Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor
Introduction
I haven’t read many young adult novels recently, but when I read the description of Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor on Netgalley I knew I wanted to check it out. Idk! Beatrice just sounded like the kind of character who would be fun to read about, even if she is a little awkward.
About the Book
Growing up homeschooled in Berkeley, California, Beatrice Quinn has always dreamed of discovering new mathematical challenges at 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. Before her parents will send her halfway across the world, she has to prove she won’t spend the next four years hiding in the library. The compromise: the Connecticut Shakespearean Summer Academy and a detailed list of teenage milestones to check off. If Beatrice wants to live out her Oxford dream, she has to survive six weeks in the role of “normal teenager” first.
Unfortunately, hearts and hormones don’t follow any equations. 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’s founders, Beatrice quickly learns 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 her fair share of Shakespeare. But before the final curtain falls, will Beatrice realize there’s more to life than what she can find in the pages of a book? (from Amazon.com)
My Thoughts
Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor is the story of a teenage girl as she takes chances, meets new people, and experiences new things the Summer before she hopefully heads off to Oxford for college.
Beatrice is an exceptional student who is very gifted when it comes to academics. She’s responsible, serious, but also a bit sheltered. When she announces to her parents that she applied and was accepted into Oxford, they’re shocked. They aren’t sure that she’ll be able to survive on her own in an entirely different country from them.
So they challenge her. If Beatrice can spend the Summer on her own at a Shakespeare Camp, then they’ll allow her to go to Oxford for school the following year.
While at camp, Beatrice makes great friends with Nolan and Mia. They help her to realize that there’s more to life besides school and studying. And then there’s her nemesis, Nikhil (aka Nik). He challenges her in ways that no one has before. As someone with very little experience when it comes to Romance, Beatrice isn’t sure if they really hate each other or if maybe Nik has feelings for her.
As a grown woman, I’m not sure that I’m the intended audience for this book. I honestly haven’t been reading much YA recently. But I’m a sucker for stories about Summer Camps, and Long Story Short did not disappoint. While it’s not a typical Summer Camp story, the attendees of the program get into quite a bit of shenanigans.
A Summer is a long time, especially when you’re out of your comfort zone for so much of it. I really enjoyed reading about Beatrice’s transformation. It’s never to late to change and learn new things and this story really reminded me of that.
Thank you to Netgalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review! I’m so grateful I got to read and enjoy this story.
