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A review by rynstagram
Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson
3.75
*review based on an ARC
A Black Girl Magic, queer love story at a music festival... aka an amazing recipe for a rom-com! I guess it wasn't super funny, but it has the feel of a rom-com.
This book had a slow start but I was crying by the end. (Good crying, though.) Toni and Olivia are so well-written that I didn't even have a favorite narrator, which is hard to do when a book has multiple narrators. The concept of the Farmland Music and Arts Festival was really well thought out and added so many layers to the story; it was the perfect venue for this romance to blossom! (Okay, sorry, I'm being a little cheesy. But rom-coms are supposed to be cheesy, right?)
A great example of how having a crush on someone doesn't have to ruin your friendship with them, how friendships and people change but that's okay, how apologizing is sometimes enough and sometimes not enough. There are some heavy topics in here, but--with incredible finesse--Leah Johnson weaves them together with the lighter and more fun parts of the narrative.
I did sometimes feel like the characters' thoughts were a bit too on-the-nose, like they were telling us verbatim what we should be getting out of a scene or moment rather than just letting us feel it. It doesn't bother me when this is done once or twice, but towards the end, there were so many moments like this that it detracted from what was happening and slowed things down more than they needed to be.
Peter was such a great character, too. He was like a puppy dog person and just the best dude ever. Everyone needs a Peter in their life to force them to look on the bright side! Plus, his random US president facts were always delightful. Peter could fit in with the characters of a John Green book easily.
A Black Girl Magic, queer love story at a music festival... aka an amazing recipe for a rom-com! I guess it wasn't super funny, but it has the feel of a rom-com.
This book had a slow start but I was crying by the end. (Good crying, though.) Toni and Olivia are so well-written that I didn't even have a favorite narrator, which is hard to do when a book has multiple narrators. The concept of the Farmland Music and Arts Festival was really well thought out and added so many layers to the story; it was the perfect venue for this romance to blossom! (Okay, sorry, I'm being a little cheesy. But rom-coms are supposed to be cheesy, right?)
A great example of how having a crush on someone doesn't have to ruin your friendship with them, how friendships and people change but that's okay, how apologizing is sometimes enough and sometimes not enough. There are some heavy topics in here, but--with incredible finesse--Leah Johnson weaves them together with the lighter and more fun parts of the narrative.
I did sometimes feel like the characters' thoughts were a bit too on-the-nose, like they were telling us verbatim what we should be getting out of a scene or moment rather than just letting us feel it. It doesn't bother me when this is done once or twice, but towards the end, there were so many moments like this that it detracted from what was happening and slowed things down more than they needed to be.
Peter was such a great character, too. He was like a puppy dog person and just the best dude ever. Everyone needs a Peter in their life to force them to look on the bright side! Plus, his random US president facts were always delightful. Peter could fit in with the characters of a John Green book easily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Gun violence
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Biphobia