The work retells the events of Twilight from the perspective of Edward Cullen instead of that of the series' usual narrating character Bella Swan.

[7][8] On August 28, 2008, Meyer halted the writing of Midnight Sun in response to the leak of twelve chapters of the unfinished manuscript on the Internet.

She stated, "If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn't dovetail too well with the original story.

[9] Meyer also stated that she does not believe the manuscript was leaked with any malicious intent, and declined to give the names of the individuals she felt were at fault.

[2] In a November 2008 interview, Meyer said that, "It's really complicated, because everyone now is in the driver's seat, where they can make judgment calls...I do not feel alone with the manuscript.

[15] Kirkus Reviews posited that the "glacial pace" of the book allowed for a focus on characterization, and predicted that fans would forgive, or even enjoy, its "excesses and indulgences".