This was a beautifully, heart shattering, amazing book. Childhood best friends are torn apart and reunited 10 years later but events in their lives have altered their outlook on life. They pull each other from the edge only to thrown over it again and again.

Such a well written and wonderful story. Please read the trigger warnings before hand ❤️

This is my first book by this author and it certainly will not be my last. Max and Ella took me on an emotional rollercoaster that spanned 10+ years and I loved every moment of it. From reading reviews of her other books, I knew to expect some twists and turns but I NEVER could have predicted what life had in store for Max and Ella.

Max & Ella are such an amazing take on childhood friends to strangers to friends to first and only love. I love that their connection was immediate and begun in the school playground when they were in elementary school. Max was heartbroken when his friend left town. So when Ella is back ten years later you can feel their pull back to each other. She’s back under less than ideal circumstances and really needs his friendship and their relationship continues to progress. But secrets and tragedy threaten to destroy everything and everyone around them.

I feel so emotional after reading this!! I don’t even know what to say except I absolutely loved it! If you enjoy reading books that take you on an emotional roller coaster ride then definitely read this book. Actually you should read all of Jennifer Hartmann’s books. I’m definitely going to be thinking about this story for a long while.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloom Books for the ARC.

This book was an absolute roller coaster for me but to be honest all of her books make me feel this way but like in a really good way. It ripped my heart out and stomped on it a few times and my heart was put back in my chest repaired. Emotional, dark, but so so much love in this book. It also had to be one of the most romantic books I have ever read even with it being so dark. There was a twist in there that I really didn’t expect but really made the story that much better. There were parts that made me mad, sad, and wtf moments where I was screaming at my kindle. So worth the read though.

Finally caught the sun and he never let go.

To share your soul with someone, to break, to be allowed to heal----to have all of the above woven into a story rife with trauma but also with hope. With both heaviness and light. To be able to rise above the waters you found yourself drowning in. Magic.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC-

this story was so beautiful, i can’t even express how much. I was so invested in the two main characters, Ella and Max. Both MCs have so much personal baggage, family issues that they struggle with and watching them cope, lean on each other, and grow this relationship was so emotionally beautiful. Max was so sweet and i LOVED their “lists” they made for each other and just watching them navigate each other omg.

I will never look at the color orange or winnie the pooh again without thinking of this book! I loved the angst, the plot twists, all of the emotions you go through reading this book. The book also took a turn i didn’t expect but it kept me invested the entire time, especially once you reach the halfway point WHEWWWW.

Check trigger warnings! This is YA, and a little open door spice which i thought was the perfect amount!

“Kissing you is like catching the sun.” AAAAAHHHHH! Can Ella and I trade places?! AHHHHHH I love max so muchhhhhhhhhh

this is your typical emotional Jennifer Hartmann book. Max and Ella both share a lot of trauma. This book was roller coaster of emotions. I’m not gonna lie it took me a while to get into the book but once I did it was so hard to put down. Max and Ella were so cute together & his nickname for her OMG SO CUTE.

Max and Ella story was a sad beautiful tragic story. So much happened around them that will connect them forever. I cried so much in that last 20%. Max must be protected at all costs he was so perfect.

“Kissing you is like catching the sun”

This book is for the girlies like me who love the color orange and Dr. Pepper. But it’s also for those who love messy, complex, first love, upper YA coming of age stories.

Like I mentioned I love the color orange and that is what drew me to this book, and the sprayed orange edges the first print run has are just beautiful.

Ella and Max were best friends at 7 years of age and declared they would marry one day. Her family moved away and 10 years later she moved back for her senior year of HS, but with her brother on death row and Max’s unstable father he takes care of and an aloof twin brother, they are different than they were as kids but in many ways the same.

Books like this remind me of why I love reading. All the stars for this one. It was beautiful, tragic, (full of TW) and I could not put this down after a quarter way in. This was my first Jennifer Hartman book but will not be my last!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for an eARC of this book.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann. Having heard much about Jennifer’s previous works, I approached this book with high expectations but no prior experience with her writing style. While the story didn't immediately grip me, I found myself deeply invested in the characters and their journey by the time I reached the 60% mark.

Catch the Sun is a poignant coming-of-age tale that beautifully captures the essence of first love amidst adversity. Max and Ella, the protagonists, both come from traumatic home environments, and their story is interwoven with dark and challenging themes. I must emphasize the importance of checking trigger warnings before diving into this book, as it addresses bullying, sexual assault, and gun violence.

Despite the slow start, the narrative's emotional depth and the characters' growth pulled me in. I was particularly moved by how Max supported Ella, giving her the space and time she needed to heal and discover herself. Their love story is both heartbreaking and uplifting, showcasing their resilience and the healthy ways they found to cope with their past traumas.

By the end of the book, I was fully captivated by Max and Ella’s journey. Catch the Sun is a compelling read, especially for older teens/early 20s, given its mature content. Jennifer Hartmann has crafted a touching and realistic portrayal of young love and healing, making this a memorable read that I would certainly recommend.

Posted to my Goodreads, and will be posted tonight to my instagram. instagram.com/kissandtalewithpattie
Thank you to Bloom Books, NetGalley, and Jennifer Hartmann for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! This book blew me away.

This was an incredible story packed with so much emotion.

✨This is a childhood friends to lovers, second chance YA romance.

Max & Ella have had a connection since they were best friends at just 7 years old. They became separated by distance and are reunited again in high school.

These two are dealing with heavy stressors in their home life. This causes Ella to want to hide from the world and go through life under the radar and unnoticed, but Max is determined to change that. He knows the true Ella that is full of life and sunshine ☀️

I couldn’t help but feeling so drawn to the characters in this book and wanted only the best for them. Life continued throwing punches at Ella, Max and their families.
I was physically hurting at the tragedies they faced in their young lives.

The heartache and passion was so well written, there is no question that this is a top book of the year for me!

📣 I’m screaming that this is a MUST read because I want everyone to experience this love story! 🧡


Thank you Netgalley for this ARC 🫶🏼

[arc review]
Thank you to Bloom Books and Valentine PR for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Catch the Sun releases July 16, 2024

<i>“Like two sides of the same coin, we’ve both mastered the act of keeping the world at arm’s length, turning solitude into our shield.”</I>

I was really excited to see that Hartmann was entering the YA genre, but this didn’t quite grip me like her other titles have.

Ella is stuck in the shadow of her older brother who is on death row for murdering two people, and is constantly bullied at school.
Max, her next door neighbour, struggles to come into his own since all of his time and energy is spent being the caregiver of an alcoholic father.

As a coming-of-age fiction, I liked seeing how they navigated the hardships of their lives, but as a romance, it lacked the emotional depth that Hartmann is known for and I think that had a lot to do with the fact that both Ella and Max didn’t <I>want</I> a romance to begin with.
The strongest part of the book was everything after the NYE incident; the tension and groundwork to get there though could have been better.

From a writing standpoint, something that really bothered me straight away was the stylistic choice to have Brynn’s name written as <b>Brynn!</b> throughout Ella’s pov chapters.
A lot of the dialogue/quotes felt overly cliché as well, and the use of Pooh Bear/Piglet brought down the maturity level.

cw: alcoholic parent, physical violence, gun violence, murder, attempted rape, mention of trypophobia, sexual content

Ella and Max are childhood friends who are next door neighbors until Ella moves away suddenly. 10 years later, Ella moves back to town right across the street from Max, but a lot has changed in both of their lives making them completely different people. Ella is having a hard time coming to terms with her brother's recent sentence to death after he murdered two people. Max is battling his feelings of his mother's abandonment and his father's alcoholism. When Ella returns to high school in the small town, she is met by ruthless bullying and embarrassment by her peers for her brother's actions. Her saving grace is a new friend Brynn and her once best friend, Max. But, tragedy seems to follow Ella wherever she goes and so does Max.
Review:
4.5 stars.
Catch the Sun is a beautiful love story of childhood friends to lover (one of my favorite tropes!). I absolutely adored Max and Ella. Their resilience upon never ending tragedy is something to be admired. The quotes in this books were superior! So beautifully done and you can't help but fall in love with these characters. This is a character driven story, so it is more of a slow burn especially at the beginning. I think that it could have been shortened a little and I would still have felt that same connection with the characters. But, once it picks up in the second half, it does not slow down! The tragedy in this book is intense and I did not see it coming, but it was very well done! I teared up a couple of times, but didn't cry like I thought that I would. Regardless, this a beautiful love story filled with overcoming LOTS of obstacles within themselves and their families. And in my opinion, Jennifer Hartmann never misses!
Catch the Sun publishes on 7/16, and I highly recommend picking up your copy! I already preordered this masterpiece for a trophy on my bookshelf!
Thank you to NetGalley, Jennifer Hartmann, and Bloom Books for this ARC of Catch the Sun in exchange for an honest review!

Cue the tears! I could not stop reading this book! The plot twists were so amazing and the color orange will never hold the same meaning for me again. This book was both heartbreaking and beautiful. And I loved every single second of it! It's a must read for everyone!

Overall: 4.25-4.5


It wouldn’t be a Jennifer Hartmann book without some heartwrenching situations on the way to the happy ending — Catch The Sun is no different. I was cautiously reading, waiting for the moment where I’d be broken to then speed through to the resolution. The story was so heavy, I forgot how old the MCs were supposed to be, and yet they carried on, not letting their current situations hold them back.

Right away I was falling for Max. With his persistence, befriending Ella, and not holding her brother’s sins against her. I couldn’t help but empathize with Ella, having to go through adolescence is a challenge in itself, but to have to do it in the shadow of her brother’s crime? Brutal. Yet she brushed it off and was able to make some loyal friends along the way.

I also enjoyed the side characters — Brynn! being the light Ella needed which she in turn used to befriend Kai, her dads and their eternal optimism, Chevy acting as the big brother. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her mother — I know she was in a tough spot and it took a toll on her parenting Ella.

Holy crap!!

Talk about heart wrenching.

This love story we as sweet and innocent, but also full of trauma and sadness.

It has me HOOKED from the very first page.
I was so entranced learning about Max & 'Sunny'

Knowing the beginning was really the end (WOAHHH. Just realizing the author had been telling us that, literally the entire time throughout the book), that was heartbreaking.

And the ending, ugh.the waterworks it brought my eyes was unimaginable.

This book was SO damn good.

This book was phenomenally written! I cant tell you how many times I was in shock or balling my eyes out. The story will have you so deeply invested you cant put the book down.

Catch The Sun was such an emotional and heartbreakingly beautiful story that will have you crying one moment and smiling the next.

This was my first time reading anything by this author and I can absolutely say that her writing was quite captivating and filled with so many complex and intense emotions.

While, this book is categorized as YA, I personally felt like this was more of an NA especially during the second half of the book.

It’s dual POVs of the main characters, Ella Sunbury and Max Manning, and there were some great tropes like childhood friends to lovers, a first love romance, close proximity, and found family. I would highly recommend checking the content and trigger warnings before reading though, as there were some very heavy and dark elements.

The overall premise was unique, heartbreaking, intense and just beautifully written. Ella and Max’s healing was such a powerful but difficult journey filled with so many complex emotions. This was not an easy book to get through by any means, as there were some very heavy moments that made me cry. But there were also so many hopeful, lovely and heartfelt moments that made me smile as well.

Ella and Max’s romance was so beautiful despite everything they experienced. That first innocent love between them was just so heartwarming. Their romantic development was filled with so many tears, laughter, angst and love. This author had an extraordinary ability expressing and conveying the deep and profound love Ella and Max had for each other.

I will say, while the first half the book was a bit slow-paced the second half was amazing and just filled with so much tragedy and heartache. This was definitely a book where you’re put through the wringer to get to that happily ever after at the end. The epilogue just made everything worth it and I’m happy that Ella and Max get their new beginning.

Overall, this was just a beautiful book that will tear you apart and then heal your heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Your eyes," I murmur, cupping his cheek with one hand."They make me feel seen."

5 out of 5 stars
3/5 spice

Firstly I wanna thank Valentine PR for the ARC of Catching the Sun. It's always a pleasure and a great opportunity when getting chosen by them.

Catch the Sun is written by the talented Jennifer Hartmann. This is the fifth book I have ever read by her and I believe third time doing an ARC for her. This is however first time reading a young adult novel hence why my spice rating.

Jennifer brings us the story about Ella Sunbury and Max Manning childhood friends who were separated only to come back into each other's lives later in their teens. Even with these two living across the street from one another it still took them months to start talking to one another again.

At school, Max is known to be cute and kind while Ella is known to be the odd one out, the one everyone picks on because of a traumatic event that had occurred in the past. Something she is not to blame for but still is seen as guilty by association but Max takes notice that the girl he once knew as a kid is still in there.

Oh my Lord, this story was so heartbreaking. And if we know Jennifer, she is so good at writing heartbreaking stories yet even with heartbreak, Jennifer knows how to mend our broken hearts and again shed tears but tears of joy. And trust me there are tons of tears in this book. I love how she brought them back together and had them realize they needed one another to heal and grow.

Please read trigger warnings before reading, there are heavy topics in this book that may trigger some. Happy Reading.

Max + Ella

-small town romance
-second chance
-first love
-childhood friends to strangers to lovers
-allll the angst
-double the heartache

jennifer. fckn. rekt. me. & i will never forgive her for this 😭😭😭😭 but fr ALLLLL the stars 🥹🥹🥹 max manning is the love of my life!