Book: Camp Enemies by Ellie Belmont
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 4.5/5
ARC REVIEW
Camp Enemies by Ellie Belmont and Lacey Cole
⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5)
Give me all the Nat and Jack enemies-to-lovers goodness!
Nat has no idea why Jack—the (normally) friendly camp maintenance man and counselor who seems to like everyone—suddenly can't stand her. They got along just fine when she worked at Camp Starlight the previous summer, but now all she gets is his cold shoulder... and one very sexy scowl. Meanwhile, Jack is still hurting from Nat kissing his girlfriend the year before and can't believe she'd show her face at camp again. Unfortunately for him, he also can't stop noticing how gorgeous she is or how badly he wants her.
I was just as obsessed with Nat as Jack was. She has so much more depth than he initially gives her credit for. He assumes she's just a spoiled influencer, but beneath the curated social media life is someone who's been repeatedly hurt by people who cared more about her follower count than her. Despite that, she's warm, open, and eager to connect with people. For someone who travels for a living, all Nat really wants is a place to call home, and watching Camp Starlight slowly become that place absolutely melted my heart.
And Jack? Men who are good with their hands are so freaking attractive. He's a natural caretaker, always putting everyone else's needs before his own. He's the kind of man who would happily give up his bed to someone who needed it... even his enemy. Watching Nat encourage him to finally prioritize himself for a change gave me the biggest warm fuzzies. At the same time, my heart hurt every time Jack doubted he was the kind of man who deserved a healthy, lasting relationship because he is absolute boyfriend material.
The romance is a true slow burn, but the payoff is so worth it. The banter is fantastic, the camp pranks had me laughing, and once they finally stop fighting their attraction? The spice was spicing.
I also loved getting more time with Autumn and Jamie from the first book—they're still ridiculously adorable—but my favorite relationship outside the romance was Jack and Autumn's friendship. I live for genuinely platonic male-female friendships, and these two prove they can be every bit as meaningful as a romantic relationship.
Another fantastic entry in the Camp Starlight series. I already can't wait to see what happens at camp next.
Thank you to the authors and Just a Spark Publishing for providing an ARC!