I really enjoyed this book. I loved that it was about a "real woman" who has trouble finding clothes that fit and look good no matter what size you are. She is a very successful business woman, owning two companies that are thriving but still has time for her friends. She even keeps it together when she runs into her ex-husband, which I give her lots of credit for since what he did to her is unforgivable.. I couldn't wait to find out who would be her date to her brothers wedding. Every woman needs a "Sunny" as a friend.

ETA: I gave my review before I learned Katie Sturino used a ghostwriter for this novel. Had I known she had used a ghostwriter I would not have spent time reading this book. I prefer to invest my time and support in authors who write their own books.

This was a cute, fast read - perfect for your beach bag this summer. I love a character who is confident and body positive. Lots of witty banter with charismatic side characters. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy!

This is the perfect beach read. This story's main character has always struggled with her weight but eventually embraces herself. While romantic relationships are the main part of this book, it's a story about a woman's relationship with herself. While she may be searching for wedding date, she is really also learning to accept herself the way she is.

Summer means bathing suit season and for most women finding a flattering suit can be difficult. But for a plus sized woman it can feel like the end of the world. This book begins with newly divorced Sunny literally stuck in the dressing room, trapped in a bathing suit that doesn't fit. She has hit rock bottom. Her marriage is over. Her exes comments about her plus sized body still constantly plays in her mind. And she has gained even more weight since the divorce. When Sunny can't find a bathing suit that makes her feel sexy instead of uncomfortable and embarrassed, she decides to launch her own line of cute suits. She relaunches her blog to spread a message of size acceptance to other women and she starts dating again. There are men out there who prefer real women with curves, This book was adorable & I loved this story.

I really, really wanted to like this book. I felt like it wanted to be so many things to the point of my not understanding what the point/plot/storyline was. Between the wedding, plus one, divorce, new business, and new romances, it was lacking direction. Also, some of the lines were pretty cheesy. Still fun, but could be better. Thank you, NetGalley.

Not my typical genre, but I can not remember the last time I arched and eyebrow, cracked a smile, giggled and cheered. This book was my perfect summer escape book. Enjoy!

A great romcom summer read! Sunny is post-divorce & struggling with some body image issues, but otherwise things are going great when we meet her. I liked that she was already a successful businesswoman/ nice businesswoman, because I started the book believing in her and rooting for her. It was fun to read about her getting back out there and starting a new business. Her friends (& her dogs, named after Golden Girls) are all great characters I enjoyed spending time with in the sunshine.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

This book was so refreshing and engaging! I loved Sunny and the rag-tag group of people she surrounded herself with. She’s both relatable and aspirational in the best way. I just so enjoy books about real women. Even thought the romance part of it was a bit unrealistic, but that’s just my cynical heart i think. Highly@recommend, perfect beach/summer read!

This was a fun, quick read- perfect for a long weekend/summer vacation.
Although it wasn’t the best book I’ve read so far this year, it was enjoyable overall and a break from my usual thriller/suspense reads.
Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for this ARC!
3/5

I was excited for this book, but it really did not work for me. The writing style was very info-dumpy and more tell than show. The focus on the main character's body was written in a way that also didn't work for me. Mostly, I was interested in a book by Katie Sturino, not a book written by a ghostwriter. It made the book feel more like a product than a book.

Sunny Side Up follows Sunny Greene post divorce, moving forward in life both socially and professionally despite her continued wavering self confidence and personal struggles. Will she succeed? Will she make mistakes? Will she find a date to her brother’s wedding? Ha ha. Sunny is a fun, likable character who has plenty of amusing, hot and sometimes humiliating encounters with the people she meets. Some of these scenes are laugh-out-loud hilarious. I loved her interactions with her best friends. I also really enjoyed the many dates she goes on and her drive to succeed as an entrepreneur. Parts of this book were a definite 5 stars for me. Unfortunately, there were other times where the storyline slowed down and I didn’t feel as captivated. Overall, I give it 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the digital ARC.

Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino is a feel good Summer beach read. The storyline, the characters, takes readers on a vacation of sorts while between the pages for an unforgettable adventure.

After a devastating divorce, Sunny finds herself about to go on vacation with her friends and can’t find a fun swimsuit for the trip that will fit her and look good. She decides to design her own suits and enter the modern dating world.

I almost stopped after the first chapter. It made me so mad, but then I remembered I promised to give a book 100 pages before giving up and I’m so glad I did. This book was so much fun and Sunny is a great character.

Thank you for the advanced copy! I really enjoyed this read. It was different and refreshing. I would recommend.

In "Sunny Side Up," we dive into Sunny’s journey following the abrupt end of her brief marriage. After her husband unexpectedly left and filed for divorce, Sunny finds herself facing a heartbreaking loss. The novel opens with her on a path of rebuilding, starting fresh in a vibrant new home and forging connections with new friends. What captivated me the most was how the book beautifully celebrates the bright spots in Sunny’s life, all while candidly revealing her insecurities and self-doubts.

Sunny's dating adventures post-divorce are a rollercoaster of authentic experiences, filled with both laugh-out-loud moments and poignant realizations. I appreciated that she explored relationships with a diverse array of men, each of whom recognized her beauty and charm. This novel not only portrays the hurdles of life after divorce but also revels in the exciting possibilities that come with newfound single status. It's inspiring to witness Sunny thrive professionally too, as her positive philosophy radiates through her business dealings, friendships, and romances.

While "Sunny Side Up" is marketed as a romance, I found that the love story takes a backseat to the powerful themes woven throughout the narrative. For me, it felt more like women’s fiction at its finest. The author’s message delivering a strong stance against diet culture and promoting positive body image resonated deeply. I can’t wait to see what Katie Sturino has in store for us next!

I have followed Katie Sturino on IG for years now and I have always loved her unabashed personality and the fact that she is not afraid to show up as herself and take up space. I love the way that she preaches body neutrality - because our bodies are truly the least interesting thing about ourselves. Finding creators like Katie online truly revolutionized how I saw myself and how I allowed myself to show up in the world and truly accept myself regardless of how I look. Since so much of our culture revolves around women’s bodies and cutting them down if they don’t look the “ideal” way, it’s next to impossible to not compare yourself to other women and wish for things you don’t have but want. But Katie made it so much easier to ignore those voices and just focus on myself and the fact that my body is a vessel for me to live my life in - but it is not who I am.

I was so happy to see Katie’s voice shine through in Sunny Side Up. So many of the themes and ideas she teaches others on social media were applied in this book, and I very often found myself feeling SO seen and understood. There were so many moments that were so real, that I have literally never seen in a romance novel, and it was so refreshing to see these honest thoughts that I have had more times than I can count written out on the pages.

“Brooke and Noor—they were both skinny. Whenever I heard a woman smaller than me complaining about her body, hating her body, it always made my stomach drop. If these women—who could easily shop in department stores!—were still riddled with anxieties, what hope did I have?”

Sunny’s struggles with dating in a larger body were so incredibly relatable to me, and so many passages in the book felt like I had written them myself. While I know I am not the only one who has experienced what it’s like to date as a plus sized woman, it is always so refreshing to be reminded of that fact. Sunny’s inner monologue was so funny and made me feel so seen.

“Invigorated by my productivity, I decided to delete the rest of my dating apps, something I’m told every good single person does with regularity. My Wedding Date quest would have to wait. I had to focus all my energy on running my two companies right now. I couldn’t deal with having a third job, which the apps had become. Maybe if I stopped trying to force the dating thing, stopped leaning in for the literal and proverbial kiss, it would just happen. Isn’t that what everyone always tells you? “The one comes along when you least expect it”?“

Sunny gives a monologue when she is pitching the idea for her new company that was so good it gave me chills - this passage, specifically:

“Our bodies are commented on from the moment we are born. ‘Oh, what a chunky baby. So cute. Those cheeks.’ And, ‘Look how big you’re getting! I remember you when you were a tiny thing.’”
“But at a certain age, the comments about our bodies diverge: Young boys are praised for their growing size, a sign of strength. Meanwhile, all around them, young girls begin to absorb negative comments about bigness as it relates to their looks, their bodies, their weight. These messages are everywhere. Woven into the very fabric of our society.
“From well-meaning moms who were raised in the same culture: ‘No cake for me, I’m getting fat and need to watch my figure.’ From conventionally attractive women across the spectrum of media who represents societal ideals of beauty, not only of beauty but also those of success and intelligence: ‘Here’s how I stay in shape despite my grueling work schedule. Here’s how I lost the baby weight in three weeks after having twins. Here’s what I do to stay tight like a drum without ripping in half when I sneeze. Here’s what I do every day so that my body never shows even a dimple of cellulite, a shimmer of a stretch mark, a crease, a fold, a sign of life whatsoever, lest I be seen as inferior because of it.’”

I felt that these really important ideas and concepts were written out SO well, and I really felt like this was going to be a 5⭐️ read for me.

However, the actual romance plot progression did not work for me. I really did not enjoy the love triangle aspect of the plot line. It felt icky to me that Sunny ended up crossing professional lines, for a company that she built and felt so strongly about, just for the attention of a man who was also an investor in the company. It’s no surprise that this man ended up being a huge jerk in the end, and it was painful to watch the way Sunny treated the good man/MMC in the story as a result. I also felt so disappointed in the way the final conflict was handled. Sunny crossed so many lines with sharing personal details about her dating and sex life online, and I honestly felt like she was forgiven by the MMC far too easily for it in the end. The way that Sunny grossly mishandled her relationship with both men seemed so contradictory to who she was as a character.


Thank you to the author, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Sunny Side Up!

It's always fun to read a story set in NYC, this one set up around recent divorcee Sunny. Adjusting to her newly single life, making new connections, and continuing to ramp up her already successful career, I liked many of the elements for this read: ambitious women that encouraged each other, the challenges of developing your own brand, messiness of new and old relationships, and self acceptance.

Sunny works her way through a lot of challenging situations, some with plenty of spice and some with cringeworthy moments. This story is just perfect for a day by the water - pool, beach, or lake!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Celadon Books.

Ended up listening to the audio! I loved it so much! It was such a fun listen. I really liked the FMC and how strong she was and her conviction. I also loved the message of body positivity. As someone who has struggled with my weight my whole life this hit home for me. Sunny was funny, kept it real, was raw and honest. I really liked the storyline, the writing was witty, and engaging. Be prepared for some spicy scenes! This was laugh out loud funny and not the typical rom-com!

This book was cute and charming and a fun, quick read. The depictions of the many different types of relationships were lovely and a happy ending to tie it all up was nice. Some of it was a little repetitive -phrases and points hammered on multiple times but overall, it hit the notes it was going for pleasantly. The timeline of literally all of it seemed kind of bananas but the characters themselves were compelling enough to move past it.

Edited: the interviews surrounding this book currently are wild and the interviews the author has given are...interesting.

Sturino worked with a ghostwriter, talks about having a collaborator but then said "I think that there's a big wall around literature and who can be a writer .... there's just a lot of pretension."

Um..what. To be a writer you should probably be able to write. Otherwise at best you are collaborating on a novel with an unnamed writer and at worst you're commissioning a book and then taking the credit. Honestly, I'm having trouble telling which one this novel falls into.

A debut noel by an author who gets what a woman goes through with her body image-ongoing and lifelong! I am a senior, so some of the story about a young divorced woman, an entrepreneur,, living in New York is only something I can relate to as a woman not through any experience. I look forward to future novels by Katie Sturino!

Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino is the best debut romance novel I’ve read all year!
I loved how relatable and realistic this novel was.
This was absolutely delightful. The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. The characters were charming and witty. I highly recommend this fun and quick read.
I can’t wait to read her next novel.
A phenomenal fiction debut!