A Love Like the Sun is Riss M. Neilson's first adult novel. I have not had the pleasure of reading any of Neilson's YA novels but am pleased to share that this one was a heartwarming hit for me.

Laniah (Ni) and Issac are lifelong friends. They have a bond like no other and have gone through many losses together, providing a safe space to grieve through the down times and cheering each other on through the high times. Now, as adults, Issac is internet famous and living in California and Ni helps her mom run a natural beauty shop in Rhode Island. They couldn't be farther apart. When Issac finds out that Ni's mom's shop might have to close, he suggests a crazy plan where he uses his fame to bring more awareness to the little shop - by fake dating Ni online for all to see. Ni is a little worried about this set up because she's a private person and also really worried that it might cause some tension in their amazing friendship. As the summer passes, Ni begins feeling things for Issac and doesn't know what to do about it. Can their frienship withstand the spotlight? Will they realize they each have more feelings than just friends?

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Issac was strong, supportive, smart, and oh, so sweet. Ni was acting strong but was feeling scared and vulnerable with some undiagnosed health issues. I really felt and understood the fear of not wanting to ruin a lifelong friendship and the struggle of wanting to appear strong and not wanting to open up about feelings. The only thing I personally did not enjoy was the descriptive spice - I personally prefer to not read that kind of thing. But I am able to skip over those sections and was able to enjoy the beauty of Issac and Ni's relationship.

While this book did cover some heavy themes, it was a terrific friends-to-lovers romance that I think most will really enjoy.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A beautiful romance novel filled with love, community and growth. I loved every single second of this read!

A Love Like the Sun is a slow-burn romance that beautifully explores the complexities of friendship, love, grief, and navigating chronic illness. There's something so tender about not having to ask for help, to be seen at your best and worst,e and still experience the same level of care. These 2 orbited each other for what felt like a lifetime but their love story started when they needed it the most. It was a 2024 romance favorite!

3.5

I will say that I ended up enjoying this title much more than I expected. I enjoyed the author's writing style, particularly the use of the single POV made me appreciate Isaac's actions more. I love an "it's always been you" title and this one did it for me but I wish the realization would have happened sooner so that we can also get a glimpse of them actually dating. I also appreciate the author highlighting how women's health is often not taken as seriously. Great novel that I would recommend.

I’m forever a sucker for a friends to lovers story and A Love Like the Sun is truly such a sunny, beautiful, feel good romance that I couldn’t put down! I thoroughly enjoyed diving into Laniah and Issac’s romance and watching them navigate their feeling with him as such a high profile person. I also thoroughly enjoyed the side story about Laniah and her mom’s small business and their road to growth and success.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I didn't like Laniah that much, and a "third act breakup" is not my favorite trope at all. Overall it had a lot of potential but ultimately fell flat.

I enjoyed this book very much. The friendship and love story between Ni and Isaac was wonderful and beautifully developed. It’s a great friends to lovers/fake dating romance!

Such a beautiful love story but there was something about Laniah that held this from being a home run for me. I will say that the way this author writes absolutely worked for me. I never got bored with this story and I really enjoyed watching things unfold between Isaac and Laniah. With that said Laniah annoyed me….like I wanted to shake her and tell her to get herself together. Also that third-act breakup felt so out of place. I almost put the book down but my love for these two together made me finish it. I will absolutely read from this author again!

i think i expected too much from this since second chance is my favorite trope but this fell a bit flat for me

4/4.5⭐️ Another request for me, after seeing so many great reviews for it, and I’m so glad I did!

WHAT TO EXPECT
-fake dating
-childhood friends to lovers
-opposites attract
-chronic illness rep

🎧I listened to the audio and read with the book and loved the immersive read. The narration was so good!

*many thanks to Berkley, prh audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Unfortunately, I decided that this wasn’t the book for me and have decided to not finish reading.

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to read this book!

It was fine I guess. Fake dating and pining and friends to lovers except I never really bought the two main characters together. I liked them but I didn't see the chemistry the way I think I was supposed to.

Did I stay up all night reading this book in one sitting and cried my eyes out? Yes. Do I regret any moment? Absolutely not.

A Love Like the Sun is a childhood best friends to lovers romance novel and it’s so beautiful!!😭 I literally went through all the stages of emotions. The angst and slow burn had me screaming.

One of my favorite things about this book (besides the romance) was the perspective of the FMC and how woman are dealt with in healthcare, especially woman of color.

I highly encourage if you’re looking for an emotional yet beautiful book please read this, definitely on my top 10 of 2024 🩷

Oh my god?? This was so beautiful and tender. My heart hurts thinking about how much I adored this book. I felt like it was one of the most natural depictions of a friends to lovers romance, and I was completely caught off guard by how much I was captivated by Laniah and Issac.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Friends to lovers x fake dating is like catnip to me! And boy did this one do it so right.

Laniah and Issac have been friends since childhood and when Laniah and her mom’s business is in a bit of a lull Issac uses his social media influence to bring them more exposure. Now that they have agreed to fake date for the summer, the pull and attraction they have always felt for one another is bubbling to the surface and their feelings are feeling realer than ever.

Issac is the definition of simp and I loved it! And I wish we could have had his POV because I would have ate it up.

While I did enjoy this book, there were a few pacing issues for me here and there, that stopped this from being a complete 5 star read! But I am so excited to continue reading this author’s work.

A LOVE LIKE THE SUN by Riss M. Neilson was the first book I read by the author.

This book was beautiful, it explores friendship, romance, self-growth, grief, self-acceptance, and taking chances. During the read we follow two childhood friends Laniah and Isaac who have deep rooted feelings for each other but yet they both are unable to express their emotions to each other.

The connection and interaction between the two was amazing and felt natural. The progression from friendship to romance was done beautifully, there was so much love between them. One of my favourite moments were the flashbacks scenes during their childhood as well as seeing their journey of overcoming their individual struggles and insecurities. Although Laniah expressed a lot of self-doubt as well as questioned her worth. My heart went out to her and it reminded me the significant impact trauma or losing someone important to you can have on your identity and the way you move forward in the world around you.

Laniah suffers from a chronic illness, I admired how the author discussed important issue in society of the disparities black women face when it comes to accessing health care system. Especially the treatment they received from healthcare providers where their health concerns are disregarded, ignored, or taken less seriously than others. It was honestly thought provoking.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, I’m looking forward for what the author has in store next

A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson is a friends-to-lovers romance that blends deep emotional themes with classic tropes. Laniah and Issac’s bond, that has been built up over years of friendship, faces new challenges as they embark on a fake dating scheme to save Ni’s family business. The chemistry between the two is undeniable, and watching them navigate their evolving feelings adds a lot of charm to the story. It feels almost unbelievable that they could have had such chemistry building and never acted upon it sooner.

The book shines in its portrayal of real-life issues, especially the chronic illness storyline, which is handled with care and brings an important layer of depth. However, the pacing slows at times, and the third-act breakup felt a bit forced, but the genuine affection between the characters and the tender way their relationship develops makes it an enjoyable read overall. Overall a touching, slow-burn romance that tugs at the heartstrings.

3.5 stars rounded up

I wanted to love this but I just couldn't get into the story. I ended up DNFing after about 150 pages. If you like heavier/more serious-toned romances, I think you would love this one, but I just couldn't connect with it. I definitely want to try the author again though!

This book is somewhere between a 2.5 and a 3. Parts of were really good and others were not.

The first few chapters were confusing. I was not sure where the author was going with the story line. Later in the book, those chapters came back into the story line. It was sort of a side story that could have been left out. It did not add to the story.

A sweet romance happened and I was enjoying the book. The tension between Laniah and Issac was written so well. It seemed like a tender friendship turning to a romance.

Then all this sexual fantasy and steamy explicit detailed sex was written that could have just been left out. I was skimming so much of this part.

It felt like two different authors wrote the book - one a sweet romance the other a lot of steamy scenes. This part of kind of ruined it for me.

This book was so well written!
I loved the depth of the characters. I loved the honesty in this book.
I found it to be heartfelt and emotional.

*Friends to Lovers
*Found Family
*Fake Dating
*So much chemistry!

A real recipe for a lovely book!