Review: Girl off the Grid by Jillian Dodd and Kenzie Harp

Camille Caldwell, NYC fashion blogger and college student, gets offered an amazing opportunity at her favorite magazine. Camille gets to all-expenses paid eco-trip to Costa Rica for a week. The only thing she has to is write about her experiences as soon as gets home and give up social media for the week. Camille has no idea what to expect since she has never travelled before, but she imagines herself lounging on the beach and looking fabulous.

Adam Lloyd grew up travelling the world with his parents. This wildlife photographer from London can’t wait to explore Central America, even if it is for a fashion magazine. Finally, his photographs will have an amazing platform and he gets an all-expense paid trip to learn about the Costa Rican ecosystem. But his mood changes when he sees Camille for the first time and realized he’s going to spend his week photographing a spoiled brat.

Camille and Adam hate each other from the start. Camille does nothing but complain at the beginning, expecting to stay in five-star resorts and not in small local places. She also didn’t think she’d have to spend so much time in nature. Adam hoped to be experiencing this journey with someone more serious, not someone who brought her weight in heels and makeup. Can these two opposites learn to get along for the sake of the trip or will they make everyone else around them miserable with their bickering?

We loved Jillian Dodd’s London Prep series and couldn’t wait to read another one of her books. Plus, she cowrote Girl off the Grid with her daughter, Kenzie Harp. We love books about travel and couldn’t wait to learn more about Costa Rica and its ecosystem.

First of all, Girl off the Grid is hilarious. So many crazy things go wrong on this trip and we enjoyed all of the antics. Even though Camille can be annoying and ignorant, we really liked her character development. A lot of the funny situations happen to her, most of which are her own fault. Still, we appreciated that she took the time to learn about the environment, animals, terrain and how tourism can be more sustainable.

Adam’s backstory immediately intrigued us. His childhood was amazing and he’s had the opportunity to see so much of the world. He’s way too judgmental at the beginning, but liked watching him soften during the trip. Camille was raised differently and instead of just judging her, he helps her learn about everything they’re seeing.

Adam and Camille had great chemistry and banter. Their romance was fairly slowburn for a book that takes place over a week. But when you spend 16+ hour days with someone, it’s easy to see how the romance happens quickly. We shipped them from the beginning and wondered what would happen when they went back to their respective lives.

One aspect that kept the book exciting, besides the romance, was the different adventures they experienced each day. From hiking up a volcano, to snorkeling, to visiting wildlife reserves, to canoeing in the jungle, this week was action-packed. Seriously, if you’re a travel lover like us, these excursions will have you booking a flight ASAP. Plus, they even did a day trip to Panama, so we got to see another country represented!

Dodd and Harp also taught us a lot. You can tell they’ve done this trip and are passionate about education their readers about travel sustainability and how to appreciate a local culture when on vacation.

Overall, if you like light-hearted travel romance, Girl off the Grid is for you. BRB, we need to head to Costa Rica immediately.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐