"Catch the Sun" is a poignant young adult romance that explores the rekindling of childhood friendship and the blossoming of first love against a backdrop of personal struggles and societal judgment.

Ella Sunbury returns to her hometown after a decade away, living across the street from her former best friend, Max Manning. But Ella is no longer the carefree child Max remembers. She's now the sister of a death row inmate, carrying the weight of her family's infamy and facing ostracism from her peers.

Max, dealing with his own challenges of caring for a disabled father and a distant twin brother, finds himself drawn to the girl he once knew. As they reconnect, their friendship evolves into something deeper, more complex.

However, just as their relationship begins to flourish, a new tragedy threatens to unravel everything. Ella and Max must navigate through darkness, confronting their past and present demons, to find their way back to the light and to each other.

"Catch the Sun" is an emotionally charged, beautifully crafted novel that leaves a lasting impact. Jennifer's masterful storytelling creates a rollercoaster of emotions, skilfully balancing moments of pure joy with heart-wrenching devastation.

The author's character development is exceptional. Both main and supporting characters are well-rounded and relatable, their struggles and growth feeling authentic and deeply moving. The complexity of Ella and Max's relationship, shaped by their past and present circumstances, is particularly well-executed.

Jennifer's prose is nothing short of spectacular. Her use of sun imagery throughout the novel is both poetic and powerful, adding depth and symbolism to the narrative. This attention to detail in her writing elevates the story, creating vivid scenes that resonate long after reading.

The pacing of the novel keeps readers engaged, with the right balance of tender moments and dramatic turns. The author doesn't shy away from difficult topics, handling them with sensitivity and realism.

While the novel is nearly flawless, I did wish for more assertiveness from Max in certain situations, particularly when Ella's actions could be seen as using him. However, this minor critique doesn't detract from the overall quality of the book.

"Catch the Sun" is a well-deserved five-star read, highly recommended for fans of young adult romance who appreciate depth, emotional complexity, and beautiful writing. It's a testament to Jennifer's talent as an author and her ability to create stories that touch the heart and linger in the mind.

What an emotional roller coaster ride! Ella Sunbury and Max Manning met for the first time at age 7. That began their love story. But it was not sunshine and roses for either one. Ella's lived through her parents' divorce and being separated from her mother and brother, her father's desertion, her brother's incarceration, her move back to Tennessee. Max is the brightest light in her corner. Max also has his share of trauma. His own mother's desertion, his father's work accident and spiral into alcoholism, his twin brother's devil may care attitude. He's barely hanging on by a thread to keep the roof over their heads. Ella doesn't want to date or fall in love; she's seen what love does to people and nothing turns out good. Horrific events taint Ella and Max's love story. It was painful to read through their separation, but heartwarming to see how much growing and healing they did while apart.

"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”

These characters transformed throughout the story. Dealing with grief and abandonment. It was any wonder if they'd come out the other side and end up together.

“My troubles are all over, and I am at home.”

The author has a penchant for ripping hearts to shreds throughout the course of the story and waits almost till the very end to give us resolution and a perfectly imperfect happily ever after.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

☀️Catch The Sun ARC Review🌤️

“𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭. 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭. 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜. 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧“


Synopsis

Ella and Max were inseparable friends when they were little kids until her parents divorce happened. 10 years later she is back but she is not the same. Her brother is on death row for brutally killing two people and she is now suffering the emotional consequences and the rejection of everyone around her.
Max lives with his twin brother and disabled father, he is struggling to keep all of them afloat but it’s really hard to do it alone. Ella and Max restart their friendship but it will be plagued by tragedy, loss and so much pain.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Thank you @netgalley and @author.jenniferhartmann for giving the opportunity of reading this book.
Jennifer Hartman is phenomenal, she gives you all the feelings and some more. If you are going to read this just be ready because the pain, angst and the juvenile uncertainty are profound. Max is such a beautiful soul, a golden retriever that compliments and balances Ella’s sulkiness. I loved every single moment of their relationship, especially all the beautiful details that Max gifts to Ella. I won’t spoil it, you have to experience it on your own.
This book taught me that you could meet your someone but not at the right moment, you have to be mature enough to let go, heal, and get in the right mind space with yourself so you can share your life with someone else. When love is real, it will always come back to you.

This was SUCH a good story! The whole plot had me intrigued and it was such an easy read, I didn’t want to put it down. Sunny and Max, love at first sight (when they were 7). This story gives it all… spice, tragedy, plot twists, happy ever after; gahhhh!

I loved Ella’s personality… she felt all alone and didn’t care what anyone thought about her. Then when her and Max reunite 🥹 He is so patient with her and makes her feel like she matters.

The plot will keep you guessing, and the love will keep you reading 🥰

Thank you Valentine PR and Jennifer Hartmann for this ARC read!

Holy WOW! Jennifer Hartmann was an author who has been recommended to me time and time again, and I am so angry with myself for not having read her books sooner! I absolutely LOVED Catch the Sun and how intentional Hartmann is with every word she writes (the English major in me was living for this!). Hartmann’s way to her writing makes the most subtle details carry huge meaning to her story, which shows just how thoughtful of an author she is.

As for our main characters, there’s no better feeling than having a person who makes you feel safe and loved when you have every reason to be angry with the world and at your life. Max is this person for Ella (and Ella for Max!), and Jennifer Hartmann captures the immense feelings and emotions between these two so perfectly it makes me giddy just thinking about it.

Catch the Sun has undoubtedly converted me to a major Jennifer Hartmann fan. I’m so excited to read her other books, and if they are anything like Catch the Sun, I have a feeling I’ll be rating them all 5 stars too!!

Another heartbreaking story from Jennifer Hartmann and I wouldn't have it any other way! I adore her writing so much. It's so beautiful and while you will hurt from her books, she has a way of healing you and making sure things end up the way they are supposed to. And that was exactly the case here.

I loved both Ella and Max so much! I loved how deep their connection ran from when they were kids to the present. When Ella comes back to town, she's so closed off from the world. She is hurting from everything that went down with her brother and isn't interested in friendship or love. But Max was able to pull her out of that dark place and help her through everything. He was perfect. He was so patient with her and turned out to be exactly what she needed and allowed her to be the strong woman she grew into.

This was definitely an emotional roller coaster and they both went on a journey that at many times I was not expecting. So much tragedy but yet they were so resilient and never gave up on each other. I thought the pacing of both the plot and their relationship was done very well, especially for them being younger. This is marketed as YA because the characters are young, but the story and the themes definitely aren't so don't let that fool you! And while not all aspects of the ending are happy, I think everything came together well and was as it should be.

There was nothing I didn't like about this book, but for some tiny, unknown reason, it didn't hit as hard for me as Still Beating and June First did. Like I teared up, but was not sobbing haha. But it was still an absolutely amazing book and one that everyone should pick up if you can!

**4.5 Stars

ARC Review:

Catch the Sun
By Jennifer Hartmann

5 stars

Tropes: Friends to lovers, small town, trauma and healing, found family

Alexa: Play Something in the Orange by Zach Bryan

"Kissing you feels like catching the sun…"

At seven years old, Ella Sunbury and Max Manning were inseparable—until life scattered them in different directions, forcing Ella to abruptly leave town. A decade later, she returns for their senior year of high school, moving in across the street from her childhood best friend.

But she's not the same girl Max once knew.

She now lives in the shadow of her brother: a notorious felon on death row, convicted of a crime that shook the nation. Reeling from the fallout and shunned by her peers, all Ella wants is to fade into the background.

Max has little room for distractions, juggling responsibilities for a disabled father and a distant twin brother. But Ella's return reignites something within him. He wants to be close to her again, to understand her…and to turn their friendship into more.

But as their relationship blossoms, new tragedy strikes, and darkness threatens to tip their delicate balance. In order to find the light, they'll have to navigate the shadows.

And to catch the sun…they must first endure the flames.


“Hey, Sunny. Stay.”

I not only fell in love with Max and Ella in this tragic story of heartbreak and healing, but also with Brynn!(the exclamation mark will always be needed), Kai, Chevy, Max’s dad, and Ella’s mom. The character development of all of them pulled at my heartstrings and made me believe in their bond of a found family.

“I’m absolutely petrified that you’re falling away from me, while I’m falling more and more in love with you. Every day. Every minute.”

I had tears in my eyes for most of this story while continuously turning the pages as quickly as possible. Jennifer’s writing was flawless as always. There may have been parts of the book where I wanted to throw it, but I am glad I continued and finished this well-written story.

I loved all of the quotes from the different books that Ella cherished. I loved the way Max was so patient with Ella, how he handled her with such care, love and attentiveness. I love all of the love that floated around in this story. Not just between the FMC and MMC, but between everyone in the story. The plot was plotting!

“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.” “Souls don’t see, Sunny. Souls feel.”

Catch the Sun broke me so many times. When I finished this book, I sobbed. I will leave it to you to figure out if they were happy or sad tears.

“My troubles are all over, and I am at home.”

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Jennifer Hartmann has been one of my auto-buy authors for a while now. This is her first YA novel and she knocked it out of the park. Hartmann's talent lies in tackling tough and dark topics with care, and while this novel is lighter than her adult ones, it still has some deeper themes that she handles beautifully. This was an emotional book, with twists I didn't see coming. Ella and Max's story is one to be remembered.

Jennifer Hartmann has done it to me again. Infinity stars. Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC, as I’m a huge fan of Jennifer’s writing. This book gave me SO MANY emotions. It kept me up all night reading. It gave me anxiety in multiple parts of the book(in a good way). One of my favorite reads of the year.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Today I fell in love with a boy
Who finally caught the sun, and he never let her go.’

Firstly thankyou so much to the queen herself Jennifer Hartmann, and Bloom publishing for allowing me an ARC copy of this incredible book, It was truly awe inspiring.

Ella sunbury. A girl whos led a lifetime of trauma packed into her teen years for so many different reasons, tries to navigate life today - but her peers pull her down, her demons attempt to pull her apart, and she’s ready to give up, until him. Max manning.

Now of course I am all about spoiler free reviews so what I will say is that the beautiful man that is max, needs protecting at all costs, because I’ve never met an MMC that didn’t deserve the world like he does.

This book had me laughing, crying, outright sobbing, and then happy cry snorting. Jennifer, never fails to reach new heights of trauma within her stories, and delivers it with such an inspiring finesse that it only confirms, she is without a doubt my favourite author today.

Ella + Max + Dr Pepper 4eva x

Wow. Just WOW! I am forever changed after reading this book. I laughed, I screamed, I cried tears of sadness and tears of joy! Jennifer really knows how to break your heart and put it back together again. This is my new favorite of hers.

Ella & Max both have not had easy childhoods. I was rooting for them the entire story. If I could reach into the book and hug Ella I would have. Her feelings about her brother were valid and proof of how Jennifer can make you feel what the characters are feeling. Max....sweet Max. He might be one of my favorite book boyfriends (If you love Noah from Say You Swear you will love Max).

Max & Ella hold a spot in my heart and orange is my new favorite color. I am so happy these two got their HEA.

P.S. F* you Dr. Pepper!

Thank you Netgalley and Bloom Books for the ARC.

My review might sound like I hated it. I did but not in the way people might think. The book deals with two different characters who have a connection to a traumatic event. Ella and Max. They both have a different connection but there trauma allows them to not only grow together but end up becoming better people. So why didn't I like it? Unfortunately for me. It felt very similar to If He Had been with me by Laura Nowlin. Which I hated with a burning passion. The characters also don't feel like High schoolers. They feel so much more mature than the setting they were setup with. I feel like this could've been a better book if it followed them in a more college era.

5⭐️

🧡 Ella + Max 🧡

There are many moments from this book that were so special. Quote worthy. I immediately connected with Ella and Max and their story. I didn’t want to put the book down. I can’t wait for everyone else to experience it.

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮.”

Ella, the strongest girl. A true survivor. I loved everything about her character. From her dry humor to her resilient nature. Max, you really are a ten across the board. I really appreciated the slow and steady pace of their story. The friendship that blossomed to much more. It is a beautiful coming of age romance. I will be thinking of Ella and Max for a long time. This story

Ella returns to Juniper Falls a decade after leaving. She was 7 when she last saw her best friend, Max. The boy who gave her an orange flower. Now she’s back for her senior year and Max is all grown up. What starts as a rekindling of their friendship, slowly blossoms into much more. The path to their happily ever after isn’t an easy one though.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓌𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝑔𝒾𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓈 𝑜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝒹. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒶𝓃 𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝒷𝑒𝑔𝒾𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂." - Max

Wow, what a beautiful book. The way this captured so many emotions and I felt every single one. It's an emotional rollercoaster, you may need to recover afterwards but it is worth it! I loved all the Winnie the Pooh references 🥹
I recommend to look up the triggers as it's heavy in parts, for someone who has experienced loss recently, I had all the feels.

𝐼𝒻 𝓂𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀, 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝒻𝓉𝓈. 𝒜 𝓈𝒸𝑒𝓃𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝒶𝒷, 𝒽𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝓈𝒾𝓉. - Ella

This was my first Jennifer Hartmann book and I was not disappointed, I loved this so much, it was beautifully written. I think I highlighted majority of the book! I will be running to read everything she has written 🌚

"𝒯𝑜𝒹𝒶𝓎 𝐼 𝒻𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒾𝓃 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒶 𝒷𝑜𝓎 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓊𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑔𝑜."

Thank you to @netgalley, @sourcebooks and @author.jenniferhartmann for the ARC for an 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.”

Catch The Sun is an angsty friends to lovers YA romance. I’m typically a dark romance reader and haven’t read a YA romance in forever, but wow…Max and Ella’s story was 𝒽ℯ𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒷𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓁𝓎 beautiful. Jennifer Hartmann always manages to hurt your heart in the best way and then piece it all back together again. This book took me on such an emotional roller coaster ride. Catch The Sun is a beautifully written story about friendship, grief, and first love filled with devastating twists that will pull at your heartstrings. 5⭐️

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥:
☀️YA romance
☀️Childhood friends to lovers
☀️Angsty and emotional
☀️Small town
☀️Trauma healing
☀️Green flag MMC

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡.”

“𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐬, 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.“

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦.“

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!💕