Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt
When Jonah is forced to move from Hamilton to Cross Pointe for the second half of his senior year, "miserable" doesn't even begin to cover it. He feels like the doggy-bag from his mother's first marriage and everything else about her new life—with a new husband, new home and a new baby—is an upgrade. The people at Cross Pointe High School are pretentious and privileged—and worst of all is Brighton Waterford, the embodiment of all things superficial and popular. Jonah’s girlfriend, Carly, is his last tie to what feels real... until she breaks up with him.
For Brighton, every day is a gauntlet of demands and expectations. Since her father died, she’s relied on one coping method: smile big and pretend to be fine. It may have kept her family together, but she has no clue how to handle how she's really feeling. Today is the anniversary of his death and cracks are beginning to show. The last thing she needs is the new kid telling her how much he dislikes her for no reason she can understand. She's determined to change his mind, and when they're stuck together for the night, she finally gets her chance.
Jonah hates her at 3p.m., but how will he feel at 3 a.m.?
One night can change how you see the world. One night can change how you see yourself.
Publishes in US: February 18th 2014 by Walker Childrens
Genre: YA Contemp
Source: Bloomsbury
Series? no
Buy it: Indie Bound, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Amazon
Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter
I wanted to read Bright Before Sunrise because I liked the sound of Jonah and I thought that I would relate with Brighton because of the expectations at school as well as her grief over losing her father.
It really is amazing how dislike can turn into lust and like like over the span of a night. I like how fate pushed Brighton and Jonah together and that their decisions cemented that they were meant to spend time together and as a result get to know the person that is behind the front given to the rest of the school. And that neither is what they thought the other would be.
I know that my first thought would be an insta-love situation, but they never really muttered the I love you's, it was more as they gave the other a chance to see who they really are, they liked that glimpse and did things to see more. Now, I will admit, they had selfish reasons at first. Brighton wanted Jonah to participate in community service so that her and her teacher would have 100% participation and get a plaque, and Jonah wants to get back at his ex for dumping him claiming that he cheated. But Brighton thought that Jonah was a loner, an outcast where he just longed to be back where he called home and with the friends and family he loves are at instead of across town with his mom, stepdad and new baby sister, feeling all alone. And Jonah thought that Brighton was shallow, and just wanted to put on the nice face for show. But Brighton truly is nice, and while some of it is show so that her pain and uncertainty doesn't come out, she truly wanted to get to know Jonah and wanted to help others.
I love how as they spent more and more time together, the more they liked each other, and felt compelled to share. Brighton is in a lot of pain over losing her dad, and feels like she gets the brunt of responsibility and that she can't mourn. But Jonah doesn't treat her like she is breakable so she feels like she can share with him, especially after he opens up about his parents' divorce and his feelings about being away from Hamilton.
It def was a night to remember with their changing of percceptions, uncertainty that they were the only one feeling that way to a shared lust and some hot making out. I was kinda surprised that the whole book really just took place in a 24 hour time frame and the characters were fully fleshed out, dynamic, and I wasn't left with the feeling that the romance was too rushed.
Now of course, I would love more from Brighton and Jonah (and for some reason I want to keep calling him Noah in this review, lol). but I think that Ms Scmidt did a good job of resolving it and giving them possibilities and hope of a future together.
My question to you, my lovely readers:
Has one night (or day) ever completely changed how you saw yourself?
