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Review: The Girls of Firefly Cabin by Cynthia Ellingsen

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The Girls of Firefly Cabin by Cynthia Ellingsen

The Girls of Firefly Cabin
Cynthia Ellingsen
Albert Whitman & Company
Available May 28, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About THE GIRLS OF FIREFLY CABIN

Lauren, Isla, Jade, and Archer meet the first day of summer camp, and friendship magic is made in Firefly Cabin. If only they could immortalize their summer memories by winning the contest to be the face of the camp’s website. But it won’t be easy; not with rival cabins, distracting crushes, and of course, the girl’s own secrets getting in the way. Can friendship—and the Fireflies—triumph over all?

My Review

THE GIRLS OF FIREFLY CABIN is one of the cutest books I’ve read in a long time. I loved all the summer camp stuff– references to campfires, silly songs, and shared jokes that are so iconic of the experience of summer camp. But it’s more than simply a cute book.

Each girl comes to camp with a secret and a deeply held belief that the other girls simply can’t or won’t accept her if they find out the truth. For Lauren, the secret is her life at a group home, where going to a fancy camp is impossible. In fact, she’s only attending because she won a scholarship through a contest.

Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for her, Lauren decides to make the weeks at camp the best she’s ever had. She decides the girls will be her best friends for life. As soon as they’re together in the cabin, she plunges through the awkwardness of first meetings and leads the girls into a deep, lasting friendship.

Of course, the inevitable happens: at some point, secrets all come out. Winning the contest to be the face of camp gets jeopardized. And the girls have to decide how strong their newfound friendships are. Strong enough to stand the test of the secrets they keep?

One of my favorite characters was the chef who becomes Lauren’s friend and confidante. I LOVED her, and I really didn’t see where that part of the story was headed until it happened. Which was even better.

In terms of its plot, the story might be a little too neat and tidy, but that fits the summer camp feel and new friendship vibe in THE GIRLS OF FIREFLY CABIN. Fans of CATERPILLAR SUMMER by Gillian McDunn or ELSIE MAE HAS SOMETHING TO SAY by Nancy Cavanaugh will enjoy the outdoor scenes and important relationships in THE GIRLS OF FIREFLY CABIN.

Recommended for Ages8 up.

Representation
Jade’s best friend is Latina.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
The girls help Jade process her grief over losing her best friend. They hold ceremonies honoring her, and Jade feels that she senses Kiara’s presence all around her in nature.

Violent Content
Some references to bullying. Archer and her sister have a difficult relationship. Archer’s sister plays cruel tricks on her, at one point ruining her artwork. Archer and her friends play pranks on her sister and their friends, too. They do things like putting a fake snake in her shoes.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links which cost you nothing but help support my blog.

Review: In Another Life by C.C. Hunter

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

In Another Life
C.C. Hunter
Wednesday Books
Publishes March 26, 2019

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About IN ANOTHER LIFE

Chloe was three years old when she became Chloe Holden, but her adoption didn’t scar her, and she’s had a great life. Now, fourteen years later, her loving parents’ marriage has fallen apart and her mom has moved them to Joyful, Texas. Starting twelfth grade as the new kid at school, everything Chloe loved about her life is gone. And feelings of déjà vu from her early childhood start haunting her.

When Chloe meets Cash Colton she feels drawn to him, as though they’re kindred spirits. Until Cash tells her the real reason he sought her out: Chloe looks exactly like the daughter his foster parents lost years ago, and he’s determined to figure out the truth.

As Chloe and Cash delve deeper into her adoption, the more things don’t add up, and the more strange things start happening. Why is Chloe’s adoption a secret that people would kill for?

My Review

Usually I’m not a big fan of those dreamboat oddball hero names. You know, the kind that don’t really sound like actual names. In this case, though, Cash’s name really works because his dad was a con man, and money was all he valued. So it was kind of perfect and made sense.

I liked Chloe right away. You could definitely feel her hurt and frustration at being caught between her parents. She had reasons to be angry with both of them, but also loved them both, too. I liked that her family wasn’t perfect going into the story. It added a lot of tension right at the beginning of IN ANOTHER LIFE.

In terms of Cash’s character, I’m kind of a sucker for the unworthy, heart-of-gold guy. It’s hard for me not to like someone like that. On the other hand, that unworthiness creates huge problems for anyone trying to have relationships with him, and I liked that IN ANOTHER LIFE addressed that as well – it wasn’t just about Chloe’s history. Cash also had to confront some demons and he wasn’t a purely romanticized character, even though the main focus of the novel is unraveling the circumstances surrounding Chloe’s adoption and what really happened to the missing girl.

The story reminded me a little bit of THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON by Carolyn Cooney, so it struck some nostalgia for me. I think fans of that duology or THE LOST AND THE FOUND by Cat Clarke will enjoy IN ANOTHER LIFE.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Brief mention of one character’s mom being a lesbian. Brief appearance by Chloe’s dad’s cousin and his husband.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently. Some crude comments.

Romance/Sexual Content
Lots of kissing. Chloe mentions losing her virginity to her last boyfriend. At one point Chloe removes her top and lies down with her boyfriend while they kiss and touch. There’s a cut scene later, where they lead up to going to have sex and then the scene picks up afterward.

At one point, a man watches a girl sleep and has some sexual thoughts about her. They’re not super graphic, but it’s definitely creepy

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Cash remembers bits of his past, including getting shot by police while his dad tried to run from a crime. He gets into a couple of physical altercations with another student– a boy who bullies others. At one point, someone shoots at the car Cash and Chloe are in. Another woman gets shot, which is briefly described

Drug Content
Chloe’s mom abuses sleeping pills for a short time. She ends up taking antidepressants, and almost as soon as she starts taking them, she feels better. I didn’t think this was very realistic, but I did like that it was a positive portrayal of taking medication for depression.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links which cost you nothing, but help me buy more books.

About C. C. Hunter

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C.C. HUNTER is a pseudonym for award-winning romance author Christie Craig. She is lives in Tomball, Texas, where she’s at work on her next novel.

Christie’s books include The Mortician’s Daughter series, Shadow Fall Novels and This Heart of Mine.