Published by Atria Books on November 3rd 2015
Genres: Fiction, Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Suspense, General, Fantasy
Pages: 432
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Also by this author: Unteachable, Black Iris
Vada Bergen is broke, the black sheep of her family, and moving a thousand miles away from home for grad school, but she’s got the two things she loves most: her art and her best friend—and sometimes more—Ellis Carraway. Ellis and Vada have a friendship so consuming it’s hard to tell where one girl ends and the other begins. It’s intense. It’s a little codependent. And nothing can tear them apart. Until an accident on an icy winter road changes everything.
Vada is left deeply scarred, both emotionally and physically. Her once-promising art career is cut short. And Ellis pulls away, unwilling to talk about that night. Everything Vada loved is gone. She’s got nothing left to lose.
So when she meets some smooth-talking entrepreneurs who offer to set her up as a cam girl, she can’t say no. All Vada has to do is spend a couple hours each night stripping on webcam, and the “tips” come pouring in.
It’s just a kinky escape from reality until a client gets serious. “Blue” is mysterious, alluring, and more interested in Vada’s life than her body. Online, they chat intimately. Blue helps her heal. And he pays well, but he wants her all to himself. No more cam shows. It’s an easy decision: she’s starting to fall for him. But the steamier it gets, the more she craves the real man behind the keyboard. So Vada pops the question: Can we meet IRL?
Blue agrees, on one condition. A condition that will bring back a ghost from her past.
Now Vada must confront what she’s been running from. A past full of devastating secrets—those of others and those she’s been keeping from herself…
I’m excited to be today’s spot on the CAM GIRL blog tour! Leah Raeder’s latest book is suspenseful, edgy and topical and has a mystery that kept me turning pages. Raeder forges her own path in New Adult and I love that she covers such important topics as gender, identity and sexuality. Cam Girl is raw and passionate and has that vivid, distinct Raeder voice.
This book begins with a horrific car crash, and the reader slowly gets pieces of the puzzle to find out how we got there. Vada was in the car with Ellis and it’s clear that their relationship status is complicated. Vada leaves the accident broke and injured and leaves school to take a job as a cam girl to earn money. A client named Blue becomes obsessed with her, but it’s hard to get Ellis off her mind.
Vada’s an artist but can’t draw due to her injuries. But she still sees life through her artist’s lens, and her newest canvas is her cam girl performance art.
I was caught up in the mystery of Blue, curious about Ellis and Vada’s backstory, and wanted to know what really happened with the car crash. But I especially loved the focus and dialogue on gender roles, identity, sexuality, and acceptance.
This was an intense, captivating story that makes you think. As always, Leah Raeder’s voice is strong, with hypnotic, sensual prose. There are some surprises in the story so I don’t want to say much more about it. If you’ve liked Raeder’s other books then you should put this one on your radar. The book is set in the same universe as her previous books so look out for some cameo appearances!
This is a perfect read for Transgender Awareness Month, and I especially loved the Acknowledgements note at the end of the book.
Thanks to Atria Books for the review copy and for hosting this blog tour!
CAM GIRL is On Sale Now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Apple | Google
About the Author:
Leah Raeder is a writer and unabashed nerd. She is also the USA Today bestselling author ofUnteachable and Black Iris. Aside from reading her brains out, she enjoys graphic design, video games, fine whiskey, and the art of self-deprecation. She lives with her very own manic pixie dream boy in Chicago. Visit her at www.leahraeder.com.
Giveaway
There’s just hours left to enter this awesome giveaway! You could win 1 of 5 signed copies of Cam Girl, courtesy of Atria Books. Good luck!