In a Nutshell Reviews

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Dad Camp by Evan S. Porter
Published by Dutton on June 11, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

A heartwarming novel about a loving dad who drags his eleven-year-old daughter to “father-daughter week” at a remote summer camp—their last chance to bond before he loses her to teenage girlhood entirely.

After his daughter, Avery, was born, John gave it all up—hobbies, friends, a dream job—to be something a super dad. Since then, he’s spent nearly every waking second with Avery, who’s his absolute best bud. Or, at least, she was.

When now eleven-year-old Avery begins transforming into an eye-rolling zombie of a preteen who dreads spending time with him, a desperate John whisks her away for a weeklong father-daughter retreat to get their relationship back on track before she starts middle school.

But John’s attempts to bond only seem to drive his daughter further away, and his instincts tell him Avery’s hiding something more than just preteen angst. Even worse, the camp is far from the idyllic getaway he had in mind. John finds himself navigating a group of toxic dads that can’t seem to get along, cringe-worthy forced bonding activities, and a camp director that has it out for him. With camp and summer break slipping away fast, John’s determined to conquer it all for a chance to become Avery’s hero again.

This brilliant and deeply funny father-daughter story is perfect for fans of poignant and hilarious books like The Guncle by Steven Rowley, Steve Martin’s family classic Cheaper by the Dozen, and Judd Apatow’s bighearted comedies.

As John's daughter grew up, she grew away from him. A week at Dad Camp was John's last ditch effort to restore the connection between them that was once so strong.

I always associate camp books with summer fun, and there were a multitude of laugh out loud moments in this book, but the heart of this story was a father's love for his daughter as he tried to cope with the way their relationship was changing.This book may be told from the point of view of a father, but I found is very relatable as a mom. I was a single mother and remember how all my interests and hobbies took a back seat to caring for my daughter. As she grew, her activities dominated the calendar, so it was easy to lose myself in parenting. It's a rude awakening when your only child leaves for college and you are sitting around with all this time not knowing how to fill it. Do I regret it? No and that's the impression I got from John, too.

Though John wasn't quite at the empty-nest point, he had made Avery the center of his world. Therefore, this new pre-teen version of her was causing him a lot of stress, and he was desperate to stay a part of her life. I appreciated his effort, but even more so, I appreciated how much he learned about himself, Avery, and fatherhood during his time at camp.

Camp Triumph may have been a bit rundown but it was a beacon for those dad's who wanted a place to spend time with their daughters. These dads all had different motivations - divorced dad, workaholic dad, stay-at-home dad, and they all had different things to teach John. I loved the process of them growing together, and all the different parenting styles/types that were put on display. It was done with a lot of heart and a lot of humor which are two things I adore in a story.

Overall, I found this be a rather heartwarming story which I feel portrayed the challenges of parenting and also the rewards in a fun and endearing way.

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The Summer Escape by Jill Shalvis
Published by Avon on June 11, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Secrets are revealed and forbidden sparks ignited in this sizzling Sunrise Cove tale of enemies to lovers, redemption, missing treasures, and love.

Anna Moore didn’t just wake up one day and decide to go on a wild quest — especially since her life no longer lends itself to wild anything — so how in the world does she end up racing against the clock with Owen Harris, a sexy, enigmatic adventurist, to prove her beloved dad innocent of stealing a million-dollar necklace?

It’s all Wendy’s fault. Her older, bossy sister, who’s seven months pregnant and on bed rest in their small Lake Tahoe hometown, is desperate to clear their dad’s name. Owen though is convinced he’s guilty as hell and wants to return the jewelry back to its rightful owner—his elderly great aunt. Together they go on a scavenger hunt for clues to the past (with Wendy remotely along for the ride via an ear bud, supplying a running wry commentary to boot).

On opposing sides and suspicious of each other as they are, Anna and Owen still can’t deny the inexplicable and explosive chemistry between them on this heart-stopping adventure, the outcome of which will prove the necklace isn’t the only thing stolen — their hearts have been as well.

After discovering a coin in her late father's belongings, Anna sets out on a mission to find the stolen goods and clear her father's name. With the help of the victim's grand-nephew, Owen, she hopes to recover the items but may also find her elusive HEA.

You know what's always a guaranteed good time? A Jill Shalvis book. Her books never disappoint, and once again, I laughed and smiled the whole way through one of her books.

I feel like it's been a while since I read a Shalvis book with some suspense and mystery, but it was a fun change of pace. It was a great way to push Anna and Owen together, and a little danger always forces those love-adverse characters to make those big declarations I desire.

I wholeheartedly adored this couple, too! They seemed like total opposites, but they fit so well together. Anna had traded in her life of spontaneous decisions and risk taking after being hurt by yet another "bad boy" who left her. And who should get the butterflies going? An adventure seeking dare devil who eschews attachments. Yes, they seem like they should run from each other, but when they were together, they felt safe. Both of these wonderfully wounded characters wiggled their way into my heart making it easy to root for them on their way to the HEA.

There was another relationship that stole that spotlight, and that was the one between Anna and her sister Wendy. They had an interesting dynamic as Wendy was the mother figure in Anna's life growing up. They shared a strong bond, and the love flowed freely between the two. I adored all their scenes which were full of snark and humor and the type of affection expected between siblings.

This was another great visit to Sunrise Cove which was made even better with beautiful scenery, fun furry friends, a swoony romance, a little mystery, and lots of humor and warmth.

*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

Would you go to dad/mom camp?
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