[Review] Camp Payback by J.K. Rock

J.K. Rock
Camp Payback
2nd Camp Boyfriend
[contemporary YA]

You can buy it here:
Camp Payback (Amazon paperback)
Camp Payback (Amazon eBook)

FTC: I received an eARC via Netgalley for review.

Summary: (via Netgalley.com)
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?

My thoughts:
After reading Camp Boyfriend (my review) I could not wait to read Camp Payback. I knew I would not see Lauren again, as she was off to another kind of summer experience, but her friends would be there still, along with some newcomers. This time around, Alex is the focus of the story. Her family is well-known throughout the United States for her parents' blog on all things parenting and child-rearing. The catch? Alex is the poster child for problematic kids, whereas her brother is the apple of his parents' eye. While she is described as a trouble-magnet, I believe it's more a matter of misunderstanding and of other people's expectations due to how she is described in her parents' blog that really cause the troubles for Alex. I really liked Alex a lot, and this book gave a lot of insight into who she is.

Javier has a vastly different backstory. He grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and led a difficult life. He is working hard on redeeming himself and the camp is his last chance to turn things around. At times he seemed it bit odd how he is on one hand all involved in seizing his chance and then he still risks it for Alex. Taking into account his age, however, I believe this can be explained.

One of the antagonists in this installment were Vijay. He was Alex' former camp boyfriend who significantly changed over the past months. This change ultimately led to the latest fallout Alex had with her parents, and everybody wonders what caused this change. I almost wish there would have been more information on this, but he is not a main character, so the amount of information and background provided by the authors (J.K. Rock is a pseudonym for a writing team) is actually well delivered. The second somewhat-antagonist was Yasemine, the new girl in Alex' bunk. I admit, she did go on my nerves quite a few times. She seemed to be this goody two shoes who always had an answer for Alex' troubles, whether it was asked for or not, which I found extremely annoying.

Some of my favorite scenes in this book were set at a TV set, which may be unlikely, but it gave Alex a break from the camp drama and also helped her figure out what she wanted to do with her life. I enjoyed that for a change Alex seemed to glow and actually knew what she wanted to do, after all those years of being told what to do and still not fitting in.

Rating:
4/5