If you are a fan of hot, spicy, romances, then you will love this book. A size 12+ Sunny takes on men, fashion and the world. The audiobook is well narrated with a cast of characters.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MacMillanAudio, #KatieSturino, #YaelRizowy and #SunnySideUp for the audiobook for my honest review.

Uplifting, Honest, and Full of Heart

Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino is a joyful burst of honesty, humor, and self-love. With her trademark wit and refreshing candor, Sturino shares her journey in a way that feels like a heart-to-heart with your most empowering friend. It’s part memoir, part pep talk, and 100% relatable.

What makes this book stand out is its unapologetic message of body confidence and self-acceptance, told through personal stories that are both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply moving. Sturino doesn’t shy away from vulnerability, but she never loses her upbeat, optimistic voice—even when tackling tough topics.

This is a must-read for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t quite fit the mold. It’s empowering, encouraging, and will leave you feeling just a little sunnier.

Publishing June 24

Sunny is a complicated character.
She started her own business, helped her husband start his own business, got talked down to repeatedly about her body and ideas, got cheated on and got divorced.

Now, Sunny has a couple new gal pals and needs swimwear for a vacation they're taking together. Instead of choosing a store that's more likely to have what she'd like, she finds herself trying on ugly one-piece swimwear in a size 14 (oh, the horror...). Irritated that Bergdorf's doesn't have what she's looking for, she takes a swimsuit that fits to her tailor and modifies it. (If you had a tailor in the first place, why even try on the ugly suits?). In any case, the experience of creating her own swimwear makes her happy so she decides to start her own company of high end plus size swimwear.

In the meantime, we are to understand that Sunny has deeply rooted feelings of inadequacy in her body, but she decides to walk nude in front of the construction guy outside her window and then have sex with him, which feels like a huge leap. She then attracts the hot mailman and also the hot gazillionaire she pitches her new line of swimwear to. All to say, it was an astonishingly quick leap from hey my husband repeatedly told me I was fat and now I've recently gotten divorced and gained 40 lbs and having a panic attack in a dressing room to let's get naked!

I loved several parts, especially about body neutrality over body positivity, but the dialogue between Sunny and Mr Postman was often yicky, and I felt like she frequently crossed boundaries with her employee Avery.

Thank you to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for digital and audiobook ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Sunny Side Up is a compelling read that tackles complex family issues with sensitivity and grace. Its blend of engaging storytelling, relatable characters, and thoughtful artwork makes it a standout choice for middle-grade readers. Whether for personal reading or as a conversation starter about family challenges, this graphic novel offers both entertainment and meaningful insights.

I loved this book! Sunny is likable and her story is uplifting for someone of a similar age. While I'm not sure I'd classify a size 12 as plus sized, I did like the theme of body positivity.

Sunny is lovable, confident, and easy to root for — but the messaging in this one felt muddled. While it aims to promote self-love and body positivity, the constant fixation on diet culture was exhausting and, at times, genuinely triggering. Size 12 is treated like a shocking outlier, which undercuts the empowering tone it’s clearly going for. Sunny’s emotional swings, especially around her body image, didn’t always feel authentic. I stuck with it because I cared about her story, but overall, this one missed the mark for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars
Rated R for language, adult themes, and heavy focus on weight, and a decent dose of spice.

This was a quick listen and I imagine it would be a quick pool/beach read, especially since the main character creates a plus-size swim line. I liked that the MC was older and divorced and sure of her body/herself. I didn't like the love triangle though. I appreciated her trying to date again, but I just personally didn't like her dating two guys at once. I think she showed some growth though and am glad everything worked out for her in the end.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC!

I didn’t like this one. I listened to the audio. I didn’t connect to the story. I didn’t like the main female character and what she was doing. I was tempted to DNF, but pushed through. Sadly, this one just didn’t hit the mark.

A wonderfully empowering, fun, smart, witty story about friendship, following your dreams, owning who you are and love. Sunny is comfortable exactly as she is. A smart, beautiful, successful woman. What she isn’t comfortable with is the judgments from everyone from her mother, the snooty women in department stores, the misogynists she encounters regularly and the way the world views women who don’t fit into their vision of the perfect cover model. When shopping for a quick getaway dubbed “a divor-cation” with her best friends she has one of those “I’ve had all I can stand and I can’t stand no more” moments in the dressing room. Shopping is hard enough for everyone, but if you’re not a small size, it is an actual hellscape. A new business is born for women of all shapes and sizes meant to make them feel seen and for them to see themselves as the beautiful and worthy people they are. A tall order, but her passion is as amazing as is her fortitude. She is also trying to find a plus one for her brother's wedding and maybe just maybe, new love. What she can’t take is one more comment from her mother such as “get yourself out there before it's too late” and the underlying feeling that the world tells women that we aren’t enough without a partner now matter how successful they are. It’s a fabulous listen and or read about women supporting each other, following their dreams and living their best lives! So much fun!

This book should come with a MAJOR content warning at the beginning about fat phobia, diet culture, emotional abuse, and narcissism. As a fat woman, who has gone through her own body acceptance journey, I found this book extremely triggering. I almost stopped reading due to this but I liked the rest of the story enough to keep me reading. Honestly, if it weren't for the gross references to diet culture and fat phobia, this would've been a five star read for me. And look, I get it, this depicts the narrative many women have for themselves and how that narrative is ingrained in them from a young age. I can see how a woman who hasn't been on a self acceptance journey might read this and come to that on her own. I can also see this book triggering an eating disorder.

I find it laughable that the size of our FMC is a size 12 and she's complaining about not being able to find her size in department stores. I have seen up to size 16 readily available in many stores I shop. Granted, I'm not shopping at Nieman Marcus or Bergdorf. Maybe they don't stock over a size 8 🤷🏼‍♀️

In positive news, aside from the bits I felt triggering, I actually liked the rest of the story. A young woman finding her own and getting back out there, learning to be comfortable in her own skin. That was lovely. Especially seeing her thrive while doing so. The narrator is phenomenal.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun, lighthearted read. There were things I really liked about it, and pieces I could have done without.
The characters were fun and well developed. The message was sweet. And I loved her blog.
The story was very intent on spreading body positivity, and while I am not against that, it felt like just too much in a book. It was pretty spicy, but I am also kind of a spice baby.
Sunny is a lovable character, just trying to get her life together after her divorce, and she is beyond easy to root for. When she has her lowest moment trying on plus sized swim suits in a dressing room, she decides to make her own. This idea launches into a bigger and better idea, starting her own plus sizes swimwear!
Such a fun summer read! Thank you netgalley!

Excellent on audio, Sunny Side, follows Sunny, a recently divorced thirty five year old plus sized woman working in PR. She chronicles her dating adventures on her rebooted Substack Sunny Side Up. She has made new friends and has placed a self imposed deadline to take a date to her brother's wedding. She just wants to get herself back out there.

Sunny is a hot mess and her entanglements are a bit predictable at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Sunny grow into herself. Stories of women pursuing authenticity and taking up space will never get old.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the advanced listening copy. Sunny Side releases June 24, 2025.

This book gave me the vibe that I wanted from And Just Like That… !!!!! It was a fun read, perfect for the beach this summer.

The audiobook narrator was *chefs kiss* she really brought Sunny to life. Felt like I was listening to her podcast or a friend filling me in on her day. Check this one out when it is published in June.


I was able to tandem read the physical book and the audiobook with advanced copies, thanks Macmillan Audio!

“Sunny Side Up” by Katie Sturino is an empowering story about embracing yourself and knowing your worth. We follow Sunny Greene, a recent divorcée, as she comes to terms with her past relationship and expands her entrepreneurial ventures. It all start with the dreaded the swim wear selection for plus-size women at a luxury department store. Her tailor dutifully took those suits and made her a new one that everyone love. Her friends inspire her to start her own line. Along the way, Sunny rebuilds her confidence and finds love.

I enjoyed this story. Sunny was a good main character. She had been so beaten down emotional by her ex, but still exuded this confidence, especially while venturing back into the dating world. I appreciated that duality. I knew from the start who the real romantic interest would end up being, but the romance wasn’t the part of the story I connected with.

The narrator did a good job with Sunny’s voice. The accents for the male characters threw me a little. I appreciated learning in the Author Acknowledgement that Dennis’ speech and accent was model after the author’s husband. I am from Long Island so I know a thick New York accent, but in audio it was a little much for me at times.

I think many readers will love Sunny and her story. It will be a great summer listen! Thank you, NetGalley for this eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook. This was a cute book. Humourous and at times heartbreaking.
A lot of TMI with the sex scenes. If they had been spicy, that would have been fine but I found myself cringing at times.
The narration was spectacular!

Thanks to NetGalley (Edelweiss) and Publisher for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily. I thought this quote from the author was on point: “Sunny is a necessary hero in today’s world where women are told they need to look a certain way to find love or success.”

I was absolutely on board with this book! Portraying a female character who is heavier than the cookie cutter heroines we normally read is a great way to show body positivity and being comfortable in one’s own skin. It’s something to cheer about. Another positive is that the main character is in her mid-30s and divorced. Normally, someone that age has had a series of breakups and is closed off to love, but that’s not the case here.

This is the type of book that is the perfect beach read/summer novel. Narrated by Yael Rizowy, I thought they did an excellent job and would definitely listen to something of theirs again,

This was a really entertaining book, with a great message about body positivity. The story was relatable. I enjoyed the characters.
I listened to the audiobook, and I thought the narrator did a great job.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this more than I did.
First off, there were several good things about this book. It was very positive and uplifting for different body types, ages, and basically being a strong, independent woman which is always a win. It was also cute and sexy and funny. It was enjoyable.
However, I think a lot of the wording/ dialogue tried to be too “relatable” or “modern” perhaps, and it came off as a bit cringy and hard to get behind. Also, it felt like too much happened too easily. Whether it was business or love, it seemed like the only actual problems the mfc ran into were of her own making. Everything else felt like it was no problem when maybe more depth should have been brought into it.
Overall though, I didn’t enjoy this enough. I think others could too.

First of all I want to thank NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for the approval of this audiobook! Hands down one of the best, lighthearted romcom books I’ve read! This one made me feel heart happy & as someone that struggled with plus sizes for years (due to medicines) I understand every single body issue the author mentions & that’s why I love this book….it’s completely RELATABLE!! The narrator blew this one out of the park too l! She did a FANTASTIC job voicing all the characters & it truly kept me engaged every minute! I normally like to have a physical book to follow along while listening so I can actually understand what’s going on but with this narrator & story I didn’t need one! I do plan on ordering this book when it releases next month! If you like plus size romance with lots of LOL moments then buy/ listen to this book!

I have mixed feelings regarding this women's fiction/contemporary romance mash-up debut from influencer Katie Sturino.

Of course I liked the general theme of body positivity, or as Sturino calls it, 'body acceptance' (perhaps a little less upbeat term than 'positivity?'). However, she makes a big deal about Sunny's size 12/14 body. Yes, I know that in the world of Bergdorf Goodman, this is extra large+, but I suspect that in the real world it's a bit smaller than the average American woman. And honestly, I found it rude to read a woman's constant ranting about being size 14 rather than her usual 12. I know it's an issue for her, but I think the author was being a bit tone-deaf when it never occurred to her that are larger (and much larger) women struggling as well. Who actually might consider size 12 to be an ideal size.

In many ways this is a body positive (acceptance?) modern version of <i>Sex and the City</i>. And unfortunately I was never a fan. It's just sooooo bougie. And it feels like Sunny slid into multiple successes without a lot of struggle. She has two successful businesses and a NYC/Chelsea apartment at age 35. And her 2nd business launched within <i>weeks</i> of her dreaming it up. How realistic is that?

Then there's the love triangle. I'm generally not a fan of them, and this one is particularly bad because of the way Sunny treats Dennis.

Yeah, I guess it all comes down to the fact that I didn't like Sunny, and it generally doesn't work for a romance when the FMC is unlikeable.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.