Review: Camp Payback by J. K. Rock

Camp Payback
J. K. Rock
Series: Camp Boyfriend, #2
Released: April 29th, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Rating: 2 stars
Word Rating: Yeah whatever goodbye, book
Reviewed by: Mel

Alex has big plans for camp this year, starting with making it the best summer ever.

Having fun and breaking some rules will get her the payback she wants against her parents and her ex-boyfriend. Because of his disgusting texts, she's headed to a super strict all-girls school in the fall. Then she meets Javier and revenge doesn't seem nearly as important as getting to know the troubled loner determined to keep a low profile at camp. But Alex's trouble-magnet personality and Javier's need to stay in the background don't mix nearly as well as their irresistible chemistry. With her home life eroding under her feet and her last year of summer camp speeding to a close, Alex wants to make her mark on the world and squeeze every bit of fun out of her time with Javier. Too bad her old plans for revenge turn back on her just in time to ruin everything. Will she lose Javier too?

Turns out, the second book wasn’t better than the first like I had hoped. Camp Payback is book 2 in the Camp Boyfriend series however can easily be read out of order.

What I Liked:

If anything, I loved Alex’s background. Her family is widely known her parent’s blog, Wholesome Homes which, in simple terms is a blog about how to raise wholesome children and have a wholesome life. Alex is sick of being constantly judged and scrutinized, everyone knows that the bad sections (sections like How to deal with disobedient teens) on Wholesome Homes is based off her. It did make me sympathise for Alex, because she is famous for being someone claimed to be not so desirable. She’s a book being judged by a synopsis written by someone who has not read the full story. As for Alex as a character, I admired her. The main reason why I chose to read Camp Payback after a not-so-enjoyable book 1 was because I did like Alex, who was a secondary character in the previous instalment. She’s messed up and feels like no one cares about her opinion, which is true because everyone sees her under the influence of what her parents say on their blog, and is evidently not the slightest bit wholesome.

What I Didn’t Like:

I just don’t think the romances work well in this series. They are cute, but I feel like rooting them. If they don’t have their happily ever after at the end of the novel, I honestly could not care less. So basically, Alex’s ex-boyfriend has changed over the year and when she sees him at summer camp again, he’s like a complete stranger. He’s rude and calls her crude names and is cold as ever. In her fury, Alex sees a new, smokin’ guy and kisses him on impulse. Little does she know that he’s actually a new worker at the camp and workers and campers are not allowed to be more than friends. After that, there’s insta-attraction. And a lot of hypocrisy.

Another point that connects with the romance is how Alex and Javier (the love interest) both kept making promises to themselves about staying away. Yet each time they make eye contact, they are all over each other. Then they pull away, curse and the cycle goes on and on and on. Annoying, you say? You are correct.
 
I forgot to mention in my first review (of Camp Boyfriend) but I found that there were too many characters. I lost track of personalities and got them confused with others. There were at least 10 supporting characters. T’was bizarre and did not need that many.

I’m also not too happy about the ending. I am all for nice and sweet happy endings but this one felt too perfect. Everything was tied up too nicely. A little twist or just something to make the read more original and memorable would have been nice.

Summing up:

I am not sure about picking up book 3 (if there will be one). I guess it once again depends on who the main character will be. If you want some fluff and drama, I’d say look somewhere else.