I abt died when I got this as an ARC. I loved this. K L Walther is an auto buy author for me and I was in love with this. This is the perfect summer story.

I am alll about a boarding school/private school book, and the twist on a mystery private school novel was exactly what I wanted. As a big fan of The Summer of Broken Rules, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Also K.L Walthers covers are stunning! The romance in this book is believable, the friendships are realistic, there was emphasis on positive and negative parent-child relationships. All in all the perfect beach read, as you could easily read this in one sitting

*Thanks to K.L. Walther and NetGalley for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!!*

The first thing I thought when I finished reading this book was literally “I need to talk about this with someone RIGHT NOW.” but then I realised I can’t do that (yet) so I’m begging everyone to buy this book as soon as it’s out (which is June 27 so mark your calendar!). Because oh my god this book is SO good.
This is my first time reading a K.L. Walther novel and it definitely convinced me to read her other work.

‘What Happens After Midnight’ includes:
- Second chance romance
- Boarding school setting
- Senior prank
- A great friend group
- ALEX <3

The synopsis basically tells you everything you need to know about the plot, but it forgot to mention some things that I think would’ve convinced me to pick up the book even faster:
- The love interest has type 1 diabetes, which is something I’ve never seen in a book. And it’s not just “oh look this character has diabetes ok cool now let’s move on” no, the author went in full details about it. It was very interesting to read about as someone who doesn’t know much about it, I learned a lot.
- There’s a couple queer characters! What I appreciated was that the author didn’t make it a big deal, because as a queer person I find that quite annoying. Some authors make a character’s entire personality about them being queer, but in this book it’s just casually mentioned :)
- Also, lots of Taylor Swift references! As a swiftie it was so much fun to read.
- Alex, aka one of my new favourite characters, like, ever? I loved him since the second he was introduced. Alex is Tag’s bestie/roommate and definitely the funniest character in the book. Unlike loads of other books, Alex wasn’t brushed off as just the side character, he actually got his own storyline on the side. I promise you, you’re going to fall in love with him

I used to dislike second chance romance books, but I think I was just reading the wrong ones! I love how it is written, it was quick paced, and giving the reader flashbacks when necessary. I was rooting for Lily and Tag the entire book. Their chemistry was amazing and I quickly fell in love with their love. The characters are likable and relatable, which is sometimes a bit of a hit or miss in YA books.
I feel like K.L. Walther perfectly captured the ‘teenage vibe’.

If you’re looking for a funny, exciting and easy to read YA book, please pick this up! Also do it for my personal sanity, I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK WITH SOMEONE! ANYONE!

(ps. I need an Alex centred book now thanks)

I loved the storyline- I'm not normally a big YA reader, but I was really excited for this one. It was a sweet story and it was easy to follow, but wasn't the over-the-top cringe that some YA could be. This was very well done and I can't wait for more of KL's stories!

KL Walther does it again with this wildly fun and lighthearted young adult novel about late-night shenanigans. We're talking about pranks and last-chance senior fun here.

I had an excessively fun time reading this story. I liked Tag and Lily a lot. Their breakup and romance were both relatable and cute.

While I had fun reading this, it was extremely cheesy, so I don't think I'll ever read it again. However, if you're a Taylor Swift fan, I think you'll have fun picking out all the nods to her through song titles and lyrics sprinkled in this story. I liked that I had the book on my Kindle so I could easily highlight things.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Lily has 2 more weeks left of boarding school and then it's onto college. With her mom being a teacher at the school, she feels like she has spent the past 4 years missing out on the fun and knows everyone sees her as a goody-goody. When she gets an invitation from The Jester to join the end-of-year senior prank, she thinks this could be the chance to put that goody-goody image behind her. But The Jester turns out to be none-other than her ex-boyfriend Tag and it's already too late for her to back out of the prank. The prank? Steal the school yearbooks from the senior class president, and Lily's prom date, Daniel. As the Jester's crew of pranksters spends the night hiding clues across campus, Lily finds herself in tight-quarters with Tag while hiding from campus security and dodging other nighttime obstacles (including Daniel). New sparks fly, but the reminder of hurt and old secrets remain and Lily can only hope that finally breaking the rules might heal her broken heart.

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Cute YA second-chance romance. Tag was adorable and I was rooting for him and Lily to figure their stuff out. the concept of a group of friends setting up the scavenger hunt was fun and I like seeing how they dodged (many, many) obstacles throughout the night. It was like reading a live version of the game of tag. The actual scavenger setup did drag on a bit though, I would say that was about 75% of the book, so other aspects felt a bit rushed. But overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read.


Will post review on Instagram and Goodreads closer to pub date!

This was cute coming of age romance! I love stories that include little adventures like scavengers hunts or games and K. L. Walther never misses! She does such a wonderful job creating the dynamic and the chemistry between the two leads. There’s a a lot of cute banter and moments between the two. One of the themes throughout is the idea of not letting those fun moments pass you by, which is very important, especially for high school seniors. I also enjoyed the relationship between Lily and her mother. It was grounded and they had some good conversations.

Overall, this was a fun and cute YA romance. I will say, I do wish there was some better transitions or way to have differentiated between the flashbacks and the present day scenes. It made it a bit hard to follow and I felt like I had to reread paragraphs to figure out which was which. Despite that bit of confusion I still enjoyed my time reading!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire & NetGalley for providing an e-arc for my honest review!

Just like her previous book (The Summer of Broken Rules) I truly enjoy this book! I think from this point I'm going to read any books written by her!

I will put longer review of what I liked and what i didn't enjoy much near pub date on Goodreads and my Instagram!

Review to follow shortly. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the electronic advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review

I read The Summer of Broken Rules this past summer and absolutely in love with it. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. I wasn’t sure if I would like this one as much because I LOVE The Summer of Broken Rules, but I love it just as much!

This book was so much fun! K.L. Walther writes such creative, unique stories. I found my self laughing out loud, giggling, freaking out, and swooning big time. Tag and Lily have my heart, but so do all the side characters. I don’t want to give too much away but I was getting major Gilmore Girls vibes, but instead of a Stars Hollow setting picture a boarding school Chilton and Lorelai is a teacher there.

I highly recommend putting What Happens I After Midnight on your tbr for this summer!

this was SO fun! I loved the second chance romance in this, the energy between them was so sweet and they had an incredible connection, the ending absolutely tugged on my heartstrings, it was adorable!!! I also absolutely loved Lily’s mom and Josh, they were so open with Lily and vice versa, every relationship in this book was so sweet and just made me smile so hard!!!!! I love the inclusiveness in here as well, Maya and Zoe??? anthony and alex??? 🥲
the prank was also a really fun element in this book, I absolutely loved the adventure they went on to pull it off, it just felt so incredibly cozy and I wish I was on the beach or by a pool when I read it!!!
I also adored the Taylor references, they were so cute and I highlighted every single one I could find, books with Taylor references are just superior in my opinion.
this book absolutely has my heart and I will absolutely adore it forever, every single time I wasn't reading, I would start missing the characters.
for one of my most anticipated reads this year, this was such a good time and 100% reached my expectations!!!

my review for this book is on my goodreads as well!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a copy of What Happens After Midnight in exchange for an honest review!

This YA second chance romance hops into the world of seniors during their last few weeks at their boarding school, Ames. The book spans over the senior prank where the main character, Lily Hopper is roped in by the "Jester" alongside another mixed bag of students. The unlikely group works together to pull off this prank whilst breaking rules and sneaking around, and of course, not everything goes as smoothly as it could!

While I enjoyed the second chance romance and setting, the pacing made it difficult for me to get immersed in the story. In one way I wish the world was more fleshed out, and in another way, I wish certain scenes were shorter. There were quite a few characters and I don't believe that this novel was able to fully flesh out them as they should have been. I also wish there was more of a focus on the romance, as I think it was sometimes difficult to balance the grand plot with the romance.

In my opinion, this book really dates itself with many modern references, which might work for some, and not for others. Within this, I think the book as a whole, but in particular, Lily and her mother, Lena's relationship gave HUGE Gilmore Girls vibes. Overall the book was very cute and light-hearted and I did enjoy my time and the plot focusing on a prank and a second chance for Tag and Lily.

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for providing me with a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

rating: 3.5/5

I had read The Summer of Broken Rules earlier that year and enjoyed it a lot, so when I found out I had gotten an arc for this book I was really happy.

The premise of the book is simple, we have our main protagonist Lily Hopper who hasn't caused any class disturbances in her boarding school years and is now about to graduate. Or that is until she is recruited by the Jester, who ends up being none other than her ex-boyfriend Taggart Swell. Because of this Lily begins to think that she might have lost missed out on the opportunity to have fun during high school.

As simple as it might sound, I liked the whole quest of Lily and her friends trying to hide the school yearbooks for Daniel to find, placing clues in different places of the boarding school for them to find.

The book was kind of fast-paced but considering the overall plot and the length of the book I felt like that was necessary, and ended up working perfectly. I liked all the elements of the boarding school and how they were explained. I loved to hear about the different places and locations on it, as well as Lily relating them with one of her previous experiences.

The clues were hilarious, and I laughed out loud a few times when I read them and how they had come up with them.

Lily was a good main character, she wasn't perfect but she wasn't supposed to be. I just related to her a lot, and she made me feel seen and understood, which I appreciate a lot. I have to admit that I was a bit annoyed with her after finding the real reason why Tag and she had ended, but at the same time, I understood her because I would have done the same thing. (Even if I knew it was wrong.)

Tag, look, his name was kind of funny, I do have to say that, but that didn't make me like him any less. He gave off golden retriever energy through the book and if you know me, you know that I'm a sucker for that. He was just so sweet, understanding, AND charming like he had me blushing and giggling.

Lily and Tag were really cute together, even if they need to work on the miscommunication aspect of their relationship from now on. They just fit perfectly, and I can't explain why.

Overall this was a sweet and quick romance read, and I loved it for what it was.

Before I end this review I want to add that I ABSOLUTELY ADORED the Taylor Swift references and they made me very very happy.

(Special shout-out to my boy Alex because he was hands down my favorite character in this book. I am and will forever be an Alex stan.)

Another adorable book from K.L. Walther! Last Summer, I LOVED “The Summer of Broken Rules.” I was very excited to receive this ARC, and I was not disappointed.

Walther is a perfect writer for YA. She is great at building up the big moments of high school and balancing the feelings of young love. It was the perfect second-chance romance for high schoolers. I also enjoyed the setting of a boarding school. I felt like I was at Ames and could easily visualize the campus. I really connected with Lily’s relationship with her mom, as it was very similar to the one I have with mine. Tag and Lily’s interactions often left me smiling and the story was filled with secondary characters who brought even more to the story.

If you love Taylor Swift and Schitts Creek, there are references galore that will make you smile! This is the perfect light, summer read, and releases on June 27th!

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was not for me. I picked it up because I adored the author's debut novel and couldn't wait to read what else she put out. The concept sounded fun, and if the characters and writing style were anything like the debut, I thought I'd like it, even though I do not love second second chance romances. Or friends-to-lovers, which this book is sort of both.

It was fine. The writing was really slow, really slogged down feeling in the beginning of the novel, so much so that I never really made it past the beginning of the novel. I'm not sure the pacing was right for me either. The suspense was low stakes, but inviting and intriguing enough that I wanted to know more. The pining between the two mains was so cute, even if the reason for their breakup was dumb as hell and made complete juvenile sense. But you can't have a relationship without communicating with your partner, and I think Lily learned that. I think that was supposed to make me root for the FMC, but I'm not sure it achieved that. Especially when it's obvious that Tag is still in love with her too. (Why didn't he ask her? Talk to her? Why didn't she talk to him? She just "couldn't.")

This novel is sex positive, I suppose, but personally, I didn't love how it was portrayed or discussed.

I'm still interested to see what Ms. Walther does in the future, but I'm not sure I'll be recommending this book.

Thank you @NetGalley and @SourcebooksFire for sending an advance copy of this book to me for review. All opinions are my own!

Turns out that a lot happens after midnight! Lily Hopper is two weeks away from graduating from Ames, a ritzy boarding school where her mother is a faculty member. Lily has always been a "goody two-shoes" rule follower. She's dating the class president and was just selected as Salutatorian; prom is coming up, and she's already been accepted to a top college. What could go wrong?! Somehow Lily suddenly finds herself caught up in the traditional senior prank with none other than her ex-boyfriend Tag, who she still has big feelings for. The target of the prank? Her current boyfriend, Daniel, the class president. Lily is faced with many important decisions, each with the power to change the path of her future.

Journeying along in the wee hours of the morning with Lily and the pranksters as they planted clues all over campus was really fun. Lily kept finding herself in situations that put her close to Tag. The chemistry between them begins to build as we wonder whether they will get back together. The only drawback was that I really wanted to feel their connection earlier in the novel; it took a while for me to sort out who the characters were. Otherwise, I loved this book and will definitely recommend it to my YA romance readers! (Teachers, beware that there are some sexual situations in the novel.)

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I have really enjoyed Walther's books in the past, so was excited to get my hands on this one early.

Lily Hopper, reigning Salutatorian, faculty "brat," of her boarding/high school is quickly approproaching the end of her Senior Year.

When the annually selected school prankster, the Jester, taps her to help with the Senior Year prank, Lily throws caution to the wind and joins up to not miss out.

Overall, an enjoyable book that mainly takes over the course of a day/night.

My only criticism is I did not like how Walter used the flashback techniques, in the midst of present story. I would find myself stopping, and thinking, "wait, what, oh that was the past.

K.L Wather is a mastermind!! This book is perfection. I absolutely loved Summer of Broken Rules and this book is just as good. This book is full of Tswift references, a good game and many Schitt’s creek references. What Happens After Midnight is about a senior prank at a boarding school in Rhode Island. There is a scavenger hunt created with fun clues. There are three main characters: Lilly, Tag, and Alex. Lilly and her mother have a Lorelai and Rory, type relationship. Her mother is one of the favorite teachers at school and Lilly seems to be voted the goody two shoes of the class. She is salutatorian and has a perfect record for school. Tag is the athlete, tall, tattoo, and all the girls love him. He also is obsessed with ketchup. Alex is the best friend everyone needs in their life. Your cheerleader and number one support. I really adore the quick witty banter relationship between Lilly and Tag. Many thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Loved this book. Reading it felt like I was in a dreamy haze. Can’t help falling in love with Tag and Lily. It’s a well written book, with really good characters and an engaging storyline.
I highly recommend and will read more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

If there was a contest for the number of taylor swift references in a book, this author would win. Some songs were directly referenced, but there was the occasional song title sprinkled into the book, which was so fun! Most were only used once, but “no body no crime” was a small part of the plot! I first noticed it when fearless, midnights, and reputation were mentioned in the same paragraph, and it became a fun part of the book for me to try to find them all!!

I loved the senior prank part of the plot, it’s really unique, especially the whole Jester part of it. I wish we got to see more of the outcome of the scavenger hunt, not just the set up, but it was very fun to read about.

I don’t usually like second chance romances, but this one was great! It’s very realistic and (mostly) doesn’t affect any other character too badly.

My only major complaint is that the flashbacks were a little confusing, they would happen in the middle of a scene with no warning, and they had the same characters so I would get mixed up when it was a flashback or present day.

Besides that, this book was so cute! I had a good time reading this and I think that if you are looking for a cute, lighthearted romance to read, this would be a great option!