I really enjoyed this! I'll be honest that I requested the story because i ADORED the cover and the title is a Taylor Swift song. But I'm very glad I did, because this was a great YA romance and I adored it. It was a quick read that I finished in one sitting. The banter was great and I really enjoyed the characters!

i love summer-y YA contemporaries! i didnt like the main character, but the story was super easy and fun to read. i love anything camp and anything where the main character has to get out of their shell! the romance was also sweet.

This is a cute book. The heroine's journey out of her shell is inspirational. The drama camp setting is fun and provides the opportunity for plenty of references to Shakespeare. The characters are appealing. Even the mean girl has another side to her character. It's a great book for those who are fans of theater, the enemies-to-lovers trope, and/or found family.

A young (16-year old) genius with designs on Oxford must navigate a Shakespeare Theater camp entirely out of her comfort zone in order to prove to her protective parents that she’s capable of attending university outside of the country in Serena Kaylor wonderful debut novel, Long Story Short.

Home-schooled Beatrice, who is probably on the spectrum, has a photographic memory, unemotionally deals with life, and wants to attend Oxford more than anything else in her life. Behind her parents backs she applies, completes the interview, and receives an acceptance and then must face her parents who don’t believe she’s ready to attend an out-of-state college much less an out-of-country college. However, they reach an agreement. If she can attend a Shakespeare Theater camp during the summer and complete a number of socially-oriented tasks then they’ll let her go.

At camp, Beatrice finds her first ever friend in a Mia, a bi-sexual Black girl whose dream is to be an actress despite her doctor parents who think she should pursue something a little more rational and secure. Nolan, the gay twin brother of her other roommate, ice queen Shelby, also becomes a good friend. Between Mia and Nolan, they help Beatrice navigate a new world that includes Nik, the British son of the camp’s owners, new clothes, and slowly new confidence.

What a sweet, fun romance! While Beatrice out of her comfort zone can be prickly, she’s completely understandable and adorable. I ached for her often when she’s faced with so many elements completely out of her comfort zone and yet fighting an inside war with herself that suggests that she needs to face these elements head-on.

Filled with teenage angst, jealousy and competition but also friendship, love, and loyalty, Long Story Short is a feel-good novel that made me smile almost constantly. I only wish I knew as many Shakespeare quotes and Bea and Nik did!

While there were some bits that might have been predictable, they were predictable in a good way and added to my overall enjoyment of the book. I look forward to whatever Serena Kaylor offers in the future.

Fun stuff!

I received and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was absolutely wonderful. A coming of ages story about stepping out of your comfort zone.

I loved the banter between Beatrice and Nik. Nolan gives me all the feels. Mia is the best type of friend a person could ask for. This brought me to tears with nostalgia. Great lines throughout the book; great lessons to learn too.

Good characters, intriguing storyline, YA (no spice), little bit of teenage romance, theater summer camp, teenage experience checklist, teenage nemesis, beautiful and devoted best friends


Always check content warnings

Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Statistics + Shakespeare + Summer camp = Sold. The description of this drew me in so quickly that I was quite excited to read it, and it did not disappoint. Beatrice had true growth as a person and it was really nice to experience. I found her to be quite annoying at first, but knowing that she was homeschooled, neurodivergent in ways that were extremely specific to social skills, and had a lot of motivation to achieve a specific goal, made it so that I was willing to overlook some of the quirks that rubbed me the wrong way knowing that they would be addressed more fully as the book went on. Well, at least I had hoped - and I was right! I appreciate that Serena did not specifically diagnose Beatrice, because I don't think it was necessary, and it was nice to not have something very specifically pathological related to why she struggled a bit with social cues and boundaries in communication.

I loved seeing how Beatrice developed her first friendships and found an appreciation for an art form that I love so much - and I have a soft spot in my heart for R&J, as cliched as it can be. It has all of the tropes that I love, and they were done quite well. It has a very cute HEA/HFN, and nothing too triggering sticks out to me. I think it is a great example of teenagers coming into their own, truly teenagers being teenagers, and even though I am quite a bit older than these characters at this point, I still found myself relating to the story deeply. This was a really nice book that resonated with me on personal levels and it was just a lot of fun.

Beatrice Quinn is a homeschooled genius who secretly applied to Oxford because she doesn’t think her parents will let her go. See, Bea isn’t good with people—hence the homeschooling. She doesn’t have friends and was bullied when she was learning in groups. Her parents are concerned she won’t be all right an ocean away from them, but agree to consider letting her go if Bea is willing to do a challenge over the summer to prove she can be a normal teenager. She must enroll in the acting concentration of a Shakespeare summer camp and complete a list of tasks to show she’s Oxford ready, including things like make a friend, accept a dare, perform a prank, and get three hugs.

At camp, Bea immediately clashes with golden boy and star camper, Nikhil. Let the enemies to maybe more summer camp antics begin!

There were a lot of fun elements in this book. I adore a theater setting. The friends Bea makes at camp, her roommate and a boy in the costume department, were fantastic. Exactly the kind of friends you’d want, although at moments they seemed almost too perfect. Nik and Bea had a lot of swoony moments and it’s great to see real-life depictions of anxiety in books. I know teens are struggling with this more than ever now, and it’s great to have books for them to turn to.

I expected to love this one, but ultimately I’m not sure. Clearly something was going on with Bea—maybe she was on the spectrum?—but the way her parents chose to address her issues without backstory to explain their decisions seemed strange to me. Especially since they were both therapists, albeit sex therapists. And as a theater major, the camp exercises and Bea’s acting arc didn’t ring true to me.

I think Romeo and Juliet enthusiasts will enjoy this one, and it would be a great book for teens who struggle with anxiety and want to read about a character pushing themselves out of their comfort zone.

Thank you so much to @Wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for a copy of this one.

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley from the author and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity!*

A YA summer romcom that gave me all the feels! This debut by Serena Kaylor was everything that I had wished for. There was friendship, romance, witty banter, a fun setting, and an unforgettable cast of characters! It should be noted that the main character has neurodiverse tendencies, although she’s not given a diagnosis in the book. The author tweeted that she herself is actually autistic and that nobody’s experience is the same. She also mentioned that a lot of the character’s behaviors and tendencies were mined from her own.

Sixteen-year-old Beatrice Quinn has grown up being homeschooled in Berkley, California. She’s a statistical genius and has dreamed of going to Oxford University to study math. She always thought that the hard part would be getting into this highly prestigious school in England, not convincing her parents to let her go. Math has always made sense to Beatrice, but making friends has been a problem she can’t solve, and her parents are worried about sending her so far from home. They decide to send her to the Connecticut Shakespearean Summer Academy with a list of teenage milestones to check off during her stay. She has six weeks to convince her parents that she can be a “normal” teenager and won’t spend the rest of her life hiding out, or she won’t be able to follow her dreams of attending Oxford in the fall, and will have to put off college for a year.

Upon her arrival at camp, Beatrice discovers that there’s no mathematical equation that can predict teenage interactions or relationships. She’s quickly adopted by some of the theater kids, but unfortunately makes an enemy of the very handsome, popular son of the camp founders, who also happens to be British. With her future on the line, she finds herself way out of her comfort zone and participating in things like double dog dares, and Shakespeare quote battles! Before camp ends, will Beatrice come to the understanding that you can’t learn everything in life from a textbook?

I was smitten with Beatrice! She’s so smart and quirky, and she had me in stitches. I loved that although she initially starts checking items off the teenage list to please her parents, eventually it becomes something she does for herself. The side characters are also amazing, and I’m so glad that Bea made some supportive friends. I also enjoyed the sweet romance in the story as well.

It was so difficult to put this one down, I loved it so much! A fun read that’s sure to put some sunshine into your summer! Available now, so be sure to pick it up or request from your local library.

Beatrice can solve complex equations, has read all of Shakespeare, and has secretly gotten into Oxford University at the age of sixteen, but her anxiety and reliance on routines as a coping mechanism means she’s never made a friend, let alone eaten something other than mushroom pizza on a Friday night. However Beatrice did not calculate for this: in order for her parents to allow her to move to England for school, they are sending her to a theater camp in Connecticut with a detailed list of “normal teenager” things that she needs to accomplish. But no list can prepare Beatrice for summer camp in the woods with a group of eclectic, strange, and passionate theater kids. From her chatty roommate to the annoying–and annoying gorgeous–star of the camp play, pranks and dares, new clothes, new friends, and new feelings...Beatrice is in for the ride of her life.

This was such a charming YA novel, perfect for the theater and camp kid in all of us. I adored Beatrice–her prickly, no nonsense, neurodivergent way of processing the world was so refreshing to read on the page–and nearly every character was just pitch perfect. Mia is such an incredible friend to Beatrice–sometimes almost unbelievably so, her maturity exceeds her age–and I love the ease with which Nolan brings Bea into the fold without making her feel like she was lacking before. And Nikhil! What a perfect swoony nemesis, we should all be so lucky to find ourselves in a Shakespeare battle with him where the punishment for the loser (or it is a prize?) is a kiss.

This is one of the best books I've read this year! I was pulled into this world from the beginning of the book and felt all of the character's emotions. Bea is now one of my favourite characters. I also love how the book includes lines from Romeo and Juliet so that I can imagine how the characters are interpreting the play. This book is a love letter to all theatre geeks, especially Shakespeare geeks.

This was my first by Serena Kaylor and it definitely won't be my last. This was so so fun from start to finish. There were so many things to love about this: the friendships we saw with Mia and Nolan and the comedic relief they brought, the banter and the Shakespeare-off. There were so many awkward moments that had me cringing and I got some definite Meangirls vibes. Overall, this was a super sweet story that I highly recommend to YA fans.

Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

Beatrice Quinn has always been special. Her mind has always worked a little bit faster than the other kids' and she's never really understood the appeal of dating or having friends. She's fine on her own, and if she has her way, she'll continue to be fine on her own. But when Beatrice's parents find out she secretly applied to Oxford University and got in, they decide that they'll need their daughter to prove that she won't founder overseas before she spends the next four years of her life across the pond. To ensure that Bea's ready to tackle new experiences, they send her to the one place they're sure she'd never have gone on her own: a prestigious Shakespearean acting camp. Bea's sent along with a Teenage Experience checklist, including items like "prank someone", and "make a friend". During six weeks of a summer that she'll never forget, Bea learns that coming out of her shell isn't as hard as she though it was.

I enjoyed this book! The characters were all interesting people with complicated relationships with acting and complex relationships with one another. Bea's love interest, Nikhil, was absolutely swoony and the friends she made were genuine. It was nice to see Bea grow to understand that friends aren't just yes-men, but are people that you grow with. The only "issue" I had with the book was how different home-Bea seemed from camp-Bea. Bea was much more secluded and unwilling to change at home, and it kind of felt like she didn't have a personality aside from being neurotic. When Bea got to camp, all of her sarcasm and expressiveness came out, making her feel like a much more believable character. I had a hard time justifying the quick personality change, but overall it didn't affect my enjoyment of the novel. My favorite part about Long Story Short was how Bea changed over the novel. I liked that she realized that she wasn't who she thought she was, but was happy and accepting of her new self anyway. Watching her grow to be more comfortable in her own skin was really gratifying. All in all, Long Story Short is a true coming of age novel, with an added twist of nerdiness and Shakespeare.

When socially awkward Beatrice applies to Oxford at 16 and gets in she must convince her parents to let her go. But after being homeschooled and having a very structured and bubbled existence they are reluctant to let her move across the globe. So a challenge is given to go to summer drama camp and complete a list of tasks a normal teenager would do. How will she survive and can she learn to make friends and be a normal teen? A heartwarmingly akward read for anyone who has felt they don't fit in with their peer group and learned to adapt.

*there will be spoilers past halfway in this review*
My heart is so full after finishing this book (which I binged through today, barely stopping to heat up leftovers to eat). I love love love all of these characters, these awkward, endearing theater nerds and their interactions and humor. I thought I’d enjoy this one, which was why I downloaded the ARC (thanks Netgalley), but wasn’t too sure what to expect from Serena Kaylor’s debut (spoiler: I loved it). I’ll definitely be on the lookout for her future books.

Reading Long Story Short reminded me of everything I love about reading YA contemporary romances. The focus on the characters, particularly the growth and development of our adorably prickly and lovably awkward lead Beatrice, and the themes of family and friendship and learning to be comfortable in your own skin, to discover more of who you are and who you can be—these elements have always resonated for me in this genre. I only wish when I was a teenager that I had read these exact books, but even a decade later, I identify a lot with these messy chaotic teens.

Because of contemporary YA’s focus on characters and interpersonal relationships, in order for me to love a YA book, I’ve got to love the main character(s), and I was so pleased to find Beatrice likable from the start. I found her awkwardness endearing and so relatable; small talk is still so awkward and weird for me to make, and I empathized with her questioning of if she’d said the wrong thing to Darla in that first interaction. Bea’s insecurities and uncertainty about how to be a teenager, when being a teenager is such a confusing time to begin with, endeared her to me right away. I loved going on her journey and making immediate lovely friendships with both Mia and Nolan. Their openness to embrace her as she is, to genuinely want to get to know her and understand her, warmed my heart so much. Bea found her people so quickly, and they were there for her every step of the way at theater camp. The examples they set for her taught her so much without her even consciously realizing it, and I loved seeing how close they all got in such a short timespan. Bea learning to live her life and try new experiences made me so proud of her. It wasn’t easy, and she sometimes took steps backwards when things got to be too much, but her friends helped her keep moving along and opening up. When she eventually unlocks a brand new side of herself through her acting, I cheered her on like a proud sibling :’).

Nikhil, her (eventual) real-life Romeo, started off on the wrong foot with Beatrice, and I loved his awkward, bumbling attempts to fix things with her from that point on. Their first meeting had me cackling and cheering for Beatrice, since his initial inattentiveness (whether purposeful or not, I’m not sure if we’ll ever know) provoked her into insulting him; I loved her talking about trying out for the part of Romeo, though, and leaving him at a loss. The stupidity of that remark he made, though, tsk tsk, haha. I figured he’d said it in a moment of wounded pride and anger, which of course turned out to be right. Nik really fumbled around the way Darcy did, since I’m guessing he liked her from the beginning (Nolan was right that Nik was flirting with her on the bus, especially asking about what she thought of love at first sight; I’m still slightly convinced he fell for her at first sight and just kept falling deeper as he got to know her, hehe), but didn’t know how to fix things properly and make his feelings clear. He had to learn slowly what Beatrice needed to understand what was going on, by eventually talking and just straight up telling her (oh, these silly lovesick teens, these dorks), and at the same time, Beatrice needed time to reflect and figure out her own feelings toward Nik, so honestly… it all worked out as it should have. The messy drama, the flirting, the falling, all of it. I adored reading about Beatrice and Nik’s love story (him wanting her to notice him, by calling her by her full first name and also nicknaming her Mouse, and all the Shakespearean love quotes in that Shakespeare-off—what a romantic dork. He’s precious and I love him.). My favorite scenes with them: the laundry room scene for that tension, the post-TP-ing scene in the woods (also for that tension), acting as Romeo and Juliet during practice on the dock, whispering in the blankets during movie night, of course the Shakespeare-off, their first kiss… pretty much all of their scenes, haha.

Speaking of the romantic drama—there wouldn’t have been as much drama without Shelby’s character, and while I called her a bitch and got angry at her multiple times on Bea’s behalf, I loved that we got hints throughout that this was a result of deeper issues Shelby had with herself and the own uncertainty in her life and jealousy of Bea’s situation, too. Shelby turned out to be very human and flawed, and while it didn’t excuse the nasty things she said, Bea sympathized with her and understood her and even extended the offer of friendship after Shelby sincerely apologized. I loved that we got that kind of resolution, and that she wasn’t just the cliche mean girl. Knowing that Shelby and Nolan were twins did help me maintain some faith that she couldn’t be all bad, as Nolan brought Shelby’s struggles up with Bea too.

Can I also say I loved shy, kind Ben? He and Mia seem to be such a good match, and I love that Bea realizes she discounted him for those qualities when they were to be appreciated. He’s a total sweetheart, and I’m glad his sister’s okay. Totally called it though that Bea would get to take his place, hehe. Also the thing about Oxford, of course. I was waiting for that reveal for the whole book and was not disappointed. AHHHHHHHH I just love all of these characters so much and want them all to be happy and succeed at everything. *teary-eyed* I’m so glad I got my preorder in in time for the goodies (preordered when I got a bit over halfway and have not regretted it at all). I know I’ll be rereading this one in the future and holding these characters and their shenanigans close to my heart. It makes me wistful for a Shakespearean theater camp that I would not have thought would sound fun if it hadn’t been for this book, since I haven’t even read much Shakespeare and don't particularly care for his works (it truly amazed me how enjoyable I found all of the Shakespeare in this and glad that I’ve actually read Romeo and Juliet back in high school lit). Maybe I’ll have to get some of those annotated versions of the plays someday to better get the full effect of this book; that’s how much I loved it.

Long Story Short is a wonderful tale about friendship and learning how to stay true to yourself but to also become more accepting of change. This is the debut novel by Serena Kaylor and the story is really special.

You can’t have a contemporary young adult novel without having a love interest. Bea is immediately attracted to leading man and uber popular Nik, but not having been around people much and especially kids her own age, she is not good at interpreting truths and untruths, likes and dislikes, and whether a boy is teasing her or picking on her. Nik starts off making one mistake and spends the rest of the book trying to make nice with Bea but she’s been burned in the past and isn’t keen on trusting her instincts. There’s some great banter between these two and the chemistry sparks off the page. The reader really can’t wait until these two settle their differences and get together.

Despite the typical teen groupings of popular, unpopular, and geeky kids the author portrays friendships as the absolute must-have that is true no matter your age and something that we can all identify and agree is important. I loved the Shakespeare themed summer camp and it was the perfect foil to Bea’s more math-minded brain and the tropes he portrays in his plays are actually quite similar to the cliques you’d find in high school and a perfect world for Bea to stretch her wings. Long Story Short is funny, sweet, and packs an emotional wallop. This author has moved onto my one click list and I’m looking forward to her next novel. I hope she writes quickly! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of LONG STORY SHORT by Serena Kaylor. This book was so cute. I appreciated the neurodivergent rep, and though I don't identify like Bea, I definitely related to how out-of-place and awkward she often felt. I enjoyed all the nostalgic teenage shenaigans, the theater camp fun, and the cute hate-to-love romance. Once said romance really kicked it up a notch is when I got into this book for real. I enjoyed watching Bea grow up a little, step out of her comfort zone, and come into her own. It was a light-hearted, sweet, optimistic kind of story.

This was a fun cute romance! I would definitely recommend to someone who enjoys rom coms. This book comes out tomorrow and I'm sure that people will enjoy this book and its going to get some hype

3.5 rounded to 4

I found this a fast, entertaining read, what years ago would have been called a chrysalis story: the severely introverted girl is forced out of her shell and blossoms at a theater camp, finding friends for the first time, as well as romance.

I think the problem is that these days (and I believe this a good thing) there is more sensitivity to people on the spectrum, as the text hints. Beatrice is not just homeschooled, she basically starves herself at that camp because they don't have the meal plan she has stuck to her entire life. Etc.

I think I would have gotten thoroughly behind this novel if Beatrice had been longing to learn how to socialize, and here was her opportunity. Instead, we're to believe that two loving parents force her totally out of her comfort zone as a condition of going away to college in Oxford, implying they think she--their "little genius"--would not be able to handle an academic setting. Say what? She is an academic through and through.

Also, some of the boys were presented as more pushy than I was comfortable with. Very realistic on the part of teenage boys, but not when the text is implying that it's all right to intimidate, and even manhandle girls for their own good, as a part of socialization. Which the writer certainly is aware of how toxic that can be--the book opens with an obnoxious piece of advice from a teenage boy about how she'd be prettier if she smiled more.

Those things aside, it was a fun read, especially the Shakespeare references. I liked the diversity, but I think what I really liked was Shelby. It's said by some that a book is only as good as its antagonist, and the author took the time to give the antagonist here some complexity, and a story arc. In a way, I kind of wished that it had been her story, though she was highly unpleasant through the first half especially.

Anyway, a fun read, though I'm not sure I'd give it to a reader on the spectrum, unless they expressed a desire to read about someone who makes a radical change toward mainstream socialization.

I absolutely loved this book! Quirky characters- ✔️
Teenage drama - ✔️
Shakespeare- ✔️
An un-put-downable story - ✔️

As a teacher and former book bowl coach, I have read many young adult novels. There are very few books that discuss genius children or Shakespeare, so this was unique in those ways.

The characters each had distinct personalities that made them easy to like or dislike. My favorite characters were Beatrice and Mia. Beatrice is a genius and has been accepted to Oxford University to study Statistics at age 16. Her parents are not willing to send her unless she can prove to them that she can handle social situations and change, and to be a more “normal” teenager. So, they send her off to theater camp for 4 weeks. Mia is one of Bea’s roommates and quickly becomes her best friend. I love how genuinely nice that Mia is and how sarcastically funny that Bea is. While the character of Nik and that story line are also enjoyable, my favorite part of the book was about the friendships. I also loved all of the Shakespeare quotes! 5 stars

Thank you to #NetGalley and #St.Martin’sPress for an ARC of #LongStoryShort by #SerenaKaylor I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

So very glad I read this one!!! Loved watching Beatrice's journey to find herself while at summer camp. Will definitely recommend!!