From the Bookshelf of Reverse Harem Readers - Goodreads…

The First Summer (Lake Emerald Chronicles, #1)

Melissa Adams

Start date: August 25, 2018

Finish date: August 26, 2018

Why we're reading this: Reverse Harem New Adult contemporary romance.
Clary is 16 and she’s never been kissed.
Every summer she go…more
[close] Reverse Harem New Adult contemporary romance.
Clary is 16 and she’s never been kissed.
Every summer she goes to Summer Camp at Lake Emerald where she reunites with her BFFs Brie and Hazel.
Camp gets her away from her super strict parents in LA and she can’t wait to see her epic crush Joel.
Joel doesn’t even know her name and she has been adoring him from afar for two summers.
But this year, Clary has legit boobs and she’s all grown up, so will Joel finally notice her?
She also meets annoying but hot Xander, who is Joel’s best friend and loves embarrassing Clary with snide remarks and his unwavering sarcasm.
Logan is an old friend who is also all grown up and this year wants more than being just friends.
So Clary finds herself involved with two boys and things are heating up, from a first kiss to a first orgasm.
And if you add to the mix Xander’s older, sexy cousin Austin? Things are sure to get complicated.
Clary knows she has to make a choice and agonises about it, while going from one heated exchange to another with her boys.
But what if the boys knew and she didn’t have to make a choice? What if it was possible to love three or even four boys at once and they agreed to share?
What if someone else had noticed and started sending Clary malicious, threatening notes with photos of her romantic encounters?
Add some random attacks in the woods surrounding camp and the suspicions start: who is doing this?
The resident mean girls Lucy, Hayley and Leah?
The bad boys Rob and Justin?
Joel’s girlfriend mad southern belle Jemma?
This will be a summer of love, sex, discovery, fun and danger for Clary, her boys nd her friends.

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Nov 16, 2018 Jennifer G rated it liked it

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. Cl 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. ...more

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Feb 28, 2019 Katherine Victoria rated it really liked it

Great read

I really enjoyed this book. It did however make me feel old because I kept repeatedly thinking about how Angie really needed a better vetting process for her counselors and instructors. A few of the age differences between the different relationships kinda bothered me but in just think that's because I'm a mom to a preteen. All and all though the story was great, the characters were well developed and showed a lot of growth. I got entirely wrapped up in Clary's story and seeing how thi ...more

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Jan 15, 2019 Mary rated it really liked it

Jan 28, 2019 Shanna Caudle rated it it was amazing

Apr 14, 2020 Fantasy Witness rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Apr 19, 2020 Laura Power rated it it was ok

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