Into the Woods

By: Jenny Holiday

Narrated by: Kit Swann, Teddy Hamilton

Summer camp heats up for a grumpy rockstar and a cynical dance instructor in this funny and heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romance.

Gretchen Miller is a bit of a badass. But even badasses get the blues when it comes to romance, and Gretchen could use a break from dating. So, when she gets the offer to be the summer dance instructor at Camp Wild Arts, she leaps at the chance to embrace clean air, nature, and her inner crone. But every forest has pests—and the biggest one at Wild Arts is none other than Tennyson “Teddy” Knight, the A) arrogant, B) infuriating, C) kinda hot if it weren’t for A & B rockstar who happens to be Gretchen’s fellow artist-in-residence.

Fresh off his band's epic and ultra-public breakup, Teddy's grouchier than a black bear in spring, and Gretchen is happy to ignore the unexpected heat she feels around him. Yet a wary friendship blooms, and before she knows it, Gretchen finds herself sneaking around to have one last summer fling with the broody musician before she swears off men for good. But as they grow closer, Gretchen has to figure out if she's ready to take this summer camp romance out of the woods and into real life.

Critic reviews

“A heartwarming, healing, romcom worth staying up late to finish.”—Abby Jimenez, New York Times bestselling author, on Canadian Boyfriend

"Heartwarming, engaging... the witty banter and outrageous situations keep the tone upbeat even as characters face challenging situations."—Library Journal on Canadian Boyfriend

"A true romance gem...this is everything a romance novel should be."—Bookpage, Starred Review, on Canadian Boyfriend

"Jenny Holiday has long been a go-to for funny, feel-good romance."—Entertainment Weekly

New to me author

This is the first book that I have listened to by this author and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the fact that the female character was turning 40 and still trying to figure out what she wants out of life. Accepting a temporary position at a summer camp seems like the perfect opportunity for a mental refresh. What she never expects to find is friendship and love.

Cute story

I really liked the premise of this story and the main characters. The side characters were not as easy to remember or care about. The ending with the super feminist message seemed extreme but it was short. Over all this was a great book and narration

Liked the story. Loved the narrators

I really liked the story until the end. I didn’t love it. Always love Teddy Hamilton. Kit Swann also does great narration.

coming of age story, duet narration

this was a coming of age (40) story. it was also a dealing with trauma, healing, accepting truth and being honest story. there was a lot of existential thinking and ideas in this book. kind of made my head hurt at times. a lot of feminism, down with the "patriarchy" (which was annoying) while also acknowledging all of Gretchen's hang ups and what not were of her own making based on her father's lack of drive and how she was going to be the opposite of him. so, misplaced dislike of men. even in her dating history. she used that as an excuse to hate on men while picking non desirable men.

I really enjoyed Teddy's story line. his was more compelling in my opinion. abandoned by his mom, left to raise his sister. did whatever he could to survive. he had a lot of trauma and going to the camp really opened his eyes. 9I loved the exploration of "lemon tree".

this book does come off as being very intellectual. it is not an easy read because you do have to follow along on their journeys closely or you will get lost. there is a lot of angst but not so much between characters. it's more their individual angst. I wanted to slap Gretchen upside the head so many times! it had its sweet moments that make you smile, funny moments that make you laugh and even some moments that may have you choking up.

the narrators were great. Teddy Hamilton playing Teddy Knight...brilliant. he captured that character so well. his anger, his confusion, his innocence, his sweetness. he did a great job. he also did well at playing the other male characters and differentiating their voices. he has such a unique voice so that can sometimes be hard for him. Kit Swann is always great. she sounded age appropriate and was able to really get the conflict Gretchen was having across. she was a bit loud and jarring at points. made me jump a few times. they should have turned her volume down a bit at times. she had great emotional range in this role too. she could be sunny and sweet as well as angry and bitter. just the whole range.

it got preachy, but overall was a good story. Great narrators and I was so happy it was a duet. it wouldn't have worked otherwise. not super spicy. didn't go into a lot of detail. this wasn't a story with a large spicy component. we know they are sleeping together, that's not the point. which I appreciated. overall, I recommend.

Enjoyed it

Good story. I liked that Gretchen was a little older and established. Low angst. I like how their relationship developed. Teddy Hamilton’s narration is always stellar. Kitt Swann is hit or miss for me. In this book, she was a miss. her voice was very growly, annoying, whiny, shreiky, and not feminine. Honestly, that was the main negative about the book. I found myself tuning out during her inner ramblings because I disliked her tone so much. I did find the male character much more likable than the female…Teddy was a good guy, while I was indifferent to Gretchen. I did appreciate that it was dual narration. If you can deal with the female narrator’s voice, I would recommend.