I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This is a solid sophomore effort from Kristen R, Lee, and I appreciate how it tackles some tough topics in a relatively short book. From teen pregnancy and motherhood to street and gang violence to gentrification, this book was incredibly realistic in depicting them and the realities of these things for Black teens.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Sun Keep Rising follows new teen mom B'onca as she struggles to help her family pay the bills and keep her home and her future.

There's a lot to like about Sun Keep Rising. It's a quick read that doesn't shy away from tackling tough topics like income inequality, racism, gentrification, and generational trauma. There were parts of the story that I felt could have done with a little more room to breathe, particularly with regard to unanswered questions about B'onca's custody battle and Scooter's untimely death, but overall I loved how dynamic of a read this was. It's a solid entry point for teens to discuss and learn about social issues that can and do have an impact on their lives in a safe and productive way, and I'm confident it will go a long way in making teens and adult readers alike feel seen.

3.5 out of 5 - The cover caught my eye and I had to know more! Sun Keep Rising was an easy read set in Ridgecrest apartments of Memphis, Tn. For natives of the area or fans of rap music, I quickly associated the neighborhood from mentions in Yo Gotti’s music. I really enjoyed the discussion of gentrification along with the struggles associated with teen pregnancy. This would be a great read for those interested in Young Adult Fiction as some of the terminology or slang made me feel like an elder. I do wish the characters were more developed as I wanted to know more about them and their background. I wasn’t ready for the story to end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #SunKeepRising

Lee does a fantastic job of tackling tough subjects such as teen pregnancy, gentrification, drug addiction, and street violence in this short yet poignant coming of age novel.

3.75/5 stars! This story covers really important subject matter, such as gentrification, housing instability, and general racial inequity. I think the author did a wonderful job of bringing this issue to light. The structure of the neighborhood, 'street code', and the difficulties a teen parent would experience were all handled phenomenally. However, I really struggled to connect with the characters. Overall, an important and good story that was bogged down by an inability to connect with the characters.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I love this cover!! I saw where this was going, however, I felt like something was missing. I was rooting for her & then I wasn't. I felt the book just ended.. I get open endings BUT this felt a bit unfinished.

Received this courtesy of NetGalley. : )

Sun Keep Rising is a YA novel about teen mom B'ionca. B'ionca lives with her sister, who also has a child. There neighborhood is the next target for gentrification. They are behind on bills; rent has been increased; and they have received an eviction notice.

This book is definitely YA...B'ionca made horrible choices. It seems as if she couldn't catch a break. For her to be 17 and a mother, she was very immature. I don't read much YA, and this is probably one of the main reasons why. There was a ton of drama...I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but there was absolutely no closure. None of the loose ends were tied up. I was looking forward to something great happening for B'ionca...a college acceptance, anything. Something to make her look at her daughter and think, "we made it" or "we're going to be just fine." And it wasn't there.

Things I liked:
first person POV
best friends amongst girls

Things I didn't like:
Too much drama; borderline unbelievable
no closure
would have like to see more from Shana's POV

I think this is a good book for a teen. I do not believe I was the target audience for this book. I will say, it was a quick read. It flowed really well...especially after chapter 7. I was interested and wanted to know more and wanted to know how it ended.

Overall, I think this book will be a 3.5/5 for me. It was enjoyable, but I needed more from it.

2.75 stars, rounded up to 3

Overall, this was an interesting story with a few different topics that I am familiar with - teen mom, addiction, gentrification, poverty and more. I can't say that I liked or disliked the main character, B'onca. She had a complicated narrative and often times made decisions that didn't make sense but she was trying to do the best she could to be 17. For example, she stated that college cost too much and she'd be better off going to cosmetology school to get her license BUT then her teacher mentioned that there were some full scholarships available at a community college nearby. Why not try to get those scholarships so that money is no longer the problem?

As a teen mom, I expected that she would struggle, but I didn't like that there wasn't really a resolution to the issues with her mom, who killed Scooter, and the custody battle with the Cranes.
And the storyline introduced other elements that didn't add to the story. Why did her mom come back in the first place? What was the point of the community meeting to save the neighborhood? Why wouldn't her sister tell her they are getting help from their neighbors? How did she make money if she had to give it back after doing the "job" with Whitney? When she took the job at the hair salon she kept missing work but then complaining that the money wasn't enough, BUT it paid more than the pizza job?? I was left with a lot of unanswered questions and plot holes.

Pacing was off and I didn’t like the way it ended at all. It felt like there were too many elements to discuss so all of them were thrown in sporadically just to say it's there... it just didn't feel like a cohesive story but it really had the potential.

Sun keep rising

Pub Date: 1/24/23

“The price of being a young mother is one that I didn’t realize was so high.”

Sun keep rising is the story of seventeen year old B’onca and the challenges she faces daily as a teen parent. It is a book filled with raw storytelling. The author did a great job at explaining the dangers of gentrification in predominantly black neighborhoods and how poverty can lead to desperate measures. I wanted B’onca and her family to catch a break so badly. It’s like every other day there was some sort of obstacle. In the end, things started to look up for them. However,there was a slight misstep along the way that could’ve possibly affected her and her daughter’s future. Sun Keep Rising is a story that needed to be told.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Son Keep Rising by Kristen R. Lee is a young adult novel highlighting the challenges facing a teen mom in a disadvantaged Memphis neighborhood. Many teens will identify with the characters and situations, but this isn't a YA book an adult will likely find nuanced enough to hold their interest.

To me, the novel felt formulaic. The author checked off every potential inner-city issue, and transitions from one scene to the next were clumsy. Critical events in the book were left too open-ended - Scooter's storyline is one example. I also often struggled to follow the dialogue. The author didn't always clarify who was talking, and I had to reread a section multiple times to figure it out.

Thanks to NetGalley for an electronic ARC of the novel in exchange for a review.

This short YA/teen book addresses many real-life issues, most predominantly teen pregnancy, gentrification, addiction, and trying to rise above one’s own circumstances. This book gives Nightcrawling vibes but less dark and gritty, skewed to a younger readership. We see B’onca try to make a better life for her daughter; will she get there?

3.5

This was a fast, engaging read that touches on topics such as poverty, teen pregnancy, and gentrification. While I do love my contemporary books to have more depth and not shy away from real issues teens face I felt as though this one solely focused on the issues and did not give the main character, B'onca, much else to her character. B'onca had a passion for hair care but this wasn't really shown much in the book nor were there many endearing scenes between her and her daughter so her motivation for money seemed a bit "have to" more than the "must" of.a mother's love. I also felt that some aspects of hood life and poverty were narrated in a way to make white people or economically privileged people understand it rather than told from a perspective that felt more authentic. That was tad bit of an eye roll for me because of how many other diverse/ownvoices books seem to write for a gaze that is unfamiliar with the experience of the characters rather than writing from the characters, especially in YA. Overall, it was enjoyed but these parts kept me from being moved by it.

An interesting story about the struggles of teen pregnancy, particularly trying to navigate poverty, gentrification, and limited academic abilities. Initially, I was unsure about this story and whether or not I would finish. In the end, I am glad that I saw through the story. It is a bit all over the place leaving the reader unsure of what exactly is going to happen next. But that uncertainty is what keeps the reader engaged. In the end, I want to know if Mia is okay, did B’onca get into any more trouble or did she go to college, was the family able to get out of poverty?

After reading the book, I also kind of want a better cover.

Sun Keep Rising is a heart wrenching story about the love of a mother for her daughter. A teen mom, B'onca would do anything for her four-month daughter Mia, as they faced eviction from their apartment. Taking risks in keeping your family and life together does has consequences. The book deals with teen pregnancy, gentrification, and race. Sun keep rising was based on real life experiences, The author's Grandmother, Mother and aunt were all teenage parents. This is an eye-opening and important book for everyone especially teens and young adults.

"The sun keep rising when my mama had my sister at fifteen, when my sister had my niece at sixteen, and when I had Mia three months after my seventeenth birthday."

"Being Young and Black, my fight was even harder."

"When you are from darkness, any little shimmer of light can draw you in."

"College don't buy happiness. College spoils it."

Thanks to Crown publishing, author Kristen Lee and TBR Beyond the tours for the book and review.

Sun Keep Rising is the story of a teenaged mother named B'Onca, who has the smarts to go to college, but due to having a child at 17, instead needs to work to make money NOW!


This book was an extremely quick and easy read, however I couldn't get behind it
There were way too many things going on at once, from the drug addiction, the save the neighborhood, and the whole scene between the two guys.

One gets threatened for breaking the ultimate street code, yet we never find out what happened to Scooter.,(Who did it?) There are just SO many questions that are left unanswered, just hanging.

I also couldn't get behind the " street slang," 🙄 that drove me up the wall. Just because you're from the projects or the "hood" doesn't mean you have to speak like that. SORRY!

Maybe it was me, but I think the message was lost due to differing problems within the storyline.

I could really go on, but truly there is no need.
You get the point.



Thank you, NetGalley /Kristen R. Lee/Crown Books for Young Readers./ For this eARC in advance for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

Sun Keep Rising is about B'onca, a teen mom living in poverty. She has a 4 month old baby, and the two of them live with B'onca's sister and one of her sister's children. Right off the bat, it is inclusive to lived experiences that many people have, because B'onca's sister has more than one child but only has custody of one of them at the time the story takes place. It doesn't have anything to do with the plot, so I'm glad it was mentioned as part of the family's background.

B'onca's baby's dad is named Scooter - he and B'onca dated for 3 years (god knows how many other people he was dating during those years) and they got pregnant their first time having sex. The two of them are not together anymore at the time of the book, but he still wants to have some control over what B'onca does, which is especially frustrating to her because he doesn't want much to do with their baby. Scooter's parents have money, and so does Scooter (he boosts things - takes orders for people and shoplifts what they want), so it's a shame that they don't support B'onca and the baby.

This story basically follows B'onca through the time in her life where she's graduated high school, is going to be the first person in her family to go to college, but doesn't want to go to college because it's not only expensive but also takes time to start making money... like, ya know, four years. Four years she doesn't really have to wait around to start supporting her family.

It's a really good depiction of the way that too many teens live in our country. Having to pick between eating for the week and buying medicine for your sick baby. Having to miss out on regular teenage social life because you have to work any time there's spare time. Having to take your baby with you, even sometimes to work, because there's no way to even come close to affording daycare. And honestly, it's not just teens that live this way. But there's an even higher chance that teen mothers will be in poverty just because of the impossibility of getting a job that can support a family.

Especially with this being such a short book, I think it's definitely worth the read for both teens and grown ups. My only issue is the way it wrapped up so quickly, but I mean, it's not like I could follow B'onca and the baby for the rest of their lives lol

The Sun Keeps Rising is a story so many teenagers know as their lives. It’s a sad reality in this day and age.

This story tackles teen pregnancy, property, gentrification and the consequences of just trying to survive. No decision any child should have to make. I believe this is a great story for teenagers and adults alike so we see both perspectives.

While it does carry themes it was necessary to tell the story. Thank you to NetGalley and PenguinTeen for allowing me to review the ARC of this book! The review is my own thoughts and opinions.

Sun Keep Rising by Kristen R. Lee (book review)

Sun Keep Rising is a heart wrenching story that reached out and touched my soul. Although this is not a true story, it represents so many people. Lee does a wonderful job of illustrating the pain of poverty and racial inequality.

After her daughter Mia is born, B'onca, a teen mom, struggles to afford food and necessities. When she learns they are facing eviction, she is devastated. In order to pay the bills, B'onca devises a perilous scheme, but at what cost?

Sun Keep Rising is available on January 24th.

4/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's (Crown Books for Young Readers) for sharing this book with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

#SunKeepRising

Not too much happens in Sun Keep Rising in terms of your typical plot elements and it is a little slow, but I enjoyed this one anyway. This digs into a lot of important topics that you don’t necessarily see in many YA books—gentrification, teenage pregnancy, parental abandonment, and addiction.

Overall, this is a story of a mothers love for her daughter. B’onca, at just 17, is forced to make hard decisions to ensure her and her daughters survival. She faces obstacles that no one, let alone a teenager, should be dealing with.

The ending was abrupt in my opinion. It didn’t feel like B’onca’s story was over for me, but at the same time, this isn’t one of those stories that just gets wrapped up in a happily ever after bow. This is real and raw and so much more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Set in Memphis, this book is really about the love of a mother for her daughter. Like most parents, B'onca, a teen mother, will do whatever it takes for her daughter Mia. Facing eviction, she is willing to take a risk which may have serious consequences. As a mom I understand the struggles of being a single parent and how the responsibility of raising a child may lead you to do what you think is necessary to take care of them.

What I liked
I liked that it talked about the topics of teen pregnancy, gentrification, shoplifting, and gang activity.

What I didn’t like
The story started slow and took me two days to get into it. Had to stop a couple times until it picked up.

Thank you to Random House Children’s, Crown Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.