This one wasn’t what I expected but I also kind of was if that makes sense. It was somewhat predictable but very fun to read! The beginning was slow, but after they meet at midnight the book picks up pace and becomes a lot better!

The review will be divided into two parts, the first half of the book and the second
The First Half
Um wow. I loved it. The humor was spot on and I couldn't help but laugh. Sid and Ash pulled some phenomenal pranks on each other and it was great.
The Second Half
Around the 44% mark, this book started turning into a romance. There were not really any pranks pulled, and the ones that were pulled were hardly mentioned. There was no humor and I did not enjoy reading it. I did not finish this book, choosing instead to quit at 80%.
Another Additional Note
Sid and Ash are both going to swim in college, yet they did not practice much over the summer. I find that highly unlikely just based off of how much swim kids at my high school practice.
All and all, this book was not my favorite and I will not be reading more by Pennington.

Rating: 2 Stars
Content: Cannot receive a rating due to the fact that I DNF.

*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

I really enjoyed this book! I love the hate to love trope so much, I found Meet Me at Midnight so easy to read and speed right through because I just wanted to devour Sidney and Asher’s relationship. I did find that it almost slowed down a bit towards the end but I don’t really have an issue with that, it was a lot of a whirlwind for the most part so having a more settled, mellow ending evened it out a bit. All in all I would definitely recommend for a good fluffy summer read!

This is my favorite book of Pennington's yet. I've loved all of them, but Meet Me at Midnight stands out in a way I can't quite put words to. I think part of it is the growth in Pennington's writing, which is bound to come with each book she writes. And part of it is the characters, I simply loved Sidney and Asher. They are equal parts hilarious and awful, sweet and sour...much as we all are at that heading-to-college age. And maybe that's the crux of what I loved - watching their growth and maturity, and the way Pennington captures it, explains it, was masterful.

Sidney and Asher have been enemies every summer. Their parents vacation together on the lake in side-by-side cabins, which means that Sidney and Asher GET to spend every summer together. To make things interesting, they play pranks on one another, sugar in the salt shaker, that type of thing. The pranks get upped a little each year. But this year they get out of hand, and Asher asks Sidney to consider joining forces against a common enemy. Can they find a way to be friends? Or will this all end up in a bigger mess than before?

Believe me, if you love summer romances... If you love YA... If you love stories where the characters grow and see themselves in new ways... If you have a heart... you will LOVE this book.

I was immediately excited to read Meet Me At Midnight as soon as I read the blurb. It sounded like such a light and fun romantic comedy and I was excited to see how the haters-lovers relationship between the two main characters would pan out. This book ended up really surprising me. While I knew it was going to be entertaining and full of silly pranks, there was also a depth to the story that I didn't expect and that really made the book for me.

The characters are always so important to me in romantic, contemporary novels and Sidney and Asher didn't disappoint. They were both unique characters. Sidney with her social awkwardness, artistic flair and determination to succeed as a swimmer. Asher with his adorable warmth, cheeky smirks and understanding of who he is and what he wants in life. Sometimes I got a little annoyed with Sidney with her inability to trust anyone (well, Asher mainly) but on the other hand, I could really understand her and thought her flaws made her such a well-balanced character. Asher is probably my favourite of the pair, though. He's just so sweet and I really liked his playfulness and honesty. The chemistry between the pair of them was electric. I loved seeing how their relationship developed and the pacing really made the book a page-turner for me.

I loved the whole set-up with the history between them and their families staying at the Lake Houses every summer. It was such a warm and inviting atmosphere, even if these two did supposedly hate each other. It was so much fun to read about their pranks both past and present and to learn about why and when they became enemies when it's so clear they are much more than that. I just thought Sidney and Asher's story was so sweet and unique. I flew through this book in two days and I was so excited to read the second half and to be back with these characters again on the couch after work. Meet Me At Midnight was such a fun, deep and uplifting book about two teenagers learning their place in the world by the side of another and I just really enjoyed it. I really recommend it if you are looking for a wonderfully romantic and entertaining story about friendship, summer, fun, family and the perfect connection between two people.

This was a somewhat typical young adult romance. But it was sweet, it was funny, and the characters were really likeable. It was a fun easy read and I was drawn into their world.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

This cute, summer time young adult contemporary was quite predictable, a little bit corny and entirely right up my alley. The teens were believably annoying, with just the right level of chemistry. I think I'll have to reread this one nearer to the appropriate season.

This was a sweet, fun book for young adults.

Sidney and Asher's families have been vacationing on the same lake in neighboring houses for years, and the two teenagers have been involved in a prank war.

This summer, when the prank war goes too far and the families are evicted, Sidney and Asher start to discover they may have more in common than swimming, a love for pranks and competition.

The book was fun and the characters were vibrant and realistic, although I did find Sidney's inability to trust Asher to become repetitive.

The writing is crisp and I think teenagers will fall in love with Sidney and Asher.

Thanks to the author, publisher and www.NetGalley.com for my ARC

I enjoyed this cute little story! The characters were fun to read and easy to fall in love with. The story was a tad bit slow, but it picked up.


I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I received an free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book. This characters were really fun and this was honestly a real life possibility of happening situation. Sidney and Asher were so much fun. I almost wanted to hear about their prior hi-jinks more, sounded like they would have been a barrel of laughs. Love/Hate relationships are complete legit and my marriage is testatment of it. I would love to read a dozen more books like this. This is a great read!

This author is a must read for older teens and adults that enjoy contemporary YA romances. The way she writes makes me feel the all the feelings I felt with young love - I imagine many young adults will relate to the characters. I thought the two main characters were likable, had depth to their stories and had great chemistry. Really cute book, especially for readers that like hate to love romances.

Thanks to Tor Teen and NetGalley for the ARC. "Meet Me at Midnight" will be released on April 7th, 2020. (I'll be a legal adult when this goes live...scary.) 

Summary: 

Sidney and Asher should have clicked. Two star swimmers forced to spend their summers on a lake together sounds like the perfect match. But it’s the same every year—in between cookouts and boat rides and family-imposed bonfires, Sidney and Asher spend the dog days of summer finding the ultimate ways to prank each other. And now, after their senior year, they’re determined to make it the most epic summer yet.

But their plans are thrown in sudden jeopardy when their feud causes their families to be kicked out of their beloved lake houses. Once in their new accommodations, Sidney expects the prank war to continue as usual. But then she gets a note—Meet me at midnight. And Asher has a proposition for her: join forces for one last summer of epic pranks, against a shared enemy—the woman who kicked them out.

Their truce should make things simpler, but six years of tormenting one another isn’t so easy to ignore. Kind of like the undeniable attraction growing between them.
Review

This was kind of an impulse-request. I thought it sounded like it could be fun, but for whatever reason, the summary didn't seem to click with me - it wasn't an "I must have this book in my hands NOW" read. So I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed "Meet Me at Midnight." The premise, yes, is pretty unrealistic, but it's fun, and heartfelt, and kept me guessing. Sidney and Asher's rivalry is exactly the enemies-to-lovers goodness I was hoping this book would pile on, their chemistry is convincing, and I had a lot of fun with it. I loved tagging along on their adventures and partaking in their shenanigans re: the much-maligned landlord; there was never a dull moment. It was a really fun, escapist, Summer-adventures-you-always-wanted-but-never-had read, and the writing was of high quality as well. 

My main issues with this book, however, came with unresolved plot threads. There were several subplots - the one that comes to mind first is Asher's conflict with his father over career prospects - that were introduced, and mentioned in passing a few times, but never really got satisfying closure. That was less a result of a lack of resolution, and more of a result of the fact that they weren't even developed enough to have much emotional weight in the first place. I think the story would probably have been stronger if it stuck to the one central conflict. (Also, there were a few typos, but it's an ARC, so that's largely irrelevant.) 

Ultimately, "Meet Me at Midnight" was a fun, frothy summer rom-com with a surprising amount of emotional heft, but not much of that came from the many distracting side-plots. I enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend picking up a copy when it's released next April. 

ENDNOTES

Very, Very Brief Summary: teens' annual Summer prank war complicated by the introduction of pesky feelings. 

Recommended For: honestly? People who need to get their minds off of things for a while. It's the perfect book for getting away from your troubles for a few hours. 

Possible Objectionable Content: a few smatterings of strong language and some slightly intense kissing that always fades to black. 

Rating: 4/5 Befuddled Giraffes

This book was a really cute and fun read! It’s like a young adult version of The Hating Game! Sidney and Asher’s families rented houses every summer next to each other at the lake. Sidney and Asher both lived to torment and tease each other. Some of their pranks were pretty hilarious. Their pranks and antics end up getting them kicked out of their houses and lands them in one house. They team up together to prank the woman who kicked them out of their houses and begin to realize their true feelings for each other. The relationship between Sidney and Asher felt real and was well developed. The flashbacks were placed well and helpful to understand how they came to the point they are at. I would like to read more from Jessica Pennington in the future!

I have read ever book that Jessica Pennington has written and I feel each book gets better and better. This was such a adorable story that I didn't want it to end. Sidney and Asher were great characters and you'll just fall in love with them. I loved the duel point of view and found myself laughing at the antics these two pulled on each other.. This is a great read for anyone who wants a cute, funny, & clean romance novel. I can not wait to read Jessica's next book

Sydney and Asher spend their summers together at the lake with their parents. Sounds like the perfect way to fall in love right? Wrong! During the summer the two teenagers go out of their way to prank each other. On their last summer before college it’s go big or go home in the war they have.

When a prank goes horribly wrong both families are kicked out of their lake houses and forced to live together for the rest of the summer. It’s then that Sydney and Asher decide to call truce and team up to prank the woman who kicked them out of their houses. While spending so much time together in close quarters the two start to develop feelings for each other and just maybe realize the pranks from all these years have actually been a mask to hide how much they really care for each other.

I loved this book. It had hilarious scenes laced with romance and cute flashbacks that showed what started the pranks to begin with. I found my self routing for this couple from beginning to end.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Absolutely adorable! Such a fun quirky read fans of slow burn contemporary will love this! I can’t wait to read this again and again

4.5/5
This book had the perfect balance of layers and swoon.
I always love reading stories about childhood friends becoming something more, and this book took a great spin on it. I think the relationship between Sidney and Asher was developed really well; it didn't feel rushed, and I enjoyed all of their scenes together.
I would have liked to see more closure with Caleb, it seemed like he was "dismissed" really suddenly. But overall, it was a beautifully developed story that I truly enjoyed reading. I read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down, so definitely recommend!

I was not the biggest fan of this, I just couldn't get into the story. Oh well, maybe her next book will be for me :) because I liked her 2019 release

I adored this YA romance for so many reasons! This wasn't just a fluffy romance, it had layers and it had depth as these two 18 year old summer neighbors realize their feelings for each other and try to navigate their relationship. The flashbacks were delightful in adding to the present moment and helped the reader truly understand how they got to the point they are as they are about to head off to college. I really liked the pacing and this was a book I quickly devoured. If you are a fan of Anna and the French Kiss by Perkins or a fan of Kasie West, this book is for you! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ash and Sidney have been spending their holidays with their parents in the same lakes houses every year for the last 6 years. All this time they considered themselves archenemies swaping pranks with each other. This year is different, they are seniors and it's probably the last time they are spending all 2 months at the lakes. After Sidney's prank gone wrong they are forced to vacate the houses and look for other accommodation which lands them in one house. With a complete lack of trust and shared bathroom new things come into the light. It turns out that Asher has always liked Sidney insted of hating her. With years of pranking and mistrust in the past Ash and Sid try to build a relationship (although Sid is very sceptic about it).

I love love love this book! They way Ash and Sid talk to each other is an utter and ongoing flirt! With lots of swoonworthy scenes and exchanges between the characters you won't be able to book the book down till the very last pade! I highly recommend it!