A review by jjenreads
Midnights with You by Clare Osongco

5.0

"Midnights with You" by Clare Osongco is one of those books that pulls you in with a quiet intensity and leaves you thinking about it long after the last page. It follows Deedee, a seventeen-year-old whose life is wrapped in layers of family secrets, guilt, and the heavy weight of unspoken trauma. She meets Jay, the boy across the street, with his own baggage, and the two connect through sleepless nights and secret driving lessons, finding solace in each other’s messy lives.

Deedee and Jay’s relationship is raw, real, and not without its complications. The beauty of their midnight escapades is both an escape and a mirror for their pain—they’re two people just trying to understand themselves in the middle of family trauma(and drama) they didn’t choose but have to live with. And there’s something so relatable in the way Deedee is just stuck, feeling the pressure to be the perfect daughter while wanting so much to break free and live her own life.

What I loved most is that Clare doesn’t shy away from hard truths. The story doesn’t wrap up with a neat, fairy-tale ending. Instead, it’s full of heartache and hope, asking if we can really let go of the pain passed down to us and choose something better. It’s a story about finding strength in vulnerability and learning that sometimes, facing the truth is the bravest thing you can do.

If you’re into coming-of-age stories that tackle family, love, and mental health with honesty and sensitivity, "Midnights with You" is worth adding to your list. It’s haunting in the best way, and Deedee and Jay will stay with you, making you wish for just one more midnight spent together.


stayed up until 5am to complete this book in one setting, that's how good it is