The book is centered around Birdie Lindberg, who, after meeting someone for the first time, has sex with him in the back of his car, and then worries she’s going to end up like her mom, who was pregnant at 18. Scared, Birdie runs away, even though she really did feel attracted to this mysterious stranger that hooked up with her.

A few months later, Birdie applies for a graveyard shift job at a hotel, and meets her coworkers, one of whom is Daniel Aoki, who just so happens to be the guy she hooked up with. That’s just fate, am I right?

A large part of the novel centers around the initial awkwardness, and how they slowly start to reconcile and bond as they research a mysterious stranger on the hotel’s fifth floor, who they suspect is a famous mystery writer, going under a pseudonym.

I loved how Birdie’s relationships with the other people in her life are slowly established, like her Mona, her non-biological aunt who is Birdie’s closest thing to a mom. Even Birdie’s relationships with the people in her life that are dead are developed beautifully, like her grandma and mom, both of whom have passed.

Birdie is an aspiring detective, so it’s no surprise when she enthusiastically takes on the mystery of the writer on the fifth floor.

Also, I love Daniel. He’s just an awkward, magic-loving teen, who’s life is just as complicated as Birdie’s, yet he’s always cheerful. Daniel is half-deaf due to an unfortunate magic trick, but he continues to be his wonderful self.

Birdie and Daniel’s relationship is by no means perfect, there’s tons of fuck-ups, from both Birdie and Daniel, but they haven’t given up on each other.

Jenn Bennett really has done it again, with another perfectly imperfect romance of two teenagers who just want some kind of love in their life that won’t leave them.

Can I give this book a rating of above a five? This book deserves a 6 out of 5.

*Spoiler free, 4.5 stars*

I guess you could I mildly like mysteries? I'm one to get in impatient and just want to know what all the answers are. But this one, from an author who rights amazing contemporaries, a character who seemed just like me, and some good old fashioned fluff, I knew I wanted to devour this thing whole. Trigger warning: There is talk about a suicide attempt and it is talked about a good amount.

This book seems like any other contemporary on the shelves, but it is extremely sex positive, has disabled characters, and a real look into mental illness. It was all these things put together that made this book seem so real. It was such a real representation of teenage life and how teenagers feel. At least to me. I loved it so much. Birdie was so awkward and their was weird tension and arguments between her and Daniel. It was wonderful.

Birdie is so different from me, but that is what makes us so similar. One of my favorite parts of this book was her awkwardness. It wasn't the cutesy, funny stuff that I usually find in books. This was the painful, weird awkwardness that you can't really laugh at kind of awkwardness. It was real and I loved it. Her thought process and the way she handles things is very different from what goes on in my brain, but it was really easy to see where she was coming from. She tends to avoid things out of fear and wow did I get that.

I was skeptical about the mystery since it seemed... kind of boring. I know it couldn't be a murder mystery, but it just seemed like it had a good chance of falling flat. BOY DID IT NOT. The freaking twist at the end was so well done. It tied everything together and allowed Birdie's and Daniel's character development to really come to fruition. Everything was perfectly laid out and everything was places just so so everything could come together. It's amazing to look at after the fact.

This book also has its fair share amount of fluff. It touches on real issues and still manages to have all the feel goodness in it. Amazing. It was really nice to see the relationship progress throughout the book. I liked seeing them struggle as they come into themselves and learn more as they grow. It wasn't a straight line and I appreciated that.

This was the perfect blend of mystery and romance. It covered all it's bases and did them all well. This was another Jenn Bennett book that hit that completely hit the mark!

Jenn Bennett is writing some of the best YA contemporary romance right now, and this didn’t disappoint. Starry Eyes was one of my favorite contemporary YA novels last year, and I was so hoping this would be just as good - and it was! I absolutely loved this! We have our romantic coupling - Birdie, a sheltered 18 year old starting her first job on night shift at a swanky hotel. She is dealing with grief, both new and old. Her passion is mysteries, and she wants to be a PI. Daniel, a buoyantly cheerful (and very handsome) guy who loves performing magic tricks. Daniel has some secrets hiding under his cheerful exterior (and hipster top-knot) that make him a much more well-rounded character than the typical hot flirty guy we see in most teen romance.

Our meet cute actually happens off page - Daniel and Birdie meet and then summarily hook up in Daniel’s car before the start of the book. Birdie and Daniel meet again when she starts her job and discovers Daniel is the hotel driver. Awkward! Daniel desperately wants to figure out why Birdie fled their hookup and never called him back, because he believes their chance meeting - and now shared employment - is fate. As a ploy to spend time with Birdie, he recruits her to help him solve a mystery around a rude client who comes into the hotel for just an hour each week. They spend the book on adorable quasi-date stake outs where they get to know each other and give second - and third - chances.

Birdie and Daniel were just adorable. They are both navigating the first steps of adulthood and relationships together. They both have hangups and issues, but something I loved about this book is that they actually communicated about them throughout the book instead of spending half the book hating each other due to miscommunication. Of course we know the guy and the girl are getting together in the end - it's romance, duh! - but the journey and characters are so enjoyable, it stands out within the genre.

If you’re in the mood for a lighthearted but well-written rom-com in book form, this is absolutely perfect. I read this in a couple of hours and couldn’t put it down. I would classify this as more new-adult than teen; both of our characters are legally adults and working full time jobs. However, the content isn’t inappropriate for younger teens and I could still recommend this to high schoolers looking for a good beach read or cozy romance.

I have never read a Jenn Bennett book before but I'd heard lots of people loved them. I was a bit nervous going into this one because I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. It took me a while to get into the story at first, but once I got into the characters and got invested in the romance it became difficult to put it down. The main character, Birdie, is sweet, shy, and obsessed with mysteries. I'm not usually into mysteries but this book made that major plotline so interesting and entertaining! Regardless of whether you like them or not this book has so much more than that mystery plotline.

Mona, Birdie's unofficial step-mother/godmother, was one of my favorite characters in the book. She was such a character (haha, get it... I'll leave) and every scene with her was enjoyable and exciting. Daniel was so sweet and I really loved him as a love interest. He had an interesting backstory to get into and I really like the way their romance progressed throughout the book. The writing worked really well with the story, it was fast-paced and easy to get into.

There were only a few aspects of this book that were not my favorite. Occasionally the story got pretty predictable and I guessed what would happen way before it happened. This wasn't the worst, but I kind of wish that upcoming plot twists would be a bit less hinted at and more surprising. I also sometimes felt a bit irritated by Birdie and her actions. I get that some of the things she did she regretted too however it took away from the experience sometimes because I couldn't stop thinking about how frustrating she was being. She'd immediately overreact about anything and would say things that would but a hurdle in the way of the romance which I can only assume was done for suspense but it felt painfully unnecessary. While this was frustrating I still feel like by the end she really grew and it all ended in a really sweet way. It was a very cute story and while there were parts I didn't like I think as a whole I'd still recommend it.

Is there anything better than a Jenn Bennett book with all her quirky characters, irresistible friendships, and swoon worthy romances?

There might be but you will be hard pressed to find them!

I adore Jenn's book, I mean, honestly, who doesn't that has tried them? They are so much fun. They are real, raw, and so very very addicting.

And as weird as it may sound, I love that in all of them, there is always a very strong adult presence. Whether a parent, guardian, loved one, someone. You don't find that very often in YA period and I love that her's are always there, cheering her characters on, supporting them and most of all, just being there, involved in their lives.

This was such a cute and fun read. Filled with mystery, a sweet romance, and some very real, very tough social, emotional, and even physical issues and I loved it for it.

Once again Jenn shows why she writes so well in this genre. Why her books stand out and why they are ones I will always be auto buying.

There is just something about reading a Jenn Bennett book that puts me in such a happy mood. I've yet to read a book from her that I haven't loved and I honestly don't think that will change any time soon.

I don't feel like writing a full, normal formatted review right now so I'm going to give you all the goods in bullet-point format:

↳This book has the softest hero ever and a heroine who is so relatable I had to check to make sure this wasn't being written about me a few times.

↳I love how sex positive this book is. Honestly more YA needs to be written like this because not only is it realistic but it's also gives the readers so much IMPORTANT information that I have feeling (just going off how closed off my family was and how naive I was as a teenager) not many teenagers would know about.

↳ I also really appreciated and loved that Daniel was Japanese-American and that we got to see so much of his family. It wasn't just some token thing where it's mentioned and that's it. We meet his family, and even learn a bit about his culture.

↳This book wasn't perfect and this wasn't a perfect story but in a way, it's the perfect sort of messy that once again makes it feel like such a relatable teenage story.

I hope Jenn Bennett never stops writing because her books are amazing and important and fun and sweet and just...awesome. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

*Arc given in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This book was so delightful, and I really enjoyed it. It's your basic Girl meets Boy, Girl has sex with Boy in his car, Girl freaks out and runs away story.

When Birdie starts her first job, the night shift at a hotel front desk, she’s horrified to find that she’s working with Daniel, the guy she had an awkward hookup with a few weeks earlier. They met in a diner and ended up having sex in his car. She freaked out afterward and ran away. Now that they’re working together, it’s very awkward, but Daniel, knowing Birdie’s love of mysteries, convinces her to help him solve a mystery: he thinks a famous, reclusive author may be visiting the hotel. As they grow closer during the investigation, Birdie has to figure out if she can actually manage a relationship.

This book is so cute, and I liked watching two people stumble into a relationship. Both Birdie and Daniel have baggage. Birdie’s mom died when she was 10, and after that, she was raised by the grandparents who kicked her mother out of the house when she got pregnant as a teen. The grandmother didn’t want Birdie to follow in her mother’s footsteps, so she was very overprotective and homeschooled her. The grandmother died a few months before the book starts. Birdie is still grieving, but she also has a lot of unresolved resentment toward her grandmother. She’s also ignoring a pretty big health issue.

Daniel also has some issues, having survived a rough patch in high school, and he’s got unresolved issues with the father he’s never met (who dumped his mother when she got pregnant). He wants to be a magician, but he’s also being pressured by his mother to go to school for something more practical.

This book has a lot of things I really enjoyed. It's very sex-positive. There's no shame attached to sex, as long as you're being careful (which the characters are). It's a really nice exploration of grief as Birdie realizes that she can grieve for her grandmother even while she still has some conflicted feelings toward her. I like that the books features young people who aren't going to college. Daniel just isn't interested in college, and Birdie technically hasn't graduated high school since her grandmother passed away unexpectedly before giving her a diploma for her homeschooling. A lot of YA books focus on college-bound kids, and it's refreshing to see other options explored. There's some diversity--Daniel is half-Japanese. And as a mystery buff myself, I loved Birdie's interest in mysteries. I really loved the character of Birdie's "Aunt" Mona, a quirky artist who was Birdie's mother best friend and who helped raise Birdie. She's super wacky, but she's also a great friend to Birdie and is always there for her. I firmly believe We all need a wacky aunt in our lives.

Serious Moonlight is a really fun read, and I definitely recommend it.

This was a great YA book. The characters were relateable and interesting. The mystery and romance kept the story going. I look forward to more books by this author.

I wasn't able to download this - I only have a kindle for reading, and that wasn't an option. The publicist at ALA-MW in Seattle had said she would send me the galley, but it hadn't arrived yet and I was hoping to use this to make it easier all around. I will look for this book when published. Just making assumptions with the star rating, as it is required :)

This book took me up and down on a roller coaster of emotion & I loved every single minute of it. The main character is such a deeply diverse individual and you truly do feel
Like you are taking this journey with her.
If you’re looking for a book that contains a little bit of mystery, a hint of magic, a budding romance, life lessons and a whole lot of fun, this is the book for you.
10/10 recommend to anyone and everyone!

Will be published closer to release date . . .

I really enjoyed this one. Birdie is a young woman trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, and with some health issues that put restrictions on what she can do (can't drive, for example), she's not sure what to pursue. She's got a love for mysteries, especially mystery/crime fiction, but that's not enough for a career. Although she has her grandmother and close family friend (Aunt Mona), she's recently lost her grandmother, and her mother several years prior, so she feels a bit unmoored. In addition, she recently had a hookup with a charming stranger that ended in a disaster. When she finds a job at a hotel near her home near Seattle, she thinks she's finally ready to figure some things out. Until she learns that her charming stranger also works at this hotel, and hasn't stopped thinking about her. What's a girl to do?
This novel has what many YA contemporary fans love -- witty banter, a cute but sensitive love interest, a relatable MC -- and some heavier issues it tackles with grace.
Recommended for fans of teen detective stories, rom-coms, and YA contemporaries. Also, props for featuring an interracial relationship not often seen, especially in YA fiction: a white girl and an Asian (Japanese-American) boy. Kasie West's "Lucky in Love' also features a similar pairing if one is looking for it.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster publishing and Netgalley for an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Serious Moonlight was such a cute contemporary. A touch of romance, mystery and heartache. Calls for a great read I couldn't have enough of.
Birdie is a mystery loving introvert that has been sheltered most of her life. But when she starts a job at the Cascadia Hotel she comes across her first actual mystery. Along side Daniel a coworker and someone she's crossed paths with. Will Birdie be able to come out of her shell?
A well written story with a blossoming romance, a mysterie, secrets, heartache and character development. I found myself laughing and crying. I think Bennett wrote a wonderful book involving the value of ones health, self-care, family and grief. With a topic of depression, suicide and how someone that isn't diagnosed with narcolepsy goes throughout their day. Something I wasn't really aware of but opened my eyes to it. If you enjoy contemporaries that can pull at your heart strings I recommend you read Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett.

Insert all of the heart eye emojis! Jenn Bennett can do no wrong! I loved Birdie and her relationship with Daniel. It was a slow burn but it really worked for her character and the time she needed considering how isolated she was. The mystery aspect really added to the story and sets it apart from Bennett's other novels. I feel like the hotel was a character by itself and I appreciated how much Bennett put into creating it. I will be ordering it for my library.

I adore Jenn Bennett's writing, and she does it again with Serious Moonlight. Her writing has depth, and her character development is always on point. Birdie Lindberg loves a good mystery, and she may have just met her partner-in-crime in Daniel Aoki. The big question is if Birdie will allow herself to become emotionally available to Daniel. There are enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing, but the emotional core of the book is what will keep readers thinking about this charming book.

This book will be released on April 16, 2019. Mark your calendars! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I had high expectations for this book because I loved Alex, Approximately so much, and luckily, I was not disappointed! The characters in this book are so unique, and I loved their personalities. I also really enjoyed the element of mystery. It gave an extra little push to the story without taking away from the main characters and their budding relationship. I also adored Birdie's Aunt. We all need someone in our lives to love us and listen to us that way. Overall, such an enjoyable read. Romantic, mysterious, and all around touching.

I was unable to open this file. I'm sure it will be a great book though because Jenn Bennett is a wonderful writer!

I'm 1000000% here for anything Jenn writes and I don't really read the synopsis any longer.

I loved Birdie and Daniel. They're both such good people who are maybe struggling a bit more than they want to let on. I enjoyed their connection and their (mostly) open conversation. The family aspect was interesting: I especially enjoyed the mama bear scene with Cherry and Mona was a delight.

Plot wise, it was a whole lot of cute (hello, live action Clue game). The mystery part was interesting, but really I was invested it in because I wanted Birdie and Daniel together all the time. There were a few things I didn't see coming and I loved that I was able to be surprised. Have I been clear that I loved it?

Overall, it was another fun read from Jenn that was mostly filled with fluff. Whatever she writes next, I'm here for it.

FYI: talk of suicide and depression

**Huge thanks to Simon Pulse for providing the arc free of charge**

This was the rare case of me not wanting a contemporary story to end. It had bits of everything: romance, mystery, grief, family, comedy. I love Jenn Bennett’s writing style and this book further solidified said love.

I loved both Daniel and Birdie. Both were complex characters with their own flaws. That was never a secret, for the most part. Delving deeper into their lives was a real treat. They were able to grow together.

The addition of a mystery in the plot was just a bonus. This was cute on its own, but the first surprise Daniel came up with was adorable and fun in its own right. And I can’t lie, I wanted to find one of my own to play. It was also a cute subplot in order to advance their romance. Which, I’m not gonna lie, I had no idea WHAT the big mystery to unravel was. Like, why bother to find out what the author was doing? It didn’t seem all that interesting. And yeah, felt like a way for them to spend more time together. (I see you, Daniel.) But once that aspect of the story became clearer, everything made sense and the entire story got even more intense.

I have to say that Mona is by far the best character in this book. I loved her personality, style, influence. I love that she felt enough love for her best friend that she helped raise her child, became a mother figure for her. She was a realistic, authentic glimpse of a liberal adult and mother. Someone who allowed a girl to grow up while also remaining careful, independent, and adventurous. She wanted Birdie to let go and take risks. To grow. I loved her for that and so much more.

There are tons of cute moments in the book. And plenty of laugh out loud ones too. While there are serious tones in the book, it’s also lighthearted and fun at times. It’s a perfect blend. Plus, all those pies! I would love those recipes. Or at the very least for this diner to actually exist. Because the setting of this book only made me want to visit Seattle more.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great contemporary that will leave you smiling for days after finishing.

Jenn Bennett does it again. I immediately fell in love with the characters and could not put this book down. I love the setting (Seattle area) and the cool facts about different careers, medical conditions, schooling, etc, that are a part of the story. Bennett’s flare for romance gave me butterflies in my stomach - but she’s just amazing at writing about relationships in general (friendships, family). This is a definite must read if you’re into YA mysteries and romance.

I have yet to read a poorly written book from Jenn Bennett. I was pretty confident going into Serious Moonlight that it would be another hit from one of my favorite authors, and once again, Jenn did not prove me wrong. Serious Moonlight was a sweet, charming and thoughtful story that had me sighing in happiness by the end.

I love how Jenn Bennett writes teenage girls who are messy, flawed, yet so beautiful in their complications. Birdie was one of her more unique heroines. She was a young girl, hurting from the recent loss of one of her guardians, her grandmother, and reeling from her grandfather's diagnosis of narcolepsy. Birdie had grown up without her parents so she led a rather sheltered life, which led to her not always making the best decisions for herself. In Serious Moonlight, with the help with some awesome people, we see her go through somewhat of a journey of emotional growth. Besides doing a fantastic job at capturing the intricacies of a teenage girl, Jenn Bennett also managed to make Birdie a unique personality through her love of all things mysteries. Growing up, I was obsessed with sleuthing stories, so I loved seeing that side of Birdie and I loved the little nods to famous detectives in popular media throughout the book. She was so passionate about it, it was just too adorable! Birdie wasn't the only great character in Serious Moonlight. If you've read anything from Jenn Bennett, then you know she pairs up her characters with some of the swooniest boys ever. Daniel, Birdie's love interest here, was just a sweetheart. He was charming, thoughtful and so kind. I loved how he pushed Birdie outside of her comfort zone without being a creeper in her personal space. Daniel was a gentleman through and through. We find that there's more to him than just the sweet-tongued fellow he came across as. I was very proud of how far he had come from the circumstances in his past.

I also have to hype up Birdie's Aunt Mona, who was a great role model for her, and who was someone who was always there for her. She was such a cool lady! I could read a whole book about her. Birdie and Daniel's romance was the sweetest and definitely the kind that had my shipper heart hollering. I loved all their open conversations and how they cared about each other's comfort levels around each other. As with all of Jenn's books, Serious Moonlight also depicted teenagers having sex in a tactful, positive and honest way - the author portrays the beautiful and the ugly, which I will never not appreciate. The Seattle setting, especially the wacky but charming hotel at which Birdie and Daniel worked at, also brought an extra something special to this book!

Jenn Bennett's books burst with so much life. She's an author that I will never stop reading. If you're a fan of her books, Serious Moonlight will not disappoint. If you have yet to read her books, then I urge you to give them a try. There is something here for just about everyone! I promise. :)