Oh my - this book! Jeff Zentner has a way of just destroying my emotions and this new novel is no different. A heart wrenching, gut punching, action packed ride that will leave you breathless.

Please note that this book comes with major content notes for addiction, drug use and death.

Jeff Zentner really excels with YA 'literary fiction', and this is no exception. 'Literary fiction', for me as a reader, is a book more driven by character than anything else. If you're looking for a fast paced plot, lots of action, or a conventional story arc, then this book probably isn't for you - but if you're looking for a quiet sigh of a novel, an exploration of character and circumstance akin to a calm river, then absolutely read this.

In the Wild Light follows Cash and Delaney - two teenagers brought together by their mother's addictions, and trying to survive life in a small Appalachian town. Delaney is somewhat of a genius and, with Cash's help, makes a ground-breaking scientific discovery. On the heels of this, she is invited to an elite prep school, a world and a half away from the life she's used to. The school are falling over themselves to boast of her, so Delaney navigates a deal: she will go, but only if Cash does too.

Again, In the Wild Light is very character focused. That's not to say that there isn't any plot, and it's absolutely not a boring read, but it is worthwhile knowing that before you go in. The exploration of character is really gorgeous, I felt that Cash's voice was really interesting and it felt nuanced to an outsider. As with Zentner's other books, it takes on some big, scary things with grace and consideration, never shying away from the ugly parts of life, but never losing an awareness of hope or beauty either.

My one criticism about this book is one I can't say without giving a major spoiler! There was something that happened towards the very end that I felt wasn't necessary, and I would have liked the book better without it. Can't really explain that any further without spoilers though! I also think the increase in action towards the end felt a bit out of place and quite unrealistic, but I can also see why it was like that, and I'm glad those moments of action happened!

Overall - this is a quietly astonishing book, peaceful yet moving.

I enjoyed this one, was a great contemporary and a great way to get back into the genre, can’t wait to read more of the authors work

What a read! Loved all the little easter eggs to the other books that have written. The vulnerability that the characters show everyone will see a bit of themselves in it. A book that will stand the test of time.

Cash is from small town Sawyer, Tennessee. He lives with his Meemaw and Papaw after his mother died from an opioid addiction. As if that wasn’t a tough enough hand to dealt, his Papaw is now struggling with emphysema. Although he’s been told emphysema isn’t a terminal condition, everybody knows his Papaw hasn’t got long.

Cash’s best friend Delaney loves his Papaw almost as much as he does; although her Mom is still alive she is also an addict and doesn’t provide any nurturing for Delaney. She is literally a genius and is determined that she will find a cure for Pep’s (what she calls Papaw) condition. In the meantime, she just happened to discover a new strain of penicillin when out canoeing with Cash. With the spotlight on Delaney and her brilliance, she is offered a scholarship to attend an elite school out of state in Connecticut. She also manages to wangle an additional scholarship for Cash. Although he doesn’t want to leave his Papaw, Cash is convinced to leave Sawyer and make something of himself.

The pair board a greyhound for a 20+ hour journey leaving their home state for the first time. However, the journey isn’t just a physical journey but completely life changing. The pair meet some amazing new friends and role models and discover life outside of Sawyer. Delaney spends hours in the science lab whilst Cash discovers a love for poetry. Unfortunately, reality at home is waiting for them too though.

I’ve never read a book by Zentner but when this one became available on NetGalley it sounded right up my street. For the first few chapters I was a little underwhelmed if I’m honest. The writing style is very descriptive and I prepared myself for a real trawl. However, I absolutely adored this book. I came to appreciate the more mature writing and acknowledged an appreciation of the almost poetic descriptions which fit Cash’s character. It felt raw and real. It definitely wasn’t a fairytale of a story but also shone some hope on the tough lives that so many people endure.

I would absolutely 100% recommend for you to go out and buy this book! It got 5/5 from me!

In the Wild Light is a book that I’m going to have to recommend with caution. I imagine anyone who picks it up will enjoy it, but this book - in the right hands - has the capacity to break someone time and time again, before slotting the broken bits back together and forging something new. Yes, this is going to be a book that I know I’ll read again (and that doesn’t happen often), will find ways to use excerpts from in class and will always wish I could recapture the feelings I had as I read it for the first time.
Our main characters, Cash and Delaney, come from a small town called Sawyer in Tennessee. Cash lives with his grandparents after the overdose of his mother, and Delaney’s mother seems to be heading the same way. Cash's grandfather is dying of emphysema, and the pair of them are coming under pressure from a local dealer to get involved in things they'd rather avoid. At the start of the book I was convinced this would be bleak reading.
We are told early on that Delaney has made an important scientific discovery. How big a thing this is doesn't become obvious until we're told that she has an exclusive prep school offering both her and Cash full scholarships to study there. Though they have reservations about leaving at such a time, they are encouraged to break out of their home environment and take a risk.
The opportunity to study at such an establishment cannot be ignored. It changes them both in ways they could never have foreseen, but it also allows them to reflect on what they have come from and what is important to each of them.
There were so many passages and moments within the book that I loved that it's hard to focus on specifics. The friendship between Delaney and Cash is at the heart of the book, but they would not be where they are without the support of Cash's grandparents. The professor who fosters Cash's ability to write was inspiring, and each of the students Cash and Delaney find themselves befriending had something about them. The story is quite simple, but the way in which is written is achingly beautiful. Though I was expecting some of the bleak moments, there were more...but, at its core, there was a strong sense of hope that cannot be ignored.
Jeff Zentner has created a story that goes beyond the boundaries of the page. It’s a love story, testimony to the power of friendship, family and environment. It’s a story that cannot be forgotten.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Andersen Press, for the chance to read and review this book.

Cash's life isn't easy. He lost his mother to an opioid addiction, his Papaw is dying from emphysema and his job is to keep hi best friend Delaney away from trouble and dodging drug dealers. When Delaney manages to get both a full scholarship to an elite school in Connecticut, Cash is forced to face his need to protect and love Delaney and to abandon his old life.

I didn't know Jeff Zentner before, but I was hooked by the plot and the cover and I was really happy when I was able to read this book! The story is unbelievably strong, beautiful and moving. The writing style is captivating and it's impossible not to feel for Cash and his struggles, his life and losses and grief, his fierce love and hope. The book is about love and friendship, about changes and move on, found family and life's struggles. I loved how the author wrote, the brilliant ability to convey the feelings and emotions, the importance of friendships and connections. I really loved Cash and Delaney and their story is moving, amazing and so relatable.

Nobody writes coming of age stories like Jeff Zentner! Packed with raw emotion and gorgeous prose this was every bit as memorable as his debut (which I sobbed through).

In The Wild Light is such a wonderful and heartbreaking novel
With some amazing characters that I fell in love with (Delaney is my favourite)
A brilliant book that I was very lucky to be able to read before publication thank you so much Jeff Zentner for writing it ❤️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m in awe! This book is like a love song so mesmerizing, you put it on repeat again and again. Like a poem so vivid, it’s etched into your mind forever. Like prose so tangible, it touches your whole being. And it’s YA, y’all!!

‘When you grow up with ugliness and corruption, you surrender to beauty ... You let it save you, if only for the time it takes a snowflake to melt on your tongue, or for the sun to sink below the horizon in a wildfire of clouds.’

I loved The Serpent King, a beautiful story! An easy five star read. And this? I’d like to give it a million stars. It’s a gem! It could easily be a literary masterpiece! Jeff Zentner juggles with words and puts them together in a hypnotizing way. It left me longing and breathless and smiling and silent and crying and so much more. How can someone make me feel so many emotions just by putting words together?

‘Sometimes a clear day will cloud up without your noticing, until a gust of rain-scented wind nearly steals your balance. That’s how the homesickness hits my center of gravity.’

And then the story itself. Don’t read it because you want to read a book with a major plot. This is a character driven story and quite simple, but when Jeff Zentner uses his magic, even the simplest things become magnificent. Let this story take your breath away. Let the writing flood you, just feel the warmth, hear the cicadas, smell the grass. Feel Cash’s doubts, endure his homesickness, feel his love for the people around him.

‘In the dim of the porch light I see his eyes, ardent with furious love. It burns through the darkness in me. It pulls me from the maelstrom and drops me, dripping and shivering on the shore.’

Lastly that cover and title! Like the story they’re simple, and so breathtaking at the same time! It fits Cash and the writing perfectly. And ... I strongly believe this story should not only be pitched as a YA. Like I said above, this could easily be a literary masterpiece!

‘There are days when your heart is so filled with this world’s beauty, it feels like holding too much of something in your hand. Days that taste like wild honey.’

Thank you so much Jeff Zentner for writing this gorgeous story!! I’m still in awe... And everyone reading this review, even if you normally don’t read YA: please read this brilliant gem of a book!

‘Life often won’t freely give you moments of joy. Sometimes you have to wrench them away and cup them in your hands, to protect them from the wind and rain. Art is a pair of cupped hands. Poetry is a pair of cupped hands.’