From the Publisher
"Sweet and real, and fans of Sarah Dessen or Meg Cabot will find themselves hoping these pranksters find true love. With a light romance, humor, and summers full of swimming, parties, and bonfires, this is a perfect beach read."—School Library Journal
"[Meet Me at Midnight] captures the joy of summer, the love for lake life, and the quaintness of vacation towns after the tourists go home. Simply put, this book is a delight to read. The pranks are silly fun, the tingle of unexpected love is sweet, and the hesitation to go all-in is splendidly real. Pull up a beach chair; Sidney and Asher are your perfect summer-reading companions."—Booklist
"Pennington crafts two believable teens ensnared in a hate-to-love romance that is addictingly enjoyable. The comedic matchup between Sidney, a meticulous overthinker, and the charming yet snarky Asher will have readers rooting for the duo. A steamy, prank-filled summer romance that readers will devour."—Kirkus Reviews
“Does Jessica Pennington have a PhD in chemistry? Because the sparks were FLYING! Meet Me at Midnight is full of wit and romance, with a plot that kept me guessing and characters that I couldn’t help but root for.” —Lauren Morrill, author of Meant to Be
“A swoony, snarky, perfect romance, set during the summer before college when anything (even falling for your sworn enemy...) is possible. A must-read for YA romance fans!” —Kerry Winfrey, author of Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It and Waiting for Tom Hanks
“Meet Me at Midnight is the young adult answer to The Hating Game, set at a picturesque Michigan lake house. Readers will fall for Asher and Sidney as they figure out if they're better as sworn enemies, friends, or much more. A fantastic addition to any romance lover’s shelf!” —Christina June, author of It Started with Goodbye and No Place Like Here
School Library Journal
02/21/2020
Gr 8 Up—Sidney and Asher should be friends. Their parents are good friends, they are both on swim teams, and they spend summers together at neighboring lake houses. However, years of crazy, messy, and demeaning pranks have turned them into something closer to enemies. When one of those pranks gets them kicked out of their vacation houses in the middle of the summer of their senior year, they are forced to share close quarters in one cottage and to declare a truce while they plot against the woman who had them evicted. Joining forces, of course, propels them into a closer relationship, and they finally admit their mutual affection—but only temporarily. Their on-again, off-again romance is related by both Sidney and Asher, and they both emerge as well-rounded characters; friends and family make appearances as needed. Besides the push to train for their college swim team, there are no outside conflicts, but the pranks are outrageous and sometimes hilarious. Their relationship builds very slowly and ends somewhat predictably, but it is sweet and real, and fans of Sarah Dessen or Meg Cabot will find themselves hoping these pranksters find true love. VERDICT With a light romance, humor, and summers full of swimming, parties, and bonfires, this is a perfect beach read.—MaryAnn Karre, Binghamton, NY
Kirkus Reviews
2020-01-07
Love sparks as a summer rivalry turns into a summer romance.
Since fellow swimmers Sidney Walters, who's auburn-haired, and Asher Marin, with brown hair and magnetic blue eyes, were 13 years old, their families have spent every summer vacationing together at the Five Pines Resort and Lake House. Sidney and Asher have spent those summers as enemies, constantly trying to outdo each other with elaborate pranks such as putting self-tanner in sunscreen, lacing toothpaste with cayenne pepper, and spiking the shower with cherry Kool-Aid so it dyes everything red. It's Sidney and Asher's last summer before college, and their quest to outdo one another results in a prank that goes one step too far, costing their families their summer rentals. Forced to call a truce, their true feelings about each other begin to surface, and they're faced with something even scarier than slipping in a room covered in mayonnaise: falling in love. In her novel told in Sidney's and Asher's alternating first-person perspectives, Pennington (When Summer Ends, 2019, etc.) crafts two believable teens ensnared in a hate-to-love romance that is addictingly enjoyable. The comedic matchup between Sidney, a meticulous overthinker, and the charming yet snarky Asher will have readers rooting for the duo. All main characters are assumed white.
A steamy, prank-filled summer romance that readers will devour. (Romance. 14-18)
