engaged trying to figure out who was behind Summer’s stalker, and I loved analyzing all the creepy notes, the disappearances, and the suspicious behavior from basically every character. At one point I genuinely distrusted everyone because the atmosphere made it feel like every single person had something to hide. So when the reveal finally happened, I was actually surprised in the best way because I truly didn’t expect that character to be the culprit.
At the end of the day, I can absolutely see this book working for readers who prioritize heavy sexual chemistry in romance. But personally, I tend to connect more with stories that focus on emotional intimacy, vulnerability, and character growth, and sadly this one just didn’t fully give me that.
Thank you to the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.