Paisley Manning has been going to Camp Starling every year since she was a kid. Of course she did. The camp was her father’s brainchild. He built the cabins, and every summer he ran the camp with energy and joy. Paisley grew up there, and she loved every minute of it. When Paisley’s father died, her mother took over the camp, and it became even more important to Paisley to preserve his memory.
But this summer things are different.
For one thing, Paisley is no longer a camper. She is 16, so it’s her turn to be a counselor for the two weeks of camp. For another thing, her mother’s boyfriend Dave will be there too. He’s not really an outdoorsy guy, but he’s going to try, because he knows that Camp Starling is important to Paisley and her mother.
And as Paisley was getting herself settled in her cabin, she found the other thing that was unusual for that summer. Hayden Bennett, a troublemaker from Paisley’s school, found his way to the camp and got caught spray painting on the cabins. Paisley’s mom knew Hayden all too well. As the principal at their school, she had seen Hayden in her office many things throughout the school year. And as a way for Hayden to take responsibility for his graffiti, Paisley’s mom invites him to the camp too. He’ll have to clean his paint off the cabins and clean the bathrooms, but he’s also going to be a counselor in the cabin with Dave and create some art projects for the campers.
Paisley isn’t all that excited about spending her camp weeks with Hayden Bennett, troublemaker, but this is her year to be a counselor, along with all her friends. She is excited and ready to make these two weeks the best ever. Especially since she has a secret. After these two weeks, her mother is putting the camp up for sale. Dave’s mother is not doing well, and he’s moving back home to take care of her. And Paisley’s mom is going with him, which means Paisley is too. This is Camp Staling’s last year.
Having Hayden in the camp throws Paisley off, but she finds herself enjoying getting to talk to him. And when she lets her secret slip, that she’s moving \away after camp is over, then he has an idea. If they break up her mother and Dave, then Paisley won’t be moving and her mother won’t have to sell the camp. Paisley doesn’t want to do it at first. She tries to talk to her mother about how she’s feeling about the move. But her mother is busy and won’t listen. So Paisley decides that Hayden might have a good idea, and The Matchbreaker Summer is on.
Romance author Annie Rains is here for summer camp and a charming YA romance. The Matchbreaker Summer is a sweet story of finding your voice and learning to use it in positive ways. Paisley learns to deal with change, both in her relationships and in her future. Readers nostalgic for their own camp memories will want to to catch some fireflies in a jar (humanely, and to release later, of course) and make some s’mores while reading this fun celebration of summer.
I so enjoyed reading The Matchbreaker Summer. To me, it had the best of camp, along with all those awkward moments that come with growing up and learning to take responsibility for your own life. There is a lot of sweetness, some friendship (with all its teenage imperfections), some Parent Trap style pranks for Dave, and a lot of camp spirit. My one concern is that these kids seem a little immature for 16. I myself was immature for 16, but that was more than a few years ago, and I feel like kids today are more savvy than we were back then. But I really liked everything else about this story, and I think readers can experience some summer camp fun no matter what time of year they get to read this.
Egalleys for The Matchbreaker Summer were provided by Random House Children’s through NetGalley, with many thanks.
