Cute YA story!
Bea is such a math whiz, even her own parents think she needs to live it up a little bit more. So we get a socially awkward teen at a Shakespeare camp, trying to make friends and figure out how to be a ‘normal’ teen. As teen life goes, there are ups and downs, nice people and not so nice, with plenty of opportunities for personal growth.
It’s fun to watch Bea on this journey. A bit immature, but it’s a YA story.

Ok this book was so sweet. I loved the nostalgia of the summer camp setting (even if I’ve never actually attended a theater camp) and the character development was done really well. I definitely got swoony during several of Beatrice and Nik’s interactions and would 100% read any follow up to their story.

Oh my god this book has me in a chokehold. READ IT RIGHT NOW.

Ok, now we've got that out of the way. Long Story Short follows Bea, a homeschooled, routine dependent genius. She got herself into Oxford, but in order to convince her parents that she's ready to move to England, she needs to show them that she's a real teenager, and capable of dealing with unexpected situations. She needs to survive a Shakespearean Theatre Summer Camp.

I was apprehensive about the concept of this book. I'm not a theatre person, and I don't know. I definitely put it off for a little while because I didn't want to not like it. I should've read this book IMMEDIATELY! It did take me a little while to warm up to Bea. I liked her internal thoughts, and definitely understood where she was coming from with some things. I also LOVED the found family aspect. Mia and Nolan are amazing, and I loved how they were supportive and eager to help Bea come out of her shell.

And, Nik? GIRLLLLL. I was SWOONING over the quotes he was reading in their Shakespeare Quote-off. The slow burn, KILLED ME. I loved seeing Bea come to the realisation of what her feelings were, and the stumbles she took along the way. And, the ending? Perfection. BUT I NEED AN EPILOGUE OR. SOMETHING. GIVE ME MORE. I need Nik and Bea at Oxford, I need Mia and Nolan's visit. I NEED MORE SERENA.

This book has immediately become one of my favourite reads of the year. If you loved Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter, I thoroughly recommend picking up Long Story Short. I just giggled my way through it, and it made my heart so warm. Serena Kaylor - your debut novel is fucking amazing.

Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an eARC of this title. I will be buying a physical copy IMMEDIATELY. Perhaps even my new staff pick?

Math just makes sense to Beatrice. What doesn’t make sense to Beatrice is how to make friends. Before her parents let her attend Oxford she had to prove that she will do more than spend all her time in the library. In exchange for her attending Oxford she has to attend the Connecticut Shakespearean Academy and of course there is a list to mark off typical teen milestones.
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She soon learns that being a teenager is much more than marking items off a list and it’s time to stumble through the roadblocks of life. This is a sweet coming of age story.
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Thank you @stmartinspress for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

In Long Story Short, we meet Beatrice aka Bea who is thrust upon the stage (well, theater camp) in order to secure her ultimate role: teenager who is allowed to go to Oxford because her parents no longer think she's totally socially inept. It's a long Title, but someone's got to do it!

This was such a fun story! It had all the things that make a great teen story in my eyes: first loves, awkward moments, meddling parents, best friends, mean girls, and so much more! As a non-ya person reading a YA novel, it took me back to high school in the best of ways. I could see all the different people and cliques pretty clearly, and that was half the fun.

Bea is an interesting character. In the beginning, she seems so closed off to the world. It's understandable why her parents want her to find her way in the world before she is off to a whole new continent on her own. As the novel progresses, we get to see Beatrice check off experiences that show her what it means to be a teenager. There were points in the novel where I thought i wasn’t going to like Bea or where I was annoyed, but ultimately, she’s very loveable, just a bit misguided. What teenager among us isn’t?

I really liked how Shakespeare was incorporated throughout the story. We get it, he’s classic, and because he is, stories about Shakespeare’s plays can seem overdone. This one was not, and I love how the play gets, ehem adapted near the end. I do feel like the ending came together very quickly, and things happend one right after the other, but I’ll allow it.

This is an enjoyable read, and I recommend it to teens and adults alike who want to be reminded that all the things we're afraid of usually aren't the worst things ever, and we have the capacity to grow and change into the people we're meant to be!

This book was fun, but just a little too easy. Bea is set in her ways and is very stubborn with her parents, for good reason, but then all of a sudden she makes friends and instantly loosens up? I'm not buying it. I enjoyed the story and the setting was great, but things just worked out too well. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor is a delightful YA contemporary debut! As a major theater geek, I absolutely loved reading this book. I think that the premise is very unique and that the coming of age element of the story was very well written. I loved seeing Bea open up more and blossom during her time at summer camp. This book has the kind of feel good summer vibes that you get from The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, Kasie West and Morgan Matson books. I will definitely be picking up Serena Kaylor's future YA books and I'll be recommending Long Story Short to my friends who love YA!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor in exchange for an honest review.

*4.25 Stars*

Beatrice Quinn is a home schooled statistical genius. At only sixteen, she has been accepted to Oxford University, all the way in England. But her parents are not happy. They don't think she's ready to be on her own, especially not that far away. So they decide to send her to acting camp where she is to act and make friends and more. They made a whole list of things to accomplish. And Beatrice is not about to let a silly little camp filled with silly actors get in the way of what she really wants and must do.

This was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the camp setting, I actually learnt a lot about Shakespeare. I really liked the main character, Beatrice, I also loved the friends she made. I was not into the love interest at first, but he grew on me as he grew on Beatrice.
The plot felt good, its pacing too. I was engaged pretty fast and I liked how Beatrice thought, so it was nice being in her head.
I really enjoyed this overall. Just a fun time, with some interesting plot points and a great setting.
I will definitely look into more by this author.

I really enjoyed reading this book—it authentically captured the experiences of summer camp and of theatre, from the newness and awkwardness to the endings and triumphs. Although the set-up of the story seems unique and possibly unapproachable, there is definitely something here for everyone to relate to and enjoy.

"Long story short"...this book is adorable. It's a lovely coming of age story about math whiz, Beatrice who has grown up home-schooled. After being accepted to Oxford University, she assumes the hard part is over. Unfortunately, her parents aren't convinced that she should go since she's been so sheltered. With this in mind, Beatrice is sent to a theatre camp for the summer and given specific goals to meet by her parents before they'll consider letting her go overseas for school.

Naturally, Beatrice calculates ways to get herself out of having to actually "act" and uses her incredible memory to her advantage. Of course, as the reader, you will quickly suspect that at some point she'll have to step on the stage and use the skills she has but doesn't feel comfortable with.

The real point of the camp for Beatrice is making friends and learning how to deal with others. She's a slow learner in the beginning but once she gets the hang of things, Beatrice finds herself excelling at her "camp goals." Beatrice is fun, quirky and real character. You can't help but pull for her because I think everyone can see a little of themself in her. The side characters - - Bea's friends, enemies and potential love interests are also well-written and characters that are easy to engage with.

Overall, this is a cute and meaningful story. It has a little romance thrown in as well which was a nice nod to an "enemies to lovers" lite version. But the real star for me in this book was how Bea learned who she really was and finally understood that she could have friends who would truly stand by her.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor
Young Adult Contemporary Romance, 12+
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not expect to fall in love with Beatrice and Long Story Short the way that I did. I’ve already ordered and received my physical copy in the mail since I liked the eARC so much and knew I’d want to read it again.

FULL REVIEW ON MY BLOG.

This was so stinkin cute! I love an awkward MC because I usually relate to them immensely and though Bea was maybe on her own level, she did have her moments of relatability. Though those were almost even with the times I wanted to shake some sense into her as well. The dynamic between Bea, Mia, and Nolan was hilarious with their clashing personalities and dedication to helping Bea check off all her mandatory teen-tasks. Nik and Bea's slight enemy to lovers trope was both amusing and frustrating with an ultimately satisfying conclusion. Long Story Shorts was a successful debut novel with humor, wit, and a HEA that I would recommend to an young reader.

This is an interesting story about a teenager that grew up without being around other kids that has to face one Summer in a camp before her parents can let her go to college abroad.

Long Story Short is a coming of age YA story, set in a summer Shakespeare camp!

The ending of this book had me smiling! Bea and Nik are super cute, I loved the banter and teasing between them, and I felt that this book made it make sense for them to go from rivals to lovers. The Shakespeare quotes used throughout was a really cool addition as well.

I loved the side characters, especially Mia and Nolan, although I do think that a lot of the characters were written in a very stereotypical fashion.

Bea went through some 'character development', which I had at first admired, but as the story went on I realized it wasn't making sense. While I'm not too familiar with different developmental disorders or mental health conditions, I found it very unrealistic that Bea would feel or act a certain way her whole life, and then have that all change over the course of a few weeks.

Despite the few issues with this book, I did enjoy it, and give it a 3 star rating! Clean and cute contemporary YA romance. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

I struggled with this book. I was attracted to it as it seemed like a fun summery enemies to lovers story at a theater camp setting - the premise reminded me of my youth!

The story lost me as a lot of the characters acted very stereotypically. I wanted to be patient with this as this is a YA story but the characters were frustrating.

I really ached for Beatrice and how she was treated by her friends and family. I am not sure if this was intentional but the way she was written made it seem like she was neurotypical which made the way she was treated by those around her very frustrating. What I think was intended as her friends and family trying to pull her out of her shell came across as impatience and bullying.

Overall this is a fun and quirky romance and I can see this resonating with a younger audience. I wish it worked for me!

Beatrice Quinn is a homeschooled statistical genius from Berkeley, California who has dreamed of attending a prestigious university (such as Oxford) and discovering / solving new mathematical challenges. Unfortunately, when Beatrice shares the news of her acceptance at a disasterous dinner party, her parents express concern that her social skills will make living away from home, let alone another country, a little difficult. So, in order to prove to her parents she can make it on her own, she agrees to attend the a six-week program at the Connecticut Shakespearean Summer Academy, packed with a checklist of milestones to complete. Unfortunately, teenage interactions don't follow even the simplest equation, so when Beatrice is adopted by an ecclectic duo of theatre nerds and immediately makes an enemy of the son of the camp's founders (does he have to be annoying, talented, and attractive?), she realizes that these six weeks may be more harder to get through than her most difficult calculus class. Beatrice slowly opens up and takes a chance with everything this camp has to offer, but will she realize there's more to life than numbers and books before the final curtain call?

Ok so I found this book a bit slow to get into at first, but when things finally got going I actually stayed up late to read this a few days in a row, which I haven't done for a YA contemporary in a long time. As someone who is perpetually socially awkward, and always thought myself to be behind my fellow peers in terms of life events we deemed "important" as teenagers, I found following Beatrice as she slowly experiences more with the help of her new friends to be incredibly relateable. I can only hope that people like Mia and Nolan would adopt me into their friend group if I was in this position. I loved Beatrice's back and forth with Nik, how everyone else can tell it's flirting except her, and he's constantly trying to get under her skin to elicit a reaction because he knows he will. I will say I didn't particularly love their misunderstanding, but I can appreciate that it's handled in a very age-appropriate way, and when Nik is eventually confronted with it he doesn't try to deny it, just spends so many other times trying to make up for his ego getting the best of him. Beatrice can also be seen trying to cope with her anxiety, and she and her therapist devised a plan for her to recite the names of all the noble gases when she feels herself becoming overwhelmed, which I might steal and use in the future. It was important for Beatrice to learn that even though she comes to camp with a checklist of actions she feels forced to carry out, being a teenager and taking a chance to be a bit reckless for the night, having fun with her friends, feeling more confident and putting herself out there even when it scares her are much more important than any list, and it was really nice to see her character growth. I think anybody who grew up around theatre will appreciate all the Shakespeare references, lines, and accuracy about summer camp for theatre nerds in all departments, but I don't think it's inaccesible for readers who aren't as familiar - the play they're putting on is Romeo and Juliet, which I feel is the most well-known, and many other references are used in the context of a Shakespeare face-off competition. While the ending may have been a bit rushed and over the top, I still absolutely loved my time with this book.

In conclusion, I wasn't expecting this YA book to steal my thespian heart in such a way, but I was a goner for Beatrice's story - her blossoming friendship with Mia and Nolan, her playful rivalry with Nik, and her rough patch around Shelby. I'm sure teens will find something to relate to in Serena Kaylor's debut, and I hope people of all ages can come to appreciate the terror that is summer theatre camp. *Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Wednesday Books, for the early copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Oh. My. God. This was such a beautiful story about dealing with social anxiety, overcoming your fears, making friends, coming into your own and forcing yourself out of your comfort zone. I adored this with all of my heart.

Beatrice Quinn may be doing everything right academically - the advanced level classes, the checklists, and her crisp acceptance letter to Oxford University. However, she seems to be lacking in other areas of her life and her parents aren't willing to send Beatrice to the other side of the world until she proves to them that she has life skills alongside her stringent academic mindset. What better way to bring super smart Beatrice outside of her shell, than a Shakespearean summer camp for acting...Somehow, she finds herself on a plane from California to Connecticut with a checklist of activities she must complete before her parents even seriously consider the idea of her going to Oxford in the fall.

Some of the people she meets are nice, while others are downright nasty. However, armored with her uniform, quick wit, and dry humor Beatrice is determined to survive this summer camp, dodge the gorgeously annoying British son of the camp's founders, and become an active participant in her life to show her parents that she will manage at Oxford.

Cue the romance, cue the clique mean girl, cue the drama and theatrics. This was such a fun and quick summer read!


Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books Publishing, and Serena Kaylor for providing an advance copy of this book for me to enjoy. As always, this book was read and reviewed voluntarily, and the opinions stated above are completely my own.

Homeschooled and introverted Beatrice has just been accepted to Oxford. But her parents are hesitant to let her go since she'd never been out on her own before. They come up with a brilliant idea, a checklist of "normal" teenage things that she has to check off at a Shakespeare camp because what better place to make friends and act like a "normal" teenager than an acting camp? But Bea runs into all kinds of problems trying to check off her list, a lot of which comes at the hands of her enemy (as in enemies-to-lovers), Nik.

I thought I'd love a Shakespeare themed book as a big Shakespeare fan as I am. But I have some words. First of all the first 2/3rds of this book dragged, dragged. I found myself nodding off more often than once. The pacing was not great. It did pick up at the end, but only if you can get through the first 2/3rds. Secondly, what the actual heck is wrong with Bea's parents? I'm not a big fan of books/movies/TV shows where the nerdy girl is made over to be "cool." The worst part about this was that it's forced at the hands of her own parents. That doesn't sit well with me at all. There's the formulaic get Bea into less clothing, take her to a party, get her drunk, and I'm over her the whole time going "why?" She doesn't really want to do any of these things. Then you have the token mean girl. You know, the girl who's mean for absolutely no reason. The romance was okay, except when the love interest goes off the rails for something so tiny. I liked Bea, but I don't like that she was forced to change to fit into a box of what her parents think a normal teenager should be. I was so excited for this book, and I really wanted to like it, but it just left a sour taste in my mouth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this book, but unfortunately I don't think I can recommend this especially with the message it carries to teens.

4.5/5 stars

Long Story Short is a Young Adult contemporary/ realistic fiction/coming of age/ rom-com.

The narrator is 16 year old Beatrice (1st person POV). Her dream is to go to Oxford that Fall. But her parents do not want to let her go as she was home-schooled and struggles in social situations.

I loved this book! Her parents send her to a Shakespearean summer theater camp. And this setting is amazing! There is a detailed list of teenage milestones, which is hilarious. And Beatrice's roommate Mia is the best!

This book is a girl's journey learning more about herself. I really loved all of the teens at the camp. And seeing everything that Beatrice could accomplish.

There is some romance. But to me the book is more about friendship and a coming of age story.

I really enjoyed this book so much! This is a quick cute read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes YA.