I had really high hopes for this book after hearing a snippet of the audiobook it pulled me in right away. I did immersive reading, listening and reading at the same time, and initially, I was hooked. The beginning set the stage beautifully, and I was genuinely excited to dive in.

But once the FMC was introduced, things started to unravel for me. I just couldn’t connect with her, and honestly, I felt like the MMC deserved someone better. Despite that, I stayed invested… until the dystopian twist hit. That’s where it completely lost me.

What started as a promising story became a confusing mix of too many plotlines, a slow burn romance that felt more forced than natural, and a tone that just didn’t land. It felt like the book was trying too hard to be unique or meaningful, but it ended up feeling flat. I was disappointed, especially after such a strong start.

This was so good. I loved the plot and characters. It was paced perfectly. I didn't wanna put it down and was on the edge of my seat. Mia Sheridans book always hit me in the feels

Heart of the Sun was my first book by Mia Sheridan and it absolutely won’t be my last. This is more than just a love story—it’s a gripping, apocalyptic journey of survival, hope, redemption, and second chances. The romance is deeply heartfelt, but it’s the raw, emotional arcs of the characters that truly shine. Sheridan beautifully explores themes of healing and overcoming darkness, crafting a story that stays with you long after the final page. My only wish was for an epilogue that offered a glimpse into the state of the country—and maybe even the world—five or ten years later.

3.75 Stars

I am new to Mia Sheridan’s work and from what I have gathered, this is a step outside the norm from what readers usually find.

Emily and Tuck grew up together on neighboring farms in California. After Tuck’s mother passed away when he was a teen, his father made the decision to sell the farm. Upset with this decision, Tuck goes to live with his uncle in Los Angles and through a series of bad choices, ends up in prison. Flash forward 6 years, Tuck is out and trying to figure out what is next. In a last-ditch effort, he reaches out to his mother’s best friend and previous neighbor to help him find a job. It just so happens Emily is now a pop star about to go on tour and needs a bodyguard. During a flight to NYC, there is an electronic magnetic pulse (EMP) which knocks out electrical systems and causes them to crash land in Illinois. Tuck, Emily, and Emily’s boyfriend action movie superstar Charlie, must find their way back to California.

This story is narrated through the perspectives of Emily and Tuck, alternating between their experiences as teenagers and adults. It explains both their journey to their current situation and the challenges they are currently facing. Both MCs are problematic in their own ways. Emily is unlikeable and comes across as being disconnected from her farming roots, hauling designer luggage with her instead of focusing on her own survival. She quickly judges Tuck and his past, assuming the worst when his integrity is questioned.

Tuck is a bit of know it all throughout the book and it seems that his character’s bookworm ways as a teen equate to having a variety of experience to draw on in all types of situations. Some aspects may seem unclear due to his six-year imprisonment and limited real-world experiences during that time. He did seem to be caring, which led them to some bad situations.

I was so thankful when Tuck and Emily parted ways with Charlie. He was by far the most annoying character in this book. I did find it strange that there was no mention of what happened to him after he left them, which just emphasizes how little influence he had on the overall story.

The circumstances described in this book were dramatic but really got me thinking about the impact of an event like this and how I would respond. The reading was challenging due to the portrayal of individuals' responses to the situation, particularly regarding the scarcity of resources and the hoarding of food and water. It was unsettling and went on for so long. Overall this story would have been more powerful if it were shorter with a little more resolution. The ending was rushed and lacked closure for some characters important to Emily and Tuck. Leaving it without mention of what happened after they parted ways was as disconcerting as the thought of an EMP knocking out the electrical grid. This was not what I was expecting in a bodyguard romance I thought I was going to be reading.

I would be curious to read other books by this author to get a sense of voice and storytelling outside a catastrophic event.

Thank you to Mia Sheridan, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this eBook.

5/5 ⭐️’s

Where to begin…I went into this book blind and was completely thrown. End of the world stuff does scare me, but also I keeps me hooked. I loved the 2nd chance romance with Emily and Tuck. I did not want want to put this book down!


Thank you NetGalley!

This is not a love story as advertised. I am not a fan of end of world . Dnfd there is nothing else to say so just writing random stuff at the moment to get the review posted

I definitely applaud any author who ventures out of their usual and with Heart of the Sun, Mia Sheridan clearly did just that. This story of survival when the grid is blown apart by what is believed to be a solar flare, starts the incredible journey of an unlikely trio that is both parts daunting and unreal. With Tuck and Emily former childhood friends, the addition of Emily's boyfriend Charlie adds a unique dynamic as their plane crashes in Illinois and they are forced to try and walk back to California. Their trek is laden with bouts of hunger, thirst and desperation. But it's Tuck, the reluctant hero, who shines throughout this book as the ultimate survivalist, his common sense and experience with doing without guiding their way.

The story is a good one and definitely made me think about the possibility of this happening within my lifetime and how hard it truly would be to survive. Sheridan portrays the human spirit well, juxtaposed against the ugly side of humanity and what people will resort to just to live another day. The trio meets the very best people along the way but also finds how desperation can change a person almost overnight. There is the added layer of angst at the uncomfortable interactions between Tuck and Emily as they relive in their minds the joy each had when they were kids. We find out why Tuck's world went sideways and the reasons he had to leave Emily and her heart forever hurt.

As the book progresses and Charlie eventually finds another way home, when it's just Tuck and Emily, we start to see how their feelings unravel and a closeness they never thought possible again emerges. This part of the book was heartbreaking yet somewhat sweet, since the pain they both experienced at being abruptly separated starts to dissipate. This second chance at romance is the saving grace to what became for me, a very tedious reading experience.

Although I understand Sheridan wanting to paint a full picture of what the world would look like post-catastrophe, it simply took too long to get to the end. Yes, there are shocking scenes and times of despair that show exactly what it might be like should this kind of event ever occur but I found myself skimming many inner thoughts and far too many descriptions of this new normal. It's almost as if Sheridan tried a bit too hard to combine two tropes with the romance part getting a bit lost in the shuffle.

I will say that I liked how it all turned out for Emily and Tuck yet the ending was rushed and we never find out about what happened to the compound in California, whether or not Emily's former business associates were ok or if Charlie ever made it back to L.A. Sheridan tied a bow that was way too neat and tidy for all that had happened to this couple and those they encountered. I suppose that might be the way life would be if news was hard to come by and the grid stayed unrepaired for many years. Either way, I felt as if there could have been less with respect to the tedious journey and more about Tuck and Emily and the love that never fully extinguished between them. I know that is a hard balance to achieve and again, I give huge kudos to Sheridan for even attempting it.

Although not a winner for me, I'm still glad I got the chance to give Heart of the Sun a go and look forward to more from this talented author.

3.25 stars.

Second chance romance. There were some holes in this story at the beginning but they were eventually back filled enough to make sense. There were events that happened just when conveniently needed. But there was also hope and love. I felt Tuck and Emily’s journey back home and to each other.

"Scientists Warn Solar Flare Could Hit Earth in Our Lifetime"

Tuck Mattice and Emily Swanson aren't actually ON Earth when the solar flare hits - they're somewhere arguably worse: on a private plane in the sky. Emily and Tuck grew up together, and were always incredibly close, but they don't really know each other anymore. He's just out of prison, and she's a famous pop singer who has been guilt-tripped into hiring Tuck as her personal security. When a solar flare hits, it's just Tuck, Emily, and her famous actor boyfriend Charlie left to figure out what has happened - and how to make it to safety.

Tuck and Emily can just about bear to be around each other, but they need to work together if they're going to survive. Emily could lose everything she has built up, but how important is fame and fortune when you can't be authentic? Tuck is struggling because of his past, does he even deserve a second chance?

A post-apocalyptic second-chance road trip with a difference.

This was my first time reading anything by Mia Sheridan, and I really enjoyed it. I found it very engaging, and I was immediately sucked in by the dual POV between Emily and Tuck. I loved both characters, I really warmed to them, and I found Charlie to be a good addition to the story. I loved the setting, I enjoyed the overall premise and the romance element. I would have loved some more scenes from Emily & Tuck's childhood, because I found those scenes really evocative and nostalgic. The pacing was good, although I'm not familiar with American geography so maybe they did travel across the country a little fast, all things considered?

It really made me think about what would happen if there WAS a solar flare - there were a couple of lines that stood out to me about how reliant we are on tech, and about what's really important for rebuilding society: "It's going to need folks who have already learned how to do without".

This was initially described as "Every Summer After" meets "Station Eleven", and I'd throw a little bit of "The Last of Us" in there too. It does lean a little more towards contemporary romance than dystopia, and leans a little towards YA at times (the characters are in their twenties), so I imagine fellow readers who had a fairly intense YA dystopia phase in the mid 2010's may also enjoy this. I really liked it.

Received with thanks from Harlequin Trade Publishing via Netgalley.

“All I knew was that I was completely entranced. And that if she looked at me again, I wouldn’t be able to hide it.”

“Then again, books had been bringing me a measure of comfort for my whole life.”

“You always did wear sunshine well.”

A book on survival, second chances, trust and loss.

I was really excited to dive into this story—the beginning absolutely drew me in. I loved experiencing the young POVs of the characters, and watching Emily begin to find her voice was a strong and engaging start. When the narrative shifted back to the present, I especially appreciated the bond between Tuck and Emily’s parents. Despite his difficult background, their love and acceptance of him added warmth and emotional depth to the story.

Tuck, in particular, stood out to me. His character felt grounded and sincere, and I found myself really rooting for him. His emotional connection with Emily’s parents was one of the highlights of the book for me, and honestly, he was the reason I continued reading. There’s something incredibly compelling about his resilience and quiet strength.

While the story had a lot of potential, I found myself struggling with the shift in tone and pacing as it progressed. The dystopian element caught me off guard, and the romance didn’t quite land the way I had hoped, especially for a second-chance, childhood-friends-to-lovers dynamic. I also had a hard time connecting with Emily in the later parts of the story, as her reactions sometimes felt at odds with the gravity of Tuck’s experiences.

That said, there were certainly meaningful moments throughout, particularly those involving Tuck. I think the book had some great themes and emotional threads—it just didn’t fully come together for me personally. Still, I can see how others might find it impactful, especially if they connect with the characters differently than I did

Mia Sheridan delivers a gripping, emotional powerhouse of a romance in Heart of the Sun—a story that’s both intimate and apocalyptic in scope.

I absolutely loved the setup: a pop star and her brooding, ex-con childhood friend forced into close quarters right as society begins to unravel. The chemistry between Tuck and Emily was off the charts—raw, complex, and completely believable. Their history made every argument sting a little deeper and every moment of vulnerability feel incredibly earned.

The way Sheridan portrays the collapse of the world as we know it—through a solar flare that wipes out the electrical grid—was terrifyingly real. It wasn’t just about the loss of technology, but the loss of structure, safety, and the illusion of control. And yet, what shined most was the emotional arc: watching these two people rediscover trust, forgiveness, and love in the middle of a crumbling world.

The romance is beautiful, the stakes are real, and the message? Hope survives—even when everything else falls apart.

Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan 💛
Standalone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Dystopian/Romance
ARC Review
464 pages
🗓️ May 20

🩷dystopian romance
💛friends to strangers to lovers
🩷childhood friends
💛bodyguard/celebrity
🩷tortured MMC
💛surviving together
🩷one bed
💛slow burn

📌 “It was always leading here with us, wasn’t it?”

📌 “It always felt so d*mn good to make you smile.”

Mia Sheridan writes across genres — with usually a (at least) romance subplot. She’s also an autobuy author of mine. This means that I’ve read anything from small town romance to thrillers and suspense novels written by her. I usually don’t even read the blurb. I like to go into it blind. And that, kids, is how I found myself in a dystopian world.

Color me surprised from head to toes. An apocalyptic version of the modern world taking shape in front of me was indeed quite the surprise — this started out as a bodyguard/celebrity romance — but, honestly, very on par with 2025.

What a ride this was… with ups, downs and surprising turns. What remained the same?

Tuck Mattice.

I don’t think I was ever so fiercely rooting for a character as I was with Tuck. In an unwavering, unrelenting, let everybody else be d*mned kind of way. And I do mean EVERY SINGLE OTHER PERSON. He was the hero the world needed, the force who kept moving things forward, the kind soul in a soon to be disaster of a world. I adored him, and I just wanted someone to hug him once every few pages.

I haven’t watched the Last of Us but I can see the vibes being all there.

I think that this is the first Mia Sheridan book that I didn't love. Heart of the Sun is a dystopian-ish ,enemies to lovers, child hood best friends(ish), second chance romance. The description says that the main characters Tuck and Emily share a bond that seems unbreakable until something ripped them apart, but after reading this book I don't feel like they had a super close bond as children and when they meet again the FML is awful. Then a world changing event happens, that makes both of them reevaluate their lives.

That being said I still enjoyed this book and think you still can't go wrong with any of Mia Sheridan's books

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early copy.

Thank you to Canary Street Press for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest view.

I really wanted to like this. The cover is pretty and the premise is interesting (though the author admits in the acknowledgements that it was not actually her idea), especially for this genre, and I have heard that Sheridan writes some excellent novels... but this was just not it for me. The whole book was so. slow. The main characters spend most of the book walking across the United States, and with all that time on their hands, I really hoped for more character development and emotion. Unfortunately, that didn't come across for me. The writing felt so stiff and I just felt nothing: no attachment to the characters, no horror at their situation, no hopeful optimism that anyone in particular might survive. The plot twists weren't twisty, the science behind the natural disaster was not explained, and the ending was predictable.

This one was not for me, but I will give another Mia Sheridan novel a go at a later date.

This book will be released on May 20, 2025.

Content Warnings:
- Death
- Grief
- Gun violence
- Classism
- Death of parent
- Cancer / terminal illness
- Confinement
- Drug use

Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Mia Sheridan for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts! I went into this completely blind and it took me on such a wild ride that I was not expecting! A massive solar flare destroys the entire power grid, resulting in chaos and leaving everyone to fend for themselves. I was terrified reading this because all I kept thinking was how terrible an event like this happening in real life would be. My mind kept racing and taking notes as I was reading on what worked and what didn’t, as a way to prepare 🤯 The story follows our main characters, Tuck and Emily, as they travel around the country in a post-apocalyptic setting, trying their best to survive, figure out why the world stopped and helping those that needed help along the way. The attention to detail that Mia Sheridan uses is incredible, it felt as if I was on the journey with Emily and Tuck and there was a whole movie going on in my mind as I was reading!I had never read anything like this and I love, definitely recommend!


Tropes:
- Dystopian Apocalypse
- Popstar x Bodyguard
- Second Chance
- Slow Burn

I went into this book blind and was completely surprised by the dystopian/ apocalyptic vibes. But also I was completely hooked. I cannot stop thinking about this book!

Thank you to the publishers for an early copy of this book. I realized pretty early on that this book wasn’t for me. I thought it was going to be more of a romance and it ended up being more of a survival novel with very little romance. I didn’t care about the characters at all and didn’t find them very well developed. I wasn’t very invested in this and this was just a bit of a miss for me.

I read and listened to the audio, simultaneously, and it devoured my life for 2 days. How can one finish this book unscathed? My mind is still hungover and I just know that I will never forget this epic love story.

Ok. Wow. I don't know what I was expecting but that wasn't it. However, I loved it. I loved the characters, except Charlie. What a jerk. The pace was good, the plot was great. It really just makes you stop and think....what if?
Mia Sheridan is one of my favorites and this book didn't disappoint me at all.

Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan is a post-apocalyptic, slow-burn romance that had me hooked! Childhood friends to enemies to lovers, survival, second chances, and ALL the feels. Couldn't put it down.