This was an adorable and fast read that just gave me all the right YA book feels. The emotions, the setting, everything down to the characters and their development through this book has kept me entertained and unable to put the book down. Thank you to netgalley for the copy to review. It was fantastic

There's just something about K.L. Walther's YA books that I love. This was a super cute YA read that was fun and had adventures. It's a quick and easy read. I'm not Taylor Swift fan so I could've done without the references lol

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

this was really cute! i enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a cute romance. i love books set in boarding schools so this was exactly my cup of tea!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy of What Happens After Midnight by K.L. Walther.

K. L. Walther's 'What Happens After Midnight' weaves a mesmerizing tapestry of mystery and emotion. Each story, a captivating journey into the unknown, keeps you hooked until the final page. A must-read for those who crave the magic of midnight tales.

This is my second K.L. Walther and I am obsessed with her YA romances. The setting of this one was really enjoyable and immersive, I always love reading about stories set in Academia. I really managed to fly through this one, it was such a quick and easy read.

The romance wasn't as prominent in the story as I expected, and the dialogue at time between characters could be a bit cringey, but none the less I still really enjoyed this one and will continue to pick up K.L Walther's YA romances.

I cannot wait to read other titles by this author! I am so excited to have gotten this title and can't wait to read others by the same author.

This book was such a fun time! I loved that we got a mysterious academia setting for this novel as compared to the author's last book which was set at a summer beach house! We got so many Taylor Swift references, and I enjoyed every one!

There is truly something for everyone in this book! I loved the cover, I loved the story line and I couldn't put it down!

I loved this fun little YA. It was jam-packed with Taylor Swift references. Like, an alarming number of TS references. Not that I'm complaining. It made the reading experience so fun! I enjoyed the boarding school setting, and the storyline was unique. Overall, it was a great book that I would recommend!

After reading and loving The Summer of Broken Rules, I knew I had to lick this one up! However, I definitely didn’t love it as much as I thought I would.
The past and present timelines got a little confusing, and the dialogue was cringey as times in this novel.
The one thing I did love was of course the Taylor Swift references which are great little Easter egg in K.L Walthers novels and the cute summer romcom vibes I loved too. So overall an average read

Walther has such a gift of bringing you within the story and making you not only understand each character but imports you there so vividly too. I couldn't pull away from this book. So loved and enjoyed it.

I was honestly surprised that the synopsis covers such a big part of the book. For a big part of the story I was like, wait I already knew this was going to happen. While I did like that it wasn't as focused on romance as a lot of other YA books, I just didn't connect with the story or the characters as much. I didn't think anyone really stood out. Maybe it was a mistake getting a book with a boarding school.. I really wanted to change my mind about that setting, but this book didn't do it for me.

I'm a Swiftie and even I got tired of all the Taylor Swift references, they were way too much. The writing wasn't great and I didn't click with the story because I was cringing a lot. The FMC is named Tag and the jokes, I couldn't take them.. Literally, "Tag, you it!". It almost felt too childish

The overall plot was confusing. The time jumps from past to presents were confusing and unmarked. The miscommunication was pretty annoying and overall, I would only recommend this book if you like young adult, ket word being YOUNG.

2 stars because I loved the relationship between Lily and her mom, it very much gave Gilmore Girl vibes.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Boarding school, senior pranks, a scavenger hunt, throw in some fun friendships and first love … sign me up!

This group of friends has about six hours to set up the best senior prank and hide seven clues around campus. There was not too many surprises, but I still loved the dynamics between Lily and her mom, and so many of the friends. It gave me all the senior year school vibes.

I absolutely loved KL Walther’s previous book, She is able to write YA novels that have the ability to suck you in no matter your age. The Last Summer of Broken Rules was one of my end of the year favorites last year so I was so excited to read this next one of hers, and it didn’t disappoint.

“Because there were only two options when it came to Taggart Swell: loving him with every bone in my body and beat of my heart or cutting ties with him completely. For me, we were everything or we were nothing.”

After loving K.L Walther’s YA debut If We Were Us years ago, I was excited to read her newest novel, especially after she moved to Sourcebooks. I was definitely not disappointed by the hijinks and romance this book brought, especially after seeing that the prank was inspired by her father’s own high school heist.

Summary:
Lily has lived her entire life at Ames boarding school. With her mom as an English teacher, Lily has not only attended the prestigious academy, but was raised on its premises in the faculty housing, earning her the title of a fac-brat. Having spent eighteen years amongst her teachers and administration and under the watchful eye of the school’s campus security, Lily has never found a reason or a desire to break the rules. She’s a straight-A student, the salutatorian, and everyone’s favorite good girl.

Ames is a school of tradition, one of which is the anual Jester Prank. Each year a senior is chosen to be the Jester, a student who conducts the senior prank on behalf of their class. When Lily receives a note inviting her to join the Jester’s court for a night of pranking debauchery, she wrestles with her conscience before ultimately joining the fun because of one condition: she knows her ex-boyfriend and love of her life, Tag, is the Jester.

The Jester and his court meet at midnight to conduct not only the theft of Ames Almanac, the school’s famous yearbook, but also to lay a series of scavenger hunt clues across campus for their douche-canoe of a class president. While the team initially begins with 6, the members fluctuate throughout the night, more often than not leaving Tag and Lily alone to conduct the prank. After a messy breakup almost a year ago, the two spend the night dancing around their miscommunication and obvious chemistry, too focused on not getting caught to spend time on any lingering feelings.

But as the hours tick closer to dawn, their heist becomes more frantic. Will the Jester pull off the biggest prank Ames has ever seen? Will Daniel, the class president, catch his peers in the act? And will Tag and Lily ever be able to get over their mutual pining to talk to each other?

Thoughts:
Littered with a Taylor Swift reference at least once a chapter, Walther’s What Happens After Midnight is a fun, charismatic, romcom that keeps readers on the edge of their seat with each impending clue. I loved the setting of a Rhode Island boarding school, and found myself longing to see the sprawling campus in person, especially Bunker’s cottage atop a hill where he conducts Latin classes. One of my favorite elements to this novel was the cast of characters; while Lily and Tag are our leads romantically and plot-wise, the rest of the Jester’s court, the Ames’ faculty, and Lily’s mom and pseudo-stepdad stole the show. I would love a series set at Ames just to see more of the eccentric teachers and dark-academic coded campus.

If you like pranks, heists, second-chance romance, and found family, What Happens After Midnight is a great read! Fans of Kurt Dinan’s Don’t Get Caught and Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girl’s series will love Walther’s latest novel.

3.5:5

This book was a favorite of mine that I read this summer! For fans of Taylor Swift and a beautiful coming of age story. There is something for everyone in this book!

After reading the summer of broken rules, I could not wait to get my hands on what happens after midnight!! Walther is now one of my favorite authors for a go to light hearted and enjoyable read! Any author that can add taylor swift references jumps up on my tbr!

This YA romance was an adventure in addition to being sweet. I enjoyed the slow burn, second chance happenings while they worked to carry out the elaborate plan. There definitely was miscommunication in this, but more a lack of communication because… high schoolers. That’s more forgivable I guess 🤣 there is a good cast of characters, with distinct personalities. Overall, a good read.

Lily is a senior at the private school where her mom teaches. She gets word that she got voted several “most likely tos” in their yearbook… and they all had to do with being a goody two shoes. She doesn’t want that to be her legacy, but when the Jester reaches out for her assistance in pulling off the senior prank, she hesitates. Will she be able to do something she wants without ruining her future if they get caught?

HAT HAPPENS AT MIDNIGHT feels like a classic teen movie in book form—one with elaborate capers and mischievous banter, good friends and good enemies, where the stakes are low (prom) but they feel high (because prom is really, actually about love, the highest stakes of all). It is a wonderful follow-up to K.L. Walther’s THE SUMMER OF BROKEN RULES, another book I adored. Especially as some vicarious excitement for a person who never would have DARED pull a prank in high school (or ever????), this is so good and fun.