I love anything Jennifer Hartmann writes and she didn’t disappoint with Catch The Sun.

This book was beautifully written and at times heartbreaking, it took a turn I was not expecting!

It follows Max and Ella, the two were inseparable as kids until Ella had to move away when they were 7years old. But 10 years later Ella is back in town this time with her mum, but she’s not the same girl he once knew.

Ella is struggling, she’s an outcast since her brother was convicted of a crime that shook the nation.

Max doesn’t have time for distractions he’s too busy with school and looking after his disabled dad, his twin brother McKay isn’t much help at all. But when he see’s Ella is back in town and now living across the street he knows he has to be her friend again.

Both Max and Ella are determined to keep their friendship platonic but these two have such a great bond that romantic feelings start to creep in.

But tragedy strikes and these two go through it!
You will be routing for Max and Ella, they are just perfect for each other.

This was a page turner! It’s a heartbreaking story about love and loss and the process of grieving – it is utterly compelling.

My main problem with this book is that it is listed as YA and I would in no way call this a YA book. Yes the main characters are in their upper teens but honestly that’s the only YA thing about it. The story overall is quite firmly adult romance, in my opinion, with several particularity explicit scenes. It spans over 15 years and deals with a number of sensitive topics which I won’t mention as it would spoil the story.

There was a great amount of depth to the two MC’s Ella and Max however the side characters were far less developed and given the length of the book I would have expected a bit more complexity to all the characters.

This book is honestly one trauma after drama after heartbreak and is bound to give all the feels.

“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴.”

𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤
This story draws you in from the very beginning. The prologue had me tuned in. I hurt, I laughed, and I sobbed with Ella. I was angry for her and just wanted to protect her. I’m not a crier, rarely can a story break my heart but this story was heartbreakingly beautiful. It broke me, I mean completely destroyed me, and healed me at the same time.

It is a beautiful story of grief, healing, finding peace and yourself again, restoring life and innocence. This story will stick with me forever. Every time I see the color orange or Winnie the Pooh, I will forever be reminded of this beautiful story.

Jennifer knows how to write a story where even the smallest moments tug on your heart strings. Grab your tissues and check the trigger warnings. Jennifer never disappoints and has easily become my favorite author by far.

𝔾𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕂𝕟𝕠𝕨
🧡 Small Town
🧡 Childhood Friends to Lovers
🧡 Slow Burn
🧡 Trauma & Healing
🧡 Second Chance
🧡 First Love
🧡 YA Romance (18+)

Again, miss Jennifer Hartmann never disappoints, is my third book from her and anything she writes for me is a immediately yes, so catch the sun for me was a walk to my past and to remember my first love, also the perspective that sometimes love doesn't conquer everything or at least what we think it's love, in this case Ella and Max are both very adults in knowing that their love can be more even when things are against all odds

I feel like this book will have me sitting in the restaurant for a while. So much emotional damage.

Now, if I could take The Notebook and combine it with The Ravenhood Series, I think this is where this book sits.

Ella Sanbury and Max Manning made a pact at 7 years old that they would be best friends and married. The next day Ella left Juniper Falls. It was during their senior year of high school that Ella returned. 10 years and tons of emotional baggage later, Max and Ella are not the same kids they used to be. But, to catch the sun you must first endure the flames.

Ugh, I really just don’t know how to describe this book. Traumatic. Gut Wrenching. 
Emotional Trauma. Heartbreakingly Beautiful. It just really takes you on a ride. I felt like I was destroyed then put back together with one missing piece. That piece belongs to Catch The Sun. I really don’t know how to move on and go on to my next read.

Ella and Max feel like star crossed lovers with the worst luck possible. They were made for each other yet everything in life it trying to tear them apart.

My biggest issue with the book was the level of spice for a YA. I am not sure how I feel about that.

But don’t let that stop you. This reads like some of the best, most intense adult romances out there.

Thank you NetGalley, Valentine PR and the author for the eARC.

4 stars ✨

Adult Romance

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy of Catch the Sun, in exchange for an honest review.

“You’re right because there is no love and war. Love is war. You fight until you win, or you fight until you lose. Imagine the victory after all that pain and struggle, after all those battle wounds.” I swallow, pressing our foreheads together, noses touching. “War was never meant for peacemakers. There is no place for white flags and soft hearts. It’s loud, feral, and violent. Love is a killer, but not everyone dies bloody. Some stand tall in the end.” I squeeze her cheeks between my hands and beg, “Let that be you, Ella. Let that be us.”

I haven’t read a book like this in years. One that tears open your heart and slams it on the floor. I wanted to stop reading it multiple times at the beginning due to language, then later on when all the spicy bits take place. I couldn’t. This story gripped me from the very first page and didn’t really stop - other than parts I had to skim through that I didn’t care to read about. I thought this was an emotional rollercoaster- but deep within laid a beautiful story to behold and read. There’s lots going on in it - love, loss, forgiveness, brokenness, finding yourself, and starting over. It was a great story - I just wish the sex and language would have been left out of it. I think it would have been just as impactful.

Content ⚠️
*N/A Rating due to sex and adult situations
*violence
*death
*language

This is one amazing, emotional rollercoaster. Essentially, it is a love story, with a lot of twists, turns, tragedy, and family drama. Without giving away the plot, Ella and Max meet when they are seven, and they begin a journey of love, friendship, pain, and finding themselves. I truly enjoyed the story and really loved the ending.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love Jennifer Hartmann’s writing and the fact that this is childhood friends (to strangers) to lovers, but unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge fan of the plot with the twists and everything. It was a bit too slow burn for me. Ella was too moody and I didn’t love the push and pull from her even though I understand why her walls were so high. I didn’t like how cold she was after the incident and their separation. I just wish there were more moments between the two to actually be a couple.

Thank you netgalley, the author, and the publisher for this arc!

Everything I’ve read from this gifted wordsmith is head and shoulders above the rest, as is Ella and Max's story here, but first, can we talk about the YA classification? Some readers claim this is not YA, and reduced their rating accordingly.

The story begins when Ella and Max are seven years old then skips to them at seventeen and follows them through age twenty one. Make your own determination, but for me it's irrelevant. This story is masterfully done and unforgettable, no matter how you classify it.

It begins in first grade, with a pure, innocent, nascent love that's understood and exemplified as only two seven year olds can. It's sweet and touching and precious, and even at that age Max is quite the poet, equating Ella to the sun and dubbing her “Sunny.” Then her father picks Ella up from the playground and Max doesn’t see her again for ten years.

When Ella returns to Juniper Falls, she’s a very different person. Her public family tragedy has changed her immeasurably, and she’s the outcast and target of bullies at her new high school. Max is a very different person, as well, bearing the brunt of responsibility for his volatile father and uninvolved twin brother.

Despite there being no sign of the innocent children they once were, something in their own darkness calls to the other, and Max and Ella form a tentative friendship, point in one complementing counterpoint in the other, and against better judgement, they come to rely on each other. As bonds strengthen and love blooms, life events harm, decimate and devastate and threaten to destroy the rickety bridge that links them together.

This isn’t simply a romance. This is an evocative journey, one of guilelessness and naivety, then pain and bitterness, then caution and trepidation in the face of love. And finally, it's a story of redemption, rebirth, healing, and second chances. It's a story of slogging through the fires of H€ll to finally emerge from the ashes and seize the hard-won happily ever after.

Grab the tissues and surrender your heart to the words of this talented storyteller. This will be one of the most emotional adventures you ever embark on, experiencing the lowest lows and highest highs, and your romantic heart will be eternally grateful in the end. This is the read of a lifetime and deserves all the stars in the night sky of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. You absolutely won’t want to miss this heart-rending, soul-satisfying, unparalleled romance.

5 Stars
2 Chili Peppers

Tropes:
Small Town
Childhood Friends to Lovers
Neighbors
Angsty & Emotional

Dual POV

Please check trigger warnings

When I say this is one of the best books I have ever read, I 100% mean that. I felt every emotion while reading. I laughed, I got angry, I cried. And I mean bawled to the point I had to stop reading because everything was blurry. But this is how good this book is. That is how good Jennifer Hartmann's writing is. I will admit, the first half of the book was a little slow but it definitely picks up and that last 1/4 hits and it hits hard.

"And whenever you look at this one, you can think of me."

I loved Ella so much. Her personality and her sass were hysterical. The things she would come out with made me burst out laughing. I loved how throughout the first half of this book she called Brynn, Brynn! with the exclamation point and all.

"Nobody wants to be Eeyore."

Max has been through so much. He does so much for all those around him. He is his father's sole caretaker. He takes care of McKay, cooks, cleans, and cleans up the yard. I loved how when they were little, Ella and he made a pact to get married. And the flower pot when the orange crayon and all the lists he made, made me swoon.

"It's like he poked a tiny pinhole in my balloon of sorrow and some of the sadness leaked out."

I even liked the side characters. Brynn, Kai, Pete and Matty, and Chevy.

I don't want to give anything away so I am going to end this here. A huge thank you to Jennifer Hartmann and Valentine PR for this ARC.

ARC Review of Catch The Sun by Jennifer Hartmann
* * * * *
A second chance at a childhood first love as our female lead faces struggles from the actions of someone she trusted most in the world, and opens up to possibly finding happiness again.

Ella's world was spun violently out of control when her beloved brother Jonah did the unthinkable.
Now she is back in a place she never through she would be, looking at the boy she once agreed to marry over popsicles.
He's handsome. He's popular. He's the catch of the school next to his twin.
She's the reject. She's the freak. She's everyone's new thing to torment.
Becoming friends was not something she planned on, but it appears neither she nor Max could hold back the past. Even as Max struggles with his own home life, he finds himmself pulled towards the girl in orange.
Happiness is possible for them in this dreary little town that holds them both back.
However, things are never as simple as finding the sunlight.

A great read that comes with a few twists you were not expecting.
Our lovers both struggle with the actions of loved ones: abandonment, break-downs, lies, and worse. Overwhelming challenges and horrors that tie them together, and have them question their own union.
Their romance is not easy or as simple as they appear. Even with Ella's trust issues constantly creating guarded walls, they eventually start to crumble only to be faced with another unpredictable surprise. Happiness is found for others who deserve it, the same with those who must face consequences to their actions.
Thumbs up on this read!

‘Catch the Sun’ has thrown me over board. I’m facing withdrawal symptoms after finishing the novel in one go. Elle and Max are two very well written characters with many layers to them. Both navigate through difficult and complex relationships and events through the story and every damn word I read stopped me from closing the book. You’ve been warned.

At one point Max (MMC) says “Forgiveness is a complicated beast, but love has a way of lingering, despite it all” and well that line alone sums up the novel in a way I can’t entirely explain. To be clear Elle and Max don’t actually do anything like cheating to each other or anything, so no worries about that if you plan on reading Catch the Sun. The novel is more focused on how the outside parties affected their relationship and how life got in their way.

My favorite part was Max and Elle both accepting and understanding eachother for who they are and how they feel about the people in their lives who are deemed as bad.

Friendship, love, acceptance, betrayal, and growth. I got way more from this novel than I thought I’d get. It was a complicated emotional roller coaster and I enjoyed every second of it. The novel was incredibly well written with exceptional characters. I came for the romance but stayed for everything else. There’s so much more I could talk about but then this would be an essay of a review. So I’ll end it with this. The novel is nothing less than 5 star in my eyes.

5/5 stars!

Btw yes it’s an HEA

**Please read the ⚠️ Trigger Warnings ⚠️ before reading Catch the Sun!**

*I was given this book in form of an advanced review copy in return for an honest review.

OK - Just so we’re clear, 5 stars is absolutely not enough. ♾️ stars is more accurate.

I really didn’t see how Jennifer Hartmann could top my love for Still Beating. BUT then this book slid onto my kindle.

I am obsessed with every aspect of this book. It’s raw, emotional, heartbreaking, hard to read at times, suspenseful at times, loving, heartwarming, absolutely will make you sob but will also make you laugh and smile as well.

I don’t even know where to even begin - but if you’re thinking of picking up this book & you have triggers, please check trigger warnings first. There’s a lot in this book & protecting your mental health is most important. 🫶🏼

Ella & Max’s banter at the beginning is actually book is actually the best - the sarcasm is hilarious and i was loling at some of Ella’s remarks back to Max.

I adored the way Max just knew she was it. He protected her, stood up for her, loved her, and was the constant she needed in such a hard time in her life.

I hated McKay from the first page, i’m not going to lie - his character arc was….. just downhill from there.

Brynn & Kai are just wonderful. I’d like them to have their own book next - JUST SAYING.

i will actually probably never recover from this book. It was utter perfection & I will absolutely be running to the bookstore on Tuesday to buy a physical copy & probably reading it again. It’s one of those books you wish you could read again for the first time. 🫶🏼

👏🏼 STANDING O FOR JENNIFER HARTMANN. THE QUEEN OF WRECKING MY HEART BUT MAKING SURE SHE GLUES IT BACK TOGETHER BEFORE SHE LEAVES. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I swear, Jennifer Hartmann can’t write a bad book. I love the emotional aspects to her books! They may rip your heart out for a minute but she always puts it back together. I feel like I remember the plots to all of her books so easily because she makes them so emotional & I feel it in my bones.
I fell in love with our MMC, Max & the FMC, Ella.
Max & Ella were childhood best friends until Ella has to move away unexpectedly. 10 years later she moves back & has to struggle living in her older brother’s shadow as he is a convicted murderer on death row. Max is instantly drawn to her again & they attempt to resume their friendship BUT not without difficulty OR more feelings & emotions.
I could really feel their pull to one another through the pages and broke down when they broke down.
This book was amazing!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I just felt happy and sad throughout the whole thing. I loved the vibes.

“Progress is inevitable when you put in the work” 🥰

“Wrapping herself up like a mortified burrito” 🌯 😂

“My troubles are all over, and I am at home” 🥹😍

So many tears throughout. But smiles too 🥰

5 ⭐ 2.5 🌶️

That's going to take a bit to recover from... Gahhhh, so freaking good. This one was angsty in ways I never expected, and spicier than I thought it'd be. Watching these two break and heal and break again, only to find the happiest ever after, was a journey I'll never forget.

A friend said to me the other day "I remember the real reason YA books are not my favorites. THEY MAKE ME FEEL. ON PURPOSE. SO RUDE." and while she's not wrong, I absolutely love it 😂 And it's something Catch the Sun does so dang well. I felt SO. FREAKING. MUCH. My heart was hurting so bad during some moments and soaring during others. It got me all teary eyed in the end. Just so many feels and I lived every single one.

There was a good portion of this book where I wasn't sure how Max and Ella were going to come out okay. Heck, at one point I wasn't sure they were going to come out alive, let alone thriving... The had so many hurdles to overcome... But Jennifer's mind is an amazing place and this story was written so beautifully. It not only ended up okay, it ended perfectly and better than I ever could have imagined.

I had to take a few days and sit with my feelings on this one. Jennifer Hartmann NEVER ceases to amaze me. As do all of her books, this book made me run the emotional gambit. I felt ALL THE THINGS! I actually took longer than usual to read it because I annotated so many quotes in the book. There’s just plain wisdom in this one, y’all. Life lessons!

Ella and Max’s story begins as children. They know they love each other at the age of seven, as much as their own young hearts and minds can comprehend. Time and distance separate them for several years and they are reunited after tragic circumstances. Their love story is full of twists and turns…not all of them pleasant. 😕 Ella reminds Max of the sun and their story certainly brightened my life. It’s SUCH a good one, y’all! Add this one to your TBR ASAP!

<b>“I’d feel you in any lifetime, in any version of any reality. And I’d know, without a doubt, without a shred of hesitation… that your soul was meant for mine.”</b>

what a tragic but sweet book! From the start, you are drawn into Ella's story, and this continues throughout the book.

<b>“I’ve carried you with me all this time. You rise and fall with every sun. You’re between the pages of every book I read. You’re with me on every bridge, and you’re in the verses of every song that plays,”</b>


A lot happens in this book, and little by little, you get to know everyone and their life stories.
There are a lot of sad things in this book, but also very beautiful things.

Many parts are written almost poetically about love, mourning, and letting go of ideals.

<b>“I’ll never lie and say it’s easy. I’ll never pretend like it doesn’t suck your soul straight out of you sometimes… but I will tell you that it’s still possible to find the light. The loss is permanent, but the darkness isn’t.”</b>

How two young people can find real love together and, despite all the setbacks, not just give up. That loving sometimes also means letting go.

I was making notes about the Brynn with an ! After her name every time. I thought it was a spelling error until i read this part:

<b>While Brynn has been a notable source of warmth and solace, I’ve noticed that, somewhere along the way… I stopped adding the exclamation point to the end of her name. </b>



What can you expect?
❤️brother in jail
❤️murder
❤️very sweet mmc
❤️Great side characters
❤️Virgin main characters
❤️school setting
❤️bullies
❤️twin brothers
❤️a sick father
❤️trauma
❤️healing
❤️slipping through her window

Ohhh. This book shattered my heart and put it back together only to shatter it more. What a rollercoaster of a ride filled with the hardest tragedies, please check trigger warnings before reading but if you’ve ever read a Jennifer Hartmann book you know to be on your toes with your box of tissues ready. I absolutely devour all the books written by this author and was so excited to be able to read this one before it was released. It did not disappoint and her music choices are top notch so don’t forget to listen to the playlist in the book cause it fits so perfectly for the story.

Catch the Sun
By: Jennifer Hartmann

“You’re Ella and I’m Max.”

This story is absolutely all consuming. While it is a young adult story, the content and the characters certainly do not make it feel YA with the level of trauma these 2 experience.

“You can’t change anything. There’s no changing the past. If you believe you can, you’ll never move forward.”

In true Jennifer Hartmann fashion, she does an incredible job putting your heart through all of the pain and heartache as these two grow through trials and tragedy while slowly putting the bandaid on all of the cracks the story created at the end for a beautiful heartwarming HEA. The book unfolds so beautifully removing layer after layer keeping you gripped to find out how they’ll make it through. Ultimate forgiveness and heartache wrapped in a perfect bow with the most purest form of love.

My absolute favorite part of a romance book is the first kiss. It’s such an important pivotal point in a great romance. Max and Ella definitely get the award for the best first kiss! What a scene!!

“Kissing you feels like catching the sun,”

Stay, he says. Just a single word. I feel it more than I hear it.

No, you can’t go back to the beginning… But you can always create a new one.

There are stories you finish and you just know this is one that will stay with you. This is one that will make you tear up a little when you see Winnie the Pooh or a little round skipping stone. I knew when I finished with my face covered in tears that my heart was forever changed with this compelling story.