This was nice for a while. I liked where both characters were coming from. Brighton had to deal with her father's death and face the fact that she acts too nice sometimes while Jonah had his new life he was unwilling to accept. I did not particular like how fast everything seemed to go in one. Towards the end I was feeling wary of everything. Too much reveal in one day of really knowing each other I guess? ( )

Wow! That was an awesome book! For once an author actually made the two perspective writing work. I could actually tell who was speaking at a certain time. Jonah was awesome, he wasn't made out like a fake sweet guy. Awesome book for anyone. ( )

As a book reviewer I generally gravitate to novels that other bloggers have reviewed themselves, but in the case of Bright Before Sunrise I didn’t go into it with pre-existing knowledge of popular opinion backing my decision. I hadn’t really heard much of Tiffany Schmidt, either. I just took one look at the gorgeous cover and knew it was something I had to get my hands on.

Before starting the book, all I really knew was that Bright Before Sunrise is another young adult, first person dual narrative of what happens between the two main characters Brighton and Jonah in the course of 24 hours. I haven’t read many books that have taken place in only one night, and I was nervous that this would be another young adult insta-love disappointment.

Thankfully, the opposite turned out to be true. Bright Before Sunrise is a surprisingly emotional read about a girl trying to keep the past alive by taking on her dead father’s persona, and about a boy struggling to live in the past by holding on to an already dead relationship.

Brighton is a main character that showed tremendous growth throughout the novel. While it might not be realistic to grow so much in the course of the night, it was extremely fun to watch her go from a teenager girl willingly living in her father’s shadow to stepping out of her comfort zone and take a chance on a boy who seems to hate everything that he thinks she is about.

At first, all a reader can tell is that she is the kind of girl who spends her whole life trying to please others. Her whole sense of self is rooted in her need to make everybody around her like her – and they do. But the farther along the book goes and the more Jonah learns about her, the more her personality shines through, though it is hidden behind a wall that is devoted to pleasing others and keeping them at arm’s length.

It was extremely hard not to fall for Brighton, but it was even more difficult to like Jonah. Jonah is angry at being forced to move from his home in Hamilton to Cross Pointe, a town filled well-to-do families he and every other Hamilton kid consider “snobby” because they have money. He doesn’t bother to get to know anybody at his new school and then blames Cross Pointe for making him an outcast. Hello! In order for people to like you, you first have to acknowledge their existence. *rolls eyes* Turns out the only snobs in this book is the Hamilton crowd.

By the end of the novel Jonah is making progress in changing his character, but it’s obvious his growth is baby steps in comparison to Brighton. However, that he admits he is in need of a personality change redeems him a lot in my eyes, and I wound up enjoying him a lot more by the time I finished Bright Before Sunrise.

Bright Before Sunrise turned out to be a fast read. I finished it in the course of a night. I loved my first read by Tiffany Schmidt and am saddened that it is a stand alone novel and not a series. I would have loved to be invited back to Cross Pointe in the form of a sequel. I plan to read more from this author and recommend that other young adult romance readers give this novel a go. ( )

Review first appeared on fefferbooks.com. A free advanced reader copy of this book was provided by Walker Childrens in exchange for an honest review. The review below is in no way influenced by this consideration.

I figured it out: I'm pretty sure I dated Jonah Prentiss.

Finishing Bright Before Sunrise was a slightly uncomfortable experience for me, and I couldn't quite figure out why. I blew through the book in just a little over 24 hours, and I liked the story quite a lot. I was completely swept up in Tiffany Schmidt's ability to write real characters--they're flawed, vulnerable, with authentic teenage problems and concerns. I know these kids. I've been to their parties and met their friends, and had those same arguments and awkward moments. I've had those late-night talks when it seems you really know each other, and anything is possible. This is fabulous realistic fiction.

The genius, though, of realistic fiction--any good writing, really--is that it forces us to relate, somehow. If we identify with the characters, the situations, the emotions, we might just find ourselves dredging up some very real memories, and that can trigger unresolved issues.

I found myself entirely charmed by Brighton. Her desire to please and make everyone happy, despite and the stresses it placed on her made her such a lost and fragile character. I felt a same kind of maternal compassion for Jonah, in the beginning: his parents alternatively ignore and emotionally abuse him. He's lonely, angry, defensive. He's a different kind of lost soul, and he needs tender care. Watching his world and Brighton's collide is spectacular--and it is excellently written. I was pleased with the ending, and there were all kinds of lovely moments. I walked away from it, though, feeling shell-shocked, and I couldn't figure out why.

I've spent the last week agonizing over how to rate this book and how to start writing this review, and as I sat down to finally write today, it FINALLY hit me between the eyes: Jonah is ______--that guy I dated one summer. He is SO Jonah! It didn't end well, and there really wasn't any closure, and that's why I've been feeling so unsettled, ever since I hit a certain point in the book. This, I've concluded, is a testament to Schmidt's ability to write so fabulously. Those scenes are REAL. Those characters? REAL. They're so real that they're dredging up little moments that are 15 years in my past! And really, they were lovely moments. It just took me a while to figure out why a novel as lovely and fun as this one was making me feel so weird and unsettled. Now that I've figured it out, I'm much happier. :)

Verdict? As long as you don't have a weird, unresolved issue in your past that directly parallels this book, that you just can't identify (chances of that? Slim!), I think you will adore Bright Before Sunrise. It's a charming, authentic, emotional love story, written from two distinct perspectives, both of whom are sympathetic and kind of fantastic. I think this one will stick with me for a long time.

4 stars. Some sexuality (Jonah is very much an older teenage boy). TV-safe language.

Bright Before Sunrise hits shelves today! Thanks to Walker Childrens/Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for review. ( )

Original Review on BooksTurnBrains.com

I was recommended to try out Bright Before Sunrise by a friend, and as someone who loves great contemporary fiction, I decided to give it a shot.

The Story…
Bright Before Sunrise alternates perspectives between Brighton and Jonah, and the entire story arc takes place within one night. Both Jonah and Brighton are dealing with difficult problems. Jonah having just moved, feels alienated by his parents and misses his old life. Brighton is dealing with the emotions of the anniversary of her father’s death.

In the span of one night, thrown together by coincidence, Brighton and Jonah find one another and ultimately end up helping each other heal and move forward.

What I liked…
Jonah’s character was developed really well. I felt like I actually saw a change in his character from Point A to Point B. I really liked his voice and enjoyed his parts of the story. He came off realistic, and I loved seeing him work through his feelings and emotions. He’s one of the more interesting male characters I’ve read. He’s not written in an idyllic way, which was refreshing.

I liked the premise of Bright Before Sunrise. After my friend recommended it to me, it was one of the big reasons I picked it up. The idea that one night can change everything–that a series of events can cause a rift in someone’s life, changing perspectives and opinions forever–is intriguing. So the premise for this novel was great, and for the most part it delivered.

Lastly, I liked how the story was told. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives, even if I found Jonah more engaging than Brighton. Similarly, I liked the arc of the story itself. Most importantly I liked that it ended slightly open ended–the characters aware that they need to actually explore what they’re feeling outside of the bubble they had created that night.

What I didn’t like…
Brighton’s character arc didn’t feel complete. This was a huge issue for me. I was hoping to see more of her internal struggles regarding her father–living her own life versus living and making all her choices based off of what she thought her dad would want. I wanted to see her set herself free from expectations… and really move forward. Ultimately I felt like nothing with Brighton had really changed. She went out of her comfort zone a few times… but really all that changed was that she had a boy in her life for the first time. I found this a bit anticlimactic.

It’s because of this that I almost felt like somewhere along the way the novel began to focus on the romance. Which wasn’t completely unexpected, however, it overtook some of the bigger things I wished the story had focused on.

The last thing isn’t necessarily something I didn’t like, but it was something I was slightly disappointed in: how predictable Bright Before Sunrise really was. I think this would have been a smaller issue if I didn’t feel that Brighton’s character arc could have been stronger. I knew going in that this was going to be a story about two characters falling for one another by the end of the night, so what I needed was for the characters to be slightly stronger and a bit more complex to make up for what I already knew would happen.

In the end…
…I felt that Bright Before Sunrise was good, but average and predictable. If you’re looking for quick, cute teen romance, Bright Before Sunrise is a great choice. ( )