Leah Johnson

A stunning novel about being brave enough to be true to yourself, and learning to find joy even when times are unimaginably dark. Three days. Two girls. One life-changing music festival. Toni is grieving the loss of her roadie father and needing to figure out where her life will go from here -- and she's desperate to get back to loving music. Olivia is a hopeless romantic whose heart has just taken a beating (again) and is beginning to feel like she'll always be a square peg in a round hole -- but the Farmland Music and Arts Festival is a chance to find a place where she fits. The two collide and it feels like something like kismet when a bond begins to form. But when something goes wrong and the festival is sent into a panic, Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other (and music) more than they ever imagined.

Rise to the Sun

From the author of You Should See Me in a Crown, Leah Johnson delivers a stunning novel about being brave enough to be true to yourself, and learning to find joy even when times are unimaginably dark. Olivia is an expert at falling in love . . . and at being dumped. But after the fallout from her last breakup has left her an outcast at school and at home, she’s determined to turn over a new leaf. A crush-free weekend at Farmland Music and Arts Festival with her best friend is just what she needs to get her mind off the senior year that awaits her. Toni is one week away from starting college, and it’s the last place she wants to be. Unsure about who she wants to become and still reeling in the wake of the loss of her musician-turned-roadie father, she’s heading back to the music festival that changed his life in hopes that following in his footsteps will help her find her own way forward. When the two arrive at Farmland, the last thing they expect is to realize that they’ll need to join forces in order to get what they’re searching for out of the weekend. As they work together, the festival becomes so much more complicated than they bargained for. Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other, and music, more than they ever could have imagined. Packed with irresistible romance and irrepressible heart, bestselling author Leah Johnson delivers a stunning and cinematic story about grief, love, and the remarkable power of music to heal and connect us all.

kris

ash (smokedshelves)

this… kind of fell a bit flat for me. and i was really irked by olivia trying to push relationships on imani throughout the brains. idk, i might lower my rating after sitting on it a bit more.

sometimes books are just too much and not enough at the same time

trigger warnings: anxiety, cyberbullying, mentions of a mass shooting, gun violence, nonconsensual image sharing, panic attacks, parental death, PTSD.

cossette

4.5 rounded up to a 5, i think? thoughts to come.

trigger warnings for: death of a parent, grief, slut shaming, cyberbullying, shooting, gun violence, robbery, revenge porn

Lily D

4.5
Absolutely adored this! Review to *probably* come!

Kelsey Holtaway

For a book who’s entire setting and theme is something i have zero interest in, this was lovely, once again proving that Leah Johnson can do no wrong.

Becca Futrell

Krystal Campbell 

Leah Johnson can do no wrong. I loved this book even more than you should see me on a crown. She takes a fun, light hearted contemporary romance and adds depth, humour, likeable character and just makes everyone have a great time!

Emma

I loved this book! The writing gave me actual goosebumps it was so... alive! I loved getting to know all the characters and then getting to see them all get to know themselves. So beautiful and heart-warming.

Kate

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

Rise to the Sun

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