Two years after they graduate from Camp Okahatchee, Zoe, Joy, Luce and Tali—once the four musketeers—have drifted so far apart they hardly speak to one another anymore. But when Joy calls the other three out of the blue, begging them to meet her at the Camp OK reunion, the old friends agree to get together. That night, a novelty photobooth sends the girls back in time to their last summer at camp, offering them second chances at first love and self-discovery and an opportunity to mend their friendship before it even falls apart.
Debut author Lexa Hillyer is a former YA editor, award-winning poet and accomplished literary entrepreneur. In the vein of Sarah Dessen or Ann Brashares, Proof of Forever is an ode to summer camp—to the intensity of the friendships formed and the soul searching inspired there. The four protagonists, each colorfully and distinctly rendered, represent a group of teenage girls with very little in common—except that they are all still growing into their own skin—whose thick-as-thieves friendship blossoms in that mysterious summer camp air. Hillyer so adeptly captures this phenomenon that readers who have experienced the magic will be transported, while those who have not will feel equally welcomed.
At more than 300 pages and spanning just under a week, the novel doesn’t exactly clip along, but the girls’ journey is equal parts funny and heartwarming, and its leisurely build to a dramatic climax makes it a perfect read for a sprawling summer day.
