REVIEW: Cam Girl by Leah Raeder

Cam Girl by Leah Raeder: Left wounded after an accident, Vada has lost her art and her best friend and lover, Ellis. Refusing to accept the changes in her life, she spirals, becoming lost in alcohol and drugs. Only when she is discovered by two entrepreneurs for a cam business does Vada begin to find her way.

Who knew becoming a cam girl, a stripper of sorts, could clean a girl up. But when one viewer becomes attached to her, paying to have her to himself every night just to talk, Vada becomes enamored of “Blue” as they become closer and closer even as Ellis enters her life once more.

Now Vada has to decide who she loves and whether she can accept herself for who she is and the lies she’s told.

Our breath hung silkily in the space between us, a ghostly tissue spanning mouth to mouth. Something made from the two of us, knitting us together. Overhead another firework burst and then another, electric blue, shocking purple, as I leaned in to close this space, to share one breath.

Absolutely beautifully written and an intriguing story, Raeder kept me hooked. At times I feel her desire to create imagery overpowered the actual story, but it definitely made Cam Girl an experience to read.

Not a romance I would usually read, but I did like the confusion Vada had over accepting her sexuality and the discussion of accepting the lesbian part of herself. Ellis and her are adorable together and I truly hoped for their happiness even at times I didn’t know if it was possible.

Definitely a darker read what with the mystery around their accident, who Blue is, and the fact that our heroine is a stripper, it’s in no way sweet. But Cam Girl is a novel I would recommend for people not only interested in LGBTQ romances, but a more thought-provoking novel.

Book Info:

Publication: November 3, 2015 | Atria Books |

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 brings back a ghost from her past. Now Vada must confront the devastating secrets she’s been running from—those of others, and those she’s been keeping from herself…