Taming the Rebel
Series: Endless Summer #2
Author: Dawn Klehr
Published August 14th 2017 by Entangled Publishing, LLC (Crush)

Goodreads Synopsis
Rebel Hart should be at home taking care of her father after his breakup with his boyfriend, not tromping through the woods at summer camp. He’s had his heart broken beyond repair, and the way she sees it, there’s only one person to blame—the boyfriend’s son. So when that infuriatingly gorgeous quarterback turns up at the same camp, she plans to make him pay.

Justice Brody isn't happy about trading training camp for actual summer camp. But if he wants to stay on the football team, he has to show that he can be drama-free. He welcomes the anonymity that comes with summer camp…until he realizes the one girl who knows him better than anyone is there, too. Rebel is off-limits, impossibly beautiful…and trouble with a capital T. Still, he can’t stay away. And even as Rebel exacts her revenge, in several very embarrassing and painful ways, neither can she.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains pranks, adult language, and kisses that will make you wish for a summer romance of your own.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After their dad's separated, Rebel and Justice became enemies. Or, at least, Rebel thought of Justice as her enemy. All she saw was her dad upset, Justice blanking her at school - even after she opened up to him - and wanted revenge, no matter what. When she heads off to summer camp before Senior Year, she's shocked to see Justice is there too, but thinks this may just be the perfect opportunity for her to put her plan into action. For Justice, all he knows is that when his father came out, it made his life hell on the football field, and his growing feelings for Rebel made it all worse. Now that there's no longer a hint of step-cest, he hopes to tell her the truth, and enjoy himself without any ridicule. As they get thrown together more and more at camp, will Rebel get over her anger, and Justice come to terms with his father's sexuality?

I've had this on my NetGalley shelf for years now, and 2021 was the year I want to clear the majority of my backlog. Taming the Rebel was such a quick read, only a couple of hours, and helped to turn a cold and wintry January day into one that I could imagine sunbathing by a lake. Both of the characters were enjoyable to read about, and to hear their points of view. Rebel is somewhat obsessed with death, after losing one of her dad's when she was really young, and is so angry that her dad is suffering so much after his heartbreak. She wants revenge, and Justice is the easy target. He's angry, a lot, and is at risk of losing his spot on the team if he doesn't get his head sorted. He was bullied when he was younger, and the ridicule he's faced recently about his dad isn't helping matters. Both have to get over their hang ups in order to have any hope of being together, and I liked seeing their growth throughout their few weeks at camp. Maybe if I'd read this book a while ago, I might have enjoyed it more, but I found it a little bit too cliched. I mean, I get that Justice and Rebel can be names (never met anyone with them mind), but having the main couple be called Justice and Rebel was a bit much. The angst that was inevitable towards the end and the conclusion was incredibly cheesy, but all in all, it was an enjoyable read.

Dates Read:
January 17, 2021

Rating
3 Stars