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A review by elentari7
Sometime After Midnight by L. Philips
3.0
This was a cute, deeply music-loving book. I appreciate how none of the parents and step-parents in this Cinderella-type tale are wicked, or ill-intentioned at all, even when they're not great. And I like how there aren't fairy godmothers who show up to fix things and disappear, but consistently supportive friends and siblings around the main characters. Really, the Cinderella part of the story is only the inciting incident, and it's very self-aware. The story after that, when the characters have gotten over the ridiculousness of being thrown into a modern fairytale, is mostly about trying to make the resulting partnership--as much musical as it is romantic--work. Unpacking the baggage Nate and Cam each have, in relation to each other, their families, their families' shared past, their talents, the industry, the tabloids/privacy. The music and the romance both come easy to them, but there's a lot that could get in the way if they don't deal with it.
Not sure how I feel about the handling of mental illness in this (none depicted, but described and discussed a lot by other characters), but at least it's very positive about any person's worth and getting help.
No sex on the page, but Nate and Cam unambiguously have sex between chapters and it's not a big deal.
Writing-wise, this book sometimes does that thing where the dialogue feels too on the nose and contains things a character would never say aloud (or at least not to their current interlocutor) for the sake of explaining to the audience. Otherwise I enjoyed it fine.
Not sure how I feel about the handling of mental illness in this (none depicted, but described and discussed a lot by other characters), but at least it's very positive about any person's worth and getting help.
No sex on the page, but Nate and Cam unambiguously have sex between chapters and it's not a big deal.
Writing-wise, this book sometimes does that thing where the dialogue feels too on the nose and contains things a character would never say aloud (or at least not to their current interlocutor) for the sake of explaining to the audience. Otherwise I enjoyed it fine.