Review : Camp Payback by J.K Rock

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Camp Payback (Camp Boyfriend #2)
Author : J.K Rock 
Publication Date : April 29th 2014
Publisher : Spencer Hill Press
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Alex has big plans for camp this year, starting with making it the best summer ever. Having fun and breaking some rules will get her the payback she wants against her parents and her ex-boyfriend. Because of his disgusting texts, she's headed to a super strict all-girls school in the fall. 

Then she meets Javier and revenge doesn't seem nearly as important as getting to know the troubled loner determined to keep a low profile at camp. But Alex's trouble-magnet personality and Javier's need to stay in the background don't mix nearly as well as their irresistible chemistry. 

With her home life eroding under her feet and her last year of summer camp speeding to a close, Alex wants to make her mark on the world and squeeze every bit of fun out of her time with Javier. Too bad her old plans for revenge turn back on her just in time to ruin everything. Will she lose Javier too?


Personal Thoughts

Camp Payback was a light, adorable read perfect to read on a warm sunny day at the beach. I really enjoyed Camp Boyfriend last year and was delighted to find out from the authors were continuing the series with each book featuring a secondary character from the previous book.

Alex has had it rough throughout her childhood with her parents being famous for talking about how to raise a rebellious child on a blog. She's feels isolated from her parents and doesn't feel as loved as she should have been. Plus, she hasn't had much freedom either, so she's looking forward to returning to Camp Juniper Point. I really liked Alex as a main character and I felt for her. I like how she didn't dwell over her parents' behavior but instead decided to find solutions to her problems herself. Alex was a girl who constantly made mistakes, but she also learned from her mistakes, growing in the process. Javier, Alex's love interest, was also a sweet and hard-working guy. I loved how much he was doing to support himself despite his mother being in jail. The world definitely needs more boys like Javier who do not allow their childhood to define them. Camp Payback also has a colorful cast of secondary characters, and while they aren't necessarily developed as much as the main characters are, their presence did add to my enjoyment of the book.

One of my favorite parts of this series is the camp setting. I've never been to a camp when I was younger (because I'm a danger in nature), so in a way I'm living vicariously through the characters. I loved how the authors went into detailing the different camp activities and the description of the life in camp got me pretty pumped as well. The romance in Camp Payback had a bit of a forbidden love story vibe because Javier is working at the camp while Alex is actually a camp member, but it was full of sweet and swoon-worthy moments. Alex and Javier together were adorable and I loved how they progressed from friendship first and they maintained their friendship throughout the story despite getting romantically involved.  There were a few topics, especially when it came to the parents, that I wished were more fleshed out, but that didn't prevent me from enjoying the book.

All in all, Camp Payback was a fun read for me and I can't wait to see what Joanne and Karen come up with next in this cute little series.

Rating

Cover : 3/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Spencer Hill Press for the e-ARC of Camp Payback.