Into the Woods

De: Jenny Holiday

Narrado por: 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.

©2025 Jenny Holiday (P)2025 Forever

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.

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.

Finding Your Way ❤️🩰🎸💙

Teddy and Gretchen don’t start off in the best of ways, but getting lost in the woods together changes things. I like how their relationship progressed. It was in a way that felt natural and not forced or quick.

The kids at the camp they worked at and the friendships they developed added a nice additional layer to their story. Their “aha” moments were poignant and entertaining.

The story started off slow for me, but I’m glad I stayed with it. It was a nice romance with a sweet HEA.

The narrators were fantastic. Teddy Hamilton is one of my favorites. Worth the listen!

Meh

The story idea was good; the execution was poor. The female narrator has a shrill and exhausting voice and is overly dramatic with her delivery. The female character was also hard to like. She did a lot of complaining and whining and there was really nothing special about her.

The male character was much better and the narrator was fantastic, yet his relationship with his sister was a little dependent, and a bit on the creepy side.

I will think twice before reading another story with this female narrator.

DUET!!! and Explicit Open Door Spice🌶️

Audiobook is another DUET, with Teddy Hamilton—and they didn’t label it that way.

I really enjoyed this, and glad I pre-ordered. If you like Carly Fortune or Jenny Holiday’s previous book, Canadian Boyfriend, you’ll like it, too. This is considerably better than Hannah Grace’s Wildfire.

FMC Gretchen, 39, Miss Miller’s of Minnetonka (Dance Studio) owned for 17 years—expanding into Yoga & Pilates. Was asked to be a dance teacher at a sleep away summer camp, filling in for someone else. Yes, she’s a side character in Canadian Boyfriend, but this is a standalone.

MMC Teddy, 35, semi-famous Hard Rock musician. His band of 17 years just broke up.

Setting: Wild Arts Summer Camp, Northern Minnesota

Spice: 4/5. There are 3 explicit open door scenes.

Not a true enemies to lovers, they start getting to know each other, good conversations within a week of knowing each other. Also not a true grumpy & sunshine. He warms up to her pretty quickly; she’s not particularly sunshiny—she’s pretty even keeled.

Outdoorsy: daily lake swimming. Hiking together, but got lost in the woods. Despite the book cover, there was no camping. They lived in individual cabins, no air conditioning.

Only One Bed—Only one emergency blanket.

CW/TW: Both MCs grew up poor, and related to one another with that. MMC’s mother neglected him and his sister—they didn’t always have food, nor basic utilities.

Such a wonderful story!

The audio narration was amazing. The story was really engaging and kept me listening. If you liked her first book in this series, you will like this one! Hopefully there will be another one!

Irrational and overly emotional woman who can’t control her own self

I liked this book here and there. But mostly I didn’t, and would not read or listen to it again. She’s an irrational woman who can’t control her own emotions. Also, I hate the narrative that you can’t be a strong independent woman and a princess. Because you can.