What Happens After Midnight

by K.L. Walther

Lily Hopper has two more weeks until she's officially finished with boarding school. With graduation quickly approaching Lily is worried that she's somehow missed out on the fun of being in high school. So, when she receives a mysterious note inviting her to join the anonymous senior class Jester in executing the end-of-year prank, Lily sees her chance to put her goody-two-shoes reputation behind her.

When Lily realizes the Jester is none other than Taggart Swell, her ex- boyfriend, she's already in too deep to back out. Lily might've dumped Tag, but she still has major feelings. Plus, his brilliant plan to steal the school's yearbooks, targets none other than Lilly's prom date: the Senior Class President, Daniel.

As the group of pranksters hide cryptic clues across campus for Daniel to find, Lily and Tag find themselves in close quarters. As the exes dodge Campus Safety guards, night owl teachers, a troop of freshmen, and even Daniel himself, new sparks fly. But old hurts and painful secrets refuse to be ignored. And with graduation on the horizon, Lily can only hope that breaking the rules will help mend her heart.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Young Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance

384 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2023

About the author

K.L. Walther was born and raised in the rolling hills of Bucks County, Pennsylvania surrounded by family, dogs, and books. Her childhood was spent traveling the northeastern seaboard to play ice hockey. She attended a boarding school in New Jersey and went on to earn a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia. She is happiest on the beach with a book, cheering for the New York Rangers, or enjoying a rom-com while digging into a big bowl of popcorn and M&Ms.

Reviews

[Haley pham · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

[mitra ౨ৎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

the main character’s nickname is hopscotch because she likes hopscotch. that should tell you enough about this book.

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a pretty simple book - everything you need to know is in the synopsis - but i think that simplicity lends well to the atmosphere of youth and freedom the story is trying to create. its such a fun and cute concept that sets the foundation for a really sweet coming of age story.

but i just could not click with the writing. the pacing is super inconsistent, there are really random shifts between past and present that arent clearly marked which make the narrative feel disjointed (this could just be an ARC issue), the dialogue is cringey at times, and the ending feels a bit rushed.

so its a bummer that the execution of the story doesnt quite live up to its potential.

thanks for the ARC, sourcebooks fire.

↠ 2.5 stars

[kinley grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

the amount of taylor swift references in this made my heart so happy

[K.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The vibes brought by K.L. Walther continue to be 🔥🔥🔥 as in TSOBR, and now add extra doses of 🥰and 🃏. The reader doesn’t merely imagine the Ames School campus but is, in fact, transported there. You can actually smell the 🌊 air. The witty banter between Lily and Tag is so natural that it becomes #goals.”

- K.L.'s Male Associate, via text

[Grace (irisroman & evajacks' version) ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

･:*:･ﾟ⁀➷ 3.5/5 ★

I had a really fun time with this one! 🤭🤭 A super entertaining plot, cute romance and taylor swift references- it was the perfect quick ya contemporary 💜💜

“- I hate you!
- I don't believe you.
- Why not?
- Because you've got my favorite smile on your face-”

What Happens After Midnight follows Lily Hopper, who is two weeks away from graduating from her fancy boarding school. Looking back at her school experience, she realises that she has been a goody two shoes and may have missed out on the fun of high school. So when she realises a message inviting her to join the anonymous Jester on the traditional senior end-of-year prank, Lily seizes her chance. Little does she know that the Jester is actually her ex-boyfriend, Tag, and doing the prank together might make old feelings reappear...

i think i've put myself in a bit of a fantasy slump and needed something a bit different- and this really helped with that! This was my first book by this author and i could definitely see myself reading more from them in the future 🫶🫶

This was such a quick, entertaining read! ✨️ Once i started, I couldn't put it down and K.L. Walther's writing was so easy to read. I thought the plot of them sneaking around doing the prank was really fun and provided the perfect set-up for the romance 🥰 Plus the taylor swift references?! *chef's kiss* 😌🤌 i loved how subtle a lot of them were, but reading books from swiftie authors as a swiftie is the best thing ever 🤭🤭💘💘

Character-wise, i liked them! not of them were my fav, but it was a decent cast of characters overall 🫶🫶

➵ Lily: she was an okay fmc. Not my fav ever, but i liked her! 🥰
➵ Tag: other than his name (seriously, who thought 'taggart swell' was a good idea?! 😭😭), i really liked him!! 🫶🫶 he was super fun and playful, while also having his sweet moments. he was a great love interest! 💓💓
➵ Alex: he was such a great side character and him & tag's friendship?! literally the most wholesome thing ever 🥹🥹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 i really liked him 😚

The romance definitely wasn't the best ever, but it was fun!! 🫶🫶 i really liked how it was second chance and the flashbacks of when tag and lily first started dating was so sweet 🥹🥹 They had a lot of chemistry and were just a super cute couple 💓💓

I did have a few issues tho. I honestly wish we'd gotten more of the flashbacks bc like i said, they were so wholesome and i honestly liked the romance more in the past than the present 🫤 plus i think the book was a little surface level and none of the characters/the storyline didn't have much depth 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

“I shall either find a way or make one.”

Overall, a really entertaining read! 🥰🥰 I would recommend if you're looking for:

✔️ Cute second chance romance
✔️ Ya contemporary
✔️ Taylor swift references
✔️ Bingeable

I had a lot of fun 💜💜

《 2024 Challenge: Book 10 of 115 》

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was a lot of fun!! 💜💜 super easy to read, a cute second chance romance & I loved the Taylor swift references 😚

Rtc! 🫶

[dee ౨ৎ [semi-ia] · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars ☆
➼ young adult, second chance trope
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

°˖➴ Wow! That was a horrible book!
I have a lot of things to say

the plot ⋆ ˚｡⋆ It was boring. It fell so flat, it was predictable, repetitive and overall just badly written. The flashbacks/transitions were so random. The main idea was great but it was so badly done. The prank was a huge flop it wasn’t even funny they kept getting caught like how bad are you at just being fucking quiet?
THE TS REFERENCES!! Taylor swift should sue her for using her song titles so badly and so repetitively in a book it was cute and fun at first and then it became so annoying and they made no sense! Someone was pointing a gun to her head or something. We should start a petition to stop using taylor as a marketing item.

the (?)romance(?) ⋆ ˚｡⋆ It gave me the ick! I’ll give you a second to guess their nicknames for each other… SMOOSH AND HOPSCOTCH.



I can’t even. And the inside joke they have is not funny. “Tag you’re it“ wow you’re so mature girl congrats… let’s talk about how they solved 2 years worth of problems in one night 💀


characters ⋆ ˚｡⋆ Lily was cringe. “I swear like a sailor” then proceeds to say stuff like “shitballs” Tag was just there, I honestly didn’t care about him, lilys mom was sweet. Alex and Zoe were the saving grace of this book but they only appeared for what 10% of the book? That’s nice 😀…

ⵌ if you liked this book then good 4 u ig! Don’t come for me I’m just a girl with strong opinions

──────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────

The review I was writing while reading it

I’m gonna rate it 2 stars (and I’m being nice in reality I think of it as a 1 star)
It’s legit confusing and the nicknames… smoosh and hopscotch? Please stop 😐 & the transitions are so random she sees ketchup and she’s like “tag the love of my life”
The TS references is literally all this book is? (Wanna be lynn painter?) no one needs to mention “no body no crime” that many times this is so forced. They are so randomly placed and the way she mentioned getaway car 3 times in 2 sentences?

[jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

the summer of broken rules was better.


would recommend if you want something not so focused on romance and more of a fun YA plot


i skimmed the later half just cause it was focused on their prank and i didn’t care anymore 😐 but the miscommunication was so so strong and tag was kinda a bitch 🫣


ts references kept me going though 😌

[ellie જ⁀➴ · Rating 3 out of 5]

➳ 3.5 ☆! 🍇 mini review
⤷ super fast-paced, teen romance, and a beautiful cover!

“We'd dated for almost two years. I had been so in love with him, and our memories - even silly arguments - were like my favorite movie. I replayed them over and over in my head”

🎧 - afterglow
it's all me in my head
i'm the one who burned us down
but it's not what I meant
sorry that I hurt you
---
tell me that it's not my fault
tell me that I'm all you want
even when I break your heart

₊‧꒰my thoughts꒱ ‧₊
⤷ OH THE WAY AFTERGLOW IS THEIR SONG 😭 along with many other book couples, but still! honestly, I had a good time with this one. I'm a bit sad though because I wish it were at least a 4 star. but nonetheless, the vibes were great and I love k.l. walther's writing! super easy, but also doesn't cringe me out. mind you, they're seniors in HS with the setting of a rhode island boarding school! 🤭 anyways, my only differences are that I didn't FULLY connectt to our characters, and the story fell short in way? idk it just didn't have that emotional punch for me! this book was just entertaining. on the bright side, I had SUCH a fun time annotating this + catching all the subtle TS references lol <3 overall, I do recommend BUT SUMMER OF BROKEN RULES WAS BETTER IMO!! please go read that one if you wanna try her work first 💗 to end off, I cant wait to read 2 of her new releases! the theme of all her covers are stunning, happy reading everyone 🫂

"I hate you"
"I don't believe you."
"Why not?"
"Because you've got my favorite smile on you face"

₊‧more songs ‧₊
♪ the very first night
♪ the story of us
♪ so it goes
♪ mine
♪ jump then fall
♪ you belong with ME


-----------------------


🍇| ‧꒰ა preview! ໒꒱
look, as much as i LOVE pink covers, i love purple covers too <3 so lets take a moment for this one 🤭 anyways im super exciting to be reading this, because i NEED a fluffy romance rn, idk why but the month of march has not graced me with any 4/5 star reads, soo i hope we can go somewhere with this one 💐💐 plus, i love the books this author has put out already soo the chances are high 😚😚 enjoy the last week of march yall <33

[Chelsea Humphrey]

The frustrating thing about this book is that 80% of it is straight up told in the synopsis. Like exactly what unfolds. To the point that it felt like a waste of time reading the book, because it felt like the majority of it had already been spoiled for me. It’s a shame the reader doesn’t get to experience the plot unfolding organically, and I wonder if my rating would have been higher had the powers that be decided not to include SO much in the jacket blurb. Gorgeous cover, and I’ve enjoyed the author’s previous novel The Summer of Broken Rules. If you’re planning on reading this one, do yourself a favor and go in blind without the summary.

*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

[Madison]

This adorable second-chance romcom is full of endless Schitt’s Creek & Taylor Swift references!! It feels like curling up on a porch swing on a warm summer night and will leave you smiling silly ◡̈

Tropes
- second chance romance
- senior year prank
- good girl x popular guy
- Rhode Island setting

[Alex.andthebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Mając w pamięci to jak czułam się po „Lato złamanych zasad” i jak dobrze bawiłam się podczas tamtej lektury (nie miałam praktycznie żadnych zastrzeżeń) musiałam tutaj nieco odjąć. Przez to, że 80% akcji książki dzieje się przez jedną noc, a ja poznaję bohaterów „z opowieści” - wzmianek, wspomnień itp., czułam się trochę tak jakbym praktycznie w ogóle ich nie poznała. Nie zdążyłam się z nimi związać.
Na wielki plus relacja Lily z mamą, motyw błazna i choroby jednego z bohaterów - bardzo to cenię! Przyjemna lektura, ale myślę, że szybko o niej zapomnę.

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

rating: 5 stars

i have been so excited about this book coming out ever since i had read the summer of broken rules which is one of my very favorites, and this book was worth the wait! i loved the main characters and the jester plot with sneaking out and THE BOARDING SCHOOL!! i love that setting. lily hopper is the most likable character and person and she is kind and confident and has such good chemistry with tag. tag is my favorite he is so cute and sarcastic! i think that the book was super easy to read and enjoyable and the way the group of tapped jesters came together and had fun was so cute and overall this was a really swoon worthy book including all the romantic gestures and how they both were falling for eachtoher all over again. please read this book!
ALSO THE TAYLOR REFERENCES JUST MADE ME SO MUCH MORE IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰ 2.75 stars ✰

“Aut viam inveniam aut facium.
I shall either find a way or make one.”



If at every given chance, I was counting the pages to see how much of What Happens After Midnight remained till it finished, then that's a serious problem. Like, major - one that I really don't ever want to have while reading a book - a book I was actually looking forward to! Alas, it was a premature hope that this would be a satisfying read, cuz, wow, that was probably the longest hours after midnight I've ever read! I kept thinking, will this night ever end! 😭 There had to be some sorcery behind how every character was so upbeat the next day,after staying awake all night, because I was an exhausted pile of limbs - and all I did was read it. 😩

“Because there were only two options when it came to Taggart Swell: loving him with every bone in my body and beat of my heart or cutting ties with him completely.”

I try to be nice in my reviews - emphasis, try - but, this was just sad to read. I don't mean it was a sad book, just so very boring to read. I may not be the target YA audience, so seniors who may want to relive those final few days before graduation with senior pranks, and rekindling old flames may very well enjoy it. 🤷 But, I think the fault here lay in how much we get to see so much reflection from Lily's view on how great her love with Taggert was for the past three years and then, it just takes six hours for their love to finally be reawakened through a guise of antics that forces them to spend time together and re-evaluate their relationship. 😮‍💨

“We’d dated for almost two years. I had been so in love with him, and our memories—even the silly arguments—were like my favorite movie. I replayed them over and over again in my head.

Which, deep down, I knew meant I was in love with him still.”

I wish I could have cared about literally anything in this, because there was really nothing wrong - it just felt too good - too perfect - maybe too bland - much like Goody-Two Shoes Fac Brat Lily - everything and everyone was perfectly resolved - the air was just rift with no problems or ill-will - just those free-spirited vibes to make their lasting mark on their school in style. 🥱

Even the side characters didn't very much standout, Tag, himself was portrayed as such a great likeable guy, judging from how much Lily adored him in her memories, that when they finally became a couple again, it was so lackluster and without a believable spark, I was just relieved that this night was finally over. Sadly, it wasn't. 😔

Maybe if the story wasn't so divided between Lily lamenting her lost chances with Tag and recounting her perfect past with him, and more so on maybe some kinda drama between the two of them, it might have woken me up.... 🤔

Maybe...

[mona ♡ (wishbone edition) · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐⭐ 2 stars

okay if you loved this book look away now this review will only hurt you.

kill me now i definitely should have dnf'd this. it felt like this book was literally only written so that k.l. walther could have a shit ton of taylor swift references. i was loving them at first but as the book goes on they get worse and worse. they felt so forced and fake that it took the fun out of it. the shear amount of times they said "no body, no crime" wasn't even funny.
also the whole thing surrounding their latin class was dumb. no one actually gives that much of a shit about fucking latin it's just a class calm down.

this book could have been really good actually, i loved the idea of the plot but it was all poorly executed. the idea is that this group of kids put on this elaborate senior prank in the middle of the night, and two of them are exes. magically (again this is over the course of one night) the two exes sort out all their problems and get back together. um what? also the fact that they were able to put all the clues out in less than 5 hours didn't make sense bc they made it seem like the campus was freaking huge.

i spent the majority of this book either cringing or sitting there like "how tf did that even work what in the world". this book was more inconsistent than amber heard.

the amount time i spent cringing reading this book was honestly sad. the way they say "tag, you're it" bc the mmc's name is tag? that's not funny. the way tag's nickname for lily is hopscotch bc she does hopscotch for a victory dance? honestly both of those parts of that are dumb af i'm crying. lily's nickname for tag being "smoosh" bc he "smooshes her" in his hugs? girl what?? if any of these things were a singular event it'd be one thing but this is throughout the whole book, like we never get a break 😭😭 also the amount of times that lily said tag had "evergreen" eyes made me want to end it all. also when tag told lily that she "still had his favorite smile on her face" kinda gave me the ick idk why.

i don't like either of the mc's enough to cover them separately, they both suck. ALEX AND ZOE THO
their backs have gotta be hurting from CARRYING this whole book. honorable mentions anthony and maya <3

okay but to end on a high note lily and her mom's relationship was actually really cute. it was definitely similar to rory and lorelai from gilmore girls but their aversion to coffee got super annoying. also, josh was definitely based off luke from gilmore girls like he even owned a diner.

at this rate i'm just proud of myself for finishing this book and writing this review.

love y'all babes <3


˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖♡︎˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖♡︎˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧

i can't rn

i finished this last night and then slept for like 11 hours pray for me

rtc

speak now reading challenge: last kiss

[Carolina⁷.° · Rating 1 out of 5]

the author said in the acknowledgments it took her almost a decade to write this. believe me, we can tell. it should’ve stayed in the drafts.

[ray ౨ৎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars ! 𓏲 ࣪₊♡𓂃
ya contemporary romance ┆15+ ┆language ┆spice & innuendos ┆side lgbt couples

꒰🪻꒱ if you asked me for the plot of this book i would not be able to answer because it’s nonexistent!! 😗 but seriously, this actually sucked. it was SO uneventful, and basically just some characters that i’m not attached to pulling off a senior prank that didn’t evoke a single emotion in me besides anger bc the reason tag (yes, that’s right, the love interest’s name is taggart, tag for short 😀) and lily broke up was so dumb and could’ve been solved really quickly if they just discussed it instead of lily never bringing it up so tag didn’t know 💀💀 like the miscommunication<<<

➛ romance:
it was trying to be ‘second chance’ in a desperate attempt to make it unique but the mcs never fell out of love for each other so there was no cute falling for each other again like before, but just them attracted to each other since there was forced proximity, and to make up for it there was unnecessary innuendos and a spice scene and the fmc gets a hickey 🙄

➛ the writing:
so choppy. like there would be a flashback out of nowhere and it wasn’t italicized so you wouldn’t know if it was present or past and i would have to reread it to understand 😫 and on top of that, so. many. pop culture references 😭 like i get that’s modern society so idrc if there’s a couple but there were so muchhhh. to sum this book up, it was a chore to read for me personally.

➛ character analysis:
ੈ🥞‧₊˚ lily. she was SO insufferable. she kept moping ab her and tag’s breakup when it was over a year ago. plus, she’s the one that broke up with him!! like if she talked ab her feelings with him this book wouldn’t exist. she was also really basic and had no personality

ੈ⛵‧₊˚ tag. he was okay. wasn’t annoying, but he also wasn’t memorable, and definitely isn’t even close to being a book bf.

⤿ shoutout to josh and lily’s mom, bc they were the only people i cared ab ! they kinda reminded me of luke and lorelai from gilmore girls.

[melanie (semi-hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

➤𝟒 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ✨

There are books that can't seem to keep my attention for long periods and then there are books that I can't put down. Fortunately, it is the latter. I surprisingly ate this book up. I jumped in head first and never looked back. Basically, I read this book within a 24hr span. I kept telling myself, 1 more chapter, but I just couldn't. There were faults within this book, but were easily swept under the rug.

This book wasn't necessarily memorable, but was wholly enjoyable. Character names have already been forgotten and it's been 2 days since I've finished it...The plot though, how could I forget it? This book was entertaining and enticing. Who wouldn't love a fast-paced YA story that's easy to understand? The writing isn't exactly lyrically satisfying, but simple and engaging.


Honestly, I knew nothing going into this book, but it doesn't hurt to know a little bit. Below, there's no more information than what is given in the book's synopsis, but if you don't want to know anything, then just skip over the brief plot overview. 😊

The Plot

Senior year is coming to an end at the boarding school, and yet, Lily hasn't exactly lived her life to the fullest. The school's mysterious jester has yet to pull the annual school prank, and so why not accept the Jester's invitation to become one of their accomplices? Lily doesn't expect the Jester to be someone she knew intimately, but it's too late to back out. A night full of excitement and anticipation pulling a one of a kind prank, but also rekindling a relationship Lily never wanted to end.

A great plus if you're a swifie is that there are like 30+ Taylor Swift references (yes, I did count). I couldn't get enough of this book and I am so happy that I didn't shy away from this book. Highly recommended if you can't tell already.

[Monique Soleil ☀️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“No body, no crime.”

There is truly no better time to read a Taylor Swift coded book than right now before she starts the ''Eras' tour. And as a Canadian still waiting for international dates, ‘What Happens After Midnight’ was everything I needed to get a better grip on my concert FOMO.

This book includes:
- a plethora of Taylor Swift references (enough that if you received a nickel for every reference, you would be able to afford tickets to her concert)
- boarding school after dark
- senior prank
- second chance romance
- major Luke and Lorelai vibes for 2 adults
-Schitts creek references.

I really enjoyed this book! Perfect end of school year vibes with a diverse, fun and comforting friend group. This is a book you'll read and think... everything has changed. As in your bookshelf will never again lack a book written by this amazing author.

How many T Swift references did you catch on your first read through? My current total is: 23

Special shoutout to Haley Pham for putting K.L. Walther on my radar.

Thank you to netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for an e-arc of this book!!

[annie ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”you’ve got my favorite smile on your face”

i have no words. i adore lily + tag with all of my heart. tag is the sweetest and i couldn’t help loving him from the start. it felt like i knew all the characters and i wish i went to a school like ames. perfect beginning of summer read i wish i could read it for the first time again

[Fakiha · Rating 3 out of 5]

“- I hate you!
- I don't believe you.
- Why not?
- Because you've got my favorite smile on you face-”

I enjoyed this one more than I expected because I wasn’t sure if I’d like this second-chance romance but I did, a lot! The characters’ relationship was so cute and the flashbacks, even though the author could’ve transitioned them better, of Lily and Tag were so wholesome. Though, if I'm being honest, for me this was a pretty forgettable book with plain characters.

The writing was a bit cringy at times, but not so much that it was unreadable or anything and it could be looked past. The plot, aka the Jack’s prank, wasn’t the most interesting thing ever, Lily and Tag’s chemistry and dynamic kept things moving.

Read my full review here: Click Here!


“We'd dated for almost two years. I had been so in love with him, and our memories - even silly arguments - were like my favorite movie. I replayed them over and over in my head”

[yasmin!! (in sadie wen mode) ࣪ ִֶָ☾. · Rating 1 out of 5]

{🃏 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕤 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕚𝕕𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 🌙}
╰┈➤ 𝐃𝐍𝐅 @ 𝟑𝟎% (𝟏 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 ⭐)

🄼🅈 🅃🄷🄾🅄🄶🄷🅃🅂 💭:
i don't even know why i was reading this, but i have heard bout this book and the hype abt it online but 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐔 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀! 😒 im just going to get straight to the point - this was 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖! 🤦 and normally, im a pretty fast reader, but it depends on the book, and while reading 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 book - 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆. 😭 thank u so much to my goodreads girlies that comforted me while reading this, it means a lot! 🫶 this is has just the fmc's POV - 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐎𝐘, 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅 𝐀 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄. 💀 most of the time lily was crushing [𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃...] over tag (𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐒𝐎𝐍 "𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐓?!"), 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐏! what was the breaking up for then, 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖?! the only good thing about this book was alexander/alex cuz he was just a silly guy! 💕 tysm alex for saving the amount of the book, ily! 🫰 💝

[jocelyn ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”you’re it!”
”yes,” he murmured, lips brushing my ear. “you are.”

k l walther has done it again! this one was so cute and i’m such a sucker for second chance romances

the banter between lily and tag were unmatched. they are so perfect for each other and i love that they can tease and joke with each other as their way of flirting. idk i think that’s adorable and that they are just such cuties.

the taylor swift references are also always a plus (although they were all over the place, i def noticed them more in this one compared to the summer of broken rules) and it made it fun to point out all the subtle references throughout the book!!

this was so fun to read especially as i end my days of high school (🥲🥲) and it helped me remember that sometimes risking it is worth it and to always have fun and enjoy the moment. i highly recommend!!

🌕💕👗🎓✨🌟

[dani ༊ · Rating 1 out of 5]

thank you netgalley for the arc!

Self-proclaimed goody two shoes Lily Hopper is still quietly heartbroken over her breakup with her ex-boyfriend, the charismatic and well-liked Taggert Swell. Soon, an opportunity arises for the two to cross paths once more by dint of a yearly tradition of an end-of-year prank, where a senior student is elected to execute said prank under the guise of the alias, Jester. Growing up within the privileged boarding school of Ames where Lily's mother has worked essentially all of Lily's life, Lily's childhood has been a singularly charming tapestry wherein she's been raised by the many faculty members. Her school-life and home life are irrevocably intertwined and this, for me, was the real selling point here. That and Lily's deeply supportive and communicative relationship with her mother. The romance itself, ironically, was for me a Titanic level sinking ship from the get-go.

If you're in search of a story with a didactic purpose or even one with much depth - What Happens After Midnight is not that. This is a very no-frills second-chance romance, replete with pop culture references to Schitt's Creek and Taylor Swift as well as a super Gilmore Girl's Lorelai and Luke coded pairing, you get what you see in the synopsis. On that note, I've seen it mentioned and have to agree that the synopsis discloses wayyy too much; in effect it's kind of like one of those movie trailers where you watch a 2 minute clip and you've pretty much seen the whole film already. Given that not much really goes on within the story, this oversight isn't as detrimental as it could have perhaps been. The stakes are low, arguably far too low; I know this is more of a cozy read but then we also have the contradiction of all this angst in the relationship between Taggert and Lily which I will get to shortly. You either stick with the angst and raise the stakes or do the inverse, otherwise you wind up with a very self-conscious storyline that's not quite sure what to make of itself.

Pacing was another noticeable issue. I really had to slough through the whole setting up the prank epoch. I suspect this can be largely attributed to the fact that the events of this book really only take part over a week max which given that this is a second-chance romance was entirely unnecessary. There was so much prior history to mine between Taggert and Lily and their ill-fated tumultuous adolescent relationship. It's hard to be a teenager and it's even harder to be a teenager in crazy euphoric heart-wrenching love; hormones are at an all time high folks, drama sepulchres itself within the love-addled teenager life. Instead we're dragged unceremoniously through this bog of rather dull and overly-theatrical pranking. Seriously what was up with the whole let's act like we're on mission impossible this is life or death level of intrigue behaviour? I did appreciate the representation of diabetes in Taggert and you do get caught up worrying for him throughout so there is tension and some heart-wringing. Just... not enough.

You might argue that the angsty miscommunication trope played out by our lovers is a locus of tension or a stake and to that I say - no, absolutely not. I haven't seen anyone else discuss this but in my eyes Taggert was an extremely disrespectful boyfriend and I'm not sure why Lily then goes on to blame herself for being duly upset at the fact he refuses to stand up for his GIRLFRIEND. There are some instances which take place before the actual story that are discussed which I'd vehemently maintain all but scream emotional cheating. As I'm the only one to bring this to light, it might be my own interpretation but nevertheless, this was what viciously murdered/brutalized the Love Story (taylor swift reference see i can do it too!!) for me. Given that this is in fact a romance novel and I cared not a mite what happened to our dear Lily the uncommunicable bore and Taggert the rake, you can see why I've rated this so low.

I'd like to add a disclaimer that there's a lot of potential here and Walther is certainly a gifted writer with a prettily modest style, irrespective of how I feel towards the application of her gifts.

[Yuna Leek · Rating 2 out of 5]

this 😍 was 😍 not 😍 good 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[Bethanys_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
I really enjoyed this one! I did find the characters a bit one dimensional and the story is very straightforward but it was a cute book and I’m happy I read it!

[julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

czy ja moge znalezc sobie osobe ktora bedziemi mi mowic „masz na twarzy moj ulubiony usmiech”😭😭

[em · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to start this review by saying that The Summer of Broken Rules was my favourite book out of 100 in 2021-it’s perfect.

This book was such a disappointment to follow that up. I really did not enjoy this, I had to force myself to finish it. The synopsis is a bit over detailed-Lily gets tagged to help her ex, Tag, acting as this years school joker, to play a prank on the class president and her prom date. The story all takes place within a week or so of this event, with most of it taking place throughout the night of the prank. Despite this, I don’t really know what this was supposed to be about. Lily and Tag aren’t together for kind of silly, immature reasons and they spend this time together and basically rekindle. Everything about this story, writing, characters, etc. feels really juvenile. The writing on its own is awful, I really don’t know what happened but it’s just so cringey, there’s all these references that don’t fit, the worst being the Bridgerton one at the end, it gave me hard second hand embarrassment. I felt like the characters in this book spoke both like they were 12 and 30. Nothing sounded right, it was all so cheesy, the storyline between Lily and Tag was cheesy although it tried for romantic. Even Lily herself didn’t make sense, she’s super studious and follows the rules but then says she “swears like a sailor”. It was all just too much, trying too much to be something it wasn’t. Lily’s motivations for participating in the prank weren’t established enough, nothing really was. The whole book didn’t really have a purpose, it felt like a real struggle and just didn’t really flow in any way. I felt like Daniel, although he sucked, wasn’t awful or totally deserving of Lily completing changing her mind and absolutely hating him? This was disappointing in every way. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

[kaylin ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

tag and lily are so cuteeeee
kl walther has done it again. I love this book to the moon and to saturn, which reminds me, this book has LOADS of ts references and I tabbed and highlighted every single one and ran out of tabs twice

soundtrack:
~ mastermind by ts
~ no body, no crime by ts
~ sparks fly by ts
~ getaway car by ts
~ end game by ts
~ I can see you by ts

[malu · Rating 1 out of 5]

at first, i thought: “it's not that i didn't like it, it just wasn't the summer of broken rules” but that would be a lie. i really didn’t like it.

they made me feel NOTHING at all and it was so fucking boring. i couldn’t care less about the characters even tho bromance between tag and alex was cute sometimes. however, tag was an extremely nonsense boyfriend, i understand that he might not mind getting attention from other girls but it was lily’s insecurity. and then he went and started a relationship with a girl who was trying to get him when he was with lily… and i couldn't understand why lily was blaming herself so much (and it took less than a day for their love to finally be “reawakened”), he didn't stand up for her and (again) i HATED that he started a relationship with blair (?) that one clue talking about them having sex was disgusting. also, MAYBE if the story wasn't so focused on lily blaming herself and crying over her lost chances with tag and remembering her perfect past with him (that wasn’t perfect), it might have been better and more interesting. and i couldn't even understand the meaning of this annoying and silly game they were playing, it felt like the whole book didn't really have a purpose. and it was the lamest prank EVER!

this book didn’t do much for me but taylor swift references were good. idk, it was all just… too much, they were trying too hard to be something it just wasn't.
sadly, i had a lot of expectations for them ):