Clary looks forward all year to summer camp at Lake Emerald where she reunites with her besties Hazel and Brie and crushes on the camp counselor Joel. She's hopeful that at 16 with her new curves this is the summer she gets her first kiss and maybe even a boyfriend. She gets much more than she was expecting. There's Logan, the annoying little kid who followed her around all last summer. Well, now he's all grown up. There are Xander and Austin, two new counselors whom both seem interested too. Clary knows she needs to make a choice but they are all so gorgeous, so sweet. They all make her happy in different ways. However, someone else has noticed all of the attention Clary is getting and is sending her nasty, threatening notes with photos of her with each of the guys. She must talk to the guys before they find out from someone else. And when she does confront the guys, it seems her dreams have come true. Best summer ever!
I am conflicted regarding this book. First the negatives. It seemed to be an RH targeted to teens by the behavior and thought-process of the main characters, however, it wasn't consistent. I realize that teens can go from never having been kissed to 'third base' in hours but Clary did this with multiple boys without hesitation. And as a mother, I object to the age of at least one of the boys but also to the fact that three of the boys were counselors. The counselors provided alcohol, had sex with multiple partners, threatened guests, and hosted a game of truth or dare that went way beyond appropriate. This exclusive camp for the creme de la creme may have offered luxuries but there was no supervision or safety for the teenage guests. I also hated the messages delivered by the females in this book. They were ugly, conniving, competitive; willing to do anything to be with the guys. Brie was beyond irritating and even Hazel disappointed with her hush-hush decision. More than one guy needed to be arrested for sexual assault and at least one girl needed to be brought up on physical assault/attempted murder, not to mention the unknown stalker and attacker. Joel and Austin also bother me for reasons beyond their positions and age. Joel seems like a great guy once you get past his behavior. He is not boyfriend material right now and won't be for a while to come. His trail of conquests is too much. Until he has taken a year off from man-whoring, he is untouchable. Austin is possessive and too anger prone. He can't be in an RH as he is currently. I realize that not everyone is as ridiculously easy to accept the idea as Xander and Logan are but the way he spoke to Clary was unacceptable considering his agreement. Plus, he may not have done anything with another girl but he sure allowed her to make it appear that they were together and he allowed Clary to be put in harms way more than once due to his tantrums. Games like this do not make for a good boyfriend. Finally, this book needs editing or a beta team. It's too long, has misspellings, and other errors.
Now for the good. Xander. He's funny, smart, and everything you could ask for in a boyfriend. Logan. He's a sweet teddy bear, so open with his feelings. Intelligence being valued. Reading books, knowledge in general, the arts are all cool in this crowd. Physical fitness is also stressed. There's very little slut-shaming. Sex should hold a personal value but as long as everyone is willing, there should not be judgment passed. There were parts of the story that were positively entertaining; girl-time and falling in love. The descriptions were vivid. I could definitely envision the camp, the guests, their clothes, etc.
With a few adjustments, I think this could become a very entertaining series. I will read the next book to see how everyone adjusts once they leave camp.