In dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories, I love the sense of tension and dread and we definitely feel that in this book. These are two characters with a past that all the sudden are put in this very high stress environment.

The second chance between Emily and Tuck was emotional and intense and gritty and they have a lot to unpack between them. Tuck was feeling a need for redemption and - no spoilers - he definitely gets his chance!

This is a story that will definitely make you think about what’s important and what really matters…

✨What To Expect:
🖤Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Romance
⁉️Action & Suspense
❤️‍🔥Enemies to Lovers
💖Childhood Best Friends
🔥Slow Burn Romance
✌️Second Chances
🎤She’s A Popstar
🔫He’s Her Bodyguard

3.5 ⭐️

This book was such an interesting idea. It’s not far off from what would happen if the entire grid went down. Honestly a little scary to think about how helpless we all would be. While I really was intrigued by the whole premise of this story, it struggled to really draw me in and keep me hooked. I was interested but not dying to know how things would go. I enjoyed the aspect of Tuck and Emily finding their way again with each other, but it also wasn’t enough to keep me opening the book all that often. Also, the chances of Emily’s bike getting taken down right where Tuck was sleeping for the night is just a little tooooooo much of a stretch to keep me from rolling my eyes. Overall, enjoyable realistic dystopian love story.

3.5 ⭐️ Emily and Tuck were childhood friends growing up. (Also they each had a secret crush on the other.) But, they went their separate ways in life. Now 13 years later, Emily is an established celebrity singer and Tuck has just been released from jail. He has a hard time finding a job until he’s offered the position as Emily’s bodyguard. Soon they’re on a private jet with Emily’s celebrity boyfriend when a solar flare knocks out the power grid and their plane crash lands. The trio along with the rest of society are thrust into an apocalyptic world without the luxuries they once had.
I found the MFC a bit hard to like for most of the book. I know she’s a celebrity but she didn’t grow up that way. Still it was a decent read. I was expecting impacts of certain events to be a little bigger. The second chance bodyguard trope set in an apocalyptic world was pretty good. It didn’t really happened until about 75% through the book though.

I could not get into this dystopian romance. I wanted to so badly, but it just didn't connect with me.

Thanks to the publishers for the advanced copy!

Dystopian second-chance loves story. 3.5 ⭐'s

This was the first dystopian book I've read, and while I was on the edge of my seat for most of it, it also left me a little frightened, I don't know that I would survive a solar flair. While the book is categorized as a dystopian love story, it was more of a dystopian story with a sprinkle of love. This one was a bit different than what I am used to reading from Mia, but I still really enjoyed it. The book definitely makes you look at life and all our commodities a little different. The need to survive by any means necessary takes on a whole new meaning when the world is under attack.

Heart of the sun is definitely a slow-burn, things don't pick up in the love department until like 70%. I wish there was a bit more connection between the main characters besides being childhood friends and picking right back up after traumatic events. It also would have helped if Charlie dissappeared way before 60%. All in all, good summer read for Dystopia lovers.

This beauty arrived in the mail and was released yesterday! 😍 This story was also beautiful, and unlike anything I've read! I absolutely loved it, and highly recommend going in blind. It's been over a month since I read this book, and I still think about it! ⁣
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Thank you Netgalley & publisher for the ARC to review.

oooo this book was so good! The world needs more dystopic scifi romances. The romance just hits so hard when the world is ending and people can come together in the end!

In the beginning I'll admit that I didn't care for Emily, but I really loved Tuck. I appreciate how we had so much of Tuck's point of view. But by the end I liked Emily a lot more and I think she really grew throughout the story.

The audiobook was super well done. I thought the narrators portrayed the characters very well.

Thank you to The Hive for providing me with the audiobook for review!

I didn’t finish this book… and believe me, I tried.

I gave both the ebook and the audiobook a fair shot, but I just couldn’t get into it. Where was the romance?!

I know it’s supposed to be a slow burn—but there was no burn. Not even a little smoke. I was 60% in and still waiting for something—anything—to happen. And unfortunately, the rest of the plot wasn’t compelling enough to keep me going.

4.25 ⭐️

Tuck and Emily grew up together on a small farm in southern California, but their lives took them in opposite directions. Emily became a rising pop star and Tuck became a felon. When Tuck gets released from prison and is in desperate need of a job, Emily reluctantly hires her estranged childhood friend as her body guard. However, the playing field levels out when a solar flare hits Earth, knocking out the entire power grid. Tuck and Emily are forced to work together and reconcile their differences in a new changing world where humanity is on the brink of collapse.

Mia is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. While this didn't compare to Archer's Voice or Unwanted, I was still addicted to the pages. Emily really annoyed me for the first half of the book, but she's supposed to. We see so much character growth from her. Tuck is selfless and was the sole reason they survived. This is told as a second chance romance, though we barely got a glimpse into their past. I wish their "young love" was more fleshed out so that them coming together as adults made more sense (other than there being no one else amidst an apocalypse). This read more as a dystopian novel with a splash of romance, since that wasn't the main focus. If you know that going in, I think this book is powerful and addictive.

I switched reading this between the audio and ebook because I seriously couldn't stop reading (typical Mia Sheridan for me). The narrators were perfection 10/10.

Emily and Tuck are childhood best friends who have gone down different paths. Emily is a famous singer and Tuck just got out of prison. Tuck is given a second chance when Emily’s mom begs her to hire Tuck…as her bodyguard. Disaster hits and they end up on a journey back home to California.

I went into this one blind and didn’t expect the dystopian nature of the story. It was entertaining, and I loved the character building with Emily and Tuck.

Thank you to Net Galley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Mia Sheridan for the ARC! Pub date 5/20/25

Thank you netgalqley for sending me an ARC! I love Mia Sheridan's writing and Archers Voice is my favorite book of ALL time. With hat being said this was a different read for me and I feel very neutral, This book is a dystopian romance, it had a bit of a slow start. It's about childhood friends that hadn't seen each other in a long time. I wish we got to see more of their romance earlier in the book.

4 stars

A post-apocalyptic drama with a childhood friends to lovers romance, this is an emotional and heartfelt read. It’s something very different for Mia Sheridan, but I was completely swept up in this story, and I loved it.

Tuck and Emily were neighbours and childhood friends who crushed on each other as teenagers until Tuck’s life fell apart in devastating circumstances. They lost touch with each other, and years later Tuck has been released from six years in prison, and Emily is a burgeoning pop star. Desperate for a fresh start, he asks Emily for a job and she reluctantly hires him as her bodyguard, though she’s not happy to see him. They bicker and argue just like they did as kids, but it’s clear that there’s more to their story and there’s so much history between them, and I couldn’t wait to see how their reunion would unfold. It’s a great set up, and I would have loved to read this as a story alone, but then comes the dramatic twist.

They’re in a small plane when a solar flare knocks out the electrical grid, and when the plane crashes, they are thrust into a world they never could have imagined. Everything with an electrical circuit is destroyed, and they are stuck thousands of miles from home in a dangerous new reality where they have to fight for their very survival. As they start the journey across the country to make their way home, it’s an exciting ride that is heartbreaking, uplifting, and scarily real. I loved the post-apocalyptic aspects to the story, the people they meet along the way, and the way they cling to each other through it all.

It's a long and dangerous road trip, and they’re dealing with a lot; not just from the things they see, endure and do to survive, but Emily is realising that her new life as a popstar is over, while Tuck is searching for redemption, desperate to prove that he still has goodness in him. It’s a heartfelt journey that will leave them both forever changed, and the character development is really well written. I enjoyed both of these characters, and Tuck owned my heart as the ultimate good guy wanting to do the right thing and protect the girl he cares so much for. And as they work together, rely on each other, and fight to stay alive, they find themselves falling for each other all over again.

"I was falling…God, it had happened quickly. Or maybe it had happened far too slowly."

The romance is a slow burn and doesn’t really hit its stride until late in the story, but I loved watching Tuck and Emily come together. Their love story is sweet and full of emotion, and brings the feels in the middle of terrifying and devastating circumstances.

It’s a very different read from Mia Sheridan, but she tells the story well, and though the romance isn’t as central to the story as her books usually are, I thought the story was balanced really well given everything else that is going on.

Rest assured the book ends well with a happy (yet still realistic) ending, and I really enjoyed this one.

4 stars.

There’s no doubt that Mia Sheridan is an amazing writer. Her words are captivating and this story was very different but amazing. I was intrigued by Heart of the Sun. I enjoyed romance and I loved the dystopian concept. Our main characters were amazing together. The chemistry between Tuck and Emily was beautifully written. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for giving me this opportunity. Mia Sheridan is a talented writer and I will continue to support her work.

There’s just something about the way that Mia Sheridan writes romance that makes me feel like I am falling in love with these characters myself. From each character being so thoroughly written to the way the romance and the plot flow so seamlessly, you cannot help but love every aspect of this book. While there are slower moments that do feel choppy occasionally, the rest of the writing making you feel as though you are in the story makes up for it. I was honestly so sad to see this book end, but it is one that made me fall in love with Mia Sheridan all over again.

Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan is a dystopian story with childhood friends, slow burn enemies to lovers and a second chance romance. Tuck and Emily were childhood friends who went down different paths. Years later they are reunited when she needs security as a pop star. Their lives are vastly different now. He is an ex-con and in need of a fresh start and this may be just what he needs. Emily is living her dream with music, has a boyfriend and is living her life. Then the world collapses and nothing will ever be the same.

Now Tuck, Emily and Charlie are learning to survive in their new normal, if you can call it that. This was a slow burn in regards to the romance and the overall journey is difficult, heartbreaking and captivating.

Happy reading.

A little different than what I expected from this book but overall still a great read. Would recommend to anyone who likes dystopian storylines like last of us with a mix of romance

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin and Ms. Sheridan for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I will agree with other reviewers that the story was very slow to get started. And, unfortunately, from the beginning Emily (FMC) was super unlikable and I couldn't really reconcile myself to her at any point. Her reunion with Tuck had absolutely no chemistry other than respective observations that the other was good-looking; Tuck's fascination with Emily seemed to be purely looks-based even as he disliked and resented her personality.

I actually DID really enjoy the apocalyptic nature of the book once the solar flare took place. I like "The Last of Us" and I like apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction a lot. Frankly I would have preferred if Tuck was either alone or with a random person; even just Tuck and Charlie would have been preferable. When it's a woman and a man, ESPECIALLY a pair with a backstory like Emily and Tuck, and ESPECIALLY when one of the pair is so clearly incompetent at survival, the power imbalance can start to feel like a form of prostitution which is so uncomfortable for me. It's different when it's an established couple; you've already signed on to support the other one. Example: I am the incompetent one (at survival). I admit this. Ha ha honey, you're stuck with me now! LOL. But those are established vows and promises. Two single people stuck together with such a massive competency imbalance just hits different. Hard to explain.

I had to really push to finish this and ultimately walked away feeling that Tuck would have been better off alone, with someone who would have given him a truly fresh start. Eh.

The writing style wasn't bad; I would definitely try other books by this author, and just hope I don't take such a strong dislike of the MC(s).

Exciting and terrifying! A work trip turning into survival of the fittest. This book had my heart pumping and my mind racing with every moment! The way Mia wrote this book and every characters part that played out is absolutely incredible! It truly has you wondering what you would do in these circumstances. A truly phenomenal story.

Mia Sheridan is an awesome writer of contemporary romance and thrillers - this step into a sci-fi dystopian future felt like a perfect fit for her writing style. In Heart of the Sun, a solar flare causes mass disruption by frying out the power grid and all electronics. Hospital equipment shuts down, cars jerk to a stop, and planes fall from the sky. Emily and Tuck were childhood friends with a burgeoning romance, but Tuck's life derails after his mother's death and cold widowed father. Tuck gets involved with the wrong crowd and is imprisoned for 6 years. On the other end of the spectrum, Emily has achieved all she's dreamed of: she is hot new pop star with a sold out tour. Emily's mother pushes for Tuck to be her security guard for the upcoming tour but their reconnection is strained. On a flight from LA to NYC, the flight instruments and engines suddenly shut off, leading to a plane crash. Once Tuck and Emily (along with Emily's Hollywood actor boyfriend) survive the wreckage, they slowly discover the chaos affected the country.

“Heart of the Sun” is an intriguing mix of tropes that feels both familiar and unsettling. Taking a step outside the typical box, author Mia Sheridan delivers a second-chance, enemies-to-lovers romance set against a dystopian backdrop that is not outside the realm of possibility. And while I loved the overall premise, the two main characters and their near-constant, combative sparring fell a bit short. Their relationship dynamic lacked the deep-seated, gut-wrenching, emotional intensity I craved—something that would’ve catapulted this story from merely good to great. Still, Mia Sheridan’s “Heart of the Sun” is a compelling story that pulled me in right from the get-go and kept me engaged right up until the very end.