Sunrise Nights by Brittany Cavallaro, Jeff Zentner
on July 9, 2024
ISBN: 0063324539
Genres: Romance
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Sunrise Nights is a young adult romance uniquely told in prose and verse. Main characters Florence and Jude meet at an art summer camp where on the last night campers have a “sunrise night” where they can roam freely around the town as long as they make the check-ins until sunrise. Florence and Jude meet on a sunrise night and decide on a whim to spend it together and then not talk to each other again, leaving their connection in the hands of fate. Florence is faced with losing her sight and Jude is struggling with big changes in his family. In one night they become close with lots of “will they / won’t they” tension— but then they part ways when the sun comes up. Throughout the next year we follow Florence and Jude as their lives continue and they think about each other. As the book unfolds between sunrise nights and the year apart, prose and verse, Florence and Jude, we are pulled along on the characters’ journeys to discover each other and themselves. I’d recommend this for any secondary collection that’s looking for more romance and especially for those who like novels in verse. While only sections of it are in verse, those sections draw readers in and help change up the pace in an engaging way. This is also great for those who don’t want much physical intimacy as the most that happens between the characters is kissing (though there is mention of a side character and teen pregnancy). I really enjoyed what felt like realistic twists and turns between the two characters and how they developed individually and in foil to each other. The book captures the feeling of summer, possibility, all-nighters, and young love. Four stars.

Reviewed by Katy Jones, Gardiner Area High School Library, Gardiner