Catch the Sun

📘 About This Book

A brand new YA/crossover standalone survivor romance from Jennifer Hartmann, the fan-favorite author of Still Beating, Lotus, and June First, packed with the same light-in-the-dark hope for healing in the face of tragedy. Perfect for fans of If He Had Been With Me, A Thousand Boy Kisses, and Binding 13. "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.

📖 Summary

Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann is a sweeping, emotionally resonant young adult and crossover survivor romance that explores the heavy burden of tragedy, the enduring strength of childhood bonds, and the light-in-the-dark hope of healing. At its core, the narrative centers on Ella Sunbury and Max Manning, who were inseparable best friends when they were just seven years old. Their innocent childhood connection was abruptly shattered when life forced Ella to leave town, separating them for a decade. Ten years later, Ella returns for her senior year of high school and moves in directly across the street from Max. However, the passage of time and profound personal trials have radically altered who she is. Ella is no longer the carefree girl Max remembers. Instead, she lives completely in the shadow of a devastating family legacy, weighed down by the fact that her brother is a notorious felon currently on death row, convicted of a heinous crime that deeply shocked the entire nation. Coming back home means facing old memories while carrying the immense social stigma and psychological trauma of her brother's actions. As Ella and Max reconnect, the novel navigates the complexities of teenage life mixed with profound adult-scale grief. Max must learn to see past the armor Ella has built around herself, while Ella must navigate the terrifying vulnerability of letting someone close when her entire world feels like it is collapsing under judgment. Hartmann, known for her deeply emotional storytelling in works like Still Beating, Lotus, and June First, crafts a substantial five-hundred-and-fifty-two-page journey that delves deep into the psychology of survivors. The book examines how people cope with public infamy, guilt by association, and the sheer courage it takes to rebuild a shattered identity. Through moments of aching tenderness and raw emotional honesty, the relationship between Max and Ella evolves, capturing the bittersweet feeling of first love intertwined with profound personal sorrow. Fans of emotionally charged contemporary young adult fiction, particularly those who gravitate toward the poignant heartbreak found in titles like If He Had Been With Me and A Thousand Boy Kisses, will find themselves fully immersed in this poignant tale of love, tragedy, and redemption.

🎯 Key Lessons

⚖️ Pros & Cons

❓ FAQ

💬 💬 Reader Comments (0)