Customer Reviews

Slept Away

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Laney Parker is a complete city girl, hoping for a summer of tanning, kissing, partying, and hanging out with her best friend Kennedy. But her vegetarian/yoga obsessed mom has different plans: Camp Timber Trails. Laney automatically thinks it's the end of her life as she knows it, and is furious at her mom. At camp, Laney struggles with everything thrown at her: from dealing with male separation and caffeine withdrawal, to fluorescent colored skorts and mystery meat dinners. After being teased by all the other girls, and not having a friend to cry on, Laney knows it will be the worst summer of her life. But then she meets geeky Slyvie, and dorky yet charming Ryan. Could this summer camp maybe not be the nightmare she thought it was?

This novel was the classic story of spoiled, popular girl living a life outside of her comfort zone - only to learn there's more to life than just materialistic things. There wasn't much creativity in this predictable story, and the plot started to thin halfway through the book. One thing's for sure though: Kraut went the extreme to include references and allusions to pop culture today, on almost every page. For example she incorporated Facebook, iPhones, the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, and Sarah Jessica Parker into the book. It was kind of weird to read about these things, which I hear about and use everyday. I didn't like it.

I used to go to summer camp every year while in middle school, so it was fun reading about the activities they did at Camp Timber Trails. I got to relive a couple of memories similar to Laney's, and could definitely relate to the sights, sounds, and smells she witnessed there.

Laney's character annoyed me. She was overly sarcastic on each page, and whined way too much. I mean, I understand she was out of her element at camp but after awhile it just got irritating. Sure, there were a few times when I felt sorry for Laney but overall her dramatic self-pity was uncalled for. There are much worse things than going to a sleepaway summer camp! Even after Laney realized that people are more than what they seem, I doubt she's going to go back home as a different person. I'm sure after a few weeks go by, she'll just turn back into the one-sided, gossipy, materialistic girl she was at the beginning. Laney seems like the type easily molded by circumstance and situation - I know the change won't be permanent.

The author put a lot of humor in each page, so I stayed entertained and even chuckled at a few parts. Some of the witty remarks she made sounded like something I would say myself! However, other times it sounded like Kraut was trying too hard to keep a teenage conversation flowing - and ended up making it sound super corny or something an adult says trying to sound "young and hip."

The book as a whole had a feeling of immaturity running through it, that made me question the value and purpose of the novel. But on the surface, Slept Away is a cute and mostly-enjoyable read for summer. I think tweens would like it more than older teenagers because of its lack of substance. It's a light and breezy book, but will quickly fade from my memory.

Boy did this book want to be hip, witty and entertaining -- unfortunately, while it was humorous at times, it still fell somewhat short of that mark. Minus a few laugh out loud moments and funny one liners there wasn't a whole lot to hang a hat on. Granted I'm older than what I presume is the target audience but I imagine even young teens would be interested in a bit more substance than was provided.

Speaking specifically it took so long to get to the really good parts of the story (the building relationship between Laney and Sylvie as well as the romance between each of them and their respective suitors) that by the time I turned the corner I didn't really care. More than that there was so little time to really explore theses plot lines because we'd spent so much of the story focussing on the same scene (misery at the hands of the trifecta of doom, kavetching about being at camp, fearing instructional swim) that if I heard the words pee-pee one more time I thought I would put the book down for good.

This is what is most unfortunate about Slept Away, that there was such great potential for the story. There were some genuinely interesting and good parts that were simply not explored to their fullest. The romance between Laney and her chosen crush was rushed into a few chapters at the end, the exploration of how she went from truly shallow to a woman who chose friends of character over materialism and social status, and the true revelation that even though she wasn't built for camp she became a better person for having gone and endured. All of that was forsaken for relentless complaining and sarcasm.

On a more positive note, I do think it had moments where the humor shone through, Kraut undoubtedly has a flair for comedy. Also the book was certainly a quick read, I had no problem moving through it. Sadly, it just didn't end up being a book that one hundred percent suited me as a reader. I'll be curious to hear the thoughts of those who read it who are closer to the target age of this book's audience. Did you like the focus of the story or did you want more from it?

This is my first summer not going to/working at camp after 7 straight years, and I was drawn to Slept Away as a way of reliving those great memories. Through Laney's eyes, the fun and turmoil of the summer camp experience was captured perfectly- making this a great book for anybody from camp virgin to veteran. Laney's a great character, with a lot of heart, wit and relatable insecurities. I half expected to hate her when I started the book- assuming she'd be the typical, one-sided, spoiled brat- but I actually really liked her and found that I could easily empathize with her. I also loved the author's use of humor throughout- so much teen fiction is super corny and dull! The writing was quick, smart and unique. I didn't want to put it down once I got into it, and then I didn't want it to end. I'd love see what happens after camp ends...sequel?

Julie Kraut gives us a window into the immensely relatable internal monologue of Laney Parker. Honest readers of all ages will admit that similar monologues run through their heads every day: the irrational insecurities, the dorky impluses, the snarky comments, the secret wishes, and the frank moments of introspection. If only we all did it with as much wit and humor as Kraut conveys.

Equal parts entertaining storytelling and irresistible sarcasm - this is a truly great summer read. Now if only it came with free s'mores...

I honestly wasn't expecting much from Slept Away. It looked very cute and like a light summer read, but the plotline seemed very typical: city girl is forced to go to camp. City girl is reluctant to go to camp. City girl hates camp but ends up loving it.
Instead, I was blown away! The book soared above my expectations. It was quick, light, but huge loads of fun. I literally couldn't put it down, reading into the night and thinking, Oh, just one more chapter, just one more! Laney was a very relatable character, and the humor in this book rocked. I actually laughed out loud a couple of times. Some parts were just simply hilarious!
This book was one of those books that made you feel like you were part of it. Having never gone to sleepaway camp, I loved reading all the descriptions of the campfires, color wars, kooky counselors, even instructional swim, each boosted by hearty doses of humor.
The one thing that bothered me was that Laney seemed very whiney and stubborn. She was just so stuck on hating camp that she never let herself have any fun. After a while, her rants got annoying and repetitive. She just was a bit of an irritating character.
However, I loved how Ms. Kraut perfectly combined humor, romance, and summer fun into a blend more delicious than a good s'more! I look forward to reading more of her work in the future. A perfect read for summer!

Laney Parker is a city girl psyched for a summer of tanning, gossiping, and partying with her BFF Kennedy. But when Laney's mother forcefully ships her off to sleepaway camp in Middle of Nowhere, Pennsylvania of all places, it becomes apparent that you can take the girl out of the Upper East Side, but you can't take the Upper East Side out of the girl. Laney has no idea how she's supposed to deal with sex segregation, athletic shorts, and actual sports in place of air conditioning, caffeine, and waking up post-noon. But once denied access to the real world via iPhone, Laney must make the best of the loserdom she's allotted. But as the summer progresses, Laney begins to see that camp might not be the total nightmares she assumed it to be.

Slept Away is the classic tale of spoiled girl living the life forced out of her element to learn that there's more to life than just physical stuff. There isn't anything too original about Kraut's version of this tale unless you count her remarkable skill for incorporating pop culture allusions and/or sarcasm on nearly every page. While this is a good starter for the novel, it quickly gets old and a little annoying. This whole novel has an undertone of immaturity running through it that makes me question the value and purpose of this novel. I even doubt the permanence of Laney's realization that people are more than what they look like post-camp since Laney seems the type easily molded by circumstance and location. Three were times that I felt true sympathy for Laney's plight, but I was more disturbed by the extent of her self-pity and the silliness of how big a deal Laney was making over having to attend camp. On the surface though, Slept Away is a cute and slightly enjoyable summer read.

Slept Away may appeal to younger teen readers who also enjoyed Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab, The Elite series by Jennifer Banash, and The Clique series by Lisi Harrison. This novel is cute enough, but I could not recommend it to readers looking for something more meaningful.

Laney Parker is a city girl in every way. She's looking forward to the summer so she can spend it at chic boutiques and parties with her friends. Little does she know, her new-age mother has a totally different plan for Laney - she's sending her to summer camp!

Being sent to camp Timber Trail is bad enough, but being there with a group of totally uncool girls who think they run the camp (and automatically take a disliking to Laney!), along with getting stuck doing group activities with the kids who are half her age, is horrible. Laney hates camp and can't see how her summer is going to be any fun.

Eventually, Laney becomes friends with one of the girls in her cabin, and then finds out that someone from back home also goes to the camp. Back in the city, Ryan is the most uncool guy around, but at camp he is the hottest and most popular guy there. Laney has never been happier to see him.

At the end of the summer, Laney is left wondering: Can camp cool equal real world cool? And will Ryan and Laney be able to be friends back home? You'll have to read SLEPT AWAY to find out!

With lots of pop culture references, fun in the sun, and a slight bit of romance, this is a great read for a hot summer day!

Reviewed by: Angela S.

I got this book for my little sister and she loved it! Its clever and cute and also age appropriate, definitely safe for the under 18 yr old in your life. My sis loved Kraut's first book, Hot Mess, glad to see she's still writing. Keep up the good work!!