Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

Review: “What Happens After Midnight” tore me apart and then put me right back together again! 

 

I was invested in Lily and Tag at the very outset and held on to hope that they would be able to mend their relationship by the novel’s end. Walther’s newest release is written solely from Lily Hopper’s point-of-view as she embarks on one last adventure with the senior class jester, who just so happens to be her ex-boyfriend Tag, in stealing the class yearbooks. As one of the jester’s fools, Lily works with Tag to leave clues hinting at the yearbooks' whereabouts around campus for the senior class president to find. Visiting certain locations on campus trigger memories about her past relationship with Tag, shedding light on the whirlwind romance they once had and what led to their eventual split. Lily vows that once the night is over, she will put her past with Tag behind her. The more time she spends with him, however, the harder she falls for him all over again. Little does she know that Tag orchestrated the whole night in an attempt to win her back. 

 

Walther creates an immersive experience by ensuring that her fictional boarding school is representative of real schools by creating diverse characters that are a part of the student population, which I greatly admired. Walther spreads awareness about diabetes through Tag, who has a type 1 diagnosis, and gives her readers opportunities to see themselves in her characters and their different cultural backgrounds and sexual orientations. 

 

Like her debut novel, “What Happens After Midnight” is formatted in a unique way. Each section of the book is separated by the different clues Tag and Lily hide as part of their senior prank. Walther also sprinkles in Taylor Swift references throughout the book, further drawing me in and contributing to its playful atmosphere.