ARC Review: Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller

 

My Life with the Walter Boys meets The Notebook in this small town baseball romance perfect for fans of Kasie West and Carley Fortune.

High school junior Eliza Crowley is known as the Princess of Fairfield, a farm town in North Carolina that loves two things—tradition and baseball. Although Eliza loves “the game,” her life goal is to become a lighting designer on Broadway. Shaking off her reputation as the rich girl and focusing on her town's community theater production are what she’s set her sights on this summer, and nothing will stand in her way. That is until Reed Fulton, the grandson of a struggling Fairfield farmer, and ace pitcher of the Fulton Hawks, returns to town. Reed dreams of putting the catastrophe of last season behind him and leading the Hawks to a championship victory against the Crowley Cardinals. When his childhood friend turned stranger, Eliza, strolls back into his life, she makes his heart accelerate quicker than his fastball, and he’s not sure he can stay away from the girl he’s supposed to despise. Small-town summers and baseball draw Reed and Eliza together, even though the Crowleys and the Fultons are determined to run each other out of town. When the families make a deal to settle their thirty-year-long dispute once and for all, Eliza and Reed are stuck in the middle during the most important summer of their lives.

Title: Meet Me Under The Lights

Author: Cassie Miller

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: March 3, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This was a cute YA romance story based on Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet. Not something new as far as tropes go, but still fun.

Told in dual POV, which I really enjoy, the story follows Eliza and Reed and the rivalry of two competing high school baseball teams and families. Both Eliza and Reed have a lot riding on each of their teams winning. But Eliza and Reed also have a past and, even though they are enemies, they can't help but be attracted to one another and they both catch feelings.

The characters were absolutely YA. They had some good growth and development throughout the book. I can see how they would be relatable to teens. I do wish we would have had more about their relationship growing up. Having known each other so long and obviously having had history, it would have been easier to understand their connection if I had more of that throughout the story. Maybe in flashbacks or something of that sort. It was hard to understand their sudden attraction without really having been show their past.

The plot is believable enough. I liked the idea of the feuding families. The pacing varied throughout the book. Sometimes it was fast, other times I had to push myself to get through a chapter.

The romance does dive into kissing but doesn't go further than that, which I would expect from a YA romance.

I will say I very much disliked the character of Ben. He seemed super self centered and very melodramatic. I do wish there was more of a dive into his and Reed's friendship. We are told about it a bit, but not enough to really make me like Ben's character or truly understand his need to be in the story. Except he does have a huge part in how the book's plot takes a turn about 85% into the book.

This was a quick and easy read. Definitely marketed to the right crowd: fans of Kasie West. Though I like West's stories much better than I liked this. I would definitely give this author another chance to see if she can hone her craft a bit.

Author: 

Cassie Miller is a former high school English teacher turned elementary librarian. She has a teaching degree from Radford University and library endorsement from the University of Virginia. She wears many hats but finds her favorites are “stage and lighting director,” “eccentric storyteller,” and “boy-mom.” Cassie currently resides in southwest Virginia with her family and an ever-growing number of cardigans and nerdy bookish shirts.