Blurb:
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?
In this sparkling debut from Serena Kaylor, Long Story Short is a YA rom-com about a homeschooled math genius who finds herself out of her element at a theater summer camp and learns that life—and love—can’t be lived by the (text)book.
Review
This story ticked all the right boxes for me: Enemies to Lovers? Check. Takes place at a summer camp? Check. Story revolves around a Shakespeare play? Check.
Long Story Short was a delightful, light-hearted summer romance filled with sweet characters and plenty of fun, witty banter. I also loved the chemistry between Beatrice and Nik and found these two characters incredibly endearing. They’re a couple you can’t help fall in love with: funny, angsty, sweet, determined, flawed, and authentic. I found their interactions funny, awkward, and exactly as confrontational as they need to be. Likewise, the secondary characters were equally impressive, even Shelby, “the mean girl,” who, as we learn, is quite a complicated multi-layered character.
The story itself is unputdownable and addictive, and I read it in only two sittings. It’s a sweet, comforting, and uplifting novel with a certain quirk and charm and just the right amount of angst. Readers who like a little messy yet heartwarming YA romance will definitely get that with Long Story Short. This charming novel leaves you with an ending that’s like a kiss and sweet tuck in goodnight and left me with a huge smile on my face when I finished the final page.
A huge thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a review copy of this book.
This story will be released on July 26th, 2022 but is available now for preorder.
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