Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jennifer Hartmann’s “Catch the Sun” is a heart-wrenching, emotionally charged story about two childhood friends, Ella Sunbury and Max Manning, who reconnect after years of separation. The book beautifully explores themes of trauma, grief, and healing while offering a tender coming-of-age romance that will leave you both shattered and uplifted. I highly recommend looking at content warnings before reading this book, especially if you are sensitive to themes of grief and loss. “Catch the Sun” is not a lighthearted romance—it’s a story of survival, of finding love in the midst of tragedy. Even though I was mentally prepared going into this book, I still needed a box of tissues when I got to the ending. This is a book that will stay with you long after you finish it, but it will also give you a feeling of hope and contentment.

The story begins with Ella and Max as inseparable childhood friends, making promises of forever. But life tears them apart when Ella’s father abruptly moves her away. Ten years later, she returns to Juniper Falls, where her past is marked by tragedy—her brother has been sentenced to death for murder. Ella’s return is met with hostility, as the small town mercilessly bullies her for her brother's crime. Meanwhile, Max is grappling with his own demons, from his mother’s abandonment to his father’s descent into alcoholism.

Hartmann’s strength lies in her character development. Max is the embodiment of patience and kindness, a quiet force of love who remains steadfast even as Ella tries to push him away. Their slow-burn romance is built on trust and respect, with Max allowing Ella the space to heal while gently supporting her. The emotional depth between them is palpable, and their relationship, filled with heartache and resilience, is as tender as it is raw. I absolutely loved Max’s character and how he has his own flaws while being a fully developed character.

While “Catch the Sun” is marketed as a YA novel, it tackles heavy topics with a maturity that sets it apart from typical young adult romances. The book delves deep into trauma and grief, giving the story a weight that lingers. The friendship between Ella and her new friend, Brynn, adds a layer of warmth to the story, balancing out the darker themes. There were also touches of humor and relatability that I enjoyed even when the plot was hurtling forward.

The pacing of the book starts off slow, reflecting the internal struggles of the characters. But once the second half picks up, the emotional intensity skyrockets, pulling you through unexpected twists and gut-wrenching moments. Hartmann’s writing is poetic and so beautiful, making this reading experience even more memorable.

Overall, “Catch the Sun” is a stunning exploration of love, loss, and the journey of healing. Hartmann has created a masterful blend of emotional depth, character-driven storytelling, and heartbreaking beauty. I can’t wait to experience even more beautiful and heart-wrenching writing from Hartmann.

all in all i enjoyed the story not the writing which in the end ruined it for me, i think if you’re able to look past it then this book can be enjoyable, i see why people have loved it but i am not of them.

Childhood friends to lovers but make it traumatic and tragic! Actually, it has a happy ending but we go through a ton of turmoil to get to it! Hartmann has mastered the survivor romance, coming-of-age angst that make her books such emotional rollercoasters! But this book was exceptionally poignant because of the vividness of the characters and the beauty of the message. As long as Jennifer Hartmann has something to say, I'm gonna sit and listen (well..read)!

Wow this book was AMAZING and hands down 5 stars for me. I absolutely loved this story and I could NOT put it down! I was so invested in these characters, Ella and Max. I felt for them hard the whole way through. Their chemistry together was perfect, I loved everything about their whole relationship. From the happy moments to the sad moments. They both have gone through a lot and it was nice that they could go to each other and be able to take care of one another.
Catch the Sun was such an emotional read but in a great way. You must read this book. I honestly wish I could just re-read this book all over again because it was that good. I have always loved Jennifer's books and this one did not disappoint one bit.
If you enjoy coming of age, second chance, first love stories, this one is definitely the one you need to pick up.

Jennifer Hartmann knows how to pull at your heartstrings. This one is no different! The way my jaw dropped!! Incredible!

5 STARS!

Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann is my favorite book of the year so far. My husband even read it in one day, and it's not a short book!

Maybe it's the coming-of-age love story that made me enjoy this book so much. It could be the well-developed characters or the intense storyline at times. All I know is that I didn't want this book to end. There were so many times that I laughed out loud, and I could tell exactly where my husband was in the story when he did the same. Max and Ella, the main characters, were friends as kids, torn apart by distance, and brought back into each other's lives as teenagers. This is when most of the story takes place. Ella is the brooding teenager, and Max is trying to hold his family together.

I loved the quotes throughout the story, and I found myself looking up and listening to songs that were mentioned throughout the story. The ending was perfect and definitely not disappointing. I would love to see a sequel or movie made about this book. I haven't read other books by Jennifer Hartmann, but I can't wait to read them now.

Although this book is touted as a young adult book, I think it's more of an adult book because of some mature parts of the book.

I gave this book five out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom Books, and Jennifer Hartmann for my free copy. This is based on my honest review.

More NA than YA... I get the ages (18 by halfway through the book) but still, spice in YA isn't normally this explicit.

So much trauma, grief, and finding the strength to move on. So many things happen in this story - it's honestly a little overwhelming. The writing is beautiful (as always when it comes to Hartmann) and the revolving idea of the sun is so intricately woven through the book it's SO good.

What to expect:
-grief & loss
-trauma
-almost assault (on page)
-murder (on page)
-childhood friends to lovers
-he falls first and WAY harder
-journey of self-discovery

*actual rating is more like 3.75

Rating: 5/5
Spice 2.5/5

Jennifer Hartmann’s books are a must read. The way she writes…it’s like you fall in love, get torn apart and then she so beautifully puts you back together. Every book I’ve read, including this one, has really tough topics and I just cannot find the words to tell you how she heals you along the way while bringing awareness to stuff.

This book follows Ella and Max along an emotional journey. Your heart will be all over the place. Ella and Max know each other while they’re young but life tears them apart. After a tragedy with Ella’s brother, Ella and her mom move back and become neighbors with Max. Ella’s welcome back is a tough one all around but especially when it comes to Max, at first. As the story goes on Ella and Max find their way back to each other and discover who they are and who they want to be. I try to be vague but a little to the point because I hate spoilers.

I laughed, I cried, felt torn and then felt pure joy by the end of this book. You do not want to miss this read. It’s a top read of the year!

Jennifer Hartmann is the queen of roller costar of emotion books!!
My emotions were all over the place. The book starts off with Ella and Max who are childhood friends that get separated due to Ella's parents. So crazy stuff happens which I don't want to spoil but leads to Ella and her mother having to move back to the town 10 years later where Max lives. Both have been through so much trauma they find friendship again. THEN SOME REALLY CRAZY STUFF HAPPENS. Let me just tell you I never knew what was going to happen next.
Catch the Sun kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed the story of Ella and Max. Seeing the growth of Ella throughout the book really made my heart happy at the end. This is definitely one you do not want to skip.

Highly recommend!!! Beautiful childhood friends to lovers/ Second chance romance book.

Every single Jennifer Hartmann book wrecks me more than the last. Every single Jennifer Hartmann book makes me adore her more than the last. I cannot get over how much I LOVE her writing. The amount of pure heart and soul she puts into these stories, into these characters is just mind blowing. Once again, sobbed hysterically over the depth of emotions created between Ella and Max. I just, it’s hard to form words sometimes when reviewing Jennifer’s books but I will say this….. there are very few books that stick with you and that you think about frequently after reading them. Sometimes even extended periods of time later, for me? All of the books I have read by Jennifer fall into that category. Infinite stars.

“kissing you feels like catching the sun”

THIS is exactly why Jennifer Hartmann is one of my favourite authors. If you don’t read anything else this year READ THIS. I’ve had to sit on this review for days because I don’t know how to fully put into words how much I adore this book. The two MCs are childhood best friends but they got split apart due to circumstance but fate brought them right back to each other 10 years down the line. Ella and Max really have stole my heart even though they broke it they mended it also. This was such a tragic but beautiful story, the trauma both of the characters went through individually and together ripped me to pieces. This is a gorgeous story on breaking apart but also healing and mending and it was so delicately told and I can assure you it will have you sobbing happy and sad tears. Tell me why I was crying the majority of the time even at the bits that weren’t sad because I am so obsessed with everything to do with this book.

Ella was such a beautiful character I don’t think Hartmann could’ve described her any better than “bright like the sun” I will never be able to think of Orange without thinking of her again.

Max my poor heart he just held every problem on his shoulders and pushed through trying not to bother anyone. But when he had Ella he started to glow like the sun as well and it sincerely hurt my heart in the best way.

They were down bad for each other and watching them rekindle their friendship which turns into a relationship felt like an honour. It could’ve been insta lovey because they knew each other before but Hartmann knows exactly what she’s doing and makes you not only fall in love with the MCs together but also individually.

ALSO Winnie the Pooh was my favourite as a kid and that just added the icing to the cake when Ella and Max played Pooh sticks I was kicking my feet smiling like a mad woman.

Some favourite quotes
- ““Yeah. It’s bright like the sun,” he says, glancing skyward. “And the sun is bright like you.”
- And maybe it’s silly, but I’m determined to be the cause of that dimpled, toothy grin.
- The sound of her laughter at the lake the other day hasn’t left my mind since it spilled out of her, all bare-boned joy and raw feeling. The echo of it lingers, inciting a yearning to be the one who makes her laugh like that again.
- “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.”
- Maybe it’s Ella. She’s allowed me to believe that broken things don’t always need to stay in ruins.
- “You rarely win, but sometimes you do.”
- Ella makes this house finally feel like a home.
- She’s my light and I’m hers. My sweet Sunny Girl.
- “You’re the only thing that will repair this goddamn hole in my heart.” “I’m not the answer. I’m not—” “You’re my answer, Sunny.”
- “Souls don’t see, Sunny. Souls feel.”
- Weightless. Nothing felt heavy when she looked at me. Nothing felt like too much when her hand was clasped with mine.
- “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.”
- “You’re right, Sunny. It is bullshit,” I tell her, cupping her face between my palms and forcing her eyes on mine. “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.”
- And love stabs me right in the heart as I read over Max’s handwriting scrawled at the bottom: Dear Jonah, Today I fell in love with a boy who finally caught the sun. And he never let her go. THE END

Reading the first chapter it felt like this is going to be an awesome read. But then it slowed down and I could not get into it until way to long later in the book. It also does not feel appropriate enough to be targeted as an YA, more like an New Adult book. But I liked the ending and the story, although slow, it's still heartbreaking.

Amazing. This story was unlike anything I have ever read before. It also had me in tears at some parts, which doesn’t usually happen for me! Will be recommending to everyone!

This is my most favorite read by Jennifer Hartmann! It was sweet and whitty while also having that broken love story that we all know and love by her. I highly recommend this book.

Review:
4.5 stars.
Catch the Sun is a beautiful love story of childhood friends to lover (one of my favorite tropes!). I absolutely adored Max and Ella. Their resilience upon never ending tragedy is something to be admired. The quotes in this books were superior! So beautifully done and you can't help but fall in love with these characters. This is a character driven story, so it is more of a slow burn especially at the beginning. I think that it could have been shortened a little and I would still have felt that same connection with the characters. But, once it picks up in the second half, it does not slow down! The tragedy in this book is intense and I did not see it coming, but it was very well done!

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Jennifer Hartmann’s brand of romance is why I love reading this genre so much. The emotion. The heartbreak. The longing. This novel shattered and healed me simultaneously. A poignant and exquisitely written journey. Truly a masterpiece. I haven't encountered a book this remarkable in a long time, and now I’m emotionally overwhelmed. Depleted. Just … wow!

Max is the epitome of perfection. His love for Ella is profound, evident almost every time he spoke with or about her. And the trauma both Ella and Max had t live through … well, it devastated me, shattering my heart into countless fragments. These two never seemed to be allowed to catch a break. Seriously.

A beautifully crafted, emotionally charged, powerful tale of love and sorrow, chronicling the lives of Ella and Max as they bear the weight of their grief and strive to navigate their tumultuous journey. I loved every single second of reading it, despite the pain, and now I’ll be anxiously awaiting whichever story Ms. Hartmann is going to tell next.

This was such a sweet, yet heartbreaking read. At first I wasn’t super interested in it because it starts in high school but as the story goes on, you feel so many emotions.

The writing was incredibly emotional, the characters were great and well developed, and the story was interesting and keeps you drawn in.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Bloom Books and Jennifer Hartmann for the eARC of Catch the Sun, available now!

Comforting. That's what I felt in the story. Since day one, they knew they were meant for each other. It was also painful seeing the many struggles they went through in their lives and family situations. They chose to grow and wait for the right time to be happy. They were both victims, both drowning in shadows, both trying to find the light, and it's wonderful that they found that light together. Everything happens for a reason, and "love conquers all" is the message you'll feel in this story. The beautiful pain of forgiveness, loving yourself, and rebuilding yourself so you can have the courage to love others again.

* trauma and healing
* First love
* Coming of age
* Second chance


This didn’t feel like a YA book to me. Such a beautiful, emotional read. The growth these characters had was so well written. Jennifer Hartmann just knows how to write a book that will make you cry.

This was a super cute but also incredibly heartbreaking of a romance. I have learned that Jennifer Hartmann books will cause me emotional damage guaranteed.

I know this book is being marketed as YA/16+ and the cast of characters are in high school through most of this story. I ✨️personally✨️ think this book should be marketed as NA (New Adult) as it does contain some explicity content and features some heavy and darker themes.