Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Pulse for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
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. (Goodreads)
A cute quirky romance
I read Alex, Approximately last year and have been a Jenn Bennett fan since. While Alex, Approximately is still my favorite this one is a close second. This book references Columbo, Murder She Wrote and Veronica Mars, that alone makes it pretty amazing. As with all Jenn Bennett books, the characters are a little quirky and very likable. I love Birdie and her wanting to be a detective. I adore Daniel and his banter. And Aunt Mona, well she is the best! I like that these characters, like all the characters in Jenn Bennett’s books, are not meant to be perfect but rather realistic.
The mystery was entertaining, though the resolution was a bit of a let down if I’m honest, not just because I figured it out before the reveal, I just didn’t like it. However, the mystery was a very important element and I did enjoy Daniel using that to lure Birdie into spending time with him.
There were two things for me that kept this from being a 5 star read. The first was that Birdie was just a little too wishy-washy. She didn’t have any confidence, and while yes I understand why, I think with a maternal figure like Aunt Mona she would have had a little more. I also would have liked to see more of a relationship with Birdie and her grandfather. There were some hints, but I wanted them to have a heart to heart scene about Birdie’s mother and grandmother.
Another wonderful read by Jenn Bennett!
Overall Rating: 4