Literature & Fiction
![K. L. Walther - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B086R6L4LJ.jpg)
What Happens After Midnight
From the bestselling author of The Summer of Broken Rules comes a new coming-of-age romance about senior year, first love, and finding yourself.
Lily Hopper has two more weeks until she's officially finished with boarding school. With graduation quickly approaching Lily is worried that she's somehow missed out on the fun of being in high school. So, when she receives a mysterious note inviting her to join the anonymous senior class Jester in executing the end-of-year prank, Lily sees her chance to put her goody-two-shoes reputation behind her.
When Lily realizes the Jester is none other than Taggart Swell, her ex- boyfriend, she's already in too deep to back out. Lily might've dumped Tag, but she still has major feelings. Plus, his brilliant plan to steal the school's yearbooks, targets none other than Lily's prom date: the Senior Class President, Daniel.
As the group of pranksters hide cryptic clues across campus for Daniel to find, Lily and Tag find themselves in close quarters. As the exes dodge Campus Safety guards, night owl teachers, a troop of freshmen, and even Daniel himself, new sparks fly. But old hurts and painful secrets refuse to be ignored. And with graduation on the horizon, Lily can only hope that breaking the rules will help mend her heart.
Perfect for fans of:
Taylor SwiftThe Summer I Turned PrettySarah DessenBookTok Favorites
Lily Hopper has two more weeks until she's officially finished with boarding school. With graduation quickly approaching Lily is worried that she's somehow missed out on the fun of being in high school. So, when she receives a mysterious note inviting her to join the anonymous senior class Jester in executing the end-of-year prank, Lily sees her chance to put her goody-two-shoes reputation behind her.
When Lily realizes the Jester is none other than Taggart Swell, her ex- boyfriend, she's already in too deep to back out. Lily might've dumped Tag, but she still has major feelings. Plus, his brilliant plan to steal the school's yearbooks, targets none other than Lily's prom date: the Senior Class President, Daniel.
As the group of pranksters hide cryptic clues across campus for Daniel to find, Lily and Tag find themselves in close quarters. As the exes dodge Campus Safety guards, night owl teachers, a troop of freshmen, and even Daniel himself, new sparks fly. But old hurts and painful secrets refuse to be ignored. And with graduation on the horizon, Lily can only hope that breaking the rules will help mend her heart.
Perfect for fans of:
Taylor SwiftThe Summer I Turned PrettySarah DessenBookTok Favorites
Editorial Reviews
"A complete delight! This is a swoony second chance love story intertwined with a comedy of errors, performed by a lovable, vivid ensemble." ― Samantha Markum, author of This May End Badly
"Full of fun and charm...This sweet second-chance romance kept me smiling throughout!" ― Becky Dean, author of Love & Other Great Expectations
"Brimming with high stakes hijinks and swoony romantic tension, WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT is a laugh-out-loud, perfect page turner you won't be able to put down. Great fun!" ― Robin Reul, author of Where the Road Leads Us and My Kind of Crazy
"Lily and Tag's sparkling second chance romance is the stuff Taylor Swift songs are made of, their boarding school world as cozy and close-knit as Stars Hollow. I loved the epic senior prank schemes, clandestine kisses, and every other twist and turn in this delightful story!" ― Kaitlyn Hill, author of Love from Scratch
"An instant hit... carefully plotted [with] delightfully witty banter... The combination of engaging characters and plot successfully entertains while simultaneously asking big questions about legacy, memory, and the high school experience. Growing up is hard, but this book about transitioning from teen to adult makes for a fun book recommendation for a relatable life experience." ― School Library Connection
"An engaging story of personal growth and a second-chance romance." ― Kirkus Reviews
"Walther builds romantic tension and develops some genuine nail-biting moments as the pranksters creep around campus, breaking into off-limits buildings, ascending a ropes course, and even hijacking a golf cart, all the while avoiding campus security." ― Youth Services Book Review
"Walther (The Summer of Broken Rules) fills this edge-of-summer rom-com with mischief and mayhem, delivering swift action and a swoony second-chance romance perfect for soon-to-be-grads suffering from senioritis." ― Publishers Weekly
"Full of fun and charm...This sweet second-chance romance kept me smiling throughout!" ― Becky Dean, author of Love & Other Great Expectations
"Brimming with high stakes hijinks and swoony romantic tension, WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT is a laugh-out-loud, perfect page turner you won't be able to put down. Great fun!" ― Robin Reul, author of Where the Road Leads Us and My Kind of Crazy
"Lily and Tag's sparkling second chance romance is the stuff Taylor Swift songs are made of, their boarding school world as cozy and close-knit as Stars Hollow. I loved the epic senior prank schemes, clandestine kisses, and every other twist and turn in this delightful story!" ― Kaitlyn Hill, author of Love from Scratch
"An instant hit... carefully plotted [with] delightfully witty banter... The combination of engaging characters and plot successfully entertains while simultaneously asking big questions about legacy, memory, and the high school experience. Growing up is hard, but this book about transitioning from teen to adult makes for a fun book recommendation for a relatable life experience." ― School Library Connection
"An engaging story of personal growth and a second-chance romance." ― Kirkus Reviews
"Walther builds romantic tension and develops some genuine nail-biting moments as the pranksters creep around campus, breaking into off-limits buildings, ascending a ropes course, and even hijacking a golf cart, all the while avoiding campus security." ― Youth Services Book Review
"Walther (The Summer of Broken Rules) fills this edge-of-summer rom-com with mischief and mayhem, delivering swift action and a swoony second-chance romance perfect for soon-to-be-grads suffering from senioritis." ― Publishers Weekly
Readers Top Reviews
Courtney | Bookish B
such a fun read with all of the teenage angst that i love. though most of the book is pretty much explained in the synopsis, i really enjoyed how it all played out through the setting up of the jester’s scavenger hunt for the school prank. the tension between tag and lily was palpable and tag’s true feelings for lily were apparent through her POV. the romance was super sweet but ugh, i really needed an epilogue! still this book is quick and adorable and i highly recommend it for a fun, fresh summer read. *thank you to the publisher for an ARC. my thoughts are my own.
Amanda Alviz
Lily Hopper is a senior who is about to graduate from boarding school. She receives an anonymous invite to join the senior class Jester in executing the end-of-year prank. She initially thinks its one of her friends, but quickly realizes after it's too late that is Taggart Swell, her ex-boyfriend. She dumped Tag, but still has major feelings for him. The plan is to steal the schools yearbooks. As the group hides clues around campus for Daniel to find, Lily and Tag begin to realize their feelings may still very well be present. K.L. Walther does a great job at portraying the life of a teenager. She also touches on what it's like to have a chronic medical condition and how that can affect high school life. The multitude of Taylor Swift references makes for a fun read.
Nikki Hall
3.5 stars ✨YA - Closed door ✨Second chance ✨Diabetes disability rep ✨Coming of age Her book the Summer of Broken Rules is one of my fav summer reads and one I rec a lot so I was very excited for this ARC. Butttt I just didn't love this one. The entire book takes place over 1 night. The writing style is a bit confusing. There was nothing to differentiate a past thought from a current one. Mid conversation she would switch to a past convo. Maybe that's because of it being an arc.... But I needed a font change at least. I loved the second chance relationship. The coming of age part. But the magic in the first one just fell flat in this one unfortunately. My favorite part was the disability rep (diabetes) and the side relationships even though we only got bits and pieces of them.
Ashley Aguilar
This was a cute and fun YA romance - a great way to kick off the summer. I loved the boarding school setting, the all-night pranking and the sweet romance between our main characters. The main story follows Lily and Tag, her ex-boyfriend of about a year, as they set up an epic end of the year prank targeting their class president, Daniel. An added complication? Lily's going to prom with Daniel. Over the course of the night various friends join in the pranking, but Lily and Tag keep finding themselves thrown together. An evening with your ex who you still have unresolved feelings for - what could possibly happen? I don't really have much to say other than this was an enjoyable read. I loved all of the Schitt's Creek references and the relationship between Lily and her mom Leda - major Rory/Lorelai Gilmore vibes! I loved that even though most of the story takes place over one night we still get plenty of flashbacks that set the foundation for Lily & Tag's rekindled romance. *Second Chance Romance *Schitt's Creek + Taylor Swift Vibes *Senior Prank *Type 1 Diabetes Rep *Boarding School Setting
kkvvue
**I received a copy of the book through NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.** With Taylor Swift references galore, this is a second chance romance that will make you want to bring out the vinyl and listen to it as you read. As Lily helps Tag execute the senior prank, she recalls their relationship in flashbacks interspersed between planting clues for the class president. Lily continues to pine for him even though he has repeatedly been off and on with his girlfriend–currently off. While the memories pulled me in and made me empathize with Lily, it was also confusing at times. Lily often had to be shaken from her memories, making it difficult to determine whether I was in the past or the present with her. While the romance made me ache, it also felt like something was missing. Maybe I needed Tag’s point of view, one that encompassed his pining for Lily, to balance out Lily’s longing because the moments of truth from him were not satisfying enough. Maybe it was also that I didn’t understand why Lily remained faithful to their past while Tag could so easily move on. What Happens After Midnight is perfect for the Swiftie fan who enjoys references to songs from the artist. It’s for the reader who believes second chances are possible, especially when love was never the problem. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)
