The Matchbreaker Summer
Author: Annie Rains
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: B
What I’m Talking About:
Paisley is looking forward to being a first-time camp counselor at Camp Starling after attending the camp every summer. But when she gets the news that her mom is selling the beloved camp which holds so many memories of Paisley’s father, and that they are moving to Wyoming with her mom’s boyfriend, Dave, Paisley starts to dread her last summer at Camp Starling. Adding to her problems is Hayden, trouble-maker from school and newest camp counselor.
The Matchbreaker Summer is an adorable coming-of-age story about learning to accept change and moving forward as one grows up. Paisley sees everything in black and white and has little patience for Dave, who is ruining her life, or Hayden, who is getting to be a counselor even though he broke the rules. However, Paisley finds herself confiding in Hayden since she can’t talk to her best friend about the move. He suggests they break up her mom and Dave so they won’t move or have to sell the camp. What starts as a bad idea bringing the pair together, develops into friendship and a first crush.
Being a young adult romance, there is some teen drama. Paisley has hit the point in her life where she’s realizing someone she always considered a friend may not really be a friend. But she’s also realizing that people can change and still remain close. I found myself slightly annoyed with the drama, but honestly, it’s very lightweight and mostly a positive story. I liked that the characters have moments of maturity and are able to talk things through.
After thinking that I’d not really care one way or another about The Matchbreaker Summer, I ended up really enjoying it. The author did a good job of getting me to connect to Paisley, even though she was a bit of a teen idiot at first. The more I got to know her and the other characters, the more I connected and wanted to see the story through to the end. Yes, the overall outcome is a bit predictable, but the journey getting there isn’t, and I enjoyed it. I loved the coming-of-age and growth of Paisley. I loved seeing these kids communicate and seeing understanding dawn on them. In the end, it was a fun journey. Even though the MCs are teens, the story is innocent and young and appropriate for middle-grade readers and up.
My Rating: B Liked It — Recommend
Jen
About the Book:
A pitch-perfect summer camp rom-com about two teens with nothing in common who come together to help break up a romance and unexpectedly start one of their own
Sixteen-year-old Paisley Manning has been attending Camp Seabrook since she was a little girl, when her parents ran it together. For the last few years, since her father’s death, she’s been the one helping her mom run the camp behind the scenes. This year, however, will be Camp Seabrook’s last hurrah because Paisley’s mom has met a guy online and they’re getting married.
Enter Hayden Bennett, who is working alongside Paisley. Paisley and Hayden are like oil and water. She follows the rules, and he seems to live to break them all. But when Hayden catches wind of Paisley’s predicament, he has an idea. If a matchmaker in some computer algorithm caused the issue, a couple of real-life matchbreakers can fix it.
As they work to break up the happy couple, Paisley discovers that maybe Hayden’s not so bad after all. Has she met her own perfect match in her fellow matchbreaker?
Release Date: April 5, 2022
Publisher: Underlined Publishing
Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Format(s): paperback (228 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: Publisher/NetGalley
Purchase Info:
Amazon (affiliate link)