REVIEW: Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary


Beatrice has been in a holding pattern for the last 2 years after finishing high school at the age of 14. Her preference for her own company and her age left her parents feeling like college was an off-in-the-future eventuality. But her acceptance to Oxford changes everything.

But the only way they are willing to consider sending her to Oxford at 16 is if she can learn some interpersonal skills. So they send her to a summer Shakespeare camp with a “Teenager Experience Experiment” bucket list – make a friend, play a prank, take a dare, etc.. Beatrice doesn’t want anything as much as she wants Oxford. But 4 weeks at Shakespeare camp might be a step too far for her.

Review


This was an absolute delight! The author does a magnificent job with Beatrice – she’s awkward and endearing, someone I was pulling for from the beginning. I loved the whole camp experience with Mia and Nolan. Bea’s experience felt honest and reasonable – some false starts, some ups and downs, and also some great progress. And Bea’s parents don’t come off as evil or unreasonable in their quest for Bea to try some new things and learn about herself and others. I absolutely felt like they were doing this out of love with a lot of hope that she will triumph.

I have no complaints – this was fantastic! I would absolutely read this again. Do not miss this one! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: The Charmed List by Julie Abe

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary


Ellie Kobata loves her little magical community – the shops, the spells. Everything but her ex-best friend Jack and his grouch of a father. In fact, it’s a prank on Jack that goes so wrong it might cost Ellie her current best friend, her parents’ trust, and her magic. It was an item on Ellie’s “Anti-wallflower” to do list – a list of tasks she wanted to do to come out of her shell. But “Get revenge on Jack Yasuda” went all wrong.

As penance, she has to take a business road trip – the trip she was supposed to take with Lia before everything fell apart – with Jack. How can she endure hour after hour in close quarters with the best friend who abandoned her years ago?

Review


This was an unexpected delight. I wasn’t sure about this at first. It took me a bit to get into the flow of the magical world. And Ellie and Jack were hard to like early on with all of the mysterious hostility. I’m still not 100% sure Jack’s explanation was sufficient. But the two of them are delightful together once they set their feud aside.

By the end I was deeply attached to this magical world. I loved the village and the cottage and the convention – brilliant! The supporting cast is lovely; they were a great anchor for me to keep reading when Ellie and Jack were at odds.

The bucket list plot has been done often, and I generally enjoy the stories. I enjoyed how the list comes into play here. It’s a constant thread in the book, but not a driving one. It’s part of Ellie’s journey to define herself and take up space in the world and that whole journey was enjoyable.

Readers who enjoy enemies-to-lovers should definitely check this out, especially of you like stories with an extra layer of magic.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+