3.5/5 stars (rounded to 3)

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Beatrice has always dreamed of going to Oxford University. She's a statistical genius and longs to go to a school that will academically challenge her. Her parents are reluctant to let her go as Beatrice has been homeschooled her whole life and is very socially awkward. She has little experience dealing with people her age. Beatrice insists she'll be fine, and her parents come up with a compromise: spend a month at theater camp and complete a checklist of "teenager activities."

An enemies-to-lovers romance taking place at a theater camp performing Romeo and Juliet? Sarcastic banter between two intelligent characters? I rushed to snag an ARC of this book so fast!

This isn't your typical "girl is cast as Juliet and boy plays Romeo and they fall in love" story. Bea has no desire to act at all and is only at camp because she has to be. Nik, son of the camp founders, loves acting and lands the lead role. Their first interaction doesn't go well, and they end up disliking each other right away.

I enjoyed many aspects of this book. The banter between Bea and Nik was great, the friendship between Bea, Mia, and Nolan was so wholesome and entertaining, and the theater camp setting was perfect for the theme of new experiences. The romance is cute, and I was really rooting for Bea and Nik by the end. (I'm such a sucker for witty banter, and I absolutely loved that they flirted with Shakespeare references from time to time!)

Unfortunately, there were a few things that I didn't enjoy about this book. It relies heavily on stereotypes, especially at the beginning. Also, I didn't like the fact that the characters in this book kept trying to "fix" Bea. I think getting a person to venture outside of their comfort zone is fine, but they acted like her being an introvert was an issue at times.

Ultimately, this is a cute, summer YA read, and I think younger audiences might really enjoy it. I personally thought it was a little cliché, but I think a lot of readers would love this story!

This was cute, but not one of my fav romances. I liked the MC enough but the romance fell a little flat for me. Enjoyable, but ultimately not super memorable.

I loved this concept, but unfortunately this wasn’t for me. I stopped reading a quarter of the way through; the characters just didn’t quite resonate with me and I wasn’t very connected to the plot. It was unclear whether the main character was intended for neurodivergent rep or not? However, I can see this being popular with high school-age readers.

Beatrice is mega smart but lacks social skills and experience as a teenager. She is accepted early to Oxford and has to prove to her parents that she will not be eaten alive there. So, they send her to a theater camp to check of typical teenager experiences....ie. make a friend, share a secret, etc. She meets the rest of the characters Nik, Mia, Nolan and Shelby. They fit the typical teenager stereotypes. She develops a crush on Nic and a rivalry with Shelby. Mia helps her through finding herself and being herself. The story was cute but fell flat with charm and originality. Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book.

This YA romcom is the perfect summer read—and will help you escape the winter blues right now! It’s one of my favorite debuts of 2022, so it’s a must for your TBR this year if you missed it last.

You’ll want to read this book if you love:
☑️ Sarcastic STEM girls
☑️ Enemies to lovers
☑️ British boys
☑️ Summer theater camp
☑️ All the banter (aka flirting in Shakespeare)

A cute Shakespearean inspired YA contemporary with a neurodivergent female protagonist, Serena Kaylor's Long Story Short is a light and fun debut. There is some distinct hyperbole in the plot that creates a bit of over-the-top drama on occasion, but it leads to a quirky and entertaining read.

The characters are well-written and the story arc moves well, with a good slow burn teen romance. The only character I didn't care for was Shelby. She felt a bit overly flat and caricatured, turning her into a villain with little substance. The relationships that develop for Beatrice over the course of the book are lovely and I particularly enjoyed how welcoming and encouraging Nolan and Mia were for her. There may be a few small missteps in how Bea is encouraged to grow and change (by both her parents and her friends), but the story overall is a good in its demonstration of coming-of-age and the adjustments of preparing to leave the nest, so to speak.

This will likely read better for the younger YA set, but is an enjoyable read regardless of age. A well-written and lovely debut.

Long Story Short was not my favorite book, but mostly I felt like the main character was too quirky and not a good fit for the romantic lead. I felt that Beatrice was so uncomfortable not only in her own family but in this camp where so many changes were forced upon her. It didn't feel right and I also felt like there was no acknowledgement that she was neurodivergent, though it was evident in her behavior and actions.

I think the story would resinate with some readers, but this was not for me.

I loved how Bea embraced change and stepping out of her comfort zone. Love a good enemies to lovers and this was such a cute and quick read!

Long Story Short is about Beatrice who is incredibly smart but sheltered due to being homeschooled. This changes when she goes to a summer camp and starts experiencing new adventures with friends with different life experiences than her but a shared love of Shakespeare.

While I at first didn't connect to Bea, as the story went on and she began opening up with her new friends (who were some of my favorite parts of this book) I began to root for her as she found love and her own belonging. As someone who loves participating in community theater productions, I especially loved that aspect of the book because one of the best parts of theater is the family you make.

I did think the overall premise of going to summer camp to prove she could go away to college at a young age was a bit unrealistic. But overall, I enjoyed the book because of the characters and the theater elements.

A fun, lighthearted young adult contemporary romance following 16-year-old Beatrice, who has been a math and science genius, home-schooled her entire life and does not have much experience being social with other people in her age group. She's been accepted to her dream school, Oxford University, and the only way her parents *might* allow her to attend is if she goes to a theatre camp and complete of teenage milestones for the summer. Beatrice is hesitant but takes on the challenge, only to find herself out of her element experiencing typical teenage things like going to dances, mean girls, and first crushes.

I enjoyed reading this story, seeing Beatrice break out of her shell and see that it's okay to do so every now and then. It was cute, lighthearted, and funny at times to see these teenagers interact. My favorite interactions were between Mia and Ben, from their "introduction/meet-cute" to their current standing. I haven't ventured deep into theatre until recently (mostly with books) and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked seeing these kids throw their all into the play and other activities, how passionate they are for this hobby, and excited for it to potentially become a career. I was rooting for them to not get caught with their secret activities and to be successful with what they put their minds too. I wasn't invested in the main romance plot because I didn't like Nik and Bea's behaviors towards each other. I think they were intended to be somewhat enemies-to-lovers but the trope didn't work for me. It felt like 2 Beas and 2 Niks sometimes and it lost me.

Another thing I was unsure about is portrayal of Bea and how she seems to be on the autism spectrum. Even though it isn't explicitly stated in the book, Bea being autistic is heavily hinted at with her sensitivity to some textures, having a meal routine, intelligence, anxiety, and lack of social skills. In another review, someone stated the author discussed this in a tweet and how this was done intentionally. I found this to be an interesting choice considering how many readers are looking for representation, sometimes preferring it to be explicitly stating, in books. One of Bea and her parent's main goals is for her to go out of her comfort zone and change some aspects of her. This and how Bea's parents raised her feels like a misunderstanding and mistreatment of Bea's autism but, being upset with these characters is difficult when they weren't aware. I am not on the autism spectrum so everything I've said has been based on the minimal knowledge I have.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @dreamscape_audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Beatrice is a homeschooled prodigy who applied to Oxford University behind her parents back. To her surprise, she got in. Now to convince her parents to let her go. A deal is made that Beatrice has to attend a summer acting camp that will require her to “put her self out there”, complete with a list of tasks she must complete. Armed with a roommate who’s determined to help her and a guy who has taken an interest in her…will she be able to prove to her parents she’s ready to be on her own?

This was a fun read seeing Beatrice open up and get her feet under her. She learns to embrace friendships, dancing like her life depended on it and even the joy of kissing a boy! It will leave you with warm fuzzies and your cheerleader pompoms as you root her on!

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #dreamscapeaudio #ltbreaderteam #longstoryshort #serenakaylor #smpinfluencers

I was already excited of the fact that it’s set in a Shakespearean summer camp, but then turned out it is ALSO enemies-to-lovers??

I had a ball reading this, this was so much fun.

NOTE: All quotes referenced in this review are from an Advanced Reader Copy and are subject to change in published editions.

I read this book forever ago and it is completely a summer book – but guys you have to put this one on your list for next summer! It is an amazingly cute and perfect romance with just as much character development and themes of coming out of your shell without sacrificing your sense of identity.

I seem to talk about Enneagram a lot in these reviews, but I’m going to do it again now because I believe it is why I connected with this book so much. For those of you who don’t know what Enneagram is, it’s one of the many personality tests and categorizations out there, but I swear up and down by it. I’m not here to give you a lesson on it, so to cut it short, I full-heartedly believe that our FMC Beatrice is either a 6w5 or a 5w6, because I am a 6w5 (I think… I might be a wing 7, but I digress) and I related to her in far too many ways to miss the connection. I’ll use some examples here:

1) Feeling resentment when we express our emotions to someone we trust and then feel like those emotions are invalidated
"I hated when she asked me to ‘get real’ with her. It implied that she thought my actual personality was fake."


2) Using books as a form of escapism and an avenue for intellect (this is an expression of the wing 5).
"'I could knock all day, but if you were reading you would never hear it,’ he said, the corner of his mouth twitching."


3) Possessing a supreme category of witty comebacks (this isn’t scientifically proven but based on my own observations)(I could give a million examples of this one, but I’ll keep it short)
"[Nik:] ’For someone who’s supposedly from California, I would have expected you to be a little more flexible.’

[Beatrice:] ‘For someone from New York City, I completely expected you to possess that sense of false superiority that allows you to make generalizations about other areas of the country.’"


4) Feeling as though you can’t expand outside the walls of the box you’ve designed for yourself, that who you are and who you are perceived as is set in stone. If you were to change an aspect of yourself (e.g., the way you dress), the world would implode.
"I opened my mouth to answer, but the words were stuck. I guess the problem would just be solved if I said no, but what if I said yes? How could I say yes?"


[after a makeover, wearing very short shorts] "I felt like I was about to walk out naked, or with a big red A sewn to my clothes, or like I was wearing a Halloween costume in the middle of March. I was going to look abnormal. I was going to look…"


5) Feel like those who know you best have to believe you’ve got your crap together, so you are afraid to be truly vulnerable or reveal your insecurities around them.
"I think you have to decide if you’re happier about having real friends or more upset that they don’t think you’re perfect."


6) And literally just feeling like insecurities are your number one problem :)
"What must it be like to feel so confident in your own skin that wearing another person's seemed like nothing at all?"

I’m not saying Kaylor had this in mind while writing Beatrice’s character, but I feel it’s important to note if any of this resonates with you too! Her character development was the star of the show; although this book is marketed as romance (which I loved too, don’t get me wrong), the linchpin of the story is Beatrice’s development as she learns how to get out of her comfort zone without compromising who she is, to let people into her life and allow them to help her and teach her about herself, and to live life as if it is an adventure. She learns that growing as a person doesn’t necessarily mean you have to change into a different person, just that you expand your sense of identity in new and maturing ways.

"I didn’t particularly want to change my habits at this point, but the truth of the matter was that this new Bea scared me. The idea of stepping outside that curtain and walking around like this in public was terrifying. Like I’d lost all my armor. It was that feeling right there that had my arm reaching for the curtain. After years of spending all my time alone and everything being familiar and predictable, I wanted to feel something."

Moving on, the romance is also SO GOOD. Beatrice and Nik have an enemies-to-lovers thing happening. They hit it off on the wrong note and spend the rest of the book bantering deliciously and refusing to directly communicate, instead hedging around their feelings and insecurities. As I said, Beatrice’s character development is integral to the story in that she’s afraid to let people in at the beginning and afraid to experience new things; that means romance is totally off the table, so she repeatedly convinces herself she has no feelings for Nik. But Nik is so good for her and sees her for who she can be, behind the mask of neutral indifference she uses to protect herself from other people’s rejection. Kaylor develops the romance rather flawlessly, in my opinion, and the slow burn interwoven with the ups and downs of their character development *chef’s kiss* They are so cute but also I had moments where I blushed and swooned my goodness, Nik did something to me y’all (probably because I truly felt like Beatrice throughout the book, but again, I digress). This book is YA, so it is not sexually explicit. There are no sex scenes, not even close, but there is a nice lil kiss scene in there that is swoon-worthy but, again, not worded in a sexual way.

The cast of characters!! We have some amazing best friends that accept and love Beatrice for who she is but challenge her to experience new things and live life with just a bit more boldness. There are some side romances, too, and overall, the characters are really fleshed out. The camp vibes are fun and definitely bring the summer feeling. If you are a Shakespeare fan, you’ll especially enjoy the many references, as the camp is literally for Shakespeare plays (The MCs play a game where they guess the play the recited lines originated from, and they literally flirt using the lines. Just saying.). And also, this book is HILARIOUS. There’s so much sarcasm! I laughed so much, which isn’t common for me.

I don’t quite know what else to say about this book, and I know I’ve said a lot already. I feel so connected to this book and its characters, even six months after I finished it. Looking through my highlights and notes in my e-arc a few days ago literally gave me the emotional rollercoaster of my life, as if I was reliving the events of the book. I feel like I grew and learned so much alongside Beatrice, and the romance was encouraging too; I mean, what’s more encouraging than seeing the kind of love you want given to someone you see yourself in??

I hope I’ve convinced you to pick this one up, I really do. If you enjoy a funny summer read filled with tense romance with delicious banter and a sweet slow-burn, or if anything I’ve said about the characters resonates with you, I encourage you to check this one out!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.





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Long Story Short follows Beatrice, Bea for Short, as she navigates the challenges of attending a theater camp in order to fulfill a checklist set out by her parents. This list is supposed to help her experience typical teenage friendships and social experiences before they allow her to move to England to attend Oxford University.

I really enjoyed Bea's story. I found myself relating to her a lot. Growing up, I've always struggled with social situations and making friends, so seeing her experience was validating. Towards the end of the book, I found myself getting frustrated with the story because of the dynamic between her and the LI. Every time they wound up being in close proximity, they ended up in a fight, resulting in Bea storming off and avoiding Nic for days. This happened over and over again. By the time we got to over halfway through the book, and no cute scenes had happened between them yet, I was frustrated. However, I think this was purposeful. I think that this mirrored Bea's own experience learning how to socialize with others and navigate these new situations. It is frustrating to read, but true to the MCs own experience. It was a nice way to be put in her shoes without really realizing it. In the end, this was a quick and fun read! 3.5/5

Long story short I love/hated this book. I loved Nic, Mia, and Nolan. I hated the main character, Beatrice.


3.5 Stars

FMC Bea - introverted, book nerd, math prodigy, needs friends. Where better to do that than...Shakespeare camp? Encouraged by her parents to attend theater camp the summer before leaving for college at Oxford, she is a fish out of water but gets through it with her wits and her friend Nolan, the son of the camp owners. I love the camp setting, the friendship, the eventual romance, and the camp shenanigans. 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! This was a super fun read that kept a smile on my face all throughout.

I'm a statistician who is still pretty socially awkward, so Beatrice was so relatable for me! Theater camp and forced acting sounds like torture to me, but I loved the quirky cast of characters and experiencing Beatrice's growth. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access.

Adorable cover! And I did like the story! It wasn't quite the light, sweet read I was hoping for but it was an interesting view in to Bea growing up and learning a few things. I did find Bea's yo-yo type behavior a bit frustrating at times and I didn't totally love the romantic angle. But the plays and that aspect of the story! It kept many parts lighter while adding drama!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Definitely one of my fave reads this year, fun, relatable, engaging, and overall delightful. Theatre, summer camp, and romance, what could go wrong?

this was a cute fun hate to love theater camp rom com type book and I just ate it up I loved how the Main character went from hating the love interest to liking him to falling for him.. Over all this book I enjoyed a lot and would give this book 4 stars