‘What Light’: Really Heartfelt YA Novel of Family and Love

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STORY | Sierra has two lives, both of which she loves. In one, she’s a teenager who hangs out with her best friend’s on Friday nights. In the other, she travels to California with her parent’s to sell the Christmas trees from their Oregon farm. While here, Sierra also relishes in her friendship with Heather, and has a strict “no dating” rule. Something that’s tough to abide by since the guys hired to help with the lot are always cute. Then Sierra meets Caleb.

‘What Light’: Really Heartfelt YA Novel of Family and Love. A review of the Jay Asher seasonal rom-com. All text © Rissi JC

BOOK REVIEW | My True Love Gave to Me (edited) by Stephanie Perkins

Unexpected, charming and cute, Sierra can’t quite make herself ignore this one, no matter
her rule to abstain from dating while enjoying the California sun. But there’s something haunting about Caleb, and when the whispers begin, instead of deterring her, Sierra determined to learn more about this boy.  


WHAT LIGHT, JAY ASHER | BOOK REVIEW


REVIEW | Earning his name in the aftermath of Thirteen Reasons Why‘s success, this is only Asher’s second standalone novel. Cover snob that I am, it was the cover art that first drew my eye to his sophomore novel, What Light. After that, I discovered three things sure to align with my reader soul. It was a contemporary novel (win!), the backdrop is sprinkled with the festiveness of Christmas (win!) and the cherry on top was the contemporary setting. Needless to say, this book spoke to my book lovin’ heart.

“It’s your heart. No one else gets a say in that.” – Jay Asher, What Light

Though I’ve had this one sitting on my shelf for a bit, it wasn’t until now that the most perfect time to read it presented itself. The surface of this novel is all Christmas cheer and happiness, but press on, and look deeper, you’re sure to discover so much more. Caleb’s backstory is an interesting one, and I liked Sierra’s character. Together they’re a swoony
couple sure to coax many smiles; their friendship is cautious but optimistic.   Saying more about this might be best left omitted. Simply put What Light is one of the most charming Christmas novels I’ve read.

I appreciate that it’s exactly what its cover suggests (a festive and sweet holiday romance), and because of this, the story blissfully follows through with that impression. Since this is my first novel from Jay Asher, I didn’t know what to except. Because this is all nostalgia, family and a cute romance, I respected this novel like crazy. Why? Because that’s precisely the sort of story I wanted, and I didn’t feel like it pretends to be anything else.  

If you’re looking for a sweet and simple (a term I use as the best kind of endearment), What Light is an ideal read. There’s swoony romance, complex backstories, wonderful prose and a sense of festive delight not to miss. What Light is everything I want to enjoy this Christmas season, and so much more. In short, it made my book nerd heart happy. ♥

*Forgive all the flowery adjectives. I just really loved this novel.

‘What Light’: Really Heartfelt YA Novel of Family and Love. A review of the Jay Asher seasonal rom-com. #YALit #Fiction #BookNerd #YAReads #BookArchives Click To Tweet

CONTENT: This one is pretty “light” on content. There’s some minor violent implications, but nothing terrible. There may also be some commonplace profanity.

A B O U T THE B O O K


Author: Jay Asher Publisher: Razorbill Source: Purchased Publication Date: 2016 E L S E W H E R E Goodreads Genre: Fiction; Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult Contemporary, Young Adult Romance Rating: ★★★★★    

About Rissi JC

amateur graphic designer. confirmed bookaholic. bubbl’r enthusiast. critical thinker. miswesterner. social media coordinator. writer.

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