UK Blog Tour for Camp Boyfriend by J.K. Rock; Review + Giveaway

Posted by Jess

Release Date: July 2nd, 2013
Finished Date: 

Publishers: Spencer Hill Contemporary
Source: For Review 

Format: Paperback
Pages: 324

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.

They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

The Review: Right so, I struggled a little to start with, but I put that down to me having started a series before this and missing those characters. I was struggling to get into the story and connect with any of the characters in Camp Boyfriend. 

I haven't read the prequel to this, so I just jumped straight in to Camp Boyfriend and although I struggled a little for the most part, I liked it as well. I liked the idea of camp. I'm not a fan of love triangles. I was also not a big fan of Lauren, I thought she was a little 'me, me, I, I. I eventually looked past that, and as the story went on and I gave it more of a chance I came to enjoy it a little more. The progression was fine for the story that needed to be told. I did feel that a lot of the characters came off a little younger than 17, so in parts I found bits a little immature for my reading taste. But other than that, it was fine. 

With regards to the romance, it seems for a triangle it really turned out not to be one. 1 guy (the guy Lauren ultimately ends up choosing) is more prominent in the book than the other, so it was a little obvious as to who she was going to choose, when writing a love triangle you really need to make both boys present through out the book, not one more than the other. It worked to an extent but, I felt the romance in the end was a little anticlimactic  BUT having said that, both boys were wonderful boys, and I guess I could see the hard decision Lauren had to make.

As the story develops so do the characters, and Lauren finds herself and decides to she likes who she is. Matt discovers his new self and likes that part of him, and Seth....well...he sort of stays the same. Overall a neat story.

Overall Camp Boyfriend was a cute read, one good for summer and if you enjoy the protagonist finding herself and picking one of two boy options, then it's probably a book you should read. Will I recommend it? Yeah I guess I would, but only for the reasons above. If you want angst, swoon then probably not the right book for you. Will I read it again? Meh, probably not. I couldn't really stand Lauren as much as I tried, and if a protagonist annoys me then I won't re-read. 

I did enjoy it to an extent, but I'm dropping two stars because of Lauren and her selfishness in places, and because it all overall seemed a little younger than I like to care to read. As authors J.K Rock are great and if they branch out in a slightly older field I will read something else of theirs, but as far as their YA stuff goes....it's not for me. Doesn't mean it isn't for you though. Give it a go, and make up your own mind :)


Note: I received an ARC copy of this from Spencer Hill in exchange for an honest review.

Don't forget you can get the prequel for FREE! 

Camp Kiss by J.K Rock

The Camp Kiss That Started It All…

Lauren Carlson, a fourteen-year-old expert on the cosmos, superheroes, and science fiction trivia has a crush on her longtime camp friend, Seth. Last summer she’d dreamed about upgrading their relationship to BF/GF status and this year she has a plan… if only her well-meaning cabin mates wouldn’t interfere before she’s ready. She hasn’t even adjusted to her new braces yet, let alone imagined kissing Seth with them. When a dare pushes her out of her comfort zone, will she and Seth rocket out of the friendzone at last? There’s only one way to find out…

Camp Kiss on Goodreads

- Free Download of Camp Kiss

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Authors: 
J. K. Rock is the pseudonym for YA writing partners - and sisters-in-law - Joanne & Karen Rock. Although they started out sharing an annual shopping trip, they ended up discussing their favorite films and books, joining the same book club  and talking about writing... a lot. Their debut novel, Camp Boyfriend, is the first in a three-book series that was plotted during family pool parties. Their creative partnership is unique in that they enjoy passing a book back and forth, each adding a chapter and fine-tuning the chapter before. Years of friendship has yielded a shared voice and vision for their work that makes writing a pleasure. 

Links: JK Rock Website / Joanne on Twitter / Karen on Twitter / Facebook