Published July 2017 by Simon and Schuster
Source: bought this one
Publisher’s Summary:
Sunshine Mackenzie has it all...until her secrets come to light.
Sunshine Mackenzie is living the dream—she’s a culinary star with millions of fans, a line of #1 bestselling cookbooks, and a devoted husband happy to support her every endeavor.
And then she gets hacked.
When Sunshine’s secrets are revealed, her fall from grace is catastrophic. She loses the husband, her show, the fans, and her apartment. She’s forced to return to the childhood home—and the estranged sister—she’s tried hard to forget. But what Sunshine does amid the ashes of her own destruction may well save her life.
My Thoughts:
The other day I found myself waiting somewhere and without a book (shocking, right?). Fortunately, this book was on my phone and I figured it was just the thing for the situation. It turns out it was just the thing for my mood, too. Hello, Sunshine falls somewhere on the scale between chick lit and women’s fiction - not too heavy on the drama, not too light and frothy. I sometimes wanted to bop Miss Sunshine upside the head (do you ever worry that I have anger issues, as often as I threaten that?!) and there were parts of the book that didn’t seem very plausible to me. Also, there’s a betrayal that I found unforgivable but Dave leaves the door open for forgiveness which didn’t work for me. But I found myself racing through it, enjoying Sunshine's journey.
One of the things that saved the book for me was that Dave kept me guessing. Just when I thought Dave is going down a predictable path, she stopped short. You know that all chick lit (and a lot of women’s fic) includes the handsome guy who steps in and gives our leading lady a new romance. He’s in this book, too. Sort of. But Dave doesn’t make him the perfect guy and it’s not a foregone conclusion that he and Sunshine will end up together in the end. In fact, nothing is a foregone conclusion in this book which is what really made this one satisfying for me. The learning curve is slow, the easy out isn’t necessarily the choice made, and everything isn’t tied up with a bow in the end. But there is hope. And I liked Sunshine a whole lot more in the end than I did in the beginning.
This was not my favorite Laura Dave book, but I do like her novels. She does a good job creating mostly realistic characters in mostly realistic settings that have you rooting for them in the end. Plus, they are entertaining and fun reads. Like you said, not completely frothy but not totally serious either.
ReplyDeleteI have this one on my to read shelf, and am glad you liked this one in the end, Lisa.
ReplyDeleteThere is a fine line between chick lit and women's fiction for me. I don't mind women's fiction because to me, it's relatable and not always light. But chick lit to me is the same but often written in a different tone. Dare I say, a silly tone? I love the fun cover of this one but I've steered clear of it for fear of it being too chick litty.
ReplyDeleteI have this book and the previous book on my TBR and it sounds like it'd be perfect for my mood right now. I've been struggling to find the "right" book but very few are really clicking.
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