Review: Christmas Camp

 

 

 

Synopsis:

From the screenwriter of the Netflix Original viral hit, A Christmas Prince, comes another heartwarming holiday story about a beautiful Grinch who’s determined to get her dream job even if it means spending a week at a Christmas Camp where she discovers an unexpected love.

Haley Hanson’s idea of the perfect Christmas is escaping to the Caribbean to work so she can avoid all the traditional Christmas distractions. Over the years, she’s sacrificed her personal life to climb the corporate ladder at a prestigious Boston advertising agency. Now she just needs to land a coveted Christmas toy company account to make partner. But first, her boss, Larry, thinks she needs a holiday attitude adjustment, so he ships her off to a Christmas Camp at Holly Peak Inn to help her find her Christmas spirit.

Arriving at the charming mountainside inn, Haley meets the owner’s handsome son, Jeff, and feels an instant spark, but resists the attraction, refusing to be distracted from her goal of doing all the required Christmas tasks as fast as possible so she can get back to work.

At first Haley struggles with all the traditional Christmas Camp activities. It’s not until she finally allows herself to slow down, live in the moment, and let Christmas back into her heart, that she begins to grow closer to Jeff. But when he finds out Haley’s come up with a plan to help his dad save the struggling inn while he’s been trying to convince his dad to sell it, their relationship takes a serious holiday hit.  Now it will take the magic of the season to bring these two hearts together.

Rating: 4.5-stars

Review:

Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler is a slow burn Christmas tale. It’s about the heart of Christmas. Themes of family, love, and of course Christmas are featured in this book. Heartwarming story about a workaholic woman needing to find her Christmas spirit. Her boss sends her to a Christmas Spirit Camp. Once there, she finds herself thawing to Christmas.

Haley’s goals changed as she found herself changed. As the plot unfolded, Haley became a more likable character. She wasn’t all about money and work. Christmas Camp changed her into a fun, cheery, and better being. During that time, she ran into a man named Jeff.

Jeff is wanting his dad to move closer to him. Several reasons are good but he’s ignoring his dad’s love for helping others. Jeff’s goals have also changed and thawed out as Haley’s did. I loved watching these two grow into better characters. They both wanted something. They got what they were wanting plus, more.

Christmas Camp takes quite a bit to get into. But once inside, it’s hard to resist the characters. With every page, they transform. Their personalities differed as well. The spirit of Christmas, family, and new beginnings were definitely felt in this novel. Overall, Karen Schaler achieved a heart warming plot with real issues that inspire readers.