The Happy Camper

Our Review

THE HAPPY CAMPER is a fun and inspiring book about Dillon Michaels, a woman who completely uproots her current life in Colorado to go back home to Oregon. After standing up to her non-attentive boyfriend, Brandon, and calling it quits, Dillon also stands up to her boss and loses her job. What better reason than to head back to Oregon to assist her grandfather on his farm. Since her grandmother passed the year before, her grandfather has been running the household and the farm alone. 

When Dillon gets back to the farm, she’s dismayed to see that her mother, whom she does not really get along with, has also moved to the farm. Taking Dillon’s room, Margot leaves Dillon to either take over her grandfather’s den or sleep on the couch. Not wanting to disrupt her grandfather any more than what’s already disrupted, Dillon takes the uncomfortable couch. That is, until her grandfather gifts her with his travel trailer. She takes the bull by the horns and vows to restore the vintage trailer into something she can live in while she figures out her next steps.

While restoring the trailer, Dillon meets the owner of the local hardware store, Jordan Atwood. There are definite sparks between the two of them, and I loved how cute they were together.

Dillon has some self-esteem issues that hold her back, plus that pesky ex-boyfriend who blows into town like a tornado at the most inopportune times. The romance between Dillon and Jordan is a slow build. I enjoyed seeing them through the awkward phases of the new relationship as they tried to figure each other out, and the realization that they wanted to be together.  

I absolutely loved THE HAPPY CAMPER. Dillon is a woman who finally sees the light where her boyfriend and job are concerned and makes the decision to change up her life. Back in Oregon, Dillon might be without a job. but she is definitely not without things to occupy her time, like making excuses to go to the hardware store in hopes of bumping into one very hot owner. She also jumps right into the restoration of the travel trailer given to her by her grandfather. I could completely visualize everything about this book, but the descriptions of the restoration of both Dillon’s trailer and Jordan’s trailers were just absolute perfection. I was able to see every color, every pattern, every object like I was there.

This is my first experience with author Melody Carlson, and I loved her writing in THE HAPPY CAMPER so much I will be seeking out her other books.

A RECOMMENDED READ!