There’s a specific corner of the internet—mostly BookTok and Instagram—where the line between Young Adult (YA) and Adult fiction has basically evaporated. This is the "New Adult" or "Upper YA" space. Catch the Sun sits right in the center of it. While the characters might be in their late teens or early twenties, the themes and the "spice" level are aimed squarely at adults.

Jennifer Hartmann is famous for writing "darker" contemporary romance. She doesn't do fluff. If your teen is used to the relatively chaste romances of standard YA, this is going to feel like a massive jump in intensity. It’s not just about the romance; it’s about systemic injustice, the looming threat of an execution, and the kind of trauma that most high school stories don't touch.

The plot of Catch the Sun revolves around Max, who is on death row for a crime he didn't commit, and Sophie, who is connected to the tragedy that put him there. It’s a "forbidden love" trope taken to the absolute extreme.

Because the stakes are literally life and death, the emotional pitch is dialed to an eleven at all times. Hartmann explores:

This isn't "sad" in a "we broke up before prom" kind of way. It’s "sad" in a "the world is cruel and unfair" kind of way. For some teens, this kind of high-stakes melodrama is exactly what they crave—it’s cathartic. For others, it might just be a lot to process.

In the book world, "open door" means the author doesn't fade to black when things get intimate. Catch the Sun is very much an open-door book. The sexual content is explicit, descriptive, and frequent.

If your family’s baseline for "okay" is The Summer I Turned Pretty, be aware that Hartmann’s writing is significantly more graphic. It’s written for an adult audience that expects descriptive romance. There’s no ambiguity here: if your teen is reading this, they are reading adult erotica-lite packaged in a high-drama contemporary story.

Kids are increasingly drawn to "emotional damage" books. There is a genuine trend of seeking out stories that guarantee a good cry. Catch the Sun hits that mark perfectly because it combines a high-concept tragedy with a "soulmate" romance.

It’s also part of the broader Jennifer Hartmann "universe." Once a reader finishes one of her books, the algorithm is going to serve them the rest, many of which (like Still Beating) are significantly darker and involve even more intense triggers like kidnapping and assault. Catch the Sun is often the "entry drug" to this darker side of romance.

If your teen is chasing the emotional high of a tragic romance but you’d prefer they stick to something a little less explicit, there are plenty of "Upper YA" titles that deliver the tears without the "open door" scenes.

This is the gold standard for "make me cry" YA right now. It deals with regret, first love, and a devastating ending, but it stays firmly within the YA boundaries of intimacy. It’s the ultimate "what if" story.

Another viral sensation. It is pure, unadulterated melodrama. It’s about a boy and a girl who have been in love since childhood and the health crisis that threatens their future. It’s incredibly sentimental and a guaranteed tear-jerker.

It’s a classic for a reason. If they haven’t read it yet, it’s the blueprint for the "tragic teen romance." It’s smart, funny, and devastating, and while it deals with sex, it’s handled with a lot more narrative restraint than a Hartmann novel.

If your teen has already finished Catch the Sun, they’ve probably got some big feelings about it. Instead of focusing on the "spice," try talking about the actual plot.

Q: What age is Catch the Sun appropriate for?

Catch the Sun is best suited for readers 17 and up. While the characters are young, the explicit sexual content and the heavy themes of death row and trauma make it an adult novel that requires a high level of maturity to navigate.

Q: Is Catch the Sun "spicy"?

Yes, it is considered "high spice" or "open door." The sexual scenes are descriptive and graphic, consistent with the New Adult romance genre. It is not a "clean" or "faded to black" romance.

Q: What are the content warnings for Catch the Sun?

The book includes themes of wrongful imprisonment, the death penalty, grief, severe trauma, and explicit sexual content. There are also mentions of the violent crime that led to the conviction, which can be intense for some readers.

Q: Is Catch the Sun part of a series?

Jennifer Hartmann has several books that share similar "dark contemporary" vibes, but Catch the Sun can be read as a standalone. However, readers who enjoy it often move on to her other titles, which can be even more intense.

Catch the Sun is the literary equivalent of a prestige TV drama—it’s well-written, emotionally manipulative in the way fans love, and definitely not for kids. If your teen is an older reader who has already moved into the Colleen Hoover or Sarah J. Maas lane, they’ll handle this fine. If they’re still in the middle-school-to-early-high-school transition, you might want to steer them toward the best books for kids list for something that hits the emotional notes without the adult content.