Max Manning is what dreams are made of. Despite their age this story did not feel young. I fell in love with Max word after word and action after action just like Ella did. Their story began and ended only to begin again. Beautifully told. I had to remind myself I was reading a Jennifer Hartmann novel and im going to be broken soon before I can fully heal. She knows how to tell a real story, bruises and all and make it so beautiful and soul wrenching you crave more. Ella and Max both go through more trauma than any one deserves. Max brought Ella back to life just as much as Ella brought Max to life. Never forgetting each other and always finding their way back. I cannot say enough about how deeply invested I was in this story. I felt every emotion as if I was in their shoes. Amazing book by an incredible author.

If you are familiar with Jennifer Hartmanns other works, it’s not surprising this is another 5 star read. The emotions she manages to pull out of me is something few authors can do and Catching the Sun was no different. This story follows Ella and Max. Childhood best friends who lose their friendships due to trauma within their own families. The story follows them on their journey with finding each other again, into lovers and surviving their own battles with those close to them. Ella’s brother being on death row, convicted of murder, to Max’s Alcoholic father this book gets into a lot of emotion abuse from loved ones. So if that is a trigger for you, I’d be cautious. Otherwise if you want a beautiful written happy ever after, this is for you. I highlighted so many little phrases, but of of my favorite quote from this book is …

Don’t live every day like it’s your last. Live every day like it’s your first. Lasts are tragic. Firsts are exciting and full of celebration. Look at every sunrise like it’s the first time you’ve ever seen colors like that before. Listen to your favorite song like you’ve never heard such a precious melody. If you make every day a celebration, you’ll never get bored in your own story.

This book absolutely destroyed me and I mean that in the best way possible. This book had me feeling so many emotions. It was devastatingly, heartbreakingly beautiful.

I went into this book knowing nothing about the plot and I recommend everyone do so. Without giving anything away I just want to say that I was rooting for Ella and Max.. both separately and together. I felt their pain and their heartbreak but also their joy and wonder for the little things in life.

Max Manning will become everything you ever wanted in a boy and Ella will become a beacon of hope.

I also want to say that growing up Winnie the Pooh was my favorite show and a childhood staple so the references mean so much to me personally.

I highly recommend this book but fair warning- prepare for the rollercoaster of emotions and the fact that you will continue to think about this book long after you’ve read it.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Bloom Books and the author for an arc of this book for my honest review.

In true Jennifer Hartmann fashion, this book slowly cracked at my heart until it completely shattered it. But then it put it back together. There is trauma, heartbreak, friendship & love. I loved it.

I teared up at the end and I NEVER cry so yea 5 stars.

I would classify Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann as more “new adult” than “young adult” as sex is a heavy theme in this novel. The sex in the novel is both healthy and unhealthy, physical and emotional. In my head, kept telling the characters that they both needed to go to therapy. Overall I enjoyed the novel, understanding the impact of grief and betrayal.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC

I love Jennifer Hartmann’s books and writing style. While this book is marketed as a YA, I don’t think it should be. The characters are in high school, but the content of this book is definitely not for YA readers. There are heavy content warnings in this book; which goes along with this author’s writing style and I love it, but I don’t think it’s a book for the YA audience. With that said, as an adult reader, I really loved this book and loved the characters.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Jennifer Hartmann can reach my heart like no one else. I have not yet come across her book that would leave me without a broken heart and a whole range of emotions.

Catch the sun stands out from Jennifer's previous books. It's more youd adult and it's not that dark. At first, a slow burn focused on Ella and Max's relationship. But there emotional damage begins and accompanies to the very end.

For the whole book I felt like going inside and hugging Max. No one deserves a bigger sunny hug more than he does. I also wanted to go in and hug McKay because the psychology of this character goes much deeper and you can read a lot from him between the lines - his plot broke my heart. And Ella went through so much in such a short time that she deserved to catch the sun most of them all.

Ella and Max's relationship was something absolutely beautiful. Their friendship and getting to know each other in the worst possible moments of their lives was a beautiful but also painful journey. This relationship developed naturally, had ups and downs - but it was unique and beautiful. As always with Hartmann's books, I marked the passages like crazy (and for the first time in my life I did it in ORANGE). I love the way Hartmann tells painful stories, and it wasn't different here.

List of what I love most about Catch the sun:
☀️ Max and everything related to him
✨ quotes micro-trope
☀️ emotions - this book destroyed me emotionally, like any Hartmann's book
✨ Ella's strength to overcome everything 🧡
☀️ devastation and heartbreak because of McKay 😭
✨ JENNIFER'S WRITING STYLE - no one can reach me like that with a few words put into sentences, NO ONE
☀️ Jonah's secret
✨ Winnie the Pooh 🧡
☀️ Max's lists 🥰

Who doesn't enjoy a good book that, in the end, has the power to both shatter and put you back together. The most genuine friends-to-lovers book I've ever read was this one. Ella & Max = Chef's Kiss!

My favorite quote:

"Don't let me go, Sunny. Don't ever let us go."

This was my first Jennifer Hartmann book and it did not disappoint. This book left me feeling all the emotions. It broke my heart, put it back together and broke it again. I fell in love with the main characters and was rooting for them the entire time. This book was amazing. Thank you so much for the ARC 💕

It’s easy to say anything by Jennifer Hartmann is literal GOLD - Absolutely every book I’ve read becomes my favourite of her.

Catch the Sun was no different, I absolutely loved this read. Bawled my eyes out, found myself so connected to the characters. Honestly thought about this book for days after reading.

Incredible as always. Thank you for the ARC copy of this one

This book is heartbreakingly beautiful! It will leave you feeling all the emotions!

Ella and Max are childhood best friends. Inseparable, until they are forced apart.

While Ella struggles with family issues and is treated terrible due to her brother’s crimes, Max has to struggle with being the one holding his family together.

When Ella moves back to town, she is treated with disrespect and hate from everyone! Max is so bogged down with responsibilities, that he can’t afford any more to be placed on his shoulders.

A relationship is the furthest thing from both of their minds!

But, Ella is a welcome presence in his life. They were best friends, once upon a time, when both of their lives were simpler. Neither of them have anyone to lean on during their hardships, so they decide to rebuild that friendship.

But, the hardships keep coming. They both ended up in a messy situation that I never saw coming!

This story broke my heart, put it back together, and broke it again. I was rooting for both Ella and Max to find their peace and live a life full of joy and love! Both MCs faced so many challenges, but their love for one another helped them fight through the pain and suffering they had to endure!

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve never read a book by this author before but I absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for the ARC! I loved this story, it was extremely well written. Will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author!

This one just wasn't for me. It wasn't bad book at all and I am sure it will be another hit and many will love it. I just had a really hard time settling into it so it took me a bit to read it. I couldn't quite click into it. Thank you so much for the ARC opportunity.

Thank you to @netgalley and author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I took my time reading this and savoring it (i read it in two days...). As much as i actually wanted to savor it...my world was crashing and burning with this...no cap
Jennifer Hartmann has hit me with another gut wrenching and angsty new release. i need therapy with this too just like when i read Wrong Heart.
i LOVED all the characters and their depths and i loved how they navigated their feelings and their traumas.
this destroyed me! i was clutching my blanket to my face to not sob, i almost threw away my kindle because WHATTT
Jen really had us hoping that Ella was right.

PLEASE go read it. PLEASE look up the TWs. Please forward the therapy bill to Jen.

Every. Single. Time. Jennifer Hartmann ever so gently coaxes my heart into falling head over heels in love with these characters, only to tragically and horrifically devastate us all.
But I’m totally here for it, every time.
Because then she somehow magically weaves it all into this incredibly epic love story, overflowing with healing, and growth, and hope, and love. So much love. It’s heart wrenching and devastatingly beautiful. Every. Single. Time.
Anyway, this is a new favorite!! You all need to go read this book right now!! 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

Pure Perfection!!!!

✔️ Jennifer Hartmann
✔️ Angst
✔️ How to Catch the Sun
✔️ Phenomenal Writing

Thank you NetGallary for an early review copy of Catch the Sun!

This is another fantastic book from Jennifer Hartmann! There is just something about this book at hooked me from page one!

The character development was excellent! This book had plenty of twisty turns at just the right points.

I savored every word because I could not stop reading!

So much emotion with book! Heartbreak, healing, love, angst, stream and forgiveness!

This is one of the best of 2024 thus far! A masterpiece that kept me engaged the entire time!

No spoilers with my review! This is a must read for 2024!

If I could give more than 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ I would!

She is the queen of breaking someone down and making them feel so broken before she puts them back together again. This was incredibly sad but incredibly good with a happily ever after that I needed it to have.

This is the first book I read by this author and I had to take some time to process and review. There are so many strong emotions, tragic events, amidst shiny moments of love and devotion. After such a maelstrom of feelings, all I could think is wow, what a ride!

Max and Ella were best friends when they were seven years old. Then her dad took her away, and she didn’t come back to live in Juniper Falls until she was a senior in high school. Her older brother had just been convicted of murder and was in prison, in death row. And as is customary among the idiots and brainless in school, she was bullied and insulted for a crime she didn’t commit.

Max was her neighbor once again, but his home life was crappy too, and like Ella, he had brick walls around his heart, because, also like Ella, he didn’t believe in love anymore.

My heart broke for these two young ones, because their life is just beginning and there is already despair and hopelessness. However, once they found each other again, hope rose anew, feelings flourished, insecurities still existed, but there was a feeling that the sun was about to rise for them. I loved that Ella didn’t cower from the bullies and gave back as good as she got. I loved Max’s kindness and devotion to his father, brother and later Ella. He was her white knight in many instances. I loved how their love grew even amidst all the sad events of their life and the poetic turn of phrases as they compare their feelings to the sunrise.

Surprisingly poetic, deeply heart wrenching, exquisitely emotional, and ultimately uplifting. Tissues are necessary for some scenes, warning heartbreak ahead!

Wow! Jennifer really knows how to write an emotionally captivating story. I was hooked from the prologue! Max and Ella are childhood besties who end up reconnecting 10 years later.

Both Ella and Max are both struggling with their lives and eventually reconnect. Catch The Sun really shows that life after loss can get better. A true story of right person wrong time. My heart truly hurt for them both. Reading their reconnection and growth was 🤌🏻 There were so many times I found myself tearing up.

A must read!

Prepare for this roller-coaster ride!!! Catch the sun had me all in my feelings I was happy at times and then I was heartbroken but it was such a good read . This was my first J. Hartmann read and she definitely took me completely out and then put right back together again!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC !