Until Next Summer

June 1, 2024
Estranged best friends reunite for one last summer at their beloved camp. Jessie Pederson and Hillary Goldberg spent their childhoods waiting all year to get back to summer camp. Camp Chickawah was where Jessie found a home in the midst of her parents' divorce and where Hillary could finally be herself. But most importantly, they had each other, and they were going to be camp counselors together...until Hillary took a job opportunity that her father thought was a better fit, leaving Jessie alone at camp. Hillary grew into a successful consultant, while Jessie worked her way up to camp director. Now, Jessie gets the bad news that Camp Chickawah is about to be sold, and she's devastated. She decides to give the camp one last hurrah, inviting former campers back for an adult summer session that will celebrate everything that made her favorite place so special. Hillary comes back to run the arts and crafts program and to try to rekindle her friendship with Jessie. As the two of them work together, they realize that their friendship never really died. There are also romantic sparks with returning campers. Hillary reconnects with the cook, Cooper, who was her first kiss. And Jessie is in turns infuriated and intrigued by Luke, the grumpy novelist who's there to work on his book. As the summer goes on, Hillary and Jessie start to wonder if they might be able to keep the camp--as well as their renewed friendship and their budding romances--going. Brady, the author team behind beach reads like The Comeback Summer (2023), creates a nostalgic and entertaining look at camp life. Jessie and Hillary both have satisfying character arcs, and it's especially nice to see Jessie begin to realize that camp isn't the only good thing in her life. While the romances have their steamy moments, this story is ultimately proof that platonic soulmates are just as important as romantic ones. A fun, sun-drenched homage to camp memories.

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