Let me start with: I absolutely adored this book!
I was invested from the first page, and I loved both the main characters (Serena and Tyler). I felt really connected to them, and enjoyed following their story, and watching their love grow and blossom.

I haven't lloved a book tbis quickly in a long time! I'm looking forward to buying a physical copy as soon as it's available!
Bonus: loved all the Taylor Swift references (including the title!) <3

This book was such a great read—super easy to get into with a really engaging story and awesome characters. Serena and Tyler are two high school seniors going through tough times as they figure out who they are and who they want to be.

It’s a sweet coming-of-age story about two imperfect people who end up loving each other. Their connection is incredible from the moment they meet until the end. They’ve got similar struggles, and their relationship is both adorable and healing for both of them.

All in all, this is a cute and heartwarming high school romance. It’s a fantastic duet novel, and I’m excited to see what this author comes out with next.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Seraphina Chen, and Independently Published, for providing the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for a review, but all thoughts are my own*

Really enjoyed this book! The chemistry between the main characters was spot on, and I loved how their relationship developed naturally over the course of the story. The dialogue felt real and relatable, and there were plenty of sweet and swoon-worthy moments that kept me hooked. A couple of plot points felt a bit predictable, but overall, it was a heartwarming and satisfying read. Definitely recommend if you're in the mood for a feel-good romance!

This was an adorable high school romance, where they kinda fall at the same time but he falls harder for sure! It reminded me Jenny Han or Sarah Dessen in the best way, cute but heartfelt. Tyler is our golden boy, literally, that's what everyone around school calls him. He's mature and sensitive, he isn't looking for hook ups which was. lovely change of pace from all the "player" boys in romances, and he was such a devoted older brother! He's sworn off dating and partying so he can focus on his senior year and get into college but that all changes when he meets Serena at the coffee shop she works at and they bond over having the same favorite drink! Serena has been dealt a tough hand in life, abandoned by her mom and her father dying a few years ago, she's been homeschooled and raised by her awesome Auntie and her new husband, who has a son and their relationship was so sweet and pure and I KNOW the next book will be about him and her bestie!!

This book was so much fun to read. I really enjoyed the entire book. This is the first I have read from this author and I will definitely be reading more.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6744504431

I think “Wonderstruck” was such an adorable read! Serena and Tyler had so many trials, and things going on in their lives, and I love that they were there for each other to cross those bridges they needed to cross! Serena is such a strong, beautiful character I will truly admire for the rest of my life! Her process with grief, and getting herself back out there after everything is truly admirable and I was proud for her in every small or big step she made! Tyler was such a gem in the story as well! You can tell he was so devoted to everything he did, and really cared about any person around him which isn’t something you see in MMC’s often!! The cokes and crushes was honestly as I said in my goodreads review, my favorite part I still think about so much! I feel at times in the beginning were a little “jumpy” and I’d have to reread some of the page, but as I got further in the book it was much easier to read! The spicy scene was also a little random to me, and while I love spice, i definitely wasn’t expecting it to have happened like that in this read! Overall though, I really enjoyed reading this, and I thank you for giving me that chance to read it!! :))

a homeschooled girl joins high school for her senior year and meets a popular boy.

this book is really adorable. you cant help but fall in love with tyler and serena’s, slow burn relationship.

the chemistry between the two characters really shows and it makes the book a enjoyable read.

the story, is two people with similar traumas coming together to form a super cute relationship, whilst also healing each other without realising.

Such a cute coming of age. Serena and Tyler are so cute and they definitely are meant to be. They share a cute back and forth full of trust and zero judgment. There is one spicy scene I was not expecting but loved. Some parts felt a little rushed, but overall a good romance read Love the cover and the dedication.

Firstly, thank you to Net Galley and Seraphina Chen for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review 🥰

“I'll never get tired of calling you sunshine, because that's what you are to me, my sunshine in December."
Tyler and Serena’s story was well written and thoroughly enjoyable. The navigation of personal growth was beautiful and particularly moving at times.
I would recommend this sweet and heartwarming read to anyone and found myself highlighting many stunning quotes. Tyler Westman is the standard!!!! Pink roses king ⭐️

this was a cute high school sweethearts romance where he falls first, with two characters with amazing chemistry. fluffy with good pacing, an easy read, but had no business making me crave a thai tea so bad.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
Overall: ☆☆☆
Spice: 🌶️

𝔸𝕔𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨𝕝𝕖𝕕𝕘𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕤:
I would like to thank Netgalley, Seraphina Chen and BookBuzz for this ARC.
𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖒𝖆𝖉𝖊 𝖒𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖎𝖙:
I wanted to read something light and fluffy to act as a pallette cleanser.
𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀:
Wonderstruck is a light, fluffy romance that explores grief, bullying, the challenges of high school and self-discovery, in a way that doesn't overpower you but still covers the topics. Serena Inthavong, the FMC is someone who is determined to break free of the confines of her old self where she would never go outside of her comfort zone. Because of this she finds herself returning to cheerleading and attracting the attention of Tyler Westman, a lacrosse player. He’s very loving and selfless, he respects Serena’s space even though he struggles to contain his feelings for her. I enjoyed watching Serena's character development and watching the romance unfold throughout the book.
I am giving this book 3 stars as I think it is good but there is room for improvement, however this is the authors debut novel so it is understandable.
T R O P E S:
- Dual pov
- Friends to lovers
- Brother’s best friend
- Boy falls first, girl falls harder
- Cheerleader x lacrosse player
- Found family
- Slow burn romance
- Asian representation

this is an adorable romance, it was such a quick read!i loved that its set in high school, the setting and the characters were very fitting. i loved the boba shop as they’re meet cute.i did find it a bit fast paced at certain times and i thought it felt a little rushed at times but i enjoyed it. it’s the authors debut novel and i thought it was a great one! thank you to NetGalley and Seraphina Chen for giving me an opportunity to read this book!

A really lovely (and mostly clean) friends to lovers romance with some touching moments, let down however by some shoddy writing and moments where things didn't seem to completely match up. I feel as though this book needs further editing, but nevertheless the story itself is nice.

Read from July 24th, 2024 to July 28th, 2024. Written on August 3rd, 2024.

~1.5~

I mean...it's always hard for me to write reviews of books I didn't like. The idea was interesting and I did like it, but maybe the execution wasn't for me. Warning: spoilers ahead, though not a lot.

The main character, Serena, had a really bad childhood. That is her focus on the book 75% of the time. And then, she hates telling people what happened to her and doesn't want their pity. Yet, everything she does and says just makes me feel like she, deep down, wants a little bit of the attention that comes from it. She just seems insufferable to me.

Then Tyler, the other main character and romantic interest, is...well...a stalker. I mean, he went to her place of work for a whole week because he saw her there once. And then he keeps flirting with her when she doesn't even show any interest in him. My dude, stop.

Both are characters are trauma filled, parentless and just in need of therapy and not s*x. Also, anyone who says this is YA...please don't. It's for 18+ readers, not 14 year olds. And also, they kiss. And then they do it. Like, right after. Not even dating or defining what they are or anything. Also they do it public. Also she's a virgin. Also I am tired.

I am sorry, I was excited for this but it just didn't work for me.

Signing off,
B.

(Free ARC from NetGalley that I chose to review after reading)

I really enjoyed the plot and characters in this book but it wasn’t perfect. There were a lot of errors in grammar that at times made it hard to understand what was being said. I also felt that every now and then (specifically the sex scene) the characters did things that didn’t seem in line with their character. All in all a good book but just maybe could’ve used another round or two of editing.

3.5 ⭐️

ARC REVIEW❤️

I really enjoyed this book.. it was sweet and easy to read romcom!
I really loved both Serena and Tyler as individuals as well as a couple. They were both going through their own personal struggles, but throughout the book they really had some growth separately as well as between the two.

However, there's was one spicy scene that I think shouldn't have been in the book. It felt very spur of the moment and if that wasn’t in the book, I could see this as being a really good YA novel! I feel it is a very great story that could relate to the young ones.

But all in all, I really did enjoy the book and the story!

Thank you NetGalley and Seraphina Chen for the arc.

“you’re not average, serena. you’re far more than average. you’re out of this world.”

okay lets start by saying, i’m not forcing you to add this book to the tippy top of your tbr but 👀👀👀 i HIGHLY encourage it !!!!

for a debut novel this was amazing !!! honestly seraphina, girl, give yourself a damn pat on the back for this masterpiece. usually i am not a fan of coming of age stories as they usually fall so flat for me, and often a little cringe, but this was so perfectly done i totally forgot that it was classified as just that!

“serena, i want you to live your life. whether you got to college, travel the world, or anything really, i want you to live. i meant it, like truly live your life.”

after being homeschooled for most of her life, serena attends high school with her best friend, opening up new opportunities, new adventures, and most importantly, fresh starts. i loved this so much, we saw her struggles coming back into cheer; all the personal growth and the chaos that came with high school!

tyler may just take the #1 position for golden retriever boyfriend 👀 mans was whipped from the start and was ordering thai green tea DAILY just to see her face… obsessed, i am here for it. i loved how these two found comfort in each others loss, how their friendship formed through tutoring sessions and than turned into something more.

overall this was such a heartwarming read, a perfect slow with a dash of spice. i 1000% recommend picking this one up!

“i have one question for you.”
“ask away, sunshine”
“will you stay?”
“for as long as you’ll have me.”

thank you again to both seraphina and netgallery for giving me the opportunity to receive this ARC <3

wonderstruck is a story about young teenage love, following the lives of tyler and serena. two seniors in high school trying to navigate through their personal struggles.

this book was a sweet and short read. It was very fast paced and it was easy to relate to the characters especially serena and how she feels like she has to be perfect all the time, also finding it hard to handle disappointment and failure (she's just like me). i love how tyler was so patient and gentle with serena and the way both serena and tyler supported each other when they needed it. i loved how they were both very open with each other and trusted the other, it was very heartwarming to read about it.

however there were somethings that made me bring down the rating of this book. firstly the story felt a bit rushed and i feel like the book could have been a bit longer to allow me as a reader to really get the full effect of everything. it just felt like things were happening like BAM BAM BAM especially when the spicy scene happened it felt very unnatural and kind of random. i also didn't enjoy the high amount of modern references in this book, which has always been and ick of mine when a book mentions anything related to tiktok.

overall this was a fun book to read, and i would recommend it to anyone looking for a faced paced quick romance read. thank you to Seraphina Chen and NetGalley for providing me with this arc!!

tropes:
➢he falls first
➢brother's best friend
➢coming of age
➢friends to lovers
➢cheerleader x lacrosse

4⭐️

This book was really cute. I loved both our main characters Serena and Tyler.

I just want to say thank you to NetGalley and the author Seraphina Chen for trusting me to read and review your book.

I think it was quite a good book considering it was a debut book. I can’t wait to read other books this author writes.

✨ARC Review ✨

A beautiful, cute, clean, heartfelt teen rom-com... That's how I would like to describe wonderstruck. And yes, if you love "To all the boys I have lived before" you might like this one.

The story is about grief, abandonment and trust issues, with someone who struggles with getting closure. And that too with a backdrop of teen romance. Serena and Tyler reminded me of two other fictional couples, Lara Jean Covey - Peter Kavinsky, and Rory - Dean from Gilmore Girls. Tyler is the best boyfriend any teen could hope for.

For a debut novel, I loved it. The story telling was good, I loved the side characters, especially aunt Lina, Jared and Alli. They are very lovable. Though the relationship started with insta-love, and honestly I was worried for a bit because of that, I liked how their relationship evolved along the story. The teen drama part was enough and not overly written. "I'm tired of not being the main character in my own story!" Yes, I really felt it when Serena said those... Afterall, we all felt that atleast once!

The only negative I could say is that some repetitiveness here and there in the book. If that was avoided, maybe this could have been a 5 star. But regardless, it's a cute, enjoyable, swoony story.

Also I'm waiting for Jared and Alli's story next!

And if these tropes excite you,
🔣 Dual POV
🔣 She is his tutor
🔣 Brother's best friend
🔣 Coming of age
🔣 Friends to Lovers
🔣 Bucket list
🔣 Cheerleader × lacrosse
🔣 Calls her sunshine
Give this a try

Thank you Author Seraphina Chen, NetGalley, and BookBuzz.net for sending me this ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.