Overall: 4.25-4.5


It wouldn’t be a Jennifer Hartmann book without some heartwrenching situations on the way to the happy ending — Catch The Sun is no different. I was cautiously reading, waiting for the moment where I’d be broken to then speed through to the resolution. The story was so heavy, I forgot how old the MCs were supposed to be, and yet they carried on, not letting their current situations hold them back.

Right away I was falling for Max. With his persistence, befriending Ella, and not holding her brother’s sins against her. I couldn’t help but empathize with Ella, having to go through adolescence is a challenge in itself, but to have to do it in the shadow of her brother’s crime? Brutal. Yet she brushed it off and was able to make some loyal friends along the way.

I also enjoyed the side characters — Brynn! being the light Ella needed which she in turn used to befriend Kai, her dads and their eternal optimism, Chevy acting as the big brother. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her mother — I know she was in a tough spot and it took a toll on her parenting Ella.

Holy crap!!

Talk about heart wrenching.

This love story we as sweet and innocent, but also full of trauma and sadness.

It has me HOOKED from the very first page.
I was so entranced learning about Max & 'Sunny'

Knowing the beginning was really the end (WOAHHH. Just realizing the author had been telling us that, literally the entire time throughout the book), that was heartbreaking.

And the ending, ugh.the waterworks it brought my eyes was unimaginable.

This book was SO damn good.

This book was phenomenally written! I cant tell you how many times I was in shock or balling my eyes out. The story will have you so deeply invested you cant put the book down.

Catch The Sun was such an emotional and heartbreakingly beautiful story that will have you crying one moment and smiling the next.

This was my first time reading anything by this author and I can absolutely say that her writing was quite captivating and filled with so many complex and intense emotions.

While, this book is categorized as YA, I personally felt like this was more of an NA especially during the second half of the book.

It’s dual POVs of the main characters, Ella Sunbury and Max Manning, and there were some great tropes like childhood friends to lovers, a first love romance, close proximity, and found family. I would highly recommend checking the content and trigger warnings before reading though, as there were some very heavy and dark elements.

The overall premise was unique, heartbreaking, intense and just beautifully written. Ella and Max’s healing was such a powerful but difficult journey filled with so many complex emotions. This was not an easy book to get through by any means, as there were some very heavy moments that made me cry. But there were also so many hopeful, lovely and heartfelt moments that made me smile as well.

Ella and Max’s romance was so beautiful despite everything they experienced. That first innocent love between them was just so heartwarming. Their romantic development was filled with so many tears, laughter, angst and love. This author had an extraordinary ability expressing and conveying the deep and profound love Ella and Max had for each other.

I will say, while the first half the book was a bit slow-paced the second half was amazing and just filled with so much tragedy and heartache. This was definitely a book where you’re put through the wringer to get to that happily ever after at the end. The epilogue just made everything worth it and I’m happy that Ella and Max get their new beginning.

Overall, this was just a beautiful book that will tear you apart and then heal your heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Your eyes," I murmur, cupping his cheek with one hand."They make me feel seen."

5 out of 5 stars
3/5 spice

Firstly I wanna thank Valentine PR for the ARC of Catching the Sun. It's always a pleasure and a great opportunity when getting chosen by them.

Catch the Sun is written by the talented Jennifer Hartmann. This is the fifth book I have ever read by her and I believe third time doing an ARC for her. This is however first time reading a young adult novel hence why my spice rating.

Jennifer brings us the story about Ella Sunbury and Max Manning childhood friends who were separated only to come back into each other's lives later in their teens. Even with these two living across the street from one another it still took them months to start talking to one another again.

At school, Max is known to be cute and kind while Ella is known to be the odd one out, the one everyone picks on because of a traumatic event that had occurred in the past. Something she is not to blame for but still is seen as guilty by association but Max takes notice that the girl he once knew as a kid is still in there.

Oh my Lord, this story was so heartbreaking. And if we know Jennifer, she is so good at writing heartbreaking stories yet even with heartbreak, Jennifer knows how to mend our broken hearts and again shed tears but tears of joy. And trust me there are tons of tears in this book. I love how she brought them back together and had them realize they needed one another to heal and grow.

Please read trigger warnings before reading, there are heavy topics in this book that may trigger some. Happy Reading.

Max + Ella

-small town romance
-second chance
-first love
-childhood friends to strangers to lovers
-allll the angst
-double the heartache

jennifer. fckn. rekt. me. & i will never forgive her for this 😭😭😭😭 but fr ALLLLL the stars 🥹🥹🥹 max manning is the love of my life!

Jennifer Hartmann can do no wrong. She never fails to write the most beautiful, gut wrenching, complex stories. I was hooked from the first sentence, but I’m not surprised because I LOVE her books. I will say, I don’t think this book is YA. It does have less spice than most of her other stories, but I would still say it leans towards a mature audience. 10/10 recommend you pick up this and every other Jennifer Hartmann book ASAP!

Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I haven't read a romance in a while so this was a refreshing read. I found myself cringing a little at some parts of the book, at some of the things that Max said (which I also found a little unrealistic for a 17 year old boy) and a little at Brynn's character set up. Her character was epitomised within the first couple pages of meeting her and I think her energy was captured beautifully but sometimes the emphasis on her 'pink, bubblegum, unicorn' personality was a bit much for a senior in high school. There were a few twists in the story that I didn't expect which was great and I enjoyed their ending.

This was my first book by Jennifer Hartmann and OMG it was so beautiful 🥺

I cried like a baby! I felt all the emotions as the characters were feeling them, my stomach dropped multiple times and I had to walk away from my kindle because my heart couldn’t take it!

This book was so beautifully written that I can’t get over it. It had so much tragedy linking Max and Ella together🥺 I totally recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t mind crying like a baby!!

Tropes:
- First love
- Friends to lovers
- Second chance love
- Boy next door

Thanks Netgalley for sending me the ARC of this book. It was a 5 stars read for me!

"Kissing you feels like catching the sun..."

This book literally made me cry several times and melted my heart. It's so beautifully written, with fantastic banter among smart teen characters I would have wanted as friends.

Ella and Max were best friends at age seven, until life separated them. Ten years later Ella has returned, living in the home across the street from Max, but now she is traumatized and guarded after her beloved older brother was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. She is tormented by classmates who view her only as the murderer's sister, making her want to disappear. But Max still sees her, sees who she truly is.

All I would like to know is where the boys like Max were when I was a teenager, with his thoughtful gifts full of effort, his complete loyalty and care. I absolutely loved both of these characters, and my heart broke for the pain they went through. I loved the dual points of view, and how well you get to know each one's side of the story. I felt like I was holding my breath through the drama and tragedy, hoping for them to have a happy ending. There are so many passages in this story I won't forget, just beautifully done overall.

Thank you so much to Bloom Books and Netgalley for this ARC!

Put another check in the Jennifer Hartmann made me sob column. This book was so amazing, a review can’t do it justice. As always, Jennifer took my heart, crushed it, stomped on it, then lovingly put it back together again. She is the queen of angst and anguish for a reason. I can’t even begin to express how magnificent this book was, but I’ll try.

The characters in this story were perfectly broken. I adored Ella and her journey with trying to find comfort and happiness in life again. She has experienced so much heartbreak and is just trying to get by until she graduates and can leave. She is treated so cruelly by her peers and just wants to hide away. And Max is the literal most perfect specimen on this planet and I want to protect him at all costs. He has so much heart and cares so much for his people. He deserves everything in the world. Their story is so beautiful. The world keeps knocking them both down, but they keep finding the light. The trauma they both go through and healing they experience is worth ALL the tears I shed (and I shed a LOT).

This book deviates from JH’s norm being a young adult novel with teen protagonists, but don’t let the label fool you. This book is just as gritty and heartbreaking as any adult Jennifer Hartmann book, maybe even more so as now it is occurring during the innocence of adolescence. (It does also contain spicy scenes, so it hovers a little more in the NA category in my opinion.) The depth and complexity to the scenes is there, and it still touches on emotionally heavy topics for being YA. The way they are handled and how the characters experience them fits within the YA genre, but in no way is this book “lighter” than her adult ones. It has all the grit and anguish we’ve come to expect in Jennifer’s writing.

There were so many turns this book took that were unexpected. There were SO many tears shed. I also smiled at the sweet innocence of teenage love. This book will take you through it all with anguish, heartbreak, resilience, and love. You cannot go wrong reading this one, but prepare yourself and make sure you’ve got your tissues!

R E A D I F Y O U L I K E
☀️ Childhood Friends to Lovers
☀️ YA/NA Romance (with spice)
☀️ Found Family
☀️ He Falls First
☀️ Slow Burn
☀️ All the Heartbreak with a HEA

Thank you Valentine PR and Jennifer Hartmann for an early copy of this book!

5⭐️ 2🌶️
- MF
- Friends to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- He Falls First
- Small Town
- Angst
- Trauma and Healing
- Found Family

This book got me out of a reading slump only to send me right back into one because I know my next read won’t be nearly as good.

Jennifer is the queen of breaking my heart and putting it back together again. This book had all the trauma, angst, heartache and deep emotional connections I have come to love and expect from her books. I stayed up until 2am to finish it and I have zero regrets.

This was a book about two friends who are united in friendship by their shared past and the struggles they face at home. While their circumstances are completely different, both feel so defeated by the world and find comfort and joy with each other.

I couldn’t have loved Max more. He was so kind and selfless to a fault. Always putting others first leaving little left for himself. He sacrificed so much to care for his father and protect his brother. It was such a relief when he found joy in his friendship with Ella. Even in their friendship he was always taking care of her. Giving her rides, getting her a bike, sticking up for her to her bullies. He remembered the smallest details because he CARED about her.

Poor Ella has been through so much. It’s no wonder she felt so defeated. Luckily for her, Brynne! and Max were determined to be her friends. But she was so strong and a survivor.

I loved Max and Ella’s journey so much! Even as my heart broke and I thought I might drown in all the angst. But it was still t filled with beauty and so much love.

This book was dark and dealt with a lot of heavy subjects. It wasn’t anything unexpected from Jennifer, however I think the publisher really missed the mark when they decided to categorize this as YA. I think this was firmly in NA territory.

This was hard to read for me. The struggles that teenagers go through really hurts my mom heart.

It makes me sad to see Ella struggle through while living in the light of the wrong her brother does. I wish people wouldn’t see others for something someone else does but it’s so true!

This was a wonderfully written YA book about early love and really second chance romance for youth. This book deals with some heavy topics and does have some open door romance but it is YA.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of Catch The Son.

Jennifer Hartmann has done it again! I loved this book. It was a fast read and I was able to connect with the characters. And wow the cover is beautiful!

4 stars ⭐️ In true Jennifer Hartmann fashion, my heart was put through the wringer with this one.

Catch the Sun is a story of shattered innocence and two friends who are united by their shared past.

Ella and Max have that special young love that warms your soul. I absolutely love Ella; her character is devastatingly beautiful, and her quirky personality was perfect. Sweet, sweet Max; he embodies his protector role so well. He is patient, kind and is always listening. The book spans over 12+ years, with them as childhood friends and rekindling that friendship years later until it grows into something more.

YA is not usually my go-to, but if Jennifer writes it, I’m reading it. This book deals with some dark, and triggering topics.

It will take a bit to trudge through the front end, but the second half of the book builds into action, mystery and suspense. If you are looking for a love story between kindred spirits that span’s years, this beautiful story is for you.

DNF @20%. The biggest problem I had with this book was the angsty writing. It's totally understandable that Ella would feel moody, angsty, etc. with everything that was going on in her life; however, her tone read unnaturally. The writing just didn't feel authentic. It read like a middle-aged woman was writing the voice of a teenager. The moody clever one-liners felt forced. I thought it was weird how much Ella was pushing away Max. I didn't like how hot and cold she was with him. Since I stopped at 20%, that may have changed further into the story. I did like the premise of the story with Ella's brother. I thought that was an interesting topic to read about. Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC.

The way I will never recover from this book. A five out of five star from me! Jennifer does it again.
I was immediately sucked into Max and Ella’s story and I don’t ever want to let them go.
My heart was broken, but in true JH fashion, she mends it back together perfectly.
Don’t let the YA/NA definition of this book steer you away. It’s absolutely worth the read just make sure your tissues are nearby.
Max and Ella deserved to be protected at all costs.

This book was amazing. I already knew I was going to love this book since I love Jeniffer her writing, but this was amazing. So beautifully written, so many emotions and so many beautiful quotes. Highly recommend this book, you could feel the love and the connection off the pages and the emotional growth the characters went thought was so special to read about.

Synopsis: 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.

Review: Man, oh man. Do you ever finish a book and know that you'll be thinking about it for the rest of your life? This is one of those books. This book put me through the ringer. It was heartfelt and heartbreaking. I laughed, I smiled, I cried. I sobbed and gasped for air. I laughed while I sobbed. And only the best books can do that to you. This book, at its core, is about love. Love the endures. Endures time and events. I can't review more than that without giving spoilers because this book is so fresh in my mind and on my heart. The main thing to take away from this: read this book. Read all of Jennifer Hartmann's books. But read this one ASAP.

I'm still trying to gather my thoughts, as my heart, broken and then healed but forever changed, is still reeling from the impact of this amazing story. "Catch the Sun" filled a void in me I didn't know existed.

The love story between Max and Ella is absolutely heartwarming. Meeting at seven years old and then reconnecting ten years later, their bond remains pure and innocent. This enduring connection, surviving despite the passage of time and their individual traumas, is beautifully written and deeply moving.

Both Ella and Max are incredibly well-developed characters. Their depth and authenticity make them feel real and relatable. Watching their love story unfold is nothing short of epic, providing a sense of connection that is deep, raw and completely satisfying.

I'm not going to lie thought, the plot twists are intense and hit <b>very</b> hard, making me want to cry, throw up, and applaud all at the same time. The author's ability to evoke such strong emotions is incredible. Reading this book felt like living another life, with my heart experiencing every moment, leaving me in the worst book hangover of my life the next morning.

"Catch the Sun" is a storytelling gem. Jennifer Hartmann's writing is not only engaging but also deeply satisfying, taking readers on a journey that feels like a complete experience. The author expertly handles trauma, treating her characters' struggles with care and giving them the time they need to grow and heal.

Thank you, Jennifer Hartmann, for such a beautiful book. This one goes straight into my top 10 favorites.