S'more of You

by Tessa Bailey

In this steamy rivals-to-lovers short story from New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey, a drama-loving camp counselor confronts the crush she’s been nursing for years on her gruff, rule-following fellow counselor.

Senior counselor Margot Berry is finally going to tell Dean Ingram how she feels. Sure, she’s been pranking him for eight years and they’ve formed something of a rivalry. But surely that will all be set aside when she fesses up to her crush, right? Wrong. Dean assumes her confession is just another prank. Can she convince him she’s for real before the camp session ends?

Tessa Bailey’s S’more of You is part of Summer Lovin’, a sweet and sultry collection of short summer romances that turn up the heat—and the heart. Read or listen to each short story in one easy, breezy sitting. And to fully immerse yourself in the flirty fun, try out the direct-to-listener audio experience.

Genres: Romance, Summer, Novella, Audiobook, Adult

77 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 26, 2026

About the author

New York Times Bestselling author Tessa Bailey can solve all problems except for her own, so she focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue collar men and loyal, lovable heroines. She lives on Long Island avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of dirty talk,” by Entertainment Weekly, Tessa writes with spice, spirit, swoon and a guaranteed happily ever after. Catch her on TikTok at @authortessabailey or check out tessabailey.com for a complete list of books.

Reviews

[chloé ✿ · Rating 1 out of 5]

i went in with low expectations and was still disappointed. i really tried to have fun with it, too.

this entire novella was a juxtaposition of extremely juvenile characters/behavior and open door spice. the characters felt like young high schoolers (they’re supposed to be 21).

it was… not good.

what to expect:
• camp counselors
• virgin/inexperienced FMC
• proud Eagle Scout MMC (this story makes a very big deal over the eagle scout badges he’s earned lol)
• simple writing
• they’ve known each other for 8 years, because of camp
• quirky + outgoing FMC, grumpy + reserved MMC
• short (77 pages, according to kindle)

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apparently this collection of summery short stories dropped today (may 26) for kindle unlimited??? i have been craving bingeable stories that *feel* like summer and this sounds perfect for that.

i am nothing if not a sucker for cutesy summer covers, so let's dive in.

[Greta · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️

truly thought this could’ve been middle grade until they started licking each other

[casey ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 🌟

tropes
📋 rivals to lovers
🍫 she falls first
🏕️ camp workplace

cheesy for sure and cringe at moments

[LollyDolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short novella about an eight‑year mutual crush finally blooming into something more. Margot not only gets the skilled hands of Dean on her body, but also discovers he’s a dab hand with a sewing machine 😄. Good times.

[✨️ Jessica's Bookshelf ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rounded up to 4 stars. Novella's always leave me feeling meh. The stories are cute and a fun read but for me (no fault of the author) there's never enough to the story. If cute novellas are your thing, then you'll enjoy this one!

[Cassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

only three s’more mentions. none sexy.

[Anabel · Rating 1 out of 5]

i don’t… i don’t think i liked that at all

[Crimson_Silence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tessa Bailey delivers another seriously fun, high-energy romance that is hard to put down. The chemistry between the main characters is instant and absolutely scorching, packed with her signature quick-witted banter and plenty of sweet, campy charm. It’s the perfect blend of cozy vibes and intense spice.

​The pacing keeps you hooked from the very first page, making it an incredibly fast, entertaining read. The only reason it’s a strong 4-star instead of a 3-star (which means awesome!) is that a few plot points felt a bit rushed toward the end. Overall, it’s a fantastic, feel-good romance that delivers exactly what you want from a Tessa Bailey book. Highly recommend if you're looking for a fun, spicy escape!

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This might be one of my least favorite Tessa Bailey stories ever. I wasn't interested in the characters, the plot or the summer camp pranks. It was just an okay list, the only thing I really liked was the setting and how short it was. A miss for me.

Steam level: low spice

[Emily G · Rating 2 out of 5]

My dude why are they acting like they’re still 14 years old

[Nikki Bogard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun and addictive rivals-to-lovers novella that completely delivered on the tension, banter, and chemistry. Margot and Dean have spent years locked in this chaotic prank war at summer camp, and underneath all the teasing and annoyance is so much unresolved attraction that practically jumps off the page.

Margot is dramatic, impulsive, and determined to finally confess her feelings, while Dean is gruff, rule-following, and so convinced she’s messing with him that it makes everything even better. Their dynamic felt effortless — equal parts hilarious, frustrating, and incredibly flirty. You can feel the history between them in every interaction, which made the romance surprisingly emotional for such a short read.

Tessa Bailey somehow packed years of tension, pining, and chemistry into such a quick story without it ever feeling rushed. The camp setting added so much charm and nostalgia, and the steam was exactly what I wanted from a rivals-to-lovers romance. Short, spicy, funny, and ridiculously entertaining from beginning to end.

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading the whole Amazon Summer Collection so you don't have to, and trust me, I am probably saving you.

This was...so bad.

Tessa Bailey has never really been the author for me but I thought, hey this is just a short novella, I'll give it a chance. Yeah, this will absolutely be my last by her.

I have never felt so icky reading a book before. I thought the premise sounded cute, rival summer camp counselors, it's super nostaligic and cute for summer. If the FMC and MMC could've been written any more mature it would've worked, but it felt like I was reading about children with how immature they were. Her wearing lipstick to try to drop a hint that she likes him? That is genuinely some middle school bs. Which cool whatever if this was supposed to be a story about younger characters, but with the amount of spice in just 77 pages, it was so gross and felt so weird to read. And I loathe the 'virginity' trope in books. Just all around so bad and not for me.

On to the next one with little not no expectations. :)

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short novella about two camp counselors that have been around each other for 8 years. Margot and Dean both went to the camp as kids and now work as camp counselors. Margot plays pranks on Dean but it’s because she likes him and comes from a large family which is how she gets attention. I thought this novella was fine it was cute that Margot has such a big crush on Dean but overall it’s not my favorite

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like a s’more this was short, sweet, and easy to smash down.

Some parts did feel a little juvenile with the setting and the ways the characters behaved, but it was cute to get snippets of their past camp experiences and silly pranks. Overall a fun summer read, but lacked any real substance (but to be fair, what else did I expect with such a short novella?)

[• ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Amazon short storie that actually is well executed?? *alexa play we are the champios*

It was pretty cute ✨️ big plus because I missed the author giving us plot + cuteness + spice

[BeccaXx · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

[Julissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it’s just me but this felt very juvenile. A miss for me. 2.5⭐️

[Maddie 🫶🏻 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, maybe I’m getting older, but this just read as immature to me. I thought both characters were in high school, until it was mentioned they were 21. Even so, the writing was very juvenile. The MMC came across as creepy to me. I also thought them being camp counselors to young kids and making this very short novella overly-spicy just felt gross and inappropriate? I’m sorry, but this was a miss for me.

[Kayleigh Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s no doubt that Tessa knows how to write a steamy scene. The problem is that these short stories are hard to get invested in before it is over. Out of all the Kindle unlimited short stories I’ve read this one seemed the most childish, taking place in a kids camp with weird dialogue about Eagle Scout badges 🙈🙉

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fine?

I didn’t dislike it, I didn’t love it. It felt pretty straight forward. They’ve always known each other, took place at a camp, once were campers now are camp counselors.

The FMC felt R E A L L Y juvenile. It almost annoyed me how immature her character was.

[Ashley Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m rating this a little differently since it’s a novella, but this one just wasn’t for me. The virgin trope is simply not my thing and made it hard to connect with the story. Outside of that, it’s a cute summer camp counselor romance with fun summer vibes and an easy, quick read.

[Samantha Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute sweet and fun. Such a delightful read full off sweet moments and memories that will make you swoon

[Kristen Loveland · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5🌟

[Romance_book_obsessed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute camp counselor romance!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like a s'more, this novella was sweet, gooey, and a quick treat.

[Melissa Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️3.5

[Kristy Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked this one, also check out I Love You Smore by Wendy Dalrymple!

[Ditchwater Sal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect summer-time treat. Sounds like crickets on a warm summer night, smells like camp fire smoke, and feels like falling in love for the first time.

[Melissa Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[J.B. Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was adorable. There's something so cute about quirky people realizing they have been in love this whole time and Tessa Bailey did it so well.