My heart is literally smiling. Long Story Short it is a great YA novel that is unputdownable. I loved the setting because it gave it a summery vibe that I appreciate. I adored Beatrice and Nik, both were well-developed, rounded character, and I love the two of them together. The friendships were great too, I especially loved the satisfying ending.
What a hit debut by Serena Kaylor!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Long Story Short is about sixteen year old prodigy Beatrice who, after being homeschooled for years, attends a Shakespeare overnight camp to prove to her parents that she is socially mature enough to go off on her own to study at Oxford. She makes her first real friends (lovely Mia and Nolan) and encounters a love interest that develops over the course of the story.

I found the book to be delightful! Such an adorable YA book with an important message about staying true to yourself.

Y’all I binged this book....unlike didn't stop, won't stop!
What a beautiful debut! Serena Kaylor Killed this book and I absolutely can't wait to read more of her work.
LONG STORY SHORT is a wonderful YA romance story.
A first love, enemies-to-lovers, romcom that completely and utterly took off with my heart and made it burst.
This book is about self-discovery, love and friendship.
This really was an impressive debut, with great writing, character development, and a gripping story!
Beatrice I adored her and I loved her!
Gosh! These side characters were the best.
This book was so special. It was beautifully written, full of touching moments, amazing friendships, wonderful humor. Absolutely adored it!

Wednesday Books,
Thank you for this eARC!
I will post review close to pub date!

This book has perfect timing. In a time when our kids have gone years without typical social interactions, staying six feet apart from their friends, not having the typical experiences that develop social skills, and staring at black screens on a computer instead of think-pair-sharing with their classmates, it’s a perfect time for a book about a seventeen year old who needs to learn how to make friends.

tws: on-page panic attack, anxiety / social anxiety, underage drinking

I went into this book with little expectations for it, I'll be honest. I had no clue what to expect. And maybe that was a good thing in this case. I was pleasantly surprised by the story, the characters, and even the main romance. This was a cute, light coming of age, summery story.

There were some moments I cringed at (like Bea's alter ego being named "Athena Ruth Bader Ginsburg"), but overall, it was a cute, quick read with a well-rounded cast of characters. I also think for a book named after a Taylor Swift song, there was a surprising lack of Taylor Swift. I think Mia would've been a Taylor Swift stan.

I loved Mia and would die if it meant I was able to protect her. And I loved Beatrice. I loved her with all her little quirks - that were really just traits of autism - and I loved how relatable she felt to me. From living in her own head and expecting people to know what she was thinking, to not knowing how to define friendship or tell if someone is your friend, to talking in extremes with her black and white thinking, to being called a robot and asking if she can feel anything at all, to researching everything beforehand, I felt like Bea was me as a child. I felt so seen by her, and I really think she deserves the whole world.

I'd recommend this to any autistic person looking to find their place in this world, who feels as though everyone except you was given a "manual" for life.

I'll definitely keep Serena Kaylor's name on my mind to check out her future work.

Thank you to Netgalley, Serena Kaylor, and St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was such a pleasure reading Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor. The novel's characters and relationships were so well-rounded that they made for a wonderful story. As far as the romance genre goes, I think this works so well in the YA genre.

I really enjoyed Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor. This was a fun take on the enemies to lovers trope while blended with a coming of age story that was uplifting and quite fun. The main character, Beatrice, is a likeable character who carries her social anxiety on her sleeve and it's great to see her grow with exposing herself to situations she would otherwise have avoided. Her friends and love interest are all pretty well fleshed out and overall it was a really enjoyable novel.. I would highly recommend this as a light heartwarming read!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes I love reading seasonally appropriate stories (think Winter Solstice in December), but sometimes I love to escape the drudgery of a particular season (*cough* winter *cough*) with a story set in the opposite. Serena Kaylor's debut fits solidly in the latter category.

Long Story Short is a delightful YA Rom Com (think Emma Lord's novels with a little less complex conflict) with a Shakespeare theatre camp during a steamy Connecticut summer as its backdrop.

Beatrice is socially awkward, uber smart and headed to Oxford in the fall if she can hold up on her own with other teenagers at said theatre camp. The supporting roles in this story are filled with a cast of (maybe abnormally?) charming and lovelable adolescents you just want to root for.

Long Story Short publishes mid-July, and truly would be such a fun beach/pool read.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the gifted ebook.

Read for:
• Summer camp setting
• Hate to love (Darcy/Lizzie vibes)
• All things Shakespeare
• Fantastic side characters
• (Self proclaimed) socially awkward STEM heroine

I absolutely loved this wonderful contemporary YA story! It was exactly what I needed when I felt myself sliding into a slump. It made me laugh out loud and just remember all the feelings of being an awkward teen (bonus, I was also a drama nerd). The side characters in this book were so strong and I found myself thinking about the wonderful friends I made through theatre in high school- friends that always made me feel like I could be exactly who I am and they would always except and encourage that.

I hope you will add this to your TBR, because it is such a delight! Easily a new favorite contemporary YA for me. Fans of Emma Lord will likely love this.

Beatrice Quinn isn’t your typical teenager, she’s brilliant and sticks to her routine while focusing only on getting accepted to Oxford. When her parents make a deal for Beatrice to attend theater camp for the summer to prove she can handle the big move, it may just end up being the one problem that gets in the way of her plan.

This book contains all of the heartache, awkwardness, and nostalgic aspects of growing up. Set with a diverse cast of characters and our lovable and awkward heroine, it’s the perfect mix for remembering your own journey of self-discovery and growing up. Focusing on the uncomfortable portions and how sometimes you get hurt but when it’s good, it’s so good. A beautiful coming of age tale that I would recommend for anyone to read

Flew through this in a day! As a deeply introverted person who didn't have many typical teenage experiences under her belt going into college, I identified with Bea a lot. I liked seeing her come out of her shell and develop really strong friendships for the first time in her life. I like that Bea was kind of stubborn and stuck in her ways because we get to see her grow in a lot of different ways, By the end of the book, she really is a different person who has undergone a lot of character growth. I enjoyed most the final chapters in which the main character and love interest finally get on the same page! Nik was kind of annoying (to me at least) throughout most of the book, but I felt that he finally was able to express how he felt about Bea in a way that couldn't be misinterpreted in those last chapters. And they really do make a cute couple.

Oh my goodness I SPED through this book. I couldn’t put it down at all because it was just so much fun! I really felt like I was watching a fun summer rom com, complete with summer Shakespeare camp and absolutely swoon worthy lines!

First of all, I think it was really interesting to read about a character who is not labeled as having Autism Spectrum disorder, despite being coded neurodivergent. The author recently tweeted that that was on purpose and I think it was really well done, especially with the themes of needing to fit in with “normal” teenagers and how there’s not actually such a thing as normal.

Beatrice was such a force of a character. She has the wit and charm as well as the smart and sarcasm that I really enjoy reading. She was a really fun POV! I loved the sort of Taming of the Shrew mixed with Pride and Prejudice vibes the book gave off without being an obvious retelling!

The banter between the two love interests was so much fun to read! I especially loved the Shakespeare-off where she was giving quotes that sort of represented hate while he was just charming and it had me SQUEALING.

I especially loved the friendships and how supportive they were of her without forcing her into some box of “normalcy”. The characters were a delight to have and I wish we’d gotten more of them!

Honestly, this was just a vibe to read and I really enjoyed the ride!

Beatrice has always been better at books than people, and when she gets early acceptance into Oxford, her dream school, her parents refuse to let her go unless she can prove that she can socialize with her peers and handle unfamiliar and unpredictable situations. They decide to send her to Shakespeare camp for the summer, armed with a list to help her achieve a “normal” teenage experience. Can she do it?

This story was a a quick read and very sweet teenage coming of age story. The MCs had SO MUCH chemistry and it was incredibly swoony. HOWEVER, I have a major issue with the depiction of Beatrice. She is portrayed in a way that is CLEARLY autistic, yet the entire theme of the story is her parents trying to change who she is. It really really really bothers me to have a missed representation opportunity in this story. She is never identified as autistic or on the spectrum, but every bit of her character (food schedule, lack of social skills, extremely intelligent, unwillingness to break from routine) points to autism. Instead of celebrating her differences and her strengths, the book continually mentions the ways in which she falls short and isn’t “normal”. While there are things I really liked about this story, and I really do appreciate Beatrice getting a happy ending, I really struggle with her portrayal.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

There were certainly parts of this book that I found fun. It was a quick easy read and I enjoyed it. However, as a mental health professional, I did have issue with the entire concept that her parents, supposed mental health professionals, would choose to not provide a diagnosis, socialization skills, or appropriate interventions/ treatment or psycho-education for their child. From a socio-emotional and developmental perspective, this is not only unbelievable but were this the case would be considered medically negligent.

This was such a delight to read. The writing is sharp and fast paced, and the character development is deeply engaging. Kaylor gives us a messy, imperfect heroine who's easy to root for in her fish-out-of-water setting. I loved seeing a girl who isn't always nice and sweet and accommodating, one who says some insensitive or assumptive things and has to grapple with that. Though Beatrice is clearly neurodivergent, Kaylor leaves the diagnosis and interpretation to her reader, allowing us to engage with the representation how we wish. Regardless, it's a shrewd portrait of how not all of us approach the world with the same brain. It's also a charming story of found family, with tight summer camp friendships and a sweet romance with a promising future. Shakespeare nerds (and, yes, I am one) will also delight in the quote games and references sprinkled throughout the novel. Come for the boisterous theatre summer camp and the comedic but heart-warming social awkwardness. Stay for the long awaited perfect kiss.

This book is definitely a must read. It is well written with fully fleshed out characters and a nice story flow. Although the camp is a common setting this book still managed to make it feel fresh and very realistic. Such a great read that I will keep an eye out for in July.

Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher for the great read.

I will never not enjoy a story about characters bonding over Shakespeare and making it their entire personality. This book is my niche!

And it's such a fun summer read. It's light-hearted and cute with just the right amount of growing up and coming-of-age themes. With the fun camp setting, Shakespearean drama, first crushes and new experiences, and full cast of characters, it's pretty hard to not enjoy this.

My only critique would be the characters are very stereotypical. They are pretty much cookie-cutter clichés from any teen story ever, which was kind of annoying in the beginning. I actually think the way some of the characters are portrayed might be a bit harmful, feeding into that kind of stereotype. But as the story goes on, the characters do lose some of this type casting, which allowed me to better appreciate all of the good things about this book.

I think for a debut novel, this is quite the hit. Obviously some room for growth, but I definitely have SK on my radar and can't wait to see what other adorable stories she comes up with next!

A fun read - would be perfect for a week at summer camp. I loved Beatrice as a character and her innocence. People develop at different rates, especially when it comes to friendships and romantic relationships in school, and I’m glad someone is shining a light on that.

Beatrice was accepted to Oxford University at only sixteen. But, she's an introvert with anxiety and her parents are worried she's not emotionally ready to go to school in another country.

The solution? A Shakespeare camp and a list of tasks she has to complete to get the teen experience.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

I related to Beatrice on so many levels to the point where I started to feel called out. Her new friends, Mia and Nolan, are supportive and patient with her as she tries to navigate the unpredictability of teenagers and figure who she outside of her comfort zone.

And Nik !!! The rivals to lovers was done really well. The banter between them was perfection.

If you like summer camp and Shakespeare, this is the perfect read for you!

Long Story Short, I loved this book!
Beatrice Quinn is an extremely intelligent 16 year old home-schooled teenager who does not socialize with others very much. When Beatrice is accepted into her favorite college, Oxford, her parents worry that she will stay a recluse and not experience more of life while in college. Enter theater camp! Her parents think it's a great idea to spend time actually being a teenager before allowing her to go to Oxford, so Beatrice signs up for a month long camp where the campers will put on a Shakespearean play in four weeks. Little does Beatrice know how much her life can, and will, change in just four short weeks!
I loved the characters, the witty banter, the enemies to lovers trope and so much more! I think I smiled through the entire novel! I have some more mature middle schoolers who will love this one! What a fabulous debut from Serena Kaylor!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.