Book Review: My Boyfriend Is a Swamp Monster by Paige Lavoie

“When I was a camper here, girls in my cabin would play mermaids or princesses. Not me, I made up a fish person to be my best friend.”

Paige Lavoie, My Boyfriend Is a Swamp Monster

Review:

I enjoyed Paige Lavoie’s Mothman in Love series, and I was excited to check out the magical realism a swamp monster would bring!

Marina needs a way out of her aunt’s care, but no matter what she tries, she’s always sucked back into the toxicity both at home and at work. An upcoming audition may be the break that she’s looking for. She comes across a notebook from her childhood summers and decides to visit the now abandoned camp she attended for inspiration.

Her childhood summers were a highlight of her life, particularly the moments spent with her best friend. She wishes she could see him again, but the adults in her life successfully convinced her that this boy was imaginary, because who would ever want to be friends with her?

This was a perfect vacation read! I enjoy this author’s writing style and her characters so much. I enjoyed Marina’s narrative (and Grams!) more than Gil’s, mostly because I am a realistic fiction junkie to a fault. Still, Gil and his family were fun to read about, and he and Marina had great chemistry. This book felt spicier than the Mothman series, which I didn’t care for, but I knew going into it that there would be scenes I would be skipping. 

I’m curious to see if this series will continue to follow Gil and Marina, if we’ll get to know other members of Gil’s family more, or if there will be different characters introduced entirely.

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• Great setting.
• Marina had a good backstory.

What I didn’t like:

• Too much spice to the point where it got super uncomfortable near the end of the book.

Afterthoughts:

Fans of the Mothman series are in for a cameo treat!

Where to buy the book: