Review: All-Nighter

All-Nighter

by Cecilia Vinesse

Quill Tree (imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books), 2025

Category: Young Adult

Reviewer: Emily Roth

 

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Valedictorian Autumn and rule-breaking Tara have been sworn enemies since Tara’s first day at Autumn’s all-girls school. On prom night, Autumn needs a fake ID to flirt with her crush at a college poetry reading, and Tara needs to finish writing a paper on Mrs. Dalloway – one of Autumn’s favorite books – and turn it in by 7:00am in order to graduate. The girls agree to help each other, and over the course of a single night, their chaotic, whirlwind adventure leads to unexpected feelings. 

Despite the silliness of the situations the girls find themselves in, each protagonist is a fully realized character with realistic fears about the impending conclusion of high school, and the way they bond over this feels authentic. Autumn is still traumatized from a near-fatal accident years earlier and worries about feeling distant from her best friend, while Tara, who has lived all over the world, is afraid of becoming too close to anyone before inevitably saying goodbye. The alternating points of view and the unique voices of Autumn and Tara create a page-turning, highly enjoyable read.

Autumn and her twin brother Ezra have a Reform Jewish mother and a Catholic father, and Autumn goes to a Catholic school while Ezra goes to a public school. References to Jewish holidays and customs are woven naturally and authentically into the story. In a unique twist, Autumn shares her mother’s last name while Ezra shares their father’s, which creates an element of comedic suspense as Tara slowly pieces together that her friend Ezra happens to be her nemesis’ twin. 

This heartwarming rom-com is highly recommended for fans of Becky Albertalli, or anyone who enjoys an enemies-to-lovers romance. 

 

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Reviewer Emily Roth (she/her/hers) is a Teen Services librarian, avid reader, and lifelong Midwesterner. Her short fiction has been published by The Masters Review, Reflex Fiction, Exposition Review, and others. She lives in Chicago with her rescue dog, Obie.