Waking Up the Sun was a cute romance set in a dark yet enchanting forest where two people, the only two people in the forest, gradually fall in love with each other.
My favorite part about this was the mental illness representation. The main characters panic attacks, combine with his description of his cycles of anxiety and depression, felt true and relatable.
More importantly, both the main character and the narrative voice had a positive attitude towards medication. The main character had a potion that helped him manage his mental illness. When he was in the forest without it, he coped, but realized he did better with it, and took the initiative to make more of it. Once he was back on the medication, his symptoms were clearly easier to manage. They didn’t disappear, but they were more manageable, which made it feel very authentic.
I read so many stories where medication is portrayed in a negative light, that I was happy to see a book where it was shown as something helpful.
I also enjoyed the forest setting. That, combined with the story itself, had a fairy-tale feel.
At times, the story and dialogue felt a little contrived to me, but I often find myself thinking that when I read romance. I wasn’t always as engaged with the voice as I wanted to be and I would have liked a little more tension or high stakes.
Still, it was a nice relaxing read after a stressful week. Waking Up the Sun is a good choice if you are looking for a calm, sweet fairy tale or something to help you unwind after a busy day.
Get your copy here.
Sara Codair 