Away From the Sun

by Whitney D. Grandison

Her Fresh Start May Be Her Last


Ashton Banks is supposed to be mourning, but after a disastrous few years, she’s beyond the ability to care. Following the loss of her father, Ashton is sent to start over with distant family in the calm settings of Green Cove, Georgia. At her new elite high school, she soon falls in with her popular cousin and her esteemed crowd of friends. With a fresh start and new faces, Ashton is hoping for the best. When she sets eyes on Adrian Ko, all bets are off.

An all-star soccer player and shutterbug with an eye for detail, Adrian has it all: looks, money, and status, making him seemingly the total package. Only, he’s the least bit friendly with Ashton—not to mention all the warnings around school to stay away from the brooding teen. The last girl he dated vanished without a trace, and all eyes are on Adrian.

Against his frosty disposition, Ashton can’t help but feel a connection as she recognizes a part of herself in Adrian. They’re both avoiding grief and desperately trying not to let their tragedies consume them. Despite bumping heads, neither can resist their undeniable chemistry and spark. However, this spark may burn when harbored secrets come to the surface threatening to destroy them both for good.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult

422 pages, Paperback

Published October 18, 2024

About the author

A lover of words, Whitney D. Grandison has been writing since as far back as she can remember. Outside of writing, she is a lover of Asian dramas, all things John Hughes, and horror films. Whitney currently lives in Akron, Ohio with her cats.

Visit Whitney’s website, www.whitneydgrandison.com, and follow her on Instagram, @wheadee.

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me in a chokehold since I got my hands on it and read it one sitting
I LOVED the romance between Ashton and Adrian but also all the friendships she ended getting between the whole friend group
and the suspense of who the killer was I had different the theories I was completely off and was a shock to me but when I reread it again I saw hints here and there
This one of my favorite books of the year I recommend to anyone and everyone who will listen

[thee.millennialreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good—Whitney definitely did her thing. Quick trigger warning: the story deals heavily with grief, including the loss of a parent and a close friend.

We follow Ashton after her father’s death, when her mom sends her to Georgia to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin Zuri. She’s carrying a lot of unresolved pain but is immediately surrounded by love and pulled into Zuri’s elite friend group. That’s when she learns one of their friends, Kara, has been missing—and later, that she was murdered.

Suspicion quickly falls on Kara’s boyfriend, Adrian, who also happens to be our moody male lead. He and Ashton have instant chemistry, bonded by shared grief—him mourning Kara, her grieving her father. Ashton doesn’t want to get close to anyone, but Adrian slowly breaks down her walls because they understand each other in a way no one else does.

The story turns into a murder mystery, and while I knew it wasn’t Adrian, I was convinced I had the killer figured out… and I was wrong. The twist definitely caught me off guard. Sauce was another standout character—his humor brought much-needed lightness to such a heavy story.

I loved the slow-burn romance between Ashton and Adrian—lots of tension, playful moments, and thankfully no unnecessary dragging. The book does sit in grief for a while before fully shifting into mystery, but Ashton’s emotional journey, especially confronting her feelings about her dad and starting therapy, felt real and meaningful.

Overall, emotional, well-written, and surprising. Definitely a good read.

[LuvKayKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good. I liked the plot and the romance. The mystery aspect really kept me on my toes and I enjoyed it. Lowkey I didn’t expect who did it, but at the same time I did have a feeling who it was. I do not like Zuri at all. I get you’re hurt that your best friend is dead after 4 months, but the way she spoke to Ashton at times really pissed me off. How could you talk to your cousin like that??? But I’m glad with Ashton’s finally able to talk to someone about her dad’s death and is finally able to accept the fact it wasn’t her fault, but her dad’s. I love Sauce he’s my favorite character and I love that he finally accepts what he wants to do and not just what his dad wants him to do. This was a really good book. I would definitely love to read more from this author.

[SL Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!

This is not my first time reading this author but I was intrigued since it is a mix of YA romance and suspense. Ashton moves to a new town after her father passes away from a drug overdose. She moves in with her aunt, uncle and cousin to start anew. The cousin has a group of friends at school where Ashton also attends and they become her friends through association. She learns of the missing friend in group who is also the ex girlfriend of her new love interest, Adrian. So much mystery and suspense and twists! I will say the physical scenes are tasteful since it is teenagers. Very well written book and you won’t know who done it until the very end. Great book!

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tone of this book is kind of perfect. It feels a little heavy and mysterious but not oppressively so. Themes of addiction, grief, depression were all touched on and I think handled pretty well. I think the author wove a really interesting tale with some genuinely intriguing characters. I had small qualms about Ashton’s overt nosiness at all times but in the end it worked out okay. Only thing….they almost didn’t feel like teenagers to me.

[Joya Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

a chilling teen mystery

I must say I enjoyed trying to guess who did it. The book reminded me of pretty little liars which is a good thing in my book because of how epic it was for social media when it first aired. I'd love to see this book brought to life, I think it’d translate well on screen as a teen drama. Still, I enjoyed the romance the most in this book! Something about characters who probably shouldn't be dating still drawn together is entertaining to read.

[Crishanna Randle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a good teen murder mystery

Finally a mystery I solved! Not right away of course but I loved the back and forth between Ashton and Adrian and loved how Ashton easily fit into their group. Although I'm happy for the couple in the end I can't say I wasn't also rooting for Ashton and Sauce I love their relationship as well.

[Torylovestoread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this was so perfect...eish the edgy dropping mystery got me on my toes, the betrayal, the disbelieve, the accusations ughh boy was I blown away.
I love a good mystery novel and Away from sun did not disappoint. I literally finished reading this book in a Day.
it was so good😭❤

And I'm definitely in love with Adrian Ko l... his so dreammyyyyy😩

[Arabia Raye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this

The premise of this book was so intriguing, I knew I had to see it to the end . I liked the building of the romance between the characters, despite the looming disappearance of Adrian’s ex over their heads (though Adrian sorta took interest in someone new fairly quickly considering the situation he was in) . I loved the “in crowd”. The characters were fun especially Sauce. Zuri got on my nerves and at times I felt she was a terrible cousin. Ashton also irritated me at times too .

MINOR SPOILER:

The situation with Minji made sense but the reveal didn’t . Like how was she seen at the hospital and received an arm cast if nothing was wrong with her arm ? Wouldn’t they have given her an X-ray and saw nothing was wrong?

Anyway overall this was a good read. The murder mystery mixed into the romance definitely keeps your attention.

[ejbooks25 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! My poor Ashton needs a BREAK!! she's been through too much!!!

There was so much going on for the group of friends that I wish I could take all their troubles away.

You know who needs to stay where they are at. The need SERIOUS HELP!!!

[Chaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved!!

This book was too good. I'm just getting into Whitney's writing style and then came this book that Topped it for me.
It was fun playing detective, being on the edge of my seat and then being relieved/ shocked at the outcome.
Ate down. Loved it. Would recommend

[Supermorgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ✨
First physical book I read in a while , this book was more a murder mystery with a subplot of romance
High school would have ate this book up
Love Ashton’s personality and sauce was my fave.
Now I need an epilogue to see what they ended up doing in their future

[Tasheni Bota · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whitney D Grandison put my emotions THROUGH IT with this book! 10/10 read. She crafted a wonderful murder mystery and a spicy romance, and gave a satisfying conclusion to both. The characterisation was very realistic, too.

[Oni Akil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite out of all her books!!