Together at Midnight
by Jennifer Castle
Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Expected Publication: January 2, 2017
352 pages
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you to the publisher, author, and Edelweiss, for allowing me to review.
Together At Midnight begins with Kendall making a list of “Things to do to make next year not suck”. She is back in her family home after finishing a Movable School Program where she got to travel to Paris, Rome, London, and Ireland as part of her high school curriculum. After Christmas Kendall spontaneously decides to tag along with her brother and his boyfriend who are heading back to their apartment in New York City. Instead of going to Brown University Max decided to take a year off and work. His father asks him to stay with Max’s cranky Grandfather Ezra for a few days while his aunt looks for a new home aide. Max loves NYC and is happy to take some time to enjoy the city before heading back to work. Kendall makes plans to meet up with Jamie, a boy who broke her heart when he said he only liked her as a friend, but while she was studying abroad he emailed her. They’ve emailed back and forth and now have made plans to hang out in NYC. As they are walking around they bump into Jamie’s friend – Max. The three of them witness a young woman being hit by a bus. This incident inspires Max and Kendall to set a goal of doing seven Random Acts of Kindness before the new year begins. When Max and Kendall help random people in NYC we get short chapters from the perspective of the person they helped. It’s really great to get a little back story on the people they are helping because we get to see how one tiny act of kindness can make a huge impact on someone. We simply never know what battles other people are fighting. My Thoughts Together at Midnight might be categorized as a contemporary romance, but I have to say it’s not all about the romance, it’s not insta-love either. The relationships feel extremely authentic. Kendall has ADHD and I love that although it may change the way she does certain things, it doesn’t hold her back. Kendall reminds me of my younger self. I love her sense of adventure and admire her self-awareness. Max is loyal, committed, selfless, loving, but has insecurities that keep him adorably humble. If I had to pick a favourite character I think it would be Max. Together at Midnight doesn’t have the typical happily ever after ending, which is refreshing. I liked how the story ended – crossing my fingers there will be more books about Max and/or Kendall. The first chapter introduced a lot of characters which I often find overwhelming and annoying. I don’t know if anyone else feels this way or if I’m just weird. LOL Together at Midnight would be a fantastic read during the Holiday season. I highly recommend you check this cozy, touching book. FIVE STAR read for me.
