04/16/2018
After Susannah's father, a former rock star, crashes his car in what looks like suicide, her mother moves them in with her mother, Vivian, forcing Susannah at the height of her grief to juggle a new school and a grandmother she's never met. She immediately makes friends, though, with Lynn, a bar-going partier who is best friends with a group of musicians. They allow sensitive, hopeful, song-writing Susannah to explore her musical affinities and talent, which helps her feel close to her father, but Lynn's friendship comes with problems Susannah did not anticipate. Susannah's drifting among romantic partners stalls the narrative's momentum, but when Smetana sticks close to the intermingling of music, family issues, and the joy to be found through creative outpouring, the result is emotionally layered and moving. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jess Regel, Foundry Literary + Media. (Mar.)
A stunning, beautifully-written debut, THE MIDNIGHTS explores the complex nature of loss, grief, secrets, and family, as we follow one girl on a poignant journey of self-discovery.” — Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be
“The Midnights is a fiercely beautiful song of a book. This story won’t leave your heart.” — Jeff Zentner, Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King
“a thoughtful, literary first book. Fans of character-driven coming-of-age stories will find all they could want and more.” — Booklist
“An atmospheric voyage through grief and self-discovery perfect for fans of Julie Buxbaum’s Tell Me Three Things and Tim Federle’s The Great American Whatever.” — School Library Journal
“A touching…story about the painful process of moving on.” — Kirkus Reviews
A stunning, beautifully-written debut, THE MIDNIGHTS explores the complex nature of loss, grief, secrets, and family, as we follow one girl on a poignant journey of self-discovery.
a thoughtful, literary first book. Fans of character-driven coming-of-age stories will find all they could want and more.
The Midnights is a fiercely beautiful song of a book. This story won’t leave your heart.
a thoughtful, literary first book. Fans of character-driven coming-of-age stories will find all they could want and more.
12/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Senior year for Susannah is less about college applications than it is about writing the perfect song. She craves the validation of her aloof, former—rock star father who is too busy running from the present in an attempt to recapture the past. His unexpected death shatters Susannah's world, throwing her into a new town rife with secrets—from the grandmother she thought was dead to a new friend who seems too good to be true. A fresh start might not be so bad, especially when she gets the chance to join a band and bring her music to life. Susannah even gets to perform at her dream venue, The Troubadour, but somehow it doesn't feel right. Her bandmates seem to be pushing her away, her new best friend is hiding something, and the music has lost its magic. Susannah's journey will challenge everything she thought she knew about her father and herself. Smetana expertly rests her story against a cool rock-and-roll California background. There is a balance between the romantic ideal of playing guitar in dim back rooms with the reality of drunk partygoers oblivious to the emotional toll creativity can take. The journey takes precedence over the destination in this evenly paced novel. VERDICT An atmospheric voyage through grief and self-discovery perfect for fans of Julie Buxbaum's Tell Me Three Things and Tim Federle's The Great American Whatever.—Carrie Finberg, South Park High School, PA
2017-12-06
In the wake of loss, a teen musician struggles to get her groove back.Susannah Hayes cherishes the long tradition of midnight music lessons in her father's home studio. Here, along with chord progressions and songwriting, her dad taught her to trust her instincts and her heart. But lately, her dad, a former rock star, has been longing for the past, making it difficult for Susannah to connect with him in the present. When her father dies, any hope of reconnecting goes with him. As proxy, she resolves to locate his former band members, but before she can begin the legwork, financial hardship dictates that she and her mother move away from the life she's always known. With the move, Susannah finds herself struggling to start over while mourning her loss. A lot happens to the grieving teen over the course of the 400-plus pages, but Smetana deftly avoids overwhelming readers. Susannah has three potential suitors; she fights to come to grips with her mother's new dating life; she meets the grandmother whom she'd been led to believe dead; and she works to hold onto her best friend from her old life while making music with new friends. Susannah's first-person narration is punctuated with evocative descriptions of the Santa Anas and the wildfires they bring—characters in their own right. Characters appear white by default with the exception of a love interest with a Latino surname.A touching, albeit lengthy, story about the painful process of moving on. (Fiction. 15-18)
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