Book Review: Bright Before Sunrise

Bright Before Sunrise

By: Tiffany Schmidt

Published By: Walker Childrens

Publication Date: February 28, 2014

Page Count: 288

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Library

Audience: Young Adult - Contemporary

Tiffany Schmidt has done it again…written a book that has completely entranced me! I loved her first book, Send Me a Sign, and was thrilled when I found out she had another book out. Bright Before Sunrise is just as wonderful! 

Brighton is a Junior in high school who is coming up on her father’s memorial service. She is a nice girl that everyone likes. Everything about her is nice – the way she dresses, her house, her personality, etc. Enter Jonah. He’s a transfer student from Hamilton, a school from “the other side of the tracks”. Brighton tries to be nice to Jonah, but he’s not having any of it. But a twist of fate in the nail salon begins a spiraling chain of events that will connect Brighton and Jonah in ways they never would have imagined. 

This book takes place over the course of about 12 hours. It’s an amazing character study of Brighton and Jonah. Sometimes you don’t realize how two people can see the exact same situation completely different - which is why there are always two sides to a story and the truth is somewhere in-between. That seemed to be the general theme throughout the entire book. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Bright Before Sunrise. It engaged me from the first chapter and I had a hard time putting it down.

Summary:

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.