Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced review copy.

I think I have a new favorite book?!

Literally could not put this down- I read it in one sitting (despite it being very much the middle of the night now).

Especially as a writer and avid reader, I’ve found it increasingly hard to be sucked into a story and forget I’m reading. And yet, I got sucked into Long Story Short. I genuinely laughed out loud, also a rarity for me.

I was worried about the inclusion of Romeo and Juliet as the camp’s play, given how overdone (and problematic and so forth) it is, but this is one of the first books I’ve read that has included it in a non-cliche way.

While the characters were based on tropes (ie smart girl with trouble socializing, mean girl superstar) they also had a refreshing complexity about them, and clear motivations.

Plus, who doesn’t love a swoony, coming-of-age, clean romance full of new friendships and first love, plus witty banter and hate-to-love. As a bonus, there’s tactful anxiety and therapy representation.

If you’re looking for your next YA contemporary read, this is it!

this was quite frankly adorable. near the end i was literally kicking my feet and screaming like a schoolgirl.

this book stars beatrice quinn and nikhil shah (who's half south asian!! i love seeing more south asian representation in romance novels!!). beatrice honestly kind of gave me a lot of second hand embarrassment at first, but after learning more about her, i actually started to enjoy her character more. i did find it sorta hard to relate to her since i'm more like her extroverted best friends, mia and nolan, but i still love her <3 tbh i really enjoyed all the characters. even the supposed antagonist of the story grew on me. i will say though, the characters in this book are kind of stereotypical. like there's your basic blonde mean girl, the extroverted best friend, the gay best friend, and etc. they seemed kind of copy and pasted and not that well thought out/developed? don't get me wrong, i still enjoyed them! but it would've been nice to read more about backstories from people other than beatrice. i mean, we saw bits and pieces of a few characters but it would've been nice to see more :)

however, the plot line was cute! i like how the characters didn't move past what nik said at the start of the book and even held it against him because i'm sick of main leads and side characters excusing the romantic lead's controversial actions just because they're a pretty face. speaking of his pretty face, nik is definitely a new book boyfriend. like he was so sweet (other than his mishap at the start) and you could tell he genuinely cared for bea. their relationship itself didn't last that many pages but it was still cute. and the potential they have is!! AAA!! anyway, this was the first summer camp inspired book i've read and it was adorable. the summer camp plot is for sure going to be something i'm gonna be on the look out for in the future.

bottom line is: i love all the characters and if you're in need of a g rated romance, you should def read this!! with a dreamy desi love interest and a brainiac lead, what's not to love?

also off topic but this cover is absolutely gorgeous! like aaa it automatically made me wanna pick up the book.

lThis is the kind of book I wish I would have read in high school. I feel like a lot of us can feel like Bea sometimes so it is easy to relate for her and root for her.

The perfect enemies to lovers books. Soooo much banter!

I really enjoyed this book! Bea is a fantastic character. Her uniqueness and quirks make her really some, and she is definitely someone I would have loved to be friends with at her age. The other characters were great as well. I especially loved Mia, Nolan, and Nik. The setting for the book was very cool! I never got the opportunity to go to a summer camp, so getting to experience one through this book was lots of fun. All in all, this is the perfect debut novel in my opinion, and I can’t wait to read whatever else the author releases in the future!

For the most part, this was a cute fluffy romcom that I probably would have rated 3 stars. It reminded me a bit of When Dimple Met Rishi, which I didn't love, but plenty of people did.

But there were two moments that made me go... what. (Some spoilers from here on out - but it is a romance novel. It's pretty predicable) 

1. A male character forcibly looks down a girl's shirt to make sure he approves of her bathing suit, after she's explicitly told him it's none of his business. (And I'm not even sure what he would disapprove of?? Her one piece is apparently fine - does he fear she's wearing another shirt under her shirt? The horror)
2. Another male character corners a girl who's trying to get away from him, physically blockades her against a wall (hands against the wall with her between them), and asks, "Do you fantasize about kissing me?
2a.This isn't quite on the same scale as the first two (or maybe I was just jaded by this point), but in a similar vein, this character physically corners her again to curse at her for a prank that barely affects him, then when she tries to be vulnerable with him to help him understand, he blows up at her and accuses her of tricking him into thinking she likes him, when all she's done the whole time is sometimes agree to interactions he initiates.Both of these characters are supposed to be likable, good characters, and these actions (with the partial exception of the last one) were portrayed as completely understandable and stemming from how much they care about the girl.I would hope it doesn't need stating that these things are NOT okay, but apparently that's not the case. Is this really the picture of romance (or even friendship) that teen girls (or any women) deserve? 

This theme of boundary-crossing relationships continues throughout the story. While Bea's friends (well, Mia at least) keep insisting that they're not trying to change her if she doesn't want to, in practice they're consistently patronizing to her, acting as if there's no way she might know herself better than they do, even when it comes to things she's already tried (and the fact that they're usually right is more reflective of an unrealistic story than their approach being appropriate). I don't know, maybe aspects of their approach are a legitimate treatment strategy for autism/anxiety/whatever she may have, but they're not psychologists and... I feel like in general people deserve to be trusted when they express their own preferences. And while some of the things they try to change are in fact real problems (e.g. never making any friends), others are totally legitimate preferences. Apparently, it's not okay to dress masculinely or modestly (poor Bea is constantly yanking on her clothes even after she's "chosen" to dress differently, and it makes me sad. At one point she even says she would have responded to an insult... if she were in her normal clothes. But now she cowers. Yet being comfortable in these clothes continues to be the goal, rather than being confident as her own self); it's not okay to prefer to stay on the fringes of a party (they literally trick her into being the center of attention at a party, where she's expected to sit on a throne next to her frenemy crush); it's not okay to like people for their intelligence more than their appearances; it's not okay to like bedtime...? I'm confused just making this list, because some of the things her friends criticise her for are so totally random and... just normal things. A lot of the things they aggressively pull Bea away from (literally, at times - Nolan is weirdly handsy with Bea despite knowing she doesn't like physical touch) are things I'm proud of in myself.Then at the end, we're apparently supposed to agree  with Bea's mother when she expresses a hope that she'll continue to see more of the Bea she saw onstage. Not even the Bea who's wearing new clothes and introducing her new friends and forging her own path to use her own interests and skills at a camp that she doesn't fit into at all (which gets ZERO respect)... but specifically the Bea on the stage. As an introverted former theater kid myself, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people see me act and then go, "Woah! I hope we get to see you open up more like that in real life." Guess what? That wasn't opening up. It was this thing called acting. Ever heard of it?Okay, maybe I'm overreacting a little on this one point - the very fact of Bea acting is a major breakthrough, and maybe it's just that confidence that they hope to see again. But still, everyone just assumes that because Bea manages to push through her discomforts, that must be the real her - because no one could really be introverted/systematic/unadventurous, right?

Some other things that bugged me:
Her rapid changes: Others have already addressed the issues with Bea being coded as autistic, and then the entire plot focusing on changing all those parts of her, but what's really bizarre is the fact that... apparently this is possible. (Not 100%, but... she changes a lot.) So does she actually have autism? Or is she just insanely stunted from her parents' complete lack of effort at creating a reasonable social environment for her? (more on that in a minute) But also, apparently when they have tried, she completely shut down (e.g. refusing to ever speak in a class - presumably for an entire semester). What changed? 
Her parents: Either her psychologist parents (and her own therapist) have completely missed her not-exactly-subtle autistic traits or they're aware but have almost completely neglected to support her in it. It seems like her parents have practically just shoved her in a room for the last decade, and expected her to turn out okay. Have they tried to get her to socialize more than like twice? It's unclear. Have they had her do anything at all (besides online classes) for the last two years since she graduated? Even less clear. I could imagine there being parents this clueless, but... they're therapists! And given that it apparently doesn't even take that much to get her to open up to pretty much everything she was previously resistant to (like, she's doing a majorly out of character shopping spree only a day or two after arriving at camp), this is even more horrifying. And when they do finally decide to care about her at the start of the book... there's still no recognition of her challenges potentially being related to an underlying condition, and they do nothing but mock her (e.g. her mom's apparently frequent comments on her clothing) and demand that she change (even as they're confident it won't happen... and also refuse to acknowledge that they may have enabled this situation).
Her relationship with Nik: Honestly... they don't have a lot in common. Sure, they're smart and they can recite Shakespeare. But Nik seems to be legitimately at home in this flashy, extroverted world that Bea has forced herself into... and I guess we're supposed to believe that Bea is now part of that world, too, but I really didn't buy it. I can believe she made it work, and that she made good friends there, but I don't think someone like her would be longterm at home in the same kind of environment as Nik. But even more strikingly, just hours before they finally get together, he expresses a sense of still not understanding Bea at all. And... he's right, at that point he's still misunderstanding fundamental aspects of how she operates. And that doesn't really change within the next few hours. She just gives in to hormones. Which... may be realistic, sure, but not especially touching.

A few good things, though:
Bea was likable and relatable. She had a lot of rough edges that went deeper than your typical qUirKy protagonist, which was refreshing.
I liked Mia too. I did find her overly pushy at times, but she was also genuinely sweet, and she felt like she really did want the best for Bea but just didn't always know the best way to do it (unlike Nolan and Nik, who came across as selfish jerks, and her parents, who felt like bumbling idiots who'd be glad to wash their hands of her).
The Shakespeare references were fun, especially when the plot started to mirror the plays (like when Nik/Oberon was jealous of Bea/Titania flirting with Troy/Bottom).
Bea's list of tasks was funny, and a creative way to structure the plot and move it along.
The ending was hilarious and heartwarming, even as it was super cringy... but in a very teenager-y way that made me shake my head nostalgically at my very ridiculous past self.

What a great way to bring together Shakespeare, friendships, and summer camp. This was such a great read. I loved the acceptance of the campers and staff to each other. I loved how Shakespeare was used, not just as aside but a major driving point of the plot.
Really well done.
I will read other books by this author.

Long Story Short is such a cute YA romance and I adored it. Beatrice is genius who wants to go to a great school away from home. She's always been homeschooled and wants adventure and new experiences. She applies to Oxford and gets in! Her parents won't let her go because they are worried she can't handle being on her own. They compromise and send her to Connecticut Shakespearean Summer Academy for the summer. Beatrice is determined to make the most of the summer and prove to her parents she can make it on her own. Long Story Short is full of great characters, drama, first loves and Shakespeare. What more could you want from a romance?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. What an adorable read! I was blown away by this debut of my dream combo: Shakespeare and rivals to lovers! Admittedly it did take me a little bit to get into the story, and the characters became so much more well developed as the story unfolded, and I ultimately fell in love with them. A precious read!

“He leaned back, all self-satisfaction, and in that moment I hated him to a degree that left me dizzy.”
-Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Where to start with this book! I absorbed every word in this book like a sponge. The characters were slightly cringey at the beginning, then I fell in love with all of them. (It's impossible not to.) Nik, the love of my life. Mia and Nolan, my dream wing-man, wing-woman, and best friends. Beatrice “Bea,” is the character that I have dreamed of. I have never related to a character more.

Long Story Short is an adorable, snarky, and exciting YA rivals-to-lovers book. There is just something about characters bonding over participating in Shakespeare plays that gets my blood pumping.

Beatrice is our main character and we follow her POV. She has been homeschooled pretty much her entire life and she is an absolute genius. However, she has next-level social anxiety and little to no experience with making friends. At sixteen, she is taking online college classes and she applies to Oxford just for the heck of it. Here’s the catch– she did not talk to her parents before applying. Bea gets accepted and her parents decide that she is not ready to go live on her own. In order to prove that she is ready, Bea attends a six-month-long Shakespearean Summer Academy where she has a number of tasks to complete to have the entire “teenage experience” and to prove that she is capable of socializing with people her age.

One of her roommates, Mia, and Mia’s long-term friend, Nolan, team up with her to help her complete her tasks assigned by her parents and to teach her how to have fun and be confident in herself. While navigating her new life at camp, she makes a rival– the camp founders’ son.

This book is an amazing tale of friendship, dedication, and overcoming your fears. Long Story Short had me rolling on the ground and kicking my feet. I wouldn’t be mad if there is a sequel in the future.

“As I got older, I became fixated on the idea that the entire city of Oxford, a place built by this paragon of learning, was likely filled with people who were similar to me. People who loved books more than people, and nobody thought that was weird.”
-Long Story Short, Serena Kaylor

I absolutely LOVED this book!! Yes, some of the characters were not as sharply written as they could be. But so much of it I could so see!! Even though high school was many, many years ago, I remember theater!!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Long Story Short

Serena Kaylor

Publication: July 26, 2022

This apparently is a debut book…and WOW-I am impressed. This had a perfect blend of finding yourself as well as finding your people. I could totally see this as a movie! Just thinking back on so many scenes is making me break out into a big grin. Beatrice is a teenage genius who gets early acceptance into Berkeley but her parents have reservations because of her lack of socialization skills. While the book never stated, I would almost say Bea is on the low end of the autistic spectrum. Her test to them to prove she is ready to go off to college is to send her away for the summer to a Shakespeare camp with theatre kids. AHHH! There is so much about this book I absolutely adored. It is wonderfully character driven and each person is so fleshed out. Once again, I find myself smiling remembering different scenes…this book is a true gem!
4.5 Stars

WOW. I honestly had so much fun with this book. I can't remember the last time I got so attached to YA characters like this. Serena Kaylor's debut is so full of heart and I found myself rooting for these characters so easily. Bea is so easy to love, she's messy and funny and her growth is amazing. I really loved the slow-burn romance in this, and my former theater kid self was in LOVE with the theater camp setting. I think this story really found its stride about halfway through, and I FLEW through the last 40%. There is truly no better YA storytelling than Teens and Assorted Shennanigans, and that's exactly what this was. It was fun, sparkly, unapologetic, and didn't take itself too seriously, while still hitting some really important points about growing up and learning that change is okay. I seriously loved this so much.

Beatrice Quinn is quite special. She finished high school before she was sixteen and is ready to make her Oxford dreams come true, except her parents don't think she has had enough "normal" adolescent experiences. The one way they will consider allowing Beatrice to study in another country is if she completes a list that her parents create of typical teen experiences. They decide that she will attend a prestigious Shakespeare camp for six weeks to prove that she can handle having typical experiences that are outside of her comfort zone. Beatrice prepares for her trip to not work out well, but she comes to find that she is far more typical than she thought. With a small group of friends, Beatrice realizes that hard work and hard relaxation are not something that you can fit into a mathematical equation, and she actually likes life that way. A wonderfully sweet and engaging story for anyone who has ever felt a bit out of place.

I loved this book for it's humor and for the supportive friends! Of course, there are the not-so-nice interactions too. We can't go through life without conflict, right? Parts of the book are purely ridiculous which makes it very funny! If you are looking for a light-hearted, unpredictable book with a little romance, this one will do the trick for you.

I found the start of this book a bit slow, and had some difficulty sitting down and motivating myself to read it. However, at about 150 pages in the pace picked up and definitely held my attention. I would highly recommend my student's who like contemporary novels. I wouldn't necessarily teach this book but it will definitely have a place in my classroom library.

This is the most perfect, fluffy read for teens and younger ya readers to just get sucked into. It's so much fun and speaking from a former introverted teen experience is very relatable.

15 years ago, bea was me. I'm sure a lot of readers are gonna feel connected to her personality. She doesn't wanna people, she doesn't wanna socialize and she just wants to read and learn things. Her parents won't let her attend the school of her dreams unless she attends a summer camp and checks off certain challenges they've set for her like hugging 3 people and flirting for no reason.

This was a very fast paced and cute read and I loved the Shakespeare theme.

This one was fun. Is it my favorite YA rom com? No, but it was a fun read and had a lot of heart. I appreciated the character Bea SO much. It was nice to see her character development be for her own volition rather than for the main love interest. In fact, though I liked the love interest well enough, this book was all about Bea and her growth. I loved how much she grew over the course of these 300ish pages. The friendships she made along the way were especially fun and some of the side characters were my favorite pieces of this story.

I was a bit nervous to read this as I am with any story that takes a classic and intends to subvert it somehow. Not because classics shouldn't be subverted(they totally should) but often these feel contrived. However, I didn't feel that way about Long Story Short and I liked the nuances in it that the author included. This was a great book and the characters especially were well thought out. I wish a bit more thought was put into certain aspects (like comments made by characters about weight and also with how truly terrible Nikhil was in the first quarter), but overall, this was an awesome read!

I've never watched Hallmark movies, but I imagine this is how people who enjoy those probably feel. The story was entirely predictable, everything you would expect to happen does, and the characters are definitely a little stereotypical...but you sit there and devour it, and you totally love it anyway!

Socially awkward homeschool girl + Shakespeare summer camp + Romeo and Juliet = Sign. Me. Up.

The cast of characters were endearing, and even though everything felt a little too expected, it was hard not to find yourself connecting with the characters and rooting for their success.

The Shakespearean quote-off competition was so much fun - with all the fantastic quotes and accents, I bet that this one will probably be great in audiobook, too!

I am so blown away by this book! The romance, angsty and immaculate, character development, so moving, and the whole premise was executed beautifully! READ IT WHEN IT COMES OUT!!!

Long Story Short surprised me. Bea is a refreshing type of character that you don't really see in YA. I loved the way the enemies to lovers trope was executed and I loved Nikhil. Seeing Bea develop friendships and teenage experiences was really beautiful, especially as someone who's struggled with social anxiety.