Romantically Involved: Review: Serious Moonlight

Title: Serious Moonlight
Author: Jen Bennett
Summary: (taken from Goodreads) After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.

My Thoughts

Oh this book was adorable. I loved it from start to finish. It has fun, kooky, and flawed characters. Birdie is naive, to the point of being awkward and sometimes annoying. But, it is so realistic when you peel the layers and look at how she was raised, and her insecurities make complete sense. Daniel is a cinnamon roll. I wanted to protect him and love him. He's not perfect, but he is truly just trying his best to be a good guy. I love love love that he doesn't judge Birdie when she does and says completely weird and awkward things. Is he perfect, no? Does he make mistakes? yes. But it makes him so believable.

I LOVED the old fashioned mystery element to the story. Birdie and Daniel decide to become a modern day Nick and Nora Charles. They actively seek out a mystery and take great pleasure in spending time together trying to find clues. It's a significant part of the story, and had me all sorts of wanting to find a cute little cozy mystery to read after this. I really feel like Seattle was the perfect backdrop to their mystery solving adventures.

Final Thoughts

This is a sweet story, and it is unique to a lot of YA Contemporary out there. I highly recommend reading it. Birdie and Daniel are adults though, and they do partake in some adult activities. There is sex (fade to black, but there) and light drug use, which is legal in Washington, but not nation wide, and definitely not for teens. I'd say 16 year olds and older would probably do great with this story. Maybe, not younger teens though.

My Rating