Randy loves his annual stay at Camp Outland. Four weeks of singing and dancing with his best friends. Four weeks of swimming and having fun, and four weeks of admiring Hudson Aaronson-Lim from afar. But not this year. This year Randy has a plan. A plan to make Hudson fall in love with him. So what if he’s had to reinvent himself as Del, the buff, sports loving, masculine queer, who’s never been to Camp Outland before. Yes he’s had to give up theater, show tunes and nail polish but it’s only until Hudson falls in love with him. Hudson is worth the sacrifice. But as Randy’s plan starts to work, he begins to question just how much he is willing to change for love. Camp is a queer rom-com full of laugh out loud moments, sweet romance and growth. It covers serious topics such as toxic masculinity, being true to yourself and identity but in a way that will speak to so many people, gay and straight alike. I loved everything about this book! The story, the characters, the setting and the message. Although it was difficult reading about Randy having to suppress all the glittery, non masculine, parts of his personality to make Hudson notice him, it was also heartwarming to see him realise that he is happy with who he is and doesn’t want to change. Both him and Hudson grow as characters and realise that you can be masculine and wear nail polish, love sports and show tunes. Now onto one of Randy’s best friends, George. George is AMAZING! I loved him so much. His confidence shone throughout, and his attitude and humour were brilliant. Everyone needs a friend like George in their life. Please, please, please can he have his own book

‘She said I should be proud of myself for knowing who I was and what I wanted, and to never let anyone tell me that anything about myself that made me happy was something to be ashamed of. I’ve tried to keep that in mind.’ 'Camp' is Lev Rosen’s second novel and it follows Randy as he returns to Camp Outland, a summer camp for LGBT+ teens. Randy is a theatre kid, loves musicals, make up and Hudson, a completely straight acting guy who barely knows Randy exists. This year Randy has a plan: he reimagines himself as ‘Del’, a masculine guy who is almost the complete opposite of Randy to get Hudson to fall for him. There were so many great (and diverse!) characters in this book covering a range of races, sexualities and gender identities. While some characters obviously had a bigger part to play than others, I found myself caring for each of them in some way. I really felt for Randy, while it was interesting to see how his plan to win over Hudson would work out it was sad to see him changing who he was to do it, a feeling shared by his friends in Cabin Seven who clearly missed him as he left them and the musical for outdoor activities with Hudson. At times it was difficult to see what Randy saw in Hudson, he sort of came across as a jerk in some places, although he was clearly a product of the environment he was brought up in highlighting the damaging effect toxic masculinity can have on a person. It’s Hudson’s ideas of what he thought a gay person should be that really drives home the theme of masculinity here, and seeing the conflict that arises in Randy torn between being true to who he is and his love for Hudson is quite heartbreaking. As with toxic masculinity, the effect isn’t only on Hudson and Randy, it changes they dynamic between them and their friends as well leading to drama - and not the kind that was in the script for the musical! Randy’s friends were all really fun to read about and they were really good at balancing being supportive of his plan while trying to keep him grounded, reminding him that he shouldn’t have to change for Hudson. George was a fabulous character and probably my favourite in the book. We all need a George in our lives. He was overflowing with personality and such a good friend. I really enjoyed seeing how his relationship with Brad grew throughout the book. Ashleigh, who was more into the tech side of the theatre was delightful, her struggle to move on from a crush on a probably straight life guard was extremely relatable. The camp councillors were also great to read about, although not as present as the teenagers. Councillor Connie, a trans woman who used to be an olympian before an injury, was so supportive of Randy trying out something new and was delightful to read about. She was so caring and really if more PE teachers were like her, the lessons would be a lot more popular. Councillor Mark was also a stand out character, his passion for the theatre, his energy and general banter with the theatre kids was amazing and made me laugh on multiple occasions. The plot itself was a bit predictable, you kind of knew how it was ultimately going to end up and some of the things that were going to happen along the way but that didn’t really detract from the story for me, it was definitely more about the characters than the plot. That being said there were some fantastic scenes, colour wars and the flashback to when Randy played Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Forum. The chaos of rehearsals as the theatre kids rushed to get everything ready in time for the show. 'Camp' offers an interesting discussion about being true to yourself, whether that is looking fierce with make up on putting on the show of a lifetime or out on the playing field dominating some sports game or something else entirely. It is a giant middle finger to toxic masculinity: a wonderful, funny and heartfelt read that is now an all time favourite. Thanks goes to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of 'Camp'. + Diverse cast of characters + LGBT+ (own voices) + Quick and fun read - TW: homophobic slurs are used occasionally

I really liked this entertaining but insightful contemporary LGBT+ romance. Rosen once again proves that he is willing to push boundaries in order to discuss relevant topics in a powerful story. I absolutely loved Rosen’s sex-positive, openly celebratory debut and as soon as I heard about Camp, I knew I needed to read it. Luckily for me, it surpassed my expectations, with another memorable and likable main character & thoughtful discussion of really important topics. The setting of Camp Outland was like an LGBT+ paradise, full of open and proud people living the true lives. This made me so happy to read and imagine this place of acceptance and celebration. However, there are elements of pervasive internalised homophobia which Rosen breaks down and interrogates with such skill. The Masc4Masc community is torn to shreds here, with its damaging implications and a really good discussion around feigned acceptance. Rosen’s writing style is easy to be caught up, as it’s so readable and entertaining. You feel engaged in the witty banter between characters, all of whom are fleshed-out and fully realised. His teens speak and act like teens, allowing me to really connect with them. I empathised with Hudson’s personal journey and struggle, but fell in love with musical-loving, hopeless romantic Randy. He was such a good protagonist, though I was initially uncomfortable as he changed every aspect of himself to fit this claustrophobic mould, even though I knew eventually it would be deconstructed. Neither Hudson nor Randy are perfect, which allows for some really good character arcs to be drawn out and for both of them to learn and adapt from their mistakes.

Well, how good is Camp by LC Rosen? I love the cover, it was definitely eye-catching. Then I saw it was by LC Rosen and I recently read and loved Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) so that piqued my interest. Then! I found this book is about queer teenagers who go to a summer camp specifically for a safe space to celebrate their queerness and that was it, I was sold. The premise of Camp is such that readers must know from the outset that things will Go Wrong but I’m here for the journey so that didn’t bother me. So, Randy has been going to Camp Outland for years. He takes part in the summer musical, it’s where he’s met all his best friends and it’s where he fell in love-from-afar with Hudson. Hudson, who doesn’t even know Randy exists because Hudson only like straight-acting masculine guys. So Randy has A Plan. This year, he’s come to camp with a total make-over. He’s cut his hair, lost weight and he’s trying out a new masculine look to woo the heart of Hudson. What I loved about this book is the very idea of such a wonderful, supportive summer camp, the wide representation of the LGBT+ community, Randy’s friends who support him but also question him like crazy about this plan. I loved the exploration of toxic masculinity, internalised homophobia, and gender roles. I loved the core message of ‘be and love yourself’ I also loved that LGBT history is subtly woven through the story, and that the sex scenes are explicit and don’t just fade to black. Definitely look out for this one.

ARC provided by Penguin Random House UK Children’s via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Camp by L. C. Rosen is one of my new favourite books. The inclusivity and the queerness that encompass the camp is pure joy to read and it would have been amazing to personally experience it. Randall hatches a complex plan to win the love of his four-year long crush, Hudson Aaronson-Lim, playing the role of butch and masculine Del, therefore momentarily giving up theatre and implicitly a part of himself. The change makes him wonder, though, whether not showing the real Randy is the right choice. I really loved it and I’m looking forward to having my own physical copy to display on my shelves.