ARCs, or advanced reader copies, are copies of books in their pre-published state. These copies are often distributed to reviewers who can read the book, form thoughts around it, and share those thoughts with their respective audience. This helps expose the book to more people who may not have otherwise heard of the title, and can cause them to pre-order the book, or at least spread the word to other readers and pick up a copy once it’s released. Publishers and companies can also hold giveaways of ARCs on platforms such as Goodreads or through Twitter so that ordinary readers have a chance at reader an anticipated title before it is released. I won a copy of The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune through a Goodreads giveaway back in December (and that book was my favorite of January if you want to scroll through to that blog post), and in February Tor Teen ran a week long OTP Sweeps giveaway for five new titles, which is how to came to receive a copy of Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington. I wanted to read the book before its release date, April 7th 2020, so I could share my thoughts, so allow me to do just that.
Sidney and Asher lead separate lives ten months out of the year. They’re not friends, not acquaintances – they might even consider themselves enemies. Once summer hits, both of their families spend 56 days in neighboring houses on the lake. Nothing can stop them from trying to find the ultimate way to prank each other. Well, almost nothing. When one fishy prank goes horribly wrong, and Sidney and Asher’s families are kicked out of their accommodations, Asher leaves a note for Sidney to find on her mirror: Meet me at midnight. They decide to put their feud aside and team up to retaliate against their one common enemy. But here’s the thing: they’ve spent nearly six years at each other’s throats, learning every secret and exploiting every weakness. Maybe, just maybe, something else has been brewing during this prank war, like undeniable attraction.
Out of all the books Tor was hosting giveaways for back in February, this was the book that I simultaneously knew the least about, but was most intrigued by. I had a really fun time reading it, and I think it is a perfect spring / summer YA read. Typically with summer romances, we really only get the perspective of one of the main characters (in a heterosexual romance, typically the female perspective) and once the summer ends, so does the book. So I was excited to see that we do get Asher’s perspective, and the story continues until they’re both at college as teammates on the same swim team. I just found the book extremely enjoyable and easy to read. The fact that Sidney and Asher felt like they were being so sneaky when the entire summer their parents pretty much knew they were together was so relatable — teenagers don’t give their parents enough credit sometimes (I certainly didn’t when I was a teen). It was a heartwarming story filled with pranks and love, but also important conversations about figuring out what you want to do after high school and dealing with familial expectations. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story as a whole there were a few things I wasn’t the biggest fan of. I thought some of Sidney’s friendships, aside from Asher, were underdeveloped, we could’ve spent more time with the parents, and, honestly, I wanted more pranking. I know the ultimate point of Sidney and Asher calling a truce was to realize they had been in love with each other the whole time, but I did miss the pranks a bit. Just a bit, though.
Overall, this book had the warm, cozy feel of a summer read, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it. Highly recommend fans of Morgan Matson and Emma Mills to pick this up after it’s released in April 7th, 2020. You’re in for a roller-coaster of prank wars, painted rocks, 6AM swims, and summer love. Happy reading!
Here’s where you can find Meet Me at Midnight:
Amazon
Goodreads
Jessica Pennington’s Twitter
Excerpt
Thoughts About Things 