Jay Asher

Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon - it's an idyllic place for a girl to grow up, except that every year they have to pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life begins to eclipse the other. . .

What Light

When Sierra falls for Caleb, a boy who made a terrible mistake years before, she is determined to help him find forgiveness, despite the disapproval and suspicions they meet.

trixie

i love them and the vibe of this book don’t get me wrong but. anyone else feel like it’s a lil weird that this man went after his younger sister with a knife and we’re all just supposed to be fine with that

From the author of Thirteen Reasons Why, I expect a lot from this book but sadly there's nothing really special about this. It's good and it was short and it was so simple. There's nothing really going on the story. There are some quiet good moments and scenes and it teaches some life lessons but there's nothing really to hype for. Still good job Mr. Author.

Not what I expected. I was really excited for this book. I had promised myself to read it during the holidays but I couldn't help myself. It was definitely not what I expected but I still loved it. It was a quick read but didn't have me on the edge of my seat as I wanted. However, the read was worth it because I truly fell in love with the characters and story. I loved seeing the relationships between Sierra and Caleb unfold slowly but beautifully. This love story was adorable and one not to be missed.

Melissa Palmer

Book #133 Read in 2016
What Light by Jay Asher

This is a sweet love story that is a perfect Christmas read. Sierra's parents head to CA one month a year to run their Christmas tree farm. Sierra, this year, meets up with Caleb, a local boy, and is drawn to him. But there are rumors of his violent past and the time table that is working against them. Will they find love in spite of the obstacles? Great read for high school girls and adults.

Shaimaa Emad Fekry

super underrated for some reason.
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What light is by Jay asher the writer of #13reasonswhy which tbh is the main reason I picked it up at the first place.
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It's light romance slash teen which is a cool genre.
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The book is about a girl living in a Christmas trees lot, she meets a guy whith bad reputation slash rumours but she accepts that anyway.
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One thing I love about it is the Christmas theme♡ it's giving me holiday vibes which I'm in love with♡
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About 250 pages which is fair.
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It's not super thrilling and sometimes I got bored tbh idk if it's the genre or it's just me
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Would I recommnd it? Yes especially for beginner English readers cuz it's short and simply written.

Emily Chernisky

We have all heard of a summer romance, but this is next level. A mysterious guy and a girl who is only there for the Christmas tree season develope a romance and friendship that honest to goodness will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. Sierra's family goes to California from Oregon for one month every year to run the family tree lot, but this may be their last Christmas in California. I love how the relationships and situations are completely realistic, which only makes the reader more attached to the characters. If you enjoy teen romance at it's most difficult and romantic, this book is perfect for you! I'll be honest, this book has me tearing up a little.

Shawna Delellis

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was expecting this cutesy and adorable romance, which I got, but it also deals with forgiveness, friendships, and Christmas spirit!

Sierra lives on a tree farm in Oregon with her family. And then her family travels to California to set up a Christmas tree farm from the day before Thanksgiving until Christmas. Sierra actually likes this because she has friends in both states. But at the same time, she wishes she could finish school in Oregon instead of finishing all her school work at the trailer she lives in while staying in California. At the same time, she can't imagine spending the Holidays in California. Unfortunately, this year may be Sierra's last time at California since her parents may not go down to set up the tree lot.

I did mention this had an adorable romance so let's introduce the guy! Caleb has had a rough past that he's still dealing with. When he meets Sierra, she's skeptical of him when she hears rumors about him, but she decides to give him a chance and see for herself if he's dangerous or not. And this is where all the forgiveness comes to play. You see, Caleb still tortures himself over what he did all those years ago. When he shares with Sierra what he did, she sees past what he did and starts showing him that it's okay to move on. Besides, it's obvious Caleb isn't dangerous. The guy works at a diner and the money he earns, he uses it to buy Christmas trees to families who can't afford to buy a nice tree. I found that to be so nice from him and my heart was melting with all his good deeds.

I loved Sierra's parents and how they were protective, but at the same time giving her space to make the right decision. I wish we would see more of that in YA stories since I think this shows to be a healthy relationship between a parent and their child. Now, the ending of the story could have been better. I would say it was left open to the imagination, in a way, and I like when there's full closure. At the same time, I liked it since it seemed fitting.

Overall, What Light is great for a Christmas read. It's full of Holiday spirit, sharing, caring, forgiveness, opportunities, and love.

I received a finished copy from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Nicole Dykeman

This is a good Christmastime read. It's full of cliches, but I liked the characters. I wish it were just a bit longer, because Sierra and Caleb's relationship felt a tiny bit rushed, but it wasn't instalove, which was nice.

Lauren Tabor

*3.75
Super cute Christmas romance. I love the Christmas tree farm setting and everything about that. A super fast and simple read, perfect for the holidays

Mina bursalioglu

It was definitely a cute quick read. There were parts that I loved but overall felt like it lacked something. I still haven't placed my finger on what but it might be my lack of connection with the characters.

Shan

Emi Gilmore 

I know this is a book about Christmas, and it's currently May, but I wanted some holiday happiness in my life and I absolutely loved it.

Katie Kite

Yikes yikes yikes okay. So I really enjoyed 13 Reasons Why. I really did. It had problems, but I really did like it. So I was super optimistic about this other one from Jay Asher. I had an Audible credit so I decided to go for this one and man. Man oh man. Not good, really not good. I will give it a very tentative 3 out of 5 stars IF I had read the physical copy. If I had read the physical copy I could have skimmed through and gotten through it a lot quicker. My physical reading comprehension operates way faster than my listening comprehension so listening to it at double speed wasn't a great option. 
I really just don't feel like this was written well? Like it isn't like I wasn't expecting something light and sweet and fluffy but this was a step too far even for me. It was full of tired tropes and cliches and overused phrases and I was heavily not impressed. Basically the entire conflict, to me anyway, revolved around a dad not trusting his daughter to date a boy? And I am so so beyond tired of that trope. I've been wanting to make book videos for ages and only two books have really inspired me to make videos; Aristotle and Dante for how lovely it was and this one for how disappointing.

Sophia De La Garza

4 stars, a nice cheesy christmas romance with really cute feels.

ashley hopkins

Adored it. I agree with someone on that said it would make a cute hallmark movie for Christmas.

Mollee Clingenpeel

13 Reasons Why is one of my favorite books, so I was really excited when I found out Jay Asher had written another book. And it did not disappoint! This book was amazing! I loved it so much! It's such a feel good heartwarming story with a little bit of tragedy thrown in for the perfect mix of feelings. I'm also glad that I saved this book to read closer to Christmas, it was a good book to put me more in the holiday spirit. I loved everything about this book and Jay Asher is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to see more from him in the future!

Emily

I planned on reading this last year near Christmas, but I was burnt out from contemporary books at the time. That made me a bit nervous to pick it up this year because I associated it with putting it down. However, this time around I really enjoyed it!

I like Caleb. I like him even more every time I see him. And this can only lead to disaster.

What Light is about Sierra, a girl who leaves her Oregon Christmas tree farm every holiday season to help run her family's tree lot in California. There, she meets Caleb and starts to catch feelings. But how could she catch feelings when she knows she'll have to leave in just a few short weeks? It's something she will have to consider, but maybe a romance with an expiration date is just what she needs. Or, maybe, something even more.

The writing of this book is super effective. It's relatively simple, but also really compelling. You just can't stop flipping pages once you start. The plot itself isn't insanely gripping, but that hardly matters when it's a 250 page Christmas rom-com lol. That being said, Jay Asher definitely did add in a few exciting things to keep you interested. 

This book does somewhat use the withholding information trope which I normally really do not like, but in this case it wasn't the worst thing ever. Do I think it could have done just fine without it? Yes. But did I find it insufferable in this instance? No, because, being such a short book, he really didn't drag it out for very long at all. 

While quite simple, this story does manage to include several interesting themes. It discusses forgiveness and not judging others solely on their past. It covers dealing with a falling out between friends, and also the importance of having hard conversations. I think this book is honestly more educational (in some ways lol obviously not all the cheesey Christmas stuff) than most people would probably consider it to be. I always draw pieces of myself from characters I read in fiction, and I know I'll be thinking back to Sierra when I eventually face certain problems as well.

I was also very surprised, yet pleased to see the topic of an unwanted suitor tackled in here too. I feel like that's something everyone, especially girls, deal with, and there really isn't much of it depicted in media. I think it was handled very appropriately here, yet didn't shy away from how uncomfortable or even scary it can be.

I'm really glad I got around to this festive book this holiday season! It was the perfect quick read to help me relax during finals and get me hyped for Christmas. It was a bit sad to read about people having all this fun in public while I'm stuck at home, but hey, at least it served as some escapism. Asher's writing is so engaging, and I eagerly await hearing what he writes next.

Alexis 

I adored this book. I read some of it and listened to some on audiobook. I really liked the couple in this book! The most aggravating thing about this book to me were the best friends. They really annoyed me to no end. Also the sister of the ex best friend.... I wanted to punch her. And I hated the guy who worked on the lot....he just pissed me off. Everything he did was because he was petty AF. If you know who I'm talking about let me know how you felt about him. Still enjoyed the story, it was cute and adorable and I can't wait to read more from this author.

Becca Leigh

Cute, warm Christmas contemporary with its fair share of secrets and drama. The romance was really adorable, but I really wish they would have developed the characters more, especially the supporting friend and family roles. They were pretty one-dimensional. Still a cute little story, and it was good for the season!

Clara hash

Sarra Maria

⭐Officially my go-to book for the winter season.⭐ 
The balance between the winter spirit, combined with romance and comedy is exquisite, and I look forward to reading it again this December, and every other December to come✨

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! From Jay Asher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why, comes a holiday romance that will break your heart, but soon have you believing in love again. . . . "A beautiful story of love and forgiveness." —Stephen Chbosky, New York Times bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it's a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other. By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb's past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love. What Light is a love story that's moving and life-affirming and completely unforgettable. From the Hardcover edition.