MIDNIGHT SUN

A girl with a rare genetic condition that forces her to hide from the sun falls hard for a boy the summer after graduation.

In first grade, not long after her mother’s death, Katie Price was diagnosed with XP, or xeroderma pigmentosum. It’s a severe sensitivity to sunlight that leads to skin cancer and a painful death if she has any exposure to the sun. She lives a limited life, sequestered at home with her father, socializing with her only friend, sleeping during the day, and doing online schooling at night. But the solar shades blocking the UV light from her windows can’t stop her from noticing her crush, Charlie Reed, as he passes by. One night, Katie takes her guitar to the train station—a passionate musician, she longs for a larger audience than just her father. As fate would have it, Charlie is at the station, too. Soon, the two embark on the romance Katie had only dreamed of, meeting at night and exploring their small town. The problem is, she can’t bear to tell him about her illness, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds out. The romance is cloyingly sweet; Charlie’s perfection knows no bounds. Katie’s illness is often mentioned but its daily effects are rarely detailed, making it seem a distant threat, until, predictably, it isn’t. All characters are presumed white.

Another rote romantic tragedy.