This book was a really cute, really fast summer read. I really liked the Shakespeare references but especially loved the friendships and the character growth throughout the book.

Beatrice was a great main character. I love a young woman who has drive, intelligence, and goals. Her growth throughout the book was so fantastic to see. With the help of her friends Beatrice really grew into a confident young woman. I could relate to her bookishness and apprehension to do some “normal” teen things while admiring her ability to throw herself into the challenge her parents presented with the theatre camp.

The friendships Beatrice developed throughout the book were wonderful. The secondary characters created a cast diverse in ethnicity, race, and sexual orientation. It’s so great to see that in mainstream media as a normal occurrence. Beatrice’s romantic interest was OK- I didn’t care for him at the beginning but did grow to like him more. I think I liked how the relationship helped Beatrice out of her comfort zone more than I liked the relationship itself. That being said, I did love their banter and how their dynamic changed throughout the book.

The characters were all flawed in their own ways and I love how real each individual felt to me. They were all unique characters who brought something to the table without detracting from the main plot/Beatrice’s arc. It was a great cast of characters overall.

The setting was super fun! Shakespeare theatre camp in the woods- what could be better? This setting helped everything feel a little more separate from the “real world” and made the party (you’ll know what I mean when you read it!) all the more enchanting.

This book is a great modern coming-of-age story for a quick summer read. It’s lighthearted but balanced out with issues of identity, “what ifs” about the future, and growing up. The relationships between the characters were dynamic and felt real. I would be open to reading more from this author in the future!

Sorry, this story wasn't for me! I did love the main character but I found her parents to be too difficult to deal with. I have to review and rate every book I get on Netgalley or they won't let my ratio hit 80%, I'm sorry.

Homeschooler, math genius introvert Beatrice shocks her parents by applying to Oxford–and getting in, at sixteen. Since she has barely interacted with her peers, or left the house much, really, they strike a deal: She must go away to camp for a month and accomplish a list of teenager goals created by her therapist parents: make a friend, accept an invitation you don’t want, do an outdoor activity, hug three people, even pull a prank. Designed for character growth for a child on the spectrum, these are tame but challenging for Bea.

The camp, of course, is a geeky Shakespeare camp for budding thespians, and the shy girl must not only interact, but ACT, thanks to her photographic memory.

This fun, fast-paced, and witty YA read is ultimately tame, with an interesting cast of characters.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #LongStoryShort from #NetGalley

ARC kindly provided by the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book, put simply, is why so many introverts despise extroverts (with a burning passion).

I know that's a really weird way to start off a book review but trust me when I say it encapsulates the entire story in a neat, succinct sentence. See, Long Story Short follows Beatrice, an introverted, awkward teenage girl who gets accepted into her dream university, Oxford. Getting in was one thing but getting her parents to let her go is another. They want Bea to get outside of her comfort zone, believing she'd always stay inside her shell so to combat this, they sign her up to a Theatre Camp on the other side of America where she'd get to act and perform in the season's play: Romeo and Juliet.

What could possibly go wrong?

To prove her parents wrong, Bea agrees and armed with a list her parents made of "normal teenage experiences," she goes into camp where she meets wannabe directors, actors and costume designers. Most strikingly of all, she meets the camp directors' son, Nik. It's hate at first glance as the two bicker and banter about Shakespeare and start Shakespearean quote competitions to find out who knows their Shakespeare the best. As the competition gets more fierce and the play draws closer and closer, Bea starts to realise her conflicting feelings for her enemy and starts to realise that life may be better and more fun when you're not sticking to the book.

From the very beginning when the proposition of the camp plan between Bea and her parents arose, I was silently staring daggers into the page and silently chastising their opinions. So what if your daughter hasn't had a lot of "normal teenage experiences?" she's only 16... she has the rest of teenage hood ahead of her. I didn't really understand the intense push to urgently mark items off the list. Yes it's great you want to encourage her to get out of her comfort zone but trust me, if this book was real life you would've only caused more of a rift between you all rather than solidifying or strengthening a relationship which apparently was the aim. The fact that Bea was so calm about it all is either a testament to her character or a completely unrealistic portrayal of teenage hood.

But the story had to move forward somehow.

This idea of pushing the main character out of her comfort zone was reinforced not only by her parents but also her newfound camp mates. Instantly from the start, they were trying to get her to explore new things and experience the theatre camp lifestyle which is all well and good but there is a very fine line between encouraging and pushing a person into things and there were so many instances where that line was blurred. For example, Bea might've wanted to stay inside her cabin instead of hanging out with people but they'd try to drag her out and make her do things outside her comfort zone.

As I said before, this must be a testament to her character that she remained calm about this and didn't lash out or feel insane amounts of anger here. But that was just about the relationships and interactions she had with family and friends.

Romance wise, I loved the banter. Who wouldn't love a banter war where two Shakespeare nerds battle it out in a guess-the-play-the-Shakespeare-quote-is-from game? The banter is what made this book. I loved the subtle digs and the way they basically confessed their love to each other through old English but they were oblivious to it all because it was all just a game. I love the oblivious chemistry trope and I was cheering them on the whole time. Seriously, I would read a spin off book with their banter in a heart beat. I. Was. That. Happy!

But then the banter died down and we were left with those all-consuming love confessions of "well I actually liked you from the start." I don't know... I felt like we went from cute banter to BOOM love confession with nothing in between. I wanted more subtle pining where Bea comes to terms with her feelings and I wanted more "them" moments where the two would break their walls down and just talk. I wanted more of that. I think it would've made the main romance all that more believable and shippable.

But apart from those aforementioned things, this book was still a solid debut and I'm excited to see the direction Serena Kaylor takes in the future and I'd definitely will read more books from the author soon. There were a few things to polish up on but the foundations were solid for a well-rounded novel. I would still recommend this book to readers but maybe more so in the early-early mid range of YA (maybe 13-16?).

ACTUAL RATING: 3 STARS

This was such a cute l interesting story! I really liked all the main characters, even the “villain” in the end (which I appreciate). The interactions and thought processes were complex in a really interesting way. I liked that this was an enemies to “lovers” story and really enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters, even if things were very dragged out between them. Realistically a month (the time they’re at camp) makes sense for them getting together. It was long enough to spend some time together. I read this book all in one day, it was that enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

I had received a copy of this book for helping the author with the cover reveal. I will add my review when I finish the book here along with the links. 🥰

I really enjoyed this book, though cliche at times. I love Nik and Bea so much. Their banter and the enemies to lovers type trope has my absolute heartttttt. This was overall a good summer read.

I loved this one so much. Long Story Short follows Bea, a brilliant but socially awkward 16 year old, who desperately wants to go to Oxford. After revealing to her parents that she's been admitted to the UK university, her sex therapist hippie parents agree to let her go under one condition -- she spends the summer at theater camp accomplishing a list of tasks that prove she'll be able to navigate the social waters of college.

Bea is such a great main character and you can't help but root for her the entire time as she journeys through summer camp, learning how to make friends, how to flirt, and how to step outside the rigidly defined boundaries she's established for herself. She is clearly neurodivergent although that's never specifically addressed. I appreciated that the point of this novel is not to "cure" her neurodivergence but rather follow Bea on this journey of self-discovery as she realizes that sometimes she enjoys stepping outside the box and being an active participant in her life, as opposed to just walling everyone off -- and not just for the sake of a check list.

The full cast of characters in this book are excellent. Mia and Nolan, Bea's camp best friends, are my favorites but you've got everything -- the love interest, the villain, the comedic relief. There's one conflict that is resolved a little too neatly in the end and sometimes the book does read extremely young but -- hey, it's YA! It's supposed to be young. Overall I highly recommend this one!

What a great coming of age story! I have struggled with YA Fiction lately. But this one didn’t moss the mark. I thought it was a super cute story that is relatable for most teens.

Beatrice has always dreamed about going to Oxford. But her parents don’t quite trust that she is ready to move to another country. Bea is a math wizard but not the greatest at socializing. They want her to make friends and not spend all four years of college in the library. Her parents strike a deal with her. Six weeks at a Shakespeare Camp. Can she convince her parents to let her head to Oxford? Or will she find more than she bargained for.


What I enjoyed:
- Bea’s journey on discovering herself. She is a very relatable and likable character. You really do root for her growth.
- The romance was cute. But I liked how it wasn’t the main focus of the plot line!
- Very well written! This one sucked me in and it was very hard not to put it down.

I loved the ending! I thought it wrapped up the story perfectly. I also look forward to reading more from this author in the future. This book was incredibly written. I think this book is perfect for anyone looking for a coming of age story with a dash of romance. 4 stars out of 5. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Long Story Short was adorable. A shy homeschool teen, Beatrice, gets into Oxford early, which is a huge accomplishment. But her parents are reluctant to let her go and worry about sending her half way around the world. They strike a deal. Beatrice has to spend the summer at an acting camp, which is completely out of her comfort zone, to check off some of the teen experiences she never got to have, and prove she will be ok once in England.

I loved Beatrice, and the friends she made at camp in this YA novel. This book was full of firsts for Bea. First dances, first friends, first misunderstands, first time acting, first shopping spree and of course first loves.

This was such a great debut novel from Serena Kaylor. I am ready for a follow up. I would love to follow Bea and Nik to Oxford.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this eARC copy to read and review.

A fantastic coming of age story about a homeschool brilliant girl who needed to experience what life is like for teens that are different from her.

Beatrice is a statistical genius who dreamed of adding Oxford University to study math. But when she gets in her dream seems impossible to reach due to her parents thinking she is not ready at 16 to go live in another country by herself, due to her lack of real human interactions throughout her life. They come to an agreement that she attends a six week Shakespeare acting camp and if she completes certain tasks she will be able to attend Oxford in the fall.

Beatrice rises to the challenge and learns a lot about herself along the way, including that her parents may have been right.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advance copy of this book. This is my honest voluntary review.

I don't know how I should start this review, but I'm just gonna go for it.

First off, I love reading anything about Shakespeare and summer camps, so this was great.

Bea was hands down the most relatable character I've ever read. I just connected with her so much as I have a lot of the same struggles she goes through. Though I will say, this book heavily implies that Bea's autistic, but it's never explicitly stated on page. But I feel as though the way this was handled made Bea an ordinary introverted teenager despite the plenty of quotes and examples to prove she's clearly autistic. And I'm gonna be honest, I didn't totally appriciate that.

I also feel like I'm going to have an unpopular opinion on this: but I don't think a romance was needed. The book focused so much on Bea's self-discovery, her coming of age and character growth, that I felt like the romance didn't add much to the story. Nick didn't do anything for me as a love interest; kinda thought he was a dick--not gonna lie.

Overall, I still really enjoyed my time reading this. It was a fun, lighthearted read, and it was the perfect book to end off my summer reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Beatrice Quinn is a mathematical and statistical genius. She was homeschooled and got into Oxford!!! As much of a genius Beatrice is, she also lacks social skills. Her parents don’t want to let her go to Oxford because they’re afraid she’ll become even more closed off and won’t make any friends.

Bea is sent to the Connecticut Shakespearean Summer Academy as a compromise. If she survives a summer with other teenagers, make new friends, and participate in the play, her parents will allow her to go off to study in Oxford.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The number one thing I loved about this book was that it wasn’t just a romance story. Beatrice goes through so much during her summer that just putting her in the romance box isn’t enough.

She learns how to make and keep friends, how to be social, how to dance, how to act, and she also learns to understand her emotions.

Mia and Nolan are so supportive of Bea and they help her through her first summer camp. They understand her and are always in her corner to pick her up and to guide her.

Nik was also a very interesting character. He has a lot of layers and depth. Also, when he said he wanted to call her by a different name/nickname so she would know he was the one calling her OMG I died lol. I don’t want to spoil it so that’s all I’m gonna say about him.

The end was great as well!! And I loved that Serena left an opportunity for a sequel open. I would love to read about Bea’s adventures in Oxford.

Beatrice and Nik have nothing in common other than the fact they will both be attending Theatre camp in Connecticut for the next four weeks. Bra is a 16 year old homeschool graduate who needs a quick course in socialization, and Nik is a second generation actor who seems born to take center stage. From the moment the two meet: they feel compelled to trade insults as of as possible, but if they can put first impressions on hold, survive Shakespeare quote battles, and really learn to listen to each other, perhaps hey won’t have to remain star crossed lovers forever.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Dreamscape Media for the ARC and audio ARC of this!

As a homeschooling mom, I love to see homeschooled characters in YA, but I was a little nervous to see Beatrice be so weird and socially awkward because “but how will they learn to socialize?!” is such a common “concern”. That said, I was a weird public schooled kid and I will not be shocked if my kids also grow up to be weird 😂 so I get it. I would’ve sucked equally at those tasks, if my parents had had any inclination to try to make me act like a regular teenager! I found myself identifying to strongly with Beatrice and by the end I was absolutely invested! I really enjoyed these characters and how they welcomed her in and tried to help her without trying to change her. Super sweet, with perfect summer camp vibes.

Brilliant but sheltered Beatrice has gotten into her dream university, but considering their only child is just 16 years-old and has been homeschooled her entire life, her parents are not eager to send her an ocean away for college. They strike a deal with their daughter: if she can go to acting camp over the summer and complete every teenage task on the list they compiled for her, she can go to Oxford.

But Beatrice hasn't really been away...and she doesn't really know how to make friends...and she is quite particular about things. Can she check everything off the list in time to go to Oxford in the fall?

I adored this one. Such care was taken with Beatrice and her character, both in portraying her feelings and in her interactions with others. I love how immediately accepting fellow campers Mia and Nolan are of Beatrice and how they embrace Beatrice and her mission. I love the enemies-to-lovers arc for Beatrice and Nik's teen romance and how he attempts to connect and flirt with her, even though she cannot always read the social cues. I love the vulnerability Beatrice and some of the other characters show.

The acting camp and its eclectic--and sometimes eccentric--cast of characters is a fun backdrop for the story. This is doubly fun for any young Shakespeare fan--especially the quote game between Beatrice and Nik.

Overall this is an uplifting and positive coming-of-age story for YA readers. It has a good combination of humor, vulnerability, openness, and love, and I appreciate how the author presents the neurodivergent heroine and her anxiety .

I received an advance copy from St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This is such a cute rom-com! I loved the characters, the teenage angst, and the growth that the main character, B, makes throughout. I found myself smiling, feeling worried, and empathizing with B throughout her struggles to attend theater camp in order to appease her parents. If she completed their challenges at theater camp, they would consider her acceptance to Oxford, and allow her to attend, after years of homeschool.
I enjoyed reading to this & would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to preface this review by demanding any future readers physically read it. Do not listen to the audiobook. I am a huge audiobook fan and very rarely say this... but the narrator did it a gigantic disservice. In switching to the physical e-arc, my experience vastly improved. I especially did not like her put on voice for Mia (one of the supporting cast). I strongly believe the narrator would be better suited to a book featuring adults rather than a YA. That being said, I'm glad that I had the ability to switch formats.
Beatrice has the opportunity to go to Oxford, a dream come true. When she approaches her parents about it, they react negatively but will think about it if she agrees to going to theater camp with a high priority on making friends. Bea reluctantly agrees with the goal of checking off her parents demands as soon as possible.
The results of Bea's experience gives her math-focused and loner self a bigger landscape to test and see what the world has to offer. Sometimes a kid needs to be a kid. She's so easy to want to pull for and hope that she gets what she wants (Oxford) and what her parents do (friends).
Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy and Dreamscape Media for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

⭐️ rating: 3.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
📖 genre: young adult
🔥 steam: this is a kissing book
tropes: found family, self-discovery

I'm not going to lie to you about this one - it took me a lonnnnnng time to become invested in the storyline. It was difficult to get into Bea's mindset and understand her personality/motivations, and I put the book aside twice before making it to the end.

But I'm glad I did!

This is a sweet young adult coming-of-age/romance story about finding out who you are and where you fit in. I laughed out loud, I loved Bea's wit & intelligence, but I think I especially loved how quickly Mia and Nolan accepted her - warts and all. I feel like that's a drama & theatre person thing - you find SO MANY different personalities in that field, that they are much more welcoming to the unknown. So Bea's parents could not have picked a better summer camp option.

✨ I loved the Shakespeare competition between Nik & Bea. It was kind of boring to read - but I also did this as an audiobook, and the narration nailed it.
✨ The "third act breakup" so to speak felt a little forced and weird. Like I got it, but also - get over it?
✨ I've got to say, I didn't enjoy Bea's parents at the beginning of the book - but I did by the end. Did they think she was just going to live at home forever? What was going to happen after college? Eventually homeschooled kids have to leave the nest.
✨ Speaking of Mia & Nolan - LOVED. I loved their dynamic with each other and with Bea. They made a great bantery threesome.

This book takes you on an amazing journey from Beatrice - a neurotic teenager with a very specific skill set and schedule to Bea - an outgoing, charismatic, run of the mill teenager having the time of her life! I would love to see a second book following bea on her next journey navigating college and would be thrilled to read anything written in the future by Serena!