I've never read anything by Jenn Bennett, so this was a completely new experience for me. And I was pleasantly surprised!

I don't read a lot of YA anymore as I found that its all a bit much of a much, but this felt very unique. The plot was unusual, the tone was engaging, and the writing was fantastic. I was also really impressed with the way that the medical condition involved in the book was treated and discussed (won't say anymore!), as it was definitely something i didn't expect in this sort of book.

The relationship was also totally unique, and really stood out as something that I will remember fondly about this book. Overall, it was a perfect summer read - the perfect combination of a light, easy read that was also compelling and interesting enough to keep you gripped.

Content warnings: mentions of past suicide attempt, depression, death of a family member & grief

This was my first foray into Jenn Bennett’s writing, whom I’ve heard a fair bit of buzz about, and if yo’ve been around my blog for a while you’ll know I love fun YA contemporaries. So I had high hopes for this one, and whilst I did enjoy it I felt a little bit let down. However I’ve heard that her other books are better than this one.

Serious Moonlight follows a girl as she starts a job working as a night porter to earn money before college. This is where she meets Daniel Aoki who tells her about his hunch that a mysterious author stays the the hotel and they hatch a plan to catch him.

I enjoyed that the male love interest wasn’t white, I don’t know if they representation was accurate, but Bennett made many references to his family life and growing up as a mixed race Japanese American that it didn’t feel like he was mixed race just so Bennett could say her book was diverse.

My main issue was that there was this whole big plot around them tracking down a mysterious author who seemed to be staying at their hotel, which was fine to begin with, I didn’t overly care for it but it was whatever. But then it turned out to be something else entirely, and I won’t spoil but I did not like the turn it took.

I did fly through the book and I loved how sex positive it was, I just wanted something different for the plot.

Jenn Bennett can write swoony boys. No doubt about that. This book was a little different in that the main couple had hooked up before the story even started and it had ended weirdly, so there was an awkwardness to their subsequent meeting which felt so real. I enjoyed the mystery they were trying to solve, even though all the elements were pretty obvious to me from quite early on, the live-action Cluedo game was THE BEST, and the adults were all fabulous human beings. There is diversity, important messages for teens, and some quite sad moments. But Daniel is definitely a keeper.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

I really liked this book. Birdie was a bit annoying at times but she grew up by the end of the book. Daniel was so lovely and I wish he was real. I liked that he was different from most guys in YA books. He actually had a personality and wasn't a sports player. I hate sports in real life and in books so that is a huge plus point for me. The plot was interesting and held my attention. I had never read any of Jenn's books before but I will be reading more from her in future.

I received with thanks an ARC copy of Serious Moonlight from Simon & Schuster UK and Netgalley.

This is my review of Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett. This was published on 16th May 2019
This was my 3rd Jenn Bennett novel and this did not disappoint in the slightest. As with all her the authors book this was sweet and adorable romance. Jenn’s writing is beautiful and always writes compelling characters. Birdie is great main character I loved reading her journey though love and life.

Would recommend if you love a good contemporary romance.

This is a rather lovely and gentle mystery with a hint of romance. One of those YA/NA books about growing up (mentally and emotionally), finding your way and learning that everything is not always as it seems. The characters are both realistic and easy to connect with, the dialogue easy to read yet intelligent, and the plot trips along at a nice pace. A very enjoyable book, and does a great job of being inclusive without shouting about it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book!! This was the first book I have read by Jenn Bennett and now I immediately want to read another. I loved Birdie and Daniel and just the whole premise of the book. I was obsessed with all of the mysteries and there were a few twists I didn't see coming. It was everything I could ever want in a book

The comfort of sinking into Jenn Bennett's words and characters is a treat. SERIOUS MOONLIGHT was a gentle tale of first love, freedom, mystery, mistakes and self-discovery and I simply enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Birdie who's name is fortuitous, is a young woman finally flying from the cage. She's lived with her protective grandparents for most of her adolescence but now it is her time. Birdie had had some tough grief experiences but she was embracing her first job and other firsts with some trepidation but also courage. Birdie was endearing, sweet, an over-thinker and lacking in confidence but there was character growth to enjoy.

Daniel was a beta-male, the type of guy that makes me swoon for days with his unsure genuineness. I loved him, his cheekiness and belief in his and Birdie's connection. These two bonded over a mystery almost of their own creation, sleuthing through Seattle with conversation and touches. This story revealed more and more about each character so that I felt 'in this' with Birdie and Daniel, getting to know and love them. Grandpa was one of my favourite side characters along with the colourful Mona.

"No one but Daniel had made me feel so much in such a small amount of time. And I didn't want to walk away from that."

This is no insta-love story, don't be mistaken, there is credible build over time of friendship, camaraderie and fumbling. There is fantastic diverse characters and characteristics naturally bubbling in this read, much to revel in. Just give this sweet book a read and sit back and bask in the fun.

Thank you Simon & Schuster UK and netgalley for this early copy.

The right amount of romance and mystery! I fell in love with both Daniel and Birdie and their unique families. The mystery, detective element was great and it was lovely to be able to explore the setting of Seattle with them.

Truth be told, it took me months to finally finish Serious Moonlight. I could blame my phone's battery, but that would only be partly true. See, I considered reading novels by Jenn Bennett before, but something about the storylines always felt odd to me. And because her stories become more popular, it had me suspicious. It was actually the cover for Serious Moonlight that had me hooked. And then I wanted to dive in, but then the beginning of the book was pretty boring, which I already feared it would be.

Big surprise, my mind couldn't help but compare bits - compare the main character Birdie - to Agatha Christie. And I've had a hard time with the only book I read by her, too. The cover of Serious Moonlight mislead me. There was a certain vibe I expected of it. And I got disappointed. I was annoyed by the detective behaviour, annoyed by the case Birdie tried so solve.

So I put this one aside - lots of times. I didn't want to know how things would turn out between her and Daniel. Though their encounter (happening before the book picks up) is an extraordinary one. I liked that idea, but I still wish the author would have made more of that - so many possibilites gone to waste. Instead, Birdie is naive, they talk about the issue a hundred times without coming to a real conclusion, without moving forward just the tiniest bit. And sometimes it's all a very wild chaos. That might be because of Birdie's crazy aunt Mona. I really liked her as a character. She always knew what to say and never crossed a line despite her crazy self. However, her own story was predictable and I wished for something else. To me, that wasn't very creative.

About 30% in, Serious Moonlight grew on me. I didn't expect that, but was glad for it. It picked up some pace, the scenes and settings were good and the idea of the plot seemed more figured out and thought-through. Not as messy anymore.

Sadly, I'm not sure whether I will give another Jenn Bennett book a chance since this one took me forever to finish. Her writing style was good, but sometimes it seemed like she just wanted to use some fetch English words, making the sentences themself sound great, but had the reader thinking if there wasn't an easier way to express herself and explain situations. Considering I liked the book during the middle, I still give it a "good" rating.

Had to DNF this as I just couldn't get into it unfortunately! I just couldn't get into the story and after re-reading the synopsis I'm not sure why I requested this?!

3,75/stars.

It is not a secret anymore that Jenn Bennett is my favourite contemporary YA author and has become one of my auto-buying authors since I’ve read Alex, Approximately and Starry Eyes so imagine my excitement when I got this NetGalley email telling me that I got access to a digital proof of her new book!

Serious Moonlight follows Birdie, a somewhat shielded teenaged, crime aficionado, who just lost her grandmother and is starting her first job at a famous hotel in Seattle. But little does Birdie know that one of her brand new colleagues, Daniel, also happens to be the guy she met a month before and slept with before running away. You can imagine her mortification when this happens! But it doesn’t stop Daniel from trying to start a friendship with her and romping her into a real-life investigation regarding a mysterious customer coming in into the hotel every week and who could actually be a famous reclusive writer. Through this, Daniel and Birdie discovers each other and try to navigate through their growing and confusing feelings for one another, as well as coping with their own problems.

As expected, Bennett’s writing is the absolute best and made me flow through this book. I simply love the way she weaves words and build relationships! Daniel and Birdie are so pure and I loved them so much, especially the more we discovered the more about them. Moreover, the subjects brought in throughout the story regarding both of them are important ones that were dealt with remarkably well and those are narcolepsy and depression in teens.

The story was good and entertaining but the investigation side of it got put to the side more than once which I found unfortunate as I was really getting into solving the mystery.

Although I really enjoyed Serious Moonlight, I found it lacking the spark I got while reading both Alex, Approximately and Starry Eyes. I think that this was mainly due to the fact that even though I really enjoyed Birdie and Daniel, I didn’t like them as much as Bailey and Porter or Zorie and Lennon who stole my heart from page one. It is still an amazing book but I was really just missing that spark to give it more than a 3,75 stars. So I would still definitely recommend it!

Disclaimer: Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the Publishers, Simon Schuster, for providing me with a copy of Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett.

"We all try to forget what hurts us, it is sometimes the only way we can continue." - Inspector William Monk, A Sudden, Fearful Death (2010)


This is the third book that I have read by the incredible author that is Jenn Bennett - all three are on my all time favourites list. Bennett has this incredible ability to write characters so genuine and real that you feel like you could run into the next room and hug the sadness away - because trust me these characters need lots of hugs.

Serious Moonlight follows Birdie Lindberg as she navigates life with the help of her grandfather and her "fairy godmother" AKA her mom's best friend, Mona, after the death of her Mom 8 years prior and her grandmother just six months ago. Birdie, like her grandfather, suffers from narcolepsy - although Birdie is un-diagnosed. This is a condition that I am aware of but I haven't read about a character with it, so this was incredible representation and I loved every minute of the realness that she goes through with the condition.

With her new found freedom Birdie gets a night shift job at a Seattle hotel where she needs Daniel Aoki, whom she had an interesting and later awkward encounter with - so how else to get rid of any awkwardness other than solving a mystery! As someone who grew up on murder mystery, starting with Scooby Doo and moving on to A Touch of Frost, Columbo, Poirot, this would be a dream come true for me.

This book was so sweet sometimes that it made my teeth hurt. The relationship that Birdie had with her Grandfather was the cutest thing, plus Mona literally is like a Fairy Godmother to Birdie and I definitely approve!

Although this book has a mild naivety - completely intentional by the author since Birdie was home schooled and missed out on a few things, it really adds to her character and makes her so pure and sweet. But it makes what has happened both around her and to Daniel personally even more hard hitting. Daniel's character arc was one that I definitely wasn't expecting but did fit in perfectly with his character; it added depth and clarity to Daniel.

Really, this book is filled with so many incredible plot twists that had me staying up way to late to read because I just didn't want to put this book down. An incredible thing about this book is that throughout it all you are never sure whether the book with have a happy ending or a sad one. It keeps you on the edge of your seat until the final word where you suddenly realize what has happened. This book deals with sensitive issues such as self harm and suicide attempts - both in the past of one character and told in the third person in minor detail

So Jenn Bennett you have done it again and I have a sudden need to buy many more of your books!

After reading Jenn Bennett’s other YA novels; Night Owls, Alex, Approximately & Starry Eyes, she quickly became one of my go-to auto buy authors for YA contemporary romance novels. I love the atmosphere she is able to create so seamlessly and really build the scene to be so vivid in readers minds.

Whilst Serious Moonlight hasn’t taken over the top spot on my contemporary favourites list, this story still contained so many of the things I love about the genre in general and Jenn Bennett’s quirky, humorous writing style did not disappoint.

In this story we see the story of Birdie & Daniel who find themselves working together after an awkward first encounter and are constantly drawn to each other as we watch their relationship unfold – which is not without its ups and downs.

The introduction of a mystery thread to this story was an interesting addition and something that kept me entertained along the way.

Overall, a solid YA contemporary romance that left me with the nice warm and fuzzies I crave from these books. Can’t wait to read what she does next!

I’ve dithered over this review for several days, maybe even a week. I just couldn’t figure out how to explain my love for it whilst balancing out with… not complaints, but maybe niggling moments that bothered me only after I was looking back on what I’d read. They didn’t mean there was anything wrong with the book, I loved it, but they are things to think on I suppose.

The most important thing to know is I honestly really loved it. Serious Moonlight is a rare read for me, I don’t read as many YA books anymore and this was a reminder why YA books of any genre are not to be overlooked. It reminded me why I love books in this category so very much even though many are not for me anymore. Jenn Bennett is an author who could convince me to read anything she wrote, though, so as soon as I saw this on Netgalley I knew I had to request it and I was jumping in joy when the approval came in.

This book has some strong characters within its pages and I was seriously impressed at how she made me like all of them. Birdie is a teenage girl who has not had much chance to just be a teenager. She grew up with her mother in Seattle until she, unfortunately, died far too soon and left Birdie with some serious abandonment issues. She then lived with her grandparents on a small island and was home-schooled by her grandmother who had some very strict rules for Birdie. She was sheltered and she had few friends beyond her mother’s best friend, Mona. Birdie and Mona were Daring Dames together and I really loved their friendship and how Mona acted as both as parent and friend for Birdie yet never treated her like a child. Mona treated Birdie as a grown up and although I think she sometimes forgot how young Birdie was, she always treated her with respect and it meant Birdie was open with her about everything that happens from speaking about sex to talking about Mona’s own boyfriend and that was awesome to see.

And there is Daniel, our love interest and such a charmer. He isn’t some cocky ladies man or even a really popular guy, he is just a good-looking guy who couldn’t believe his luck when Birdie showed some interest in him after he showed her a magic trick in a diner… until she ran away because she didn’t know how to act around a boy she liked. Daniel Aoki is into magic and gaming and things like D&D. He is geeky and sweet and was such a nice guy. I adored him, even if I wanted to have a few strong words with him towards the end. He was a genuinely good guy so I couldn’t stay mad with him for long.

Jenn Bennett doesn’t just do awesome characters I easily like, though. She also writes about many issues well. She writes sex positive books, which I adore, and has her characters talk about sex and I respect that. I want YA books to approach sex, not as a negative and there should certainly be no shame about it either, but I like when characters talk about sex before it happens and approach it sensibly. And we have that here, there is mention of using protection (because it still really pisses me off when protection is not talked about in any book with sex, including romance). And when Birdie was talking to Mona about it she was always so positive just asking the ever important question of if she was safe. I want sex to be talked about honestly, about being safe and about being comfortable when it happens. The honesty that it isn’t always good but it’s also about being comfortable with the one you’re with to make it better.

This book also dealt with some heavy issues within its pages beyond not shaming anyone for the choices they make with their body and it handled them well. Birdie is still reeling from losing her grandmother recently (even if their relationship was not all sunshine and rainbows but more a bit antagonistic) and she hasn’t fully recovered from losing her mother as a child. She had some serious abandonment issues which are heavily explored throughout the book and I respected that. And I really loved how well grief is shown not be a short process you get over but instead an experience you go through again and again. You never get over losing someone you love but instead come to terms with it and the fact that they’re absent and reflect on what that means. But it’s not just grief, there was also suicide and a very sensible and mature approach to mental health which came as a surprise in the storyline but meant some impressive character development.

I liked that Birdie was in denial about her narcolepsy as well. She had a method of avoidance about many an issue in her life (which I understand but was very unhealthy) and her health was one part of it. I liked that eventually she was forced to address her health and that getting medical help (and not relying upon google answers to health) was the best way and she was slowly getting a grasp on her well being by the end. And therapy was promoted as a healthy choice for mental health and having a strong family support system that still allowed independence.

I do wish Birdie had a larger circle of friends beyond her family. Her support system was so small and that was partially due to circumstance but also because she closed herself off. I got that a lot of this book was about learning to let people in and make friends, but so much of the book was centred on her and Daniel and although her aunt Mona was there I did wish she had someone her own age to speak with who wasn’t a romantic interest. Same goes for Daniel, we don’t see things from his perspective, but I felt like they were a little isolated and would have liked to see more side characters,

Anyway, I really loved this book, even if I wanted more of a friends and family presence in the book, that was a minor grumble about a truly amazing book. I was smiling and hugging this book close by the end. I loved the slowly developing friendship and romance between Birdie and Daniel and the mystery element was brilliant, although I guessed it by the end. I seem to be a fan of mystery within my romantic reads and this was pretty good. I definitely recommend.

I absolutely loved this book! Jenn Bennett has done it again. I loved both of the main characters and especially how the book explored a relationship that is a little bit different from ‘normal’. I especially enjoyed how the problems were approached in the book. Very mature and enjoyable with lots of romance.

A well written, emotive and compelling read just in time for the summer. The main character is engaging and someone I enjoyed being on a journey with.

After loving Jenn Bennett's Starry Eyes, I just knew I needed to get my hands on Serious Moonlight!  

For the first part of this book I was....underwhelmed.  I wanted to shake Birdie a bit - I found her annoying and frustrating and the 'banter' was just not clicking for me.  But by the time I was halfway through I couldn't put the book down, it completely redeemed itself.  I was laughing out-loud and cringing through some of the awkward moments.  I loved the flawed characters and watching them grow throughout the story.  the mystery aspect was so fun and really well done.  It was there as the backbone to the story, but the real story was the sweet and awkward relationship development between Birdie and Daniel.

I thought the inclusion of the social, physical and emotional issues that were portrayed in the book were important and handled in a very realistic way.  I won't go into what they all were, because they contain spoilers, but it just added such an interesting and raw aspect to the story.  

Jenn Bennett is definitely one of my favourite contemporary authors.  Her books are witty and just so much fun.  Her characters are the type of disasters that just make them seem so real and relatable that I'm always left wishing I was going to get to read another story with them in it!

Rating: 3.5 stars
This was the first book I've read by Jenn Bennet and I was not disappointed! It really made me want to check out more of her books.

Serious Moonlight was a very cute story and I quite liked the characters. However, it took most of the book for the characters to warm up to me. The mystery aspect of the book definitely the thing that made me keep on reading! A very unique aspect of this book though was the fact that the main character is somebody with narcolepsy. I haven’t read about that before and thought it was very interesting!

I feel like this will be the perfect read if you're looking for something quick and cute :)

My love for Jenn Bennett has skyrocketed after reading Serious Moonlight, like her novel Night Owls my heart has been captured once again and I’m full of so many emotions, I laughed and I cried and then laughed again, I didn’t know what would happen in this book but I knew I was about to read something great. In just a few hours I finished another incredible story that will stay with me forever.


I had no idea the journey I was about to take with this character Birdie and at first I was slightly confused as to how things would end up but Birdie increasingly grew on me and is probably now a firm favourite of mine, her unbelievable wit and her one smart powered mind was a refreshing read I especially loved the character “inspector” notes Birdie created I think that thoroughly help me connect more with each person. Now I must admit the vintage references were a few decades older than I so I was a bit clueless to those but as I read on my worries of not knowing every reference melted away because it wasn’t so necessarily important to know them all as you can still understand the context of each reference.

As a big fan of romance I knew I would enjoy this book but I didn’t think I would love it this much, Birdie and Daniels relationships was wild from to start to finish, I could kinda predict some things occurring especially the part when Birdie and Daniel see each other at her new job but I was still surprised throughout this book, the big one being about who Daniels dad was as I kinda strangely thought it was going to be Birdies dad to cause another disruption in her life.

I have so many favourite parts in this book and have found a new favourite quote that I relate too on a personal basis that Daniel said during the scene in the sushi place where Daniel was opening up about the incident, I think this was a great scene like I felt connection with my own personal life which was a strange experience to have because that really doesn’t happen often to me anymore but it was definitely something I’ll cherish because finally something I felt was in words.



I would like to say thank you to the publisher, Simon and Schuster UK Children's who kindly allowed me to read An e-copy of this book, I’ll definitely be picking up the book once it’s published.