Name: Bright Before Sunrise
ISBN: 9780802735010

Tiffany Schmidt

Jonah and Brighton are about to have the most awkwardly awful night of their lives. For Jonah, every aspect of his new life reminds him of what he has had to give up. All he wants is to be left alone. Brighton is popular, pretty, and always there to help anyone . . . but has no idea of what she wants for herself. Her seemingly perfect life is marred only by Jonah, the one person who won't give her the time of day, but also makes her feel, well, something. So when they are repeatedly thrown together over the course of one night, anything can-and does-happen. Told in alternating chapters, this poignant, beautiful novel's energy and tension, amidst the humor and romance, builds to a new beginning of self-acceptance and hope.

Bright Before Sunrise

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When I read the blurb for this book originally, I immediately thought of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (one of my favorite books – and movies) and I knew I needed to read it immediately. I was thrilled to get early access to it from the publisher, through NetGalley. It sounded completely charming and I hoped I would love it. I wasn't disappointed! 
Brighton is little miss perfect. She's popular, intelligent, involved in student activities and, darn it, people like her. Her family life is complicated. Her father passed away five years ago, her mother is still a bit of a mess, and her sister is away at college. It took me some time to connect with Brighton. She was maybe just a little too perfect and expected too much of others. 

Jonah is a bit of an outsider. He was forced to leave his friends and girlfriend behind and move to the ritzy Cross Pointe from more or less the other side of the tracks in Hamilton after his mom left his father, remarried and had a baby. He doesn't want to make friends with the people at his new school and he has no desire to be involved with activities or sports there. He's simply biding his time until he graduates and leaves all this behind when he goes to college. I liked Jonah nearly immediately, even though he came off as a bit of a jerk. 

Brighton tries to convince Jonah to participate in an upcoming fundraiser. He's having no part of it. They clash immediately. She's used to people pleasing her. He isn't going to play that game. Through a series of events that take place over the course of one night, they find themselves thrown together. During those few short hours, they realize that while they thought they had each other figured out, there was more to each of them than met the eye... and they have more in common than they might have thought. 

I love books when two people are thrown together for a specific, short period of time. It's fascinating to me to see the type of connection you can make with a person in a short time span. Sometimes it feels forced and unnatural, but that wasn't the case with Bright Before Sunrise. Brighton and Jonah worked well together. Their connection and the progression of that connection felt real and believable. There was a bit of romance, but it wasn't all romance, it was more about learning about someone else and figuring out things about yourself along the way. 
This was a great, quick, engaging read for fans of the young adult contemporary genre. This was the first of Tiffany Schmidt's books that I've read. It certainly won't be the last. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

"One night can change how you see the world. One night can change how you see yourself."


Bright Before Sunrise takes place over the course of one day. One day that just happens to be a very important, and stressful, day for Brighton. Since the loss of her father exactly one year ago, Brighton tries so hard to be tough and strong... yet she's actually falling apart at the seam. She lives every day trying to be the best that she can be, perfect in every situation. She appears as though she's "fine" to her sister and mother to help them with their grieving, yet she never gives in and grieves herself. She's so stuck on being the best at everything she's forgetting to just be herself.

Jonah's been dealt a tough hand. Halfway through his senior year his mother decided to relocate the family to a pretentious, ritzy town he's always hated. After his mother's decision to remarry and have a new baby, Johan feels as though he's just in her way now. He doesn't fit in to her NEW life and NEW family. Jonah comes off at first as a little snarky, cynical, and pissy at best. But he has his reasons. He's pretty mad at the way his life is turning out, something he feels as though he has no control over. His girlfriend, Carly, is the only thing he looks forward to these days.

This story is told through two alternating POV's. I do love alternating POV's, so I was so happy to see this story contained that. I love hearing from both characters, especially when they are equally important to the story, and so totally opposite from each other.

Jonah and Brighton don't start off on the right foot. Everyone... well, almost everyone loves Brighton. She's sweet, pretty, and totally adorable. The most popular girl in school. But not to Jonah. He thinks she's spoiled and fake and outright annoying. She gets on his nerves, acting all perfect and prissy. Brighton doesn't seem to want to accept the fact that someone doesn't like her, so she sets out to find out why he doesn't, and to change his mind about it. And thus the fun begins.

Bright Before Sunrise basically takes place over the course of one drama-filled night. The story, in one word, was real. I loved how authentic the characters were, the situations they fell into, and the way everything played out. From Jonah's honest hatred for a town he was forced to move to, overflowing with stereotypes that have surrounded him for most of his childhood, to Brighton's fear of getting home to late and disappointing her mom and sister, who she constantly put on a big happy front to protect. These two characters, though completely opposite, were both sincerely real and strong characters. And I loved them both equally.

With a fun story line and characters you are sure to feel for, Bright Before Sunrise is a story I think many will enjoy. Most YA readers will be able to connect with at least one, if not both, of these characters, as well as the situations they find themselves in. With a definite Jennifer E. Smith tone to it (both cover and story line), it's a fun story I'm sure many will enjoy as much as I did. 

(Thanks to Walker Childrens and Netgalley for the review copy!)

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