Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
We meet so many people every day. Some we know, others we only walk by. Some may be rude to us. Maybe this person does not like you. But, what if you would just take a minute and look closer into the situation. Would you see the reason why?
Kendall is doing exactly this. After she has spent a semester of High School all over Europe she comes home right in time to spend Christmas with her family. The moment she is back home all of her emotions and fear are taking over her. Right before she left she told Jamie she likes him more than just as a friend and he, well, he does not see her as a potential girlfriend. How should she face him again?
As the youngest of four siblings, and the only girl, she tries to find her place back in her family. But only after a couple of days she feels restless and when her brother Emerson and his boyfriend Andrew are leaving to go back to New York City, she takes the opportunity to stay with them for a couple of days. Why should you face reality if you can avoid it for at least just a little bit longer and have a date with Jamie in the snowy Big Apple?
“This is what I discovered in all those museums in Europe when you really connect with a work of art, it doesn’t matter that a million people have already stood where you’re standing. The instant it means something to you, it’s yours.“
However, this would be just too perfect. Of course, she had to meet Max—the guy whom she kissed after Jamie revealed that he has no feelings for her and he just happens to be Jamie’s friend. And then an accident happens right in front of the three of them.
Jamie cannot help Kendall with dealing what happened, so she contacts Max as he is the only person who will understand what she is going through. After all, they have to live with the fact that they did not help to prevent the accident from happening. The pair then decide to complete random acts of kindness. First, they did not know how they could face each other, now they will spend a lot of time together. Maybe they can even become friends. Maybe, there is something more.
Jennifer Castle, who started writing as a kid on her dad’s typewriter, sums up our society perfectly in Together at Midnight. Every person is carrying their baggage of fear and sorrows constantly with them, but now everyone is capable of talking about them. For example, we may not know the exact reason why a former soldier is homeless today and most people would mind their own business as they are not empathetic. As Kendall would put it, we should more listen to our ‘Thought Worms’. Love is important, but combined with empathy the world could be a better place.
Together At Midnight is a nice evening read that gives you more than just a nice couple of hours of distraction. It actually gives you two reliable characters that every reader can see themselves in them. What do I do when I am finally a grown up? Where do I see myself and what do I want to make of my life? With whom do I want to spend it with?
Castle, who studied English Lit and Creative Writing at Brown University is living in LA and when she’s not writing children and YA books, she writes for the movie and TV show industry.
You can follow her on her website, Facebook and Twitter account.
You can find Together At Midnight on Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
What does it really mean to be kind . . . and why does it sometimes feel like the hardest thing in the world to do? High school senior Kendall, who just returned from a life-changing semester in Europe, and Max, who is drifting his way through a gap year before college, struggle with these questions when they witness a tragic accident in New York City during the holiday season. Racked with guilt, the two accept a dare to perform random acts of kindness to strangers. The challenge pulls these two teens, who have a history together from back home, closer and closer as they explore a vibrant city filled with other people’s stories and secrets.
Kendall and Max can’t deny their growing bond, even though they both have other romantic entanglements and uncertain futures. As the clock counts down on New Year’s Eve, will they find themselves together at midnight?
