Title: Daybreak
Series: Sorrowsong University (Book 2)
Author: Autumn Woods
Publication Date: July 28, 2026
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Daybreak Synopsis:
Maxton Hall meets RuNyx in the stunning conclusion to the Nightshade duology, a dark academia romance brimming with snarky banter and sizzling tension in which Alex and Ophelia must fight through betrayal, heartbreak, and deadly new threats.
Alex’s Corbeau-Green’s world is burning down around him, and Ophelia Winters is desperate to prove she didn’t light the fire.
When Ophelia first accepted a scholarship from Sorrowsong, an elite university in the Scottish Highlands, she wanted nothing more than to destroy Alex and his family at any cost. But that was before she knew him, before they became each other’s everything. Now, after an unthinkable betrayal and the disappearance of his father, Alex is forced to return to New York, desperate to forget what they had and salvage the damage done to his family. In Scotland, Ophelia is left reeling, alone . . . and watched.
With a new anonymous tormentor threatening to release evidence that Ophelia and Alex committed a murder on campus, it’s clear that they’re going to need each other once again. But can they find a way to trust each other and repair the love that they had? And even if they can—will it be enough this time to keep them alive?
Daybreak Review:
I fell completely in love with both Alex and Ophelia in Nightshade and I was utterly obsessed with the book. Days and weeks after reading it, the story stayed on my mind and I could not wait to read Daybreak.
The mental health representation was done so well; the struggles that Alex and Ophelia go through during both books were heartbreaking at times. In Nightshade, I felt like we got more about Ophelia and her mental health struggles, while in Daybreak it seems to shift the focus more to Alex’s struggles. I loved reading both, even when at times it was heart-wrenching to watch them go through their struggles.
Alex truly had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I couldn’t help but feel for him. Even in his darkest moments, he was still there to care for his mom and sisters, and it just broke my heart. To basically put your struggles on hold and care for your family has to be incredibly challenging.
Watching Alex’s and Ophelia’s relationship grow and evolve was truly remarkable. They are definitely one of my favorite book couples. They go from one extreme to another, with Ophelia being alone and having no one, while Alex is constantly surrounded by multiple people. This shows that, regardless of the dynamic or the lives people lead, mental health and depression can affect anyone.
I couldn’t write a review without giving a shoutout to Autumn Woods for Ophelia being a redhead. As a fellow redhead, I love when a character has red hair, since I don’t see them very often in books.
Autumn Woods’ writing felt almost lyrical, the kind that lingers under your skin; I could have filled pages with the lines that stayed with me—especially Alex’s. His yearning was aching, beautiful, and impossible to forget.
What a perfect conclusion to the Sorrowsong University duet. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to their story and could have read about Alex and Ophelia forever. They will stay with me.
Favorite Daybreak Quotes:
“My heart builds castles out of the little crumbs she leaves me, spins whole futures out of the smallest of smiles. I bend and shape the things she says into what I want to hear, because a future without her feels unmanageable.”
“We’re doomed Alex. We’re fated Ophelia.”
*Thank you, Autumn Woods, Zando, and NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review*
