I have mixed feelings about this book. I found this book slow at the beginning and honestly probably would have stopped listening if it wasn’t an arc but by the end I couldn’t wait to see how Beatrice got her happy ending.

I liked the neurodivergence representation in this book which I believe is own voice from the author. I did feel like some of the actions Beatrice's parents took hurt her socializing skills which I didn't love. While I liked the representation in this book I felt as though it lacked some depth. I plan on looking more into books that show that depth more.

I also liked seeing how Bea grew throughout the book. I liked how the other characters made her better but I wish we could have seen them developed more. I felt like most of the characters were stereotypical and one dimensional and did not experience a ton of growth throughout the book.

This was a decent debut though it did have some challenges in its overall execution. If you are looking for a fun summer camp YA this could be a good one to pick up.

Overall, this was a 3.5 for me.

This theater camp book was an easy listen with some funny moments and cute banter. However, I was torn about rating it. The narration was well done. While the main character, Bea, grows and learns to be a better version of herself, which I find commendable, I thought some of the helpful friends' actions may have crossed the line between helping her explore her possibilities and pushing her into uncomfortable situations that she didn't need. Lots of people are going to love this cute story, but I could have done without the romance--I didn't really buy it. And I would have loved to have seen more of Bea's math background in the story, but I guess that would have meant going to a different summer camp. Hmmm. So, that's 3.5 conflicted Shakespearean stars.

Theater nerds, rejoice! Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor is chock full of all the little things that make theater kids special Beatrice Quinn, a homeschool graduate, just wants to go to Oxford, but her parents aren't so sure that's a good idea. Beatrice likes order. She likes routine. She doesn't have a single teenage friend, and she's okay with that. Her parents give her a challenge: attend a theater camp over the summer and check off all the things on their "How to Be a Teenager" checklist. If she does all that, Oxford's a go.

Totally out of her depth at theater camp, surrounded by kids her own age, Beatrice has to sink or swim--thankfully, she quickly makes some amazing friends who have her back. I wasn't homeschooled, but I could totally relate to Beatrice's journey. I was sheltered and naive, and I, too, experienced some bullying that compromised my self-esteem. I'm in my mid thirties, but I don't think you ever truly forget the teenage years; it's such a formative time in your life, and this took me back to my own theater days--memorizing lines, the smell of the changing rooms, the wooden stage under my feet. (I still treasure my "Collected Works of Shakespeare. It could double as a weapon, if the need arose.)

I rooted for Bea the whole book, which is honestly a joyous celebration, a quintessential summer coming of age story. I couldn't believe this was a debut. I can't wait for more stories from Serena Kaylor.

The audiobook was delightful. Sarah Beth Goer delivers a wonderful performance.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for the advance listening copy.

Serena Kaylor's Long Story Short is a quirky and entertaining coming of age story. Beatrice, who has been homeschooled and sheltered all of her life, has been accepted at Oxford. In order for her parents to agree on her move to England, she is coerced into attending a theater camp and completing a list of tasks to prove that she can handle and take care of herself in a new environment. She arrives at the Shakespeare theater camp out of her depth but leaves with some new friends and experiences she never would have imagined she would have been capable of surviving. The narrator does an excellent job conveing all of the needed feelings for this read.

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. I’m not sure why but I was hesitant to start this book. I immediately fell in love and could not put this down. I love all the characters so much and the emotions in the books. Extremely swoon worthy. I can’t even describe my love for this book. I can’t wait to read more from this author! It’s definitely a new favorite author and book for me!

Long Story Short by @SerenaKaylor is a gem! A 16 yo nurogiverent homeschool girl goes to drama camp to convince her parents she is ready for Oxford. Cute, funny, frustrating at all the right place.

#PinkCoverBookILike 😉💜💜💜
Thanks #NetGalley
#ISTElib #BookTwitter #TLchat

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to the audiobook of Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor in exchange for an honest review.

CW: ableism, bullying, gaslighting, emotional abuse, racism, acephobia, vomit, panic attacks, alcohol use, drug use, see growing list on StoryGraph.

Sixteen year old Beatrice just received her acceptance to Oxford University! She may be one of only a dozen American student admitted this year. But when she tells her parents, they are less than thrilled. Her parents, both outgoing sex therapists, are concerned that their daughter is too introverted and studious and may go off to England and never interact with anyone. As a challenge to see whether she is capable to making friends, they send her to a Shakespearean summer camp. There, Beatrice makes some really genuine friends, learns more about who she is as a person, and maybe even falls in love?

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It was cute and entertaining for sure, which is what earned it the overall 3-star rating. However, it is so achingly clear that Beatrice is neurodivergent and that she is being forced into a situation that is overstimulating and extremely uncomfortable for her. I absolutely HATED her parents. Actually, I really hated all the adults in this book that were so hell-bent on making sure Beatrice participated in things that were literally giving her panic attacks. Especially for her parents to be therapists and so blatantly disregard the emotional needs of their daughter, it bordered on emotional abuse. Through giving her this to do list of "normal" teenage things tasks to complete, they are attempting to shove her into a neurotypical box. Nevermind the fact that they are forcing her to do something uncomfortable IN ORDER TO FULFILL HER LIFELONG DREAM OF GOING TO A WORLD RENOWNED UNIVERSITY. Instead of being proud of her, they shamed her and made her feel lesser than. They should be the ones ashamed of their actions.

I did love some of the relationships between the teen characters in this book. Particularly the friendships that formed between Beatrice, Mia, and Nolan. Their interactions seemed genuine, and Mia demonstrated a lot of insight and wisdom into the value of friendship and was able to communicate those things in a gracious way to Beatrice.

Overall, I think it was a fun read with lots of whit and nods to the theatre nerds, but it was definitely problematic.

So this was a cute YA story about a neurodivergent genius who is forced to step out of her comfort zone and is shipped to a Shakespearean summer camp. I loved the theater camp vibes and the characters that came from that. I did enjoy Beatrice's POV and I'm glad we're seeing more books with ND main characters. I LOVED all of the Shakespeare stuff and the quote battle was so entertaining!

I will say, I was a little put off by how Beatrice was treated. I get that she was learning to step out of her comfort zone, but I feel like many people were trying to "fix" her. I don't know. It made me a little uncomfortable and I wish it would've been done in a different manner.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and I did like the YA romance aspect.

Got an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was actually pretty adorable and I enjoyed listening to it. Somewhat predictable and not a lot of depth to some of the characters but overall I really enjoyed it. The narrator did a good job with this.

This story was just okay. I don't feel like there was anything memorable about it, but it was an easy listen. I loved the idea of an introvert getting shoved into something as social and awkward as a summer camp, ESPECIALLY one that's full of theater kids. I did like watching the growth that Beatrice went through.

This book was really good! It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I started reading it consistently, I was able to finish it quickly.

I felt like I could relate to this book a lot. As a freshman in college, I have had to get out of my comfort zone just like Beatrice. I think one of the reasons I enjoyed the book so much is because I could relate to it. I enjoyed all the characters. Mia reminded me of Blanche from Holden Girls and Beatrice reminded me of Lilith from Cheers. I loved the romance too. I like that we got to see some of the relationships between other minor characters as well.

The only thing I didn’t like was the whole rivalry between Beatrice and the other girl which I felt could have been shorter. Also, Beatrice could sometimes get annoying with her whole no emotion, things have to be normal, refusing to wear new clothes thing. I understand why that was so prominent in the book, it just got a little annoying sometimes.

The narrator was okay. I loved Al the voices she did for each character. Her British accent and male accent were good. So was her accent for Mia. She talked super slow though. I could bump it up to 1.5 speed and it would sound normal. Other than that I enjoyed her.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to contemporary romance lovers and people going through a big change.

This is a story set at a summer camp. Home schooled Beatrice has been accepted to Oxford but her parents are reluctant to let her go, as she’s led a very socially sheltered life and they worry about her ability to adjust to the changes. Beatrice feels on the neurodivergent spectrum to me. Her characteristics were handled sensitively overall but I did feel the story hinted that good friends/new experiences/romance can “solve” the social and personal issues, which isn’t quite the message intended I think?

The story is overall engaging. The fellow campers are stereotypes brought to life with some unique characteristics. I liked her roommate Mia and love interest Nick—the rest were a bit too faintly drawn.

The Shakespearean exchanges between Nick and Beatrice were a highlight for me.

Narration is good, solid, not earth shattering. Overall a pleasant read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC.

I loved this story! Introverts alike will connect easily with the sheer anxiety of being forced to make friends at a summer camp filled with theater kids when you yourself have never done any theater! All the characters are relatable, and I love the honest representation that even at a theater camp full of like minded individuals, there's still the clique society and intimidation of not fitting in.
Audiobook narration was golden and made the story very enjoyable to listen to.

I though this was a fun way of retelling the tropes of Romeo and Juliet in a summer setting, and I really appreciate the way that the main characters friends them throughout the entire experience.

While I get where the parents were coming from in their side at the beginning, I kinda was uncomfy with how the parents treated their child’s very noticeable place on the autism spectrum. While it was never directly said, most Neurodivergent individuals would probably recognize it. Instead of helping adjust, they in essence gave an ultimatum of forced socializing or no dreams. I feel like it could’ve been handled a lot better.

I was also a little I guess confused at the need for the intensity of alcohol and drug use by minors.

I received this ARC from Net Galley. I fell in love with this quickly, at times lost, truly brilliant main character. It was so enjoyable watching her grow throughout the many challenges she faced while at camp. Great read for fans of Shakespeare! Unfortunately, am I not. However, I still found this an enjoyable coming of age novel!

I wanted so much more for this but it really felt like our MC, Bea, just had autism and instead of accepting her the way she is, everyone everywhere tried to change her and that was heartbreaking. Why write such specificity of autism to a character and not take care of your character? Incredibly disappointing. And that's not what this author meant, then she didn't do a good job because Bea read like a person on the autism spectrum and she didn't get the acceptance she deserved.

Long Story Short
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beatrice Quinn, homeschooled statistical genius has been accepted to Oxford at the ripe age of 16. Problem: her parents don’t believe she is socially ready and prepared to leave home and fear that Oxford will be too far to help bail her out when she inevitably begins to flail. Bea refuses to accept ‘No’ as a plausible answer so her parents challenge her to make it through an entire summer at a Shakespearean theatre summer camp complete with a “normal teen” bucket list to check off. If she’s successful she will be allowed to go.

Beatrice muddling her way through theatre camp presents her with many challenges that we all go through when we are young, and then some. She makes friends among the eclectic group of campers and also some enemies. She checks item after item off her bucket list including some extra items her friends have added on her behalf. 😉

This book is simply adorable and had me chuckling the whole way through. Bea’s growth is profound and I loved watching her blossom in the face of adversity.

I really enjoyed this story by Serena Kaylor. As readers, we get neurodiverse rep (though not explicitly stated) and supportive, caring friendships. Sprinkle in a handsome British MMC and fun Shakespeare context and you have a perfect summer read. The audiobook is fabulous and the reader did a fantastic job with the voices for each character.

i wholeheartedly adored this book. everything about it was meant for me, the pacing, the character development, the wit, the joy, the fun. babes i’m sat! you have to be in the business of supporting womens right and their wrongs like damn bea was making it reeeeally hard to defend her in certain times, but at the end of the day, she’s still family (in my eyes). again, can’t emphasize it enough, go pick up this book. the audiobook was ten times better though. the narrator’s voices was so gorgeous i need need to listen to her read my textbooks.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. Some aspects I absolutely LOVED, while others made me a little bit cranky.

Long Story Short follows Beatrice, or “Bea”, through a summer at a drama camp, where she is learning to socialize, come out of her shell, and live a life outside of her comfortable routine to “prove” to her parents that she is read6 to go abroad for university. Beatrice is a character I really loved. While it never stated that she is on the spectrum or autistic, she’s VERY MUCH “coded” as an “aspie”. My daughter is Autistic so I get a little (okay, a lot) irritated when I feel like a neurodivergent person is being mistreated or not given the help they need and there were so many times reading this book that I just wanted to yell at Bea’s parents. Their resistance to “labeling” Beatrice really put her at a disadvantage.

If they had “labeled” her from the start, there are so many supports Beatrice could have received and she would’ve had all this time to learn about why she different from others, why that’s okay, and how to help herself handle situations outside of her comfort zone. Her parents made the decision to homeschool her, which is great, many ND people excell with homeschooling, but they also made the choice to not put her in social situations with her peers so she could learn to be around those similar to her age. They chose to have her only around their colleagues and then used her social skills as a reason why she’s not ready for university.

That being said, I absolutely LOVE the friend group Beatrice found at camp. They were so accepting of who she was, helped her learn to adapt and try new things without pressuring or guilting her, and were so kind helping her through any struggles that arose. They didn’t coddle her though, which was refreshing. When the truth was needed, they gave it to Bea, kindly, but direct.

The bullying was hard for me to read though. All I could think of is how my daughter has already experienced things like that and she’s only 7. The ableism and lack of understanding of others differences was sad, but is so true to many peoples own experience in life.

Overall, I think Long Story Short was a good book. I think it was a great representation of neurodiversity, even if it wasn’t implicitly stated, and I loved to see Beatrice’s growth in figuring out who she was and who she wanted to be. The themes are appropriate for younger teens, but still relatable enough for older teens. The way the parents went about things made me frustrated and sad for Bea, so because of this I gave a 4/5 star rating.