I have loved everything Jeff Zentner has written, but probably this one most of all. As a rural person, student, and teacher, sometimes it feels like there are no stories out there written for you. In the Wild Light powerfully reminded me that this isn't true.

I had never read a book where there was a Mamaw and a Papaw (what I can my own grandparents) and when I came across the first instance of their use, my breath caught in my throat.

I am always impressed by the complexity that Zentner brings to his characters and appreciate so much the honor and dignity his writing gives them. And the poetry...::chef's kiss::

I simultaneously couldn't read fast enough and mourned more than usual when it was over.

This is all excellent book. It will definitely be going on my syllabus and I'll be giving it a proper booktalk on my Reading Rural YAL YouTube channel once I get my physical copy - which can't get here fast enough.

Into the Wild Light is a beautiful book about love, life, friendship, loss, and making choices. I highly recommend this book to young adults and adults! I can’t wait to share it with my students!

This book was perfect. Absolutely perfect. The characters. The plot. The feels. I enjoyed it more for the poetry.

"I don't know how to live under the sun of a God whose harvest is everyone I love."

This book honestly took me WAY longer to read than I had anticipated. Part of that was because I got busy getting ready for the school year, and part of it was because I just don't think this book was meant to be consumed quickly.

This book is slow. Slow like an evening spent in a rocking chair on the front porch, waiting for the oppressive heat and humidity to ebb, while listening to the cicadas scream all around you. It was slow in the way many of us Southerns talk - like the slow drip of honey. It was the good kind of slow. And maybe I feel that way because Jeff Zentner writes book that make me feel represented. I recognize the landmarks in his books and can see myself in them. When they talked about visiting the sloths at the Knoxville zoo, I immediately thought of the billboard I frequently pass advertising those very same sloths. And I appreciate how he makes Southerns who are smart, even when everything else is working against them. Zentner wrote East Tennessee perfectly.

I knew he would rip out my heart in this book, and he did. I still haven't recovered from that. And I don't know when I will. But man, this book. It was worth it. If you've liked any of Zentner's other books, I think you'll love this one.

“You are not a creature of grief. You are not a congregation of wounds. You are not the sum of your losses. Your skin is not your scars. Your life is yours, and it can be new and wondrous. Remember that.”

It is astounding how Jeff Zentner keeps on finding new ways to break my heart and stitch it back together. Even the simple task of choosing a quote for this review was hell on earth because there is a plethora of quotes in this book that made me tear up or feel seen or both and you’d think after three books I would be used to Zentner cracking me open and finding all the broken parts and fix it with a simple story but nope, still blown away by his talent every single time. I preface this review with the fact that I in no way will be able to do this book justice but anyway, let’s give this a go. In the Wild Light follows Cash whose life in a small Appalachian town has never been easy. Losing his mother to an opioid addiction as a child and living with his Papaw who is dying slowly from emphysema, Cash is no stranger to heartbreaking loss. The only light in his life is his best friend, the exceptionally smart Delaney. When Delaney manages to snag them both full rides to an elite prep school in Connecticut, Cash has to grapple with his need to follow Delaney to protect her from the harsh world and his love for his grandparents that he does not want to leave behind. Following his dreams and the girl that is the best part in his life, Cash suddenly finds himself surrounded by foreign challenges and will have to find a way to swim in shark-infested waters, if only to make sure none of them bite Delaney.

In many ways, In the Wild Light is a love story. A story about love between best friends, between a grandchild and the grandparents that take care of him and love him unconditionally, a love story about a quiet place that might not be perfect but has its charms. Most of all, though, this was a story about discovering love in the places you might not think to look—Cash finds himself falling in love with the wrong girl and then the right girl, finds himself falling in love with poetry, with friends who encourage him and support him, with a sport he never even considered and with a place he would have once scrunched his nose at.

Cash’s time at the boarding school offers so much—an unfiltered look at privileged teens who think they own the world before they’ve even lived in it but also a place where Cash finds a home away from home. While I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot because this feels like one of those books that has the most impact if you go into it blindly, there is purpose and support and the hunger for more between these pages. Both Cash and Delaney are nurtured in this place that applauds their love for learning and their scrappiness but they also face discrimination and ridicule. In the Wild Light very much thematises the question of how much where you come from determines your future and for anyone who loves an underdog, this is a must read. Cash especially is on such a journey of realising his potential, of trying to overcome the fears that he will never be good enough or never fit in because of where he comes from or the trauma of his past. He finds an outlet in poetry he’s never thought possible and his poems are heartwrenching, to say the least.

It’s hard to put my love for this book into words and that is mostly because it’s not just a story, it’s an experience. The way Zentner writes, the way he describes both Cash and Delaney’s hometown and their “immigrant” experience in Connecticut makes you as the reader go through an emotional journey yourself. You experience the South in a way that feels like you’re sitting on the porch with Cash and his funny, charming, loving grandfather, and then you move up to Connecticut and find yourself on a rowing boat on the freezing river, cheering Cash on. And somehow, in making you experience all of this with the characters, you get this insight into their lives, but also your own. Zentner has a tendency of making sure you as the reader know that life does not have to be big to be beautiful, does not have to be loud to be valid. You spend your time with Cash and Delaney at boarding school and you leave the story knowing that the people in your life are the most important thing, even when they’re gone.

And that being said, this story also encompasses the vast spectrum of grief—grieving someone while they’re still there, caring for someone you know won’t be long for the world, and facing the utter devastation of losing the pillar that has held you up all your life. I’ve read many a story where the depiction of grief crushed me but In the Wild Light did so much more than that. With the help of Zentner’s lyrical prose, Cash’s poems and his friends’ silent support, you grieve for losses but you also find the beauty in the things that are still there. And that alone is reason enough to pick this marvellous book up.

While I keep this review vague on purpose, there is much to be said for the incredibly fleshed-out secondary characters, the diversity of Cash and Delaney’s friends and the development of their own friendship in this new, foreign environment, as well as the bonds that tie them to their hometown. In this character-driven story, everyone gets their moment to shine and you do not want to miss out on that.

Vivid, profound and utterly exceptional, In the Wild Light may be Jeff Zentner’s best novel yet. With mesmerising descriptions, the love for the written word seeping through the pages and characters that will steal your heart, this is a must read.

Jeff Zentner does it again with a another great YA book. His descriptive writing makes you feel like you are right there in rural Kentucky with the characters. What happens when your best friend discovers a medical breakthrough, with a little help from you? Cash finds out when his best friend Delaney is offered a scholarship at a prestigious prep school in Connecticut and will only go they can go together. From rural Kentucky where everyone is just trying to get by and family problems abound to school in Connecticut where friendships are made, where best friends find out more about themselves that they imagined and where life is still hard. What a great story that you just don't want to put down. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jeff Zentner’s latest is a love letter to small towns and families and friendships and poetry. And the ways that all of these things can rescue us when ugliness and grief threaten to overwhelm. I loved getting to know Cash and Papaw and Mamaw. Secondary characters are fully fleshed, and the dialog is spot-on. Cash’s voice can come across as wise and profound beyond his years at times, but I was happy to suspend disbelief and be carried along by the current of love that runs through this novel.

This is one of my favorite passages from the book— and it also captures Zentner’s artistry with words:

We think of language as this tame thing that lives in neat garden beds, bound by rules and fences. Then someone shows it to you growing wild and beautiful, flowering vines consuming cities, erasing pavement and lines. Breaking through any fence that would try to contain it. Reclaiming. Reshaping. Reforming.

Thank you, Random House Children’s Books and NetGalley, for the electronic ARC.

This was my first book by Jeff Zenter and it was fabulous.

In the Wild Light takes place in a small town in Tennessee. Cash Pruitt has gone through a lot in life and is grandfather who is his an entire world is currently struggling with his health. His best friend, Delaney secures both of them a full scholarship to an elite prep school in Connecticut. This opportunity allows Cash and Delaney to grow and experience so many new things.

I loved reading about Cash’s journey. Zenter does a great job making you feel attached to the characters and experience all the emotions while reading!

A 5 star read that pulled at my heartstrings and didn't let go....

From the beginning, Jeff Zentner crafted a story of both love and grief for teens. Cash lives in a small Appalachian town with his grandparents who love him fiercely, but his grandfather, his idol, is dying from emphysema. When not at school, Cash works hard mowing lawns and enjoys hanging out on the river. Delaney, his fiercely loyal best friend whom he met at a Narateen meeting, is incredibly bright but struggling to find community within the small town. After Delaney makes a world-changing scientific discovery, she's offered a full ride to an elite boarding school, and she secures a scholarship for Cash too.

While attending boarding school, Cash and Delaney learn to love who they are and the town from which they come. They have to grapple with the challenge of not fitting in, complicated grief, and finding outlets for their emotions.

Zentner's story took me back childhood summers in east Tennessee with my grandparents. He masterfully writes about opioid addiction, the beauty of the outdoors, and the power of family that feels so unique to the region.

Cash and Delaney have been best friends since they sat next to each other at Narateen years ago. In their small town of Sawyer, Tennessee, their lives are far from easy, but they have a steady routine. Cash mows lawns in the summer to help his grandparents, and Delaney works to save money to get far away from Sawyer. When Delaney makes a scientific discovery that earns her a scholarship at a prestigious boarding school, and when she convinces them to extend a scholarship to Cash as well, their lives will be forever changed.

In the Wild Light has the small town element that many readers loved about the Serpent King, but the characters are more relatable--more like in Goodbye Days. The writing in this book is absolutely incredible. There were so many times that I wish I had been reading a print copy that I could underline/highlight. It would be a great book to teach in an English class because of the incorporation of poetry in a realistic way, as well as the compelling passages throughout the book. Definitely my favorite of Zentner's books.

I am from West Virginia so I immediately saw county roads and heard the squeaky front porch swing, and had my jar ready for lighten bugs!
Cash lives with his Papaw and Mamaw in Sawyer, Tennessee a small Appalachian town. Money is tight with this family Cash mows lawns and his grandma manages a pizza parlor. Papaw has been Cash’s rock all his life but is now sick and on oxygen.
Cash and his best friend Delaney Doyle, have a lot in common ~ both their mothers were drug uses in fact Cash’s mother died of an overdose.
Delaney is very intelligent and has discovered a new strain of bacteria that lives in the waters in Sawyer. This earns a full scholarship to a Connecticut boarding school. She arranges for Cash to join her. However, Cash is a small town boy and not really sure he can survive a boarding school.
Delaney believes in Cash and wants this to work.

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Children’s Crown Books for this uncorrected eGalley.
This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for my honest professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 10, 2021

I couldn’t put this down - I read the book in one sitting. Zentner tells a gripping story that hooks you in. The last 20% of the book I sat, tears streaming down my face, as he weaves a heartbreaking, yet beautiful story of a small town kid trying to make his way in a big world, while staying true to his roots, which is something that all small town kids can relate to in some way.

as always, i am ever impressed at the way jeff zenter has captured such emotion with his words. a favorite.

Writing: 5/5 Characters: 4.5/5 Plot: 4/5

Delaney Doyle and Cash Pruitt are best friends. Growing up in a very poor small town in East Tennessee with a large addiction problem, both having seen their share of hardship and trauma. When Delaney manages to get both of them a scholarship to an elite private high school in Connecticut, a new (and utterly unpredictable) chapter begins for both of them

There is a lot of depth to this book. Told from Cash’s perspective we get both typical coming-of-age experiences and some very atypical life experiences. Delaney is a gifted scientist — her talk is peppered with black holes, human wormholes, olfactory fatigue, and a theory of how humans may have descended from aquatic apes (I love this one). She sees patterns everywhere — in people as well as the natural world. Cash is sure that his only choices are a “sh**ty life or an ordinary life.” His Papaw (grandfather) is slowly sinking with emphysema back home, and Cash has the strongest feeling that he doesn’t even deserve an opportunity like this in the first place. And then, in a complete surprise to himself, he discovers the magic of poetry.

The book is very sweet and brought tears to my eyes multiple times. Themes of love, family, loneliness, being an outsider, and doing the right thing, even when it is difficult pervade. Some fascinating discussions on the similarities between the sciences and the arts in trying to understand the world we live in. I am absolutely not a poetry person, but I found the descriptions of how Cash came slowly to love both reading and writing poetry to be fascinating — an aspect of character development through passions that I don’t often see to this extent. Some of the language seemed a bit overdone at times to me, but I do find Zentner’s writing quite beautiful. The negative characters seemed kind of two dimensional to me but I’m guessing that is how they appeared to Cash so it makes sense.

Good for fans of John Green.

A few good quotes (there are many):
“Because it’s heretical. That’s how science advances and takes humanity with it. People have to be brave enough to look stupid in a field where looking stupid is the worst thing you can do.”

“I think the real problem is you feel so lucky to have survived what you did, you think you bagged your limit of luck by finishing out your childhood in a safe and loving home.”

“You’ll never regret a decision more than the one you make out of fear. Fear tells you to make your life small.”

“Life often won’t freely give you moments of joy. Sometimes you have to wrench them away and cup them in your hands, to protect them from the wind and rain. Art is a pair of cupped hands. Poetry is a pair of cupped hands.”

“It feel like he’s bequeathing me an inheritance of the only wealth he possesses — his memories, his quiet joys.”

“Being a poet takes bravery. Yes, the courage to bleed on a page. But also to bleed for the world we write poetry about.”

I enjoy #JeffZentner's books, so I have been looking forward to reading #InTheWildLight for a while, and it did not disappoint. This is one of the most beautifully written books I've read in a while. The story follows Cash, a high school students living with his grandparents in a small Appalachian town after his mother died from an overdose. Cash loves his grandparents, and despite the troubles of his town, which will hit close to home for some readers, he loves where he lives and the nature surrounding him. When his best friend Delaney gets the opportunity to attend an elite boarding school in CT, she brings him with her. The story, while slow in action for some readers, is rich in emotions. Cash works through grief and love and his sense of self over the course of his first year at the school. Truly a beautiful book. Many thanks to #NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

Middle schoolers Cash and Delaney meet in a support group for the children of addicts and build a relationship where each keeps the other afloat. Now in high school, an opportunity to attend an elite northern boarding school promises to free them from the grief and constraints of their small Tennessee town, but also means separation from Cash’s beloved grandparents who raised him, just as Papaw is struggling with emphysema.

This book might be best read and talked about with friends, for the fun of making and revising character theories, choosing quotes to discuss, and hashing over big ideas - what does it mean to carve out our own identity? How does our place of origin limit us? How do our memories shape our choices?

Infused with memorable images and lovely poetry. A book to savor. EARC from NetGalley.

I so loved Dill and Travis and Lydia in The Serpent King. And Zentner made me fall in love with a new group of kids. Cash and Delaney and Vi and Alex are now a part of my literary squad! Cash struggles to overcome the grief and horror of his mother's overdose. With the help of Memaw and Papaw and his best friend Delaney, he's doing ok in Sawyer, Tennessee (well, drug dealers notwithstanding). Delaney is fighting her own demons. Her mother is a user and neglects Delaney. And her "top-notch brain" isn't going to fully develop in Sawyer. After Delaney and Cash discover a mold that can fight resistant bacteria, they have an opportunity to attend a private school in Connecticut where they can both grow into the adults they are meant to be. It's here that Cash discovers a love for poetry. And the prose in this novel about poetry is lyrical. I wanted to read passages out loud. Zentner deftly captures the power of poetry, the ache of grief, and the healing nature of water. Hand this novel to anyone who loved The Serpent King, anyone who loves a good story about friendship, anyone who likes a boarding school story, and anyone who wants to champion the underdog. These characters will steal a piece of your heart.

Wow. Wow. Wow. This book was beautifully written, I loved the characters, the split between their two worlds…pretty much everything about this book was perfect to me. So often, young people can’t wait to get away from where it was they came from but this story isn’t that. It’s about your home being a special part of who you even after you leave.

Jeff nailed it with this book. I felt like I was reading daily affirmations thanks to the beautiful prose. The cover is beautiful and it matches with the beautiful story that is told. This book is a daily affirmation within itself and is a much needed read this late summer. Thank you for the early copy to enjoy.

If I could give it more stars, I would! Such a beautiful story about family, love, and loss. My eyes are still leaking. Dang it! Where’s my tissue?? Beautiful…this book will resonate in my mind and heart for a long time! Besides the wonderful story, I love the way the author throws in little bits from his other books. Read them all in order if you want to catch them. #IntheWildLight
#jeffzentner
#NetGalley