BWS Review: Andy and the Extroverts

Bookworm
Jul 3
4 min read

Updated: Jul 6

Andy and the Extroverts, written by Jessica K Foster. Image from Amazon. — *Andy and the Extroverts,* written by Jessica K Foster. Image from Amazon.

Quick Overview

Title: Andy and the Extroverts

Author/Publisher: Jessica K Foster/ Winding Road Stories

Story: Chronically introverted Andy is sent to a Leadership summer camp by her mother. She will need the help of coffee, new friends, and the hottest guy, Lucas, to survive!

Published Date: May 2023

Genre: Contemporary fiction, romance, Young Adult, slice of life

Where to read it: Outside under the warm summer sun

Pages: 292 pages

Calling all campers; introverts; and romance-seekers, it’s time to go to camp! Andy and the Extroverts is a contemporary YA fiction about introverted Andy being pushed into unfamiliar situations at a summer camp and working her way through the tough moments. The debut book is written by Jessica K Foster and published by Winding Road Stories in May 2022. The book sequel, Andy and the Summer of Something, follows Andy’s next adventure and love life drama. Andy and the Extroverts is a heartfelt and funny novel with a side of romance!

The Summary

When seventeen-year-old Andy fails to make any friends during her junior year, her mother dumps her at an introvert's worst nightmare: a summer leadership camp. She is expected to communicate her thoughts and participate in icebreaker activities every waking moment. Worst of all: there’s no coffee. At least there is Lucas, someone who seems straight out of her romance books. But her new gal friends warn her about trusting him and they may be right.

Warning! Slight Spoilers Below

The Evaluation

Andy and the Extroverts is a contemporary fiction novel. This genre is fiction stories that could happen to real people in real settings. Foster has written a very realistic story about high school characters attending a camp with lots of camp activities. As an introvert, I relate to Andy as she is socially awkward and just wants to read her books.

The theme of this book is not to give up. No one learns this more than Andy. “Did he and mom think I quit trying at school? That because I didn’t bother with friends, I had cut the line?” (pg 89). Andy working through her self-made isolation is relatable to all socially awkward people. She shows that anyone can survive uncomfortable situations and find joy in trying new things.

Strengths

Andy’s character transformation is well done.

The audience can see Andy’s thought process as she slowly adjusts to her surroundings. “It was so tempting to stay here in my purple cocoon of shame and admit defeat. Instead, my embarrassment morphed into rage…” (pg 123). Andy starts to push her way through tough moments bit by bit.

The romance is realistic and sweet.

Andy and Lucas’ relationship is an honest first love story. Andy herself points out how unrealistic some romance books can be, but that isn’t the case with Andy’s relationship. “And it wasn’t like my books…He was a nice guy I liked, and I wanted to be in this moment where I didn’t feel pressured to say or do anything significant. I could just be me” (pg 160). Anyone who has experienced a high school romance can relate to their love story.

The book shows the value of introverts.

Despite her mother’s and the camp leader’s best attempts, Andy is still an introvert at the end of the book. In fact, she shows the value of being an introvert to others. Foster reminds her audience that while being introverted shouldn’t hold you back, being introverted isn’t wrong.

Weaknesses

No book is totally perfect. Here is point from the book that didn’t work for me.

There are moments where the book feels uneventful.

Between the emotional and action scenes, there are slower scenes that do help with Andy’s transformation, but aren’t exciting. As a contemporary fiction, all events in the story could happen at real summer camps but some of the camp activities blur together. I think adding more drama would have helped. The book could have had another antagonist, such as a bully or a romantic rival, to raise the stakes.

The Rating

The Bookworm’s Snack rates Andy and the Extroverts three out of five stars.

Andy and the Extroverts speaks to me as an introvert who prefers reading over socializing. By making the book a contemporary fiction, Foster makes the audience feel as if they are reading about a real summer camp. Through the realistic obstacles the audience witnesses Andy learning not to give up. Some scenes did feel similar and uneventful so more drama could have raised the stakes. The Bookworm’s Snack rates Andy and the Extroverts three out of five stars. If you're looking for a book that has the essence of a summer camp then you've found it!