<b>Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett | Book Review</b>

<b>STORY</b> | 18 years old, and Birdie Lindberg has been something of a protected teenager. Raised by her loving but protective grandparents, Birdie suffers from a sleep disorder thanks to her grandfather’s gene, but it doesn’t stop her from living. Instead she brushes it aside as part of her daily life. Then Daniel walks into her life.

With his long hair, and gorgeous smile, Birdie knows his reappearance in her life could be trouble. You see their last meeting included an awkward mistake, and she hopes she never sees him again. But fate isn’t so
kind, and when they both become interested in a mystery with origins at the historical hotel where they both work, Birdie and Daniel embark on amateur detective work… and maybe discover new feelings for life, family and each other.

<b>REVIEW</b> | There are certain books that stand out to a would-be reader. For me, it’s always the cover art. That’s what first captures my attention, and after this, I read the synopsis and either buy it (or sometimes I decide to wait), or if I’m not convinced, I’ll read some reviews. When the cover art for <i>Serious Moonlight</i> (I mean, LOOK AT THE PRETTY!!) released, immediately I was captured. It’s the kind of aesthetic that seems romantic and fun, and for this bookworm, perfect. While it’s true this story has some of the right elements, it also disappoints.

This book has so many things that give this a “Rissi-reads catnip” vibe. Sadly, its execution doesn’t always work in its favor (at least for me). The beginning does nothing to endear the characters and story. <b>(Spoilers to follow!)</b> The book’s early pages open with a kind of “big deal” confession from Birdie. She shares with her “aunt,” Mona that she had a tryst in the back of a boy’s car.

This is not something I felt authentic to the story or character, and as a result, it wasn’t something I liked about the book, especially seeing as this echoes throughout. Most YA fiction talks about sex in some form or another, but not in the way that it weaves throughout the story. This is a big deal (as it should be) for the character, but because of this, I feel like this belittles the characters, and what might have been a sweet love story. <b>(End Spoilers.)</b>

Beyond this, I do like the concept of this book. It’s fun and features a kind of <i>Veronica Mars</i> element because of Birdie’s love of a good mystery. This is my bookish love language as are the familiar quotes from famous detectives at the opening of each chapter. Aside from my big disagreement with this book, it does have some fun moments. I like the characters, and found some of the familial dynamics really interesting.

I suspect if you like Jenn Bennett’s novels, you’ll really enjoy <i>Serious Moonlight</i>. The end is really good, and feels complete, which is a pro. It might not be my most favorite contemporary, but I’m not sorry to have read the book. It’s cover art just led me to believe the story inside would be something a bit different.

Content; there’s a good number of the F-word (or some variation), and other profanity (including using the letters “GD” as a substitute). Spoilers. Innuendo and sexual content also crops up quite a lot. Birdie and Daniel are intimate several times (more implied than descriptive), and not long into the book, Birdie confesses to a kind of “one night” tryst in the backseat of a car. There's references to a suicide attempt. The book would certainly be PG13.

<i>I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in consideration of review; all opinions in this review are my own.</i><a href="https://rissiwrites.com/2019/05/serious-moonlight-book-review.html" target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Finding Wonderland</a>

I received an eARC from Simon Pulse via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Jenn Bennett has always been on my radar, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved her writing. I can't wait to read more of her books in the future. My review can be read by clicking the accompanying link.

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT by Jenn Bennett was a delight to read. Loved the setting, characters/friendships and the mystery. Bennett has made it on my auto-buy list and SERIOUS MOONLIGHT did not disappoint.

After loving Alex, Approximately and Starry Night by Jenn Bennett, I have been really looking forward to another great contemporary romance. Unfortunately her latest novel, Serious Moonlight, which features a mystery and a romance fell completely flat for me.

The book is set in Seattle, Washington where Birdie Lindberg is a home schooled and extremely sheltered teen with narcolepsy. After the death of her single mother, Birdie was raised by her grandparents and her wild, eccentric-artist "Aunt" Mona. Birdie is great at solving mysteries and lives vicariously through her novels, but she can not find her footing in real life. On the surface Birdie is a character that I would have loved as I too was a mystery loving teen, but she read far too young for an eighteen year old. I understood her awkwardness but I never felt connected to her. When the book opens we find out that Birdie had very first sexual encounter with a boy she just met and ghosted him, which kick starts this novel. I had a very hard time believing that a teen so sheltered would do this when all of her personality descriptions suggest otherwise.

We met Birdie's mysterious boy, Daniel Aoki, when Birdie begins working the graveyard shift at the historic Cascadia Hotel, where Daniel drives the hotel van. He wants to understand what happened between them, but Birdie just wants to forget. Still, she can't resist his invitation to help solve an intriguing puzzle about a local author who takes great pains to hide his identity in weekly visits to the hotel, and their sleuthing takes them all over the city.

I thought Daniel was adorable, but he was not fleshed out as I had hoped. Bennett attempts to balance a happy, breezy love interest and one who is battling depression. I had hoped the mental health aspect would be further explored but it is not. I appreciated once again the inclusion of diversity of Daniel being half Japanese and half white with a hearing difficulty. Overall I felt pretty underwhelmed with this book and I did not feel surprised with the final reveal of the mystery either.

I received an e-arc of Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about this book.

I’ve read two of Jenn Bennett’s books previously – and adored them. Starry Eyes was a great second chance romance, while Alex, Approximately just got to me. And Serious Moonlight was just so good, a mix of romance with a little mystery, it just worked here.

Serious Moonlight follows Birdie as she begins her summer job at a historic Seattle hotel. Closed off from the world, Birdie took comfort in a life where she could be a heroic detective. After an awkward encounter with Daniel Aoki, they now have to work the night shift together. But when they stumble on a real-life mystery, they have to work together if they want to discover who the famous reclusive writer is meeting at the hotel.

Birdie was a really interesting protagonist in Serious Moonlight and I am not sure how I feel about her. Birdie has had a hard life and that has really influenced her. While she does have an outgoing nature at times, I felt that she is also very withdrawn. Not only does she like to keep to herself, but doesn’t know how to handle certain situations. However, this made for an interesting read. Because Birdie’s character development and character arc were fantastic. The reader is able to see Birdie really grow throughout Serious Moonlight and not only become comfortable with others but also herself.

I felt the same about Daniel. There were times where I really enjoyed getting to know him, but then he did some things throughout the novel that just didn’t sit well with me. Daniel like Birdie has gone through a lot. Things are revealed as the novel goes on and Birdie and Daniel get to know one another. I really liked that Daniel had a positive outlook on everything that he did. Well, he had his own demons her really tried to help those around him.

One thing that I think that Jenn Bennett does so well, is create characters that are, honest, real and have flaws. And she did it again in Serious Moonlight. It makes reading her books, feel more real. Meaning, I don’t have to imagine these characters, these worlds. They just fit.

The romance in Serious Moonlight was really interesting and different from what I’ve read from Jenn Bennett. Birdie and Daniel had met before the start of the novel, and it wasn’t the most graceful goodbye. So when they have to work together, everything gets a little awkward. But it was kind of cute. I loved how innocent Birdie was and how Daniel loved playing upon that. But not in a bad way, he just pushed her out of her comfort zone a little – and that made both of them grow. There were parts throughout their relationship that I didn’t love. But it was out weight by how adorable they were together.

The theme of family was a big part of this novel. Both Birdie and Daniel have different family lifestyles and it was great seeing these two come together. Birdie mostly grew up with a very strict and protective grandmother. While Daniel’s family is more outgoing, after some events his mother becomes very protective of him.

I don’t think that Jenn Bennett gets enough love, this is the third novel of hers that I have read and I’ve loved. Like I said before Jenn Bennett knows how to write real and honest characters. They have their faults, but they are also so compelling and I want to cheer for them. Both Daniel and Birdie have been through a lot before the novel start, and the reader gets to see them go on a journey and grow.

Overall, I really enjoyed Serious Moonlight. It’s a great combination of mystery and contemporary that captures real characters. With writing that is easy to read, the characters float off the page. Jenn Bennett is able to create a story that is easy to follow and to fall in love with. Daniel and Birdie were fantastic characters that really stood out for me. If you haven’t had the chance of reading a Jenn Bennett, then I think you should get on it.

I loved the setting of Seattle and the comfort of cracking a mystery! All of the aspects of this books separately are things I tend to love, but at the same time parts dragged and I often found my attention wasn't fully kept. Still Jenn Bennett writes cute characters, and it was a good story.

I had some trouble getting into this one - it was fine, but I never felt really compelled to read it. It just felt so big, and I decided to move on - not a bad book, but not the book for me. If I had finished this book, it would probably be around 3 stars - fine, but not a new favorite, and I just didn't feel compelled to keep going for a so-so book.

This book hit all the right spots for me. Teen detectives, simmering romance, a super fun vibrant city, amazing character growth, non judgmental sexy times, honestly the list could go on and on.

(4.5 stars)

I received a complimentary ARC of this book via Netgalley, but this review is based off a reading of the hard-copy which I purchased for myself. All opinions provided are my own.

Let the record reflect that I would be a horrible detective. I’m overly imaginative but with no built-in set of brakes that prevent me from becoming a rabid conclusion-jumper. Needless to say, I’m not like Birdie Lindberg, teen heroine of Jenn Bennett’s Serious Moonlight and an aspiring detective who’s been exercising said detective muscles since childhood.

Birdie’s new job as a night-shift auditor at a fancy hotel presents her with her first big mystery case: the real identity of famed writer Raymond Darke. And the teen who points out this mystery to her? That’s none other than Daniel Aoki, a boy she recently had an embarrassing hook-up with & then avoided (like he was a loquacious former classmate she spotted across the grocery store on a day she wore her least flattering pair of jeans and just felt blah. Anyone else know the feeling?)

Bennett’s YA books sparkle and shine, even as they’re weighted with the subjects that make life challenging: divorce, the break-up of friendship, a bad hook-up, a previous suicide attempt, the death of a loved one. She’s tackled them all at some point or another in the three books of hers I’ve read. Her teenage main characters wrestle with their problems with a sensitivity & poise that’s admirable but doesn’t feel inauthentic or cloying.

What really makes her books special is that her characters are confident enough to be themselves. From their dress to their styling to their passions, they’re quirky, bold, & assured, & it makes me adore them. It also lends every story she tells the feeling of freshness. Case in point? Birdie is an orphaned homeschooled mystery-lover who wears a real flower behind her ear like Billie Holiday; Daniel is a hearing-disabled teen who lives in a commune with his mom & grandparents and loves magic.

Serious Moonlight is another rich, big-hearted novel from Jenn Bennett, so imbued with love for her characters and between her characters that it feels like a hug.

Q: Who is one of your favorite contemporary YA authors? I also highlyyyy recommend Julie Buxbaum.

I was very cute. Loved that there was a different side of Seattle shown through this story. Not so meet cute but a cute meeting none the less by the main characters.

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT is by far my favourite contemporary YA novel that I’ve read so far this year. Granted, there hasn’t been a single Jenn Bennett book that I haven’t loved, but SERIOUS MOONLIGHT is my absolute favourite of everything that she has ever written. I loved the setting, the characters, the issues discussed, the mystery and just the fact that it was super sex-positive.

Probably my favourite thing about this book is that the opening is pretty much the YA version of the opening of Grey’s Anatomy (which was one of my favourite shows for the first like 7 seasons). Our main character Birdie has lived a sheltered, home-schooled life with her grandparents after the passing of her mother when she was a young child. After the death of her overprotective grandmother, and with her schooling now over, Birdie is free to get a job and explore what she wants to do in life. On a particularly ‘wild’ night, she ends up hooking up with a guy in the backseat of his car and ends up fleeing when she realises how strange and out of character it was for her. But of course, the mystery guy ends up as a colleague at the hotel where Birdie just landed a job and things get a little bit awkward and complicated. Especially when she can’t seem to stop thinking about our mystery guy, Daniel.

I just loved Birdie so much. I related to her on so many different levels, from feeling really awkward when talking to others who just seemed so confident in their own skin to being scared to take risks for fear of failure or ending up alone. She was an extremely interesting character and I loved how her fear of abandonment was portrayed in this novel and the way that it drove the plot. I also enjoyed that Birdie was a mystery buff and loved doing detective work and solving mysteries. I’m definitely not the same kind of person but all of the mystery elements in the novel were really fun and I absolutely loved that Birdie and Daniel had their own little mystery to solve, which brought them closer together. I was a bit worried that the mystery wasn’t going to be fully thought out and that it would only be used as a way of getting Birdie and Daniel together, but was really happy that it was fully integrated into the plot of the book.

I absolutely loved Daniel as well. He was super swoony, even though the long hair and top knot/man bun definitely is not my thing. He was just really charming but had his own flaws that he didn’t really try to hide from Birdie… too much. I enjoyed that he had great chemistry with Birdie and pushed her out of her comfort zone without being an overbearing scumbag. I loved their romance and was shipping them extremely hard from the very beginning of the book. Jenn Bennett created this beautiful tension where I wasn’t sure if they were going to get together or not, throughout the entire book. It was frustrating as a reader who really wanted them to be together but it worked beautifully as a story. Jenn Bennett also does not shy away from talking about sex in this novel, in an extremely tasteful and positive way that still manages to convey not only the good but also the not-so-good aspects.

"Daniel: This is me when I think about u:
(>’-‘)><(‘_'<)^(‘_’)\- \m/(-_-)\m/ <( ‘-‘)> \_( .”)><( ._.)-`
Me: What is that? Someone having a stroke?
Daniel: It’s dancing, Birdie."

The side characters were also well fleshed out and contributed greatly to the story. I loved Birdie’s Aunt Mona, her godmother who has been the mother figure in her life. Mona almost acted like a sister to Birdie and was a great role model who urged Birdie to go out and find her own identity and pursue the things that she wants. I also loved Birdie’s grandfather who bonded with Birdie over their mutual love of crime novels and their narcolepsy. And I especially loved Daniel’s family and his grandfather who was hilarious in his pursuit of things that would make his neighbour angry. Serious Moonlight just had the absolute best cast of characters that I’ve read in a contemporary novel for a long time.

I would say that this book is mostly character-driven. Though I did love the plot a lot, I felt like it jumped around a little bit and it wasn’t super clear where the book was going, particularly in the middle section. I’m docking half a star for that but otherwise, I could read this book over and over and over.

I love love love SERIOUS MOONLIGHT and I can’t say enough good things about the characters and their relationships and interactions. The book was serious at times, funny at times, and charming all throughout. I cannot wait for Jenn Bennett’s next novel!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

*I received an E-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

I loved this book. It has been a while since I read a good YA contemporary book. This book was adorable. I loved the romance and was rooting for them from the very beginning. The romance in this book was extremely relateable. They acted awkward together and they didn't always know what they were doing. They didn't instantly fall in love like in so many other YA contemporary book. This was the main reason I loved this book. It was so realistic and the shy and awkward moments between them reminded me of relationships that I have been in. It made me absolutely love the two main characters. The plot of this story was also amazing. There was a mystery involved throughout the novel and it gave the book a little something. I highly recommend this and give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

This was an exceptional mix of romance, mystery and lots of fun stuff. This is my first Jenn Bennett book, but it’s not going to be the last because of how unique her characters are and how much she cares about the development of each of them.
Both of the main characters, Birdie and Daniel had such vibrant personalities and their hobbies were so fun to read about. Birdie is a huge fan of mystery books (which is relatable, I mean, I love reading about a fellow bookworm, I don’t know what’s better than that) and ever since she was little, she has been a little bit of an investigator. A detective. Every intrigue she will discover. There’s no unsolved case on Birdie’s shift. Something like that. And it was so amazing to read about her passion, see her talk about it in such detail and lighten up at the mention of an adventure. God, how I can identify with that. I just love seeing/hearing people talk about what they love.

Then, Daniel is an amateur magician. You could say they are both drawn to mystery and that’s what makes them such a great pair!

They have fateful meeting (the meet-cute if you will) and then find out that they will be working at the same place for a while which makes things a bit awkward at the beginning. Lots of tension, lots of angst – I eat that up so happily.

And it’s not only their hobbies that were interesting and made me love this book, I loved Bennett’s writing and the development of these characters. They were flawed, they were insecure, they made lots of mistakes because they were young and sometimes super clueless about what they were doing and I loved every bit of it. It’s so refreshing to see this notion that once you graduate, you don’t have to know where you want to be, what you want to do later on, that you’re allowed to take missteps and then try again. The only thing that matters is that you learn from your mistakes. It was realistic and send some amazing messages.

I also loved their families, they were very present in the novel and both Birdie and Daniel were close to them. Mona, Birdie’s godmother was such a developed character even more since she was a secondary one – there was conflict around her, she was three-dimensional and I really loved reading about her!

I still think Birdie’s development stole the show because she grew so much from the beginning to the end of this book, I wish I could talk about this in more detail, but it’s a spoiler and I want to destroy your reading experience! Anyway, I’ll try to be as vague as possible.

Basically, Birdie starts out as a sheltered teen, somewhat emotionally immature who’s scared of committing to a relationship because people she cares about tend to die. At the end, she’s so self-aware and understands that she has to take care of herself more and let others in. It’s really beautiful and inspiring!

The relationship between Birdie and Daniel was very cute & romantic, I loved how attentive and kind Daniel was – setting up little adventures for them. He was also so patient with her and didn’t pressure her at all, he was definitely a dreamboat.

I had some issues with the way the plot flowed, at times I felt the book was unnecessarily long and in some parts, it dragged on. I think it could have been a bit shorter and not lose its substance or conflicts!

Overall, the book was amazing, it had it all – romance, mystery, family and lots of character development. I’d recommend it to everyone who’s in mood for a lovely romance or for someone who wants to read about a fellow bookworm!

Thanks to the publisher for offering me an e-copy of this book! This hadn’t influenced my review, nor my rating in any way.

I was super excited to get started on Serious Moonlight, as I have read both of Jenn Bennett’s previous books, Alex, Approximately and Starry Eyes, and really enjoyed them both. I couldn’t wait to get started on this newest book journey from Jenn with Serious Moonlight!

There are so many things that I enjoyed about this book, with one being the characters. There are a lot of characters in this book to like, including the main character, Birdie. I really enjoyed Birdie’s love of mysteries, and she’s pretty awesome at detective work. She didn’t have the best childhood growing up, but she’s doing the best she can for herself. Daniel definitely helps her out along the way, and I really enjoyed watching the relationship grow between the two of them. (Also, Daniel is seriously the best.)

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the setting. I can’t say that I’ve read many books that are set in Seattle, and I thought Jenn did a great job of describing all of the places Birdie and Daniel visited throughout the story. It totally made me want to visit there sometime!

And I also really enjoyed the storyline for the book. I am a sucker for a good contemporary story, and this book definitely fit the bill. This book discusses a wide range of things including sex and health, as well as death and suicide, and I know a lot of people will find things in the story to relate to. (I know I did.) I love that there is even a little mystery in the story as well, even if it went in a direction I didn’t really expect, but that definitely added to the story.

Overall; I think Jenn Bennett definitely has another hit on her hands with Serious Moonlight! This story has a little bit of everything, and it was just what I needed to read at the moment. I’m beyond thrilled to have a copy sitting on my shelf alongside Alex, Approximately and Starry Eyes, and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more from Jenn in the future!

Happy Reading!!

I will not be reviewing this book because I wasn’t aware that books downloaded to Adobe Digital Editions expire. I am giving it a star review based on Goodreads average.

I truly enjoyed this book and loved all of the characters!

While the story was told through Birdie's POV, I felt really connected to Daniel in so many ways, and wish that we could have gotten inside his mind a little more. That's not to say that I didn't connect with Birdie at all, I just felt that I had more in common with Daniel.

Birdie's relationships with her family are fairly on point. Mona is amazingly quirky and fun. Grandpa is an interesting combination of protective and permissive. Her memories of her grandmother and her mother are both conflicted, but I think that is completely normal in the situation.

Daniel also has great familial relationships. His closeness to his mother is to be admired, and I loved his grandparents!

Speaking of relationships, I like the pace of Daniel and Birdie's. They may have started out a little quickly, but things slowed down and they developed their friendship first, giving them a strong foundation to grow on. Though I think things may have picked up a little too quickly again towards the end.

The detective/mystery aspect was a fun element that helped things to move along and develop naturally. I think this was a huge plus in the story.

All in all, Jenn Bennett does not disappoint!

Jenn Bennett is one of my favorite YA authors, and Serious Moonlight was pretty much everything I was hoping it would be. Fantastic characters that grow through out the book and that are quirky and full of charm. Serious Moonlight has witty banter, natural chemistry, with twists and turns that tug at the heart strings.


Birdie and Daniel are in their late teens, and Jenn Bennett does an amazing job of capturing the emotions, doubts, and insecurities teenagers face. It is a sex positive book. These two are serious cute, and I love how their relationship progresses through out the book.

While there is no unnecessary drama, I did find myself skimming a tiny bit- just a time or two! I hate to even admit that, since this is a Jenn Bennett after all. It wasn't the main story line, but a sub plot.

All in all this was a great book, one I will probably re-read at some point!

This was so good! I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did but this was surprising really good. It kept my attention and I couldn’t put it down! I loved the mystery and relationship. This book definitely put me on Bennett’s radar and now I must read all her other books

One of my favourite things about being a book blogger or indeed just an avid reader is when I discover books like this. Books I didn’t expect. Books that I would normally dismiss as being ‘not my thing’. Books that are now one of my favourite reads so far in 2019. It’s the most brilliant feeling, knowing that the chance that you took has paid off and not only do you have a new book to worship, but a new author to explore. As you can tell, I kind of liked this book.

I want to talk about why I would normally just dismiss this book without any further thought. It’s the genre. I don’t normally ‘do’ young adult. And when I do try young adult it certainly isn’t a contemporary romance. Teenage drama about love and sex? Count me out, I had enough of that when I actually was a teenager, I don’t want to relive it. But, I am hapless before a pretty cover so, Serious Moonlight ended up on my kindle despite my aforementioned objections to YA.

But dismissing Serious Moonlight as just a YA contemporary romance is too reductive and I am glad I picked it up. There was a lot of things packed into this book, yes romance, but also grief, family, found family and illness – both physical and mental. Then there was the added spice of some sleuthing. All blended together it created a compelling read that was difficult to put down. This was a cute romance disguising some surprising depth as the main characters of Birdie and Daniel deal with a number of issues, amongst them the budding of first love. It also had a cast of eccentric and interesting secondary characters that enrich the story, as well as adding some humour to it.

If, like me, you don’t usually venture into the YA genre I do recommend giving this book a try, it had a lot of heart and wasn’t the outpouring of teenage drama that I was expecting. If you are already a YA reader than you need to add this one to your TBR.

This is my second Jenn Bennett book and I ADORED IT! It's so friggin cute and adorable and ow, my heart! Daniel is a cinnamon roll. An adorable cinnamon roll. I highlighted so many passages out of sheer adorableness. I loved how all the different plots came together in the end. I loved ALL the characters. Such a rich cast, very well thought out. I also really enjoyed the rep for narcolepsy. It was my first time reading about a character with narcolepsy and it was really fascinating. I can't speak to its accuracy but I'll definitely be keeping an ear out for whether it was done well or not.