Serious Moonlight

Author: Jenn Bennett

Published by: Simon & Schuster on May 16th, 2019

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Young Adult // Contemporary Romance

Similar Books I’ve Read: Hello, Goodbye & Everything In Between

Disclosure: I received this book from the Publisher/Author in exchange for an impartial review. This is an unpaid/unsponsored post.

Raised in isolation and home-schooled by her strict grandparents, the only experience Birdie has had of the outside world is through her favourite crime books.
But everything changes when she takes a summer job working the night shift at a historic Seattle hotel. There she meets Daniel Aoki, the hotel’s charismatic driver, and together they stumble upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—is secretly meeting someone at the hotel.
To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell, and in doing so, realize that the most confounding mystery of all may just be her growing feelings for Daniel.

First Thoughts

As soon as Jenn Bennett launches a new book, I’m 100% there for it. I’ve been an avid collector and reader of her books only in the last couple years (I know, I’m so far behind) but when I got Serious Moonlight in the mail, I did a little happy dance. The UK Cover (I’ll input it below at the end of the post) is seriously stunning and so is the US one! I’m torn between which one I love the most.

My Review

I read Serious Moonlight over forty-eight hours, breaking for sleep (well, a little) and had to dive straight back in (if you read this book, you’ll know why.) Birdie, our main character, loves mystery and crime books and is a self-confessed bookworm, so we have pretty much that huge aspect in common. She’s been raised in a sort of isolation because she was home-schooled by her grandparents, and that’s something else that I had in common with Birdie (I was homeschooled from the age of fourteen) so the connection between us was extremely strong and I felt my heart follow her story with eager eyes and fast page-turning.

Her world gets a little busier when she takes a summer job working the night shift at a hotel. That’s where we meet Daniel Aoki, who works at the hotel as a driver (he also happens to be charming and gorgeous, because, of course he is.) There’s that spark between them (Jenn writes these so perfectly and un-instalove) as they start to investigate a mystery together. They start to delve into finding a recluse writer who nobody has ever seen, spending more and more time together – growing closer and spending quality time, letting Birdie come out of her shell – searching for clues when they find out the writer will be meeting someone at the hotel they’re working at.

Overall, Serious Moonlight has seriously stolen my heart. Not only were the characters so vividly human and complex, but with mental health aspects and diversity rep, character building and a romance that was woven into the plot with ease and healthily positive. Daniel and Birdie seemed so unlike each other at the start, but by the end, you can see just how akin they are to each other, mirrored in their moments at cafés and eating pie and investigating mysteries together. I cannot gush about this read more than this – YA Romance fans (and those who like a mystery thrown in there for good measure) will adore this five-star read with characters that feel like they’re sat right beside you while you’re reading their story. Huge love for Jenn Bennett’s newest read!