This was so fun! Sunny was a great main character and I really loved how her story was not centered around her weight. I feel like a lot ( less now though in 2025) of stories featuring a plus size main character tend to depict weight loss as a goal to achieve. I love how Sunny was working on herself to heal after her divorce, find her community, and continue to excel in her career. The supporting cast was great and I was so happy with the ending and who she ends with. Now where can I get a SONNY swimsuit??

Katie Studio has written the most deliciously delightful book!!! Sunny Side Up is a must read for all women!!! I love how she takes you as the reader and makes you look at your body in through her eyes!! Thank you for letting me enjoy the feeling of trying on a bathing suit and knowing "Sunny" got it! The references of the golden girls for the pups was cute, and her divorced friends and the adventure of dating just so fun. I high recommend this book, read it, enjoy it, laugh along with it.

“Women spend, on average, 40 percent of our day worrying about our bodies.”

Sunny Side Up is the debut novel by the amazing Katie Sturino - body acceptance advocate and founder of Megababe. Sunny is recently divorced and living in Chelsea with her two dogs, The Golden Girls. She is a successful entrepreneur and owner of Le Ballon Rouge, a PR firm, but as a plus-size woman, her body acceptance and confidence can be lacking. After reaching her lowest point (getting stuck in a too-tight swimsuit in a Bergdorf Goodman’s dressing room), Sunny begins the journey of getting her life, image, and confidence back on track. This of course includes finding a date to her brother’s wedding and all the dating fun that that entails!

How REFRESHING! As someone who has gone up and down with my weight (from an eating disorder when I was younger to then having 3 kids and trying to lose weight – which can be a rollercoaster ride) the internal monologues that Sunny has with herself in this novel, and then in her Sunny Side Up newsletter – were something that I absolutely loved reading.

While fiction, Sturino’s vulnerability detailed on these pages about self-acceptance, the difference between body acceptance and body positivity, how women believe that their thoughts, behavior and judgments about themselves and to/about others is normal, and the “[my] body, my business” underlying storylines are much needed and need to be today’s societal norms.

This book has so much going for it: The First Wives Club was incredible! Sign me up for adult girlfriends like that! There were spicy scenes, hot men to think about, and women-led businesses. Plus, all of the “peeks” into the behind-the-scenes fun from the entertainment and fashion world, and cooking industry, was an added bonus.

My main negative is that overall, I feel like this novel is a tad unrealistic (it is fiction! I get it!). Getting a swimsuit – or any fashion company or product – off the ground, with fabrics, production and distribution, would never ever happen within five months. Also, I get Sunny was already successful and already had a following with her newsletter, but it does seem that a lot of things were just handed to her from her rock-bottom bathing suit moment on . . . besides the jerk ex-husband and body issues commentary, of course (and money obviously was never an issue if she is shopping for swimsuits in Bergdorf). Sunny “gets” two extremely hot men, and multiple dating situations, and a new company while successfully running another company, all within a short period of time.

In addition, I wasn’t too keen on the playing/dating two men at the same time while the other had no idea (“not a crime” in NY!) – maybe this was simply because I liked Mr. Postman so much, but I then cringed when Sunny would put too much information about these men into a dating newsletter thinking that that was ok.

I wish this was a picture book with photos of the swimsuits! I would have loved to see all of the designs and the cuts – sounds like a swimsuit brand I would need and buy.

I love how Sturino tackled size inclusivity head on and think that all of my girlfriends should read Sunny Side Up!

To every woman who has had a dressing room breakdown (mine was in a target when my youngest son was 11 weeks old – shopping for a swimsuit for a vacation and I broke down and cried in the dressing room) – this novel is for you!!!!!

4 big stars (only down from a 5 due to what I mentioned above)! Thank you to NetGalley for this empowering ARC! All opinions are my own.

“Your body is not the problem. You are worthy of everything you desire … EXACTLY as you are today. . . . [Y]ou are a whole person on your own, as is. Don’t forget that …”

As a follower of Katie Sturino, even though I haven't read her previous books, I adored Sunny Side Up. I love a character who knows who she is and what she wants but also knows she can change if she wants. This is such a fun but endearing book. The ultimate beach read. All the suns and drinks for this book. I loved the romance parts but I enjoyed the friendship parts way more. I felt like I was in the friend group as we kept up with the friends throughout the book, Sunny never forgot them and they were her number one priority, besides the Golden Girls. I can't wait to read more fiction by Katie!

I wanted to love this book and thought I would based on the description. It had so many good things, especially the over 30 FMC. I just couldn’t connect with it. While it tried to be body positive the way it was done made me uncomfortable. In general, let’s not give an actual tangible size or weight. Once you do the reader will automatically compare themselves to that. If you just explained generally they can draw their own opinions. Just a thought. The readers may really enjoy. Just didn’t work for me.

This was shallow, unrealistic and distasteful. It tried to promote itself as an overweight-acceptance book but thru so much of it, she was ruminating about body-shaming one second, and accepting the next, just to go back again and obsess in detail. It was often played off as trying to be funny but it wasn’t in the least. It just felt depressing.

For unrealistic, I don’t know of too many startups that make it in NYC for a 20-30 something. It seemed like everything miraculously worked out for Sunny and just wasn’t believable.

And thru the whole book, she was basically just interested in one one-night stand after another. Then blogged about her sexual exploits - in a newsletter! - which felt insane and so so cringey. Who does that??

Multiple times I almost DNFd it and should have done it at the first. Really hated it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

This book feels like your favorite group chat come to life—equal parts heart, humor, chaos, and deep support. Sunny is a 35-year-old plus-size PR queen with sharp wit, two adorable dogs, and a life that’s begging for a reboot. After a brutal fitting-room meltdown (we’ve all been there) and a tough divorce, she decides it’s time to reclaim her confidence, curves, and maybe even her dating life.

Professionally, she’s thriving—but personally? Still healing. With the encouragement of her fiercely loyal (and hilarious) friend group, Sunny takes a bold leap: launching a size-inclusive swimwear brand and reviving her old newsletter, *Sunny Side Up*, where she spills all the messy, relatable moments of entrepreneurship, dating, and self-worth in a world obsessed with shrinking women down.

There’s some juicy love triangle tension (mailman or mogul? 👀), but what really steals the show is Sunny’s journey back to herself. This isn’t a makeover story—it’s a celebration of self, with every awkward, empowering, and laugh-out-loud moment along the way.

Mikaela Sturino’s voice is warm, witty, and so refreshingly real. A few parts skim the surface, but the emotional core never misses. Reading this is like sipping mimosas on a rooftop with your most honest friend—bubbly, a little messy, and completely satisfying.

If you're craving a feel-good, body-positive read that’s full of sass, heart, and real talk, add this one to your stack ASAP! 💛📖

First and foremost I received an e-arc from NetGalley. 🙂

I love what Katie Sturino has put together with this novel. People come in all shapes and sizes and should be included in every day life. It’s extremely refreshing to read about it and about the struggles we deal with when it comes to body image. I laughed and got frustrated a few times but it all works out in the end. Good stuff!

Okay so in theory this is all about body positivity and loving the skin your in, but she’s so entitled it’s hard to take seriously. Also, how do all these amazing things happen at once? Idk I DNF’d pretty early on because even as a “plus-sized” women in size 12/14, I couldn’t vibe.

Haha oh this book made me laugh and cheer in solidarity! Sonny newly divorced and trying to let the dating sense back in to her life is doing what we women hate! Shopping when you feel not yourself with the extra pounds we’re always made to feel bad for. While trying to start up her new business she is tackling the dating world where lines get crossed and realizations are made. She makes us feel good in our skin again. I laughed and felt proud this was a great read!

I love how this book is written in the first person and it's like the main character, Sunny Greene, is just sitting down talking to you like your one of her BFFs and she's relating this whole tale about what happened after her divorce. This is a wonderful work of fiction that deals with some very real social stigmas concerning body image (mostly female). I love Sunny's spunk, grit, determination, and wit. She's dealing with a lot of baggage from her marriage and insecurities from childhood too. She is learning how to channel her strengths and quiet the self-esteem naysayers in her internal dialogue. You go girl!

I feel that this is such an empowering book. I wish that Sunny and her newsletter were real. I'm sure there is something out there that's probably close to it; I would just have to search it out.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was good! I enjoyed Sunny as a character for the most part and I loved all of her friends. The main challenge I had with it was the pacing and what we were supposed to be focusing on. In the description, it seems like the dating to get to her brother's wedding would be a main focal point throughout, and in my opinion it didn't get more focused on that until about 60%. The focus seemed more on Sunny's relationship to her body and her business, which is wonderful but I was often wondering about the wedding and the purpose of the dating because at times it seemed like a subplot. Sunny at times was incredibly naive and it didn't feel like she was a woman in her mid 30s, but it was nice to see her learn about herself.

If you have triggers related to fatphobia or difficulty reading about bodies, I'd be somewhat cautious. I feel like the author handled discussions well, however I do not have specific lived experience and could see how it may be triggering at times for some.

This book was such a fun, sit outside in warm weather type of read! The characters were so likable and were rooting for Sunny and Mr. Postman the entire time.

A few things I loved about this book:
- It had themes of body positivity that wasn’t too much self-loathing, but empowering. It was so refreshing to see.
- The romance to plot was honestly my favorite part about this book. Sometimes romance can outshine the point of the story, but it was a perfect balance!
- The group of friends in this book made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.
- The writing style is so easy and enjoyable to read! It wasn’t too long and wasn’t too short and enjoyed that it didn’t feel dragged on.

I would have liked some more vivid details about some of the side characters, but still loved it overall. This book would be a perfect book to add to your summer reads!

This was such a fun and uplifting read! After a terrible day trying on swimsuits (we’ve all been there), Sunny hits her breaking point. Even though she runs a successful PR agency, she’s still not over her divorce—and she’s just over it. With her amazing group of friends, she decides to take control and starts a body-positive swimwear line.

She brings back her old newsletter, Sunny Side Up, and uses it to share all the ups, downs, and awkward (but hilarious) moments of dating and running a business as a plus-sized woman in a city obsessed with tiny sizes.

What I loved most is how real Sunny is—she’s figuring things out, making mistakes, and learning to truly love herself along the way. And of course, there’s a sweet little romance that pops up when she least expects it.

Such a great, feel-good summer read that’ll leave you smiling!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

The perfect rom-com beach read when it's released.

Light and breezy reading, a cute story and a good ending - after wanting to wring Sunny's neck a couple of times.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC.

This book is genuinely one of my new favorites! I’ve loved and followed Katie for years, and this is exactly the book that I expected from her. The characters are incredible, and the heart behind the story is so Katie.

As a fellow tall and not small girl, I felt this book deep in my soul, and I loved the journey that Sunny took throughout this book! Incredibly relatable and hilarious with so much heart!

Thank you to Celadon Books + Katie Sturino for my advance copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this ARC!

3.5 ⭐️ but rounding up to 4

This book was a cute read but wasn't my favourite. I love the body positivity and her drive to create a swim wear line to be as inclusive as possible of all body types. However, reading this felt more like the character was a 25 year old and not a 35 year old. It kind of made me feel like how I would have behaved 10 years ago. It was slightly immature for me and I found her to be kind of annoying throughout. I wasn't even rooting for her anymore. I also found some of the jokes to be very millennial and cringy (sorry, i know, i'm a millennial and couldn't take it anymore)!

Overall it is a cute read. I don't think this book is for me though but I'm so grateful I got to read and review it!

3+ rounded up!

“I didn’t just want a different type of romantic relationship, I wanted a different type of relationship with myself, with my own body. I never wanted to feel helpless or at the mercy of someone else’s opinion again.”

Debut novelist Katie Sturino is a former publicist and present day entrepreneur and fashion blogger focusing on inclusive sizing. Her new novel is way out of this 60 something’s wheelhouse, but I found the content and messaging to be fun and sweet and hopeful.

Sunny Greene is a 35 year old divorcee with a successful PR firm and a lot of emotional baggage. A classic bathing suit try on meltdown opens the door to her creativity and an emotion-led opportunity.

The series of spicy (open door) romantic connections with wildly different outcomes was like a current day game of Mystery Date, but Sunny embraces each one and eventually gets a peek from the other side of the door. The growing popularity of her re-released newsletter reflects an adoring fan base with similar body positivity and inclusivity thoughts. I expect there will be strong feelings about this issue, but the novel addresses this with candor from the opening chapter. The themes of self discovery and confidence building will appeal to all sizes!

Many thanks to Celadon Books for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sunny Side Up is a fun romance novel set in New York City - think a modern Sex and The City. Sunny is in her mid-thirties and reeling after her husband unexpectedly divorces her and moves on with another woman. Despite this, she is killing it everywhere else - her career, friendships, etc. We watch Sunny as she navigates reentering the dating world, with all of it's ups and downs. On top of this, although she already has a very successful career in PR, she also falls into becoming a swimsuit designer.

My criticism of the book were that there was not much new to this story - even the fact that the FMC is curvy and promoting body positivity/neutrality is something I have read in many other books now (which is great!). While I get that this was supposed to be lighthearted, which it was, it was just too unrealistic to me. The biggest conflict in the book was that too many men were trying to sleep with Sunny. Also, she ended up getting her happy ending with the guy that she treated the worst, and he just seemed to automatically gloss over that and immediately forgive her. On top of that, I could not believe how quickly she pivoted into creating and manufacturing a successful swimsuit line, all while still running her PR firm.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Celadon Books for advanced copies of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sunny has battled her weight and body type her whole life. Living in New York working with the fashion industry has never been easy, but she has found her way opening her own company despite her now ex husband whom she helped to the top with his new sports pod cast.
Sunny has a revelation in Berdorf’s trying to find a swimsuit bigger than a size 10, she needs to make her own body positive swim line. Through this adventure she is introduced to Ted, who helps her with his investment in her ideas. They find a mutual attraction. Sunny has navigated the online dating world through numerous dates and knows it can be rough out there. She runs into her mailman, Dennis, whom she immediately hits it off with, but he moves at a snail’s pace when it comes to dating.
This leads to her trying to carry on dates with both men while trying to start a new company and an online blog on substack where she reviews her dating history as well as the latest fashion trends.
I enjoyed this book, it was a cute story what I call cotton candy for the brain. I felt like it kind of went fast through the dates and relationships of the two men. I didn’t think we needed her ex to show back up in the story, but I wish she would have thrown it in the girl’s court and told her he was married to her while he was dating her. Since she was trying to be honest with everyone in her life. Overall a quick fun read.