If you want a super sweet and fast paced high school romance, this one is definitely for you!! It’s dual pov and friends to lovers (which we love thank you very much) and honestly it was really fun to read. The only problem for me was that at one point it got a little bit repetitive but otherwise it was good. Extra points for how the relationship between Serena & Tyler developed.

Wonderstruck by Seraphina Chen is a wonderful story about teenage love and character.

This book had me laughing, giggling at all the friendship interactions, and Aunt Lina. The characters were fleshed out, and I felt that I knew them by heart. Especially because some of the them felt relatable to some experiences that I have been through in my own life. I was able to connect with each of the characters, and share my love for Thai Green Tea. I mean, it truly is the best drink for a summers day.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Serena and Tyler. The way that they trusted each other was something I hope to experience sometime in my life. They were patient, and caring, always having each others back. It was the cutest thing to see when reading this book.

However, one thing that stuck out to me in this book was the fact that the characters were 18 going into senior year. I felt that this came across as a little unrealistic compared to my own experiences. Additionally the fact that Serena has been accepted to schools like Duke and Clemson via early acceptance even before she went into senior year also stuck out to me as odd.

It also felt like there was a bit of repetitiveness around the last 50% of the book, and a spice scene that was a bit random.

However, none of this stuff detracted from the content of the book!

However, none of these things detracted from the content of the story!

Overall, I really had a fun time reading this book, and enjoyed this cute romance!

Thank you to Netgally and BookBuzz for accepting my request and allowing me to review this!

“It’s much easier to keep them locked away, buried beneath layers of rationalization and denial. Because saying it out loud makes it real, and real means that it has the power to change everything.”

This teen rom-com was such a cute, heartfelt story about learning to take a risk in opening up your heart to others and learning to forgive yourself for things that happened in the past. I really enjoyed Seraphina Chen’s debut novel with her lovable characters. Serena and Tyler reminded me so much of Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before so if you like those books or movies, you’ll likely enjoy this book! 💞

I related to Serena in her quiet demeanour in front of others but extroverted ways with her friends. As an Asian girl, I totally understood her struggles with wanting to be perfect to make her family proud even though it wasn’t attainable and realistic. There’s a lot of internal pressure that she has about wanting to move on from the past and embrace being vulnerable in front of people she loves, which I identified with. She does talk quite a bit about not wanting to be abandoned even though she gave the cold shoulder a lot to Tyler and her friends when she went through bad times. Overall, I liked her character development throughout the book and I’m glad she was finally able to let her walls down.

I also felt I related to Tyler in how he never wants to be a burden on his family and how he would prioritize them over and over again. He’s very loving and selfless, especially when respecting Serena’s space even though he struggles to contain his feelings for her and the fear he has about losing his friendship with her amidst his growing feelings. I thought it was really important to show someone respecting the other’s space in a ya romance because it’s a healthy way that Tyler was able to support her whether or not he realizes it at those times.

I liked how Serena and Tyler’s relationship started off with them being strangers, friends, and then lovers. This is a slow burn romance that I really enjoyed reading and although it was based off of initial attraction from their first meeting, I think the author did a good job of showing how their relationship progressed more thoroughly and how they got to know each other on a deeper level. There is one explicit scene of spice that was a little unexpected since it was marketed as young adult; I think I would consider this closer to a contemporary romance. I think there could have been less telling of how they got close and more showing of how their little moments together added to their fondness of each other ☀️

I liked the conversation that Serena had with Cassie and how there was a mutual understanding and respect between them by the end of it. I thought it was really refreshing for her to get closure with the initial antagonist of the story since you don’t usually see that much in books. I also really enjoyed seeing Jared’s protectiveness over Serena and I would’ve loved to see more scenes of them together!

There were a few instances where the writing switched from past to present tense, but overall I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and it made for a super fast, enjoyable read that reminded me of my favourite rom-com movies! Hopefully we get to see Jared and Alli’s relationship in a future book!

Tropes: 💕
- 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

Thank you to NetGalley and Seraphina Chen for giving me the opportunity to receive an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! 💜

Wonderstruck by Seraphina Chen is the authors debut novel, but is nothing short of amazing. Most of the time, with an authors first book you can tell by the writing that it is the first but with Wonderstruck that was not the case.

Wonderstruck follows Serena as she begins her senior year of high school, and the first year that she hasn't been homeschooled since middle school. One day while working a shift at the coffee shop she works at, Tyler Westman walks through the door and orders the drink that Serena has come up with on the menu, a drink that almost no one orders. They begin to interact with each other, finding themselves at the same places until she begins her senior year at the high school where is deemed the "golden boy" of the school.

When she begins tutoring him in Math and they begin to spend even more time together, things begin to change. Find out what happens between them by reading this book by Seraphina Chen!

Tropes:
- cheerleader x lacrosse player
- he fell first
- she tutors him
- friends to lovers
- brothers best friend
- dual pov
- high school romance

Thank you to Netgalley and Seraphina for providing me with an ARC of this book and I can not wait to read more by this author!

Thankyou so much netgalley and Serephina for allowing me to read this!

Such a cute, fluffy, quick read!

Serena and Tyler are both at the end of their high school years and aren’t quite fully aware of their true identity and who they are as a person yet. This book has managed to encapture this really well and show what it is like throughout school. Triggering topics may be bullying and grief but there is a lovely story of self discovery. Both characters had amazing undeniable chemistry and he falls first!

I absolutely loved the sunshine x sunshine trope and the characters were easy to relate to, I managed to read this in one sitting and it was super enjoyable, hence why i couldnt put it down!

First of all, I'd like to thank you for the enormous privilege I had of reading this book before its release.
I always feel nostalgic when I read books about adolescence, and reading this one gave me a lot of feelings. Serena and Tyler are INCREDIBLE characters that I loved so much. It was so nice to see how essential one of them was in the other's life.
I miss when my worries in life were the same as theirs, adolescence is a good time that never comes back. Very interesting book!

I absolutely love this book!! It was so cute.
Rate: 5/5
Spice: 1/5

Serena is a high school senior that was homeschooled the past 3 years. She wanted to venture out, so she decided to go to public school for her last year. One day, while at work, she meets a guy named Tyler. She secretly had a crush on him, but little did she know, he liked her too. They end up going to the same high school, where she becomes his tutor for trig. The started off as friends, but the more they are around each other and learning about one another, they start to develop strong feelings. She's had a lot of bad things happen to her, that she is afraid of letting people in.

Tyler doesn't give up on her, no matter how hard she pushes him away. She finally faces all of her demons and lets him in. They have a rocky start, but he's constantly always there for her when she needs him.

I would 100% recommend this book when it comes out!!

I recently read Wonderstruck by Seraphina Chen and absolutely loved it! This book is like a warm hug, a cozy read that I savored every second of. Both the MCs have an undeniable chemistry that made me root for them from the start. I especially enjoyed the friends-to-lovers dynamic, which added depth to their relationship. Beyond being a delightful romance, Wonderstruck explores personal growth and development, showing how characters evolve together. I devoured this book in just one day—it was that captivating! Huge thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a very cute high school sweetheart book, easy to read and the characters are good.

Wonderstruck is about Serena and Tyler who are in their last year of high school and are going through hard times trying to understand who they are and what they want to do in the future. The book explores grief, bullying, the challenges of high school and self-discovery.

The chemistry between Serena and Tyler is lovely. Loved how he called her sunshine and how he was head over heels for her.

When I started the book I was really enjoying it until I got around the 60% of the book, it felt kind of repetitive in my opinion, the modern references were annoying me and it made it less enjoyable for me. There was also one spice scene (the only one) which I feel that was really random and I think it shouldn’t be in the book since it kind of started being a YA romance and that scene was like throw in there out of nowhere 🤷🏻‍♀️

💌 tropes:
-friends to lovers
-brother’s best friend
-cheerleader x lacrosse player
-dual pov
-he falls first
-bucket list
-coming of age

Thank you NetGalley and Seraphina Chen for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for a honest review.

“And there goes that laugh, the one I want to add to my favorite playlist and keep on repeat.”

This book is absolutely adorable! It’s the first book in a WHILE that has caught my attention and kept it. I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole time! Tyler is such a golden retriever boyfriend, loved him so much. 🥹 Definitely will be buying all future books from this author!!

~Thank you to Netgalley and Seraphina Chen for an E-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ~

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

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. I appreciated that while it is heavily romance focused, there are aspects of the book that deal with each individual character experience, adding to the depth of the characters. I’m a sucker for sunshine x sunshine and was so excited to see it in this book, and it was done perfectly in my opinion, without like being suffocatingly sunshine. I loved reading it, I found the writing really compelling and the plot was easily digestible.

thank you to NetGalley and BookBuzz for allowing me to review this!

For a debut novel it was really impressive! The plot and storyline really hooked me and the characters were very fun to read about. Fast paced, cheesy, cute; I was giggling and blushing like a school girl!

ARC Review 📚📝✨
Book: Wonderstruck
Author: Seraphina Chen
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a cute Coming of Age book (it does contain once spicy scene). I liked the issues addressed in this book the main characters have to deal with grief, bullying, friendship and love as well as their own anxiety and insecurities. I do think some of the issues were rushed but I know it’s impossible to address everything. Over all it was super cute and I enjoyed it a lot!!! I love that it was a dual POV so we got to see what Serena and Tyler were thinking. If you want a quick and fun read check this book out!

“I don’t think anyone can move on after a loved one’s death…..You just wake up one day feeling less sad. Other days, it hits you like a wave.”

Serena has been homeschooled for the past 3 years due to the stress of bullying now she is ready to go to school and enjoy her senior year with her best friend.

She meets Tyler while working at her part time job in a Boba Shop. Tyler has his own things going on with the responsibility of taking care of his sister and helping his dad around the house while being part of the lacrosse team and trying to keep up his grades.

While they both try to get through their senior year they start a friendship that helps them overcome some of their issues and they are able to grow and open up to each other

#wonderstruck #netgalley #bookworm #bookaddict #booknerd #YAbooks #romancebooks

ARC Review: Wonderstruck by Seraphina Chen

This slow burn high school romance was a great read! Tyler, the high school senior jock on the lacrosse team, falls fast and hard for Serena, the former homeschool shy girl that ends up going to public school her senior year. They start off as friends, meeting at a Boba Shop, and eventually tread the territory to become lovers. Their bond grows as they both have moments of vulnerabilities. They are a match made in heaven.
Rating: 4/5

Firstly, thank you so much Netgalley and Seraphina for providing me with an ARC of this wonderful book.
•
As soon as I started it, I knew I was gonna enjoy this book a lot. The movies, books and song references were really nice, and the book even had a playlist at the beginning. I really loved the nickname that they had for each other. Serena's growth and development was impressive. This book isn’t just about their romance but also about them figuring out themselves. I absolutely adored Tyler and how supportive and loving he was towards Serena. Their relationship was so sweet. The friendships in this book were so strong and were also an integral part of it. Reading this book really made me crave boba tea and egg rolls.
This book although a teen romance is 18+. There was a spice scene in the book that could be skipped if that’s not your vibe. I sometimes felt that some chapters ended a bit abruptly, and smoother transitions could have been made when the scene changed in the same chapter, but that's just me nitpicking. Overall, I had a lovely time reading it.
•
Tropes:
dual pov
he falls first and harder
she's his tutor
friends to lovers
cheerleader x lacrosse player
brother’s friend

Cozy book+cozy evening = five stars

Serena was always cautious when she was younger. It wasn't the path she wanted, but it kept her safe from the outside world and protected her from revisiting her emotional trauma. Now, as she prepares for her senior year at Skyline High School, Serena is set on living her life for herself. She has no idea that high school isn’t always like the movies.
Tyler Westman found high school pretty easy up until his senior year, when he had to juggle responsibilities at home and school. On top of lacrosse, maintaining friendships, caring for his sister and improving his grades for college applications, it’s becoming an endless juggling act. But there's more to him than meets the eye. He's got a desire for something more genuine than fleeting popularity and the attention that comes with it. When he meets Serena, a girl with a strong personality, he'll find himself drawn to her like never before.
As Serena tries to find her place in the chaos of high school and growing up, she feels like an outsider in her own story. But with Tyler tagging along, she'll start to see the silver lining in the teenage turmoil. And as Tyler gets to know Serena, he'll find there's more to her than meets the eye.

I like this story. Its funny, cozy and a little bit spice. Serena is cute and Tylor is true golden retriver. Its Sraphina Chen's debute novel and she did her job perfect.

Thank Netgalley for providing ARC of this book.

it’s a debut novel (i believe) which makes some differences in a way i review.

i want to begin with writing and plot, which i find interesting and likable for teens. i find the idea of this book being perfect for readers who want to read clean romance about high school sweethearts. it’s nice, sweet and comfortable.

however, there are a lot of details that made this novel not as enjoyable for me. main character, serena, was annoying from time to time. i hated her saying something, like “i don’t live a typical teenage life”. are you sure? i’m literally have sameeeeee life as you. homeschooled student who works and have only couple of friends. it’s more common among teenagers than you think. i’m not judging about her favorite book choice 👀 but i do always mention, that i hate a lot of modern references. i am the biggest Taylor Swift fan, who mentions Taylor at least 20 times a day, but i’m tired of her references in books, especially cruel summer…

what i did like was chemistry between main characters. i loved the way he called her sunshine (even though sometimes it wasn’t relevant) and friends bonds mentioned in this book. it’s common for authors to forget about friends right after main couple is together, but here friendship was such a big part of a story.

overall, it’s a good romance that require some attention to details. less modern references and more emotions. there is so much potential ☀️

High school romance, a little bit confusing to follow at parts but a really good story about 18 year old Serena who has been home schooled due to bullying in the past decides to liver her life for senior year and enrolled into high school! Tyler falls for the girl in the boba shop but doesn’t ask for her number, what are the chances of them meeting again on the first day of school!
Check the trigger warnings before you read this one as I could see it being triggering for some people! The storyline is really good however the main characters use of bad language seemed very off character for her in parts. Also got a little spicy scene in 🌶️
🌟🌟🌟🌟

I really enjoyed everyting about this book, the characters, the romance, the side stories, and especially Tyler. We all need a Tyler in our lives. He was definitely added to my list of book boyfriends.

Heres to hoping the next book is about Ali and Jared!!!

Thank you NetGalley and BookBuzz for a copy of this book(:

The story is about Serena Inthavong and Tylor Westman, both high school seniors, starting to arrange everything for new experiences. Serena has been homeschooled since she was 13 and now, at her father's wish, wants to experience the outside world. Tylor, the Skyline lacrosse captain, is trying to keep his grades up for college and has gone on a dating hiatus to avoid distractions. However, after meeting Serena, things began to change.

The book is set in the teenage years, a formative time when personalities and feelings develop significantly. It describes the evolution of the teenage mind toward maturity, highlighting how the characters start to prioritize their lives more seriously. Serena hasn't had the typical teenage experience. Her mother left, and her life circumstances have made her a complete introvert. However, she decides to participate in her last year of high school to experience life more fully. Tylor, on the other hand, has experienced every stage of high school life and now, in his senior year, is focused on his future and family.

The book shows that balance is essential, especially when preparing for adulthood. While Serena wants to experience fun times, Tylor is focused on getting serious. The book’s fast pace is suitable for a story about teenagers, with Serena and Tylors’s attraction beginning from their first encounter.

The book’s strength lies in its accurate description of 18- and 19-year-olds' concerns, which can resonate even with older readers. The additional pictures from high school events add a nostalgic touch. However, some aspects might seem trivial to older readers, which could make the book less engaging for them. I rate the book 3 out of 5 and its excitement level at 2 out of 5. If you crave a trip down memory lane, particularly with a focus on cheerleaders and high school life, this book is a good choice.