What Light

August 8, 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.

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