Until Next Summer
by Ali Brady
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: July 9, 2024
Reviewed by PJ
Growing up, Jessie and Hillary lived for summer, when they’d be reunited at Camp Chickawah. The best friends vowed to become counselors together someday, but they drifted apart after Hillary broke her promise and only Jessie stuck to their plan, working her way up to become the camp director.
When Jessie learns that the camp will be sold, she decides to plan one last hurrah, inviting past campers—including Hillary—to a nostalgic “adult summer camp” before closing for good. Jessie and Hillary rebuild their friendship as they relive the best time of their lives—only now there are adult beverages, skinny dipping, and romantic entanglements. Straitlaced Hillary agrees to a “no strings attached” summer fling with the camp chef, while outgoing Jessie is drawn to a moody, reclusive writer who’s rented a cabin to work on his novel.
The friends soon realize this doesn’t have to be the last summer. They’ll team up and work together, just like the old days. But if they can’t save their beloved camp, will they be able to take the happiness of this summer away with them?
PJ's Thoughts:
Whether you were a camp kid growing up or not, Until Next Summer is a fun read that brings all the nostalgia of those fun, adventurous, awkward years to an adult reunion of former camp friends who lost touch years ago.
Even though the fictional Camp Chickawah differs from my own Camp Shawadassee where I happily spent two weeks every summer (no boys at our camp), Brady brought those idyllic days back to life for me through her characters, the lake, the woods, and all the fun events that we loved as kids and that I, along with her characters, would be on board to experience again as an adult. Maybe with accommodations a bit more comfy. I loved experiencing everything along with former best friends, Jessie and Hillary, and the others who gather to give their beloved camp a rousing send-off...and maybe a second chance. Actually, there are multiple second chances - at restoring friendships, exploring new career paths, and discovering love and romance in unlikely corners.
Brady has infused this story with plenty of layers that enriched my enjoyment. There's found family, romance, grief, healing, friendship, self-discovery, finding that special place where you are your authentic self, and learning that home really is where your heart is, wherever that may be. It made me laugh, brought forth tears, and left me with a smile in my soul and an inescapable craving for s'mores.
