Cam Girl by Leah Raeder

Cam Girl

by Leah Raeder

Vada Bergen is broke, the black sheep of her family, and moving a thousand miles away from home for grad school, but she's got the two things she loves most: her art and her best friend-and sometimes more-Ellis Carraway. Ellis and Vada have a friendship so consuming it's hard to tell where one girl ends and the other begins. It's intense. It's a little co-dependent. And nothing can tear them apart.

Until an accident on an icy winter road changes everything. Vada is left deeply scarred, both emotionally and physically. Her once-promising art career is cut short. And Ellis pulls away, unwilling to talk about that night. Everything Vada loved is gone. She's got nothing left to lose.

So when she meets some smooth-talking entrepreneurs who offer to set her up as a cam girl, she can't say no. All Vada has to do is spend a couple hours each night stripping on webcam, and the "tips" come pouring in. It's just a kinky escape from reality until a client gets serious. "Blue" is mysterious, alluring, and more interested in Vada's life than her body. Online, they chat intimately. Blue helps her heal. And he pays well, but he wants her all to himself. No more cam shows. It's an easy decision: she's starting to fall for him. But the steamier it gets, the more she craves the real man behind the keyboard. So Vada pops the question: Can we meet IRL? Blue agrees, on one condition. A condition that will bring back a ghost from her past. Now Vada must confront what she's been running from. A past full of devastating secrets-those of others and those she's been keeping from herself…

Reviewed by Angie on

5 of 5 stars

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I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Cam Girl is wow, and woah, and what?! It's entertaining as well as extremely important. When it starts, Vada and Ellis have just been in a car accident where the other driver died. To say it shook them up is an understatement, and Vada's whole world starts unraveling. She loses her (more than) best friend, the fine motor control in her right hand, her ability to draw and paint, and her general sense of self. At least until she meets Frankie who hires her on as a cam girl. It's then that she meets Blue, who becomes more than just a client.

I almost gave Cam Girl a 4 or 4.5 because I had figured out the twists and was getting frustrated with Vada for not noticing some things. However, it's not the twists and reveals that matter. It's the whys. Those I definitely didn't figure out. And why these characters are doing what they're doing is much more interesting and important than what they're actually doing. I know that's very vague, but spoilers! My heart was breaking when the truths came to light.

Cam Girl has a lot going on. There's the suspense plot revolving around what really happened the night of the accident. Vada grows close to the father of the other driver, and then he starts behaving oddly. Of course, there's also the very complicated romance between Vada, Ellis, and Blue, as well as Vada's struggles with her sexuality. The author goes pretty deep into a lot of issues of identity, both of gender and sexual orientation. There's a lot of important conversations and inner monologues about both subjects. On top of all of that we also see Vada learning to live with her disability. Lots of good stuff, all handled respectfully.

Let's talk about sex. Obviously Cam Girl is going to have sex. Mostly there's a lot of solo sex, because that's essentially Vada's job. But it definitely goes beyond just touching herself for anonymous men. She does breath play! I certainly was not expecting that! That's one kink that makes me very nervous (the studio does have an EMT on site at all times). Then there's the sex between Vada and Ellis, which is holy hell hot. If you're looking for sweet caresses and gentle petting, this is not that. Those girls know how to go at it!

There's a lot to love about Cam Girl. While it's sexy and exciting, like I said, it's also extremely important. It's messages are ones that we need to see more of. I know I didn't really talk about what those are, because they are spoilers, and essential to the plot. I guess you'll just have to read it to find out!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 September, 2015: Finished reading
  • 25 September, 2015: Reviewed