Sunny Greene is an unforgettable character. Sturino has done an amazing job writing a novel that appeals to women of all sizes. Sunny Side Up is more than a romance novel. Sunny is a newly divorced woman who runs a successful fashion pr business. She has bonded with two other divorced women and they have planned a beach vacation together. Sunny is plus size and this leads her to panic when buying a new swimsuit for the trip. However, she designs her own suit which leads to a new company. Sunny doesn't get down on her self for long. There is a lot of romance in this novel, and the characters are all interesting. Sunny likes sex and men like Sunny! This is the prefect beach read which is almost as delightful as a great fitting swimsuit.

I literally just closed this book and am full of all the bubbly feelings, and really wanted to post this on pub day! Thank you to @celadonbooks for my #gifted copy. This is out in the world today!

☀️ This book opens with the most relatable scene ever— trying on swimsuits in a department store. Ugh, yuck. And it kept me saying, ‘Yes!’ through the rest of the novel.

☀️ Y’all know I’m here for all the books focused on positive body image and centered around bigger-bodied characters. And while body positivity is a great goal, I freaking LOVE @katiesturino’s ‘can we just think about other things instead?’ body acceptance point of view.

☀️ Yes, this focuses a lot on body talk in all the best ways but it also …
- has a love triangle
- talks about post-divorce dating
- shows the struggles of weeding through toxic men
- the importance of female friendship
- reads as a love note to NYC

☀️ Oh, and did I mention Sunny is just the best character? She’s taking on the world in a way we can all aspire to— running not one, but two start-ups she dreamed up all on her own. But, she’s also not perfect. Girl makes some messy decisions that had me asking questions but I just love the way this all wrapped up.

☀️ I could not ask for a better book to read in my SWIMSUIT at the pool or beach. Throw it in that bag this summer!

☀️ FYI for those who care: this does have a decent amount of spice and there is some joint smoking going on.

☀️ I didn’t know anything about Katie Sturino before reading this, but she certainly gained a fan. Welcome to the bookish world, Katie! Just another thing you’ve accomplished. 👏🏼

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC , opinions are my own.

This book seemed to have potential but for me it did not . I got half way through and wondered why I was reading it . Sunny is a plus sized woman working as a designer. She is trying to love herself for who she is , which is great , but she loves herself by doing self destructive things like sleeping with random men. I found it really odd and unhealthy the way she picked up the random construction worker, invites him to her home at 6am and immediately sleeps with him. No discussion of safe sex or who the guy even is. Overall I found this character unrelatable and not living a healthy life. This character and story needs a lot of work

This is a solid fiction debut from Katie Sturino. As a body-acceptance advocate, it's no surprise this book is full of body positivity. The MC is so funny and completely real. The author did a great job bringing her to life.

This book was so enjoyable, a great escape.

Sunny, 35, is frustrated as she tries on swimsuits. She is a large and tall woman who has always fought her weight. Sunny owns her own boutique PR fashion firm called Le Ballon Rogue. It is doing well and has grown significantly allowing her to have her dream place in Chelsea in New York City. After several years married, she finally divorced her husband who let her know that her size embarrassed him. Since her divorce, Sunny has had some dates that turned out to be duds, but she keeps trying.


Sunny and her two good friends Noor, a chef and Brooke, a stylist and mother of 3 are all planning a trip soon where they can soak up some sun. Since Sunny can’t find a swimsuit that fits her perfectly, she enlists the help of her tailor to help her rework a suit that turns out to fit her perfectly. This endeavor turns into a new line of swimwear that means another business for her.

Sunny hires an assistant named Avery who is worth her weight in gold. They put together a presentation to a backer for money to start a line of swimwear geared to the plus size woman. The brilliant speech Sunny gives Ted wins his endorsement that sends her and her company on a wonderfully new road with a terrific future.

Sunny has met two men, totally different, and isn’t sure which one is better for her. It isn’t until she nearly loses the perfect one that she realizes what is most important to her.

A totally delightful story that enforces for women that no matter what size they are, they too can have good choices of clothes to enjoy life. I loved it. Three cheers.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sunny Side Up was a good book, not great. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. And I also wasn't super eager to get back to it when I put it down. But I would still say it was worth a read. I don't feel like I wasted my time. Body image is featured and I found some parts a bit unbelievable.

I love Katie Sturino and was so excited to get an early copy of her book! She is such an inspiration to my generation! I was so excited to read Sunny Side Up, Katie’s first novel. I loved her take on sharing divorce, something that’s not done much in romance novels. Thank you, Katie! I loved your book, can’t wait to recommend it l, and read what you write next! Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advance copy in exchange for my opinion.

This was a DNF for me - I liked the humor, but could do without the constant name-dropping and the content that required a trigger warning.

This was a fun read about finding your true self and not changing for anyone. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read!

I was so excited when I saw the announcement that Katie Sturino was writing a fiction book! As a longtime fan/follower of her body acceptance social media (especially Supersize The Look), I knew it would be funny, relatable and full of empowering moments. Sunny Side Up was so delightful and I had such a hard time putting it down. The humor, the detailed outfit descriptions and the romance were all wonderful, but it was Sunny regaining her confidence, standing up for herself and refusing to be made to feel anything less than an absolute force was what really sold me. I especially enjoyed her friendships with Brooke and Noor and how supportive they all were of each other. Also, the in depth look at how the fashion industry can really exclude and completely ignore the plus size community was so well done. I know I’ve had a dressing room crying experience more than once in my life. I highly recommend this one for fans of NYC life, the fashion world and body acceptance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

Unfortunately, this book was not my cup of tea as I had a really hard time connecting with the main character. Perhaps on a different day I may enjoy this book better but for now, it is not for me. I am disapointed as I really wanted to like this one,,,

"How many of us were rewriting ourselves, halfway through our story, when we thought we'd already had an ending?" Sunny Side Up written by Katie Sturino was beautiful, raw, inspiring, pure, real, honest, heart breaking, powerful, and heart warming. I know the body positivity trope can be a hit or a miss for many people, but for this book it was written so beautifully, honest, and well done, I will say there is a lot of negative self worth, but it was only how the main character felt about herself, but she was on a mission to change that and be more positive towards herself. It honestly felt like Katie wrote this book for myself, it was so personal and relatable, I know so many who struggle with their body image, including myself, but Sunny Side Up felt like a big hug, and made me feel less alone. I often find myself doom scrolling social media and looking at all of these gorgeous models who literally look so perfect, which yes, I know it isn't healthy, but I just want to be as gorgeous and as perfect as they are. I know so many of us have experienced dressing room panic attacks, but this book taught me that it's okay to feel that way, but as human beings we can't let our weight define who we are as people. Sunny Side Up is about friendship, self discovery, and romance, which makes for the perfect summer beach read. I never read a book by Katie Sturino before this one, but after doing some research about her, I love who she is as a person, she's a body acceptance advocate, and the founder of MEGABABE. If you are looking for a summery beach read, mark your calendars for June 24th, 2025 because this is the most perfect book to read by the poolside this summer. I know it's easier said than done, but please do yourselves a favor and look in the mirror and tell yourself you are gorgeous.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND CELADON BOOKS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

TRIGGER WARNING'S
Body Dysmorphia
Sexual Content
Infidelity
Toxic Relationships
Fatphobia
Panic Attacks

"New York was built for the hearts that bleed".

"Sometimes, when your personal life is falling apart, you forget to fear the otherwise avoidable things that normally terrify you".

"How are you going to find a new man if you keep spending time with only divorced women?"

"In New York, you run into the people you want to see most only when you are looking your worst".

"There is quite literally nothing on earth worse than bathing suit shopping".

"It makes me mad, how much time women have spent on hating our bodies when we could be putting our energy into so much more".

"Your body is not the problem. You are worthy of everything you desire (weird sex, true love, a hobby, a raise, a nap, whatever) EXACTLY as you are today. There's no need for some magic movie montage makeover. And finally, you are a whole person on your own, as is. Don't forget that".

Sunny Greene is a thirty year old business owner, business woman, and a business professional. Sunny owns two businesses, Le Ballon Rouge which is a boutique PR firm, and she is also the founder of SONNY which is a swimwear line for plus sized women. It's Sunny's mission to empower women, she got the idea after getting stuck (literally) in a too small swimsuit in a department store dressing room. The goal with SONNY is to make everyone happy, make people feel seen, heard, and loved, she also created this swimwear line to make women feel beautiful. Sunny is beautiful, brave, inspiring, and ambitious. Throughout this book, Sunny is your best girl friend, she will hold your hand as you navigate your journey of self discovery. It was so hard not to root for Sunny, she was just so lovable and relatable. Sunny was forced to shop in the women's department if she wanted to find clothes that fit by her late elementary school years, Sunny always felt so alone with tears streaming down her face in fitting rooms at the mall if she couldn't find a cute outfit that fit. Sunny also loves fashion, she is obsessed with the fashion industry, she had dreams to be a fashion editor in New York City. Sunny has also been honored with an entrepreneur magazine thirty-five under thirty-five award. Sunny launched both of her businesses at just thirty years old, this woman is just so inspirational. I absolutely loved watching Sunny's self growth as she tried to be more positive and gentle with herself.

Sunny is also the owner of Sunny Side up, which is a newsletter with twenty thousand subscribers where she shares relationship advice, food and bar recommendations, outfit inspiration, and body positivity messages. According to Sunny, all you need to start your self discovery journey is essential oils, a bright manicure, freshly waxed eyebrows, and an elated sense of self worth. Sunny starts her self growth journey when she takes a divorcée escape to Harbour Island for a Bahamas Divorcation with her two closest best friends, Brooke and Noor. Sunny also has two dogs, a Bichon Frise named Sophia after Estelle Getty and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Blanche after Rue McClanahan both from the Golden Girls, which I thought was just the cutest thing ever. Sunny's little brother, Michael is getting married in Chicago and Sunny needs to find a date, so now she is on the mission to find a wedding date ultimatum. Sunny wasn't perfect by any means, she had her flaws just like everybody else, and she has a lot of growing to do, but it was so inspirational and beautiful witnessing Sunny overcome her fears while she started her self growth journey. Sunny is also recently divorced, but you will need to read this book to hear her story, oh goodness, I just wanted to reach into my kindle and give this woman the biggest hug ever. I don't think I will ever forget Sunny Greene, she is the kind of character you will root the hardest for.

Cillian is a construction worker, he and Sunny had a one time hookup.

Dennis Matthews- The mailman with the piercing blue eyes and a rescue pit bull named Georgie. Dennis and Sunny have dog walking dates together and coffee shop dates, they have a friend vibe, but Dennis is crazy about Sunny, he's just afraid to get his heart broken again.

Ted Manns- Is the business partner for SONNY. Ted and Sunny have a Knicks game date, they are more intimate and lovey dovey, but not exclusive.

Zack Peterson- Sunny's ex-husband. Sunny and Zack were together for about six years, their marriage didn't even last a year because they fell out of love with each other. Zack is a narcissist that uses people for any advantage. After launching her business, Zack comes back and tries to sway Sunny in joining his podcast. Sorry Zack, but you are an asshole.

This book was meh for me. It was lighthearted and enjoyable but lacked depth. Everything seemed to go right for Sunny despite her disposition.

This book was a fun surprise. Sunny is about to go on a vacation with her girlfriends after her divorce. This leads to a horrid experience bathing suit shopping...something so many women are familiar with. Sunny decides to take the experience and turn it on its head by creating her own version of flattering swimwear for bodies of all kinds. Along the way, she meets Ted, a wealthy businessman who is interested in more than just Sunny's new endeavor. She also forms a sweet friendship with the quiet, unassuming mailman, Dennis. I loved the message of this book and Sunny's outlook. The love triangle really worked as both men seemed great on the surface. There were many times I laughed out loud while reading this. I found myself smiling from start to end. The writing is solid, and body positivity is refreshing. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a strong, empowered female working on finding herself while also finding a little romance along the way. It was a fun read.

Thank you to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this book. The opinions here are my own.

I have long been a fan of Katie Sturino and her amplification of body positivity and body neutrality. I enjoyed how she incorporated those philosophies into a fun, sweet story about friendship, career, dating, and success. Sunny is a real, adult woman with problems and needs we can all relate to. Maybe some of her successes are not attainable for everyone, but it's still a great read to kick off summer.

Not really a true romance, more of a women’s fiction. The story is about Sunny who focuses on body positivity and her start up for inclusive women’s fashion, while trying to find a date to her brother’s wedding after going through a divorce. This could have been great. It was just OK. The whole blogging about her dates and the fact that she had sexual experiences with multiple men while going through this felt odd and not real. Parts of it were relatable and other parts were not. I appreciated the supporting friendships that Sunny had. This was a quick bingeable read. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Sunny Greene is thirty-five, recently divorced, facing the looming prospect of going solo to her little brother’s wedding, and currently trying to find anything plus-sized in the Bergdorf Goodman swimsuit department that doesn’t make her want to cry. It’s not going well. But isn’t rock bottom the perfect place to start a climb?

She decides it’s now or never. Sunny has her PR empire, her gorgeous Chelsea apartment, her two dogs, and her loyal best friends. Maybe it's time to just love her body and accept herself for who she is. With a new commitment to confidence, her journey begins. Who says a plus-sized divorcee can’t put herself first, feel beautiful, and date up a storm?

Of course things are never straightforward in the dating world. Is fate knocking at her door with Dennis, the charming and down-to-earth mailman, or should she be with Ted, the business tycoon who seems ready to make her size-inclusive swimsuit brand a reality? And what should she do about her ex, who shows up unexpectedly, eager to reconnect?

With the same candor and confidence her followers love, Sturino brings us Sunny Greene, a Carrie Bradshaw for the next generation, and her journey through the trials and triumphs of dating, friendship, and finding yourself.
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Oh, this book. In the end, I ended up really liking it, but I waffled back and forth quite a bit in the middle. I am someone who has struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember, and I have finally arrived at a place that I would call body acceptance, so there were parts of this book that were a little...triggering is not the right word, but they did press on a tender spot that is still within me. Experiencing Sunny's navigation of this issue was at turns frustrating and inspiring, and there were a few instances that I found her intensely unlikeable, but I did come around and root for her in the end.

There were some predictable bits that unfolded exactly as I expected them to. There were some characters that behaved exactly as you would expect them to. But there was also a sweet romance and a strong theme of women supporting women and a protagonist whose story I did end up really enjoying. I was not familiar with Katie Sturino's work before reading this book, but she now has in me a new subscriber on Substack and I am eager to hear more from her after reading this fiction debut.

What a fun, entertaining summer read. Sunny Greene is a vibrant plus size lady leading a fabulous plus sized life in NYC. She is the head of her own wildly successful PR firm. A sad shopping event at Bergdorf Goodman, when she was looking to buy a bathing suit for a girls trip after her divorce, has led her to create a new venture. Size inclusive bathing suits. On top of starting a new business Sunny is also looking for a plus one for her younger brothers upcoming wedding, so why not merge the two and create a blog about the search for Mr. Wedding Guest and for investors in her new company. What ensues is a memorable story of close friends, bad dates (and some really good one) and owning your own future. You will love Sunny. Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this great summer read.

This was an enjoyable book! I thought Sunny was a character I could understand, and I thought her world was interesting. I liked her passion and her friends. I think she was a well-crafted character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC!

The publisher's synopsis of this book grabbed my attention as something I would really enjoy. There were aspects that worked really well for me and others that did not. I'm having a tough pinpointing exactly why this book wasn't a home run for me.

Sunny is the head of her own PR firm, newly divorced, and describes herself as a big girl. She has a lot going on: she's trying to get over her ex-husband, she's trying to find a date for her brother's wedding, and now she's decided to start a new swimwear company for all shaped and sized women. Luckily she has her two best friends to keep her sane. We meet several different men, including her ex, who enter her life. Most of the sexual encounters were not my cup of tea.

I was definitely invested in the characters and wanted to know how all the drama concludes. I wholeheartedly agree that this is an important book in a world where women are constantly told they need to look a certain way to find love or success. All in all, I liked Sunny Side Up and read it very quickly. I just didn't love it. But I know it will hit all the right notes for many readers.