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Into the Woods
Summer camp just got a whole lot hotter in this enemies-to-lovers romance, perfect for readers of Tessa Bailey and Lucy Score.
Teddy Knight’s band has just broken up in spectacular fashion after his longtime bandmate and—he’d thought—closest friend decides to go solo. So when he’s offered a last-minute gig to fill in as an artist-in-residence at a summer arts camp—which comes with a lake cabin and lots of free time to work on a revenge album—he takes it. No matter that he knows nothing about nature, dislikes kids, and is generally a grump.
Gretchen Miller is having a mid-life crisis. Luckily, her summer job as the dance teacher at Wild Arts summer camp will allow her to drop out of society for a while. Having sworn off dating, she decides she’ll go into the woods and become a crone. She might skip the “luring innocent children to their death” part of cronedom, but she’s all for the “curse men” aspect.
Teddy and Gretchen clash from the get-go when he mistakes her for a fan, and she relegates him to the “entitled jerk” ash heap. Despite their determination to dislike each other, a wary friendship blooms as the magic of the woods starts to unwind them, and they spend long hours by the campfire talking about art, being stuck, and the idea of starting over. But woods are often filled with monsters, and Teddy and Gretchen will have to face their fears if they want to start over together.
Teddy Knight’s band has just broken up in spectacular fashion after his longtime bandmate and—he’d thought—closest friend decides to go solo. So when he’s offered a last-minute gig to fill in as an artist-in-residence at a summer arts camp—which comes with a lake cabin and lots of free time to work on a revenge album—he takes it. No matter that he knows nothing about nature, dislikes kids, and is generally a grump.
Gretchen Miller is having a mid-life crisis. Luckily, her summer job as the dance teacher at Wild Arts summer camp will allow her to drop out of society for a while. Having sworn off dating, she decides she’ll go into the woods and become a crone. She might skip the “luring innocent children to their death” part of cronedom, but she’s all for the “curse men” aspect.
Teddy and Gretchen clash from the get-go when he mistakes her for a fan, and she relegates him to the “entitled jerk” ash heap. Despite their determination to dislike each other, a wary friendship blooms as the magic of the woods starts to unwind them, and they spend long hours by the campfire talking about art, being stuck, and the idea of starting over. But woods are often filled with monsters, and Teddy and Gretchen will have to face their fears if they want to start over together.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 2025
172 people are currently reading
15623 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Holiday
31 books1,761 followersJenny Holiday is a USA Today-bestselling and RITA®-nominated author whose books have been featured in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, and Buzzfeed. She grew up in Minnesota and started writing at age nine when her fourth-grade teacher gave her a notebook to fill with stories. When she's not working on her next book, she likes to hang out with her family, watch other people sing karaoke, and throw theme parties. Jenny lives in London, Ontario, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 645 reviews
January 8, 2025
Into the Woods by Jenny Holiday
Contemporary romance, romcom.
Gretchen is done with dating apps. Done with dating. Her 40th birthday is coming up and
she’s going to focus on her business. Become a crone. She agrees to spend two weeks mentoring dance at a summer camp. There she meets Teddy Knight, recently broken up with his band. He’s kinda hot but their sparks are more antagonistic than friendly. Gretchen is fine with that. She doesn’t care about men.
Until they have a good day together. Maybe they can scratch an itch. Just the one time….
Super fun. Dual narration by Kit Swann and Teddy Hamilton.
Don’t miss this one! Great romance as they both come to terms with life changes.
🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The audiobook is fully integrated so conversations are by both Kit Swann and Teddy Hamilton. They also do their own chapter POV but continue dual conversations. The best type of dual narration! You can’t help paying attention and staying involved. Plus, Teddy Hamilton! Both narrators also do a fantastic job with emotions.
One top of a great romance, the audiobook is a winner. I did speed up the playback to 1.5 to more closely match a Midwest conversation.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher HachetteAudio.
Contemporary romance, romcom.
Gretchen is done with dating apps. Done with dating. Her 40th birthday is coming up and
she’s going to focus on her business. Become a crone. She agrees to spend two weeks mentoring dance at a summer camp. There she meets Teddy Knight, recently broken up with his band. He’s kinda hot but their sparks are more antagonistic than friendly. Gretchen is fine with that. She doesn’t care about men.
Until they have a good day together. Maybe they can scratch an itch. Just the one time….
Super fun. Dual narration by Kit Swann and Teddy Hamilton.
Don’t miss this one! Great romance as they both come to terms with life changes.
🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The audiobook is fully integrated so conversations are by both Kit Swann and Teddy Hamilton. They also do their own chapter POV but continue dual conversations. The best type of dual narration! You can’t help paying attention and staying involved. Plus, Teddy Hamilton! Both narrators also do a fantastic job with emotions.
One top of a great romance, the audiobook is a winner. I did speed up the playback to 1.5 to more closely match a Midwest conversation.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher HachetteAudio.
January 12, 2025
This was ok, the romance could’ve had more chemistry, the ending was cute for them tho.
I liked seeing them both grow as people but I wasn’t too invested in the long run.
I liked seeing them both grow as people but I wasn’t too invested in the long run.
May 27, 2025
Just okay. The girl boss aspect was very cringy though.
January 25, 2025
The audiobook is incredible, It listens like if I was listening to a movie since the dialogue is both narrators!! We need all the audiobooks to be like this honestly!!
The book is cute! I liked our characters but I didn't enjoy them as a couple per say. The spice scenes were not for me I did cringe a couple of times. It's well written and I loved the time we spent at the summer camp and I wished we would have had more time there.
Overall it's really cute!! It is a bit more on the slower side for my liking but still a good read!
Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for an audio copy!! **All opinions are my own!**
The book is cute! I liked our characters but I didn't enjoy them as a couple per say. The spice scenes were not for me I did cringe a couple of times. It's well written and I loved the time we spent at the summer camp and I wished we would have had more time there.
Overall it's really cute!! It is a bit more on the slower side for my liking but still a good read!
Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for an audio copy!! **All opinions are my own!**
March 2, 2025
I wanted to like this book, but it was boring and lacked chemistry between the two main characters. Honestly, I didn't like any of the characters in this book, maybe Teddy? Why is a rock stars name Teddy. I like the author, so i kinda feel bad saying all this.
January 16, 2025
Great banter, awesome setting, interesting side characters and some heat.
I loved this one and cannot wait to discuss it at book club this month!
I loved this one and cannot wait to discuss it at book club this month!
March 1, 2025
4.5⭐️
This was so cute! Summer camp, grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers - what more could you ask for in a romance!
I loved the connection between the two main characters, and extra loved the snippets into their specialties (dance and music).
This was so cute! Summer camp, grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers - what more could you ask for in a romance!
I loved the connection between the two main characters, and extra loved the snippets into their specialties (dance and music).
December 1, 2024
I’ve read several Jenny Holiday books and totally fell for her 2024 release- 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. Her upcoming release, 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝗪𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒 (pub 01.07) is even better. Thank you to @readforeverpub Forever Grand Central and Netgalley for the early copy.
𝗪𝐇𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝗪𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐄:
- Set in MN. Love love love. But, no one would fly from Mpls to Duluth if they were local to the Twin Cities.
- Contemporary romance with heft
- Camp setting but with more focus on the adults than kids.
- Teddy Knight - Just left his longtime band and is looking to start over as a songwriter.
- Gretchen has run a successful dance studio in a strip mall and is taking a plunge into larger entrepreneurial pursuits.
- Loved that they are in their late 30s/early 40s
- Each of them are working towards getting “unstuck” and next steps in life- alone and together.
- Commiserating over similar less-than-stellar childhoods.
- A bit of forced proximity.
- Made me laugh and made me swoon.
- Sexy & perfectly steamy 🍆🍆🍆
𝗪𝐇𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝗪𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐄:
- Set in MN. Love love love. But, no one would fly from Mpls to Duluth if they were local to the Twin Cities.
- Contemporary romance with heft
- Camp setting but with more focus on the adults than kids.
- Teddy Knight - Just left his longtime band and is looking to start over as a songwriter.
- Gretchen has run a successful dance studio in a strip mall and is taking a plunge into larger entrepreneurial pursuits.
- Loved that they are in their late 30s/early 40s
- Each of them are working towards getting “unstuck” and next steps in life- alone and together.
- Commiserating over similar less-than-stellar childhoods.
- A bit of forced proximity.
- Made me laugh and made me swoon.
- Sexy & perfectly steamy 🍆🍆🍆
December 2, 2024
I really tried to like this book, but it was so incredibly boring and there was absolutely no chemistry between the leads, so I finally gave up.
At almost halfway through and these two haven't even touched each other. They casually chat about nothing important and then they talked about their childhood trauma once, but that's it.
DNF at 39%
At almost halfway through and these two haven't even touched each other. They casually chat about nothing important and then they talked about their childhood trauma once, but that's it.
DNF at 39%
July 22, 2025
DNF’d @8%
This was literally so boring it couldn’t hold my attention. Teddy is honestly an asshole and I didn’t care to read about him anymore, I don’t care if he suddenly decides to be a better person i just couldn’t care less. Gretchen is annoying, and I found her boring as well.
Thankfully I chose to listen to the audiobook (i did think it was funny that Teddy Hamilton is reading for the character of Teddy), so I didn’t waste money on this or anything.
This was literally so boring it couldn’t hold my attention. Teddy is honestly an asshole and I didn’t care to read about him anymore, I don’t care if he suddenly decides to be a better person i just couldn’t care less. Gretchen is annoying, and I found her boring as well.
Thankfully I chose to listen to the audiobook (i did think it was funny that Teddy Hamilton is reading for the character of Teddy), so I didn’t waste money on this or anything.
January 4, 2025
3.5⭐️
Gretchen Miller has officially given up on finding love and has decided to devote all her energy into her work. When she is asked to be a mentor at an arts summer camp, she decides spending a summer in the woods is the perfect way to begin her new life. Teddy Knight’s band has broken up, so when his sister suggests he accept a mentorship at an arts camp, he decides it would be the perfect opportunity to work on his solo album. Gretchen and Teddy have an unexpected connection, and Gretchen decides that Teddy would make a perfect last fling before she swears off men forever.
I really enjoyed the summer camp setting of this book. Gretchen and Teddy’s stories were really emotional and I really loved their character development throughout the book. It was also really fun to get cameos from the main characters from Canadian Boyfriend. This was a sweet summer romance and I recommend it if you are looking for a romance with more mature (30s/40s) main characters.
What to expect:
💚 Romantic Comedy
💚 Dance Teacher x Rockstar
💚 Grumpy x Sunshine
💚 MCs in their 30s/40s
💚 Summer Camp Romance
Thank you to Jenny Holiday, HBG Canada and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Gretchen Miller has officially given up on finding love and has decided to devote all her energy into her work. When she is asked to be a mentor at an arts summer camp, she decides spending a summer in the woods is the perfect way to begin her new life. Teddy Knight’s band has broken up, so when his sister suggests he accept a mentorship at an arts camp, he decides it would be the perfect opportunity to work on his solo album. Gretchen and Teddy have an unexpected connection, and Gretchen decides that Teddy would make a perfect last fling before she swears off men forever.
I really enjoyed the summer camp setting of this book. Gretchen and Teddy’s stories were really emotional and I really loved their character development throughout the book. It was also really fun to get cameos from the main characters from Canadian Boyfriend. This was a sweet summer romance and I recommend it if you are looking for a romance with more mature (30s/40s) main characters.
What to expect:
💚 Romantic Comedy
💚 Dance Teacher x Rockstar
💚 Grumpy x Sunshine
💚 MCs in their 30s/40s
💚 Summer Camp Romance
Thank you to Jenny Holiday, HBG Canada and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 29, 2024
I really enjoyed this contemporary romance. I find that Jenny Holiday's writing really works for me. This is a standalone though the heroine's best friend is Rory for Boyfriend Material (which I also loved and can recommend).
Romances set at camp don't always work for me. Adults going back to the camp of their childhood is not really for me.
Here camp was more or less a convenient place out of the regular time and space for both MCs.
We have both Gretchen and Teddy going through kind of mid-life crisis, or least some major changes are happening in their personal and professional lives.
I genuinely liked them both. She was fierce and independent, turning 40 and no longer taking crap from anyone. Her anti-dating, giving up on men altogether was a bit much tough. Her mantra of becoming a crone got repeated one time too many. I understand she was trying to convince herself of something she was less and less convinced as the story progressed. Still, I found that it to be heavy handed and it got annoying.
I did like Teddy and appreciate the author showed this successful rockstar to be vulnerable, insecure, dealing with the trauma of his childhood.
There is a lot of focus on the difficult childhood both Gretchen and Teddy had and how it shaped them into the people they are as grown-ups.
The other central element in the story was about artistic creativity and inspiration or the lack of it and it was very interesting to read about.
The childhood trauma was closely connected with ||poverty|| and it made some chapters pretty dark but not overwhelming for me.
In the end, the romance had its perfect grand gesture and the artistic endeavours gave fruit and it was all perfect in an imperfect way.
CW: childhood neglect, poverty, rage /violence episode (off page),
Romances set at camp don't always work for me. Adults going back to the camp of their childhood is not really for me.
Here camp was more or less a convenient place out of the regular time and space for both MCs.
We have both Gretchen and Teddy going through kind of mid-life crisis, or least some major changes are happening in their personal and professional lives.
I genuinely liked them both. She was fierce and independent, turning 40 and no longer taking crap from anyone. Her anti-dating, giving up on men altogether was a bit much tough. Her mantra of becoming a crone got repeated one time too many. I understand she was trying to convince herself of something she was less and less convinced as the story progressed. Still, I found that it to be heavy handed and it got annoying.
I did like Teddy and appreciate the author showed this successful rockstar to be vulnerable, insecure, dealing with the trauma of his childhood.
There is a lot of focus on the difficult childhood both Gretchen and Teddy had and how it shaped them into the people they are as grown-ups.
The other central element in the story was about artistic creativity and inspiration or the lack of it and it was very interesting to read about.
The childhood trauma was closely connected with ||poverty|| and it made some chapters pretty dark but not overwhelming for me.
In the end, the romance had its perfect grand gesture and the artistic endeavours gave fruit and it was all perfect in an imperfect way.
CW: childhood neglect, poverty, rage /violence episode (off page),
December 25, 2024
(4.25/5) Into The Woods is EXACTLY what I needed in between fantasy worlds — this book was funny, charming, and sweet.
- eARC & ALC review -
Pub date: Jan 7, 2025
What to expect:
⛺️ Contemporary romance
⛺️ 1st person, dual POV
⛺️ Dance instructor x rockstar
⛺️ BANTER
⛺️ Self growth
⛺️ Grumpy x sunshine
⛺️ “Older” characters (FMC - 40, MMC - 35)
Gretchen, our FMC, is DONE with men after one too many failed dates. She’s having a bit of an (early) mid life crisis as she’s about to expand her dance studio. What better way to run away from life than escaping into the Minnesota woods as a counselor at an artsy camp. You know who’s also running away and joining Gretchen as a fellow counselor? Teddy, our grumpy rockstar whose band recently broke up. Maybe Gretchen hasn’t completely sworn off men… or maybe it’s just a summer fling.
This book is such a snack — it was lighthearted (even though it touches on serious topics like child neglect) and funny. I also loved the banter between these two characters, and I’m a SUCKER for a grumpy x sunshine dynamic.
The ALC (duet narration) was AMAZING — Teddy Hamilton and Kit Swann do a phenomenal job at bringing these characters to life. I highly, highly recommend the audiobook. The humor in this book may not resonate with some readers, especially given the characters’ ages, but I believe the audiobook is ultimately what sold me.
- eARC & ALC review -
Pub date: Jan 7, 2025
What to expect:
⛺️ Contemporary romance
⛺️ 1st person, dual POV
⛺️ Dance instructor x rockstar
⛺️ BANTER
⛺️ Self growth
⛺️ Grumpy x sunshine
⛺️ “Older” characters (FMC - 40, MMC - 35)
Gretchen, our FMC, is DONE with men after one too many failed dates. She’s having a bit of an (early) mid life crisis as she’s about to expand her dance studio. What better way to run away from life than escaping into the Minnesota woods as a counselor at an artsy camp. You know who’s also running away and joining Gretchen as a fellow counselor? Teddy, our grumpy rockstar whose band recently broke up. Maybe Gretchen hasn’t completely sworn off men… or maybe it’s just a summer fling.
This book is such a snack — it was lighthearted (even though it touches on serious topics like child neglect) and funny. I also loved the banter between these two characters, and I’m a SUCKER for a grumpy x sunshine dynamic.
The ALC (duet narration) was AMAZING — Teddy Hamilton and Kit Swann do a phenomenal job at bringing these characters to life. I highly, highly recommend the audiobook. The humor in this book may not resonate with some readers, especially given the characters’ ages, but I believe the audiobook is ultimately what sold me.
January 12, 2025
Into The Woods by Jenny Holiday is now the second book of hers that I've fallen in love with! I'm simply obsessed with her writing!
-enemies to lovers trope
-spice in all the right places
-dancer meets rock star
-mid-life crisis based (with self growth and wisdom only age can provide)
-self aware and sex positive
-summer camp meets Dirty Dancing vibes
Can I tell you how I ate up Gretchen's mid-life crisis!? It was incredibly refreshing to read all the truth nuggets for us readers also in our mid-life crisis era (here's looking at you 40's!)! Gretchen is a bad-ass! She's a self-aware, feminist who refuses to let societal norms define her! Her and Teddy's relationship developed so organically, and it was super refreshing to read!
This audiobook gets all the stars - Teddy Hamilton and Kit Swann nailed these characters perfectly! A swoony male voice rasped in my ear, while a sexy female voice took center stage, constantly demanding attention! Obviously, this narration being performed in the best possible way was just the icing on the cake; no matter who's POV it was, that narrator voiced their character's dialog! (And I think Holiday is onto something with her audiobooks! Joshua Jackson narrated Mike for Canadian Boyfriend, and Teddy Hamilton narrated Teddy for Into The Woods!)
Holiday, you're now an auto-read author - five amazing stars all day long!!!
(This book is a standalone, but it takes place in the same universe as Canadian Boyfriend, with Rory from that book and Gretchen from this book being best friends! I loved the glimpse back into Rory and Mike's world, and I love when authors allow readers to reconnect with their past characters!)
Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Hachette Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.
-enemies to lovers trope
-spice in all the right places
-dancer meets rock star
-mid-life crisis based (with self growth and wisdom only age can provide)
-self aware and sex positive
-summer camp meets Dirty Dancing vibes
Can I tell you how I ate up Gretchen's mid-life crisis!? It was incredibly refreshing to read all the truth nuggets for us readers also in our mid-life crisis era (here's looking at you 40's!)! Gretchen is a bad-ass! She's a self-aware, feminist who refuses to let societal norms define her! Her and Teddy's relationship developed so organically, and it was super refreshing to read!
This audiobook gets all the stars - Teddy Hamilton and Kit Swann nailed these characters perfectly! A swoony male voice rasped in my ear, while a sexy female voice took center stage, constantly demanding attention! Obviously, this narration being performed in the best possible way was just the icing on the cake; no matter who's POV it was, that narrator voiced their character's dialog! (And I think Holiday is onto something with her audiobooks! Joshua Jackson narrated Mike for Canadian Boyfriend, and Teddy Hamilton narrated Teddy for Into The Woods!)
Holiday, you're now an auto-read author - five amazing stars all day long!!!
(This book is a standalone, but it takes place in the same universe as Canadian Boyfriend, with Rory from that book and Gretchen from this book being best friends! I loved the glimpse back into Rory and Mike's world, and I love when authors allow readers to reconnect with their past characters!)
Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Hachette Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.
December 24, 2024
First I want to say a big Thank you to NetGalley & Forever Publishing for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This is my second Jenny Holiday book. And I think I have to just call it with her books. I wasn’t a fan of the first book in this series, “Canadian Boyfriend”. And sadly “Into the Woods” also was extremely lacking. Which is horribly disappointing because the premise sounded right up my alley but unfortunately the execution wasn’t there.
Now even though I almost DNF’d this book multiple times. There was one redeeming quality that kept me going. Freaking Teddy! I love his character and his story arc so much. Unfortunately his love interest Gretchen just didn’t do it for me. I couldn’t relate to her and at times she felt way too whiny. Also the relationship between felt forced and I just wasn’t feeling any chemistry between them.
Overall, even though this book wasn’t for me I’d still recommend it. This book is a quick easy light read perfect for summer time.
This is my second Jenny Holiday book. And I think I have to just call it with her books. I wasn’t a fan of the first book in this series, “Canadian Boyfriend”. And sadly “Into the Woods” also was extremely lacking. Which is horribly disappointing because the premise sounded right up my alley but unfortunately the execution wasn’t there.
Now even though I almost DNF’d this book multiple times. There was one redeeming quality that kept me going. Freaking Teddy! I love his character and his story arc so much. Unfortunately his love interest Gretchen just didn’t do it for me. I couldn’t relate to her and at times she felt way too whiny. Also the relationship between felt forced and I just wasn’t feeling any chemistry between them.
Overall, even though this book wasn’t for me I’d still recommend it. This book is a quick easy light read perfect for summer time.
January 4, 2025
This was an ARC I won from the author in a Facebook contest (!) I know, right? My opinions are my own.
Gretchen Miller is a self-proclaimed badass, and she's not lying. After growing up with financial instability, food insecurities and a lot of general uncertainness due to her father's unpredictability, she became determined never to have to depend on anyone ever again and started earning and saving her own money as a teenager, squirrelling it away for a future project. That project became a dance studio for kids, known as "Miss Miller's from Minnetonka". Recently, about to turn 40, she's decided to "expand her empire", and is in the process of buying a second building, intending to expand to yoga and pilates classes. She has also decided that she is DONE with men, after years of disappointing deadbeat boyfriends and terrible Tinder dates.
Gretchen doesn't really have time to take a whole month off from expanding her business, but to help out a friend of a friend, she agrees to mentor kids at a summer camp in the woods. Being away from civilisation and with limited cell service will hopefully help with her "man cleanse" and further her ambitions of "becoming a crone".
Tennyson "Teddy" Knight agreed to take a job at the same summer camp without even realising it was going to involve teenagers (he didn't read the fine print). He just needed to get away after the dramatic breakup of his band, where he became tabloid fodder after trashing a hotel room. Teddy's not really an outdoorsy person, doesn't know anything about how to relate to teenagers and is generally a grumpy misanthrope. However, time away from tabloid attention and the opportunity to work on a revenge album sounds good to him.
To begin with, Gretchen pegs Teddy as an entitled asshole because he mistook her for an overenthusiastic fan when they first met and did not behave graciously, while Teddy finds Gretchen annoying and far too perky. Her worldview seems to be the exact opposite of his. With cabins right next to each other in the woods, and a lot of time on their hands, they develop a tentative friendship as the days go by, and discover that they have a lot more in common than they would have imagined at first. Taking on board the idea of temporary camp friendships, they seem able to be open to one another about a lot of stuff they've never really told anyone else about.
All the talking furthers the mutual attraction between them, and after about twelve hours lost in the woods together, Gretchen decides to ask Teddy to be her "last hurrah", one last fling before she embraces her crone status and gives up men and dating forever. Since they agree that it's purely physical and has a set end date when Gretchen leaves the camp, neither of them has hangups about a lot of the stuff that's complicated dating for them in the past. Of course, when it's time for Gretchen to actually leave and return to her real life, it turns out that neither of them are happy with the never seeing each other again plan.
Gretchen Miller was introduced in Jenny Holiday's previous romance, Canadian Boyfriend, where she was the boss and best friend of protagonist Rory (who is now heavily pregnant, yet still a very supportive best friend). I liked Gretchen as a supporting character and even more as a protagonist in her own right. She really is a badass, and a very accomplished woman, who unfortunately has gotten so used to taking care of herself and her very structured plans for her life that she's unable to see that she may need others to take care of her occasionally as well, and that being flexible and allowing the possibility of change might be just as healthy, if not more, than having your future plans set in stone.
Teddy begins the book as quite a mess, both professionally and as a person. Having been the bassist and co-writer in a major touring rock band since his late teens, he's not really sure who he is as a person now that his band has broken up, and he's on the outs with his former best friend. He has a ton of unresolved issues because of an even more unstable and shittier childhood than Gretchen, and he starts out being angry, resentful and behaving less than great with the people around him. A month in the woods at camp turns out to be great for him, and working with teenagers and other artists makes him have some personal epiphanies and forces him to reevaluate a lot of things. His plans for a revenge album fall by the wayside pretty quickly and for the first few weeks, he seems unable to write or compose anything at all. Confronting a lot of unresolved feelings about his past also allows him to grow closer to his sister, who clearly has a lot of emotional baggage of her own because of their mother's neglect.
I listened to this in audio, and like Canadian Boyfriend, this is a duet narration, where each performer reads the dialogue and action of their character across all chapters and sections, as well as those of characters of the same gender. The narrators, Teddy Hamilton and Kit Swann did an excellent job. I really hope more romance audio books use this style of narration, it makes the story so much more immersive and I felt I got closer to each of the characters this way.
Into the Woods was a great start to my reading year. Winning it in a Facebook giveaway was a wonderful holiday surprise (especially since I had been rejected for the ARC through NetGalley the week before). It will be released on Tuesday the 7th of January and is well worth your time.
Judging a book by its cover: Leni Kaufman has yet again made a lovely and very cosy cover for this romance, although if I were to nitpick (and I will), there are no tents involved in this summer camp experience. Everyone lives in cabins.
Gretchen Miller is a self-proclaimed badass, and she's not lying. After growing up with financial instability, food insecurities and a lot of general uncertainness due to her father's unpredictability, she became determined never to have to depend on anyone ever again and started earning and saving her own money as a teenager, squirrelling it away for a future project. That project became a dance studio for kids, known as "Miss Miller's from Minnetonka". Recently, about to turn 40, she's decided to "expand her empire", and is in the process of buying a second building, intending to expand to yoga and pilates classes. She has also decided that she is DONE with men, after years of disappointing deadbeat boyfriends and terrible Tinder dates.
Gretchen doesn't really have time to take a whole month off from expanding her business, but to help out a friend of a friend, she agrees to mentor kids at a summer camp in the woods. Being away from civilisation and with limited cell service will hopefully help with her "man cleanse" and further her ambitions of "becoming a crone".
Tennyson "Teddy" Knight agreed to take a job at the same summer camp without even realising it was going to involve teenagers (he didn't read the fine print). He just needed to get away after the dramatic breakup of his band, where he became tabloid fodder after trashing a hotel room. Teddy's not really an outdoorsy person, doesn't know anything about how to relate to teenagers and is generally a grumpy misanthrope. However, time away from tabloid attention and the opportunity to work on a revenge album sounds good to him.
To begin with, Gretchen pegs Teddy as an entitled asshole because he mistook her for an overenthusiastic fan when they first met and did not behave graciously, while Teddy finds Gretchen annoying and far too perky. Her worldview seems to be the exact opposite of his. With cabins right next to each other in the woods, and a lot of time on their hands, they develop a tentative friendship as the days go by, and discover that they have a lot more in common than they would have imagined at first. Taking on board the idea of temporary camp friendships, they seem able to be open to one another about a lot of stuff they've never really told anyone else about.
All the talking furthers the mutual attraction between them, and after about twelve hours lost in the woods together, Gretchen decides to ask Teddy to be her "last hurrah", one last fling before she embraces her crone status and gives up men and dating forever. Since they agree that it's purely physical and has a set end date when Gretchen leaves the camp, neither of them has hangups about a lot of the stuff that's complicated dating for them in the past. Of course, when it's time for Gretchen to actually leave and return to her real life, it turns out that neither of them are happy with the never seeing each other again plan.
Gretchen Miller was introduced in Jenny Holiday's previous romance, Canadian Boyfriend, where she was the boss and best friend of protagonist Rory (who is now heavily pregnant, yet still a very supportive best friend). I liked Gretchen as a supporting character and even more as a protagonist in her own right. She really is a badass, and a very accomplished woman, who unfortunately has gotten so used to taking care of herself and her very structured plans for her life that she's unable to see that she may need others to take care of her occasionally as well, and that being flexible and allowing the possibility of change might be just as healthy, if not more, than having your future plans set in stone.
Teddy begins the book as quite a mess, both professionally and as a person. Having been the bassist and co-writer in a major touring rock band since his late teens, he's not really sure who he is as a person now that his band has broken up, and he's on the outs with his former best friend. He has a ton of unresolved issues because of an even more unstable and shittier childhood than Gretchen, and he starts out being angry, resentful and behaving less than great with the people around him. A month in the woods at camp turns out to be great for him, and working with teenagers and other artists makes him have some personal epiphanies and forces him to reevaluate a lot of things. His plans for a revenge album fall by the wayside pretty quickly and for the first few weeks, he seems unable to write or compose anything at all. Confronting a lot of unresolved feelings about his past also allows him to grow closer to his sister, who clearly has a lot of emotional baggage of her own because of their mother's neglect.
I listened to this in audio, and like Canadian Boyfriend, this is a duet narration, where each performer reads the dialogue and action of their character across all chapters and sections, as well as those of characters of the same gender. The narrators, Teddy Hamilton and Kit Swann did an excellent job. I really hope more romance audio books use this style of narration, it makes the story so much more immersive and I felt I got closer to each of the characters this way.
Into the Woods was a great start to my reading year. Winning it in a Facebook giveaway was a wonderful holiday surprise (especially since I had been rejected for the ARC through NetGalley the week before). It will be released on Tuesday the 7th of January and is well worth your time.
Judging a book by its cover: Leni Kaufman has yet again made a lovely and very cosy cover for this romance, although if I were to nitpick (and I will), there are no tents involved in this summer camp experience. Everyone lives in cabins.
January 25, 2025
3.75⭐️
This was so cute! It was a really easy and quick romance. I listened to it on audio and loved the duet narration. This would be a great summer read because of the summer camp setting. I wish there had been a bit more romantic tension between Gretchen and Teddy before the initial hook up but I enjoyed them as a couple. They had a sweet and supportive relationship. The third act “conflict” was pretty weak and I feel like it didn’t need to be included at all.
I still really liked this and will definitely continue to pick up Jenny Holiday’s romances, especially on audio!
This was so cute! It was a really easy and quick romance. I listened to it on audio and loved the duet narration. This would be a great summer read because of the summer camp setting. I wish there had been a bit more romantic tension between Gretchen and Teddy before the initial hook up but I enjoyed them as a couple. They had a sweet and supportive relationship. The third act “conflict” was pretty weak and I feel like it didn’t need to be included at all.
I still really liked this and will definitely continue to pick up Jenny Holiday’s romances, especially on audio!
July 16, 2025
DNF 57%
I wanted to love this but it was so boring that I was nodding off everytime I picked this up. After 4 days of eyes glazing and impromptu naps I’ve decided to call it quits.
I wanted to love this but it was so boring that I was nodding off everytime I picked this up. After 4 days of eyes glazing and impromptu naps I’ve decided to call it quits.
December 16, 2024
Thank you so much NetGalley & Hachette Audio for allowing me access to this delightful ALC!
Into The Woods is my first Jenny Holiday's book and it won't be my last! It will be released on January 7th and you all should add this to your TBR to beat the Jan blues!
Gretchen Miller, a fiercely independent dance instructor, heads to Camp Wild Arts for a summer of fresh air and no dating drama. Her plans are upended when she meets Teddy Knight, a grumpy yet irresistible rockstar reeling from his band's public breakup. What starts as a wary friendship ignites into a secret summer fling, leaving Gretchen to decide if their campfire chemistry can survive the real world.
I absolutely fell in love with Kit Swann’s narration—she brought the character to life like no one else could! It was so fun and engaging that I literally had to pause what I was doing; it felt like listening to one of those voice notes your best friend sends on WhatsApp. She made the story feel so personal and close, it was insane!
And Teddy Hamilton? Swoon. His deep, velvety voice is everything! He’s such a staple in the romance audiobook world, and he delivers every single time. Together, these two narrators made this story unforgettable!
Into The Woods is my first Jenny Holiday's book and it won't be my last! It will be released on January 7th and you all should add this to your TBR to beat the Jan blues!
Gretchen Miller, a fiercely independent dance instructor, heads to Camp Wild Arts for a summer of fresh air and no dating drama. Her plans are upended when she meets Teddy Knight, a grumpy yet irresistible rockstar reeling from his band's public breakup. What starts as a wary friendship ignites into a secret summer fling, leaving Gretchen to decide if their campfire chemistry can survive the real world.
I absolutely fell in love with Kit Swann’s narration—she brought the character to life like no one else could! It was so fun and engaging that I literally had to pause what I was doing; it felt like listening to one of those voice notes your best friend sends on WhatsApp. She made the story feel so personal and close, it was insane!
And Teddy Hamilton? Swoon. His deep, velvety voice is everything! He’s such a staple in the romance audiobook world, and he delivers every single time. Together, these two narrators made this story unforgettable!
January 25, 2025
One for the story, one star for Teddy Knight
in all seriousness, this book had a loooooooot of telling and very little showing, which really took me out of the story. After the first half I got bored and didn’t really care how it ended
in all seriousness, this book had a loooooooot of telling and very little showing, which really took me out of the story. After the first half I got bored and didn’t really care how it ended
January 18, 2025
The writing felt a bit clunky and at times the dialogue between Teddy and Gretchen gave me the ick.
January 17, 2025
Thank you Forever for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
Last Winter, I loved Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday so I was very excited to continue on in that world. I thought that book was clever, sexy, fun and just the right amount of emotional. I had a completely different experience with Into the Woods. I would say the Romance is the secondary plot line and the A plot is definitely more about the individual characters finding love and artistic fulfillment later in life.
I liked it. The last 25-30% of the book made up for the second act being lack luster. But it sadly won’t be a new favorite of mine.
Synopsis:
“Gretchen Miller is a bit of a badass. But even badasses get the blues when it comes to romance, and Gretchen could use a break from dating. So, when she gets the offer to be the summer dance instructor at Camp Wild Arts, she leaps at the chance to embrace clean air, nature, and her inner crone. But every forest has pests—and the biggest one at Wild Arts is none other than Tennyson “Teddy” Knight, the A) arrogant, B) infuriating, C) kinda hot if it weren’t for A & B rockstar who happens to be Gretchen’s fellow artist-in-residence.Fresh off his band's epic and ultra-public breakup, Teddy's grouchier than a black bear in spring, and Gretchen is happy to ignore the unexpected heat she feels around him. Yet a wary friendship blooms, and before she knows it, Gretchen finds herself sneaking around to have one last summer fling with the broody musician before she swears off men for good. But as they grow closer, Gretchen has to figure out if she's ready to take this summer camp romance out of the woods and into real life.”
What I Liked:
The Focus on Artistic Fulfillment—This is something I identify with deeply, especially pivoting careers and allowing yourself to grow outside of what you feel is expected of you. I thought this was handled very beautifully and will resonate with a lot of people.
Older FMC—It’s refreshing to find romances with older characters. In this book, they are 39 and 35. I found my partner as a teenager, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t had to grow together and communicate in different ways. I think it’s a nice change to read about people who aren’t in their twenties.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
Rockstar MMC—I just don’t like this trope. It’s not a huge aspect of this book, but I don’t know. Just not my vibe!
Repetitive Plot—Points seemed to be made over and over again.
Pacing—The second act of this book didn’t work for me. The chapters were also on the long side, making it hard to pick up and read throughout the day because I didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of one.
Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 3/5
Content Warnings:
abandonment, misogyny, toxic relationship
Last Winter, I loved Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday so I was very excited to continue on in that world. I thought that book was clever, sexy, fun and just the right amount of emotional. I had a completely different experience with Into the Woods. I would say the Romance is the secondary plot line and the A plot is definitely more about the individual characters finding love and artistic fulfillment later in life.
I liked it. The last 25-30% of the book made up for the second act being lack luster. But it sadly won’t be a new favorite of mine.
Synopsis:
“Gretchen Miller is a bit of a badass. But even badasses get the blues when it comes to romance, and Gretchen could use a break from dating. So, when she gets the offer to be the summer dance instructor at Camp Wild Arts, she leaps at the chance to embrace clean air, nature, and her inner crone. But every forest has pests—and the biggest one at Wild Arts is none other than Tennyson “Teddy” Knight, the A) arrogant, B) infuriating, C) kinda hot if it weren’t for A & B rockstar who happens to be Gretchen’s fellow artist-in-residence.Fresh off his band's epic and ultra-public breakup, Teddy's grouchier than a black bear in spring, and Gretchen is happy to ignore the unexpected heat she feels around him. Yet a wary friendship blooms, and before she knows it, Gretchen finds herself sneaking around to have one last summer fling with the broody musician before she swears off men for good. But as they grow closer, Gretchen has to figure out if she's ready to take this summer camp romance out of the woods and into real life.”
What I Liked:
The Focus on Artistic Fulfillment—This is something I identify with deeply, especially pivoting careers and allowing yourself to grow outside of what you feel is expected of you. I thought this was handled very beautifully and will resonate with a lot of people.
Older FMC—It’s refreshing to find romances with older characters. In this book, they are 39 and 35. I found my partner as a teenager, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t had to grow together and communicate in different ways. I think it’s a nice change to read about people who aren’t in their twenties.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
Rockstar MMC—I just don’t like this trope. It’s not a huge aspect of this book, but I don’t know. Just not my vibe!
Repetitive Plot—Points seemed to be made over and over again.
Pacing—The second act of this book didn’t work for me. The chapters were also on the long side, making it hard to pick up and read throughout the day because I didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of one.
Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 3/5
Content Warnings:
abandonment, misogyny, toxic relationship
June 10, 2025
This is a book for all of you who have been on some really bad Tinder dates but also those of you who have been lucky enough to find the LOTL in the wild.
Gretchen has called it quits on the dating world. Mr. Right isn’t out there and she’s tired of looking. She’s been the architect and total badass of her own life and doesn’t have time for the disappointments and complexes the world of online dating is trying to dish out. She decided from a young age due to many unfavourable circumstances she would find a career and be her own boss and be financially comfortable. Having a man by her side would be the icing on the cake but it hasn’t happened and she’s tired of trying to find a man to do life with. She decides on one last date then she’ll call it quits. Per routine it’s a disaster of monumental quality. She then gets a call from her best friend about an artists retreat that will change everything.
Teddy fresh from the break up of his band is lost. He’ll stay with his sister for the summer and regroup. Teddy’s sister gets news of an artists retreat. She thinks it’ll be perfect for Teddy to do his regrouping there so she encourages him to go.
The push and pull of Gretchen and Teddy is so electric. Initially they are so standoffish with each other due to their poor first meeting but then with some liquid courage Gretchen spills all her life secrets and they become “camp friends”. They had such similar challenges in their young lives they mesh so seamlessly but can their camp friend situation exist in the real world too?
Gretchen’s life on the dating apps is such a perfect description to what it’s really like out there. It can be so soul sucking and heart breaking to go on date after date and face the very real possibilities of rejection and disappointment. It’s hard to keep going not finding what you seek time and time again. Don’t loose faith friends. There could be a perfect match for you in the woods too 🩷
#booksbooksbooks #books #readingisfun #readinglover #camping #intothewoods #romance
Gretchen has called it quits on the dating world. Mr. Right isn’t out there and she’s tired of looking. She’s been the architect and total badass of her own life and doesn’t have time for the disappointments and complexes the world of online dating is trying to dish out. She decided from a young age due to many unfavourable circumstances she would find a career and be her own boss and be financially comfortable. Having a man by her side would be the icing on the cake but it hasn’t happened and she’s tired of trying to find a man to do life with. She decides on one last date then she’ll call it quits. Per routine it’s a disaster of monumental quality. She then gets a call from her best friend about an artists retreat that will change everything.
Teddy fresh from the break up of his band is lost. He’ll stay with his sister for the summer and regroup. Teddy’s sister gets news of an artists retreat. She thinks it’ll be perfect for Teddy to do his regrouping there so she encourages him to go.
The push and pull of Gretchen and Teddy is so electric. Initially they are so standoffish with each other due to their poor first meeting but then with some liquid courage Gretchen spills all her life secrets and they become “camp friends”. They had such similar challenges in their young lives they mesh so seamlessly but can their camp friend situation exist in the real world too?
Gretchen’s life on the dating apps is such a perfect description to what it’s really like out there. It can be so soul sucking and heart breaking to go on date after date and face the very real possibilities of rejection and disappointment. It’s hard to keep going not finding what you seek time and time again. Don’t loose faith friends. There could be a perfect match for you in the woods too 🩷
#booksbooksbooks #books #readingisfun #readinglover #camping #intothewoods #romance
January 5, 2025
Loved loved loved this.
This was a much deeper book than I was expecting. It wasn't heavy, but just deep. I feel like every woman has had a Gretchen moment where turning into a crone is a much better option than continuing down the dating road with the ways that it is. I also think that every person has had a Teddy moment where the demons of our pasts have come and reared their heads as an adult and the struggle to beat them and not let them control us. We all want to do better than we had it and both Teddy and Gretchen having similar childhoods allowed them to bond and connect even if it was just a "summer camp romance."
Watching Teddy connect with one of his camp kids made the whole rockstar persona vulnrable and relateable. Watching Gretchen going after her dreams and realizing that dreams change and that's okay is a lesson I wish I had learned earlier in life. The fact that both of them were dealing with these "mid-life crisis'" and are in their mid-30s and Gretchen turning 40 (I'm turning 40 in April) was honestly exactly what I needed to read at this moment. It's funny how books find you when you need them most. Even silly rom-coms.
I loved Canadian Boyfriend and the fact that Rory played a big part in this (with a little bit of Mike) really was a pleasant surprise since this is a standalone and you in no way need to read Canadian Boyfriend before you read this (even though you should because it's a great book).
Jenny has a way of making these cutsey rom-coms have a much deeper message and showing the struggles and effort that goes into not just love, but life also.
💚 Romantic Comedy
💚 Dance Teacher x Rockstar
💚 Grumpy x Sunshine
💚 MCs in their 30s/40s
💚Mid-Life Crisis/Starting Over
💚 Summer Camp Romance
Thank you, NetGalley, Jenny Holiday, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC.
This was a much deeper book than I was expecting. It wasn't heavy, but just deep. I feel like every woman has had a Gretchen moment where turning into a crone is a much better option than continuing down the dating road with the ways that it is. I also think that every person has had a Teddy moment where the demons of our pasts have come and reared their heads as an adult and the struggle to beat them and not let them control us. We all want to do better than we had it and both Teddy and Gretchen having similar childhoods allowed them to bond and connect even if it was just a "summer camp romance."
Watching Teddy connect with one of his camp kids made the whole rockstar persona vulnrable and relateable. Watching Gretchen going after her dreams and realizing that dreams change and that's okay is a lesson I wish I had learned earlier in life. The fact that both of them were dealing with these "mid-life crisis'" and are in their mid-30s and Gretchen turning 40 (I'm turning 40 in April) was honestly exactly what I needed to read at this moment. It's funny how books find you when you need them most. Even silly rom-coms.
I loved Canadian Boyfriend and the fact that Rory played a big part in this (with a little bit of Mike) really was a pleasant surprise since this is a standalone and you in no way need to read Canadian Boyfriend before you read this (even though you should because it's a great book).
Jenny has a way of making these cutsey rom-coms have a much deeper message and showing the struggles and effort that goes into not just love, but life also.
💚 Romantic Comedy
💚 Dance Teacher x Rockstar
💚 Grumpy x Sunshine
💚 MCs in their 30s/40s
💚Mid-Life Crisis/Starting Over
💚 Summer Camp Romance
Thank you, NetGalley, Jenny Holiday, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC.
May 5, 2025
Jenny Holiday has written several enjoyable contemporary romances with heat and heart, some of which have ended up on my ‘best of the year’ lists, such as Infamous and One and Only. The premise of her latest latest release, Into the Woods, appealed to me; the leads are helpers at a kids’ summer camp, acting as mentors in their artistic field of choice. In close quarters under time-limited circumstances, this is a forced proximity romance where emotions run high – but turning that into a real world romance is the dilemma here for progatnoists Gretchen and Teddy.
Gretchen Miller, a dance teacher who runs her own studio, is looking towards the future. It’s one where she doesn’t care anymore about men and she’s expanded her dance studio to a bigger and better location offering more than just children’s dance routines. Her last big almost-fling was a failed one-night stand with a rock star which made her delete all her dating apps permanently. When the opportunity arises to spend a month as a dance teacher at a Northern Minnesota summer camp as a replacement for a friend of a friend, it sounds like the perfect chance to get away before the busy fall season and her move to her new studio. It will be a break, a real break, and give her a chance to start anew.
Rock star Teddy Knight’s band has just broken up, a long needed but still painful occurrence. Determined to try out the solo career he’s always wanted, the opportunity to hide out in the woods at a summer camp where he can work on his own music sounds perfect, even if the ‘artist in residence’ duties he’s supposed to fulfill as part of the contract aren’t that clear. And while his sister is actually the person responsible for his being there, filling in for another person who’d had to pull out at the last minute, he’s determined to put this ‘me’ time to good use.
Hot muggy weather, mosquitoes, no air conditioning in the cabins – exactly what one night expect at a summer camp in the woods. For Teddy though, it’s not his ideal vacation. From the get go, it’s clear he’s out of his element and hasn’t bothered to read the brochure about what he’s getting into. Plus, he’s been picturing a sort of band camp for adults, not mentoring artistic teenagers. Mr. Grumpy to Gretchen’s Miss Sunshine, they definitely don’t hit it off right away, especially since Gretchen realizes that Teddy belongs to the same band as the jerk she’d almost had her failed one night stand with. But as time goes by, the two become friends and then more as they start to reveal secrets and dreams. With a specific end-date, Gretchen is able to rekindle her ‘one last fling’ idea with Teddy. But when the month is over, will it really be so easy to say goodbye?
Gretchen’s experiences with men have definitely given her a pessimistic view of dating and relationships, and much of the beginning of the story is taken up with her inner thoughts about this, such that when she meets Teddy, it’s no wonder she takes an instant dislike to him. But her attitude softens over time as she comes to understand him better. Teddy, for his part, has a reputation that paints him in a bad light (a recently trashed hotel room which he regrets and is extremely embarrassed about), and his attitude towards Gretchen and the camp in general (as well as the role of mentor) is poor at the start.
What made the story enjoyable for me was seeing them both open up to each other, and how Teddy’s character takes a turn for the better as he becomes involved with the students and goes from doing the bare minimum to figuring out ways to help them succeed, especially one very talented musician whom he can see having a real future in music. Gretchen and Teddy’s attraction to each other is one that develops as they get to know each other and leads to some sexy scenes and intimate moments. But a camp boyfriend/girlfriend isn’t for the long haul and when it’s Gretchen’s time to leave (as she’s only staying for one session, not two), she thinks it’s something she’ll be able to put behind her, while Teddy begins to realize that without Gretchen at the camp it isn’t nearly as fun as when she’d been there with him. Bringing their romance out of the woods and into the future is going to take some compromises and hard work, but in the end they are happier for it.
If you’ve ever been to a summer camp or a getaway as a teenager or young adult, you’ll know the feeling of cramming as much into the limited time as you can and the heightened emotions that go with it. What Gretchen and Teddy were going through felt very familiar to me, even though they are older (and theoretically wiser) – but that’s what makes the forced proximity trope so popular. If the idea of adults at camp looking deep into themselves and discovering their passions combined with a slow burn romance appeals to you, I think you’ll enjoy this one. Oh, and of note, while this isn’t part of a series officially (or at least as far as I can tell), it takes place after the author’s previous release Canadian Boyfriend and the two main female characters from it and Into the Woods are best friends.
This review also appears at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
Gretchen Miller, a dance teacher who runs her own studio, is looking towards the future. It’s one where she doesn’t care anymore about men and she’s expanded her dance studio to a bigger and better location offering more than just children’s dance routines. Her last big almost-fling was a failed one-night stand with a rock star which made her delete all her dating apps permanently. When the opportunity arises to spend a month as a dance teacher at a Northern Minnesota summer camp as a replacement for a friend of a friend, it sounds like the perfect chance to get away before the busy fall season and her move to her new studio. It will be a break, a real break, and give her a chance to start anew.
Rock star Teddy Knight’s band has just broken up, a long needed but still painful occurrence. Determined to try out the solo career he’s always wanted, the opportunity to hide out in the woods at a summer camp where he can work on his own music sounds perfect, even if the ‘artist in residence’ duties he’s supposed to fulfill as part of the contract aren’t that clear. And while his sister is actually the person responsible for his being there, filling in for another person who’d had to pull out at the last minute, he’s determined to put this ‘me’ time to good use.
Hot muggy weather, mosquitoes, no air conditioning in the cabins – exactly what one night expect at a summer camp in the woods. For Teddy though, it’s not his ideal vacation. From the get go, it’s clear he’s out of his element and hasn’t bothered to read the brochure about what he’s getting into. Plus, he’s been picturing a sort of band camp for adults, not mentoring artistic teenagers. Mr. Grumpy to Gretchen’s Miss Sunshine, they definitely don’t hit it off right away, especially since Gretchen realizes that Teddy belongs to the same band as the jerk she’d almost had her failed one night stand with. But as time goes by, the two become friends and then more as they start to reveal secrets and dreams. With a specific end-date, Gretchen is able to rekindle her ‘one last fling’ idea with Teddy. But when the month is over, will it really be so easy to say goodbye?
Gretchen’s experiences with men have definitely given her a pessimistic view of dating and relationships, and much of the beginning of the story is taken up with her inner thoughts about this, such that when she meets Teddy, it’s no wonder she takes an instant dislike to him. But her attitude softens over time as she comes to understand him better. Teddy, for his part, has a reputation that paints him in a bad light (a recently trashed hotel room which he regrets and is extremely embarrassed about), and his attitude towards Gretchen and the camp in general (as well as the role of mentor) is poor at the start.
What made the story enjoyable for me was seeing them both open up to each other, and how Teddy’s character takes a turn for the better as he becomes involved with the students and goes from doing the bare minimum to figuring out ways to help them succeed, especially one very talented musician whom he can see having a real future in music. Gretchen and Teddy’s attraction to each other is one that develops as they get to know each other and leads to some sexy scenes and intimate moments. But a camp boyfriend/girlfriend isn’t for the long haul and when it’s Gretchen’s time to leave (as she’s only staying for one session, not two), she thinks it’s something she’ll be able to put behind her, while Teddy begins to realize that without Gretchen at the camp it isn’t nearly as fun as when she’d been there with him. Bringing their romance out of the woods and into the future is going to take some compromises and hard work, but in the end they are happier for it.
If you’ve ever been to a summer camp or a getaway as a teenager or young adult, you’ll know the feeling of cramming as much into the limited time as you can and the heightened emotions that go with it. What Gretchen and Teddy were going through felt very familiar to me, even though they are older (and theoretically wiser) – but that’s what makes the forced proximity trope so popular. If the idea of adults at camp looking deep into themselves and discovering their passions combined with a slow burn romance appeals to you, I think you’ll enjoy this one. Oh, and of note, while this isn’t part of a series officially (or at least as far as I can tell), it takes place after the author’s previous release Canadian Boyfriend and the two main female characters from it and Into the Woods are best friends.
This review also appears at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
June 7, 2025
Boring plot took way too long for the characters to get together. When they did it was boring. Long chapters and very repetitive. This is the third book I have read by this author and will be the last one I read by her. I haven’t liked a single book I have read by her.
May 19, 2025
Mid 🤷🏻♀️
May 6, 2025
rtc… but overall rating: 2/5⭐️s. Such a disappointment :( felt like I was reading an awkward romance about elementary kids.
December 27, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Thank you Forever Pub for the gifted ALC and finished copy!!
As a Minnesotan and former dancer, I wanted to like this book SO much more than I did 😭 it was pretty cringey and I had a hard time seeing where this story was going as I was listening to it.
Gretchen is who really threw me. It felt like she was two different characters sometimes bc she was grouchy and unapproachable at times but bubbly and literally leaping away from people other times? Idk I just didn’t get her. And her whole hardcore commitment to the “crone” thing (that was so cringe I’m sorry) didn’t make sense to me. The whole point was that she couldn’t find a good guy and then she does but still doesn’t want to give up “being a crone”? Idk 😭
I really enjoyed Teddy! He’s the broody, rockstar with a secret heart of gold 😌 it was so nice getting to know him in this book and see him open up to the idea of this camp.
The narration was amazing for the most part! I loveeee duet narration and the female narrator seriously nailed Gretchen. I didn’t love the stereotypical Minnesotan accent the male narrator used though bc teddy isn’t even from minnesota 😭
Thank you Forever Pub for the gifted ALC and finished copy!!
As a Minnesotan and former dancer, I wanted to like this book SO much more than I did 😭 it was pretty cringey and I had a hard time seeing where this story was going as I was listening to it.
Gretchen is who really threw me. It felt like she was two different characters sometimes bc she was grouchy and unapproachable at times but bubbly and literally leaping away from people other times? Idk I just didn’t get her. And her whole hardcore commitment to the “crone” thing (that was so cringe I’m sorry) didn’t make sense to me. The whole point was that she couldn’t find a good guy and then she does but still doesn’t want to give up “being a crone”? Idk 😭
I really enjoyed Teddy! He’s the broody, rockstar with a secret heart of gold 😌 it was so nice getting to know him in this book and see him open up to the idea of this camp.
The narration was amazing for the most part! I loveeee duet narration and the female narrator seriously nailed Gretchen. I didn’t love the stereotypical Minnesotan accent the male narrator used though bc teddy isn’t even from minnesota 😭
January 7, 2025
gretchen is giving up men. teddy is healing from his band breakup. the two of them end up at a summer camp as their artists-in-residence. he’s so grumpy, so she completely writes him off. but as they spend more time in each others orbit, they realize their tension could easily be helped with a low key friends-with-benefits set up.
teddy goes from a big grump to a completely down bad obsessed with her. gretchen is more commitment phobic and is on a no-men journey. but she didn’t expect teddy and she didn’t expect to love summer camp.
this one had great depth character development. I really enjoyed reading about both of the characters journey and their slow burn love story.
the third act breakup was expected and tolerable! I loved the grand gesture at the end. teddy really is romantic (even if he wouldn’t say so).
what to expect
⟢ friends with benefits
⟢ just for the summer (camp)
⟢ slow burn
⟢ sneaking around
teddy goes from a big grump to a completely down bad obsessed with her. gretchen is more commitment phobic and is on a no-men journey. but she didn’t expect teddy and she didn’t expect to love summer camp.
this one had great depth character development. I really enjoyed reading about both of the characters journey and their slow burn love story.
the third act breakup was expected and tolerable! I loved the grand gesture at the end. teddy really is romantic (even if he wouldn’t say so).
what to expect
⟢ friends with benefits
⟢ just for the summer (camp)
⟢ slow burn
⟢ sneaking around
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