Official Synopsis:

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.

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?

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Review:

*Thanks to the author, Shannon Klare, for sending me a copy to review!!*

I was lucky enough to read and review an ARC of Shannon’s first book with Swoon Reads, Surviving Adam Meade, a few years ago and was so happy to be able to read Last Chance Summer!! It was (is!) one of my most anticipated 2020 releases.

Fans of Miranda Kenneally’s Things I Can’t Forget and Trusting You & Other Lies by Nicole Williams will not be disappointed by this young adult book! I tore through this book in just over 24 hours — it was a quick, easy, extremely enjoyable read. I’ve never been to summer camp, but if I knew I’d be working with somebody like Grant…maybe I’d want to go. (Although, the mosquitos are a major ‘con.’) I love the first time Alex sees Grant, even before she knows who he is. It’s such a cute, relatable moment. Ah! Can you tell I love these characters a lot?

The prologue goes on a bit long, but it does a good job setting up where Alex is at when the first chapter of the book starts. Those events reshape who she is as a person, so it makes sense to set it up in the way that it was. She deals with it throughout the whole book, before finally coming to terms with her role in the incident. Since the book is told in first-person from Alex’s point of view, it takes longer to really figure out what Grant’s story is. With that being said, and without giving too much away, I would’ve liked to see more interaction between Alex, Grant, and their parents. The story still worked just fine as is, but it could always be good sequel material!

The banter between Alex and Grant was amazing. There were so many lines that I absolutely adored. I’m a sucker for witty banter between characters, and Alex and Grant might be at the top of my list for favorite character banter. (That wasn’t worded the best — but you all know what I mean!) Their relationship developed nicely, and the addition of Alex’s campers helped to develop her character even further and faster than if she was just left to her own devices.

At one point in the book, the characters go geo-caching, which I was happy to read about! Years ago, my family and I geo-cached one summer, and it was a lot of fun. A very summer-y activity!

Overall, I loved this book. Definitely worth the wait after Surviving Adam Meade! If you’re missing fun outdoors activities, feel free to live vicariously through Alex and Grant. Make sure to pick up this sweet contemporary romance — it releases on May 26th, from Swoon Reads!

PS: Swoon Reads and A&E have been really quiet about what books are going to be adapted into movies…I think this one is a very strong contender, and I’d love to see the witty banter played out on the big (or small) screen!