The New York Times Book Review - Jen Doll
What Light…harks back to a simpler time of young adult storytelling, with its linear first-person narrative (just one!) and classic themes of forgiveness, hope and the power of true love…But as with holiday traditions, there's something beautiful about a novel done the old way, particularly when there's enough heart to make you weep.
Publishers Weekly - Audio
02/27/2017
Every year after Thanksgiving, Sierra leaves her home on an Oregon Christmas tree farm to accompany her family to California to sell their trees. Conflict arises this year, when Sierra meets the boy of her dreams but finds he has a troubled past. Actor Siegfried nails the breathless and giggly way high school girls sometimes talk to each other, especially when Sierra is talking with her three best friends. The problem is the girls all tend to sound the same, even Heather, Sierra’s take-charge friend in California, who is a more prominent character than Sierra’s other two sidekicks. The novel’s young male characters are likewise vocally indistinguishable from one another, including Caleb, the tortured love interest; his former best friend; and a jealous, angry hired hand at the tree lot. Ages 12–up. A Razorbill hardcover. (Oct.)
Publishers Weekly
08/08/2016
Sierra is the daughter of Christmas tree farmers from Oregon. Every holiday season she travels to California to help her mother and father sell their harvest. Sierra’s parents fell in love at the lot while they were still in high school, and her father, afraid that she might fall for one of the seasonal hires, imposes strict dating rules to protect her. For the past few seasons, Sierra hasn’t minded—the rules keep boys she isn’t interested in at bay—but that changes when she meets Caleb, a boy with a troubled past. The more Sierra learns about Caleb’s generous spirit, the harder she falls. But Caleb’s past is soon discovered, putting their relationship at risk. This light romance from bestselling author Asher (Thirteen Reasons Why) is just dramatic enough to give readers a reason to keep turning pages despite the story’s overall predictability. Charming and sweet, Sierra and Caleb’s budding relationship should suit readers looking for a wintertime romance that’s as cozy (and familiar) as candy canes and gingerbread during the holidays. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
What Light…harks back to a simpler time of young adult storytelling with its linear first-person narrative and classic themes of forgiveness, hope, and the power of true love…there’s something beautiful about a novel done the old way, particularly when there’s enough heart to make you weep.”
—New York Times Book Review
“Asher’s gift for prose that packs an emotional wallop was apparent in his 2007 novel, the monster best-seller Thirteen Reasons Why…. Asher infuses his storytelling with a compelling sweetness and innocence; What Light casts the same warm glow as a room strung with twinkly Christmas-tree lights.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“From the author of Thirteen Reasons Why, What Light is one you won’t want to miss.”
—Buzzfeed
“What Light is a love story that make you want to turn on those Christmas carols early.”
—Bustle
"Asher has done it again. He gets into the heart of what is important in relationships, whether friendship or romance, and his characters are realistic and well developed. Teens will see themselves in these characters, and relate to them."
—Voice of Youth Advocates
"Certain to please readers seeking an escapist, feel-good holiday read. Asher’s follow-up to his best-selling debut is destined for lots of attention."
—Booklist
"This is a sweet, light romance, perfect for holiday reading."
—School Library Journal
"Charming and sweet, Sierra and Caleb’s budding relationship should suit readers looking for a wintertime romance that’s as cozy (and familiar) as candy canes and gingerbread during the holidays."
—Publishers Weekly
"Asher is a dab hand at capturing everyday situations and conversations; Sierra and her friends tease and quip in ways that are witty but not overly so, and Sierra’s frank talks with her parents have the tone of a mature, beloved only child who is used to being heard even as her parents set the rules."
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“What Light is a sweet, aching tale of first love and forgiveness. It's about second chances and learning to see others for who they really are. Sierra is only passing through town, as she and her family do every year, trying not to get too close to anyone, while Caleb needs to forgive himself for a single horrible act. As he says, everyone is allowed a bad day. But it's not until meeting Sierra that he truly believes it. I laughed, I cheered, I cried, and oh did I fall in love with Sierra, Caleb, and this exquisitely lovely story.”
—Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places
School Library Journal
10/01/2016
Gr 7 Up—Sierra has grown up on her family's Christmas tree farm in Oregon, and for as long as she can remember, she has always lived two lives around Christmas: every year after Thanksgiving, her parents pack up their trailer and drive down to California to sell Christmas trees at their lot for the month of December. Even though her parents met as teens on the same lot, her father doesn't want her dating any of the boys who work there. Sierra is OK with this, figuring that she's not there long enough for a romance to be worth her time. And then she meets Caleb, a boy with a painful secret from his past that he's still trying to live down. At first, Sierra isn't sure if she should start a relationship with him, but the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes that some things are worth the risk. This is a sweet, light romance, perfect for holiday reading. While Caleb's secret is awful, it doesn't seem quite bad enough to merit the treatment he receives in his community. Side stories with Sierra's friends add some humor but are overall frothy. VERDICT This is more sugar in your peppermint mocha than you're expecting, but it's good nonetheless. Asher's fans will gravitate toward it.—Necia Blundy, formerly at Marlborough Public Library, MA
OCTOBER 2016 - AudioFile
Listeners follow the story of Sierra, a high school junior who feels like she’s living two lives. Her family owns a Christmas tree farm in Oregon, but every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas they move to California to sell their trees at the lot they’ve owned for 30 years. Narrator Mandy Siegfried portrays Sierra as she tries to balance her life in both places. Siegfried’s delivery is well paced as she shares Sierra’s love for both the tree farm and the sales lot. The author deserves credit for making Sierra, her friends, and her romance seem credible in spite of this book’s sounding somewhat like a made-for-TV holiday movie. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-07-20
Love, hope, and forgiveness are under the tree this Christmas.From Thanksgiving through Christmas, Sierra and her parents move from their Oregon tree farm to their sale lot in California. Though Sierra usually eschews involvement with local boys, this year, Heather, her California pal, is determined that Sierra indulge in a “holiday love affair.” Enter Caleb of the adorable dimple, and it’s blush at first sight. However, Caleb has a back story: years ago, he went after his sister with a knife. Troublingly, the revelation doesn’t scare Sierra; she thinks Caleb must be good now—after all, he buys Christmas trees for people who can’t afford them. Sierra’s decision to skip a best friend’s holiday play in order to be with Caleb may also have readers grinding their teeth. A subplot reveals that Heather doesn’t want to break up with her boyfriend because she needs to feel that he wants her. The sexism runs both ways: the novel’s main theme is that of boy-needs-girl-to-make-him-see-he’s-worthy-of-forgiveness. Neither characters nor book seem to question the retrograde nature of these relationships and assumptions. While most ethnicities are unnamed, leaving readers to infer that characters are probably white, there are two secondary characters of color: Mrs. Trujillo, a recipient of Caleb’s Christmas trees, and local mean girl Christy Wang. Though apparently titled for the line from Romeo and Juliet, this second solo outing for the author of Thirteen Reasons Why is not a love story for the ages. (Fiction. 13-18)
