I loved the development of the main character, Beatrice. She was truly trying so hard to make the summer camp work so she could go to Oxford. Some homeschooled kids get a bum wrap but Beatrice really need to step up her game in relationships! So glad to have a happy ending in romance and in going to Oxford.

This was an enjoyable story. I found the writing to be above average, and the main character of Beatrice was surprisingly well-fleshed out, much beyond the cardboard anti-social academic I both feared and somewhat expected. Instead, she is very much a real person, one who just happens to know exactly what she wants, and so what if that isn't what anyone (including her parents) expects or thinks or wants her to want. SHE wants to go to Oxford, thank you very much - full stop. To a certain extent, the deal she strikes with her parents (one summer of socializing at camp in Connecticut to prove she won't spend her time abroad buried in the library) feels a little flimsy (I don't know if parents in the real world would really be convinced by such an arrangement, but I've been wrong before), but overall it is a fun read, and definitely fits the bill for a "high-stakes coming of age, figuring out who you are and who you want to be" YA tale.

For starters… never before have I felt so connected to a YA teen book, but damn…

Serena Kaylor is a brilliant writer. Her writing style draws you in and keeps a strong hold on you. She created these beautiful characters and literally (not figuratively) brought them to life.

I loved that through her writing, we got the sense that Beatrice “Bea” may have been on the autism spectrum - without her actually saying so. I connected with her social awkwardness, her shyness. I loved how we were able to see into her brain and really understand who she is as a person.
Mia, Nolan, Nik, and Shelby (and ok… Ben even though he was too much in the background) were created with as much love & enthusiasm as Bea.

I loved how each one developed as a character during the course of the story. They were engaging & witty & exactly the people that you would hope to meet at camp if you were forced to go to a theater camp.
I love how the relationships formed with each other.

Easily a 4.5 / 5 star book. I deducted .5 star for the quick developing relationship between Bea & Nik at the end. I would have liked to see a little more time and development before they jumped all in. It felt like a long drawn out 0-10, then an 11-100 in a split second. I will easily give back that .5 star if she creates a sequel about their time at Oxford.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Wednesday Publishing for this ARC for my open & honest review.

Long Story Short, by Serena Kaylor, follows Beatrice Quinn, an extremely smart 16-year-old who grew up being homeschooled. When she is accepted to Oxford after applying without her parent's permission, they agree to let her go only if she can prove to them that she is capable of making friends and getting a "normal teenage experience." To do so, they send her to a Shakespearean theater camp with a list of tasks that she must accomplish, ranging from "accept an invitation you don't want to" to "pull a prank." As she does these, she finds herself making friends for the first time and clashing with Nik, the irritatingly confident and talented son of the camp's founders.

I'm torn about this book; as a lover of Shakespeare, camp stories, and young adult romance, I absolutely adored it, but, as an autistic woman, I can't tell how I feel about it.

Beatrice is blatantly autistic. I cannot be completely sure that the author intended to write her that way, but that is absolutely how she came out. She has a specific meal for each day of the week that she has always eaten for dinner, she always wears an outfit consisting of khakis and a polo shirt that her mother calls a "uniform," she gets panicky when she's in unfamiliar social situations and recites the noble gases to calm herself, she doesn't know how to interact with other people and prepares scripts and specific structures to use for conversations, she shows sensory sensitivities to food-- I could go on and on. That in itself is the opposite of a problem; I loved her and related to her and would happily read several more books about her.

My main issue with the book comes with other characters' attitudes, particularly those of her parents, towards Beatrice's autistic traits. Her mother at one point tells her that Beatrice had always been different, but that she never got her diagnosed with anything because she didn't want her to be judged and put in a box. This is an issue for a lot of reasons. I have to imagine that her mother is referring to autism in that statement, which only stigmatizes the disorder. Getting an autism diagnosis is rarely limiting for autistic people; rather, it is freeing in that it allows us to understand ourselves better and learn that there is nothing wrong with the way that we are. To intentionally not get your daughter diagnosed with anything to avoid her facing judgement is to stigmatize autism and take that opportunity to understand herself away from her.

I don't necessarily have a problem with the overall nature of the list or forcing Beatrice to get a little outside of her comfort zone, since it only makes sense if they're going to allow their minor daughter to move to a different country, but I do have a problem with Beatrice's parents' overall problem with the way that she exists. Fortunately, once she goes to camp, they cease to be important characters in the book.

Beatrice's friends are much more accepting of her. While they do encourage her to try new things and complete the list, they never force her to do anything. Beatrice's best friend at camp, Mia, urges her to try new clothes and go to various camp social functions, but always makes it clear that Beatrice shouldn't do anything that she is uncomfortable with. Beatrice's various friends at camp appreciate her, awkwardness and all; they still hold her accountable when she makes mistakes, but it is overall a supportive environment. Because of that aspect of the book, I do feel like I can mostly excuse the book for the treatment of Beatrice by her parents.

I truly did love everything else about Long Story Short. I'm a theater kid, so I will happily read anything else about theater kids, and I absolutely adore Shakespeare. The other campers are all multidimensional and interesting, and I loved the casual queer rep with Beatrice's two friends, Mia and Nolan (one a queer girl and one a gay boy). The camp setting is so fun, and I enjoyed reading about all of their traditions and everybody's genuine love for the program. Nik, the love interest, is wonderful and attractive and it's a perfectly-done dislike/annoyance-to-lovers plotline.

Overall, I'm giving Long Story Short 4/5 stars. While it's otherwise a 5 star read, I cannot in good conscience give a book that shows parents acting this way towards their autism-coded child that rating, so I'm knocking off a star. I did still love it and enjoy it and recommend it; I just hope that people will take Beatrice's parents attitudes with a grain of salt. I do also wish that Beatrice had just been given an autism diagnosis, since there's so little rep for autism and I have very little doubt in my mind that she was intentionally written that way. Overall, I do recommend this book whole-heartedly to anybody looking for books centered around camp, theater, dislike-to-lovers, or very-heavily-autism coded protagonists.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An absolutely charming YA debut!! This is like the perfect summer vibe and gives me major Morgan Matson vibes.

The enemies to lovers trope is done extremely well here. The slow burn of will they - won't they absolutely wrecked me at times. The summer camp setting was nostalgic yet realistic to today's time. I loved the Shakespearean spin on it. It made me want to go read Shakespeare?? Not a craving I've ever had I don't think. The Shakespeare-Off Bea and Nik have at one point was swoon worthy. I was actively smiling as I was reading that part. As an older reader, I've been very hit or miss on YA lately so I was nervous getting into this one but it blew me away.

There were a couple things I can comment on as far as improvements or things that maybe didn't go over so well with me personally. The whole book basically Bea is bullied. And that's one thing, I know teen kids aren't always the nicest people but the two friends she makes right away, Mia and Nolan, they just sit there a lot of the time as this is happening. They know that Bea isn't the most socially aware person but I don't know, I would have liked to see them stick up for her once or twice especially because these are kids Mia and Nolan have known for multiple summers and one of them is Nolan's literal twin sister. I feel like they could have said something or done something at least once. I read another reviewer's thoughts and I agree with the characters being a bit too cookie-cutter / stereotypes. The last thing is that I wish Bea and Nik got together a teeny tiny bit earlier. I thought during the truth game it'd all come out and happen then which would leave the perfect amount of time for actual romance and cute stuff between the two of them. We got like a page or two of it but I would have liked to see some more!

I'd definitely recommend picking this up for some good YA fun. BRB - going to buy all the Shakespeare I can get my hands on.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions here are my own.

Perfection.

This…. This is the book that the teenage me needed when she was confused about social interactions or why she was so good at math and everyone said it was hard or when people put her into a box and decided what kind of person she was. When people laughed at her for being weird or quirky or shy….

God, this was such a wonderful reading experience for me and even here, at 32 years old, I am enthralled with this girl named Beatrice who is brilliant and captivating and so so lovely just the way she is.

Serena Kaylor gave us a beautiful tale of a neurodivergent girl who meets people who accept her for exactly who she is. And she realizes that there are things about her she still needs to explore, emotions she can still have, experiences she wants to do!

Nik was a perfect match for Beatrice. I loved that he was outgoing and confident but still had flaws and hesitation. I loved that you could visibly see his fascination with Bea at every turn in the book. Lovely!

The side characters were also brilliant. Each one had their own purpose and personality. None were just thrown in for gags. I really loved them all!

So please all of you girls out there who were the “weird math girl” or called “socially inept” please read this book. Give yourself time to figure out what you want and breathe! You can do this.

Can I reread this again like… right now? 🥺

‘Long Story Short’ is one of my favorite books of 2022. Author Serena Kaylor crafts a wonderful, unique coming-of-age story set at a Shakespearean summer camp, and I devoured every. Single. Word.

Literal genius Beatrice Quinn dreams of leaving her hometown of Berkeley, California, and attending Oxford University. So much so, that she lives in a comfortable bubble solely filled with school work and her routines. When she receives early admission to Oxford, her parents make her a deal: learn how to socially interact with her peers, and make some friends, and she can fly off to England and study math to her heart’s content. Enter a performing arts summer camp, a vibrant roommate, and a cute boy, and things are about to become a whole lot more complicated for Beatrice Quinn. In the best way possible.

One of the things I loved most about this book is the way in which Kaylor portrays Beatrice. You can feel what she’s feeling, and also see what she’s not quite seeing. There is such a wonderful exploration of the awkwardness and uncertainty of adolescence, coupled with the beauty of the beginning of new friendships and young love. All of the characters are dynamic and feel like actual humans, which is always a plus. And the way in which Shakespeare is interwoven into the plot is quite deft. It’s a wonderful tribute to the Bard without making him the focus of the story.

This will be a book a revisit when I want to feel an array of feelings… all of which end with me having a gigantic smile on my face.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for generously providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While the writing and premise of this YA contemporary are solid, it isn't a book with an elaborate plot (or much happening at all) so the characters are pretty key, and in that sense it's something of a letdown. While it's great to have a main character who's internally rich, the external piece felt like it was missing a bit, which made it confusing why she would suddenly develop these strong friendships or have the most popular/talented/hot leading man in camp so focused on her, therefore undermining the foundations of the narrative arc. In terms of the secondary characters, there was definitely a reliance on stereotypes (Mia and Nolan were overall charming enough to avoid being painted with the general "queer best friends" brush, while Shelby fit the "queen bee bully who's secretly insecure" mold a little too well) but Nik in particular needed a lot more as a love interest; for most of the book he came off as a jerk rather than a misunderstood jerk/jerk with a heart of gold, and there weren't really any particular moments of bonding that made it feel as if his character or relationship with Bea were developing. He was just obnoxious until he wasn't. I also would have appreciated a little more reflection from Bea in terms of her developing emotions regarding the list she's going through, and whether she felt it was worthwhile - while I liked that the story was more subtle about including references to the benefits of being non-neurotypical, it had the "non-neurotypical character must act like a typical teen" trope baked into it without much examination.

A quick summer read, probably with more appeal to younger teens and those who enjoy stories about friendship and light romance.

every part of this sucked.

other reviews have talked about the main character being autistic-coded but it did feel like beatrice was given autistic traits (sensory issues, routine, not getting social cues, etc.) as things about a person that needed to be fixed. i cant speak to this but it did make me really uncomfortable and upset for her.

i hated all of beatrice’s “friends.” mia and nolan were so annoying. they were constantly trying to push beatrice out of her “comfort zone” but it just felt like they didn’t understand boundaries and that there was something wrong with her. then whenever beatrice did change something about herself, she was so uncomfortable and it didn’t feel like it was her choice. but then closer to the end she’s suddenly comfortable? it didn’t make sense to me. there was also a part where nolan (who is gay i think?) forcibly looks down beatrice’s shirt to approve of her bathing suit? i’m not sure what the point was here but it felt like the author thought it was okay for him to do that because he couldn’t have any attraction toward her. it’s still disgusting. there was never any consequences or discussion around this so it was made to seem like it was okay.

nik was the classic “he’s teasing you because he likes you” love interest. i thought we left that shit behind because what?? i didn’t like him at all and i felt like he never truly understood her and just wanted her to change like the rest of her “friends.” he was pushy, annoying and really rude and i don’t think this sends the right message to readers about someone who’s supposed to be the love interest.

don’t even get me started on her parents. her disgusting therapist parents who don’t understand her and force her to try new things because they think it’s best. it blows my mind that they’re therapists (sex therapists but i don’t think it matters) and they didn’t want to “diagnose her and put her in a box” so they thought homeschooling was the best option. like yes putting her in her room with no contact with people her age is definitely the way to go 🙄. and by the end they’re proven “right” because beatrice “came out of her shell” at the theatre camp she was forced into. disgusting.

i hate any concepts or story lines of changing the nerdy, introverted, shy main character because it insinuates that there’s something wrong with them that needs fixing. if i had known this book would fall into that trope i would’ve never requested this. it’s a horrible message to send to anyone.

thank you to netgalley for giving me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A coming of age story set during the summer, at a camp for theater kids, with enemies to lovers? Yes please!

Bea is a super smart teenager who has been homeschooled her whole life. When she gets accepted to Oxford, she wants to go but her parents don't think she has experienced enough to go off and live on her own. So, they send her to a Shakespearean theater camp for the summer, where she is expected to do typical teenager things and prove to them that she is capable of going off to school in the fall. Along the way she makes friends, attends her first party, faces fears, has her first crush and learns that there is much more to life than studying.

I could go on forever about all the reasons I adored this book. I was able to relate to so many of Bea's struggles about not being a "normal teenager" and trying to learn how to fit in, while also being a little scared to put yourself out there and try new things. Seeing Bea grow into this new version of herself and make relationships along the way made my heart so happy. Bea and Nik were so adorable, I love them! Mia and Nolan made this book so fun and I think they were the perfect people to help Bea find herself.

This book exceeded my expectations in so many ways! I felt all the emotions while reading this and found myself laughing at every chapter. It was so sweet and fun to read about these kids and their unforgettable summer, and it left me wanting to go to camp.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me a digital review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I requested Long Story Short without thinking too much about it…I maybe glanced at the blurb and thought it sounded good? Little did I know it would be one of those books that spoke to me.
While it’s not explicitly stated, Beatrice is depicted throughout the book as autistic-coded, with a narrow set of interests and struggles fitting in with “normal” teens. And while I could see people having issues with the rep in the book, I personally saw a lot of myself in Beatrice.
At the start, I could totally understand her narrow mindset of wanting to focus on her studies, taking an awesome opportunity to enroll at Oxford…not taking into account she’s been sheltered for most of her life. And while her parents’ methods for getting her out of her shell are a tad extremec and some of their ideas about this are toxic as hell…like, talking about how camp would “force her to be an extrovert,” I sort of understand the sentiment beneath the BS, especially as I’m a stubborn ND person who has also resisted many of my own therapist’s suggestions for “exposure therapy” as “too hard.”
The environment of the camp and the friends she made there also brought back memories of my own theater experiences, something I fell into in part because of the way it fit in with my “track” of choice in high school, aka the one I was least bad at. I fell in love with the theater in part because of the support of my classmates, and Beatrice has a similar experience with the other campers, who, for the most part, don’t judge her for being different.
There’s also a super-cute romantic plotline with a fellow camper, Nik, which leans into “Taming of the Shrew meets Pride and Prejudice” vibes.
While this book is somewhat predictable and tropey, I can’t help but love it, because of the connection to my own teen experiences. If you enjoy YA contemporaries and are looking for nuanced neurodiverse rep, you should check this out.

Reader’s Notes:

– this is told from Beatrice’s point of view

– there are about 40 curse words

– there is under aged drinking in a scene

Review:

If you’ve read and enjoyed Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter, you’ll love this story even more! I absolutely loved this funny story of a girl who has tons of book smarts but needs to learn the ropes of being a teenager. I found it a bit difficult reading the first couple of chapters and enjoying Beatrice as a character but I was hooked once she was on her way to the camp! I loved the friends she made when she got there and their big personalities as well as their willingness to help her navigate the finer points of teenage society. They helped her come out of her comfort-zone while still keeping in mind that she had limits and wouldn’t push her past them unless she really needed it. I loved Beatrice’s banter with Nik and their Shakespeare themed contest. I also loved her friends’ commentary on said banter and how it took Beatrice a bit to accept their thoughts on it. I loved so much of this book, but some of my favorite scenes included: a day on the lake, practices for Romeo and Juliet, their day out, and the impromptu party the campers threw.

Beatrice is a highly intelligent homeschooled girl who dreams of learning at the hard to get into Oxford University. So when she gets her acceptance, she expects her parents to be thrilled. But instead finds that she needs to convince them to let her go. They don’t want her to keep to herself, they want to be sure that she interacts with people her own age. But people confuse Beatrice with their ever changing moods and personalities. To acclimate Beatrice and get her outside of her comfort-zone, her parents sign her up for a Shakespearean theater camp and give her a few things she’ll need to do to show them that she can be a real teenager and should be allowed to go to Oxford in the fall.

When Beatrice arrives, she finds that she is even more out of her depth when it comes to teenagers. But luckily she is adopted by some outgoing theater kids who are willing to help her learn how to be a real teenager. Unfortunately, Beatrice also manages to make an enemy of the popular son of the camp’s founders and the queen bee…all before auditions, which Beatrice stills needs to figure out how to navigate.

Will Beatrice find that she likes being a teenager? Or will she revert back to the books that can do her no wrong?

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

When Beatrice is admitted to Oxford after years of homeschooling, her parents don't feel she's prepared to attend. Before they'll agree to let her go to school in another country at 16, they ask her to attend a summer theater camp. And they create a Teenage Experience Experiment list of tasks she must complete.

The theater camp was so fun, and the characters were fabulous. I love that Bea is written as strong and able to stand up for herself. Too frequently, the smart girl with awkward social skills is also stereotypically dubbed timid. Likewise, I adore Mia. I want her to adopt me as a BFF, too. And I really enjoyed the relationship between Nolan and his twin sister, Shelby. Their relationship helped both have a nuance that transcended the stereotypical gay best friend and mean girl character types they might otherwise have fit.

The various camp activities and "normal teenage experience" felt quite nostalgic. I loved all of the Shakespeare references, and I enjoyed the multiple types of diverse representation. For me, the only annoying downside was that Bea was really bad at checking things off her list when she completed them. I really enjoyed this book!

4.5 stars rounded up

Beatrice Quinn is a young genius who graduated high school early and dreams of going to college at Oxford University. Beatrice hasn’t made many friends or seemed to want to though, so her parents are worried about sending her across the sea. The compromise: Beatrice attends a Shakespeare summer camp and experiences all the teenage milestones that she missed before her parents agree she’s ready. Beatrice reluctantly agrees, but when she arrives at camp, she finds there’s more to acting and life than she ever anticipated.

This is a story that I wish I had when I was in high school. In some ways, I relate a lot to Beatrice. There are so many girls aren’t social butterflies, and who don’t fit in perfectly with everyone else. This novel shows them that it’s okay to be yourself, and people will still love you for who you are. I also love how Beatrice slowly got out of her shell with the support of her friends, and showed how brave she was by trying new things and embracing them. The romance in this book was also top notch, with some of the most creative use of Shakespeare quotes that I’ve ever read. The writing pulled me in, and I couldn’t stop reading.

I highly recommend this novel for fans of YA fiction, and young women who are a little bit different. Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Long Story Short is the quintessential summer read. It’s humorous, inspiring, and romantic. You’re rooting for Beatrice Quinn to come out of her shell, to find joy in theater, to discover the depth of platonic and romantic love, all against the bright backdrop of summer camp. I cannot believe the quality of 2022 debuts this year, like where is all this talent coming from (and can I borrow it?)

First of all, I would just like to give a shoutout to the fact that Bea wears glasses??? Like, let’s normalize people not wearing contacts??? And her best friend Mia is African-American and Nik is mixed-race with East-Indian and white-British heritage. This is just such a refreshingly diverse read that defied expectations.

Of course, a lot of the characters do read a little…stereotypical. That didn’t bother me but some might feel upset about it. In all honestly, I think that the theater kid/summer camp stereotypes actually enhanced the book, because it makes it feel like an early 2000s teen movie!

Anyways, while the book felt stereotypical at times, it was just an incredibly fun ride chock-full of friendship, romance, and Shakespeare. THERE WERE SO MANY SHAKESPEARE QUOTES. In fact, Bea (with her insane memory) and Nik (with his love for the Bard) literally made a bet to see who could recite more lines. It’s so wholesome and fun and sweet!

Much thanks to NetGalley for the advance read of this thoroughly delightful YA romance.
As obvious as this book is from beginning to end, in its characterizations and storyline, I couldn't help falling for it. (And as a former theater kid and forever theater buff, "Long Story Short" had me at hello.)
I'd defy anyone not to warmly embrace Beatrice Quinn, the 16 year old, homeschooled gifted genius who's had about as much contact with the outside world as The Boy In The Plastic Bubble. She's brilliant. funny, adorable. ( possibly on the spectrum with Asperger's syndrome)......and in her almost total lack of social skills and little to no experience interacting with anyone her own age, she's achingly vulnerable.
Bea's major dilemma........her parents won't allow their 16 year old daughter to fly off to Oxford, her dream college that recently accepted her for the fall. Not until she plunges into a series of challenges they've devised for her to prove she can learn to successfully cope with the great big outside world at large........and socially interact with her peers.
And ground zero for these challenges - a summer at an exclusive Shakespearian theater camp. It's the perfect place where Bea will not only find herself thrust among a host of quirky, talented, outgoing and ambitious theater kids, but will no doubt be compelled to take to the stage herself. Yikes.
Sure it's easy to predict the cast of characters Bea encounters at the camp........the few who become fast friends, dedicated to bringing her out of her shell, the inevitable Mean Girl Diva who instantly despises her, and most important of course,, the camp's premiere leading man heartthrob Bea clashes with........ and whom you know she'll fall head-over-heels for. (and vice versa.).
While there's nothing here we haven't read before, every page of it was lively, witty, sweet and entertaining.......the kind of book where you can't help thinking up your own imaginary casting for a potential film version. And that's the very definition of a fun 4 star read.

Long Story Short is about teenage genius and socially inexperienced Bea spending her summer at theater camp in an attempt to act more like a "normal" teenage girl at the request of her parents. Bea's character is one I haven't seen too often in YA, which is cool, but personally I found it hard to connect with her. Even though she's 18 and heading off to college soon, because she was so inexperienced, her voice felt more like that of a 14/15 year old, and younger YA isn't my preference.

While this book wasn't exactly for me, there was a lot I appreciated about it. The relationship between her and Nik was adorable. It was pretty apparent early on that her opinion of him was too hastily formed and that there was more to him than she thought. It was also nice to see how supportive her two camp friends, Mia and Nolan, were of her quest to do teen things to fulfill her parents wishes. At the same time, though, it felt a little unrealistic just how nice and accepting everyone seemed to be of her. Even the "mean girl" was barely mean at all and got a cliched ending. But ultimately, the summer camp setting was fun, and as a theater nerd in high school, I really enjoyed that aspect of the story.

I think this book would be a good fit for readers who like younger YA and slightly nerdy characters.

Beatrice has one goal this summer- convince her parents that she’s socially ready to attend her dream college program at Oxford. They will support her, but first she must attend theater camp and complete tasks to prove she’s participating. Also known as her worst nightmare. Beatrice soon realizes that theater camp is unlike anything she’s known before and tries to rush through her list of tasks. When the camp puts on a production of Romeo & Juliet, Beatrice is forced to open her mind, try new things, and make friends outside her comfort zone.

This was such a fun book! The theater camp is friendly, inclusive, and filled with excellent secondary characters. I loved the emphasis on the unconditional friendship that Beatrice finds in Nolan and Mia- they immediately accept and love Beatrice for who she is. I enjoyed watching Bea learn to trust her friends as they help complete her list. Long Story Short has theater kids, pranks, camp traditions, new friends, enemies, and as much Shakespeare as one could want. Beatrice is full of sharp wit and honesty. Some of her retorts to Nik, a boy she has complicated feelings about, really made me laugh.

Long Story Short is filled with the joyful chaos of theater camp, stage fright, and getting outside of your comfort zone. Beatrice is coded as neurodivergent, without using a specific label, and I loved this choice. To me it helps question the idea of “normal” (normal really doesn’t exist) and invites readers to feel more comfortable with themselves. I think many readers will find aspects of themselves in Bea and the choices she makes. I look forward to seeing more of this type of representation, especially in contemporary books! I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys neurodivergent heroines, theater kid mischief, and Shakespeare duels. I’m looking forward to whatever Serena Kaylor writes next!

Thank you to Serena Kaylor, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, Wordpress blog, and Barnes & Noble etc

Synopsis: Home schooled math genius Beatrice Quinn has dreamed of going to Oxford her whole life. When she applies on the sly and is accepted she’s tasked with the challenge of selling her parents on allowing her to go. Beatrice’s limited social exposure has her parents doubting that attending would be the best move for her future. They challenge her to attend a Shakespearean Theater Summer camp and meet a series of tasks in order to prove that she can demonstrate an expanded palate for social interactions and wouldn’t be a hermit if allowed to attend Oxford. Imagine the shell shock of attending summer camp when you’ve had almost no social interactions! What ensues is a series of social missteps that force Beatrice to take on the role of a lifetime, a true teenager!

📚 Review: What a delightful little nugget this was! It brought me back to being in high school and even without having been home schooled I FELT for Beatrice. The social challenges that teenagers have to deal with made me cringe. I enjoyed the development of Beatrice (as she transforms into Bea) and loved the relationships that she developed with Mia and Nolan. I loved their willingness to take her under their wings, show her the ropes, and gently force her out of her comfort zone. This was integral to Bea’s growth and development. And Nik. Do boys like this exist in real life?! I love that he challenged Bea and got her teenage blood and heart pumping! Such a great debut and it’s definitely one to be added to your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I dnf’d this at 48%. It was a struggle to get that far, but I wanted to give it an honest chance before I gave up.

The story is fine, though imo a little harmful. I don’t care much for the characters, except for Mia and Nolan. I especially don’t care for the enemies-to-lovers thing that seems to be taking shape.

The writing feels a little juvenile, but not in the sense that the author is inexperienced, just in a way that makes it seem that the story is for a younger audience. *Which is TRUE*, as this is YA. It’s just not for me. Which is why this book has made me realize that I just don’t enjoy contemporary YA as much as I think I should.