Last Chance Summer

by Shannon Klare

Alex is a sheriff's daughter with a less-than-pristine reputation. When she's caught drinking at a party by her dad’s deputy, she’s in deep trouble. With an already incriminating incident in her past, Alex’s parents ship her off to her aunt’s summer camp to work as a counselor—lest she spend her senior year at boarding school.
What's worse than spending your summer deep in the mosquito-infested woods of Texas?
Being paired with an obnoxious co-counselor who wants nothing to do with you.
Alex is determined to make the best of her summer, even if it means putting up with Grant, who has secrets of his own that he's determined to protect. Can Alex and Grant put their egos to the side and find the bright side of a summer that neither of them signed up for?

• ISBN10: 1250313643
• ISBN13: 9781250313645
• Publish Date: 1 August 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 25 June 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

After a few bad decisions and a great tragedy, Alex is given an ultimatum, work at her aunt's camp or give up her college fund. She thought this was her last chance summer, but it ends up being her second chance to live.

From the synopsis, I bet you are all thinking this is just some summer romance, and well, it is set in the summer time, and it features a wondrous romance, but it is so much more.

Not only did Alex make some bad decisions, she also lost her best friend. Though it was almost a year since the accident, Alex still struggled with her grief, pain, and guilt. Klare did a wonderful job painting a portrait of someone, who was stuck in their grieving cycle. Alex was bottling up her emotions, and needed a way to release her pain. The camp was the perfect place for this to happen. There, she had the space and the encouragement to start dealing with her emotions and push forward.

Don't worry, this is not all super heavy emotions all the time. The story is set in a summer camp, and Klare utilized it well. There is swimming, arts and crafts, smores, and even a mini prank war. And what kind of camp experience would it be without a camp boyfriend.

The sparks were flying upon the initial meeting between Alex and Grant, and that attraction manifests in some rather fun banter-filled tiffs. I had a great time watching these two work through their tension, but really delighted in seeing their friendship form and go to the next level. Grant was an important part of Alex's team. He had also experienced profound loss, and could relate to her on that level. He, along with some other members of the camp, were sources of support. They provided the encouragement, ears to listen, and shoulders to cry on, as Alex finally processed her grief. It was lovely seeing them all rally for her, and even better to know she was on the road to recovery.

Overall: A beautiful story about picking up the pieces, and finding the strength to move forward.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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