Thank you Mia Sheridan, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This is a very interesting dystopian romance that is seen through the eyes of childhood friends Tuck Mattice and Emily Swanson in the midst of a cataclysmic solar flare that changes the world! This book is expected to release on May 20th, 2025!

➼ slow burn
➼ childhood best friends
➼ enemies to lovers
➼ semi apocalypse
➼ bodyguard x popstar

Trigger warning(s): death, lots of death

This is only the third book I've read of Mia's, and it was NOT what I expected at all. I absolutely adored the two other books I've read of hers, but this one didn't reach the expectations that were set. While I did enjoy this book, it just wasn't to the same levels as Archer's Voice and Unwanted. I saw another reviewer say that this book felt Wattpadish and that is the most accurate way to describe it. I was definitely intrigued by the dystopia/apocalypse genre/trope throughout the book, as it is something I've never read before, but it was lacking something in the story. I needed more action and fights, this is the apocalypse after all!

Tuck Mattice is an ex-con, but not in the way you're thinking, turned into temporary bodyguard. He is offered up a position to be a bodyguard for his ex childhood friend, Emily/Nova, and he performs the job well until the solar flare hits. I think Tuck is a great character, and you can see that he has great character improvement throughout the book, but I didn't relate to him in any way. He seems like he could be a great guy, but I just didn't feel the attachment to him as a character.

Emily Swanson is farm girl turned mega popstar. She is in need of a bodyguard after a media situation, and what better solution than her ex childhood friend Tuck! It also took me quite a bit to even like Emily and her character, she also had some improvements with herself but she was very bratty in the beginning. I did enjoy however the flashback to when Tuck and Emily were kids and how Tuck stepped up and took the blame for the car incident.

Book boyfriend? No. I would love a protective man, but that was about all he was and honestly I could find a better man for me!

Also, wtf happened to Charlie? Even though I didn't like him AT ALL, I at least wanted a final update on what happened to him.

★★★.5
🌶️🌶️ but not until almost the very end
0/5 💧

Emily a rising pop star singer and writer falls for Ex-con/bodyguard Tucker. They get into a plane crash which leads them trying to fight their way back home To California. Between trying to find food and places to sleep to for bedding. It reminded me of the Walking dead TV without the Zombies it. Where they had to fight to survive the whole time. Tucker and Emily having to split up is so hard on both of them. It did keep thinking about what was going happened next in the book.❤️

Ooof this was a dnf for me. I’ve read some of her books before that I just loved. But this felt weird and wattpad-ish. I just felt myself cringing a lot. Maybe I’m just not the right audience.

I adore Mia Sheridan. Her words always take me on an emotional rollercoaster ride, and there were moments during this narrative when my emotions did get the better of me.

The beginning of Heart of the Sun started well. The plot was revealed and I was intrigued. Sadly, however, the journey that Tuck and Emily take, albeit what I imagine would happen in real life, just didn't work for me on the pages of a novel. I found the repetitiveness did not hold my attention, and I struggled in all honesty.

The closing few chapters were worth persevering for. I absolutely love Tuck - he's incredible in every way, and I needed to know that all was well for him in the end. I hurt when he hurt and those moments when he was happy brought me joy.

I quickly grew to dislike Charlie, and enjoyed witnessing Emily's realisations not only about Charlie, but her feelings for Tuck too. As I’ve said, I felt Tuck deserved happiness, especially after what he had been through and his subsequent actions.

I wish I had enjoyed this story more than I did. I know that not every story can please every reader and sadly this book is not for me. I felt it just needed something more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a like not a love for me. I really liked the second chance romance aspect of the book. I wasn’t expecting the trauma they encountered when the whole country shut down and all of the horrific obstacles they faced. I felt like their journey was long and dragged at times. I loved the ending and the development of the characters throughout the book.

3.75 rounded up to 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫💫

❤️childhood best friends
❤️slow burn
❤️second chances
❤️ new adult dystopia

A pop star and a body guard who were childhood friends figure out life during and after the solar flare together . Fighting to survive and find family is all everyone is trying to do. I thought tuck and Emily's relationship was so cute and it developed throughout the story .. I loved the drama and suspense.

Thank u to netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.

I always enjoy Mia Sheridan books, and this story had a more serious, dystopian take with the dash of romance that I like from Sheridan. A great storyline (what happens when all the lights go out and we're left to fend for ourselves?) and truly gives the reader something to think about (who would <i>you</i> be in this world? how does a person prepare for a world like this? etc). I particularly liked the characters throughout this book: the families along the way, good people trying to survive, and even the questionable individuals that must make a choice on their survival journey. Overall a fun read, in the sense that I felt like I was following an evolving friendship/love story between Tuck and Emily/Nova, also full of action and survival. But, to readers out there: be prepared for darkness and evil intentions that lurk throughout.
(Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!)
A favorite:
p.257: "... mostly it's wise to remember that the worst sides of people come out when they get scared and desperate. People who might not be predators under normal circumstances will do really fucked up things to survive."

Having read other books by the same author I was excited to jump into this story. Unfortunately this story just wasn’t a match for me.i didn’t connect with the main characters of the story. I did enjoy some of the dystopian directions that were taken so visualizing the world was fun to me. Will definitely check out her future work.

1.5 stars

I remember reading some of her books in high school—Archer’s Voice and Leo—and I loved them. So naturally, I was excited to read this one, but well, here we are.

This felt really Wattpad-ish. Was this supposed to be a romance novel or a dystopian survival story? Because the romance was meh, and the survival aspect? Also meh. The romance was barely there until the very end, and I think it was meant to be a slow burn? Well, it was just slow, and nothing burned. The survival aspect wasn’t any better—just people walking, hitching rides, and… that’s pretty much it. There was supposed to be some action with a buggy and a horse, but I don’t know, it felt too forced. No real tension, no chaos, just things happening.

The characters were painfully bland and cliche, the perfect, flawless MC, the childhood best friend FMC, and the third guy. None of them stood out, and I felt no connection to them. The plot? I swear I read something just like this on Wattpad years ago, except this one threw in some apocalyptic elements that still didn’t work.

And that’s why, when I read the acknowledgments, I wasn’t surprised to see that the idea wasn’t even her own. It makes sense now.
At the end of the day, this book was just boring. Boring romance. Boring world-building. Boring characters. Boring, boring, boring.

Thank you to the author and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. I appreciate the opportunity, but I have to be honest, this one just wasn’t for me.

Emily and Tuck are childhood friends, who went their separate ways, now Emily is a rising star in need of security and she hires Tuck.
The beginning of the story was their childhood friendship and then went into modern day with a solar flare, which gave this romance a different feel!
So Good!

I am such a Mia lover, Archer’s Voice was 5⭐️ for me but this just didn’t hit the same. I am thankful for the arc copy and glad to have read. But maybe this wasn’t a great time for me to read about a dystopian America.

I let out a strangled sound of relief and pleasure as his tongue swept into my mouth, claiming me. Him. The man who’d kept me safe as the world around us crumbled. The boy I’d loved all my life. Tuck.

This was hauntingly beautiful, terrifyingly heartbreaking, and so much more than I was expecting. Just me sitting here in amazement and shock over the story I just finished. The journey these characters went on and the way that Mia wrote it will stick with me. There are no words to describe this well enough. I’ll add the list of for fans off below and see if that intrigues you but if you have read Mia Sheridan book before you know you are in for a little pain, poetry, and to be completely taken out of reality for a bit and put into a new one.

“It was always leading here with us, wasn’t it?” she asked.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Always.”

For fans of:
Enemies to Lovers
Childhood Best Friends
Slow Burn Romance
Second Chances
Popstar + Bodyguard
New Adult Dystopian fiction
The HBO show The Last of Us
* for me personally it also gave “The Four Horsemen by Laura Thalassa” vibes without the biblical aspect.

I gave this book 3.75 stars (round up to 4 on GR).
I am a huge fan of anything dystopian/post-apocalyptic so I was very excited to receive this ARC. While this is marketed as a romance novel, I would say the story is a blend of romance and dystopian fiction, with the romance being the subplot.

Childhood friends Emily, a pop star, and Tuck, an ex-con, reunite when she hires him as her bodyguard. Their bond is tested when a solar flare plunges the world into chaos, forcing them to fight for survival as they try to make their way back home.

I really enjoyed the suspense, although some of the situations felt a bit repetitive. I was getting The Walking Dead vibes and had a great time visualizing the story. Tuck and Emily’s character development was top notch.

Wow - there is a lot to this book. While there is a sweet second chance romance between the leads Tuck and Emily, there’s also a ton of emotional baggage to unpack both from their pasts and the trauma filled adventure they embark on throughout the story.

Mia Sheridan flips between Tuck and Emily’s POV, weaving in elements from their past growing up with one another, to the present day. As the story unfolds, Tuck and Emily have to deal with countless obstacles in this seemingly post-apocalyptic type state the country finds itself in. The journey kept me captivated, and of course I was rooting for their love story, even when Emily’s boyfriend was along for the ride.

With the recent real life tragedies in the US (fires, plane crashes etc..) this might feel a little too close to reality for some so a fair warning for those who might be triggered by these themes.

Overall a beautiful story filled with longing, challenges being overcome together, love (and of course, a little 🌶️). Thank you Mia, Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC!

ARC Review:

YES!! SHE WENT THERE.

The beginning of the book had me REELED in!

A different genre for typical fans of Mia Sheridan, and she did it so well!!! There is a massive solar flare that wipes out all technology, so the human race goes feral. Every day, every meal, every interaction is survival of the fittest. Morals change- societal norms change- people change. The second chance romance trope was written beautifully in this book and their conflicts had me teary eyed, wanting to throw my Kindle across the room because how do those conflicts get resolved?! Great job, Mia Sheridan 👏 The ending had me on the edge of my seat. I did wish we could have seen more of the bodyguard job the FMC gave the MMC before the flare, though.

Wow! I always knew Mia Sheridan was an outstanding romance author, but her dystopian novel left be absolutely stunned.

Normally, dystopian novels aren't my go-to, but I genuinely couldn't put this one down! It had me contemplating building a bunker and stocking up on emergency food supplies!

Initially, I assumed this would be a simple love story. Boy, was I wrong! It was SO much more!

Emily was a tough character to warm up to in the beginning, but her incredible character development had me rooting for her by the end!

And Tucker? He might be my new favorite book boyfriend! His character is absolutely perfect throughout the entire story, exactly the kind of person you'd want by your side in any crisis.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Hive/Harper Collins for this eARC, and to Mia Sheridan for crafting such an amazing and thought-provoking story. This one will definitely stay with me for a long time.

How Mia writes such a sweet love story while the actual world is imploding is mind boggling to me. Tuck and Emily grew up together, always in each other’s orbit, but never crossing that line and then tragedy strikes for Tuck and he is sent away. When the two reunite, it’s for a job and neither are truly happy the other is there. While traveling for said job, their plane falls from the sky (kinda like what happened in Jan 2025) and the world was quite literally on fire. Tuck makes it his mission to get Emily back to her parents in California but he doesn’t realize how desolate and dire the situation is going to get.

I was afraid I wasn’t going to like because dystopian isn’t something I naturally gravitate towards, but damn, I was glued to this. Tuck reminds me of “Bode Donovan” in Fire Country (IYKYK). Emily starts off insufferable but grows on you. You won’t want to put this one down !

“I’d find you in the dark.”

🤎Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Second chance romance, Dystopian, Childhood friends, Survival.
🤎Spice: 2/5
🤎Plot and characterisation: 5/5
🤎Overall: 5/5

I don’t even know where to begin with this book other than it is a masterpiece.
It is so unlike anything I have ever read from Mia, and while I have always known that she is a PHENOMENAL writer, I really have never been as speechless from a book as she has left me with ‘Heart of the Sun’.

The story follows Tuck and Emily, who live among the idyllic sun-drenched orange groves of California. They have grown up together, however as they get older, their friendship turns into something more. Mia beautifully relates the mannerisms of young love and provides the backstory that shapes the behaviours and journey of Tuck and Emily.

Tuck is intelligent and noble, with a strong sense of purpose for his life. However, when tragedy strikes, he finds himself spiralling into all the decisions that have taken a smart boy with incredible potential, to complete destitution. During the years where Tuck steadily declines to ruin, Emily’s voice and talent take her to the heights of stardom and away from the small town in which she shared her happiest memories. However, when fate brings the Tuck back into her life, she has no option but to give him the new lease of life he so desperately needs. An ex-con becomes a rising singer’s bodyguard, and thus their second chance begins.

However, a cataclysmic solar flare wipes out the electrical grid and society begins to crumble immediately. Tuck and Emily find themselves in the impossible, dangerous situation of finding their way back to those orange groves where they hope to find safety and refuge.

In this story we see the worst of humanity displayed in its pages. With masterful prose, Mia crafts a new world that is filled with horror and danger. It is a place where no one can be trusted, and where death waits at every turn. There are many instances where I had to pause and take a breath, because of how realistic and terrifying this dsytopian world can be when pushed to a state of survival.

However within the suffering, terror, immorality, and horror, is hope and beauty. It comes in the form of small acts of kindness and sacrifice. It comes in the form of strength and resilience. It comes in the form of forgiveness and love.

The character arcs of Tuck and Emily brought literal tears to my eyes. Tuck, who is struggling with his sense of purpose and the weight of his guilt, sees him transform into someone who accepts his past, and creates purpose in leading others to a better and brighter future. On the other side, Emily who appears initially as selfish, ornery, and a shadow of her former self, finds herself through this book. She once more becomes the thoughtful, insightful, kind, girl she once was. Mia’s beautiful use of symbolism demonstrates Emily’s arc through this journey, with the loss of her material possessions, and the gaining of her own self.

I cannot speak highly enough of Mia’s writing. It is arguably her best work. The depth, the poetics, the call-backs, and the symbolism, is woven into a story that is thought provoking and inspiring. This story, the lessons it teaches, and the reminders it gives, will stay with me for a long, long time to come.

Thank you Mia, and thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. Truly, I cannot speak highly enough of this masterpiece.
🤎

is book was such a ride! Imagine a second-chance romance mixed with a total world meltdown, and you’ve got Heart of the Sun. It follows Emily, a rising pop star, and Tuck, her broody childhood best friend-turned-ex-convict (yep, drama). When Emily hires Tuck as her bodyguard, sparks fly, old feelings resurface, and just when things start getting really interesting—bam! A massive solar flare knocks out civilization as we know it. No phones, no power, no Uber Eats.

I loved the mix of romance and survival. Emily and Tuck’s chemistry is chef’s kiss, and the tension between them is perfection. Tuck is the ultimate grumpy protector, and Emily is way tougher than people give her credit for. Watching them navigate their complicated past and try to survive a literal apocalypse? So good.

If you love second-chance romance, forced proximity, and a little end-of-the-world chaos, you’ll eat this up. It’s got heart, steam, and just enough action to keep you hooked. Mia Sheridan did not miss with this one!

This was honestly such an interesting take on a dystopian romance. The premise of a solar flare is such a unique way to bring about a new world, especially in one that is currently so dependent on technology, and it was interesting to see how each character dealt with the aftermath. 

I did find it quite comical how deflated Charlie would get every time he came across someone who didn't immediately know who he was. He deserved to be knocked down a few pegs, especially after trying to pin the drugs on Tuck, and I wasnt even the slightest bit upset when he left.

I really enjoyed being a part of Emily and Tuck's physical journey to get to their families in California, as well as their mental and emotional journeys as they came to grips with their pasts, discovered who they were in the present and fell in love with their futures. 

While I do wish we might've received some closure on what became of the families they met that helped them during their travels, or those they didn't meet but whose amenities they utilized as is the case with the Garcia family, I also realize that it wouldn't have made much sense to tie them back in at the end. But I did love how those characters were utilized to aid in Emily and Tucks growth or served as a learning opportunity that they couldn't trust everyone they came across. 

Overall I really enjoyed this book and really loved how everything came full circle back to that loft in the barn. Their story began there and set the ball rolling and it was such a beautiful way to end it.