Book Review: ‘The Happy Camper’ by Melody Carlson

Home is the place to heal, right? At least, that’s what Dillon Michaels is hoping as she leaves her disappointing career and nonstarter love life behind to help her grieving and aging grandfather on his small Oregon farm. The only problem? Her eccentric mother beat her there and has taken over Dillon’s old room. After a few nights sleeping on a sagging sofa, Dillon is ready to give up, until she receives an unlikely gift–her grandfather’s run-down vintage camp trailer, which she quickly resolves to restore with the help of Jordan Atwood, the handsome owner of the local hardware store.

But just when things are finally beginning to run smoothly, Dillon’s noncommittal ex-boyfriend shows up with roses . . . and a ring.

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus.

She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.

Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars!

‘Sometimes a life needs to get shaken up…in order to put the pieces together right.’

Dillon Michaels has had enough of her life in Colorado and her unwilling to commit boyfriend. So she heads off to Oregon to help her grandfather out after her grandmother dies. She wasn’t happy with her career, anyway. When she arrives, she finds her eccentric and erratic mother has arrived before her and taken up residence and trying to boss her grandfather around. Dillon pitches in and goes to work, but after a few nights on an old worn out sofa, her grandfather gives her an run down vintage travel camp trailer. She falls in love with it and sets out to restore it, with the help of the town’s hardware store owner, Jordan, who is quite handsome. Then….her bumbling boyfriend shows up wanting to make amends, with flowers and a ring! Ooops!

Melody Carlson has written a delightful tale of quirky characters, some likeable, some not. And the travel trailer portion of the story is precious. So, sit back and be prepared to enter a sweet story.

*My thanks to Revell Publishers for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion here is my own.