Snapshots of Sunlight

by Abbie Emmons

For Tessa and Weston, happily-ever-after is just the beginning.

Five stories. One unforgettable year. Snapshots of Sunlight follows the next chapters of Tessa and Weston's story as they navigate growing up, growing together, and finding the light in every season.

A first job that tests Weston's patience (and his punching restraint). A writing class that challenges Tessa's heart and self-confidence. A prom night full of yearning and heartbreak. A brotherly adventure that doesn't go as planned. And a small-town mystery with secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Filled with humor, heart, and a healthy dose of chaos, Snapshots of Sunlight is a cozy, feel-good continuation of the YA series 100 Days of Sunlight--perfect for readers who love low-spice romance, disability rep, and stories that remind you to find light even the darkest days.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Short Stories, Young Adult Romance

368 pages, Paperback

Published February 24, 2026

About the author

Abbie Emmons has been writing stories ever since she could hold a pencil. What started as an intrinsic love for storytelling became her lifelong passion. For over six years, Emmons has been sharing her wisdom on her YouTube channel, where she teaches writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling to transform their ideas into masterpieces.

A self-taught expert with years of rigorous study in the writing craft, Emmons has discovered an essential truth: “Story is the best teacher of story.” Drawing on her passion for psychology and neuroscience, she has made it her mission to decode the “story instincts” we all naturally possess. Her groundbreaking approach unlocks the hidden structure and emotional depth that make stories impactful.

What started as a personal quest to improve her writing skills has overflowed into a vibrant online community of half a million passionate writers who have connected with Emmons’ creed to “make your story matter.” Emmons went on to launch Abbie’s Story University, an online learning platform that has attracted thousands of students worldwide. Through monthly live lectures and in-depth courses, Abbie’s Story University offers comprehensive instruction on creative writing, editing, publishing, and more, nurturing a thriving community of writers dedicated to honing their craft.

Reviews

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHHHH it’s finally here!!! 🎉✨
Snapshots of Sunlight is officially on Goodreads — which means you can now mark it as “Want to Read” and join Tessa & Weston for their next year of chaos, character growth, romance, and cozy small-town vibes. ☀️💛

This book has:
✨ five not-so-short interconnected stories
✨ slow burn + low-spice romance
✨ a cozy small-town mystery
✨ disability rep
✨ Tessa in her dark academia era
✨ Weston trying his best not to punch people (he tries… but fails.)
✨ brother banter + misadventures
✨ yearning. ANGST. more yearning.

If you loved 100 Days of Sunlight and Tessa & Weston: The Best Christmas Ever, this is the next chapter in their journey — a warm, heartfelt, slightly chaotic collection about love, change, and finding the light in every season.

This book is rated PG-13 (appropriate for ages 13+) but if you're concerned about the content, please read the official content guide BEFORE you read it!


➡️ Add it to your Want to Read shelf now! (and add a quick note in your post about why you're excited for this one!)

➡️ Pre-order before February 24 to unlock bonus goodies: click here to get your copy.

I can’t WAIT for you to read these stories. 💛

rock on,
Abbie

[Brooke Riley]

I cannot WAIT to read this glorious masterpiece!! This is so exciting!!

[Honora Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I rated the stories as I went! Overall I'm rating this short story collection 4 stars - I love Weston and Tessa so much (It's so fun seeing more of their relationship, and I really need to go read Tessa and Weston: Best Christmas Ever finally). I can't wait to read the final book of the series as well! 🤩

The Job

Very original title, but we'll go with it. There's definitely a lot more language than I remembered, so that was disappointing. But overall the story was very cute! I've never loved the trope of "girl hits on guy who has a girlfriend" but he actually reacted in a way that didn't make me mad, so we'll take it.

Overall I'd rate this story 4 stars! I loved the themes and how Weston grew as a person even in 42 short pages.

Prom and Principles

I ended up skimming a bit of this one, since I didn't necessarily appreciate the way certain topics were referenced, but the ultimate conclusion (on both Tessa's and Weston's sides) was definitely better than I expected. And the ending was adorable. 🥹 I'd rate this one 3.5 stars!

The Writing Class

Ahhhh I love this one the most so far. Maybe it's because I'm a writer, but oh well. 😂 I had forgotten how much I love Abbie Emmons' writing because she actually makes Tessa and Weston react like real people. Tessa's reactions to things are so similar to what my own would be like, but even better, I appreciate that Tessa and Weston talk things out and fight for each other.

I squealed at the end. The story was pretty much what I predicted, but it was written so well, and I absolutely loved it. I'd rate this one 4.5 stars! (Not 5 stars due to language)

Adventures In Chaperoning

Okay, I love the older sibling vibes from both Weston and Tessa. It's so cute and AHHH. There weren't any major themes in it though, so nothing super duper relatable.

Overall I'd rate this one 4 stars!

Fire On Forsythia Lane

Oh my word, I want Abbie Emmons to write more mysteries! This was such a cozy little mystery, and I loved Tessa and Weston being sleuths. 😂 There was minimal language and no dirty jokes in this story, so I really appreciated that as well!

I'd rate this one 4.5 stars!

[Keira Mueller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, I really, really wanted to like this. The first two books in the series were AMAZING, imbued with sunlight and Christmas magic, but that spark didn't quite translate to this one.

First, like the first two books, there is quite a bit of language, s-words and a-words, but not f-words (thank goodness). There is A LOT of kissing (Tessa and Weston cannot be together for more than two seconds without a full make-out session. That's not an exaggeration), and though there are no explicit scenes, the characters talk about it far more than necessary.

Even though short story collections have never been my jam, I thought I would love anything with Tessa and Weston. It provides plenty of snapshots and fun experiences, but is missing that sunlight. Tessa and Weston are both eighteen, which means more mature content. They both almost get seduced Again, they cannot be within six feet of each other before letting the hormones take over. In the prior books, their romance was sweet and something to be cherished, but it's much harder when they are constantly canoodling. Additionally, the book seemed to primarily focus on Weston, and I was missing some of Tessa's experiences.

However, I can see how some people might love this story. It just didn't hold the same magic as the first two. Nevertheless, I heard there will be one final instalment in this series, so I will be sure to read that.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I KID YOU NOT when I saw the email in my inbox, I screamed, and I am currently bouncing up and down in glee at my desk A DAY LATER. No doubt Abbie Emmons has made another brilliant masterpiece!

**Edited**

I received the immense honour of being able to ARC read this latest work of Abbie's, and it is very good! However, there are a few things I believe I should mention for sensitive readers and younger readers, and parents.

This book is amazing, do not mistake me! I laughed audibly more than once! However... Especially in the 'Prom' short story, there is a lot of talk of condoms (a protagonist ends up taking one and putting it in his pocket). Talk of losing virginity on prom night. Quite a few kissing scenes as well.
POSITIVES:
Tessa believes in saving herself for marriage, and Weston respects that. This is very admirable in modern society, and so I appreciate that.
Condoms are a big part of the plot in this short story, and in the story where Weston gets a job, a teenager tries to seduce him despite knowing he is in a relationship.

Overall, it's not severe sexual content, but speaking as a big sister, I had to mention it. I also have friends who are fairly sheltered and younger than me who love Abbie's novels, but I'm not too sure I'll be recommending this one to them just yet.

Abbie, if you see this, please know I greatly enjoyed ARC reading, and it is definitely very well written. It is evident how much heart you put into this latest addition the the WESTESS series.
Thank you very much for choosing me!

[jo ୨୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

‿︵˓ʚ♡ɞ˓︵‿ if i could bottle this book up and send to future me when i'm sad, i would. snapshots of sunlight is the perfect short story collection if you are missing reading about our sunlight couple--tessa and weston. this is the dopamine boost that you need. each short story was a cute little plotline with enough boost to keep me reading. i fear i may have read this at 2am in the morning and wished that it was longer. but that's okay. i'll come back to this book. you ate abbie with this. need more asap. pick up snapshots of sunlight for a dopamine boost. 👏‍‍

𓂃⋆.˚ i received an advanced copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. all thoughts are my own.

[Moriyah Cordova]

The cover!!! I can’t wait to read this collection of short stories!

Edit: Ummm. The content concerns me a bit. I love Abbie’s writing but…I’m torn on reading this book. I do appreciate that Abbie has a link to a content guide (super helpful). It seems like the content jumped from book 1 to 3 and I’d be worried for young teen readers and those who are more sensitive. I tend to be a more sensitive reader. If you are similar, I highly recommend reading the content guide and trigger warnings on the other reviews. I’m still open to reading it but am wary to say the least.

[Sarah | Sarah's Story Nook ⚘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3

[avery nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was cute, i enjoyed it, i like characters.

BUT.
they are completely utterly unrealistic and so is their relationship. teenagers don’t handle conflicting so quickly, they don’t talk about sex so openly, and their every thought is not about how much they love their bf/gf. also the whole we’re going to wait until marriage but still make out while home alone?? where are the actual boundaries??
also the plots just were not it. all inner conflict was just told outright and resolved in like one conversation. plus the plots repeated themselves?? why did they both get harassed and kissed by another person? and there were just so many contradictions in character motivations and they were never consistent.
and back to the making out EW. for being a closed door romance this book relied on physical contact as all the romantic connection btwn the characters. and the language they used… if my boyfriend kept making obvious sexual jokes like that i would be so annoyed. it felt like he was teasing her boundaries.

[Aaron Comer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting off with a HUGE thank you for the ARC, which was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The Job—5 stars!
I really, really liked this one. Writing a story completely from Weston’s perspective was a great way to add more depth to his character. Weston’s voice is so strong, and his character is so complex, that I always find myself caught in the middle of a wide range of emotions whenever I’m reading about him. Everything about this was great!

Prom and Principles—3 stars!
This story was good, but the content of the plot felt weird at times, and I didn’t really see how any of it was necessary. But as always, Abbie’s writing style was gorgeous and kept my attention the whole time.

The Writing Class—4 stars!
I would have given this one five stars, but Tessa and Weston both annoyed me at different times throughout the story. Despite that, I loved where they ended up. I think Abbie did a great job revealing some darker, more naive parts of both main characters. And of course, centering the main events of the story around a creative writing class was a genius move on her part.

Adventures in Chaperoning—5 stars!
This was BY FAR my favorite! I laughed out loud more times than I can count, and I loved seeing how Weston’s dynamic with Henry played out throughout the story. I really want to see more content like this from Abbie in the future.

Fire on Forsythia Lane—5 stars!
It’s safe to say I have never read what I would consider a “cozy mystery” before this book, but I loved it! I think Abbie should include mystery elements in all her books from here on out if I’m being honest. It was fun seeing the characters do something different than usual, even if the stakes weren’t incredibly high.

Overall, 4.5 stars! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read it!

[Olivia Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my. Just when you thought Tessa and Weston couldn’t get much better…

First of all, I absolutely adore the idea of a collection of short stories! Each of the five stories, spanning one year in Tessa’s and Weston’s life, has a different feel - from cozy fall vibes to dastardly mysteries. Tessa and Weston are as cute as ever, and it’s really nice to see them settling into their lives as a young couple. Hats off to Abbie for creating this delightful, cozy collection of two of my favourite characters!

I don’t know if I can pick a favourite short story because I loved them all! They tackled tough topics, and the characters grew through the challenges.

With that said, I do have some negatives. Tessa and Weston are always all over each other, and though it couldn’t technically be classified as “spice,” it still was a bit much in the description and just the amount of times they made out with each other XD. There was also some profanity, though not as much as I expected there to be. Because of these reasons, I knocked off a star, but hey, 4 stars is still great! 😂

Thank you, Abbie, for letting me read the ARC of Snapshots of Sunlight!!! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Addison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edit 3/27/2026: after some more thought, I have to change my rating to 4⭐️. The miscommunication is frustrating, and while I enjoy the characters, not all of them are good role models. Additionally, I hadn’t noticed this, but after talking with a friend, she pointed out that sex is normalized and Tessa is just “strict” which isn’t something I agree with. I still believe some of the stories were good and I still enjoy reading from this author, but I have to change my rating


6⭐️

I was so excited to read this when I saw it was going to be released this February (2026). I have a deep love for these characters and their dynamics. I truly enjoy Abbie Emmons’ writing style and have never been disappointed by her work. Each of these stories were well-written and easily followed. The author is able to give her characters so much depth by describing the struggles teenagers go through regarding boundaries, job hunting, and the law. I always enjoy multi-pov books, but I especially enjoy reading dual-pov Weston and Tessa. It allows the readers to grasp the whole situation (sometimes leading to secondhand embarrassment).

I love this book. I love the plot, the characters, and the writing style. This novel touches on respecting boundaries, especially in regards to sex, navigating peer pressure, and still being a good role-model for those who look up to you. There is a good representation of how to communicate with your partner when you disagree. There was less language in this installment than the first one. My only critique would be that there wasn’t enough Rudy content for my personal preference, as he is one of my favorite characters. I’m very happy with this novel. I would recommend this for teens.















⚠️Content Warnings ⚠️
Violence- A character works at a boxing gym, there are some hand-to-hand combat scenes. After being rejected by a girl, a character grabs her aggressively. She is defended by someone else punching him. A character is held at gunpoint and this leads to a fight. No one gets shot.
Sexual Content- One character nonconsensually kisses another character. This happens on two separate occasions with different characters. Additionally, there is talk of “losing your V-Card” and the stigma that surrounds senior prom. This is encouraged by someone selling condoms in the men’s restroom at prom. There is a party where the characters see many couples making out. Described kissing scene, but nothing past kissing.
Profanity- There is minor language throughout the book. I found it easy to skip over but others might not.
Miscellaneous- Teenagers are drinking underage at a party, main characters do not partake. There is some discrimination towards Weston, who is a double amputee. There is an arson investigation that Weston and Tessa snoop in.




.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC!!! 🥰

[Faith Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE JOB: I was impressed at how much conflict, whether man vs. man or man vs. himself, was put into 80 pages. From needing an "actual" job to wanting to prove himself due to a medical ailment (and his ego in general), I could relate to Weston on so many different levels. I cracked up at the dialogue between Bruiser and Weston and was mind-blown at how everything fell into place at the end. 4/5 stars.

PROM & PRINCIPLES: The story revolves around students often losing their virginity at prom and prom coming up. I assume it had a great message, but I stopped two-thirds through. There wasn't any spice, but the frequent implications of the popularity of sex, an antagonist selling condoms, and Weston wanting to take Tessa to the lookout place others have sex built on top of each other. One scene towards the beginning made me laugh, hard, though. 2/5 stars.

THE WRITING CLASS: I found Tessa more interesting in this story and could relate... a lot! But you don't need to be like Tessa to enjoy and appreciate it. I was impressed with the complex contrasting perspectives, for everything twisted and overlapped. And of course, I was laughing--again. 4/5 stars. You don't need to be like Tessa to enjoy and appreciate this one!

ADVENTURES IN CHAPERONING: This was mostly lighthearted and fun! It revolved around the danger of Weston's supposedly-good little brother going on a date with a risque-looking girl, and the making-out increases, but it's pretty funny. Thankfully, there was no deep tension or building up to the making-out, and I could just skip ahead a few paragraphs and be content. 3/5 stars.

FIRE ON FORSYTHIA LANE: As a mystery, this was a bit predictable from the get-go. Even the climax was a bit cliche. That being said, I think Tessa and Weston taking the mystery into their own hands is really cute and love the idea of Tessa getting a job at The Chronicle (especially with another book in the series coming up)! 3/5 stars.

OVERALL: I NEVER buy books new--because you can wait until Amazon lowers the price or a year or two passes and you get a cheaper, used copy, right? Not so with Tessa and Weston! The tears, the laughs, my heart MELTING! How does Abbie do it?!

Still, there was more language, kissing, and talk of sex than in the previous books, and the kissing making out were... gross? It's just one or two paragraphs, but I'm thinking, Wrap it up, guys. I've seen kisses described longer but simultaneously cleaner and sweeter as the two characters are out on a balcony, pausing to whisper to each other about the moon and stars--not on a couch thinking the other smells like strawberries.

All the same, I found the book pretty fun, cute, and worth reading. I cannot wait for the fourth installment--I just hope it doesn't have all this unnecessary making out. I think Tessa getting a job at The Chronicle and Weston going off to college, them having a long-distance relationship they now have to struggle with, would be fascinating! 3.2 stars on average, rounded up.

[Alya Dorhmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOTE: contains mild spoilers.
I was so excited to receive the ARC and to be able to be an early reader for the amazing Abbie.

OVERALL:
over all rating was hard, it's not up there with some of my other 4 star reads but definitely wasn't as low as some of my 3 star reads. So I went with a solid 3 stars.

THE JOB:
I love the fast pace
Westonnnnn
Bruiser's back story in interesting!
---

Some cringy Wesstess dialogue
Why was Tessa cringe … 😬
---

4 stars.

PROM AND PRINCIPLES:
More Tessa
More Heather (I really like her)
---

Quote "He's not like other guys,"
Insurance policy????
More cringy Wesstess dialogue.
Why did the age rating bump up by like 2 in this one?????
They talked about It a lot like ….. a lot.
For someone who very much dosn’t believe in $@X before marriage she sure seems fine with some pretty hot handed necking like …
If Weston was dnd he would be a bard (for … reasons)
---

2.5 stars.

THE WRITING CLASS:
I really liked Grayson at the beginning
The opening line to Graysons book!!!!
More of Tessa's POV.
I love Weston beating people up.
---

I wanted Grayson to be a nice guy!
Weston was kind of possessive but also right.
---

3.5 stars.

ADVENTURES IN CHAPERONING:
The brother banter.
Henry being to good for his own good.
Only a game of monopoly!
---

4.5 stars.

FIRE ON FORSYTHIA LANE:
Wasn't expecting a mystery!
No cringy Wesstess dialogue!
Very different vibe.
---

Mystery wasn't very surprising (though It wouldn’t be easy to fit a full one into a short story)
---

4 stars.

Over all these were fast pace, addictive, funny, and very entertaining short story's and I am so glad I was on this ARC team and able to be one of the first to experience the snapshots of sunlight.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

PRE-READ
I'm already obsessed I fear

thank you to Abbie Emmons for this arc copy!!!!

-the job-
Not my favorite but it definitely got me hooked.

-prom and principles-
I have a bit of a problem with Weston after this one. I see myself in Tessa but i don't agree with how she handled this

-The writing Class -
Oh my goodness you know it's good writing when it makes you hate a character * cough cough* Grayson .... also, this ones my favorite

- Adventures in Chaperoning-
Awwww i love the sibling bond

- Fire on Forsythia Lane-
Such a cute and cozy mystery and a perfect ending to this book


all in all I think its a perfect 3rd edition to Tessa and Westons story!

and I will always be a sucker for a collection of short stories :)

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an ARC review. (Sorry no better introduction, I guess smh)

To begin with, I enjoyed this book very much. It was a cozy collection of five sweet WesTess short stories that were quite genuine and heartwarming. (Look guys. I'm ARC; I can't be crazy and fangirl anymore. I'm a very very cool professional. Just... go with it.)

Trigger Warnings

Swearing, conversations about s*x, dirty jokes, a short story a peer of Tessa's wrote about s*icide, and infrequent violence, once including a gun (other than that it's mostly just Weston punching people.)

The Things I Didn't Like

The language in this book was noticeably more frequent than in the previous two books. There was significantly more innuendo and more dirty jokes, and the sheer amount of times Tessa and Weston were making out was nearly every few scenes. Because of this, despite the romance being incredibly sweet, it didn't feel the same as in the previous books due to the frequent caressing and kissing. It did get rather repetitive after a time, and I have to say that I really don't like their doing this ALL THE THE TIME. It was even worse than the last book. I very much preferred the romance of the first book because it was much more sweet and subtle.

It did bother me a bit in the conversations about s*x. Now, I know that nothing really did happen, but in the short story Prom and Principles, the conversations about this were very frequent, and the pressure from a certain boy in the school towards Weston to do such things with Tessa. It was good that in the end he learned to respect her boundaries and to not even pretend to do otherwise, and it did make sense for his character why he would pretend he intended to do it in order to prove himself, because sweet ol' Weston never seems to get over it. It's an ongoing struggle and I do appreciate how his need to prove himself doesn't magically disappear after just one book. HOWEVER. I did not like it that the extremity of Weston's act was resolved in something like a Pride and Prejudice themed ball (although that dance was amazing.) How is it okay for Weston to prove how irresponsible and untrustworthy he is, despite his intentions, and for all that to not matter anymore because he set up a great ball? I understand that it is a difficult plot to resolve, but I would say Tessa should have broke up with him over something so severe as a breach of trust. It didn't satisfy me. Also what was with the whole thing about Weston being "not like other guys"? I thought this whole cliche was something Abbie didn't like....ew.

Um. Wasn't Grayson's kiss in The Writing Class considered a s*xual *ssault?? Like.... I'm pretty sure that was......HELLO????? I'm not sure whether to add that to the TWs or not....

Ferg. Oh man, did Neil Ferguson grate on me. See, I know his purpose in the story was to be a bully and he did fulfill his role, but I do think that even as a side character, considering that this is a character-driven contemporary romance, he could have had some depth. At this point, he doesn't seem to have ANYTHING good about him, and that seems unfair to me considering how almost every single other character is incredibly well-layered and impressively REAL. I did feel that Marcus from Fire on Forsythia Lane was at least a slightly more well-written character, if not sympathetic. I like it when all the characters have at least some hint of realness, and...well yeah. I honestly am not entirely sure if it is my bias against the high school bully trope, but I did not care for Ferg.

As I noticed in Tessa and Weston: The Best Christmas Ever (well my friend kinda affirmed this and convinced me so...), this book as well did not seem to have as prominent of developing character development and it seemed to be replaced with a lot of fluff. This is fine; fluff can be really cute. But I do think that character development is more important, and while the characters' internal journeys were THERE and what's more in every short story, it was often buried by the fluff. So yah.

The Things I Loved

I loved how in nearly every short story, there was some element of subtle lesson or character development. Tessa and Weston both learned some things in almost every story, and it was subtle enough to feel natural considering how short the stories were, so I do appreciate that. I will now go through a list of my favorite aspects of each of the five short stories.

1. The Job. I enjoyed Weston's desire to prove himself with Bruiser and the way it was written just felt so realistic. Weston was obsessed with trying to show how his being an amputee didn't change anything about his abilities, and it nicely reflected Weston's struggles in 100 Days. Personally, I loved the part where Weston was trying to be all cool and tough and badass and determined when really Bruiser wanted someone who wasn't super arrogant and irresponsible and reckless. Oops, that isn't really a spoiler I guess. ;)

2. Prom and Principles. MY GOSH. Talk about a romantic prom invitation!! Like... I won't spoil it, but I promise it has to do something with the Sound of Music, and it was heartmeltingly sweet and just UGH. YES. Regardless, I appreciated how both Tessa and Weston learned a little more about each other-Tessa learned how Weston reacts to peer pressure and Weston learned how it is important to respect Tessa's boundaries regardless of what others think. Huh...btw I'm noticing that that seems to both be centered around Weston. I do notice that a lot of things are more focused on Weston's struggles than Tessa's.

3. The Writing Class. I loved this one so much because I watch Abbie Emmons' videos on Youtube and I'm a writer myself, so it was enjoyable to see little hints of Abbie in this story. (*wink wink* internal conflict *wink wink*) It was exciting to see Tessa writing her first novel. (*winks dramatically some more*). It did pique my interest to see the differences between writing for the sake of seeming intelligent versus writing for the sake of the love of it. That was a nice little theme that honestly did make me think and question my own perspective on writing. ALSO WHAT THE HELL I DID NOT KNOW I NEEDED TO SEE TESSA IN LIGHT ACADEMIA. About Grayson, ashamed as I am to say it, I found myself second-guessing whether Weston was right for Tessa when Grayson made that speech about Weston and Tessa sharing no interests, as opposed to Grayson. DONT KILL ME PLEASE IM SORRY. Also I liked how in this story Weston learned to not be overprotective/possessive of Tessa. I thought that was sweet, not to mention the adorable callback to the times Weston pushed Tessa outside of her comfort zone in 100 Days... now again when she's joining her first ever writing class. Gotta say that his teaching her how to punch was one of the cutest things I've ever read.

4. Adventures in Chaperoning. This was a sweet little story about stalking innocently watching one's little brother and making sure he is safe. :)

5. Fire on Forsynthia Lane. (I hope I spelled that right.) Well, this was quite the change of scenery, and quite frankly I enjoyed it very much. I didn't get the mystery right (incompetent, I know), but it was still fun! I loved the vibes of this one.

Thanks Abbie for this cute collection of short stories! I loved it and I am honored to be part of the ARC team. Can't wait to see what's next for Tessa and Weston!!! <33

[Chloe Noland · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Over the past year, I've learned a lot about love. How it doesn't need to be packaged in fancy paper and a bow. Real love is perennial — it blooms in any kind of weather."

this trio of books are among the most wholesome and cute books I've ever read 🤧

Abbie Emmons has not only beautiful prose, but also spectacular plot that just gives you everything you never knew you needed. 💖

I think each installment of this series served a different purpose and this one was just fun. It was extremely entertaining and such a breath of fresh air in the world of books.

the format of several different stories in one book was absolutely lovely. ❤️🌹

overall I loved this book and I cannot wait to read the fourth one ✨

Technically though I do have one complaint: I feel like most all of the issues/ conflicts stemmed from Weston only. I think Tessa didn't have as much room to grow in this story as Weston.

...but honestly I loved how much Weston content I got so it's not that deep of a complaint. More of a side note on character development. :)

⭐ 5 stars
would 100% recommend 💕

[Hannah Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the Tessa and Weston books, this one was not my favorite. It had some good parts, but it had far too much unnecessary language and also was getting too far into the spice factor. It also felt like Tessa and Weston's chemistry was off for a majority of the book. I still enjoyed many parts of it and there were good moments to take away from it, too, despite the parts I didn't enjoy.

[Isla Maye]

OMG OMG OMG!! I've been waiting for this announcement since the 100 Days of Sunlight 5-year anniversary video on YT! I'm so so excited to read this. Also, the cover is STUNNING. It matches the other covers and yet it's so different!
Can't wait to read more about Tessa and Weston—I love them and I love your writing!

[Godwin II · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great short story collection! Before I got this book, I said that the mystery story would be my favorite short story of the five, and I was right! I loved the tension and character development in each story, and that each short story had its own antagonist.

[Pearl · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 50% Very different from the drama of the first two books. The writing was sloppy, cheesy and cringe. The drama of the short stories was too forced and the way they were solved was insanely childish and quick. Weston's entire personality is that he's an insecure amputee with Tessa being a Miss Goody Two Shoes.

I was gonna try and finish it but I feel as though I'm cheating myself by wasting time reading poor cheesy writing, just to say I finished a book when this was crap, and I could actually be using said time to read something better.

Yikes, yikes, yikes.

[Emma Garrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. it would be four, but i got tired of all the nasty talk i ended up skipping. it was so unnecessary, and it really bugged me. it got a little spicier, and that also frustrated me. it’s not full on smut, but it was enough to make me uncomfortable. i liked the first and last stories a lot, but the middle ones were eh.

[julianna leclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

WESTESS FOREVER <3

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the one ! Lovely young relationship story with mystery, danger, action & romance. Written with remarkable courage in first person, alternate character short chapter style. A smooth read, this professional Ya or Adult is in my opinion Abby's 'Piece de Resistance', thus far.

[Léa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Abbie for giving me the opportunity to read your new book before its official release.

I really enjoyed reading Abbie’s first novel “A 100 days of Sunlight” and I was excited to read this short stories collection.
I found the cosy atmosphere I liked in the first one and I enjoyed following Weston and Tessa’s new adventures. Each short story is connected to the others which gives an impression of continuity that I also enjoyed.

Overall it was a good reading experience and if you loved the first two books, I encourage you to read this one.

[Irmak · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Warning: Possibly very little spoilers*

First of all, I would like to thank Abbie for this privilege of receiving an ARC. I am so excited to get to be a part of Westess's new journey! I hope you enjoy my review.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5🌟

1-The Job:

3.5/5🌟

First things first, I'd like to start with the things I liked about this first story. I'm sure as everyone who has read the previous books will also agree, Weston is both such a lovable and a relatable character. And as always, the character arc in the story is really well-developed, which is something you can always count on Abbie to achieve. Lastly, I loved how not only Weston, but also Bruiser had his own motivation and disbelief behind his actions, which were revealed in the end. It felt really well thought-out.
Even though I loved the main plotline following Weston's new job, I don't like the incident with Leia as much. It was probably a way to give Devon a reason to become Weston's rival but for some reason, the trope where a person hits on another person who has a significant other never sat right with me. Maybe there could have been some other reason if Devon was also given a more detailed backstory. Other than that, I didn't have any issues with the story, I really liked it. But the reason I gave it 3.5 stars is it didn't make me feel much or impress me much either.
Overall, this was a cute story and an easy read. I think the part I liked best was the last two pages or so where Weston was talking about getting back up whenever life knocks you down. That whole part I was like "Yes, you go Weston!" We love our obnoxiously optimistic boy☀️

2- Prom and Principles:

3-3.5/5🌟

Okay so, before I get into the review, I just have to say: Somebody get me a boy who will throw me a Pride and Prejudice themed ball please. My standards have been raised way too high.
As a principle (pun intended), let's start with everything I liked about the story. As always, the beats of the story were very clear and it was an easy read. Weston was soo romantic especially with his promposal and the GRAND gesture at the end!!! (But not in the Neil Ferguson plotline. That one was not it, Wes. But you were really sorry and made up for it so it's okay in the end I guess.) I really like Tessa as well and relate to her character in some ways, like how she is a person of principle and an introvert. (Also our shared love of Pride and Prejudice!!)
Now for the parts I didn't like: I've seen some other people mention this as well and for me, the biggest issue was the constant emphasis on *the deed*, making out, and that kind of stuff. Now while I do get that that was kind of the whole point of the story, and how that subject was az big issue for Tessa's characters especially, it just felt a litte weird, unnecessary or even cringe at times. I found the character of Neil Ferguson also a little cliché as well, like your stereotypical high school bully guy. That was probably how he was intended to be anyway but still.
Overall, it was another sweet Westess story; I just didn't think it was quite up to par with Abbie's previous Westess books.

3- The Writing Class:

4/5🌟

This third story has definitely been my favorite so far! It met my expectations from this book and had quite a few elements that I loved reading about. So without further ado, let's get into it!
Honestly, the premise of the story was enough to draw my attention but on top of that, it had me hooked from the first page. I thought that both Tessa's and Weston's POVs were very well-written. I could feel, understand and relate to both of their emotions and thoughts. Moreover, as an aspiring writer myself, I LOVED the writing class Tessa attended and their writing group the Inklings. I wish I were part of such a group so bad. I also liked Grayson a lot up until he pulled that stunt with Tessa. He was about to be a perfect fictional crush but he just had to ruin it with that move. Oh and lastly, I loved the butterfly metaphor in Weston's POV! It was such a good way to describe Tessa's journey.
This is normally the part where I talk about the things I didn't like but I can't think of any at the moment. The only reason I didn't give this story five stars is that it didn't WOW me. (That's what I use five stars for) So yeah, overall it was a great story and I loved seeing how Tessa and Weston's individual character arc's progress throughout the story.

4- Adventures In Chaperoning:

3.5/5🌟

This was really fun to read! The lengths to which Weston and Tessa went to in order to watch over Henry just for that ending was hilarious.
One of the two things I'd like to mention which kind of bothered me is that moment during Nicky Savage's party where Tessa lashes out at Weston and then Weston starts flirting with her to change the subject. I get that that is probably how Weston deals with that kind of situation but it kind of felt a little... out of nowhere? It was hot, don't get me wrong, no complaints about that. It just felt unnecessary in that context. Like, one moment when Tessa first started complaining I thought we were going to get an argument scene or something like that but then suddenly Weston pins her to the wall, starts flirting with her and they start making out. And the other thing is the recurring themes of "doing the deed" or things related to that. Not that I think there is anything necessarily wrong with that topic, don't get me wrong. It's just that it has been the focus for many parts of this book that it just feels a bit repetitive and cliché, I guess.
Still, I thought it was a fun read overall! Maybe it didn't have me completely hooked but it was easy and fun to read nevertheless.

5- Fire On Forsythia Lane:

3.5-4/5🌟

This last story was different from the rest as it was a mystery— and a really fun one at that! I loved how the truth behind the mystery was plotted. I did feel like a good little detective as I guessed it right😄 (it was a couple of pages before the truth was revealed anyways but we're just going to ignore that fact) I really liked that Rubik's cube detail as well!
I guess the one thing I though would've made the story even better is if Weston had a stronger motive for why he was so against Marcus. At first, the reason for that didn't feel very clear to me. It just seemed like Marcus was just another jerk who Weston could've just ignored. But he really went out of his way to prove Marcus wrong. So maybe a deeper, more personal motive could've made things even more intruiguing and could've helped the story matter more to Weston.
But overall, I thought it was a great little mystery!

I am a bit emotional as I'm typing these words right now because I just finished the whole book a few minutes ago 🥲 It was honestly great readong about these characters again and it made me realize I had missed Westess🥹 So this is kind of bittersweet but I'm glad their story is not over yet!

[Portia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sighs
WARNING: Disappointment.

I feel like most fans of Tessa and Weston’s love story are waiting on their toes for this to be published so they can read it. But, truth be told, I think most will be disappointed by these short stories.

As said by my fellow first two-star reviewer: they couldn’t spend five minutes with each other without starting a make-out session. And I’m not dissing the romance, but this was bad… The amount of times I cringed at the dialogue and internal thoughts when they were around each other is ridiculous. In the first two books, them kissing felt exciting; like we, the readers, were being rewarded for reading their story. But they were making out so often it was annoying.

Reading the other reviews brought out a concern that I hadn’t been bothered by, but will share anyway. SWEARING—there was a lot more of it than in the first two books. Like, a lot. So just be warned if you don’t like that stuff (I was fine with it).

THE JOB
Not a very original name, but that doesn’t matter too much. I really liked this short story. I loved seeing a lot of Weston, and not too much Tessa (not her biggest fan), and I loved the pacing in this one, but I felt like the end got way too sappy, and the guys were just spilling their guts to each other so easily I didn’t appreciate that. And in this first short story, Tessa sounded so cringe I honestly felt she was being more of Weston’s mother than girlfriend. Having said that, we didn’t get too much of Tessa, so overall it was a good story.

4 stars.

PROM AND PRINCIPLES
I don’t even know where to start with this one. It was bad. Like, really, really bad. Not only did the age rating of the book go up by a year or two in this short story, it was the cringiest thing I’ve ever read and honestly didn’t make sense. They were talking about “IT” like they were an engaged couple waiting to do it on the wedding night. Like, come on, no—you’re not going to just say, “It’s okay, you have urges,” (and yes, she used the word urges) “I have them too, but we have to be married first.” Meanwhile, they were just having a really hot and heavy make-out session, and I’m not saying that making out and doing “IT” are the same thing (they’re very different). I’m just saying the whole thing felt very unrealistic. Might just be me, but I would not just spill out my guts about wanting to do the devil’s tango with you while saying we still have to wait till the wedding night as we are making out. The whole drama about the “protection” could have been resolved so quickly if Weston just fessed up quicker, but NOPE—we needed drama. The only redeeming part of this was Neil’s insults—those were funny and I enjoyed them. This short story felt like those inside thoughts you have about your characters and write just for you—but she forgot, and published it.

2 stars.

THE WRITING CLASS
Another disappointing name, but a not disappointing short story. Though I don’t like Tessa, I really enjoyed this short story. This one had a lot less cringey Westess things going on, so I appreciated that. I didn’t like how there were two ||near break-ups two short stories in a row. We just saw them make up, and now we’re gonna see them fighting again? I know this book goes over one year, but as readers we don’t get to feel that, so it just feels redundant||. I also hated how ||she made Grayson bad. I really liked him at first, and I like his story ideas.|| I do, however, love how Weston stood up for Tessa and punched ||Grayson||. I loved, in this short story, all the side characters. I loved Shoshanna and Dr. Travis. So this was nice to read after that terrible second story.

3.98 stars.

ADVENTURES IN CHAPERONING
I don’t want to spoil anything for this one because it was such a gem. I actually loved this short story. It’s one of the few times I laughed while reading and not because something was so cringey. I love the adventure they go on, and there was no CRINGY WESTESS in this at all. Their make-out scenes felt cute and fun to read, and Tessa felt like a girlfriend, and they didn’t ||nearly break up again||. This one was a little unhinged at some points, but in a Percy Jackson way where you’re like, “This is awesome.”

Almost 5 stars.

FIRE ON FORSYTHEA LANE
At this point in reading the book, I really wanted to finish it, so I was reading as fast as I could—and good thing I decided to, because this was a mystery story, and Abbie is very good with mysteries in the sense of pacing. For me, the plot of this one was very easy to figure out and didn’t feel that shocking. The main thing that got me was BIG SPOILERS ||that Marcus had a gun at the end||. But I liked the end fistfight—that was fun. Overall, this was very different from all the other short stories, but I liked it because there was no cringe whatsoever. No dirty jokes. All mysteries. It was such a palate cleanser.

3.98 stars.

With all these short stories, the one thing that stood out to me that I liked was the character relationships. Tessa + Heather—I love how her mum doesn’t just agree with everything Tessa says and how she gives Tessa advice and stuff. Weston + Bruiser—I loved their mentor–student vibe in a boss–employee setting. Tessa + writing class people—I loved all the people in her writing class. They felt like real people and talked about their work like real people. Weston + Henry—in Adventures in Chaperoning, we got to see all about Henry’s and Weston’s relationship, which was really nice. I enjoyed that a lot.

The final note I have to add to this review is that it felt unfinished. It felt, to me, in places, like it needed more editing and more time. I mean, Abbie announced that she was writing these short stories at the end of 2023, so she’s had a good long while to write these, let them sit, edit them, and get feedback and review again. But it felt like she skipped beta reading altogether, and her editor had kindness blindness. As a huge fan of Abbie’s writing and pacing, this was really disappointing for me to read. It felt like she put so much love into it, but it feels unrefined. Honestly, I think she chose the wrong file of the old version and now can’t go back.

In short: I think you should read this to get your own opinion, but be warned about everything. I was so nervous to write this review because I keep thinking I won’t get chosen to be an ARC reader in the future. But I have a job to do, so I’m going to do it well.

Thank you for choosing me, Abbie.
And readers: rock on.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to be chosen as a member of the ARC team for the 3rd book in the 100 Days Of Sunlight series! I absolutely loved the first two books of the “TessWes” romance and I so I was very excited to read this book!

I LOVE this book! And I think fans of the original books will not be disappointed! :-)

I was initially a little worried when I learned this was a collection of shorter stories about Tessa and Weston, rather than a full length novel like the other books, but after reading it I found that I LOVE this format, especially for these characters, and I see a lot of potential for the author writing several of these types of collections for the characters as they grow in their relationship, maybe eventually even writing stories about them getting married and starting a family of their own…(please Abbie! :-) that would be awesome!)

This collection of stories was an absolute delight! I was very interested in the characters and what they were doing. Every story was compelling and I finished them voraciously! I thought the stories were a little heavy on the Weston point of view of things, but you can tell the author really has fun writing from his point of view and it is fun to see him grow throughout these stories, so overall I was okay with it. It would have been fun to have had a few more stories or scenes from Tessa’s point of view though, and see her grow and mature some too (I know she tends to be more mature out of the two of them, but she has ways she can grow and explore and improve too that would be different than Weston, and it was explored some but could be done more).

One of the things I really liked about this story is how the characters ultimately stayed true to themselves and each other. That is one thing I really worry about in sequels in books and movies, it seems that lots of times to make a “compelling story” the author has to make the characters do something that seems out of character to the way they acted in the original story, and for romance themed stories this often involves breakups or cheating or lying or things like that. While Tess and Wes did face some tough and serious situations, for the most part, they handled their situations well, and they were honest with each other although sometimes not as quick to share/explain as I would have liked them to be, but hey, they’re only human! And most of the mistakes they made were either understandable or at least fixable. (Some of them I rolled my eyes at but overall most disagreements or mistakes Tessa and Weston had made sense from the story’s and characters’ perspectives). And they didn’t let misunderstandings or fights lead to them breaking up… you could tell that even when they were mad or upset with each other, their relationship was important to them! And that’s so rare to find in books I read with relationships!

What I also enjoyed and appreciated is that there were things the characters did that if it happened in the first book, they would have made the wrong choice but in this book they didn’t do that so the author let the characters grow and learn from previous experiences!

The personalities are so great for both Tessa and Weston and their friends and families! I really enjoyed how these stories helped highlight ways they’d grown, how strong their relationship is (and how it grows stronger) and other relationships and activities they enjoy! Their personal commentaries throughout the stories also made me laugh quite a bit, I did enjoy the fun personalities! :-)

I really enjoyed seeing the “slice of life” that Tess and Wes are experiencing in these stories. They make new friends and develop strong relationships with other people (who I hope to see more of in future stories! Bruiser and Marjorie Atwood I enjoyed especially!) and engage in new activities like new jobs for Weston and a new class for Tessa! I loved how they were involved in their community in new and interesting ways! The way these stories were written made me start to imagine how they might continue… how does Wes and Bruiser’s relationship grow? Does Tess continue to write with a writing group? Does she write for the newspaper? Do more of Wes’s brothers come to him for relationship advice? I’d love to know! I love it when a book gives me so much great content but also makes me yearn for more and start spinning “what-if” stories of my own… and this book did just that! :-)

For those wondering about the romance, there was a fair bit of kissing and cuddling and general romantic sappiness, and I’m all for that! It’s past the “will they/won’t they?” tension of the first book so that’s what I’d expect and want in a book with a stable relationship, so I appreciated that! For all that, though, the book doesn’t get too heavy in the physical relationship department, and it’s actually something the characters talk about and address especially in one particular story. I think it’s good and healthy that Tessa and Weston understand each others’ stance on the situation and are on the same page, and it results in all the stories being full of romantic fluff without filth, which I personally appreciate! Of course they’ve lovesick teenagers but it’s good they want their relationship to be strong before progressing to the next stages of their physical relationship, which is refreshing to me as a reader who loves a good romance, still heavy on the physical aspect with lots of kissing, hugging, cuddling and touching without it becoming explicit or filthy. And based on the way she’s handled the stories and romance so far, I’m sure that even if the author continues to write to the point of them getting married and beyond, she will find a way to write those stories where they still convey how much they love each other emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc… without being explicit.

I am so pleased with this installment of the 100 Days Of Sunlight series! This has me yearning for hundreds more TessWes stories like this book had! I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this for the ARC team, I’ll definitely be buying a physical copy of this book when it comes out, and, like the other two books, I will share this story with family and friends to enjoy as much as I did! I LOVE this book! :-)

[Liesl Young · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is not for the author or friends and family of the author. My reviews are for consumers to make informed decisions about what they are purchasing with their time and money. If you are the author or know the author, please do not violate my space as a reader.

Trigger warning for mentions of sexual assault.

I went into this book with high hopes and expectations. Halfway through the first story, I knew it was only going to be a three-star read for me. Unfortunately, by the third story, I was pissed enough to downgrade it to one.

I liked 100 Days of Sunlight and The Best Christmas Ever well enough to be excited for the continuation of Tessa and Weston's story. The premise of an anthology intrigued me--I liked the idea of peeks into the daily life of these two characters.

What you have to realize is that Tessa and Weston are horny teenagers. I get it, I mean, I'm married, we've all been there. But the first red flag for me was just how far the characters, especially Weston, took it. In every single story, there were at least two instances of the characters making out, and it was VIVID.

It did have a place in the second story, "Prom and Principles". I actually appreciated the frank talk the teens were having about their temptations versus Tessa's principles and personal convictions. I think we need more characters with that kind of self-control and self-awareness, and I liked how Tessa's morals were a big part of the story. However, it could have been toned down for the other stories. Oftentimes, it didn't even feel like it had a place. In the fourth story, "Adventures in Chaperoning", they were arguing, and then all of a sudden they were making out. WHY? What was the point there?

And to make matters worse, Tessa and Weston weren't just kissing each other, either. Both the first story, "The Job", and the third story, "The Writing Class", featured characters who were attracted to AND SUBSEQUENTLY ACTED ON THEIR ATTRACTION TO Weston and Tessa, respectively. BOTH of them experienced nonconsensual kisses, which left me screaming, "WHY WAS THERE NO TRIGGER WARNING FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT??"

This is a BIG issue that I did NOT see coming in what I expected to be a fluffy, cute contemporary book about two people in a committed relationship. The fact that it happened in one story was bad enough, but then all of a sudden, it happened again in the next. When it happened to Weston, he DIDN'T EVEN TELL HIS GIRLFRIEND ABOUT IT!!

This was the point that I decided that I could not in good faith rate this book higher than two stars. The trauma that this would cause was forgotten as soon as the story was over, and I have a feeling that it won't be present in any future books as more than just a throwaway anecdote.

But what I think pissed me off the most out of this whole collection is just how much of an asshat Weston is the entire time. Dude is the picture of toxic masculinity. First he's mocking this dude for liking lattes and calling him a "pansy-ass" (a phrase that is used entirely too many times in this collection), then he's derisively saying that another man "strikes me as more of a Taylor Swift kind of guy". This is just perpetuating harmful stereotypes of a projection of masculinity. Not to mention a weird transphobic comment in "The Job" that had absolutely no reason to be there.

It was such a shocking twist after Weston's whole brand of being the sunshine to Tessa's grumpy. All of a sudden he's constantly horny and aggressive and this is absolutely NOT helped by Tessa literally telling him in "The Writing Class" "Possessive looks good on you." Excuse me, WHAT? WHAT??? Tessa acknowledges that his possessiveness is a bad thing, but the impact of this seems lessened if not forgotten entirely when it comes in handy later.

I have many problems with this collection. These are just the biggest ones. The conflicts felt repetitive and forced, then resolved so quickly as to be unrealistic. The fifth story, a mystery titled "Fire on Forsythia Lane", felt out of place in the collection of otherwise lower-stakes stories (though ironically it was probably my favorite). The characters felt too selfish and self-absorbed. I noticed so many negative stereotypes in the portrayal of Tessa being homeschooled.

And I didn't like how, for the most part, none of the stories carried over any real impact on the other ones--it felt more like several different AUs instead of a continuous storyline, like you could have jumbled up the order of the stories and it would have made basically no difference in the collection as a whole. This is especially noticeable when the characters go through MAJOR TRAUMAS that are NEVER ADDRESSED AGAIN (?????).

This could have been so good. I'm so disappointed. Don't waste your time or money. And don't judge a book by its cover, because I'm mad that a book so bad could have a cover so good.

I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review ahead of release. All thoughts are my own. I am not being compensated.