Long Story Short is truly such a cute story and I absolutely loved reading it. I read it in one sitting and I loved all the characters in it. I was also really engaged with the plot and the writing style was so good.

I did receive this novel as an eARC from NetGalley.

Beatrice is going to a Shakespeare theatre camp! This is a kind of coming of age story with an enemies to lovers romance.

Beatrice an introvert math genius who’s been home schooled gets accepted to Oxford. Her parents decide to make her go to theatre camp in order to get out of her comfort zone and have a “normal teenager experience”. The camp is playing Romeo and Juliet.

Beatrice gets paired up with the best roommate possible that can take her out of her shell, there’s an evil queen bee, a gay friend very into fashion design, a Romeo love interest and a misunderstanding between the two main characters.

The characters made me smile, laugh, feel awkward and mad at the right times.

I liked the diversity in the characters but they felt a little stereotypical of a YA romance to me.

I am so surprised by how much I loved this book. Everything about Beatrice’s character development was so good and I loved being in her head as she figured out who she is outside of her ordered four walls.

I will say at first, everyone felt a bit stereotyped and they got attached super fast. Not that that’s surprising for a summer camp read, but the book at times felt like a bubble and the real world wasn’t knocking. It was very sweet how the friendships developed and felt like a large part of the story, but there still felt like there was something missing in them. That being said, I appreciated the support that they provided Bea as she ventured out of her comfort zone time and time again. I loved their unconditional love and appreciation of Bea as a smart human being, but also someone totally out of her depth. Their love and help were an integral part of Bea’s growth.

I absolutely loved Bea and her journey. Being in her head as she dissected and processed new social interactions and events felt very relatable. As someone who was involuntarily sheltered, I kind of loved seeing her approach to new things, and appreciated how cautious she was with her heart, because same. I found a lot of my young self in her, and enjoyed seeing her open herself up to new people and new experiences. Her unintentional banter and chemistry with the other characters brought a humanity to herself and the other characters. This element was what truly brought the whole cast to life for me and it’s definitely where Kaylor’s writing shines.

The Shakespearean themes were a lot of fun – the plays, the acting, the romance, the games – there’s just something about the Bard that brings people together. As a Shakespeare kid, I enjoyed revisiting the plays throughout the story.

All in all, I loved this book and I am so excited to see more from this author!

TW: bullying, underage drinking

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
GoodReads Rating: 3.97/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Wednesday Books via St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

My heart is literally smiling. Long Story Short it is a great YA novel that is unputdownable. I loved the setting because it gave it a summery vibe that I appreciate. I adored Beatrice and Nik, both were well-developed, rounded character, and I love the two of them together. The friendships were great too, I especially loved the satisfying ending.

Serena Kaylor has crafted a fun romance with wonderful rep and a colorful cast of characters. This story is quiet in all the best ways and really had me kicking my feet and giggling.

DNF
I think I just haven't enjoyed YA novels recently so this one just wasn't doing it for me. But that's entirely on me and my mood reading.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. Serena Kaylor did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

I loved this book! Watching this extreme introvert come out of her shell with the help of two of the most amazing people she finds as friends made for a wonderful story.

Having to attend camp for acting in order for her to attend Oxford at the age of sixteen she had to complete this one requirement from her parents. Sent with to do list created by her parents and then modified by her new friends you get to see how this introvert finds way to navigate around social situations. New friends, possibly an enemies to love situation and all the camp shenanigans make for a great story.

This was such a relatable book. Going to college/university, being away from home and meeting new people are all hard experiences. I related to this story so much which made it even better.

I met Serena Kaylor at YallWest and she was a gem!

This book is very cute, the story is smart, and I adore a theater setting. Shakespeare is never going to be my jam, but you do you, boo.

Delightful. Sweet. Hilarious. And moving. I loved awkward Bea and her journey to becoming a “real teenager.” Theater camp and Mia and Nolan, and obvs Nik.

It felt like a warm hug for everyone who’s ever felt like they don’t quite fit in.

Make sure you read this delightful coming of age contemporary (plus romance) this year!!

Highly recommended

Long Story Short this was a great time!

Bea is a 16-year old prodigy, ready to leave her homeschooled existence in Berkeley, California behind. But there’s some issues: Bea doesn’t like people, or change, or trying new foods, or talking or interacting with anyone for any reason. Understandably, her parents have genuine concerns that Bea will move to Oxford and perish beneath her stacks of studies, never to be seen again.

A compromise is struck: go to summer camp, learn to be a “real teenager” by completing a list of socially-minded tasks, and convince her parents she can survive in a new and uncomfortable environment. So where do they send Bea? A Shakespeare camp in Connecticut. What concentration must she complete? Ah, yes, ACTING.

From the jump, Bea is confronted with all the ways her idiosyncrasies set her eons apart from her peers. From her uninspired wardrobe of business casual pressed khakis and polos in an array of colors, to her inability to eat new foods or even hold down conversations, Bea is so out of her depth.

But then she meets her roommate, the most glorious ray of generosity to grace the planet, Mia. Mia, along with Nolan, work with Bea to help her try new experiences. And along the way, maybe, just maybe, a certain British boy with a smug attitude and a knack for Shakespeare slam battles with catch more than Bea’s ire by summer’s end.

Long Story Short is laugh out loud, ridiculously good!!!!

I knew this was going to be amazing when I immediately clicked with the protagonist Beatrice. Her inner monologue and struggles as a socially awkward child genius were comedic gold. I loved her character development throughout the novel from a shy teen to a stage kid with a crush. Her development from realizing how shallow and self-centered she was due to careful prodding from her peers was a refreshing change from teen angst and bullying.

The secondary characters were equally loveable and I honestly could not put this down!

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Every time I tried to read this book, I was bored. I’d pick it up and read a few pages and just slowly lose interest. I never wanted to pick it up once I put it down so it quickly became a DNF sadly.

The perfect YA summer romance! I loved all these characters so, so much. I liked the story, the setting all of plot. This book made me smile while I was reading it and made me really happy!

This was such a cute little book that got me in the Spring Break mood (even though it was set in the summer..?! We'll never know why certain books make me feel a certain type of way). I really enjoyed Beatrice as a character: a homeschooled girl who is experiencing teenage antics for the first time as an upper classman. Some of the things Beatrice didn't know astounded me, but then again, I can understand why she didn't understand certain things given that she spent the majority of her time alone and studying.

I really enjoyed this book and seeing Beatrice's growth from the beginning of the book to where she ended up. It's refreshing to see this side of teenage life (hello drama kids!) and realize there's more to life than getting good grades and getting into *the* school.

This story was a sweet and fun time. I enjoyed the realistic characters and the relationship they developed .

“In Serena Kaylor's sparkling debut, a homeschooled math genius finds herself out of her element at a theater summer camp and learns that life―and love―can’t be lived by the (text)book.”

This book was a beautiful coming of age debut novel. The setting was fun and has a Shakespearean twist that was refreshing. It had good anxiety and therapy representation, which is always important, and displays strong friendships and relationships.

It’s fun to see the growth and how this teenager blossoms and finds her way in the world. It took me back to my younger years, and I feel like this book is important to YA readers finding their way.

This was such a feel good book, and I highly recommend this book!

Thank you, NetGalley and to the publishing company for the opportunity to read and review this awesome book.

I was excited for this but I don’t think I was the right audience for this. I enjoy Shakespeare and theatre but a lot of the references flew over my head. Overall the author had a good writing style but I wouldn’t pick this up again.

A fantastic romance story of young love. Truly enjoyed this one and loved every single charcater! The banter was immaculate to see our main girl make an enemy with the British boy was definitely a sight to see