Serious Moonlight

Jenn Bennett is very quickly becoming one of my favourite contemporary authors! Birdie was such a lovable character, (and a fitting 21st century Nora Charles!) But each character shone under their own spotlight, making them vivid, interesting people I wanted to know more about.

Enough blathering, let’s talk about what I loved:

The Vintage References
It was so refreshing to read a YA book that contained so many references to books and movies from the 1920’s - 1950’s! The author’s love for vintage eras poured through the pages. Some references were obvious, some were there for the die hard geeklings among us (“Wuv, twue wuv”)

The Relationship
Having read Alex Approximately last year, the first thing that stood out to me as being different to other contemporary books, is that Bennett shows characters ‘in’ relationships, not just skirting the edges of them. Most authors finish a story once the guy and girl get together, but Bennett shows how hard relationships can be. There’s awkwardness and arguments and head games you can play with yourself, but Bennett masterfully projects the truth into her stories: If you want the relationship to work, you gotta work for the relationship. Birdie and Daniel were a perfect example of a couple who fought past their insecurities to get that bond with each other.

Nick and Nora Charles
The first reference to The Thin Man had me squealing, so you can imagine my full blown fangirl screaming when the characters started referring to each other as Nick and Nora! Thank you, Jenn, for making my little heart so happy and for introducing a new generation to the world’s greatest detectives!

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jenn Bennett is a must-read author and always will be and Serious Moonlight has all the charm, swoons and heartache I come to expect from her. Serious Moonlight was a clever and loose retelling of Sleepless in Seattle and I love how she works in little nods to vintage pop culture. Her characters never fail to charm and her sex positive approach is always tactful and deftly written. I gobbled this up on a day and eagerly await an announcement for her next book.

I became a fan of Jenn Bennett when I read Alex, Approximately and absolutely fell in love with her writing. The way Bennett writes romance and handles various different issues from mental health to familial conflict with a gentle touch, I can never get sick of her writing and that remained true with Serious Moonlight.

At first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to fall into this book like I had with her other books because I wasn’t connecting with the main character, Birdie, but that changed pretty quickly. The novel begins with Birdie getting ready for her first day—night, actually—of work at a hotel. This is Birdie’s first real job, because her grandmother, who recently passed away, was incredibly strict. Birdie has lived a pretty sheltered life since her mother died when she was 10 and she went to live with her grandparents on an island near Seattle. However, Birdie is ready to put herself out there…kind of.

She may have gotten a little excited the first time she discovered freedom when she was looking for a job a little while before where the novel begins. It was then that she met Daniel Aoki at the Moonlight Diner. Instantly attracted to him and feeling daring, she ended up losing her virginity to him in the back of his car. Naturally, as soon as it was over Birdie freaked out and she ran, determined to never see him again. That was until she realized the guy driving the van during her shift at the hotel was Daniel himself. Awkward.

Though Birdie wanted to do everything but talk about that night or even interact with Daniel at all, Daniel had different plans. Knowing that Birdie was obsessed with mysteries he enlists her to help him solve a mystery at the hotel. Unable to resist, Birdie agreed to be partners with Daniel and sleuthing ensued. Together, they looked for clues about a mysterious guest at the hotel and along the way Birdie was forced to confront her feelings for Daniel and what they did in the back of his car.

Thankfully, Birdie had the help of her Aunt Mona, who wasn’t really her aunt but her mom’s best friend, and her Grandpa to help her figure out the mystery as well as her relationship, or lack thereof, with Daniel. Still, figuring out what she wanted was one thing, but actually doing something about it was something totally different.

Besides the adorable romance in this novel and the mystery, I was fascinated by Birdie’s struggles with undiagnosed narcolepsy. I can’t remember ever reading a book about someone, particularly a teen, struggling with narcolepsy and I thought Bennett handled it perfectly. In addition, Bennett also discussed mental health issues in a way that I would love to see more of. I won’t go into it because spoilers, but I really liked how everything was discussed between the characters.

All in all, this was another win for Bennett in my book. She has yet to disappoint me and at this point I doubt she ever will. Make sure to pick this book up when it’s released.

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 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.

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.