“My body ached when I felt him press a light kiss to my collarbone. It was all still so easy, so natural, so intoxicating between us.”

Lily and Tag. She’s the goody-two-shoes, he’s the popular guy and they used to date… but then she dumps him. School is almost over and there’s still the senior prank which Tag invites Lily to help execute. This ultimate prank involves hiding all the clues across campus and they have until sunrise to do it without getting caught.

🌙READ IF YOU LIKE🌙:
- good girl x popular, bad boy
- second chance
- bantering
- senior pranks + scavenger hunts
- boarding school setting
- cryptic clues around the campus
- anonymous senior class Jester
- cute nicknames: smoosh & hopscotch
- close knit friend group
- taylor swift & schitt’s creek references
- east coast summery vibes: rhode island
- t1d representation
- a mother-daughter relationship like lorelai & rory

cw: hypoglycemic attack

Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for the advanced copy! What Happens After Midnight is now available!

This was a cute YA romance! I liked the characters and the second-chance romance, and I thought that the plot was pretty cool. I liked how the author executed the main relationship, as well as explained the characters' backgrounds with each other, without being super info-dump-ish. I also loved all of the Taylor Swift song references throughout the book! Overall, I'd recommend this book!! :)

With Taylor Swift references galore, this is a second chance romance that will make you want to bring out the vinyl and listen to it as you read. As Lily helps Tag execute the senior prank, she recalls their relationship in flashbacks interspersed between planting clues for the class president. She continues to pine for him even though he has repeatedly been off and on with his girlfriend–currently off. While the memories pulled me in and made me empathize with Lily, it was also confusing at times. Lily often had to be shaken from her memories, making it difficult to determine whether I was in the past or the present with her.

While the romance made me ache, it also felt like something was missing. Maybe I needed Tag's point of view, one that encompassed his pining for Lily, to balance out Lily's longing because the moments of truth from him were not satisfying enough. Maybe it was also that I didn't understand why Lily remained faithful to their past while Tag could so easily move on.

What Happens After Midnight is perfect for the Swiftie fan who enjoys references to songs from the artist. It's for the reader who believes second chances are possible, especially when love was never the problem. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

Unfortunately, I don't think this book was for me but it could definitely be for someone else. If you are looking for something that's short and not too long then check this book out!!

Thank you to net galley for this Arc:)

the perfect 5 star summer read <3

this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. the book had me hooked from the start all the way through to the end.
i loved lily and tag, seeing their love for each other, even after they’d broken up was so sweet-they were literally so adorable together and i loved the little flashbacks we got throughout the book from the past when they were together, it added some depth to their relationship in the present as we got see how they ended up where they are now.
miscommunication is a big trope in the book and seeing at the end how lily and tag managed to work out their issues by finally talking to one another about their insecurities in their relationship made me so happy.
the side characters really added to the story. i loved alex, he’s the best of best friends, and their whole friendship group was really just a vibe.
all the taylor swift references in this book made me so so happy and really made reading this book so much more fun- lily and tag are so taylor coded and this book was definitely a comfort read and is such a sweet and simple second chance romance <3

Lily decided to join the end of the prank because she wants a chance to put her goody-two-shoes reputation behind. She realizes too late that Taggart her ex-bf is the person behind the prank.... Taggart and her ends up spending the night dodging teachers, guards, and her prom date Daniel. Sparks fly but will they resolve their past?

I like Lily a lot. As an A type, I definitely relate to her. It's a touching and sweet story. Great fun. Tag is terrific. :) Love how smart they both are. Alex is terrific too. Love all their friendship with each other.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

“Aut viam inveniam aut facium. I shall either find a way or make one.”
🕛
Lily Hopper is a few weeks shy of graduating from the boarding school that she lives at with her mom, who is a teacher at the school. Lily has been crowned salutatorian and is somewhat dating the senior class president. So why isn’t she happy? When Lily gets an invitation from the Jester to participate in the senior class prank, she decides to chuck her good girl image and join, but when she finds out the Jester this year is her ex-boyfriend, Tag, she almost decides to pull out. She still has a lot of feelings for Tag, who recently broke up with the girl he started dating right after Lily and him broke up last year. But once the night starts, it’s hard to remember why she and Tag broke up in the first place.
🌑
This is KL’s second YA book and I didn’t like it as much as I liked the first one. The concept was amazing—the clues, the prank, all taking place in one night: loved it. However the execution just didn’t make it for me. The change in timeline were often unclear and the end dragged out way longer than it needed to. Also, way too many TSwift references. Like, it was excessive. 3 ⭐️

CW: bullying, alcohol, medical issues due to diabetes

I think K,L Walther writes for the girlies who love sweet and cute stories! This was so easy to read up until after midnight, and I loved all the head nods to my favorite shows and artists. Lily and Tag are adorable and watching them banter back and forth had me smiling from cheek to cheek. Sometimes you just need a fun book and that is what this one is. I also completely got the Gilmore girls moments between mother and daughter, and that instantly made me happier while reading. It did have me confused at times with the amount of characters, but I could sense which characters were most important to the story!

The extremely frustrating thing about What Happens After Midnight is that a solid 75% of it is told in the synopsis before I even read it. Almost exactly what happens, to the point that it felt like I was wasting my time reading the book, because I felt so much of it had already been spoiled for me. It’s a shame the reader doesn’t get to experience the plot unfolding organically, and I wonder if my rating would have been higher had the powers that be decided not to include basically the entire plot in the jacket blurb. I will say that the cover though, is absolutely gorgeous.

Another cute YA from KL Walther! She really satisfies those boarding school vibes for me. I loved this diverse cast of characters, and this story was so fun! This was such a fun mix of the things I love - the community and mother/daughter relationship had MAJOR Gilmore Girls vibes, and y’all, the Taylor Swift of it all! KL Walther managed to drop a reference to what felt like every Taylor Swift song, but it was done so casually that only Swifties would even pick up on it. It was such a fun little surprise every time it happened.

Super cute YA romance that will be a delight for any fan of Schitts Creek or certified Swiftie. I loved the rekindling/ second chance relationship for Tag and Lily. They were the whole reason I wanted to finish the book.

The antics were cute, but the whole story was basically laid out in the synopsis.

this was a fun-filled reading romp. I loved hearing about the pranks that happened that night!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

I loved The Summer of Broken Rules and was so excited to read this! What Happens After Midnight is a fun romp--it takes place largely in one night, is full of pranks, second chance romance, and of course, Taylor Swift references. Lily, a rule-following good girl, is tapped by the Jester to participate in their boarding school's senior prank. It is soon revealed that her ex is the Jester, and perhaps this experience will bring them back together.

This is a fun, cute book and I will be adding a copy to my classroom library. It is perfect for teen readers who just need a light, quick, escapist read.

Dear Reader,

What Happened After Midnight pretty much takes place in a night where Lily is tapped by the mysterious Jester to partake in this year’s senior prank, a time honored tradition. The night that ensues is filled with hijinxs, secrets, banter, second chances, and nostalgia. This night was SPARKLING. SPARKS FLY. The story takes place at a boarding school which is one of my favorite settings for a YA novel. Lily and the rest of the Jester’s court set out to set up a scavenger hunt for the missing yearbooks. Lily wonders if she was only tapped for the prank because her mom is a teacher and has the keys to nearly every door at the school. Which by the way, Lily’s relationship with her mom gives off strong Gilmore Girls vibes!

I enjoyed it as a quick, fun read. The book is full of subtle Taylor Swift and Schitt’s Creek references which I loved and appreciated.

Best wishes and warmest regards,
Jillian

3.5 stars rounded up to four

This was such a great read especially if you love Gilmore Girls. This had high school Gilmore Girl vibes if Lorelai was a teacher. I loved the slow burn to the second chance between Tag and Lily.

Title: What Happens After Midnight
Author: K. L. Walther
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Lily Hopper has two more weeks until she's officially finished with boarding school. With graduation quickly approaching Lily is worried that she's somehow missed out on the fun of being in high school. So, when she receives a mysterious note inviting her to join the anonymous senior class Jester in executing the end-of-year prank, Lily sees her chance to put her goody-two-shoes reputation behind her.

When Lily realizes the Jester is none other than Taggart Swell, her ex- boyfriend, she's already in too deep to back out. Lily might've dumped Tag, but she still has major feelings. Plus, his brilliant plan to steal the school's yearbooks, targets none other than Lilly's prom date: the Senior Class President, Daniel.

As the group of pranksters hide cryptic clues across campus for Daniel to find, Lily and Tag find themselves in close quarters. As the exes dodge Campus Safety guards, night owl teachers, a troop of freshmen, and even Daniel himself, new sparks fly. But old hurts and painful secrets refuse to be ignored. And with graduation on the horizon, Lily can only hope that breaking the rules will help mend her heart.

This was a cute, entertaining read. I liked Lily a lot—and Tag and their group of friends—but it did seem a little too good to be true. I never felt like the stakes or consequences were too high, because all of the adults loved Lily and Tag and had these great relationships with them, so the threat of getting kicked out, especially when all their classwork had been finished and decided, didn’t feel real. Great friendships in this, and that made it a joy to read.

K. L. Walther is from Pennsylvania. What Happens After Midnight is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

Well I really enjoy The Summer of Broken Rules by this author so I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me.

The set up seemed fun enough, but I just didn’t find myself caring about any of the characters and especially not the romance. Honestly, I found the characters to be annoying.

The whole prank and all of the obstacles along the way just felt really superficial.

Also, the Taylor Swift references started off as fun and cute but by the end I was rolling my eyes. There is a fine line between references being fun and too much and this one definitely tipped all the way into the too much category.

This might be for someone but it certainly wasn’t for me.

this book was a fast easy read and I did think it was cute. However, I definitely like The Summer of Broken Rules a lot more than this one. The pacing felt a little off to me and I didn’t really connect with the characters. It’s a coming of age, second chance romance that also has a fun aspect since they are doing a senior prank. I did love the Taylor swift references this author puts in her books too! Overall, it was still a cute read, I just didn’t love it as much as I thought I would!

Thank you to the author & publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review!

What Happens After Midnight is an entertaining, quick read and I ended up binging it in one day. As the characters hide the clues for the scavenger hunt, many things go wrong which makes the book quite fast-paced and also really fun. I loved the “summer-before-graduation” vibes and the setting at the boarding school. I also really liked that the love interest Tag having type 1 diabetes was introduced so casually but still ended up being a pretty big part of the story. While I can’t speak on the accuracy of the representation, I’m always here for more disability rep in YA! The friend group and even all of the teachers were really fun characters and I loved that there was such a big and diverse cast. I do wish that Lily and Tag had been developed a bit more though. They didn’t really stand out to me as characters. Second chance romance is one of my tropes ever but I’m not sure it was executed that well here (mostly due to the lack of character development). I did still end up enjoying What Happens After Midnight and definitely recommend it for a fun summer read.

Second chance romances aren't normally my favorite things trope-wise, but I gave this a shot because I had a lot of fun with the author's first book. Despite my reluctance with the romantic trope used, I actually had a lot of fun with this one - the mystery & suspense elements aren't something often found in the genre, and they really added a lot here for me! Will be recommending this one widely for sure.