A fun story about young love, adventure, and friendship. Definitely recommend for your good vibes TBR!

“What Happens After Midnight” tore me apart and then put me right back together again!

I was invested in Lily and Tag at the very outset and held on to hope that they would be able to mend their relationship by the novel’s end. Walther’s newest release is written solely from Lily Hopper’s point-of-view as she embarks on one last adventure with the senior class jester, who just so happens to be her ex-boyfriend Tag, in stealing the class yearbooks. As one of the jester’s fools, Lily works with Tag to leave clues hinting at the yearbooks’ whereabouts around campus for the senior class president to find. Visiting certain locations on campus trigger memories about her past relationship with Tag, shedding light on the whirlwind romance they once had and what led to their eventual split. Lily vows that once the night is over, she will put her past with Tag behind her. The more time she spends with him, however, the harder she falls for him all over again. Little does she know that Tag orchestrated the whole night in an attempt to win her back.

Walther creates an immersive experience by ensuring that her fictional boarding school is representative of real schools by creating diverse characters that are a part of the student population, which I greatly admired. Walther spreads awareness about diabetes through Tag, who has a type 1 diagnosis, and gives her readers opportunities to see themselves in her characters and their different cultural backgrounds and sexual orientations.

Like her debut novel, “What Happens After Midnight” is formatted in a unique way. Each section of the book is separated by the different clues Tag and Lily hide as part of their senior prank. Walther also sprinkles in Taylor Swift references throughout the book, further drawing me in and contributing to its playful atmosphere.

After reading and loving The Summer of Broken Rules last year, I was soooo excited to receive an ARC for What Happens After Midnight! What Happens After Midnight is the perfect cross between Gilmore Girls, Zoey 101, and Gold Rush by Taylor Swift! I loved the Taylor references but at times there were so many that I think they felt a little forced but it still made the reading experience so much fun. WHAM was a perfect way to kick off the summer reading season!

What I liked:
•Second chance romance
•Campus romance
•Every side character has a purpose which is so refreshing
•Tag and Lily have the cutest nicknames for each other
•Tag and Lily’s relationship in general…so sweet and pure!
•Taylor references <3
•Lily’s relationship with her mom!! It was majorly giving Lorelai and Rory Gilmore vibes
•I found the plot very fun! I love how What Happens After Midnight and The Summer of Broken Rules both revolved around games/pranks! K.L. Walther writes this theme very well!

Things I wish were different:
•I wish there was an epilogue with Tag and Lily in college. I know DC and Virginia aren’t far from each other but I would still like the confirmation that they have a happily every after.

Typos I caught:
In the physical ARC there was a typo on page 139. The quote reads “We also want to take steal some chairs from inside the buildings.” The “take” or the “steal” should be removed.

A fun end of the school year/start of summer book full of second chances, high school shenanigans and first love. This book was full of fun pop culture references and brought me back to fun high school memories when I could forget about responsibilities for an evening and stay out all night pulling pranks. I loved reading about Lily and Tag finding their way back to each other.

This book was absolutely the perfect read for me! I adored K.L. Walther's last book - "The Summer of Broken Rules" - and was anticipating this next read. "What Happens After Midnight" had the same carefree, young love, squealing-in-my-seat, Taylor Swift-referencing charm as TSOBR.

"What Happens After Midnight" is about Lily Hopper - a senior about to graduate from boarding school, and fears she has missed out on all that high school has to offer. Her mom is a faculty member, so Lily has been mostly working on keeping her grades up, staying out of trouble, and trying to not be seen as only a "facul-brat". She gets an anonymous email inviting her to take part in the end-of-year senior prank ran by "The Jester" - an anonymous senior, hand-selected by the previous year's Jester. She quickly realizes that this year's Jester is Taggart Swell, her popular ex-boyfriend whom she still has feeling for (even if she is the one that broke it off). The plan this year: steal the yearbooks and make the school President (and a reluctant Lily's prom date) Daniel go on an intricate scavanger hunt to find them. Lily and Tag end up spending a night together, setting up the clues along with a handful of their classmates - and, of course, end up rehashing their relationship.

What I absolutely LOVED about this book was that it gave me the exact vibes of a 2000s teenage rom-com. Something like "10 Things I Hate About You" or "Booksmart" (not early-2000s, I know). It was fun, sweet, had so many Taylor Swift and Schitt's Creek references, and built up some fun characters. Lily and Tag's dynamic was adorable and also felt right for their ages - they're both stumbling through big feelings for one another, that first love breaking down over insecurities and miscommunication, and both unsure how to approach each other. The hijinks and night they had together evolved beautifully, and the side characters were so fun. I especially loved Lily's mom - their relationship was very Lorelei/Rory but in an homage-way, and not a forced way. This is a YA, and is the perfect read for a fun, breezy (but still surprisingly emotional!), summer read. The Rhode Island vibes are immaculate, and the way Walther builds up the storyline makes you feel like you're with them on the journey.

Adored this, and am thankful for the opportunity to read the ARC!


Booksmart, Gilmore Girls, 2000s rom-com,

<b>WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT</b> by K.L. Walther

<b><i>Perfect for Fans of...</i></b>

🏫 Boarding School
💞 Second Chance Romance
🏨 Schitt's Creek References
🎵 Not-So-Subtle Nods to Taylor Swift
🛴 Coming-of-Age

Such a sweet, playful YA rom-com that will be perfect for the beach or pool. Fans of Walther's <i>Broken Rules</i> will be thrilled with this offering. I actually liked it even better than last year's summer hit. The whole concept of the Jester and the shenanigans that ensued was both hilarious and so much fun.

Walther was also able to pull of a really tender second chance romance that tugged on my heart strings for sure. A lot of YA romance writers fail to effectively deliver complex emotions, but Walther did it with ease. Tag and Lily were easy to love and so were their band of misfits. Great characterization.

My only real critique (and honestly, the reason I give it a 4/5) was the fact that even though I love Taylor Swift as much as the next die-hard Swiftie, I found it REALLY hard to focus on the story with the random references thrown in for no real reason. It was distracting and unnecessary, and this is coming from someone who LOVES Taylor. At one point, it was happening every other line, and I found it annoying rather than charming. It's a great read that could've stood on it's own and didn't need this additional layer. A few Easter eggs might've been sweet, but this? Meh. The book was good without it. Just my two cents.

I would definitely add this to a classroom library. I'd say grades 8 and up. There is some cursing and very closed-door romantic scenes.

I absolutely loved The Summer of Broken Rules and picked this up after.

What Happens After Midnight is a lighthearted and fun rom-com perfect for fans of romantic comedies and shows such as Gilmore Girls, Schitts Creek, Sweet Magnolias etc.

The teenage romance felt 'real' - I could see elements of my own school relationships within the story and so I am sure teenagers would love to endulge themselves in the familiar woes of teen love that feature in these pages.

This wasn't a book that left me reeling or begging for more BUT it was sweet, feel good and enjoyable. A great summer read even if it isn't book of the year.

I absolutely loved The Summer of Broken Rules so I was really excited to read What Happens After Midnight. Unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. There were some things I enjoyed about it, but it didn’t have the same magic that Broken Rules had. Lily, our MC, took a really long time to grow on me. She just felt really bland to me for most of the book. I did enjoy her interactions with Tag and Alex though. They seemed to brighten her up a bit. And speaking of, Tag and Alex were a damn delight. I love a good bromance and theirs was done very well. I also liked the general premise of the book with its boarding school setting and end of senior year secret prank, but the pacing of the actual prank just felt really off. I think maybe if we had had more time in the day or two leading up to the midnight prank, the pacing would have felt more even. I did like where the story went after the prank though. And, I never thought I’d say this as a major Swiftie, but the song title and lyrics references were waaaaaay heavy handed. About half of them worked into the dialogue and story very well, but the other half just felt really awkward and out of place. Overall, I liked this one, but I didn’t love it. I do think there will be plenty of readers who really enjoy it though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m very grateful that I received an advanced copy of this book. It will be available to everyone on June 27th and it’s by the same amazing author who wrote The Summer of Broken Rules! This was a super cute young adult book! It was full of Taylor Swift and Schitt’s Creek references, it was such a fun book that is centered around a huge senior prank. I would recommend this book if you want something lighthearted to read! It would be a great book to pick up this summer. I also think in some aspects it gives off Gilmore Girls vibes as well, which is always a great time since I’m obsessed with that show!

Although I can see why others love What Happens After Midnight, I have to admit that this book wasn’t for me.

I’ve recently found myself venturing back into the YA genre, and while I really like the premise of this book, I found that the pacing was slow, which made it difficult to immerse myself in the story. It also read much younger than I anticipated.

I DNF’d around 30%, but I enjoyed the Taylor Swift references and friends-to-lovers/second-chance tropes. I currently have The Summer of Broken Rules on my TBR, and I believe every book has a time and a place, so I may pick this one back up over the summer to give it a second chance of its own.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A second chance YA romance with a senior prank planned scavenger hunt at a Rhode Island boarding school filled with Gilmore Girls vibes, Schitt’s Creek and Taylor Swift references. Lily is a good girl that gets an email from The Jester, an anonymous classmate asking her to be part of the senior prank. Lily replies yes and finds out the Jester is her ex-boyfriend Tag, who she still pines for.

Lily and Tag were really cute and I was rooting for them to rekindle their relationship. I didn’t find the dual timelines depicting their relationship hard to follow. The friendships with the other characters were just as engaging and relatable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this eARC. What Happens After Midnight is an airy and fast summer read and comes out June 27th, 2023.

I think I was let down by my own hype with this book.

As much as I loved the characters and their relathionship dynamics, especially Tag and Lily's, for the most part of the book, the plot did not intrigue me enough to keep reading. So I had to force myself constantly to continue. At the beggining, I really found interesting the plot about the jester, but because I already knew what was going to happen all the time, there was no major plot twists. I was more focused on the teenage romance, in fact.

Whoever, all the Taylor Swift references kept me entertained. They were not actaully very obvious but more coded, which I loved. And, all in all, it was a cozy read because you eventually end up adoring the characters.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
What Happens After Midnight releases June 27, 2023

5+!!

I adored K.L Walther’s previous book <I>The Summer of Broken Rules</I>, and this latest release has solidified even further that she’s an auto-buy author for me!

I found myself so enraptured by this story, from the characters, to the setting, and the engaging plot. The mother-daughter duo and the beachside cottage overlooking the Atlantic Ocean was so incredibly comforting and familiar to me, and it felt like I was reliving pieces of my childhood… I only wish my senior year of high school played out like this too!!

Lily is a senior at Ames prep school. Being the daughter to one of the faculty members, and having lived on campus her whole life, this gives Lily a unique familial relationship with the other teachers that most of the other students don’t have. It also paints this picture of a likeable character and someone that wouldn’t be suspected of playing a little dirty.

At Ames, it’s known for events to go as follows: the senior year prank, prom, and graduation, respectively. With prom quickly approaching, everyone is on the edge of their seats in anticipation of this year’s prank. Which of the seniors was handed down the anonymous role of “jester”, and who will they recruit to help them?

<i>What Happens After Midnight</I> is split up into a series of clues, set into a scavenger hunt around campus that the class president must solve at the end of the book in order to find the location of the yearbooks that the jester and his fools displaced.

The thing I loved most was how balanced this story was. It was funny and spontaneous, while also being achingly tender. It was the epitome of friendships and having that last hurrah before closing the door on this chapter of your life.
All of the friendships/relationships came together so naturally like two puzzle pieces that were meant to fit.
Lily and Tag’s all or nothing, all consuming love was so real. I can wholeheartedly understand where Lily’s mindset was when she first ended things to protect herself in advance from being hurt, even when you love them endlessly.
Seeing all of their chemistry resurface through the natural banter, nicknames, and unsaid words passed through different hand movements and touches had me weak.

I immediately want to turn back to page one after finishing this.

Read if you like:
- prep schools
- senior year pranks
- traditions
- scavenger hunts
- Schitt’s Creek + Gilmore Girls
- cats
- mother/daughter bonds
- all or nothing love stories
- lgbt rep
- diabetes rep

If you are looking for a summer book filled with Taylor Swift references, set at a boarding school, and a second chance romance: this is the book for YOU!

K.L. Walther writes the perfect fun fast paced summer books! I really enjoyed this book! It was the perfect young adult book to read during vacation. The setting, the vibes, and the friendships were just so fun to read about. I really loved Lily as a character and found myself being able to connect with her. TAGGART SWELL is such a book boyfriend. I really appreciated how we got to get to know the characters on a very up close and personal level. There were times I teared up because my heart broke for both Lily and Tag.

Lily Hopper has two weeks till she graduates from boarding school. During her time there, she has had the reputation as a goody-two-shoes. She comes to the realization that she has missed out on the fun of being in high school and then she receives a mysterious note from an anonymous senior class Jester who is recruiting her to execute the end-of-year prank.

The identity of the senior class Jester ends up being Lily's ex-boyfriend, Taggart Swell. Lily dumped Tag but that doesn't mean she still doesn't have major feeling for him. Plus, Tag's brilliant plan to steal the school's yearbooks, targets none other than Lilly's prom date: the Senior Class President, Daniel.

Follow a group of pranksters hide cryptic clues across campus for Daniel to find. Lily and Tag find themselves spending some one on one time together. Will mutual feelings resurface? Will they be able to pull off the prank?

This book was so swoon worthy!!! Lily and Tag are adorable! The plot of this book was so unique and I loved it!

Spice rating: 1/5
Cleanliness 5/5 (mentions of drinking, sex, and occasional cussing)

This is an adorable, lighthearted romantic comedy. The author is descriptive in the best way and makes you feel like you are there with the characters. The characters are relatable and enjoyable. The chemistry between Lily and Tag is palpable. This was the breath of fresh air that I needed between the heavier thrillers I usually read.

A couple of years ago, I read If This Is Us by K.L. Walther and liked it but wasn’t blown away. Sadly, I have the same feeling about What Happens After Midnight.

I found the first part of the book tough to get into. The second part was more easily readable, and overall, What Happens After Midnight was enjoyable, fairly light, and also a bit forgettable. Even though Lily and Tag were cute, and I liked their banter, the story was pretty simple and boring. If you ask me anything about the story a few weeks from now, I’ll probably say it’s full of Schitt’s Creek and Taylor Swift references. Or maybe I even forgot that, too, because I’ve never seen Schitt’s Creek and aren’t a particular Taylor Swift fan. But if you are (and I know many of you love the show and Taylor), you might adore this story!

Author K.L. Walther knocks it out of the park, yet again! I had a wonderful time following Lily and Tag on a guided tour of memories as they (the Jester and his Fools, including Lily) spend from midnight-until-dawn hiding clues for their Senior Class President to follow in order to recover the stolen yearbooks. Watching what happens next, as they go through the last 2 weeks of senior year, including prom, is lots of fun.

Don't miss this one! #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. Read more reviews! http://dreamerjbookreviews.blogspot.com

I really liked the Summer of Broken Rules, so I was excited to get my hands on this book. Unfortunately it didn't live up to her previous book. It was okay I would recommend it to students, but it just seemed a little too childish. Some things were just unbelievable that they would actually happen or someone would actually say or feel something. But it wasn't awful.

3.5

This second-chance romance between soon-to-be high school graduates, Lily and Tag, was cute, though predictable. The nightly adventure and their friendgroup was fun and exciting. On the other hand, I didn’t needed all the flashback scenes. Showing how they fell apart the first time was nice but the amount of fully written out scenes were too much for me. These scenes also did nothing to keep my sympathies for Lily up. I can appreciate an insecure and self-destructive character - especially in form of a teenager who is trying to find their way in complex social dynamics and a romantic relationship - but the way this got fleshed out in the flashbacks just made her look dumb.

If there is one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love boarding school books. Due to Lily living at her mother’s on-campus housing but not in the dorms that setting sadly didn’t really deliver the way I hoped it would.