frostyreadsss's review against another edition
3.75
TWS: Shooting, revenge porn
I don’t know how I feel about rise to the sun, I really like it, but also dislike a couple things? I cannot say I was disappointed or anything like that because I really knew nothing about this book before reading. All I knew it was queer… I read you should see me in the crown by this author and really liked, so I just went into this one blindly.
The story is told from two povs, Olivia and Toni. The book takes place in 3 days and at a music festival. I loved the setting. The whole music festival vibe was immaculate. Leah Johnson managed to capture the atmosphere of a music festival amazingly. The human connections and the power of life music were written incredibly.
The characters on the other hand, I don’t really know what to think of them. Toni and Peter, I absolutely adored, but Imani and Olivia just kind of icked me. However I did enjoy Toni and Olivia together. They just clicked, I do feel like their relationship seemed a bit rushed, considering all this happens within 3 days and I don’t believe someone can form that good of a connection with another person so quickly, I’d be happy to be proven wrong. (;
The pacing of the book was really good up until the end, I loved the happy, big gesture, ending but leading up to the last scene every thing happened so fast I could barely keep up.
All the negative things aside I still really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.
I listened to the audiobook.
girlreading's review against another edition
4.0
3.5* A lovely f/f contemporary about love, friendship and the magic of live music.
Although I didn't adore this quite as much as Leah Johnson's debut, I'm still so excited about her writing and story telling. She writes in a way that makes you instantly care about what she has to say and fly through her books with comfort and ease.
TW: gun violence
Although I didn't adore this quite as much as Leah Johnson's debut, I'm still so excited about her writing and story telling. She writes in a way that makes you instantly care about what she has to say and fly through her books with comfort and ease.
TW: gun violence
sharkgirl15's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Mass/school shootings
They think there is a shooting but it turns out to be a false alarmbiblioemily's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. This didn't quite have the humor I enjoyed in You Should See Me in a Crown, but I still enjoyed the setting and the romance was cute, even if Olivia's character is kind of oblivious and infuriating at times. :)
kaloughl's review against another edition
3.0
Rise to the Sun delivered the same cute teenage rom com Johnson had made herself known for, only this time amidst a music festival instead of a cut throat prom season. You Should See Me in a Crown was one of my top books of 2020 and I recommend it a lot. This unfortunately means Rise to the Sun has a lot to live up to and it just didn't cut it for me. Olivia is attending her first Farmland Music Festival in an attempt to distract herself from a lingering issue at school. Toni is back at the festival that practically raised her, where her father used to take her every year until he died in an attempt to win the amateur singing competition. The two stumble upon each other, each with a best friend/sidekick in tow and decide to team up to try to win the singing competition and the scavenger hunt. Their instant connection morphs into something more and the festival heals them both in ways they did not imagine.
The story is hella cute and I really enjoyed both the characters and backstories of Olivia and Toni. I also enjoyed their respective best friends, Imani and Peter, and their almost love square turned something way different. I think what lost me was the two perspectives. They were written in similar style and cadence and other that the life details, nothing distinguished Olivia from Toni in language or tone. I looooved Liz Lightly in Johnson's debut novel and simultaneously fell in love with Mack as the novel progressed, not because I was reading Mack's perspective but because she was framed so perfectly from Liz' perspective. I personally felt the change to two perspectives weakened both characters enough that I couldn't form the same connections. Also, I am not a music festival scene kind of girl so was not intrigued at all by the setting (it in fact stressed me out... all those people and camping?!) which was another notch against it.
Though it has the same high energy, cute-a-f romantic storyline with some real examinations of deeper subjects, Rise to the Sun just didn't live up to it's older sibling You Should See Me in a Crown. I'd still recommend it to readers of YA romance, especially LGBTQIA+ romance because it's strong on most levels and will hit you in the feels.
The story is hella cute and I really enjoyed both the characters and backstories of Olivia and Toni. I also enjoyed their respective best friends, Imani and Peter, and their almost love square turned something way different. I think what lost me was the two perspectives. They were written in similar style and cadence and other that the life details, nothing distinguished Olivia from Toni in language or tone. I looooved Liz Lightly in Johnson's debut novel and simultaneously fell in love with Mack as the novel progressed, not because I was reading Mack's perspective but because she was framed so perfectly from Liz' perspective. I personally felt the change to two perspectives weakened both characters enough that I couldn't form the same connections. Also, I am not a music festival scene kind of girl so was not intrigued at all by the setting (it in fact stressed me out... all those people and camping?!) which was another notch against it.
Though it has the same high energy, cute-a-f romantic storyline with some real examinations of deeper subjects, Rise to the Sun just didn't live up to it's older sibling You Should See Me in a Crown. I'd still recommend it to readers of YA romance, especially LGBTQIA+ romance because it's strong on most levels and will hit you in the feels.
tanya_raeds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i actually didn't finish the book...
cerysgardner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
eli_b0204's review against another edition
2.0
This would have probably been a one star book for me, if not for the characterization which was beautifully executed. Unfortunately, I've discovered that romances that start over a very short ammount of time is just not my thing, so this one kind of fell flat for me....
willow_reads1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! Both of the characters felt fully fleshed out and like their own people with their own personalities. I loved all of the important topics this touched on (I will say that it talks about some heavy things so check the tws) The whole music festival setting was so fun. I loved that we had a couple different goals our MCs were working towards it kept me interested for most of the book. I will say that I don’t really know how I feel about the ending the third act break up felt a little odd to me. Overall though I really enjoyed this and loved the characters!