Heart of the Sun was a unique dystopian/post-apocalyptic story with an underlying love story between childhood friends.

This was my second Mia Sheridan book and after reading Archer's Voice I came in with extremely high hopes. In addition, I do enjoy dystopian books so I thought it would be the perfect blend.

Unfortunately this book and my expectations were not aligned. A majority of the story focused on the post-apocalyptic turmoil facing the country including violence and aggression breaking out everywhere. Our FMC and her current boyfriend as well as our MMC had to navigate this new world and the awkward dynamics between the three of them.

Personally, I struggled to enjoy the goriness that was outlined in this story especially with such a minimal focus on the love story. It truly felt like the love story was an after thought.

I think readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic books as a main genre would highly enjoy this book. I did consume part of the book on audio and the dual narration was done exceptionally well!

Thank you to the publisher for both the ARC and ALC of this book!

An unlikely story that is compelling and heart warming. Would you survive the end of the world? A second chance romance that has you exploring this question for yourself.
When Emily and Tuck are reunited in an unexpected way, they never could have guessed that the awkward reunion would be the least of their worries. Go on a transformative journey of reconnection that takes them across the country.

Thank you Netgalley and Canary Street Press for the opportunity to read an early copy of Heart of the Sun for an honest review.

Heart of the sun was such a good listen! I loved the characters once the book got going.... well except for Charlie, but we knew from the beginning we wouldn't be a fan of his...
It may have felt a little slow if I had been reading it, but the listen was enjoyable and I was able to really think about how a situation like this would play out.
I've enjoyed some of her books before and this one didn't disappoint.

I’ve always enjoyed Mia Sheridan’s writing, and while dystopian novels are outside my typical realm, I was drawn in by the claim of a love story. Yes, there is a love story and an HEA, but in my opinion that’s misleading marketing of this book. The struggle to survive a post-apocalyptic event and the journey home really stole the show in this story.

I alternated between audiobook and ebook, and truthfully if I hadn’t, I’m not sure I would have finished. At over 450 pages (book) and over 14 hours (audio), this isn’t a short story by any means. It truly is a journey and listening to the audio helped keep my attention, even if that felt drawn out at times too.

It’s hard to rate a book that’s so vastly different from my usual read. Overall, I’m glad I finished it, but I do wish that the journey was shortened and we got more of a view of the HEA. The ending was very rushed. In fact, the love story itself doesn’t even really start until at least 2/3 through the book, with a majority of it in the back quarter.

I think it’s important to be transparent. If you’re going into this book looking for a love story like previous Mia Sheridan works (such as Archer’s Voice), you’re probably going to be disappointed as many other reviews have pointed out. But if you go in with an open mind looking for something that’s unique with the Mia Sheridan touch, then this just might be the read for you.

3.75⭐️ rounded up

Thank you to HTP Books, Mia Sheridan, and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to review this digital ARC and ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.

First of all the audio was incredible! Highly recommend. I went into this book completely blind, didn’t read the blurb anything not knowing what to expect and I could not put it down ! I was not expecting the turn in took what’s so ever and the journey that Emily and Tuck would take. I am normally not one for childhood friends to lovers but I really loved it here. And the dystopian elements that happened in this book. Could not put it down, listened straight through for two days 🤣

Thank you to Harlequin for sending me this ALC.

i did enjoy this listen, the story was just interesting enough to make me want to keep listening. i thought the pacing was a little bit all over the place, plot-wise, but the general idea of the book gave me the feel of one of those dystopian movies i used to watch when i was a teenager. i didn’t really feel much of a connection between the love interests, unfortunately. i felt like the fmc was very whiney and the mmc didn’t really have much going on…

i did think the narrators are what kept me listening, they did a great job, but if i was reading the book without the audio, im sure it would have been a DNF.

I’m a big Mia Sheridan fan, so this was an instant read. The dystopian/survival twist is different from her usual, but I was hooked from page one. Couldn’t put it down! This is one of the books that sucked me in from the action-packed introduction and kept me hooked throughout the journey. This was a journey, one of self-reflection, forgiveness, love, survival, and second chances. The writing was vivid. This was a story I could see playing out in my head. The narrators and their fantastic performance definitely added to the experience.

DNF @ 15%

look I LOVE mia and her books but this was a huge flop for me. the fmc was unbearable. I really didn’t like the way she was talking about the mmc being a felon. it rubbed me the wrong way. She had this holier than thou attitude and I didn’t like it.

“I’d made the decision not to judge him hastily, but now that I’d seen him in person, I’d realized that I’d had every right to make assumptions. If anything, he’d confirmed exactly what I’d imagined about who he’d become”

this was the last straw for me. couldn’t do it.

Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan

This was so not what I was expecting but I was hooked and couldn’t stop.

It has dystopian survival vibes that takes our main characters on a journey to trek across country after their plane crashes. Our FMC must survive with help of her ex childhood best friends, who now happens to be her bodyguard…and her movie star boyfriend.

I thought André Santana and Annalee Scott did an amazing job bringing this story to life. They complimented each other so well and I thought the voices really matched the characters. I mostly listened to this (I had both the ALC and the Ebook ARC) but I stayed up until 3am listening since I was so hooked and needed to know what happened!

If you love:
❤️‍🔥Childhood friends to enemies to lovers
🎤Pop star body guard romance
🆘Dystopian survival
🔥Slow burn
🦸🏻‍♂️Hero MMC
🚙Road trip forced proximity
✌️Second Chance redemption

Give this one a read and definitely a listen!

❤️‍🔥 I went into Heart of the Sun expecting a romance—but what I got was a full-blown apocalyptic rollercoaster with emotional depth, survival grit, and one unforgettable second-chance love story. 🌞💥
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Set against the chaos of a solar flare-ravaged world, childhood frenemies Emily and Tuck are forced together after a plane crash strands them in the middle of nowhere. What follows is part survival thriller, part slow-burn romance, and part gut-punching reflection on humanity, fame, and forgiveness.
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The dystopian vibes were strong (seriously considering a bunker now), and while some pacing issues popped up in the second half, I was completely hooked. Tuck might just be the book boyfriend of my end-of-the-world dreams, and Emily’s character growth had me rooting for her by the end.
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This was my first Mia Sheridan novel, and I’m officially intrigued—her writing is vivid, emotional, and cinematic. If you like your romance with grit, action, and a side of existential dread, this one’s worth the read.
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Thank you @htpbooks and @miasheridanauthor for the ARC and ALC! @netgalley @htp_hive @htpbooks_audio
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#HeartOfTheSun #MiaSheridan #DystopianRomance #SecondChanceRomance #BookReview #BookRecs #RomanticSuspense #PostApocalypticReads #EndOfTheWorldVibes #Bookstagram #ARCReview #SlowBurnRomance #BookishThoughts #RomanceReaders #TheHiveInfluencer #HTPBooks

This modern romantic dystopian was too close to real that it gave me end of the world anxiety. The story started off strong, but eventually moved too slow and dragged on. So many random things happened that I couldn’t help but laugh- it felt like the author was reaching for plot points to move the story. However, I did appreciate that the couple had a real relationship with depth and history.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for this advanced audiobook in exchange for a review.

3.5 stars

Oh man, I went into this one not knowing what to expect, and it certainly took me for a ride. When a solar flare knocks out all electronics, Tuck & Emily find themselves stranded in the midwest and embarking upon a long journey home to California. They were childhood friends, but life choices had created distance over the years, but years later Tuck finds himself as Emily's bodyguard when this catastrophe occurs. Unfortunately, they're also stuck with Emily's boyfriend for a good bit of the story.

This whole story was a journey, both physically and emotionally. Of course, Tuck was the hero, determined to redeem himself and help all he could. Emily was a bit annoying at times, and I kept wishing the boyfriend would exit the scene earlier than he did. Because of that, I wanted more romance between Emily and Tuck and for it to have occurred earlier in the novel. It was an interesting story, though I think it helped that I listened on audio. I may have struggled a bit more progressing had I physically read it.

Nevertheless, it was a lovely second chance story with Tuck and Emily working together to survive, rebuilding the friendship they once had, and discovering who they'd become as adults. The dual narration by André Santana and Annalee Scott was great. They kept me coming back to see what else lay in store for Tuck and Emily.

Thank you to the author, Harlequin Audio, and Netgalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Heart of the Sun ☀️
by Mia Sheridan

Audiobook 🎧
3.75⭐️
2🌶️

“Heart Of the Sun” is post-apocalyptic romance , childhood friends-to-lovers (which I love) slow burn , second chance, Popstar / Bodyguard , but this book fell a little flat for me. Loved the beginning, the middle really dragged out. So I started to lose interest unfortunately.


The romance aspect between Tuck & Emily , to me I just didn’t feel that connection or spark . This story did focus more on the post-apocalyptic part, and I wish it focused more on their rekindled romance.
Wasn’t really a fan of Emily either. She just seemed very abrasive and cruel through Tuck.
Tuck on the other hand was a wonderful character and I wouldn’t mind being by his side if the world suddenly ended.

I did enjoy some aspects of this story especially in Audiobook form . It made me feel a little more engaged with the story.
It was a duel narrative and the narrators André Santana and Annalee Scott
did an amazing job!

Overall I love Mia Sheridan and I will definitely continue reading her work. But unfortunately this book didn’t do it for me.

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Mia Sheridan delivers a slow-burn love story with emotional depth and just the right amount of action. With themes of redemption, resilience, and reconnection, this book is perfect for fans of emotional romances set against high-stakes backdrops. A heartfelt, atmospheric read that lingers long after the final page. The audio was really good i really enjoyed the characters. I really enjoyed this book and I am ready to dive into more.

This book kept me sucked in the whole time! This is my new Roman Empire book! It has been one of my favorite friends to lovers I have read this year! It makes you really think about what you would do if the world stopped turning as you knew it. I truly enjoyed all parts of this book!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R37URGMO635T2N?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp

I did not know what to expect with this since it sounded more like romance based tropes rather than dystopian. That being said, I really liked it! I can appreciate that the world wasn’t apocalyptic throughout but rather this just happened which made the setup for the romance better, and have a bit of a slow burn. I didn’t really know where the ending was heading though and felt it could have been a bit more interesting. Overall, I’m very happy I picked this up.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to have this ARC!

I really enjoyed this post apocolyptic story. This book follows Emily and Tuck. Once childhood friends that grew apart. Emily and Tuck are reunited in adulthood. Emily is a famous singer needing a security guard and offers Tuck the position. Shortly after they are reunited, they are forced into survival mode because of a solar flare hitting earth that wipes out the power grid. They have to depend on each other to survive.

This book started out a little slow in the beginning. Once it picked up, I couldn't put it down. The narrators did a fantastic job.

I was so excited to get my hands on this one but started questioning my excitement after reading a handful of reviews. After reading, it just reminded me of why I don’t let other people’s reviews influence how a book makes ME feel. HEART OF THE SUN held my attention from start to finish. It really makes you think about what you would do should a disaster hit the world today. The narrators did a beautiful job of bringing Tuck and Emily to life. The emotions in their voices really made you feel like you were there with them. I would have loved to see a bit more of their relationship when they were younger. Even though the epilogue did leave me hopeful for their future, I would’ve loved to have it been set a bit more into the future.

This was the first book I’ve ever read by Mia Sheridan and I enjoyed it! This was a good post-apocalyptic dystopian book but I just didn’t vibe with the romance sub-plot. I think it might be because I didn’t like Emily’s character that felt like a wanna-be Taylor Swift. I really enjoyed Tuck as a character, especially as you see his growth from getting out of prison through navigating the outside world again.

Overall, I really enjoyed Mia’s writing style but the plot of this one wasn’t my favorite.

However, I had been switching between the ebook and audiobook and this audiobook is phenomenal! It’s narrated by Andre Santana and Annalee Scott. I believe this was my first time listening to both of them and they did an incredible job! I truly felt like I was walking through this post-apocalyptic world with them.

Thank you to Canary Street Press for sending me an early copy!

I picked it up because I liked Archers Voice, and then I should have put it right back down when I saw the sub-genre change. I didn't see a dystopian romance working, and i was right. it didn't work. Their entire relationship was based on a crush from their childhood days, and it just didn't make sense or feel like a natural progression in 20 DAYS. There were multiple events that felt like fillers for some action points, like the entire ending was confusing and didn't add anything to the story. Not my cup of tea overall 🙃

The voice for Tuck was not the right fit and made it difficult to listen to.