Intense, sentimental and gripping, this swoony YA romance is full of angst and yearning, tenderness and lust. If you enjoy coming-of-age novels or the childhood friends to lovers trope you are going to want to add this book to your tbr. Perfect for CoHo fans, the witty/sarcastic banter really gave off a similar vibe which I wholeheartedly adored. A bingeable book that I could not (and would not) put down, this steamy, heartbreaking read is full of unexpected plot twists that truly caught me by surprise.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom for access to the e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is crazy emotional, that goes far beyond a typical young adult romance.
Ella Sunbury and Max Manning were inseparable as kids until Ella suddenly left town. Then Ten years later, she’s back for their senior year, but she’s not the same girl Max once knew.
Her brother is on death row, and she’s, unfortunately, living with this impacting her life in a negative lighy. She’s carrying the weight of his infamous past, leaving her alone, and isolated from everyone.

Max has his own family struggles, but when Ella returns, he feels that old connection spark again. He’s determined to rekindle their friendship and hopefully something more. But as they grow closer, life throws new tragedies their way, threatening to pull them apart. To find happiness, they’ll have to face their darkest fears together.

Jennifer Hartmann’s writing hits hard, pulling you into a whirlwind of emotions. This book might be marketed as a young adult romance, but it’s so much more. The struggles Ella and Max face feel real and raw, and you can’t help but feel deeply for them. The story unfolds like a vivid dream, full of unexpected twists that keep you hooked, balancing the beauty of their relationship with heartbreaking moments.

A word of warning: pay attention to the trigger warnings. "Catch the Sun" will break your heart, but it’s a journey that stays with you long after you’ve finished. 📚💔

**Trigger Warnings:** Death row, family struggles, intense emotions

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books.

I fell in love with Jennifer Hartmann’s writing earlier this year when I read Older and have been more and more impressed with each book I devour. While most of her books are steeped in heavier themes of trauma and grief, I think Catch the Sun, as a YA novel, strikes a balance of the heavier with the lighter (trauma juxtaposed with the hope of young love).

This book is noted as a YA novel, but I would not allow my teenager to read this book due to the heavy content. This would be best for anyone over 18. Jennifer Hartmann is one of my favorite authors. She writes deep, emotional stories that make the reader feel. This book is no exception.

- Childhood neighbors to lovers
- Boy falls first
- Romantic suspense
- Dual POV

Rating: 4 stars, 2 spicy pepper emojis

✨ARC Review✨ I’ve been in a glass case of emotion for two days. I’m going to need a rom com after this heartbreaker of a book.

So, we have Ella and Max who were best friends when they were seven. Ella moved away after a year. Ten years later she’s back in town, but is a broken husk of the girl she was, after her brother has been convicted of murdering two people.

She doesn’t want love. She thinks romantic love leads to darkness and ruin. Max has been caring for his disabled dad and his twin brother for years. He doesn’t have time nor energy for girls and romance.

Ah, but can they resist that pull? That never-broken tether to each other? No, of course not. This is a Romance novel.

Max is the sweetest, bestest boy and Ella is such a glorious black cat. I love all the ways they reach out to each other. I adore their slide back into friendship and love. There are delightful pieces of this story that I want you to unfurl on your own, but I will say the lists will stay in my heart.

But without giving too much away, there are serious complications in their journey and it’s not all easy breezy.

It’s not a perfect book, but it is compulsively readable. I think if you’re in the mood to have your heart broken a few times and then quietly put back together, you should give this one a go.

Listen, there is a whole lot going on in this book. Please check CWs. There are definitely things that can be triggering for some people.

I see that Amazon has this classified as young adult. I’m no prude and I was reading “bodice rippers” well before high school, but I was surprised at the open door content for a YA novel. Let’s just say this is no “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”

I was given this ARC via #netgalley and @read_bloom. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romance #romancebooks #yaromance #newadultromance #contemporaryromance #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #bookrecs #bookstagram #arc

If this isn’t 5 star worthy, I don’t know what is. This had me sweating, crying, pacing, screaming, gasping, etc. through the last 50%.

Hartmann has a way of making you love & hate her stories all at the same time which makes her work some of my absolute favorite to read.

This is a standalone story of two teenage loners who happen to find each other at the most tragic time in their lives. Although it is classified as YA/NA I would definitely recommend it for mature readers & to check out the content warnings before diving in.

Here’s what you can look forward to reading in Catch the Sun:
- Dual POV
- First Love
- Second Chance
- He Falls First
- Friends to Lovers
- Small Town
- TRAUMA & Healing

Overall this was an emotional roller coaster to say the least but I absolutely loved every minute of it.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS, & of course Jennifer Hartmann for an eARC of this incredible book!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC!

This was my 2nd book by Jennifer Hartmann and it did not disappoint! This book ruined me in all of the best ways! So heartwrenching but so beautiful at the same time! Many many tears!

5/5

🍊Childhood Friends to Lovers
🍊Protective MMC
🍊Outcast Heroine
🍊Intense connection
🍊They are it for each other

Gosh when I thought, oh this will be a Ya romance it’s not going to make me an emotional mess, I was wrong. This book put me through it a little bit and I literally had no idea where it was going at points… but man my jaw was on the floor at points.

This story is one of my favorite story dynamics. An outcast Character, with a Protective hero, who cannot fight the connection they share.
When we first meet these two they are children, without a worry in the world, time wasn’t easy to these two, which in some ways I find makes their bond stronger.

Both Max and Ella both have obstacles to overcome, and letting people get close doesn’t come easy to them…. The rekindling of their friendship, max trying to get Ella to be his friend… were some of the sweetest moments… I loved seeing their relationship grow into this strong “it’s always been you” kind of love.

Like a lot of Jennifer’s stories there’s heart breaking moments, that are so raw and real… as well as when you think things are going one way, they completely go another. I love being kept on my toes like that. I also forgot how much I miss the angst of a Ya romance… and seeing first love is so comforting to me. This story as I say often is a new favorite from Jennifer, it’s completely different dynamic wise then any of her other books, but it’s still very much the writing we expect and love from Jennifer Hartmann.

Grab a tissue or 5… enjoy the ride. Like all of this authors books she will put the broken pieces back together.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Ok wow that was something. So much more than I expected going into it. It’s been a while since I read a JH book and I forget how powerful her stories are and how much love in all its forms is present. This one had me hooked from start to finish.

Ella and Max’s relationship was beautifully told. From the innocence of being childhood friends to reconnecting 10 years later when both are a little broken by the world. The slowburn of their friends to lovers relationship was such a joy to read even if some of it was painful. With this author, you know something horrible is coming, but nothing quite prepares you for when it hits. Heartache and angst galore, this story broke my heart and put it back together.

My heart beats for Max - that man did everything to show Ella how much he loved and cared for her, never pushing her for more than she was willing to give. Urgh he loved her in both the loudest and the quietest way.

Ella had so many demons to defeat and her hesitancy to open up herself to Max was executed so well. Her learning to love again just needed the right person to teach her how to do so. She was one of the strongest FMCs I’ve read about in a while.

A beautiful heartbreaking story. Jennifer does it the best.

I’m knocking .25 ⭐️ off only because I saw some of the twists coming and in previous Jennifer books I’ve been completely taken by surprise.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 🎭: high school/NA romance
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙚 🏃🏼‍♀️: mixed
𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚: 🌶️
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 🖤: breaking & rebuilding
⚠️: there's a lot of trauma and hard themes including unaliving, alcoholism, abuse

I can always count on JH's books gutting me over and over. Her writing is beautiful. The story is beautiful. And hard. So very hard. Max is the greatest boy to ever exist and the way he never gives up on Ella will clench your heart. The concert scene may be one of the best tension/heart throbbing fluttery scene I've ever read.

Young love is amazing. Ugh. Max. I want the world for you.

It gets a little long in the middle, so stick with it if it starts feeling slow. It picks back up full steam. Even the most tough and unemotional readers will probably cry or at least tear up several times in this story. I sobbed in the middle of the night both at the happy scenes and the sad ones.

Please check the content warnings for this one. But I promise it is worth it.

THIS BOOK - this angsty romance broke my heart and put it back together. While this is billed as YA because the characters are in high school, this books deals with a lot of very heavy topics and I would highly advise checking out trigger warnings on this one. Ella and Max wormed their way into my heart and won’t be forgotten.

"Dear Jonah,

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

This was my *200th* book of 2024 and once again, Jennifer Hartmann effed me up (I read Still Beating for my 100th book last year...she is clearly the right author to read for these milestones).

I absolutely loved this story - the way we fall in love very quickly with the two main characters. They are hellbent on not letting their past or their situations define them, not now...not ever. The little cutesy moments throughout the book (e.g., Sunny Rose Farm, Winnie the Pooh references, and chasing/catching the sun moments) were perfect. This was another book that ripped my heart out, stomped on it a little, put it back together, stomped on it some more, and finally put it back in to heal.

Thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books | Bloom Books, and Jennifer Hartmann for the opportunity to read and review an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jennifer Hartmann has done ti again! I love all her books and this one is no exception. She knows just how to write these. Such an emotional read like her other books but I LOVED it!

Even though I haven't read anything by Jennifer Hartmann before, I'm obsessed! Reading books usually doesn't make me cry, but this one did. Jennifer truly has a gift with her words. She has the ability to evoke strong emotions in you through her characters.

I was immediately drawn in by Catch the Sun. I really liked the two main characters. Ella and Max were both incredibly well-written and relatable. Max was really kind and considerate, and Ella had just the right amount of adolescent angst mixed with humor. They are both recovering from trauma and going through the process of recovery. However, their obvious and exquisitely shown chemistry is strong.

This book is so much more than a romance. It has many highs and lows, as well as some tragic and frustrating moments, as well as some corny and sweet ones and a few extremely dark events. The darker parts were really excellent.

This was definitely a five-star read for me! This novel makes you feel everything at once and has it all. It's a heartwarming tale of having to make difficult choices in order to move past your past and find healing.

If I tried, I couldn't recommend this book enough. I am now an immense fan of Jennifer Hartmann, and I am eager to read more of her writing.

Lovely writing. Max and Ella are just broken souls who find solace in each other .
Also brynn! And McKay are sooo vibrant !!
The writing is good and the character development is perfect.

This is my first YA book by Jennifer Hartmann and I’ve not been enjoying YA recently so I was excited to read it because of Jennifer but not sure what I’d think about it. Walking out of reading it I was pleasantly surprised. Although the characters are very YA (as they should be) the plot is still beautifully written, with many sensitive topics explored and has that perfect suspense romance feel that Jennifer always manages to execute.

I really enjoyed Catch the Sun, Ella and Max are just the two sweetest kids, both so afraid of not being good enough for their families and friends and the years their friendship spans adds huge depth and nostalgia to this story. This world felt as fleshed out as I’ve come to expect from Jennifer, and honestly I hope we get some of the stories of the other characters we meet in this town as I loved them all.

My only main thing that irked me a bit is unless you’re max, Ella is a pretty shit friend 😅 she lost a little bit of humanity for me as her love for Max felt literally world consuming (as it does) but it felt like this meant everyone else important in her life got left behind whereas Max still managed to navigate his other relationships. It may be because that is how teenage love feels and we don’t have the maturity to balance our lives as well, but it was something that was notable to me.

All in all a great book - thank you to the author for allowing me the opportunity of ARC reading - I loved this and will continue to read anything Jennifer writes 🧡

Hang on, excuse me while I go blow my nose again. Wow, just wow this book was really a journey. Ella has really been through some things, but Max has always loved her and always will. From a beautiful orange flower on the playground to a sweet Little pony on their new ranch, he has always been right behind her. And he has had his own rough life, but she has always been his sunshine. This book will stick with me for a while, and I can’t wait to recommend it to more people. One caution is to be very ready to not put this book down once you start it. I finished it at 3:30 in the morning. Enjoy!!

Ugh this book wrecked me, like utterly and completely destroyed me! Max and Ella met as little kids and basically became best friends and soulmates but were tragically forced apart, though they never forgot about each other. Ella moves back to town during their senior year of high school, both have hella traumatic family issues and are both kind of loners just trying to get through but once Max sees Ella again he can't let go of how he felt about her back then and tries to win her heart now! Max is utterly perfect, he takes care of his alcoholic dad, and has twin brother who does literally nothing to help and I hated him... so much, like I can't even begin to tell you how much! The way he talks to Ella is so sweet and perfect and the kinda quotes that stick with you long after you finish reading! Ella is closed off and distant, which it totally understandable when you have a brother convicted of a brutal double murder and if on death row! I don't want to spoil anything but I do think at the end there is some stuff that comes up with her brother and I don't love how she reacted, I do understand why but I also reallllyyyy understood his side and don't love how that resolved. I was literally on the edge of my seat at the end of this book with all the twists and turns and wondering if they would get the HEA. Safe to say I bawled throughout this book!

If you would have walked in on me while I was reading this book, you may have seen me with my hand covering my mouth, holding in my gasps. You probably would have seen me with tears streaming down my face. I did those two things a lot while reading Max and Ella's story: gasped in horror and cried my eyes out.

The prologue of this book is one of those that just grabs you and this story never lets go. Even now, hours after I turned the final page, it hasn't let go. Not even a little bit.

I truly believe that it's best to go into this story blind, so I'm not going to tell you much here. This story starts with two innocent children and ends with two adults who have endured so much throughout their young lives. This is a tragic tale and it's heartbreaking. It is gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking, but it's beautiful at the same time. My heart hurt for Ella. My heart hurt for Max. They both earned my tears and they both deserved a HEA.

There are definite triggers in this story, so please read with caution. I read much of this book with my breath held, with my heart in my throat, and with tears filling my eyes and falling over at the worst of it. I also smiled, and laughed, and loved...oh my, how I loved these characters and their love story.

This will undoubtedly be one of my top reads of this year and it will definitely be one of my all time favorites.

Jennifer Hartmann does it again! She has singlehandedly destroyed me and put me back together again.

The book gave me all the feels. I cried, I laughed, and I loved this book so much. Ella and Max went through so much trauma together and separately.

I was in absolute shock during certain points in the book, empathizing with Ella and her situation. Max is the boy every mother wants for her daughter. He was patient, kind, and always putting Ella at the forefront of his priorities (in a healthy way).

Catch the Sun is a coming of age love story, Ella and Max are each other's first everything. It was sweet, it was tragic, and it was a very hard faught happily ever after.

It was a little slow to begin with, but after a certain point it was impossible to put down!

This book is advertised as YA, but it does have on page spice and very dark themes. If you're looking to give this to a younger family member or friend, be aware! If I was reading this without knowing ahead of time, I would have never thought it!

Trigger warnings:
▪️On page parental violence
▪️Alcoholism
▪️Gun violence
▪️Attempted SA***
▪️Mention of murder


I know it's late, but I appreciate the opportunity to ARC read this through Netgalley!