4 stars – Sparkling, Sassy, and Full of Sunny Vibes!

First off, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Sunny Side Up! What a delightful, empowering, and genuinely funny debut from Katie Sturino. If you’ve ever found yourself crying in a dressing room under harsh fluorescent lighting or fielding passive-aggressive wedding questions as a single guest of honor, Sunny Greene is your girl.

This book is like your favorite group chat in novel form—raw, supportive, a little chaotic, and endlessly entertaining. Sunny is a 35-year-old plus-sized PR powerhouse with a sharp wit, two adorable dogs, and a heart ready for a glow-up. After a rough divorce and a swimsuit department breakdown (relatable content, truly), she decides it’s time to reclaim her confidence, her curves, and maybe even her dating life.

The romance has some classic love triangle tension (mailman or mogul, anyone?), but what really shines is Sunny’s relationship with herself. Watching her navigate love, boundaries, body image, and business dreams is like sipping a mimosa on a rooftop with your most honest friend—bubbly, sometimes messy, but oh so satisfying.

Sturino’s voice is warm, witty, and refreshingly authentic. Some moments dipped a toe into cliché or moved a bit quickly, but the heart of this story never faltered. I especially appreciated how this wasn’t a makeover story—it was a self-celebration story.

Fans of body positivity, second chances, and unapologetic self-love will find a new BFF in Sunny. I can’t wait to see what Katie Sturino writes next!

A light read with the main character’s struggle with her plus size body. This was a struggle to keep reading. There were some realistic moments. Just didn’t feel there was any dimension to the characters.
Friendship, dating, reflections, learning to love oneself now matter your size, struggles finding clothes to feel good in was relatable.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this book.

A perfectly fun romance by Megababe founder Katie Sturino, which seems to parallel some real-life events that she has chronicled online over the years. There's a lot of body positivity and healthy reflection woven into this lighthearted romance.

Hello my lovely, perfect, gorgeous sunny side up readers -

When you’re forced to start over, but you find peace within yourself. Everything you once knew needs to be forgotten.

This was a beautiful story about divorce and regrowth. Finding yourself again through struggle and believing that you are deserving of SO MUCH MORE!

This was such a fun and refreshing read. It has humor, depth and triumphs both quiet and loud. I loved the cast of characters and the realistic way in which they were portrayed. This will be a great summer read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 stars

This was a delightful and refreshing escape from life’s stresses. The main character, while entertaining, felt a bit unrealistic. Still, I found myself laughing at her whimsical adventures that often had perfect outcomes—even without checking price tags! The supporting characters added charm to Sunny's journey toward happiness. Though new to the author, I appreciate her body positivity advocacy; however, calling size 14 “plus-sized” seems off.

This is a highly entertaining novel about size acceptance and loving one’s self. Newly divorced, Sunny begins this story in the dressing room of a department trying to buy a swimsuit for an upcoming Bahamas vacation with her best friends. It is a divorcation trip. She is horrified at the choices available to large sized women and decides to embark on a journey to me these buyers feel better about how they look. She is an influencer with audiences on social media and newsletters and connections with the fashion industry. She has her own boutique PR firm named Le Ballon Rouge (LBR). She became a star in the fashion Industry. The story also includes her search for a plus one date for a family wedding in 158 days. She goes to great lengths to find the perfect match for the occasion. It is a delightful story full of humor, friendships and family entanglements. She narrows her choice to Zack, her ex, the mailman and Ted, a business tycoon. Who will she choose?

I think the book was a fun and delightful read. I would not say it is a beach read but one the younger sect will love. As an older, plus sized woman I identified with much of the story.

I wish to thank Net Galley and Celadon Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a very cute rom-com, I would not say it is a romance even though there are a few love interests in the book. I enjoyed Katie’s writing style, she certainly hooks you from the get go and I loved this sort-of-wish-fulfillment NYC story. Sunny, who is a true “girlboss” (and not in a cringey way!) is recently divorced, owns her own PR firm and has the chance to do a bucket list item where she can design a line of swimsuits that caters to larger bodies so they have cute fashion options as well as “regular” sized people. I loved how everything just worked out (even if the timeline was crazy), and I highly suggest this for anyone needing a little happy wish fulfillment in their lives.

I thought this book would be a light beach read, but it tackles bigger issues around body image, women's empowerment, and post-divorce dating. Main character Sunny Greene runs her own fashion PR company, and is reeling from a divorce with a narcissistic, unsupportive man. The book has "Sex and the City" vibes as Sunny balances work and dating in New York City, learning a lot and making some mistakes along the way. Unlike a typical romance book there's the post-divorce aspect which helps this book feel a little different than other romances, and there's also not a singular love interest, but a tangled web of options that Sunny has met from both online apps and in-person.

I found the first half of the book just ok, but once it hit the midway point and Sunny had two serious love interests I was really hooked. I wasn't clear which way it would go -- would she choose either or no one at all? You really want to root for Sunny and her success in business, friendship, and love,

The one thing that was mildly annoying for me (and I have noticed this in some other books as well) was the constant name dropping of specific restaurants, clothing brands, etc. Those really specific details may not be understandable to the average reader who doesn't shop luxury or live in NYC, and I also think it sort of pins the book in a very specific point in time wherein the story may not "age" as well if you were to read it in a few years with these very specific point-in-time cultural references. I think the book would be just as good without mentioning the specific name brand of the blazer the main character is wearing, or the name of the upscale restaurant they visit, etc.

Overall I did enjoy this book though! I devoured the second half to see what would happen to Sunny's love prospects, and to see which way her happy ending worked out.

This book was overwhelming unrealistic. The First Wives Club creation, the men popping up everywhere and then falling in love/lust with her, the Midwest family hopping over to NYC all the time, the super perfect assistant...it was insufferable. The worst part for me was the way her body image issues were like their own separate character. I get that the storyline was supposed to be a major arc for Sunny, but it was too much of a rollercoaster and too prevalent. This book wasn't for me.

2 stars for NYC and the Golden Girls.

**Thanks NetGalley for inviting me to read this arc in exchange of my honest opinion.

I thought Sunny was very witty and I enjoyed reading about her struggles with body image. As a fellow girly who doesn’t go a day without worrying about her own tummy chub, I heavily related to her struggles with finding clothes she felt confident in and constantly comparing herself to smaller sized women.

That is about all I enjoyed from the story. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be a drama or a romance but there is 0 romance. There are 5 different men in the story (one ex husband and 4 other men she sleeps with) and I’m not here judging anyone for dating around but the fact there were so many partners and multiple partners simultaneously (without the others knowing) it felt super icky and I never felt a true and pure romance from any of the relationships because she was essentially just hooking up with all of them and not forming deep meaningful relationships (which again, not here to judge - you do you but if this was indeed intended to be a romance book you can’t have a romance book with 0 romance).

Going off of that none of the men were interesting besides her crazy ex-husband and he was only interesting to read about because he was nuts. My favorite characters were Noor and Brooke and I definitely wish we had more time with them/learned more about their divorces (the divorce club they formed was super cute). I really liked the brand Sunny created and the meaning behind it but the logistics made it too unrealistic for me (gets a $200,000 investment on her first pitch, becomes a sensation at launch, has a newsletter become a hit … how?)

All in all I wish this story had kept the main focus on body positivity and learning to love yourself versus multiple sexual exploits with no meaning behind them.

This book was a mostly light and fairly quick read. I appreciated the body positivity and related to some of the main character's struggles with her size, but also thought some parts of it seemed a little too overly simplistic or unrealistic. I didn't find a lot of suspense in the love triangle, especially knowing a little bit about the author and her life already. Overall I thought it was fine, but not destined to become a classic.

Rating: 3.5/5

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Sunny Side Up, and overall, it was a charming read with a lot of heart. One of the biggest strengths of this book is its body positivity. It's refreshing to see a plus-size protagonist navigating dating, self-worth, and self-discovery without being reduced to a punchline or a pity party.

That said, there were a few things that pulled me out of the story. First, the portrayal of the main character as “plus-size” felt inconsistent. Being described as a size 12 but needing a seatbelt extender on a plane didn’t quite add up — it felt like a stretch for relatability or drama, and it undercut the authenticity of the body positivity message.

Also, while I appreciated the protagonist’s journey, it was hard to suspend disbelief at times. Three men vying for her attention simultaneously — all seemingly obsessed — made it feel more like a rom-com fantasy than a grounded story. I wanted her romantic arc to feel earned, not just like she was suddenly the most desirable woman in NYC without much development.

Still, Sunny Side Up has charm, wit, and warmth. If you're looking for a light, feel-good romance with some thoughtful reflections on self-love and modern dating, it's worth a read.

This was a fabulous, body-positive story. I can relate to Sunny in many ways and loved reading about her struggles and triumphs. I wanted to see her outfits and read more of her blog. I can see this becoming a movie or television series.

This is a five star read from me. Love the hard issues addressed in the humorous way that Katie Sturino has written. Characters are interesting and blend well with the storyline. Recommend.
I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

This book is a good read!

I was surprised to learn that the author of this book actively speaks out about body acceptance and size inclusivity in real life—something that’s woven deeply into the heart of the story. Through Sunny’s vulnerable yet empowering quest to find a swimsuit that actually celebrates her curves, the book gently challenges the norms and redefines what it means to feel at home in your own skin. I love it so much given the deep message! Excited for everyone to check this out!

Thank you, Netgalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of Sunny Side Up in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 out of 5. This book has a Great Plus size female empowerment story, which if you follow the author Katie on social media, like I do it might not be a surprise that she is representing in a fabulous manner. Loved the fashion references and how quick it reads. One of my few quibbles with the book is that if you Follow Katie, the story feels a bit autobiographical, and I could see many similarities between her husband and the "chosen" one of the love triangle so that was a bit of a spoiler.

I'm always on the fence about books with plus sized characters because being fat becomes their entire identity. This book has realistic moments of insecurity, but ultimately ends up being about empowerment.

Sunny Side Up is a great read about body acceptance and the difficulties experienced by being plus-sized in NYC. In this way, Sunny was a very relatable character (we have all had that moment where we have gotten stuck in clothes in a dressing room, right?!?). But, other than that, I found Sunny's life to be a little too easy-if that makes sense. She wants love-she has two men in love with her. She wants friends-she immediately finds a two best friends to travel with. Business success? Check. Tons of adoring fans? Done. She really seems to have it all.

I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A fresh New York City based Romcom that feels like reading the diary of Carrie Bradshaw’s cooler, realer cousin who holds nothing back!
SUNNY SIDE UP breaks the mould with a candid body neutral protagonist in the familiar world of PR, cocktails, female friendships and tall handsome love interests.
The blog entries will appeal to fans of Gossip Girl and fashionistas will enjoy the designer fitchecks.
If you’re already a fan of Katie Sturino, you won’t be disappointed! A perfect summer read.