Review by Gabrielle


Absolutely delightful from start to finish, Into the Woods is Jenny’s best book to date.
Favourite Quote:
“Hey,” I said, smiling despite myself. I must be feeling a sort of residual camaraderie from our time in the woods, because how else to explain the rush of affection I felt at seeing her in her silly getup and the accompanying bloom of pleasure that she was seeking me out?
Book Synopsis:
Teddy Knight’s band has just broken up in spectacular fashion after his longtime bandmate and—he’d thought—closest friend decides to go solo. So when he’s offered a last-minute gig to fill in as an artist-in-residence at a summer arts camp—which comes with a lake cabin and lots of free time to work on a revenge album—he takes it. No matter that he knows nothing about nature, dislikes kids, and is generally a grump.
Gretchen Miller is having a mid-life crisis. Luckily, her summer job as the dance teacher at Wild Arts summer camp will allow her to drop out of society for a while. Having sworn off dating, she decides she’ll go into the woods and become a crone. She might skip the “luring innocent children to their death” part of cronedom, but she’s all for the “curse men” aspect.
Teddy and Gretchen clash from the get-go when he mistakes her for a fan, and she relegates him to the “entitled jerk” ash heap. Despite their determination to dislike each other, a wary friendship blooms as the magic of the woods starts to unwind them, and they spend long hours by the campfire talking about art, being stuck, and the idea of starting over. But woods are often filled with monsters, and Teddy and Gretchen will have to face their fears if they want to start over together.
Review:
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Jenny Holiday’s books around here, so we’re always excited to get our hands on her latest. Once again, she delivers a sweet but thoughtful read that is sure to satisfy any romance lover.
Let’s start with the setting. I’m such a sucker for any natural setting but a summer camp? That’s like catnip for me. I went to camp as a kid and then was a camp counsellor myself as a teenager, so I have a lot of fond memories of those experiences. In my mind, camp is a prime location for a romance to blossom. There is a forced proximity and intimacy that comes from living in close quarters that lends itself well. Jenny really capitalized on this in the book, and I loved every minute of it. The fact that it is an art camp (raise your hands, former dorky arts kids) made it even better.
We have two strong main characters here and I liked both of them. Gretchen is easy to love. The vivacious dance studio owner with pink hair is going through a period of transition. She’s about to expand her successful business, but her dating life is not where she had hoped, so she swears off men. She’s going to kick off her “crone” years at camp. Meanwhile rockstar Teddy takes a little longer to love. His life is in shambles after the breakup of his band. He’s grumpy and rude. But as we get to know him better, we come to understand why he’s like that. Both Teddy and Gretchen grow and change a lot over the course of the book.
I loved the dynamic between Teddy and Gretchen. They don’t necessarily get along at the start. They befuddle each other, but through the magic of camp, they warily become friends, and their attraction grows. Their relationship felt realistic, and I loved how they brought out the best in each other.
Overall, another great read from Jenny Holiday.
Thank you, Hachette Book Group, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.