TOMORROW THERE WILL BE SUN was a difficult one for me to get through. I wanted to invest in the characters, but I couldn't.

Tomorrow There Will Be Sun by Dana Reinhardt was an incredibly hard book for me to assign a rating to. On one hand, I kept waiting for something really big to happen, but what actually happened was something more relatable and realistic than what I was expecting. On the other hand, it's a thought-provoking novel that will still give you vacation vibes due to the location. The end was also a little anticlimactic, but at the same time felt like a good way to end the story while making the reader wonder. I think this book is for a very niche market of readers. You won't love the characters, but you can't really hate them either, and Jenna will definitely be relatable for some people.

Even though the book is set in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico I wouldn't necessarily call this a beach read. The location was a part of the story, but Tomorrow There Will Be Sun was really more about Jenna and her internal feelings/dilemmas along with her family. She was a frustrating character due to her insecurities and controlling nature, but I couldn't help feeling a little bad for her when it came to how her husband and daughter treated her. Not a whole lot happens in the novel, but for some reason I just could not stop reading. I did really enjoy Reinhardt's writing style, and she managed to keep me engaged in Jenna's story and I also liked the fact that Jenna was a writer.

As I said right away, not everyone is going to like this book, and I think you really have to be in the mood for a slower burn where there aren't any major reveals. If you want to be introspective though and want a book that will make you think, I would still recommend Tomorrow There Will Be Sun. I thought there were a lot of good things about it, and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from Reinhardt.

Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

❥My Review: Imagine having a fun vacation planned for you and your family, better yet, in a sunny Mexican beach resort! Who wouldn’t want that, I mean even I am like, Yes Please!

Well this novel starts out as just that, a planned double family vacation, with a whole lot of drama! Narrated in Jenna’s point of view, who comes off as a type A personality, and seems to be in her head more than on vacation really. Worrying about all the things she shouldn’t need to worry about, critiquing unnecessary events.

I would consider this a great beach read, it keeps you hooked, but not super fast paced. It’s entertaining but not ‘thriller-y’ or suspenseful, mostly dramatic, and made me wonder how I’ll be when I turn fifty.. lol

You might think the main character Jenna, is a bit much. Too controlling, too involved, and then I started wondering, if I had kids doing what her kids were doing, would I want to make those same choices she made? It really puts things into perspective as well.

I like reading books about vacation while on vacation. This one takes place in Puerto Vallarta and has a lot of good descriptions of the place which added a lot to the feeling of the book. The book is a little slow going and I didn't feel like I liked any of the characters. It was very character-driven though so if you need to like the people you are reading about, this isn't the book for you . Not my favorite but enjoyable enough.

Tomorrow There Will Be Sun, on its face, looks like a domestic drama of entitled people, and it is. That said, a vacation in paradise gone awry set against a Puerto Vallerta in crisis highlights how looks can be terribly deceiving and what it looks like when privilege runs amok. If you‘re looking for likeable characters, look elsewhere. If you‘re looking for a domestic drama that transforms into something a little meatier, definitely give this one a try.

Funny, charming, smart and deep, Reinhardt's offering of Tomorrow There Will Be Sun may seem to be the perfect beach read about two families vacationing together but the reader will get so much more in this wonderfully written page-turner. Definitely recommended!

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book about two families who go on the "perfect vacation" to celebrate a 50th birthday. Nothing goes right, despite the fact that Mexico and the villa they are staying in seem the perfect getaway, and there's lots of backstory involved. The main character at times can seem to be a bit of a pain, but all in the all the writing is good and the story is enjoyable. I do feel, however, that the ending was a bit rushed and could have been wrapped up better.

Jenna and her husband Peter have been married for 20 years, have a 16 year old daughter. They are comfortable; not rich, with Peter in business with his lifelong best friend Solly. Jenna is a planner and makes the decision to plan an extraordinary vacation to best celebrate Peter becoming 50 years of age, with Solly to reach that age a few months later. After much research and deliberation Jenna sets up a dream 7 day trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She rents a private villa with all the trimmings right next to the ocean.
Both couples; Jenna's daughter and Solly's two boys are with them all primed to have the vacation of a lifetime. Upon arrival at the villa they are greeted by their maid and butler who will do all the cooking, serve drinks, clean up the quarters and leave the vacationers nothing to do but enjoy themselves. it does start out that way, but begins to go downhill slowly but surely. Using Jenna as the first person narrator Ms. Reinhardt keeps the reader following the changes in situation and in the thinking and feeling of the group. She shows herself to be a master in painting the personalities and characters of the adults, teenage children and a young, quite spoiled little boy.
This is indicated as being Ms. Reinhardt's first adult novel after writing many children's books. After spending all night panting to finish the book I certainly am hoping she follows up with more adult fiction which I'm sure will give me additional sleepless, but pleasant evenings. A very well done book with a very surprising ending becoming the capstone of an excellent read.

So, I have concluded that taking a vacation with another family is the stuff nightmares are made of, but they certainly make for incredibly, engrossing novels. Like Emma Straub, Dana Reinhardt has taken us on a vacation with two families, to the dream destination of Puerto Vallarta in a luxurious villa. Jenna tells the tale that engages the reader from the first page.

Ostensibly there to celebrate the 50th birthday of her husband, Peter, things are quickly overshadowed by his larger than life best friend, Solly, and issues with her sullen teen daughter. The beauty of the beach and the villa are a backdrop for what should have been a week of bliss turning into a total life-changing disaster.

Well set with the background of the turbulence of parts of Mexico, even the beauty of the area morphs into the chaos that Jenna faces.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but let me say this is one terrific read. As a woman of a certain age, I identified with Jenna totally. Having worked with young adults all my life, I loved the way the teens in this book were portrayed. It gave me a good glimpse into the inner workings of even the most placid marriage.

I know all book groups will love this and have hours of discussions about couples, public faces and private anguish. Thank you Netgalley, for allowing me to read this deeply engaging novel..