One S'more Summer
Book One of the Campfire Series
For twenty long years, Gigi Goldstein has been pining away for her best friend’s guy. She knows it’s wrong and it has to stop, but she hasn’t been able to let go ever since they all met on the bus to summer camp back when they were seven years old. The same week that her best friends finally announce their wedding date, Gigi loses her high-profile design job. With all of her dreams unravelling, she runs to the last place she remembers being happy.
Taking the Head Counselor position at Camp Chinooka, Gigi hopes to reclaim the joy she felt as a camper, but the job isn’t all campfire songs and toasting marshmallows. Gigi’s girls are determined to make her look bad in front of the boys’ Head Counselor—the sexy but infuriating Perry—and every scrap of the campground is laced with memories.
When Gigi finally realizes she can’t escape the present by returning to her past, she’s forced to reexamine her life and find the true meaning of love. But will she be able to mend fences and forgive herself before she loses her one real shot at happiness?
If you love Sophie Kinsella and Emily Giffin, you'll love this heartwarming debut from a fresh voice in contemporary chick-lit that offers a lighthearted and fun take on friendship, love, and how to recover from past mistakes.
One S'more Summer Reviews
"Whether you were a summer camp kid like myself, or new to the ins and outs of summer camps, you will get a kick out of One S'more Summer. It was a fun read, full of summer camp fun antics, great characters, a flirty and bickering slow burn romance, and it sets the stage for what is going to be an excellent series." - Book Briefs
"The author does have a way in writing the plot that makes the flow comes so naturally, despite alternating between the two settings....All in all, I really liked the story. It wasn't over the top but just exactly right." - Dreamland Teenage Fantasy
"If you have ever attended any kind of camp you will get a big wave of nostalgia thrown your way, and I really liked that. It put me in the summer mood. I could smell the campfires, envision the cabins, and delight in my own summer camp memories while enjoying Gigi's story." - It's a Book Life
"This reads like a brilliant romantic comedy movie that left me smiling....The fun commotion between Gigi and Perry had me laughing as I turned the pages....Never having gone to summer camp before I loved getting a slice of it in this novel. I loved everything about this book. With a fantastic writing style which was light and heartwarming." - To Be Read
"My favorite part about this book was the character development that Gigi goes through! It was amazing to see that happening! Beth Merlin's writing is also really great with the way she combines character growth, romance, humor and drama." - Fire and Ice Book Reviews
"I love the way [they] never quite tell it all so I kept wondering when I would find out more." - Buried Under Books
"[This book] transports us to summer. The smell of campfire, the taste of gooey s'mores on your lips. The feel of the sun and the dampness of a rainy wood. It was everything I imagined summer camp to be. It's meant to be about self discovery so when the main character Gigi decides she needs an escape what we really find is that she discovers who she is. The relationships she builds and the emotions she comes to terms with really highlight the fun and the mistakes she made along the way....I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2!" - Best of Jess
"While a lot of the other "beach read" romances I've read as of late fall firmly in the "formulaic and predictable" category, One S'more Summer is one of those rare finds that is a delightful departure... I'm honestly quite impressed it came from a first time authors, Merlin & Mod." - Only True Magic
"What I thought was going to be another summer romance story turned out to be so much more..." - Mama's Dirty Little Reads
"This was an extremely sweet story, perfect for a summer read!...I'm excited to see this is a series, as I'm looking forward to seeing where Perry and Gigi's story might go next." - Lisa Loves Literature
I really enjoyed the relationship dynamics portrayed between Gigi and the campers. You see so much of who she’d been at their age, and you also see the growth she’s had as an adult, yet she hasn’t completely let go of that girl from long ago. – Chick Lit Central