Reviewed for Wit and Sin

Serious Moonlight makes my heart sing. Romance, mystery, characters you can root for, and sparkling dialogue – what’s not to love? I found this book to be utterly irresistible and I absolutely hated whenever I had to put it down.

Birdie and Daniel grabbed my heart from the first and didn’t let go. Birdie spent the first ten years of her life being raised by her mother and eccentric aunt, but after her mother died she was raised by grandparents who sheltered her from everything. Now she is venturing out into the world, a smart, kind eighteen-year-old who may be slightly naïve, but is still an interesting, endearing heroine whose passion for mysteries is simply infectious. She’s cautious in the beginning of the story for reasons that make sense and I loved watching her spread her wings and grow as a character of the course of the book. As for Daniel…well, I absolutely loved him and thinking about him makes me smile even now that I’ve finished the book. On the surface, he’s sunshine. He charmed my socks off immediately and he’s a sweet, funny, slightly quirky hero. But there is more to Daniel than meets the eye and I loved watching Birdie pull back the layers and learn the whole of him. Neither of them is perfect, but they’re perfectly adorable together. When they team up to solve a mystery of a reclusive author meeting someone at the hotel where they both work the nightshift, they perfectly channel a younger (and far more sober) Nick and Nora Charles. The mystery storyline is fun and it allows Birdie and Daniel to grow closer so their romance develops organically. The two of them are magic together and made the pages of Serious Moonlight fly by.

Serious Moonlight isn’t all sprightly banter between teenage sleuths. There are very real mental and physical health issues present in this book. Jenn Bennett handles these realistic issues with honesty and sensitivity. She also showcases various types of family units and Birdie and Daniel’s families endeared themselves to me every bit as much as the main pair (especially Birdie’s vivacious Aunt Mona). This is also a sex-positive story, which is wonderful to see. All of these elements come together to ground the story in reality and Ms. Bennett seamlessly weaves them in with the lighter, quirkier parts of the book.

I absolutely loved Serious Moonlight. I happened to read it after a particularly trying week at work and it lifted my mood when nothing else could. Jenn Bennett’s writing is flawless, her characters vibrant and endearing, and the story is funny, heartwarming, and completely unforgettable.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

In this delightfully charming teen spin on You’ve Got Mail, the one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet.

Classic movie buff Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online by “Alex.” Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.

Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new arch-nemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever-it-is she’s starting to feel for Porter.

And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.

Spolier Alert: They were searching but hiding from each other but they just didn't know it.

Alex Approximately by Jenn Bennett is such a cute book. I really liked this book. When I saw that this author had another book out, I had to grab it and read it straight away. I really enjoyed her other book Night Owls that I knew I was going to enjoy this book as well.

"Bailey Rydell has found the boy of her dreams. 'Alex' is smart and sweet and loves the same movies as her. The only problem? They haven't met... So when Bailey moves to California to be with her dad, who happens to live in the same town as her online crush, she decides to use all her detective skills to track him down. Turns out, it's not easy finding someone when you don't even know they real name. And with the irritating but charismatic local surfer distracting her at every turn, will she ever get meet the mysterious 'Alex'?"

With goal to meet 'Alex' in the new town she has moved in, she is forced by her dad to work at the local museum where the local surfer boy works. Sparks fly. She gets her scooter taken by someone and through it all the local boy helps her, they fall for each other and through all of this they discover that they have known each other a lot longer. 

This book was such an easy read, the way it was written just made me read it fast. I have read from this author before and finished that book in a day. 

I LOVED this book! 

A strong 5/5 stars! Highly recommend this book swell!

I'm struggling to find books I don't like! I just like every book I get...

-Sarah 

Super cute, fun and quick read. If you like adventure stories with that added teenage romance in it you'll love this one.