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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Rise to the Sun takes place in the summer at a musical festival in Georgia, but with the farm and apples playing such a prominent theme, it also felt like such a perfect fall read. I loved Olivia and Toni, and watching them grow into the people then are - rather than the people everyone expects them to be. When a book is set over three days, it makes me wonder if character development is going to be possible or the love story even believable, but Leah Johnson did a masterful job of both. This book was just right.
DNF at 44%. This was disappointing for me as I absolutely loved You Should See Me in a Crown. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad book, but - from the get-go - I couldn’t get behind Olivia’s behavior towards her supposed “best friend” and was annoyed by both her actions and her self-talk. It was hard to be 50% in the mind of a character who was so insecure that they thought about it all the time. I think this insecurity may be realistic to some people’s experience, but I found it tiring to read in a book. Toni’s sections of the book were better written and I liked the supporting cast, but I almost think the setting and short timeframe of this book combined with a lot of heavy topics and gimmicky plot devices made for something overall unappealing and not for this reader. I will be excited to see what the author writes in the future, but couldn’t get into this book.
I loved the messiness of the characters in this - they felt real and compelling and even kind of annoying at times, which is fine, because people are often annoying in their realness. Also very glad to see queer Black girls at the center of this story - obviously there should be many books that center queer Black girls, but until the last couple years, maybe, the YA pickings have been slim.
I was less convinced by the romance between Toni and Olivia. While I totally get that sharing an intense experience like a music festival can create an attraction, it was harder for me to understand why these two particular girls were so drawn to each other. I was actually more into their personal journeys and their friendships than the romance itself. Definitely enjoyed the ways the book was a love letter to live music, and it was nice to escape into a pre-/non-covid world where big music festivals like Farmland seem like a really good time.
I was less convinced by the romance between Toni and Olivia. While I totally get that sharing an intense experience like a music festival can create an attraction, it was harder for me to understand why these two particular girls were so drawn to each other. I was actually more into their personal journeys and their friendships than the romance itself. Definitely enjoyed the ways the book was a love letter to live music, and it was nice to escape into a pre-/non-covid world where big music festivals like Farmland seem like a really good time.
2.5⭐️ this started off so good and then just got so cliche and boring. I could literally guess every scene and line that happened next. and one of the ‘plot twists’ was one of the ya tropes I hate the most. I loved the festival scene aspect of it.
I hate hate hate when a book I was really anticipating turns out to be a disappointment.
This book had a lot of potential in terms of the story and set of characters but the author just tries to cram too much into one story. The choice of having Imani be in love with Olivia didn’t need to happen in my opinion. The reader could already sympathize with Imani because of Olivia’s selfishness, the in love thing was just overkill. You can feel left out as a best friend without being in love with them! Romantic love doesn’t trump platonic love, radio silence is a perfect example of this.
I’m a bit upset at how the characters were handled, I didn’t feel connected with them at all, and when I did feel something towards them…it was loathing. I disliked Olivia for literally leaving Imani behind several times to hand out with Toni, and Toni and Imani barely had any interaction with each other? It was later addressed at the end of the book but it didn’t feel rewarding at all. I also found Toni very frustrating, why would you get mad at someone kissing someone else when YOU broke up with them? And they didn’t even really talk about the breakup? Sigh.
This book had a lot of potential in terms of the story and set of characters but the author just tries to cram too much into one story. The choice of having Imani be in love with Olivia didn’t need to happen in my opinion. The reader could already sympathize with Imani because of Olivia’s selfishness, the in love thing was just overkill. You can feel left out as a best friend without being in love with them! Romantic love doesn’t trump platonic love, radio silence is a perfect example of this.
I’m a bit upset at how the characters were handled, I didn’t feel connected with them at all, and when I did feel something towards them…it was loathing. I disliked Olivia for literally leaving Imani behind several times to hand out with Toni, and Toni and Imani barely had any interaction with each other? It was later addressed at the end of the book but it didn’t feel rewarding at all. I also found Toni very frustrating, why would you get mad at someone kissing someone else when YOU broke up with them? And they didn’t even really talk about the breakup? Sigh.
Featuring three main black queer women that aren't archetypes but fully fleshed out characters "Rise to the Sun" is one of the best books I have read this year. The characters are all memorable and relatable. Olivia just wants to be loved and searches for love wherever she gets it. She does everything to be anything but who she is, and instead makes herself into what she thinks they want. Toni is reeling from a personal tragedy and brands herself the ice queen. She is hoping to find answers at farmland, while Olivia is looking for escape. When the two meet they ignite something within each other. Along for the ride are both their best friends Imani - a smart, sarcastic, and type A type and Peter - a perpetually happy, lanky, talkative kid who shares facts about dead presidents. What I love about this book is how honest the portrayal of self-loathing, and how trauma affects your perceptions of yourself. Not only that but what the meaning of love (in all its forms) is.
Pros: multiply queer POC characters, positive female representation, great supporting characters, fantastic story and well written.
cons: none
Pros: multiply queer POC characters, positive female representation, great supporting characters, fantastic story and well written.
cons: none
It took me a long time to get invested in the story because I, quite honestly, did not like the main character (Olivia) one bit and was frustrated by how she treated her best friend. However, towards the end, everything about the book made sense and it all wrapped up very nicely. The book is about messy teenagers who make messy mistakes but still have a good heart and eventually learn to see the error of their ways. I even appreciated and found myself rooting for Olivia towards the end. I’m glad I stuck with it and I cannot wait to see what Leah Johnson writes next!
2.5 stars rounded up.
Oof. That's my reaction to this book. Just oof.
After the extremely strong You Should See Me in a Crown (which I consider one of the best books I read in 2021), I was really looking forward to Rise to the Sun. But, unfortunately, it let me down on a number of fronts. I keep trying to figure out where this book went wrong, but I think it all comes down to "the book is uneven." Let me explain.
First, this book features dual narrators, Toni and Olivia. Toni is recovering after her father was shot and killed; Olivia is trying to turn over a new leaf after a revenge photo fiasco occurs. This is all fine, but the book takes place over what, three days? They are somehow supposed to meet, fall in love, and overcome their issues in that time. One of them does, but the other definitely, 100% does not - which we see in the last ten pages of the freaking book when the writer pulls the miscommunication trope again. Ten pages to the end is WAY too late for a massive miscommunication! Seriously. Omg.
Moreover, the time period covered by the book doesn't show the fallout of what happened for this specific character. We don't reach that point of catharsis where not only is she validated, but she manages to understand herself better. It just... doesn't happen. The author tries, but is ultimately unsuccessful on this front.
There was some not-exactly gun violence that occurred halfway through this book which really, really didn't need to be there. Either go big or go home, honestly. Also, this book tells waaaay more than it ever shows. Like, I get it, YA fiction is all about the ~feelings~ or whatever, but focusing so much on the characters' interiority gets tiring before long.
Finally, I absolutely despise a good number of the characters in this book. Like, I'm sorry, but Olivia, Toni (for about 50% of the book), Peter, and the thoroughly unpleasant Imani are all just annoying, make stupid choices that real people would never make, and never really get better. Well, let me clarify: Toni is pretty great by the end of the book, but the others are just... ugh. Both Toni and Olivia need therapy. A lot of it. Especially Olivia.
I dunno. This book has some good points - Toni is a pretty good character; it's POC f/f romance so that's great; and the location at a music festival is solid. But besides that... nah. I'll read more by this author based on the strength of her previous book, but I reaaally hope that she gets a better editor because Rise to the Sun needed someone to sit the author down and tell her to rewrite 50% of the book.
Oof. That's my reaction to this book. Just oof.
After the extremely strong You Should See Me in a Crown (which I consider one of the best books I read in 2021), I was really looking forward to Rise to the Sun. But, unfortunately, it let me down on a number of fronts. I keep trying to figure out where this book went wrong, but I think it all comes down to "the book is uneven." Let me explain.
First, this book features dual narrators, Toni and Olivia. Toni is recovering after her father was shot and killed; Olivia is trying to turn over a new leaf after a revenge photo fiasco occurs. This is all fine, but the book takes place over what, three days? They are somehow supposed to meet, fall in love, and overcome their issues in that time. One of them does, but the other definitely, 100% does not - which we see in the last ten pages of the freaking book when the writer pulls the miscommunication trope again. Ten pages to the end is WAY too late for a massive miscommunication! Seriously. Omg.
Moreover, the time period covered by the book doesn't show the fallout of what happened for this specific character. We don't reach that point of catharsis where not only is she validated, but she manages to understand herself better. It just... doesn't happen. The author tries, but is ultimately unsuccessful on this front.
There was some not-exactly gun violence that occurred halfway through this book which really, really didn't need to be there. Either go big or go home, honestly. Also, this book tells waaaay more than it ever shows. Like, I get it, YA fiction is all about the ~feelings~ or whatever, but focusing so much on the characters' interiority gets tiring before long.
Finally, I absolutely despise a good number of the characters in this book. Like, I'm sorry, but Olivia, Toni (for about 50% of the book), Peter, and the thoroughly unpleasant Imani are all just annoying, make stupid choices that real people would never make, and never really get better. Well, let me clarify: Toni is pretty great by the end of the book, but the others are just... ugh. Both Toni and Olivia need therapy. A lot of it. Especially Olivia.
I dunno. This book has some good points - Toni is a pretty good character; it's POC f/f romance so that's great; and the location at a music festival is solid. But besides that... nah. I'll read more by this author based on the strength of her previous book, but I reaaally hope that she gets a better editor because Rise to the Sun needed someone to sit the author down and tell her to rewrite 50% of the book.