Serious Moonlight
By: Jenn Bennett
Published: April 2019
Published by: Simon Pulse
Format Read: ARC, eBook, Kindle App
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 5/5
NOTE: I was sent a copy of Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett, from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis
After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.
-Goodreads
Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.
In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.
To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that the most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.
My Thoughts
Serious Moonlight was a surprise 5 star read for me and among my favourites, that I’ve read this year to date. Set in the beautifully described Seattle, readers follow as two young people navigate a new romance and try to solve a mystery of a reclusive author.
There were so many things that I loved about this book including; the mystery and pop culture references and quotes, the diversity of the characters and the chemistry they had together. I found both Birdie and Daniel to be very relatable. I appreciate how the author chose to represent two very different health afflictions with a character who was deaf in one ear, and another who suffered narcolepsy. Both of which I hadn’t previously read about in young adult fiction.
I found Daniel to be especially charming and loved how he worked to win over Birdie’s affections.
Jenn Bennett’s Serious Moonlight was a wonderful romance with a touch of mystery, that I would highly recommend. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
ML's Red House Reviews 