Sample
  • Bummer Camp

  • A Novel
  • By: Ann Garvin
  • Narrated by: Andi Arndt
  • Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (7 ratings)

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Bummer Camp

By: Ann Garvin
Narrated by: Andi Arndt
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Publisher's summary

Two sisters scramble to save their family’s legacy in a funny, huge-hearted novel about grandiose plans and summers to remember by the author of I Thought You Said This Would Work.

Cat McCarthy has spent years extricating herself from the family business—an increasingly run-down theater camp—and all the drama contained within it. At thirty-seven, she’s putting the final touches on a new life as she renovates her dream cottage and awaits her first child. Does it worry her that the McCarthy legacy is in the hands of her disastrously irresponsible sister, Ginger? Sure. But the camp’s not Cat’s problem anymore.

Then a series of frantic text messages pulls Cat back to center stage. Ginger has handed the reins to a crackpot motivational speaker, Bob Durand, and his scheming wife, Elaine. The couple’s plan to rebrand the camp as a “rehab” for anxious adults has nearly bankrupted the McCarthys. And now the Durands have skipped town days before investors arrive for a fundraising gala that could determine the camp’s future.

As Cat and Ginger wrangle a cast of lovable misfits and underdogs to save the camp, the sisters rediscover the importance of family, belonging, and holding fast to sweet summer memories.

©2024 by Ann Garvin. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Ann Garvin’s Bummer Camp is for anyone who’s ever spent any time in a cabin or making lanyards or being bitten by mosquitoes while walking in a piney woods. It’s the funny, insightful story of two sisters who must band together to save their family’s legacy, a summer camp in danger of being dismantled by the bad guys. Garvin’s trademark humor and insight shine through every page, in all the quirky characters. Don’t miss it. You’ll laugh out loud.”—Maddie Dawson, Washington Post bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners

“After finishing Bummer Camp, I see why Ann Garvin is so beloved. Ann is a fabulous storyteller, a master writer, and just plain very funny.”—Bob Eckstein, New York Times bestselling author of Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums

Bummer Camp is a perfectly balanced cocktail of family annoyance, sharky business foes, and just enough pot brownies to keep the whole thing afloat.”—Michelle Wildgen, author of Wine People

What listeners say about Bummer Camp

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

End of summer beach read!

This was a great end of summer read! I loved the family dynamic and fast yet thorough character development. Shirtless may need his own book!

Without spoiling the ending, the author managed to touch on so many real life issues and how we all handle them in our own way, in our own time.

Fast and fun read with just a hint of reality thrown in to keep you grounded. I will be adding more Ann Garvin to my TBR list!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Swallow…gross

I enjoyed the story, but the person reading would audibly swallow all throughout the book. It was gross and made me want to vomit…

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

It earned a 5th star in the denouement

An interesting book about relationships of all kinds. Perfect reading for "theater kids" who are all grown up now. The storytelling art was well executed and I especially loved that the gender reveal of the baby was withheld until it naturally fit into a special niche in the plot. The pacing of the plot was brilliant and I felt well satisfied in the end.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Reviews said how funny it was. About the last hour.

I needed something funny. So I used a credit. 3/4 of the way through I was still waiting for it to less depressing. About the last hour parts were funny. I'm still trying to decide if it was worth a credit. I guess it was but it would have helped if it wasn't so sad at first. When i'm in a better mood I'll have to listen to it again.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

This Book Took my Emotions on a Journey!!!

This book had me hooked.

In the first half of the book, Ginger stressed me out completely and I wanted to shake just about everyone else.

But I started having fun and laughing out loud in the 2nd half.

If you find yourself frustrated at the start of the book, give it some time. You may be surprised.

The story was engaging. The characters were fun (when I didn’t wanna give them a stern talking to). While I wished there was more ethnic diversity among the characters, I really appreciated the attention to neurodiversity and how thoughtful the author was about discussing disabilities.

My only real warning is about the narration. I’m a fan of Andi Arndt. Her actual narration is great. But this recording has quite a bit of mouth sounds and some background noise. It was almost like it wasn’t edited well. Prepare yourself for that.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fun but a little negative

I really liked the story and all of the characters. I did get a bit frustrated sometimes with the level of negativity of the main character, but it wrapped up pretty nice.

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