A Bad Day for Sunshine is a strong start to a new series. Strong and well-rounded characters, realistic and entertaining dialogue, and Darynda Jones' engaging writing style make for a winning combination, and I already can't wait for the next. I was thrilled to be able to read an ARC for this series, and read it whenever possible... and often when I should be doing something else... because it drew me in immediately. I read this as quickly as possible to get to the next scene, all while dreading when I'd be done with it because I didn't want it to end. I absolutely loved this book! I was inclined to because I love Darynda Jones and enjoyed her First Grave/Reaper series, but each series has potential to stand on its own merits. This one definitely has me hooked.

Sunshine Vicram is a force to be reckoned with. A Bad Day for Sunshine gave enough information about Sunshine to give context to the story while hinting at so much more to come. The cast of characters is both realistic and intriguing -- her parents and their influence on Sunshine getting elected as Sheriff; her daughter Auri who is so like her mother but is dealing with high school and her understanding of her past; Quincy, the best friend and lifetime friend; Levi, knight in shining armor with complications; Cruz, Auri's knight in Army jacket... So many more to mention and I want to know more about everyone. The series kicks off with the story of a missing child with ties to several characters. It's a mystery with a touch of paranormal, nods to the Charley Davidson series, humorous dialogue (seriously how I talk with my friends and kids), and so many more stories to tell. I can't wait for the next one and will strongly recommend.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this in advance and provide feedback. Darynda Jones hit the ball out of the park!

I received a free ARC ebook from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited when I got notice about the auto approval of this book was open for 48 hours and I scooped it right up. This sounded so right up my alley and I was right. This book made me laugh, wonder, cry even, worry, and so much more. I was sick so that is also part of why I gobbled the book up so quick but it was also an amazing ready that was just so easy to dive into.

I loved Sunshine, I loved her parents, her daughter, and her co-worker, and wooooo someone cool me off about Levi. He is gonna cause some steam up in here soon I bet. I cannot wait to get into the series. I love that there is action, real life stuff, not just with her but with her daughter. But you also get a ton of laughs at the same time. She channels her inner 'Stephanie Plum' to me or at least the town does lol.

I cannot wait to read more! It is going to be a long wait.

Review of uncorrected digital galley

Sunshine Vicram, the newly-elected sheriff of Del Sol, New Mexico, has her hands full on this, her first on-duty day. There’s a kidnapper, a stolen prized rooster, a missing teenage girl, and a boatload of angst courtesy of her daughter’s high school classmates.

Filled with the author’s trademark snarky attitudes and witty come-backs, the story is less about plot [of which there is very little] and more about characters [of which there are a great many]. The vivid descriptions of the town and its weather provide a strong sense of place that serves to anchor the narrative.

The missing teen is, ostensibly, the primary focus of the plot; a plethora of sub-plots . . . including the rooster, the eyeliner, the mayor and the Dangerous Daughters, and an unrequited, not-so-secret love . . . have a place in the telling of this tale but too many of them remain unsettled at the end of the story. A stronger focus on the plot could have resolved this for the majority of these scenarios and provided some satisfactory answers for readers.

The downsides . . . .
There is such a thing as too much snarky wisecracking. And the unnecessary overuse of a particularly offensive expletive is demeaning [and lowers the rating for the book].

A couple of mystifying glitches interrupt the smooth flow of the narrative. First, there’s a character in jail, locked in his cell. Suddenly he’s grabbing a rifle from the back of the sheriff’s cruiser. Huh? At the very least, the telling of the tale needs the cell door to be unlocked.

Then there’s the gravely injured teenager who stumbles into urgent care. Following emergency surgery for multiple stab wounds, he simply walks out of the hospital. And in this tiny, little town where everyone knows everyone else, no one knows who he is because he gave a fake name? What?

The thing most likely to frustrate readers of “A Bad Day for Sunshine" is that so many questions remain unanswered. But the failure of the author to deal with the mystery that serves as the elephant in the room throughout the entire narrative is far more problematic. Given that it is the underlying theme for the entire story, leaving it as a cliffhanger for the next book in the series is a disservice to everyone reading this book.

Del Sol, New Mexico is a microcosm of craziness, depending primarily on the antics of its citizens to carry their unfolding stories. Since the characters are so interesting, this works passably well and leads to several sweet moments. But it does little to invest the reader in the story. That said, the subplot with the forever-absent Lieutenant Bobby Britton plays out perfectly and is one of the highlights of the narrative.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley
#ABadDayForSunshine #NetGalley

First, Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press for providing A Bad Day for Sunshine in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the Charley Davidson series but admit that I only made it through book 6 before I moved on to something else. I enjoyed all of the books and Darynda Jones writing style but lost interest after a while. That said, when I saw a new book was available, I rushed to NetGalley for a chance to read it.
I knew nothing about the story going in and it was a new experience for me. I generally read reviews and know what I’m in for before I start. BUT overall, I enjoyed the read. I love a mystery and although this one was filled with a lot of mysteries that were left open ended, I enjoyed the world-building and introduction to the new characters. The book felt more like a preview than a full novel, but I had fun and read it in less than 2 days.
What I enjoyed: The characters. Sunshine and her daughter Auri, who is a freshman in high school are great narrators and their banter is fun to read. Sunshine and her daughter return to the small-town Sunshine grew up in after her parents some how get her elected as sheriff (strange but I decided to go with it). Sunshine isn’t sure she wants to be back because something bad happened to her when she was 17. That something leads to a load of questions. I will say there were a number of clues into 1 mystery (too spoiler to get into) that I question why it’s a mystery to begin with, that said I’m very eager to see how that mystery plays out because I honestly don’t see it.
The big mystery is a missing girl. While trying to solve that, 4 million other things come up and for me that was the frustrating part of the story. I felt like we were given SO much info that we couldn’t focus on the important stuff. WE have the main mystery, we have the Sunshine mystery of what happened when she was younger, then we have the “how did she get elected”, what’s going on with the Mayor and the ex-sheriff, the rooster, the Ravinder family, the book club, the Daughters, I honestly don’t know if that is everything. Like I said, there was a LOT going on. Oh, the eye liner thing that totally threw me. I like backstory but this was jam packed and maybe too much.
There are some great characters besides Sunshine and Auri. Quincy, Sunshine’s bff (I can’t decide if he’s into her or not), grandma and grandpa (great support system for Sunshine & Auri) Jimmy (sweet kid), Cruz and his dad are just fun, Zee (is a bad ass) and then you have Hailey and Levi (there are a ton more characters). Let’s talk about Levi, I don’t know if I’m getting too old for bad boys who treat women badly or what, but I was so frustrated with Levi’s bullshit. Get over yourself dude. If you have a problem with Sunshine then tell her because you’re hot and cold attitude is what I expect from a 12-year-old, not a grown man. I am interested to see where that relationship goes AND I really hope that Sunshine and Quincy have a 100% platonic relationship because it would be so great to read!

I will 100% check out any book Jones writes. I just love her sarcastic, witty dialogue and love for all things food/coffee. And I enjoy mysteries. I will keep an eye out for another one of these.

Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Darynda Jones did it again! After her last series, I thought to myself "how can I live in a world without Charley and co?"... Well, I can by reading A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE!

The plot is interesting, the pace of the book is awesome, since it kinda reminds me of how the world is slowing down while you're pumped up on caffeine, and the characters are all so easy to fall in love with!
Not only are the mysteries keeping you on your toes, but the sheer sassiness, the snarkiness and all the other 'ness' you can think of are reunited in this wonderful first book. And let's not forget the shoutouts from her past series, which seems to be set in the same world... Sorta.

I can't wait for the next one, some questions need answers and quick (pleaaaaaase!!!!). I definitely recommand A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE to all my grimlets and more! ;)

If you liked the Charlie Davidson books, you'll like this. Here we have Sunshine and her daughter Auri having just moved to Sun's hometown, after being elected sheriff for her first day on the job. She doesn't know how she was elected since she never tried to win that election, but here we are. For a first day on the job it is a dozie, missing children, stolen rooster and being mom to a new high schooler. We meet many characters who all carry their own stories. We also get to know her daughter, Auri, and a good assortment of people in her life. There are two separate story lines running and the interconnect many times which I enjoyed. With a sense of humor, and little snark it's a good mystery to some extent. This takes place over three days, most story lines are wound up, just the overlaying mystery of what happened to Sunshine when she was seventeen still has a way to go. Looking forward to the book in this new series. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ARC

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and honestly I’m not sure what to say about the book or what to rate it — probably somewhere between 3 & 4 stars, so 3.5? It’s certainly not bad, but it’s not as good as I’d hoped it would be. I really enjoyed the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones, so I definitely wanted to read this one. However, that may be a drawback because it felt so similar to the other series and I was hoping for something fresh. There was A LOT going in this book too that seemed a bit unnecessary and confusing at times. It was still very entertaining, definitely kept my attention and kept me guessing. And I still want to read the next one to see what happens!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, the publisher, and everyone else involved for letting read this advanced copy!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE THIS NEW SERIES.

you're always hesitant to read an author after they end one of your favorite series.

New series doesn't disappoint - star crossed lovers, goofy best friend, snappy repartee between mom and teenage girl, THREE mysteries and only TWO are resolved.

One sentence... whose your daddy?

Looking forward to the sequel!

Very good mystery, lots of red herrings kept me changing my mind and really thinking it all through trying to keep on the right track. Warning, it is book #1 in a series and you'll definitely want book #2.

Darynda Jones is my favorite author for a reason. She has totally taken me from one series (Charley Davidson) straight into another one and I couldn't be happier! Sunshine Vicram is all the heroine you could ask for and the Dark mysterious Levi just makes the book all the more exciting. I laughed , I cried and I was scared witless, I'm ready for book 2.

*I received and read an ARC from Netgalley.

Full disclaimer: For some authors, I don't even care what the book is. If I see an advance copy is available, I request it. If I get an advance copy, I read it. It's an automatic reflex and, for me, Darynda Jones is one of those authors. Never mind that I work full-time and am in grad school full-time; these are the instances where my husband and kids can fend for themselves while I fall behind in school and sleep (work continues, because, you know, work) to read their books.

That said, I like this book. *Like*, as in I'd give it a solid 3.5 stars if I could, but alas - with this rating system I rounded up to 4 stars.

I've read all the Charley Davidson books. Several of them are autographed. I may or may not have two Charley Davidson-themed tokens on my keychain. I'm a fan of her. But this book . . . sigh, it was just so similar that it was a little disappointing.

Quirky heroine who loves coffee and sarcasm and humor and finds herself surrounded by attractive men while she tries to solve crimes while - maybe - not following every letter of the law? Check.
Broody alpha-man, handsome enough to be described as a "god", who comes from a destructive family and has questionable parentage, who may or may not be doing legal things to keep certain people (cough, cough - sister, or, cough-cough - heroine) safe? Check.
Young female lead (who wants to learn sign language) and young male lead (who knows sign language) who partner up to help solve things? Check and check.
Strong support system (aka supporting characters) for quirky heroine? Check.
Talk of coffee and burritos and green chili sauce? Check.

I could go on, but if you've read any of the Charley Davidson books I'm sure you get the idea.

And there are maybe 10 plot lines in this book. We're supposed to be focused on this teenage girl who goes missing on Sunshine's first day as sheriff. But there are so many other stories: I-hate-you-but-secretly-love-you-and-everyone-knows-it; an additional three or four other guys who flirt (or try to) with our heroine; deputy Bo is nowhere to be found; there's a rooster; there's a flasher; there's apparently a secret eye-liner trick that nobody knows; Sunshine's own teenage trauma is a mystery; a group of ladies is running the town behind the scenes; the mayor is probably doing something illegal; the old sheriff is also probably doing something illegal; a bookclub member uses her psychic powers for good (and muffins) . . . and probably a few others.

And that's just for Sunshine. If I paid attention correctly, this is a lot of stories for a 2.5 day period of time. It's a lot to keep up with. Some of them, I imagine, exist as sort of comic relief, but may not be really necessary.

Additionally, her daughter's POV takes up a lot of time in this book and she has her own issues. I waffle back and forth on whether I liked her POV. My default opinion is usually that if I want to read about high school from a high school kid's perspective, I'll read a YA novel. So bonus points to Auri for not being a dumb high school kid; she was smart and sarcastic and, I thought, well written. I just don't know if I want to go back and forth between adult issues and teenage issues, even if they are related (both biologically and in terms of the issues they're dealing with).

This is the first book of a new series, so there will be more. Technically some of the stories in this book are resolved but this is a Darynda book and, of course, there's a little cliffhanger. Overall, I thought the mystery was fine - there were clues sort of sprinkled throughout, but it read well and I enjoyed reading it. I do think I've got a pretty good idea of where/how the cliffhanger story will develop, which is maybe a little disappointing (again, see my earlier comment that this book seemed very similar to the Charley Davidson series). But maybe I'm wrong; we'll see.

Either way, I'll read book #2 (whenever that comes out) because, again, Darynda. And yes, I'm still waiting to find out where the hell Osh went.

I will say - for an ARC, this was a really clean copy: just one instance of a spelling error. Not every ARC is so easy (aka painless) to read, which I appreciated.

I am a huge Darynda Jones fan, so when I saw her name as the author, I jumped on this opportunity to read this NetGalley ARC.

Though the are some similar relationships (a mother, her smart and savvy daughter, and a distinct hottie), this book is a huge departure from her Charley Davidson series, though it is also just as full of suspense, and twists and turns, and all-out laughter as you have come to expect from Ms. Jones. Sprinkled through the text are some of the best fiction lines I have ever read in my life!

I had some "what I thought were good guesses" as I read, most of which were blown out of the water in spectacular fashion. When I thought there was something so obvious that it couldn't be missed, but was, it turned out that there was a darned good reason for it!

If you're a Darynda Jones fan (as you should be), I wouldn't pay too much attention to those who think this book is a disappointment. I had two other ARCs with reading deadlines in-hand before I got "Sunshine," and opening Sunshine made me completely forget about the other two.

The only thing that consistently bothered me was the non-graphic way Jones switched points of view within a chapter. With no line feed separation spacing, no graphic (***, or ---------------------, or +++++++++++, or anything whatsoever) separation, no nothing, just the next line not indented introducing what could easily have been a completely new chapter, in some case, and was just switching back to the other POV. Your brain does a double-take and comes to a complete halt, every single time. The layout needs work.

Since this book has yet to be released, Amazon won't let me leave a review. As soon as the book comes out, I'll be there so doing.

This was a refreshing, and kind of dark, mystery! Darynda Jones has been a favorite author of mine for a long time, and I'm happy to read something of hers that's a bit different from her other novels I have read.

Sunshine is the new sheriff in Del Sol, and she has more than one mystery to solve! First, it's her own mystery - of what happened to her when she was young. Then there's the mystery of a missing girl, which becomes several other sub-mysteries.

I was glued to my kindle reading A Bad Day for Sunshine, and I had so many (wrong!) theories while reading. I still have one more theory, and now, I'm going to have to wait forever to find out if I'm right or not.

Jones has created a very diverse - and fun - cast of characters here, and I just loved the interactions, and some of the rather unlikely situations they found themselves in. I laughed out loud just as often as I had to catch my breath because of the suspense.

Keep your eyes out for Sunshine, she's definitely worth the detour.

I really enjoyed this story. It was fun and moved at a good pace. This is my first book by this author but I'm definitely going to go through the backlist
Thanks Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc.
4.5 ☆

I loved this book! I was a little hesitant at first because I love the Charley Davidson series so much, but let me tell you Darynda Jones has a gift for storytelling! I read this in one day. I couldn't put it down!

There was a lot that I liked about the characters, but the story itself just left me feeling unsettled, like I couldn’t completely submerge myself in it. Certain plot points felt extremely obvious to me, and waiting for the characters to connect the dots had me impatient. However, the unique community, and heartfelt relationships, accompanied by Darynda’s humor, gave me warm fuzzies. And, while I’m only rating this 3 stars, I do look forward to the sequel.

2.5 stars

As a BIG fan of the Charley Davidson series, I was thrilled when A Bad Day For Sunshine was announced. I love Darynda’s writing style, the characters she creates, and the worlds she develops.
This book sounded like it would have a similar vibe. It did not. This book missed the marked entirely. It was extremely slow and held my interest for about 10% of the book.

Both Sunshine and Auri (her daughter) are narrators, which is new and interesting. Auri seems like she is going to be a relatable character who is struggling with high school and personal issues—as is Sunshine. She seems like she has an interesting backstory and I was excited to see how it played out. Both narrators are likable and relatable. The relationship between Sunshine and her daughter Auri is established as a healthy yet funny relationship. Other characters, such as Levi, Cruz, Jimmy, Quincy, and Zee were great. If you loved Reyes in Charley Davidson, you’re going to love Levi.

Off the bat we learn that Sunshine was kidnapped at 17 and has no idea who did it. Years later, it’s the reason she agrees to become sheriff of her small hometown, despite not actually running for election. This plot device seems really really dumb. Despite acknowledging hundreds of times that “it was illegal” and she “can’t figure out how it happened” (though she suspects her parents), it really bothers me because it’s just SO out there. It’s more believable that there is a grim reaper walking around than someone being able to accept a position as sheriff-no matter how small the town-that they didn’t run for.

For a mystery book, this was excruciatingly mundane. Other than quirky banter-which gets tiresome after a while- and meeting side characters, nothing much happens for a good chunk of the book. Unlike the Charley Davidson books, which always immediately grabbed my interest, this book really didn’t interest me. At first, I found myself skimming Sun’s chapters because nothing happened except establishing a lot of backstory for Sun that was all very up in the air, leaving more unanswered questions than information. Auri’s chapters were cute because of her crush, her mysterious classmate, and her challenges with high school (we all can relate, right?) but even her chapters didn’t seem to have much going on. I think I enjoyed her chapters more because it was like watching a high school drama (which can, on occasion, be entertaining) but featuring a teen who does not come off as a complete idiot. Auri is clever and strong and a very likable narrator. However, when a fourteen year old has a narrative that’s more interesting than a sheriff searching for a missing girl, you’re doing something wrong with your plot. Later, I found myself skimming a lot of it, including Auri’s chapters because-again-NOTHING WAS HAPPENING.

When I got to halfway mark and still nothing was picking up, I ended up skimming the rest of the book. There was no suspense with the main mystery of the book (the missing teen) because everyone working on the case just seemed like they were wandering around the town wondering where the girl could be. Surprise clues, suspects, stakeouts, shady dealings, literally anything would have been more interesting than what we got. There was very little held my interest or invested me in the storyline, and the mysteries surrounding Sun’s background prove to be so inessential that I forgot they existed. A few mysteries are revealed about Sun and Auri’s past while simultaneously opening up even more questions.

When the book finally began wrapping up and the main mystery of the kidnapping was solved, I was disappointed with that too. I don’t know if it was supposed to be some big revelation or what but there wasn’t enough build up throughout the rest of the novel to make that wrap up meaningful or surprising. Other side mysteries, specifically regarding Sun herself, fueled some interest. Those side mysteries had the best dangling clues. I am assuming they are going to be built upon throughout the series and those unanswered questions were interesting enough that I might try and see what the second book is like.

Overall, I am extremely sad and disappointed. Darynda is a very talented writer and she’s good at developing environments and characters. Somehow, this book missed the mark with nearly everything else a good book needs.

I really struggled with the first 1/3 of this book. It was really hard to keep track of all the people and Sunshine's character was initially so much like Charley I felt a little cheated. But...the last 2/3 of this book were much better. Sunshine's character kind of settled down and became her own person. We had a few different mysteries going on but there's a really obvious thing which Sunshine doesn't see which drives me crazy (no spoilers).

I really liked having the difference perspectives with Sunshine and Auri but again Auri felt a lot like Amber and Levi a lot like Reyes. The Bo thing was slightly annoying through the book but when we found the reason, I actually understood. Overall, I really liked this and will wait impatiently for the next book - why did I have to read this months before it came out so now I have to wait even longer for the next one. Plus didn't realise that this was a series so was unprepared for the ending (yeah I don't know what rock I was hiding under).

A small town story, full of unusual characters and fast moving action that will leave you breathless. The relationship between Sunshine and her daughter Auri, and their wordless communication, the jinxed muffins and what they wrought will keep you enthralled.

I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read book 2
Sunshine is awesome if you loved the Charley Davidson series you will love this one. I was dying reading parts of this book. Tried to keep it down some since I was reading it in the hospital