Set at a boarding school, Lily is a high school senior who's mother works as a teacher and every year there's a senior prank initiated by the jester. After an anonymous email that invites her to join in on the fun, it turns out to be her ex boyfriend Tag. Are they able to pull off this epic prank at midnight? What skeletons get dragged out of the closet in the meantime?

As someone who's Top 10 books of 2022 included "The Summer of Broken Rules," this was a highly anticipated release for me for 2023. I really do enjoy K.L Walther's writing. There's something so light and witty about the banter/charm between the characters. I enjoyed the friendship dynamic outside of the romance between the main couple. I loved the diabetic representation and really appreciated how much insight she gave us into something I wasn't all too familiar with. There were many tropes in this book like second chance, fake dating, golden retriever hero and miscommunication being a handful of them! If you enjoy those, I think you'll enjoy the novel.

However, something felt a bit short. It didn't give me the same exhilarating feeling as TSOBR gave. The pacing was a bit weird as there were snippets of pasts and presents on the same page so it was difficult to place what was happening now vs. then. As a TSwift girly, I think there were a bit way too many references that it was distracting to be fully immersed in the story. In addition, the character build was a bit odd as there was no continuity in Tag's character. It made it difficult to support/love him as a hero. I wasn't smitten nor head over heels with this "grand gestures."

Aside from those points, 'What Happens After Midnight' is a light hearted young adult romance that would be easy to binge on a summer beach day. Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

⭐️: 4/5

With graduation quickly approaching, Lily is worried that she’ll miss the fun of being in high school and around all her friends and her mother, who is a teacher at the boarding school she attends. When she gets an invitation from the Jester, an anonymous student in the senior class, to be part of the traditional senior prank, she is excited at the chance to make more memories. When the Jester turns out to be none other than her ex boyfriend Tag, who she still has feelings for, sparks fly as they spend one last late night together completing the prank.

I love a good high school nostalgia book, since I have so many good memories from high school, and reading about scenarios that make me feel the emotions that I felt back then just makes me so happy, in a bittersweet but also addicting way. This was a really cute second chance love story with a creative storyline in order to make all the cute moments happen and feel organic. Additionally, this book, as well as the other’s other book that I read a little while ago, The Summer of Broken Rules, are truly out of control (in a good way) with the Taylor Swift references, and I know everyone loves a good TS shoutout. What Happens After Midnight takes it even a step further and throws in a bunch of Schitt’s Creek references, which is just as iconic in my book. I loved reading about Lily, Tag, and the rest of their friends, and this book, much like a lot of other YA boarding school books I’ve read, made me seriously wish I could go back in time and attend a boarding high school, because the books just make it sound so fun!

Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This author's writing style is sharp and witty. It’s captivating with characters that are fun without being too immature to where an adult reader cannot connect with them. It felt reminiscent of being young and carefree while also having depth to the story. I usually don’t connect with the female lead characters in YA books, but Lily was a delightful lead.she felt like an actual person rather than an over dramatic teen and her situation felt authentic. I could feel her emotions, laugh with her humor, and understand her personality because she was relatable.


I loved how this story played out. It had suspense and thrilling moments mixed in with the sweet and tender scenes. This was a fast paced read because it was enchanting from start to finish. I don’t know how else to describe how this author makes YA romance books enjoyable not only for her younger audience, but also the older, young at heart, adults. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this ARC.

this is a pretty simple book - everything you need to know is in the synopsis - but i think that simplicity lends well to the atmosphere of youth and freedom the story is trying to create. its such a fun and cute concept that sets the foundation for a really sweet coming of age story.

but i just could not click with the writing. the pacing is super inconsistent, there are really random shifts between past and present that arent clearly marked which make the narrative feel disjointed (this could just be an ARC issue), the dialogue is cringey at times, and the ending feels a bit rushed.

This was a refreshing, light-hearted YA book that didn't dramatize the high school first love (I appreciated how sweet and innocent the relationship was compared to many that romanticize drama in a high school relationship). If you loved 10 Things I hate About You or She's All That, you will eat this story up.

For fans of Gilmore Girls, Schitts Creek and all my fellow swifties. Such a quick cute read. Pretty cheesy, but if you need a YA guilty pleasure lol no further. I really enjoyed this one. I also thought it was really awesome that one of the main characters has diabetes. I learned so much I didn’t know! So great to see some rep in there!! Also queer and bipoc rep! Someone needs to read this and count for me how many Taylor lyrics are in there!

Coming in June!! Thanks @netgalley for the early access!

I loved The Summer of Broken Rules, and this did not disappoint. It feels like K. L. Walther read my mind and put all my favorite things into one book. Boarding school romance, adorable characters, multiple Schitt's Creek mentions, and lots and lots of Taylor Swift references. And a Luke and Lorelai inspired relationship--it was amazing. Overall, it was a really fun story with some pretty good characters. Alex, you will always be famous.

Loved everything about this book. I read it in one day as I couldn’t put it down. The characters were perfect, as was the scavenger hunt and the Taylor Swift references. I will read anything this author puts out!

Wow, did I LOVE this book! I know a lot of people are saying some version of "this wasn't The Summer of Broken Rules," but guys, I don't think it was meant to be! And that's okay! Personally, I would much rather read something entirely new from an author rather than a retread of a previous book (this is coming from someone who is OBSESSED with TSOBR).

But this still felt like signature KL Walther in the best way! Her sense of place vibes are immaculate. She painted such a vivid picture of The Ames School that it felt like its own character, and I loved Lily, Tag, and the ensemble cast. Each person felt so real that I wanted to be friends with them. I especially appreciated the relationship between Lily and her mom, Leda. They reminded me of Rory and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls, which was so cozy and special. I feel like there sometimes isn't enough emphasis on parent-child relationships in YA, so this was refreshing.

As someone with a chronic illness, the diabetes representation was also soul-warming to read about. I thought it was handled with such thoughtfulness. Tag HAS diabetes, but isn't characterized BY his diabetes. He is so much more than that.

The romance was ADORABLE. I loved Lily and Tag's banter and the chemistry between them was palpable. Their miscommunication didn't bother me in the slightest, it felt realistic for two high schoolers, and I was especially impressed with their mature conversation in the final third of the book.

Of course, I also loved the prank! I thought it was unique and full of fun hijinks. I think it's also based on a true story? I'd love to hear more about that...maybe the final copy will have an author's note?

And the Taylor Swift references? Chef's kiss!

Needless to say, KL Walther is now an auto-buy for me! I can't wait to buy a physical copy and put it on my bookshelf next to TSOBR!

After reading K.L. Walther's breakout hit, The Summer of Broken Rules last year, I knew I had to read What Happens After Midnight. This book centers around a magical and enchanting, late night scavenger hunt adventure where our main character, Lily, has to spend the entire night with her ex, Tag (who she may or may not still be a little bit in love with). This book may seem like the standard, cute YA romance but it varies in many ways. For one, it included some really well done diabetic representation. I loved how the author didn't shy away from explaining how an insulin pump works, what a bolus is, and how diabetes can affect your day to day life. Additionally, I really enjoyed the love story of Lily and Tag and the way they communicated their feelings towards the end of the book. While there was a bit of miscommunication (definitely not one of my favorite tropes) in the book, the very delicate and honest conversation they had towards the end had my heart swelling with happiness.

As a Swiftie, this book was extra fun for me since the author included multiple hidden Taylor references throughout, which was like a mini scavenger hunt for the reader.

All in all, What Happens After Midnight has cemented me as a fan of K.L. Walther, forever and always.

This was a cute second chance romance. The characters were enjoyable and always a win with Taylor references! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am the target audience for this book. I love YA romance, I love Taylor Swift, and I LOVED The Summer Of Broken Rules, it was one of my favorite books last year. What Happens After Midnight was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it unfortunately was a major let down.

The story felt extremely under developed and lacked originality. Our main character and her mother feel extremely Rory and Lorelei coded. The plot line of the book felt as if it was written just to have Taylor Swift Easter eggs sprinkled throughout. As a Swiftie, I love to highlight Easter eggs when I see them for fun...but then I highlighted almost 40 "Easter eggs" some of which felt so close to plagiarism. It's one thing to drop a song title or name drop Taylor Swift. It lacks originality to use her lyrics consistently throughout the book to describe emotions and add character to the story.

It was very hard to love the love interest Tag. At the beginning of the story our main character made him seem to be a playboy who broke her heart and moved on to another girl. Then we learn that she broke his heart and that he was actually aloof and very sweet? I couldn't understand his personality because it was often being contradicted. I also couldn't fully believe that this school created such a harmful "paparazzi/tabloid" esc environment when every character introduced excluding Danielle was kind and nice.

I really love K. L. Walther and I will continue to read what she writes. I think this book was rushed and I think it leaned heavily on Taylor Swift's craft and words to piece together. I love Taylor Swift, but when I am reading a book I want to underline original quotes that make me swoon or break my heart. Not quotes taken directly from a song I already know and love.

What a fun story!

After devouring K.L. Walther's previous novel, SUMMER OF BROKEN RULES, I knew I wanted to read her future stories.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT follows high school senior Lily Hopper who, having established a reputation as a "goody two shoes," decides to join The Jester's Fools, a small group that is tapped to perform the senior class prank.

Quickly, Lily discovers that the Jester is her ex-boyfriend Taggart Swell, who she is very much still in love with and has been avoiding since she broke up with him, but the events that ensue are bound to bring them back together.

First of all, the relationship between Lily and her mom was giving Lorelai and Rory from Gilmore Girls, and I was obsessed with it. Their close relationship is established immediately, and you can't help but love them both.

And the romance! It was EVERYTHING. The chemistry and romantic tension between Lily and Tag was off the charts. The unresolved feelings between them are palpable, and as they end up in a series of close calls throughout the night of almost being caught, that tension only grows.

I loved the reverse scavenger hunt aspect, where the characters were tasked with hiding clues that Daniel would later have to find in order to recover the stolen yearbooks, and the underlying tension of Tag having diabetes and showing up unequipped to the night's events to manage it was really effective as well.

If you're a fan of Taylor Swift, there are plenty of references to her songs throughout to keep you entertained! However, I will say, I'm a huge T.S. fan, but by the end, the references were a little much for me. Maybe it's because I'm such a huge fan that they ended up actually taking me out of the story each time I had that moment of recognition, and I really wanted to stay immersed with these characters.

But in all, I adored this story and would absolutely recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What Happens After Midnight follows Lily as she finishes out the last few weeks of her senior year. She gets a mysterious invite to help out with the senior prank to steal the yearbooks, only to find out that her ex is behind it all. She has to work together with him to pull this off and old feelings begin to resurface.

This book was so much fun. I really enjoyed all of the shenanigans involved in pulling off the prank. I also thought the second chance romance made sense and their reasons for their original breakup were resolved well.

Bonus points for diabetes rep, an actually healthy relationship with her mom, and all of the Taylor Swift references.

I thought this was a really enjoyable, low angst caper with a surprisingly mature teen romance. I look forward to reading more from this author. Definitely recommend!!

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm really bummed about this one. I LOVED Summer of Broken Rules. But I could not get further than 25% of this one. I just didn't care about the whole premise. It felt very young, very juvenile, kind of pointless?? I feel bad that I feel that way. But it was just not working for me.

Ugh Summer of Broken Rules was so special. This felt forced in comparison.

Well this was darling.

I loved Summer of Broken Rules and was so excited to read this next book by K.L. Walther. It didn’t disappoint. It was sweet with charming characters, second chance romance and a fun senior prank.

It took me a few chapters to get into it but once they start the prank I was so invested and couldn’t put the book down.

Lily and Tag 4ever.

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS fire for an eARC.

I’d recommend this one if you enjoy:

💜Boarding School
💜Second Chance (that didn’t have a huge gap!)
💜Pranks and fun friend group
💜Cute banter and high school romance
💜Taylor Swift! It was so fun finding song titles throughout the book!

I really enjoyed this book and I would read again!

4.5/5

This book was honestly such a joy to read. It had me laughing, crying, and smiling so wide my mouth hurt!

As a Swiftie, I was so OBSESSED with the amount of Taylor references throughout this book.

This book was like if "The Summer I Turned Pretty" and "Better Than The Movies" had a baby and I loved every second of it.

I felt like there was a lot of realism throughout the plot and it really took me back to my high school days when there was a week of pranks before graduation. I loved the friend group and the banter between Lily and Tag!

This is the perfect summer read and I truly enjoyed every second of it.

Thank you Netgalley, K.L Walther, and Sourcebooks Fire for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

this is a warm new england hug!!! I loved The Summer of Broken Rules, so I knew I had to read this when I saw it on netgalley. I think I actually loved this more than TSOBR!

highlights:
- schitt’s creek references
- diabetes representation
- taylor swift references
- set in rhode island 🐚
- academia ex-lovers romance

I really enjoyed the will-they-won't-they romance; it felt mysterious and suspenseful. When I initially read the description, I wasn't sure if the senior prank plot would be able to carry the entire book, but it turned out better than I expected. The author did a really great job at character development and scene setting.

It's official K.L. Walther is now an all-time favorite author. After reading the summer of broken rules and having it be my favorite book of 2022 I was ecstatic to start What Happens After MIdnight.
.
I completely fell in love with Lily and Tag as they reexplored past feelings they had for each other as they teamed up performing the schools senior prank.
.
I love how beautifully Walther is able to show the simplicity and complications of teenage life. All of the relationships in this book were so sweet and pure, I especially loved lilys mom and josh and their relationship they were always so honest and inclusive with lily and I LOVED that!
.
I always love a good game in a book and it is becoming clear that Walther is the master at them! The prank was so fun and added so much adventure.
.
THE TAYLOR REFERENCES!! I was completely obsessed and you know I highlighted every single one. (I just cant wait for my physical copy to come so I can annotate the crap out of it!) .
.
This book absolutely has my heart and I already cant wait to reread it again!
.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review,

3.5 ⭐️; this was such a quick and cute read! I loved the prank this book surrounded and the rekindling of a sweet, high school romance.

Things I loved: the mcs. Lily and Tag were great, as was Alex, Josh, and Leda. Alex provided commentary that honestly made me laugh several times out loud

Things I didn’t like so much: I felt as though the F word was used a lot in random places? That threw me off a bit because I was under the impression this was a YA book. The other main issue I had with this book was the timing of Lily and Tag’s relationship. I don’t want to spoil anything, but once you read, you’ll know what I mean.

Overall, it was very enjoyable and a great palette cleanser. I read it in one sitting and it largely help my attention!