Loving’s not something you do because everybody thinks it’s right— you do it ’cause hearts are all we got.
Spanning the course of three days during a music festival, this book is perfect for being devoured in one sitting. We have a mystery aspect to Olivia and Toni’s lives at home, we have super varied but amazing friendship dynamics, and a cute spark that turns into so much more.
Both protagonists were super relatable. The way Olivia changes her entire persona to make people fall in love with her as a sort of protection mechanism because she thinks that if she were herself, they’d never stick around simultaneously broke my heart and made me feel so seen. In a world of social media, online dating etc, there are so many distractions that sometimes we feel we never find the person who will want us over everything else if we don’t constantly adapt and Olivia really illustrated that innate fear. Olivia keeps getting her heart broken and yet she still reaches out to new partners and it just made me love her even more when she and Toni fell head over heels for each other. Toni, meanwhile, is still reeling from her father’s death and won’t let anyone too close because she’s scared she’ll lose them as well. Her music is the one connection she still has to her father and I loved how that passion took center stage in Rise to the Sun. These two just had undeniable chemistry, a fantastic meet cute, and so many adorable romantic moments!
I also adored the secondary characters, namely their best friends. Imani, in particular, really shined as Olivia’s best friend who, time and again, has been cast aside whenever Olivia would fall in love with a new person and completely derail their best friend plans. When the same thing happens at the festival, Imani is upset and rightfully so—I really enjoyed the back and forth between them and could relate to Imani so much.
Rise to the Sun also includes discussions of important topics that really hit home—from fuckbois who somehow always get off scot-free no matter their crimes or the realities of what it means to be Black in a world where racism is still such a present issue, Johnson handles these topics with such care without forfeiting her stance on what it will take to make the world a better place and how much we owe to each other to fight for this better world. Quite like with her debut, Johnson’s voice is sharp, witty, and enlightening and makes for an unforgettable reading experience.
With Rise to the Sun, Leah Johnson delivers another outstanding tale of Black, sapphic love that defies all. At times hauntingly sad and yet strangely uplifting, this sophomore novel cements Johnson as one of the freshest voices of this generation.
Rise to the Sun is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 6th 2021.
Will you be picking up Rise to the Sun? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Three days. Two girls. One life-changing music festival.
Olivia is an expert at falling in love . . . and at being dumped. But after the fallout from her last breakup has left her an outcast at school and at home, she’s determined to turn over a new leaf. A crush-free weekend at Farmland Music and Arts Festival with her best friend is just what she needs to get her mind off the senior year that awaits her.
Toni is one week away from starting college, and it’s the last place she wants to be. Unsure about who she wants to become and still reeling in the wake of the loss of her musician-turned-roadie father, she’s heading back to the music festival that changed his life in hopes that following in his footsteps will help her find her own way forward.
When the two arrive at Farmland, the last thing they expect is to realize that they’ll need to join forces in order to get what they’re searching for out of the weekend. As they work together, the festival becomes so much more complicated than they bargained for, and Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other, and music, more than they ever could have imagined.
great review! this book sounds so good!