2.5⭐️

The premise of the story was very intriguing, and the book started off strong. The main characters were friends/crushes growing up, and are now a rising pop-star (Emily) and ex-con bodyguard (Tuck). Their plane goes down while flying across the country when a solar flare takes out the grid and breaks down modern society. They must make their way back across the country, trying to make sense of this new world they find themselves in.

I loved the idea of the second-chance romance presented in this book, taking place in a somewhat apocalyptic setting. However, I felt like both plots weren't fully realized.
The book starts with a dual timeline, but that format ends after only a few chapters. I feel like we could've identified more with Emily and Tuck's "second chance" if we had been given more depth in their backstory. Instead it felt like we were supposed to really understand and care for these characters when we had very little information about them.
For the current timeline, the plot felt very repetitive until it was rushed at the very end. This made for a somewhat dull reading experience. Again, I did find the premise of the story to be good as we watch this new world unfold day by day, where the disaster leveled the playing field and who you were before no longer matter, everyone starting new.

4 ⭐️ I really liked this book but don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of problems with it too. For starters, it is not really a love story, at least not the main story. This at its core is a dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction with a side love story that finally heats up at the 70% mark. I do think the marketing is all wrong and if you expect a past Mia book like Archer’s Voice you are going to be severely disappointed.

This book is about Emily and Tuck, childhood best friends and neighbors and through tragedy they lose connection. In present day, Emily is a rising pop star by the name Nova and Tuck is a recently released ex-convict who gets hired to be Emily’s personal security guard. Their plane crashes when all electronics fail (in an unknown solar flare or EMP) and they have to make it from middle of nowhere Illinois (I think) back to California in a changed world where the worst in human nature is exposed due to rapidly dwindling resources. This book is long and is all over the place in terms of pacing and tropes BUT I loved the dystopian America parts, I need to read more of that genre. It is truly terrifying to read about what could happen to this country with the lack of electricity and modern technology. I could vividly see that part of the story come to life like a movie and I loved it. Their slow trek across the country and running into the various personality types from loathsome to compassionate were done well, even when there were times I rolled my eyes at the plot conveniences. I definitely got The Walking Dead and The Last of Us vibes at times and I love it all.

The love story is second chance, sloooooooooooow burn and I can’t even believe it says a love story on the cover because it plays second fiddle most of the time. I absolutely loved Tuck, he was written to be the hero and so perfect, kind and caring but also super rugged and sexy. Emily was a hot mess, giving her character the grace to grow and change through the ordeal, it was all very prescriptive. She even had the egomaniac actor boyfriend nearly the whole time to boot. This was also not a fast read for me, I managed to read about 10% of the book a night over several weeks. All the negatives aside, this one will stay with me for a while, so it gets a higher entertainment rating from me.

Also, some interesting information in the Author’s Note was that this is not Mia’s original story, she took the idea and concepts from others and fleshed it out into a book. So if it feels different from all of her other books, that is probably why. I just don’t want diehard Mia fans to be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Mia Sheridan for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is set to publish on May 20,2025.

I have read one Mia Sheridan book prior to this and loved this one just as much as that one if not more.
Childhood friends-enemies-lovers is a fabulous troupe. second chance romance., Dystoopian.
This book was different that most of the romance books I have read. It has an interesting spin i guess i would say.
It hooked me in within a few pages. I just had to know what was coming in the next chapter.
Story has a lot of emotions within it and survival plays a role.
Overall it was a very good read.

4.5/5 stars

I was expecting a romance novel with a little bit of suspense. What I didn't expect was a novel about survival in a post-apocalyptic society with the romance aspect taking a backseat. With that being said, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it.

The story follows childhood friends, Emily and Tuck, who reconnect as adults. Emily is a famous singer, and ex-con Tuck is hired to be her bodyguard. After surviving a plane crash in the middle of the US, the two find themselves in a country that is much different from when they took off.

The entire society cumbled in just a few days and I found myself questioning how my own family would survive. What choices would I make in that situation and could that ever really happen to us?

At times, I felt like the story dragged on and some parts were unnecessary. By the last few chapters, I was ready for them to be "home."
I still want to know if the county ever returns to normal?! 😆

Overall, it was a good read that held my attention and got me thinking. Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Dystopian romance? Count. Me. In!

To fully enjoy this story, I had to suspend disbelief.

Equal parts terrifying and equal parts unrealistic, Heart of the Sun shows the wide array of human emotion in times of desperation. Sheridan is able to capture the rawness of what it means to be human - to love, to protect, to survive. Reading this book was terrifying in the sense of “what if”. What if this happened today? How would humanity react? How far would we go to protect ourselves and those we love? We saw those questions play out and saw how true colors would come to the forefront throughout this book.

Sheridan’s writing style made it so easy to visualize the story unfolding in my head, which was super fun. The character development of Emily/Nova and Tuck were great.

So, the part to suspend disbelief. A lot of this book is highly unrealistic. In a solar flare, I found it hard to believe the lack of people and panic within the first few days. The way the story was written made it seem more like humans just disappeared and there were a small number vying for survival rather than billions of people trying to fight for survival. People were just kind of walking around asking for rides and looking for food. Some of the obstacles that our main characters ran into were so outlandish (horse and buggy scene, I’m looking at you). The ending and “hope” for the future was so irresponsible given the circumstances. Some things were just so unlikely to happen, even in a fiction book, that the suspension of disbelief is needed to have fun with this one.

Overall, this book was quite the adventure though it did drag on at times. A good book leaves the reader thinking and questioning even after it’s finished, and this book did just that.

Thank you NetGalley, Mia Sheridan and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for the advanced reader copy for my honest thoughts.

This was a very interesting and entertaining read! Think Station Eleven mixed with a second chance romance. I really enjoyed the glimpses into the beauty of humanity mixed with the chaos / fear in losing all you know. There was great action, thought-provoking issues, and character development.

Thank you Mia Sheridan, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This is a very interesting dystopian romance that is seen through the eyes of childhood friends Tuck Mattice and Emily Swanson in the midst of a cataclysmic solar flare that changes the world! This book is expected to release on May 20th, 2025!

➼ slow burn
➼ childhood best friends
➼ enemies to lovers
➼ semi apocalypse
➼ bodyguard x popstar

Trigger warning(s): death, lots of death

This is only the third book I've read of Mia's, and it was NOT what I expected at all. I absolutely adored the two other books I've read of hers, but this one didn't reach the expectations that were set. While I did enjoy this book, it just wasn't to the same levels as Archer's Voice and Unwanted. I saw another reviewer say that this book felt Wattpadish and that is the most accurate way to describe it. I was definitely intrigued by the dystopia/apocalypse genre/trope throughout the book, as it is something I've never read before, but it was lacking something in the story. I needed more action and fights, this is the apocalypse after all!

Tuck Mattice is an ex-con, but not in the way you're thinking, turned into temporary bodyguard. He is offered up a position to be a bodyguard for his ex childhood friend, Emily/Nova, and he performs the job well until the solar flare hits. I think Tuck is a great character, and you can see that he has great character improvement throughout the book, but I didn't relate to him in any way. He seems like he could be a great guy, but I just didn't feel the attachment to him as a character.

Emily Swanson is farm girl turned mega popstar. She is in need of a bodyguard after a media situation, and what better solution than her ex childhood friend Tuck! It also took me quite a bit to even like Emily and her character, she also had some improvements with herself but she was very bratty in the beginning. I did enjoy however the flashback to when Tuck and Emily were kids and how Tuck stepped up and took the blame for the car incident.

Book boyfriend? No. I would love a protective man, but that was about all he was and honestly I could find a better man for me!

Also, wtf happened to Charlie? Even though I didn't like him AT ALL, I at least wanted a final update on what happened to him.

★★★.5
🌶️🌶️ but not until almost the very end
0/5 💧

Emily a rising pop star singer and writer falls for Ex-con/bodyguard Tucker. They get into a plane crash which leads them trying to fight their way back home To California. Between trying to find food and places to sleep to for bedding. It reminded me of the Walking dead TV without the Zombies it. Where they had to fight to survive the whole time. Tucker and Emily having to split up is so hard on both of them. It did keep thinking about what was going happened next in the book.❤️

Ooof this was a dnf for me. I’ve read some of her books before that I just loved. But this felt weird and wattpad-ish. I just felt myself cringing a lot. Maybe I’m just not the right audience.

I adore Mia Sheridan. Her words always take me on an emotional rollercoaster ride, and there were moments during this narrative when my emotions did get the better of me.

The beginning of Heart of the Sun started well. The plot was revealed and I was intrigued. Sadly, however, the journey that Tuck and Emily take, albeit what I imagine would happen in real life, just didn't work for me on the pages of a novel. I found the repetitiveness did not hold my attention, and I struggled in all honesty.

The closing few chapters were worth persevering for. I absolutely love Tuck - he's incredible in every way, and I needed to know that all was well for him in the end. I hurt when he hurt and those moments when he was happy brought me joy.

I quickly grew to dislike Charlie, and enjoyed witnessing Emily's realisations not only about Charlie, but her feelings for Tuck too. As I’ve said, I felt Tuck deserved happiness, especially after what he had been through and his subsequent actions.

I wish I had enjoyed this story more than I did. I know that not every story can please every reader and sadly this book is not for me. I felt it just needed something more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a like not a love for me. I really liked the second chance romance aspect of the book. I wasn’t expecting the trauma they encountered when the whole country shut down and all of the horrific obstacles they faced. I felt like their journey was long and dragged at times. I loved the ending and the development of the characters throughout the book.

3.75 rounded up to 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫💫

❤️childhood best friends
❤️slow burn
❤️second chances
❤️ new adult dystopia

A pop star and a body guard who were childhood friends figure out life during and after the solar flare together . Fighting to survive and find family is all everyone is trying to do. I thought tuck and Emily's relationship was so cute and it developed throughout the story .. I loved the drama and suspense.

Thank u to netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.

I always enjoy Mia Sheridan books, and this story had a more serious, dystopian take with the dash of romance that I like from Sheridan. A great storyline (what happens when all the lights go out and we're left to fend for ourselves?) and truly gives the reader something to think about (who would <i>you</i> be in this world? how does a person prepare for a world like this? etc). I particularly liked the characters throughout this book: the families along the way, good people trying to survive, and even the questionable individuals that must make a choice on their survival journey. Overall a fun read, in the sense that I felt like I was following an evolving friendship/love story between Tuck and Emily/Nova, also full of action and survival. But, to readers out there: be prepared for darkness and evil intentions that lurk throughout.
(Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!)
A favorite:
p.257: "... mostly it's wise to remember that the worst sides of people come out when they get scared and desperate. People who might not be predators under normal circumstances will do really fucked up things to survive."

Having read other books by the same author I was excited to jump into this story. Unfortunately this story just wasn’t a match for me.i didn’t connect with the main characters of the story. I did enjoy some of the dystopian directions that were taken so visualizing the world was fun to me. Will definitely check out her future work.

1.5 stars

I remember reading some of her books in high school—Archer’s Voice and Leo—and I loved them. So naturally, I was excited to read this one, but well, here we are.

This felt really Wattpad-ish. Was this supposed to be a romance novel or a dystopian survival story? Because the romance was meh, and the survival aspect? Also meh. The romance was barely there until the very end, and I think it was meant to be a slow burn? Well, it was just slow, and nothing burned. The survival aspect wasn’t any better—just people walking, hitching rides, and… that’s pretty much it. There was supposed to be some action with a buggy and a horse, but I don’t know, it felt too forced. No real tension, no chaos, just things happening.

The characters were painfully bland and cliche, the perfect, flawless MC, the childhood best friend FMC, and the third guy. None of them stood out, and I felt no connection to them. The plot? I swear I read something just like this on Wattpad years ago, except this one threw in some apocalyptic elements that still didn’t work.

And that’s why, when I read the acknowledgments, I wasn’t surprised to see that the idea wasn’t even her own. It makes sense now.
At the end of the day, this book was just boring. Boring romance. Boring world-building. Boring characters. Boring, boring, boring.

Thank you to the author and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. I appreciate the opportunity, but I have to be honest, this one just wasn’t for me.

Emily and Tuck are childhood friends, who went their separate ways, now Emily is a rising star in need of security and she hires Tuck.
The beginning of the story was their childhood friendship and then went into modern day with a solar flare, which gave this romance a different feel!
So Good!

I am such a Mia lover, Archer’s Voice was 5⭐️ for me but this just didn’t hit the same. I am thankful for the arc copy and glad to have read. But maybe this wasn’t a great time for me to read about a dystopian America.

I let out a strangled sound of relief and pleasure as his tongue swept into my mouth, claiming me. Him. The man who’d kept me safe as the world around us crumbled. The boy I’d loved all my life. Tuck.

This was hauntingly beautiful, terrifyingly heartbreaking, and so much more than I was expecting. Just me sitting here in amazement and shock over the story I just finished. The journey these characters went on and the way that Mia wrote it will stick with me. There are no words to describe this well enough. I’ll add the list of for fans off below and see if that intrigues you but if you have read Mia Sheridan book before you know you are in for a little pain, poetry, and to be completely taken out of reality for a bit and put into a new one.

“It was always leading here with us, wasn’t it?” she asked.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Always.”

For fans of:
Enemies to Lovers
Childhood Best Friends
Slow Burn Romance
Second Chances
Popstar + Bodyguard
New Adult Dystopian fiction
The HBO show The Last of Us
* for me personally it also gave “The Four Horsemen by Laura Thalassa” vibes without the biblical aspect.

I gave this book 3.75 stars (round up to 4 on GR).
I am a huge fan of anything dystopian/post-apocalyptic so I was very excited to receive this ARC. While this is marketed as a romance novel, I would say the story is a blend of romance and dystopian fiction, with the romance being the subplot.

Childhood friends Emily, a pop star, and Tuck, an ex-con, reunite when she hires him as her bodyguard. Their bond is tested when a solar flare plunges the world into chaos, forcing them to fight for survival as they try to make their way back home.

I really enjoyed the suspense, although some of the situations felt a bit repetitive. I was getting The Walking Dead vibes and had a great time visualizing the story. Tuck and Emily’s character development was top notch.

Wow - there is a lot to this book. While there is a sweet second chance romance between the leads Tuck and Emily, there’s also a ton of emotional baggage to unpack both from their pasts and the trauma filled adventure they embark on throughout the story.

Mia Sheridan flips between Tuck and Emily’s POV, weaving in elements from their past growing up with one another, to the present day. As the story unfolds, Tuck and Emily have to deal with countless obstacles in this seemingly post-apocalyptic type state the country finds itself in. The journey kept me captivated, and of course I was rooting for their love story, even when Emily’s boyfriend was along for the ride.

With the recent real life tragedies in the US (fires, plane crashes etc..) this might feel a little too close to reality for some so a fair warning for those who might be triggered by these themes.

Overall a beautiful story filled with longing, challenges being overcome together, love (and of course, a little 🌶️). Thank you Mia, Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC!