Long Story Short

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Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Romance

Reviewed by Julia W., 9th Grade


Rating: 7/10


Long Story Short is Serena Kaylor's debut novel, and for a first book I think she did an exceptional job! If theater, romance and fun is your thing I would definitely check this novel out! 

Beatrice Quinn has been homeschooled her whole life and never has never had any real friends. When she is accepted into Oxford, her parents aren't sure they should let her go. She's only sixteen after all, and they don't think Beatrice is ready for the socializing it will entail. Her parents decide to make Beatrice an offer: if she can spend the whole summer at the Connecticut Shakespeare Summer Academy and complete a list of tasks, Beatrice can go to Oxford. If she fails, she will have to wait at least another year. 

Her parents think this will be a good test for Beatrice as it will force her to experience things she never has before. Beatrice will have to make friends and do things way out of her comfort zone. The list her parents give her include executing a dare, pulling a prank, doing an outdoor activity, accepting an invitation she doesn’t want to and more. Her parents need her to learn that the world has more to live for than just academics. After all, it's better to have Beatrice find this out now than when she’s off at college. They need her to know what she is getting into before she is all the way in England. 

I thought this book was a great read but I only scored it a seven out of ten as it seemed to have some parts that dragged on for no reason. The book is a little over 300 pages but I think it could have been fit into 200-250 pages. I found myself not wanting to read every word as it wasn't really saying anything I felt I needed to read.

There are also a few paragraphs of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet included. I didn't think it was really necessary to be included as it was irrelevant to the actual storyline. Not to mention, I spent a good portion of last school year reading Romeo and Juliet so I've kind of had enough Shakespeare for now. That's just my personal opinion on that though, and if Shakespeare is your thing I would totally check out this novel. I love all of the characters in this novel and how they all get their moment to shine. I think it goes without saying that the protagonist will be the main focus and the character we get to know the most about in any text. While that definitely holds true in this novel, the secondary characters still get a lot of time to show off their personalities. You get an excellent feel for who everyone is and I really appreciate that the author took the time to do that. I think it adds to the overall storyline and experience.