This book is GENUINELY one of the best books I've ever read. The sweet, innocence of love mixed with the tragedy of life is something that only Jennifer Hartmann can accomplish.

The ability to provoke hope in the midst of hardship is such a real, human emotion that is so special and so rare to experience. With every single one of Jenn's books, we get that. This book is absolutely no different. I don't think I can really convey how deeply this book makes me feel. & it's really hard to put into words how special this book is and these characters are.

There are things about Ella that are so unbelievable congruent with my life that I genuinely cannot even fathom. Did Jennifer look into my brain? Is she a psychic?

Anyways. Yes. This book is a BIG BIG YES.

I was one of the lucky ones to receive and ARC for this book, Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann. My immediate thoughts going into this book were how magnificent the characters were. One of the things I love the most about Jennifer Hartmann's writing is that she truly knows how to make the character feel like a real person. That's how I felt about every character in this book. Especially Max & Ella. I loved the banter, it's truly done very well. I loved the tension and the emotional range she gives these young characters. It's a small town, next door neighbor, first love YA romance with some heavy topics. I would read your trigger warnings on this one. Overall, I loved the pace, growth and the story line. I highly highly recommend this book. If you haven't preordered it, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

This book was so good! If you’re familiar with Jennifer Hartmann, you know she loves to write a beautiful, gut-wrenching, emotional book and this is no different. I loved Ella and Max. Their story was so beautiful. How they both overcame tragedy and learned about forgiveness. Everyone should read this book, but prepare yourself for the emotional toll. Ella is such a fun character and all the little things that bring her joy. The Dr. Pepper line is iconic. This one is giving my favorite book by her some strong competition. I will think about this book for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars.

I’m not a big romance person, but this was so well done! It had a fantastic writing style. I annotated and underlined so many lines in the book! It was poetic and beautiful and heart-wrenching all in one!

A huge presence in this book was the color orange and the sun, which if anyone knows me, they know those are two of my favorite things. That alone bumped up my rating of this book because it was talked about the whole time! No one loves these things more than me, but seeing Ella loving it like I do was great.

I loved Ella and her personality. She was sarcastic and funny. Even though she had a hard life, she had a good and funny nature to her.

Max was such a sweetheart and so complex. I loved so many lines and all the romantic moments between them, it made me so giddy.

I need me a Max in my life. He was so sweet and attentive and caring. All the times he paid attention to what she was saying was so sweet! It made my heart burst and squeal as he gave her things or talked about things he knew she loved.

It jumped right into the plot which I liked, but it also had such the perfect slow burn where they had cute moments and you were dying for them to get together, but it never felt rushed or insta-love, even if they had that history. Every time Ella backed off it broke me, but in the best way.

One thing I didn’t like as much was it was very repetitive at times. She constantly mentioned how nice his arms were and that could have been cut down because we get it. At first it was cute and funny, then it just got old after the 10th+ time it was said. Also, I understand the author was trying to show how bad the dad was, but there were three or four scenes with the exact same thing happening with his dad. It can be mentioned it happened, but we don’t need to see the scene play out because there was no difference in any of the times it happened. I know that the same thing can happen over and over in real life, but it doesn’t need to be shown in the book the whole way through. It could have just been said that his dad had an episode. Or the “I was never bored so we never arm wrestled” part of the book. It was super cute and funny at first, but then it was just repeated too much.

Some of the reoccurring themes were cute like her catching the Dr. Pepper and the theme of “stay” but otherwise for the most part it got to be too much.

It was a little long for a romance novel. The beginning started off super strong, but it started to drag in the middle, and then again at the end it started to slow. I know I said I really liked the slow burn, and I did!! But I still think some scenes could have been cut out to make it a bit shorter.

I loved a lot the side characters as well! Brynn was so cute and such a good person and an even better friend. Kai wasn’t in it that much but still a great addition. I loved Chevy and could have used a whole lot more of him! But I also think there is something special there when you fall in love with a character who isn’t in it a lot.

Jonah seemed like a plot device. Which is fine, but I still feel like a lot of his story was rushed, just so there could be more of a tragic element in the novel.

There were a lot more explicit sex scenes than I was expecting in this book. There is a warning for it, but I almost would classify this as new adult more so than young adult. There were multiple detailed scenes of them hooking up. It didn’t last long, but it was still there.

Spoilers in this next paragraph:
As much as I am glad it was a happy ending, that would have been an unbelievably tragic plot twist if Jonah killed Max and not McKay. Especially when Ella screamed out to him that they were twins; I still get chills thinking about it. Not that I wanted Max to die because that would have broken me, but still that would have been insane. I was expecting more heartbreak, and I think that would have been a really unique twist on a book that you think would probably have a happy ending. I wouldn’t mind a novella or something with that ending instead of what we got. I think it would be really interesting to see, as heartbreaking as it would be.

I listened to Niall Horan’s music on repeat while reading this because so many of his songs fit this book in my opinion. Also “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron is THEIR song and the theme for this book.

Even though there were some things in this book I wasn’t a huge fan of, I really enjoyed it a lot! If you like romance books with lots of angst but also sweet wholesome moments as well, this would be for you!

In true Jennifer Hartmann fashion, CATCH THE SUN is emotional and beautifully-tragic. The book is YA, but nevertheless, it evokes lots of nostalgia and childhood memories regardless of your age.

Ella and Max are childhood friends who are ripped apart only to reunite when Ella returns to her hometown to finish her last year of HS. Unfortunately, she does not get a warm reception as her brother’s nefarious actions have turned her into a social pariah. She has no friends and just wants to be left alone.

Sadly, Max is going through sh*t of his own, becoming the man of the house at a young age, in order to take care of his disabled dad. Despite all this, Max really wants to become close with Ella again and makes it his mission to do so.

Ella doesn’t make it easy for Max to gain her friendship back, but his persistence and all the sweet things he does to woo her, eventually wins her over. They form a tight bond and it ends up leading to more.

There’s so much to unpack from this book! The story and character development were fantastic, and I wasn’t expecting the twists and suspense! Please note that there are a lot of heavy themes, such as divorce, physical / verbal abuse, SA, and murder, that will sometimes have you questioning your moral compass.

Jennifer, you hit it out of the part with this one! Ella and Max’s story will stay with me for a very long time. Every time I see a Dr. Pepper or an orange crayon, I will think of them! 5⭐️

Thanks so much, NetGalley and Jennifer, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!💕

“I’d feel you in any lifetime, In any version of any reality. And I’d know, without a doubt, without a shred of hesitation… that your soul was meant for mine.”

WOW. My heart wasn’t ready for this book. This was such a emotional read, but nevertheless beautifully written. Jennifer Hartmann never fails to make you feel a rollercoaster of emotions, I’ve cried EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Max Max Max… dare I say you are perfection😭😭 from the moment he made his first list I knew I would love his character. The way he loved Ella so much you can tell he fell first and HARD.

Max and Ella’s story was so pure but also filled with tragedy and heartbreak, reading about them falling in love but also going through their own challenges broke my heart but eventually pieced it back together.

Grab your tissues you’re going to need them for this one.

*Blessed with this ARC by NetGalley*

📚ARC Review 📚

Catch The Sun ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ella and Max were inseparable when they were seven years old, that is until Ella’s dad took her to live with her mom hours away.
Now ten years later when Ella returns to Juniper Falls, she’s a very different person. Her public family tragedy has changed her and she’s now a loner and a target of bullies at her new high school. Max is also a different person, since having to take on the responsibility for his disabled father and his absent twin brother. While Ella may the be outcast to everyone else, Max sees her. He remembers the girl she used to be and wants to be her friend again. She’s reluctant since love can bloom out of friendships and that’s the last thing she wants in her life. She has seen what love can make people do and she wants no part in that. However, Max is ready to chase and “catch the sun”.

Wow, this book will take you on a journey you didn’t see coming. There’s so much heartbreak but also forgiveness and love. It was such an emotional roller coaster but in a good way. Jennifer Hartmann writes beautiful “dark romance” (in this case where the romance stems out of trauma) stories, that makes you have all the feelings.
While I enjoyed the story, I didn’t care much for the”twist” part. I understand why it’s there to help build the trauma/forgiveness more but when I got to that part I just thought to myself, “what else do they have to go through”. Another thing is, I wouldn’t recommend (or label) this as a YA romance. I feel like the topics are too heavy and theres a few explicit scenes that are very adult-ish to me.

Overall, it was a great book! It’s also a very pretty book with the cover and sprayed edges on the limited edition ones. This book will publish July 16, 2024, so make a TBR list and add this one to it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for my advanced readers copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

'And at the center of it all, there was a boy. A boy with dimples, with affection in his cloudless blue eyes and an orange flower tucked inside his hand. “It’s bright like the sun. And the sun is bright like you.” Yes. Love came first. Young, sweet, beautiful love.” Ella ☀️💕

“Catch The Sun “(Thank you to Jennifer Hartmann & NetGalley) for the opportunity to arc read this wonderful book!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🥰

Where do I begin!! lol 😂 It took me awhile to write this review because I had to put the pieces of my heart back together. 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
“Catch the Sun” is a beautiful coming of age, first love, childhood friends to lovers, devastating yet hopeful YA romance!! Loved the “Winnie the Pooh” references too🥰

It took me longer than usual to read this book, not because I didn’t like it. But because I really had to pace myself, this book has a lot of emotional and heartbreaking moments. The tears were flowing throughout this book. But it also has hope and promise of a beautiful future. My emotions were all over the place and I really enjoy a book that makes you feel something!! 🥰

“Ella” MFC and ‘“Max” MMC meet as young children, she moves but then returns when she a teenager and lives across the street from Max. Ella is an outcast and bullied in school because her brother is on (death row) But Max befriends her and that’s where their friendship, and love for each other begins to blossom. 🌼
They both go through so many sad and traumatic events in their young lives, but it does end with a HEA! 💫💕

Overall, I loved every minute of this wonderful story!! I would highly recommend it!! 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

I have had Jennifer Hartmann on my list for so very long. Go so far as to buy all her books so I can read them when I have time lol. For whatever reason, I just never pulled the trigger. I guess I was waiting for a time when I needed my heart broken. Catch the Sun, the story of childhood friends who reconnect later in life, had some terrifying, distressful and painful moments. Trauma is the key for many of Jennifer Hartmann's stories (if you go by the blurb) and this one is no different. Just when you think Max and Ella will pull out of their spirals, something (or someone) else comes along to derail them. This is really NOT quite YA in my opinion but I'm not quite as fussy as I wasn't really expecting it to be despite the description. Their HEA is hard won but it does eventually happen despite everything trying to get in the way.

I love anything written by Jennifer Hartmann. Max and Ella both have just tragic stories. I rooted for them both the entire book. My heart broke so many times reading this book but it was healed again by the end. Such a great read

I love anything Jennifer Hartmann writes and she didn’t disappoint with Catch The Sun.

This book was beautifully written and at times heartbreaking, it took a turn I was not expecting!

It follows Max and Ella, the two were inseparable as kids until Ella had to move away when they were 7years old. But 10 years later Ella is back in town this time with her mum, but she’s not the same girl he once knew.

Ella is struggling, she’s an outcast since her brother was convicted of a crime that shook the nation.

Max doesn’t have time for distractions he’s too busy with school and looking after his disabled dad, his twin brother McKay isn’t much help at all. But when he see’s Ella is back in town and now living across the street he knows he has to be her friend again.

Both Max and Ella are determined to keep their friendship platonic but these two have such a great bond that romantic feelings start to creep in.

But tragedy strikes and these two go through it!
You will be routing for Max and Ella, they are just perfect for each other.

This was a page turner! It’s a heartbreaking story about love and loss and the process of grieving – it is utterly compelling.

My main problem with this book is that it is listed as YA and I would in no way call this a YA book. Yes the main characters are in their upper teens but honestly that’s the only YA thing about it. The story overall is quite firmly adult romance, in my opinion, with several particularity explicit scenes. It spans over 15 years and deals with a number of sensitive topics which I won’t mention as it would spoil the story.

There was a great amount of depth to the two MC’s Ella and Max however the side characters were far less developed and given the length of the book I would have expected a bit more complexity to all the characters.

This book is honestly one trauma after drama after heartbreak and is bound to give all the feels.

“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴.”

𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤
This story draws you in from the very beginning. The prologue had me tuned in. I hurt, I laughed, and I sobbed with Ella. I was angry for her and just wanted to protect her. I’m not a crier, rarely can a story break my heart but this story was heartbreakingly beautiful. It broke me, I mean completely destroyed me, and healed me at the same time.

It is a beautiful story of grief, healing, finding peace and yourself again, restoring life and innocence. This story will stick with me forever. Every time I see the color orange or Winnie the Pooh, I will forever be reminded of this beautiful story.

Jennifer knows how to write a story where even the smallest moments tug on your heart strings. Grab your tissues and check the trigger warnings. Jennifer never disappoints and has easily become my favorite author by far.

𝔾𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕂𝕟𝕠𝕨
🧡 Small Town
🧡 Childhood Friends to Lovers
🧡 Slow Burn
🧡 Trauma & Healing
🧡 Second Chance
🧡 First Love
🧡 YA Romance (18+)

Again, miss Jennifer Hartmann never disappoints, is my third book from her and anything she writes for me is a immediately yes, so catch the sun for me was a walk to my past and to remember my first love, also the perspective that sometimes love doesn't conquer everything or at least what we think it's love, in this case Ella and Max are both very adults in knowing that their love can be more even when things are against all odds

I feel like this book will have me sitting in the restaurant for a while. So much emotional damage.

Now, if I could take The Notebook and combine it with The Ravenhood Series, I think this is where this book sits.

Ella Sanbury and Max Manning made a pact at 7 years old that they would be best friends and married. The next day Ella left Juniper Falls. It was during their senior year of high school that Ella returned. 10 years and tons of emotional baggage later, Max and Ella are not the same kids they used to be. But, to catch the sun you must first endure the flames.

Ugh, I really just don’t know how to describe this book. Traumatic. Gut Wrenching. 
Emotional Trauma. Heartbreakingly Beautiful. It just really takes you on a ride. I felt like I was destroyed then put back together with one missing piece. That piece belongs to Catch The Sun. I really don’t know how to move on and go on to my next read.

Ella and Max feel like star crossed lovers with the worst luck possible. They were made for each other yet everything in life it trying to tear them apart.

My biggest issue with the book was the level of spice for a YA. I am not sure how I feel about that.

But don’t let that stop you. This reads like some of the best, most intense adult romances out there.

Thank you NetGalley, Valentine PR and the author for the eARC.

4 stars ✨

Adult Romance

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy of Catch the Sun, in exchange for an honest review.

“You’re right because there is no love and war. Love is war. You fight until you win, or you fight until you lose. Imagine the victory after all that pain and struggle, after all those battle wounds.” I swallow, pressing our foreheads together, noses touching. “War was never meant for peacemakers. There is no place for white flags and soft hearts. It’s loud, feral, and violent. Love is a killer, but not everyone dies bloody. Some stand tall in the end.” I squeeze her cheeks between my hands and beg, “Let that be you, Ella. Let that be us.”

I haven’t read a book like this in years. One that tears open your heart and slams it on the floor. I wanted to stop reading it multiple times at the beginning due to language, then later on when all the spicy bits take place. I couldn’t. This story gripped me from the very first page and didn’t really stop - other than parts I had to skim through that I didn’t care to read about. I thought this was an emotional rollercoaster- but deep within laid a beautiful story to behold and read. There’s lots going on in it - love, loss, forgiveness, brokenness, finding yourself, and starting over. It was a great story - I just wish the sex and language would have been left out of it. I think it would have been just as impactful.

Content ⚠️
*N/A Rating due to sex and adult situations
*violence
*death
*language

This is one amazing, emotional rollercoaster. Essentially, it is a love story, with a lot of twists, turns, tragedy, and family drama. Without giving away the plot, Ella and Max meet when they are seven, and they begin a journey of love, friendship, pain, and finding themselves. I truly enjoyed the story and really loved the ending.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love Jennifer Hartmann’s writing and the fact that this is childhood friends (to strangers) to lovers, but unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge fan of the plot with the twists and everything. It was a bit too slow burn for me. Ella was too moody and I didn’t love the push and pull from her even though I understand why her walls were so high. I didn’t like how cold she was after the incident and their separation. I just wish there were more moments between the two to actually be a couple.

Thank you netgalley, the author, and the publisher for this arc!

Everything I’ve read from this gifted wordsmith is head and shoulders above the rest, as is Ella and Max's story here, but first, can we talk about the YA classification? Some readers claim this is not YA, and reduced their rating accordingly.

The story begins when Ella and Max are seven years old then skips to them at seventeen and follows them through age twenty one. Make your own determination, but for me it's irrelevant. This story is masterfully done and unforgettable, no matter how you classify it.

It begins in first grade, with a pure, innocent, nascent love that's understood and exemplified as only two seven year olds can. It's sweet and touching and precious, and even at that age Max is quite the poet, equating Ella to the sun and dubbing her “Sunny.” Then her father picks Ella up from the playground and Max doesn’t see her again for ten years.

When Ella returns to Juniper Falls, she’s a very different person. Her public family tragedy has changed her immeasurably, and she’s the outcast and target of bullies at her new high school. Max is a very different person, as well, bearing the brunt of responsibility for his volatile father and uninvolved twin brother.

Despite there being no sign of the innocent children they once were, something in their own darkness calls to the other, and Max and Ella form a tentative friendship, point in one complementing counterpoint in the other, and against better judgement, they come to rely on each other. As bonds strengthen and love blooms, life events harm, decimate and devastate and threaten to destroy the rickety bridge that links them together.

This isn’t simply a romance. This is an evocative journey, one of guilelessness and naivety, then pain and bitterness, then caution and trepidation in the face of love. And finally, it's a story of redemption, rebirth, healing, and second chances. It's a story of slogging through the fires of H€ll to finally emerge from the ashes and seize the hard-won happily ever after.

Grab the tissues and surrender your heart to the words of this talented storyteller. This will be one of the most emotional adventures you ever embark on, experiencing the lowest lows and highest highs, and your romantic heart will be eternally grateful in the end. This is the read of a lifetime and deserves all the stars in the night sky of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. You absolutely won’t want to miss this heart-rending, soul-satisfying, unparalleled romance.

5 Stars
2 Chili Peppers

Tropes:
Small Town
Childhood Friends to Lovers
Neighbors
Angsty & Emotional

Dual POV

Please check trigger warnings

When I say this is one of the best books I have ever read, I 100% mean that. I felt every emotion while reading. I laughed, I got angry, I cried. And I mean bawled to the point I had to stop reading because everything was blurry. But this is how good this book is. That is how good Jennifer Hartmann's writing is. I will admit, the first half of the book was a little slow but it definitely picks up and that last 1/4 hits and it hits hard.

"And whenever you look at this one, you can think of me."

I loved Ella so much. Her personality and her sass were hysterical. The things she would come out with made me burst out laughing. I loved how throughout the first half of this book she called Brynn, Brynn! with the exclamation point and all.

"Nobody wants to be Eeyore."

Max has been through so much. He does so much for all those around him. He is his father's sole caretaker. He takes care of McKay, cooks, cleans, and cleans up the yard. I loved how when they were little, Ella and he made a pact to get married. And the flower pot when the orange crayon and all the lists he made, made me swoon.

"It's like he poked a tiny pinhole in my balloon of sorrow and some of the sadness leaked out."

I even liked the side characters. Brynn, Kai, Pete and Matty, and Chevy.

I don't want to give anything away so I am going to end this here. A huge thank you to Jennifer Hartmann and Valentine PR for this ARC.