ARC Review: Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor
Author: Serena Kaylor
Edition: eARC
Publisher: Wednesday Books (July 26, 2022)
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis
Growing up homeschooled in Berkeley, California, Beatrice Quinn is a statistical genius who has dreamed her whole life of discovering new mathematical challenges at a school like Oxford University. She always thought the hardest part would be getting in, not convincing her parents to let her go. But while math has always made sense to Beatrice, making friends is a problem she hasn’t been able to solve, so her parents are worried about sending her halfway across the world. The compromise: the Connecticut Shakespearean Summer Academy and a detailed list of teenage milestones to check off. She has six weeks to show her parents she can pull off the role of “normal” teenager and won’t spend the rest of her life hiding in a library.
Unfortunately, hearts and hormones don’t follow any rules, and there is no equation for teenage interactions. When she’s adopted by a group of eclectic theater kids, and immediately makes an enemy of the popular—and, annoyingly gorgeous—British son of the camp founders, she realizes that relationships are trickier than calculus. With her future on the line, this girl genius stumbles through illicit parties, double dog dares, and more than your fair share of Shakespeare. But before the final curtain falls, will Beatrice realize that there’s more to life than she can find in the pages of a book?
My review of Long Story Short
Long Story Short is a witty and swoon-worthy Shakespeare-themed rom-com full of quirky characters and theatre magic.
I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
A Debut Full of Heart
As a former theatre kid who loves Shakespeare, I had a feeling I would love this book. And Serena Kaylor did not disappoint! This Shakespeare summer camp coming-of-age story is smart, swoon-worthy, compulsively readable, and I simply adored it. Shakespeare quote battles that are basically just flirting? Sign me up! All the chaos of theatre and putting together a play? Been there, done that, miss it a lot. Seriously, reading Long Story Short made me nostalgic for my not-so-long-ago theatre days. There’s a particular kind of chaos magic associated with theatre and Serena Kaylor captures it perfectly.
I loved Long Story Short so much, that I could probably write multiple reviews. It was truly a delightful reading experience and I look forward to Serena Kaylor’s future books!
The highlight of this book is definitely the cast of characters we meet. As fitting for a theatre camp, everyone is a little larger than life but in a good way. Mia in particular stole my heart with her colourful confidence and is definitely my favourite character out of the eclectic friend group Bea finds herself in.
Makeover Montage With a Twist
I adore how supportive Bea’s new friends are of her. They accept and love her as she is, but also support her in trying new things without pressuring her. Fundamentally, Long Story Short is a story of stepping outside of your comfort zone and opening yourself up to new experiences. The book pokes fun at the transformation tropes common in coming-of-age stories. Yes, we get a makeover montage, but there is no singular “take off your glasses and become a princess” moment. Instead, Bea grows and experiments and learns, never losing who she is at her core: smart, resourceful, and loyal. The plot doesn’t try to squeeze her into a box of who she should be. She gets to learn and grow and change just as who she has always been and I loved that!
Speaking of Bea, what a wonderful heroine for this story! I love smart and nerdy girls and stories with more unusual main characters. Long Story Short is proof that everyone can be the main character in their own story. Bea, like all of us, contains multitudes. Yes, she is smart and a little awkward. But she also speaks her mind, is funny and loyal. The book makes room for her to be all of those things and shows us that we don’t have to fit into any box to be worthy of love and magical experiences.
Additionally, I really appreciated the mental health representation we get. Bea struggles with anxiety and the book allows her to navigate that in her own way. Her anxiety is part of her experience and the book doesn’t try to diminish that.
The Perfect Summer Read
To me, this was the perfect summer read. It’s quick, delightfully funny in unexpected ways and just feels fresh and sweet, like strawberry lemonade on a hot day.
I loved the romance way more than I expected to! Nikhil is a perfect counterpart to Bea and their banter was one of my favourite parts of the book. I’m not going to lie, I had to put the book down a few times to scream a little out of pure joy. If someone basically confessed their love to me using Shakespeare quotes I’d probably faint on the spot.
Overall…
Long Story Short is a delightful debut full of all the Shakespeare magic and humour, perfect to read during summer.
This book is for you if…
…you like Shakespeare and rom-coms
…you are looking for a book that’s easy to read and the perfect swoony YA contemporary for a summer day
A post you might also enjoy: My Review of Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
3 Comments
Anoushka
kbjwafwe I LOVE YOUR REVIEW SO SO MUCH!!! IT IS PERFECTION!! and tysm for convincing me that i need this book on my tbr asap!! like you had me completely at ‘Shakespeare quote battles that are basically just flirting’ I NEED THIS!! and the characters sound wonderful too ahhhh!! i am so so glad you enjoyed this so much AND DID I MENTION I AM OBSESSED WITH YOUR REVIEW???
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