I think the BookTok girlies will like this one. For reference, I'm NOT a BookTok girl haha. I loved the premise--second chance romance in the midst of pulling the greatest senior prank! The two love interests had some good chemistry, but most of their story was told in flashbacks, and I would've preferred seeing their relationship grow (or keep growing, in this case with a second-chance romance) in real time. And while the senior prank was super fun to be a part of, it lasted a LONG time--taking up about the first 50% of the book.

Overall, it was an okay book, but not one I'll be reading again. It was a little too slow and dry for my taste.

At Ames Boarding School, it’s tradition for an anonymous senior designated as The Jester to perform a prank during the school year. When Lily gets an email from the Jester asking for her assistance with the prank the week before graduation, she spends a night sneaking around campus with her ex-boyfriend and friends to pull it off.

3.5/5 ✨

This YA book was a really refreshing, light-hearted read. It was a fast paced, rom-com, reminiscent of a 90s teen movie. The characters were diverse and likable. Lily and Tag working through their feelings for each other was sweet and I really liked that it wasn’t something overly dramatic. I would recommend checking this one out when it’s released this summer, and will be getting a copy for the library (especially after finding out the author is local!).

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooksFire for the ARC of this one. I have a few more SBF books in my queue and this one gives me high hopes for the others.

This book was so much fun! I couldn’t put it down and finished it all in one afternoon. It was honestly very addicting!

Lily was a great protagonist. She was smart, funny and caring. I loved her relationship with her mother and the rest of the staff at the school. They all became her extended family and it was so heartwarming to read about. And I also really fell in love with Tag! We got to see flashbacks of how Lily and Tag met, fell in love and sadly how their relationship ended. Those moments were probably my favorite! And while I was heartbroken for both of them, since they obviously still had feelings for each other, I understood that Lily was doing what was best for herself. I just wished she had communicated her feelings and insecurities to Tag. I’m glad they both talked about it in the end and found their way back to each other.

The prank portion of the book also made for some really chaotic and hilarious situations. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them sneaking around campus to pull off an epic prank. I honestly lost track of the amount of times I laughed out loud whenever something was going wrong with their plans. I also adored all the Taylor Swift references!

All in all, this was a really fun YA read! I would highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first ever K.L Walther read.

This YA fiction was a sweet and nostalgic reminder of being a teenager. The touching reference's to Taylor Swift, The Sound of Music and Schitt's Creek, made me feel as if I knew the character's personally and had things in common with them. While I feel there could have been a little more character development throughout the plot, I enjoyed being taken along the heart racing journey, where old and current friends came together to pull of the years senior prank, all while a past relationship was rekindled between the Fac-brat and the Jester.

The book cover catches your attention and so does the beginning of the book, starting off with a comical mother-daughter to friends relationship that reminds one of the Gilmore girls.

I gave the book a 4star rating due to the fun plot, the reference's and the relationships built on throughout. This is a YA fiction book I would recommend to fans of the genre. I am also looking forward to reading more of K.L Walther's novels.

Thank you for the opportunity to read such a fun and nostalgic book!

4.5⭐
OKAAAY NO PRANK HERE this was so dang cute. I almost can't handle it. I could not put this down for anything. Definitely a read I was running into walls because I couldn't pull my eyes out of my kindle long enough to even walk to the kitchen for something to drink without it. It was suspense filled, witty, endearing and relatable. Can we talk about the friendships?!? They were so genuine and refreshing. This is absolutely a group of teenagers I would want my kids to be friends with. Loyal, smart and freaking hilarious. Also can there be more books with Diabetes representation just like this one? I have a whole new level of admiration for teenagers trying to feel comfortable with things that are completely out of their control in today's world. Definitely an unexpected eye opening lesson. And OMG the banter between ALL of these characters, is just top freaking tier. I laughed more times than I could count and the Shittscreek references. Ugh so good. On top of that the Romance, you guys.I melted. I don't know what it was about it but I was obsessed. Even tho it was a one sided perspective AND I would of loved a Tag perspective, Walther nailed it with bringing these characters and their feelings for each other come to life. I am filled with so much anticipation to see what she has in store for us next.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire & Netgalley for the e-ARC! This books was some good fun.

I’m rounding 3.5 stars to 4 because this is the first book I’ve ever read with a type 1 diabetic character!! And as someone who’s had T1D for about 12 years, it was kind of fun.

This book was classically YA. A cute second chance romance. A fun midnight prank before senior year closes out. A cool, quirky mom (very Rory/Lorelei-esque)) and SO many Taylor Swift references. Seriously, SO many (arguably too many). Our MC, Lily is notably boring, with her involvement in the prank being something new and exciting for to close out her year with. Especially considering her ex-boyfriend is the whole reason she gets involved. I loved the angst. Overall I recommend this book for a quick, fun, breezy read!

Some lovely things:
-great friendship dynamics!!
-fun end of year prank
-lovely second chance romance
-realistic high school student mistakes and misunderstandings
-type 1 diabetic character
-lovely mother/daughter relationship

I loved The Summer of Broken Rules, so I was very excited to pick up this book and it did not disappoint. It was just a good time all around! The humor was great, the romance was so sweet, and I loved finding all the Taylor Swift references. Overall, this is yet another great read from K.L. Walther! If you like heists, second-chance romance, a New England boarding school setting, and loveable characters, then you'll love this.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved KL Walther's other book, a summer of broken rules, so I was so excited to see I could request this book!

If you love Taylor swift, then you’ll enjoy this book! I really enjoyed reading What Happens After Midnight! It was a very quick easy read with relatively low stakes. This would be a decent beach read.

The story is about the rekindling of a romance between the two leads, Lily and Tag. L&T dated for three years before they part ways, only to reconcíliate again while assisting in pulling a prank.

There are plenty of little nods, Easter eggs if you will, to Taylor Swifts songs and it was fun to find little gems. 💕 To be completely honest, the Taylor swift hints didn’t really start until the last quarter of the book, and sometimes it felt a little forced.

Although this book was a fun read, at times it was hard to read purely because of the lack of character development. It seemed like there wasn’t a ton of chemistry between tag and lilly, and so the final conclusion didn’t really do it for me. The stakes in the story were very low, so it felt like a very level book without a ton of development of characters throughout.
There was no true challenges that the characters had to overcome beyond throwing an elaborate prank, and there was so much potential. Some of the supporting characters had some details just completely left out about them, only for it to pop up when it was convenient.

The book felt pretty short, and I would have loved like 200 more pages of diving deeper! The whole book focused on this treasure hunt/prank, and legitimately over 60% of the book took place within a 4 hour period. I felt like there just wasn’t quite room enough for the story to expand to what it could have been.

I really wish there was little hints at TSOBR, I didn’t catch any overlap between the two stories and it was a hardcore bummer. Missed opportunity for sure.

Although I don't think that this would get made into a movie (it’d legit be max 30 mins), if it did here is my dream casting- AND i'd imagine it being filmed kind of like 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' on Amazon Prime.

⭐️Tag: Uriah Shelton
⭐️Lily: Emily Carrey
⭐️Alex: Bailey May
⭐️Leda: Brianne Howey

3.5 stars. I’m truly bummed that this wasn’t a 5-star read for me. It was a cute story, the romance was adorable, and I loved the Gilmore Girls-like community that Walther created. I particularly loved Lily’s relationship with her mom and her mom’s and Josh’s relationship. However, the story structure was not for me and I wish there was more character development.

thank you to sourcebooks fire and netgalley for this arc of what happens after midnight by k.l walther out june 27th!

considering the fact that i’m pretty sure i read the summer of broken rules in like two days, i had a feeling i was going to really enjoy this one and i was correct! both lily and tag are lovable characters whose flaws and miscommunications completely line up with how most high school seniors act. additionally, i loved how the bulk of this book was written throughout the events of one night, but with that my main (and rather only) issue was that some of the flashbacks felt misplaced and were confusing to keep the story going. overall though if you are a lover of taylor swift, second chance romance, and a good old fashioned treasure hunt then i think you will really enjoy this one!

thanks again to sourcebooks fire and netgalley for the early access, and i can’t wait to see this hit the shelves this summer! 4.5.

3/5 ☆

A bit hard to get into at the start. Once we get into the plot, Lily being tasked to help out her ex-boyfriend Tag on his senior year prank as the Jester, it picks up. K.L. Walther does YA well and captures the angst and uncertainty that comes with being a teen.

I'm not sure I really liked Lily. She was a bit boring for me and didn't have any outright personality traits that I related to. Tag wasn't anything special either. They're a sweet couple and I enjoyed their banter/flirting. I also really liked her relationship with her mom and how close they are. Her friend group was really the star of the book- especially Alex, Zoe, and Maya.

I haven't seen Schitt's Creek and could pick up the obvious Taylor Swift references. Overall, an average YA book. I've read others that I liked better!

Lily Hopper’s senior year is coming to an end and she’s realizing maybe it’s time for some fun before graduation. So when a mysterious invitation from the Jester arrives inviting her to join in on the end of the year senior prank. Lily decides it’s time to stop being the perfect daughter and have a little fun. But Lily soon realizes that the jester is actually Tag her ex boyfriend and she still has feelings for him. I just love this author when you read one of her books your transported into the story and you fall in love with the setting and characters. If you loved this book you must read The Summer Of Broken Rules because it’s also an amazing story with characters that stay with you long after you close the book.

Lily Hopper is a senior who is about to graduate from boarding school. She receives an anonymous invite to join the senior class Jester in executing the end-of-year prank. She initially thinks its one of her friends, but quickly realizes after it's too late that is Taggart Swell, her ex-boyfriend. She dumped Tag, but still has major feelings for him.

The plan is to steal the schools yearbooks. As the group hides clues around campus for Daniel to find, Lily and Tag begin to realize their feelings may still very well be present.

K.L. Walther does a great job at portraying the life of a teenager. She also touches on what it's like to have a chronic medical condition and how that can affect high school life. The multitude of Taylor Swift references makes for a fun read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I requested this purely because it was marketed to have Taylor Swift references, and I was not disappointed in that regard. I loved picking them out.

The other thing I liked was Lily’s relationship with her mom, Leda, and how close they were while also demonstrating that Leda is very much a mother and willing to be strict. Her fiance, Josh, was a minor character but also great - I loved that the family’s relationship just existed and didn’t need to be a source of trauma.

This book is a romance. Lily and Tag are exes but still love each other, which they realize after an experience sneaking around a night for the school prank. In one phrase, I’d say their relationship development is obvious. Here’s why.

As soon as Lily mentions why she and Tag broke up, it was glaringly obvious that it was all a huge misunderstanding. The author tries to make it seem like Tag’s relationship with Blair was genuine and used the metaphor of Blair being a band-aid, which Lily stupidly doesn’t understand. They kind of talk and Lily insists that he’s not actually into her, which was frustrating. Then, they finally get together and communicate everything that I already knew.

Well, at least the Taylor Swift references were fun.

🎶no body, no crime🎶

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4 stars for this solid upcoming Young Adult romance novel. This has all the Taylor Swift, as hurts Creek and Bridgerton references one could dream of. Some are obvious, some are more subtle and the balance results in them not feeling too forced but reasonably natural for a book from the perspective of an 18 yo girl.

The book had a good story and character development, the main character Lily being very relatable, in her traits and her insecurities through the book. It has suspense of both the romantic and mystery kind. There was also a LGBT flash mob promposal which while peak American would be lots of fun to see on screen if this is ever lucky enough to become a movie or TV series.

Overall a fun and easy read and definitely glad I got my hands on this on NetGalley. It is coming out on 27 June 2023 so keep your eyes out for it!

This book follows Lily — a senior about to graduate from boarding school. With two weeks of school left, she is invited to join the school prank from the senior class Jester, who happens to be her ex boyfriend.

I really enjoyed this book!! It was so fun watching Lily and her friends pull off this senior prank and also seeing Lily and Tag reunite. I’m a sucker for second chance romances! I loved that it was YA and the boarding school/beach vibes were so fun! The descriptions made me want to be there.

I do wish there was more romance and it felt a little slow at times, but overall I really liked it and I think it will be the perfect summer read.

This book had the same vibes as Summer of Broken Rules, which I loved. Full of Taylor Swift and Schitt’s Creek references. Such an enjoyable read.

I fell in love with this book from the very beginning, from the cute cover to the exciting description I didn't stand a chance. I am a sucker for YA romances, and What Happens After Midnight did not disappoint. This fast-paced second chance romance kept me on the edge of my seat and chewing my nails, hoping Tag (and the rest of the jester's group) didn't get caught! The dialogue between Tag and Lily was absolutely adorable and it just makes you wish they'd get back together. What Happens After Midnight is a quick and easy read, and you won't regret picking it up! :)

What Happens After Midnight is one of the cutest YA rom coms I have ever read! A group of high school seniors meet with a mysterious "Jester" at midnight and adventure ensues as they try to pull off an epic senior prank. Throughout the night the main character, Lily, must face her fears, her ex boyfriend, and find herself all while trying to avoid getting caught. This book has the sweetest second chance romance, too many Taylor Swift references to count (I had so much fun trying to find them all!), Schitt's Creek references, an exciting scavenger hunt, and a Gilmore Girls mother/daughter relationship. If you are looking for a fast paced, adventurous, sweet YA rom com, look no further!
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC of this book!

What if we played a game, a prank of sorts, and it ended with me wining your heart back? This is what this book is. Lily is the good girl and Tag is the popular guy. They were together but life separated them until their senior year when they decide to pull a senior prank. This books is one of the best second chance romances I’ve read and it’s incredibly funny.


In-depth breakdown (possible spoilers ahead):
Initial thoughts:
I’m loving it! Also the way the book is divided into clues is genius. I’m loving the schitts creek references. Not only that but I love Lily’s relationship with her mother it’s so wholesome. I think each character was established extremely well. And it’s so fast paced I could read this in one seating. It’s so interesting I don’t want to put it down.

My thoughts halfway through:
So far I’m really liking the book. Tag is such a sweet guy and there’s so much chemistry between them. I do have to admit I like seeing how everything goes down but I wished we would also get by now what the next couple of days would be like of Daniel finding the books are missing. I’m guessing we’ll get a bit of this towards the end and it makes sense because the title is what happens after midnight so it makes sense that it’s all about this night but I’m also wishing for more of the day after. Still I’m loving the group dynamic.

Final thoughts:
I loved seeing the rest of the night evolve. I loved seeing part of Daniel finding about the yearbooks. I have to admit that towards the end it felt like the story was dragging on, I wished it ended sooner. I was also expecting more out of the conversation between Lily and tag but it was good it was just missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on. Overall this was a really good book. So definitely recommend.