> Skip to content
Play sample
  • Published: 28 May 2020
  • ISBN: 9780241428269
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 352

Camp




Feelgood LGBTQ romantic comedy from the acclaimed author of Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts).

Sixteen-year-old Randy Kapplehoff loves spending the summer at Camp Outland, a camp for queer teens. It's where he met his best friends. It's where he takes to the stage in the big musical. And it's where he fell for Hudson Aaronson-Lim - who's only into straight-acting guys and barely knows not-at-all-straight-acting Randy even exists.

This year, though, it's going to be different. Randy has reinvented himself as 'Del' - buff, masculine and on the market. Even if it means giving up show tunes, nail polish and his unicorn bedsheets, he's determined to get Hudson to fall for him.

But as he and Hudson grow closer, Randy has to ask himself how much is he willing to change for love. And is it really love anyway, if Hudson doesn't know who he truly is?

  • Published: 28 May 2020
  • ISBN: 9780241428269
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 352

About the author

L.C. Rosen

L. C. Rosen, also known as Lev Rosen, has written several books for adults and children, but Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) is his YA debut. His books have been featured on numerous Best of the Year lists and nominated for several awards. He lives in New York City with his husband and a very small cat.

Also by L.C. Rosen

See all

Praise for Camp

The gay summer camp romp of my dreams: a romantic summertime joyride and a thoughtful examination of gay culture. Gay teens or anyone who knows a gay teen should read this book.

Cale Dietrich, author of The Love Interest

Camp has everything you're looking for: a winning romance, a celebration of queerness, a reflection on what it takes to embrace your most authentic self, and answers to questions most queer boys often don't know how to ask in the first place.

Caleb Roerhig, author of Death Prefers Blondes

Camp is a divine treat. A subversive explosion of masc/fem stereotypes wrapped inside a sparkly, funny, heartstring-plucking romance. At once delightfully cynical and buoyantly hopeful, Rosen uses Camp to take aim at everything the LGBTQ community is currently wrestling with and needs to hear.

Adam Sass, author of Surrender Your Sons

Packed with an amazing cast of unforgettable characters, Camp is the perfect read for anyone wondering if they're too much or not enough of their true self. It's the must-read book of the summer.

Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running With Lions

Camp is a pitch-perfect, joyfully queer take on the classic summer camp sex romp. With a loveable lead and a fabulous cast of supporting characters, it's the sweetest YA romance I've read in a long time.

Tom Ryan, author of Keep This to Yourself

Joyful, exuberant, incisive, and terrifically queer. Camp is a romcom with bite and heart, one that examines the walls we build around ourselves - and promises us we have the power to tear them down. This is literary wizardry.

Adib Khorram, author of Darius the Great is Not Okay

A powerful, yet nuanced, illustration of every queer person's struggle with identity, presented in Rosen's trademark blend of levity and wit. Charming and clever, this story simply sparkles.

Phil Stamper, author of The Gravity of Us

A drag act that plays with compassion and camp

Kirkus

Camp tells a story I wish a teenage me could have lived. It took me back and allowed me to explore a place where a younger, queer me would have been safe. I love how L.C. Rosen has intertwined small moments of LGBT+ education and history whilst telling an adorable, funny and relatable story. Sweet, meaningful and at points sassy, Camp is a book for young gay adults who are ready for exploration.

Olly Pike, Pop'n'Olly

The trouble with being young and LGBTQIA is that you're trying to be yourself while the rest of the world is intent on turning you into someone else. With wit, warmth, and heart, Rosen deftly skewers stereotypes while acknowledging that, for some, conforming means safety. CAMP is a frank, funny and thoughtful look at teenage identity, sexuality and sensuality with vibrant characters you'll root for all the way. A bang up-to-date Judy Blume teenage rom-com for the inclusive, switched-on generation.

Justin Myer, aka The Guyliner

A super sweet LGBTQ+ romantic comedy . . . Great fun and left me with a warm smile

Gscene Magazine

Take the judging panel from RuPaul's Drag Race UK, blend them up and spit out a novel and that is what Camp truly is. You have the camp theatrical aspects of Alan Carr, the smut of Graham Norton, the blurred lines of gender and conservatism of RuPaul, and the loving support of a parental figure in Michelle Visage.

VADA Magazine

Discover more

penguin pop image
penguin pop image