Sunshine MacKenzie had it all. A handsome husband, a Tribeca loft, a successful youtube channel and a tv show waiting in the wings. It all comes crashing down and send her on a journey back to her hometown.

The story was engrossing, but honestly, not all that interesting. The story moves quickly and wraps up a little too neatly in a bow in the end. Still, it's a redemption story and would make a good beach read.

Ultimately, it's more about the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we tell others.

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

I was so excited to hear about this novel. I was a big fan of the author’s novel Eight Hundred Grapes. I was curious to see what she would explore next. And, frankly, I think Laura Dave really delivered a solid novel in this book. The novel focuses on secrets and how they can unwind in our lives despite our intentions. I loved the fact that quite a bit of the book centers around the culinary industry which I found to be an interesting backdrop for the overall story. As the main character, Sunshine’s life falls apart due to her secrets becoming public, I found it fascinating to follow her through that experience – the opportunities, the fears, the shame, etc. It was a really good look at the idea of authenticity in a world so dominated by social media. It’s not a particularly deep read – it’s fairly light and easy. It flowed well and successfully explores some fairly deep topics while remaining light in tone. I loved the exploration of authenticity and social media – it really gave me a great deal to think about (for myself and my social media obsessed children). I think this would be a very good book to take on a vacation or a long plane ride. I also think it would make a wonderful book club book as there is quite a bit to talk about in this novel. And the cover art is FANTASTIC! I just love the cover which I think also does a good job of setting the tone for the novel itself. I definitely recommend this one!

In Laura Dave’s new novel Hello, Sunshine a major life hack ensues. It’s just not the kind of life hack you’re probably thinking of.
Sunshine Mackenzie is the YouTube equivalent of a younger Paula Deen. She is deemed a “lifestyle guru” by her many online fans, and commands the kind of Instagram life that people idolize in the age of social media. But like all sudden success stories, Sunshine has a secret. Well, several of them, actually. And one night at her 35th birthday party organized by her producer, a celebration of her impending book offer and looming contract with the Food Network, turn into her worst possible nightmare.

As it happens, nothing can remain completely hidden anymore, and the cruel Interweb has a claw with a very long reach. Every single detail that Sunshine was keeping neatly swept under the rug of her online persona has been thrust into the public eye by an anonymous hacker.
He or she not only exposes Sunshine as a blatant fraud, showing her recipes and her cooking abilities to be fake, but also proves her personal life to be likewise tainted when nude pictures of her during a one-night stand with her producer Ryan, are uploaded for everyone to see. Among the assembled merrymakers are the nefarious Ryan, Sunshine’s husband Danny, Ryan’s wife Meredith, and last to boot, the head of Sunshine’s book publisher. A well assembled cast for her professional demise.
The foreshadowing was there, although Sunshine failed to see it. She receives a cryptic email that morning with an obviously telling message: “Do you know who this is? Here’s a hint: I’m about to ruin you.” Sunshine is not so dense that she’s not rattled and the situation is made more serious by the confirmation that her Twitter account has been effectively hacked. But as is her style, Sunshine plans to hand off the problem to fix-it-all Ryan, barely registering in the back of her mind that she passed on sex with Danny for the curiosity of reading the emails that turn out to be the Chronicle of a Career Death Foretold.
Saying that Sunshine’s life is in shambles after the disastrous birthday party is certainly an understatement. She loses her husband, her fans and her book deal the same night. This is no spoiler, by the way. We know of her long and winding downfall from the very first page, so there really is nothing to hide there.
The real journey in spoilery tidbits would be telling you how Sunshine put herself in that spot to begin with. How her life became one big lie thanks to her unbound aspirations to instant celebrity status and Ryan’s own selfish recklessness and masterful manipulations.
Dave’s plot can be deemed superficial, but where Sunshine is concerned, it can be viewed if only momentarily, as quite the character study. The anti-heroine that Sunshine reprises here seems to have no real notion of what she’s done wrong. She displays her complete deer-in-the-headlights thinking to Danny when in the verge of his leaving, she argues that “everything is getting blown out of proportion.”
It’s unfortunate that Dave predictably falls unto the tropey story line of the shamed protagonist who goes back to her roots for soul-searching and to gain back her lost perspective on life, even though Sunshine assures us that this is definitely not what she’s doing. Which of course means, it is.
‘Home’ turns out to be Montauk, New York, away from the bright lights of Manhattan and the many people who can recognize and shame her on any given street corner. Throughout the novel, Sunshine keeps receiving notes from the hacker who ruined her life, always signed with the hashtag #aintnosunshine.
Part of Dave’s plot is Sunshine trying to get at the bottom of who the hacker really is, going from one possible suspect to the next. But when the unwelcome intruder is finally revealed, it throws her for a loop as much as it will possibly throw Dave’s readers as well.
In Montauk, Sunshine swiftly tries to re-invent herself by landing a job she would have found demeaning before, makes attempts to re-connect with a estranged sister who doesn’t really want her around and her special needs niece with whom she forms an unusual bond. She also establishes a kinship of sorts with Ethan, the local fisherman who conveniently has connections with everyone of import in town. But Sunshine’s attempts at redemption are mostly pitiful at best, and we can’t help but think that she’s putting on a show for the benefit of the cameras that are no longer there.
Hello, Sunshine is not a bad novel, but it’s not a great one either. Despite her best efforts and our own, we just can’t seem to feel sorry for Sunshine the way she wants us to feel, primarily because she doesn’t seem as sorry for lying to everyone as she should be.
Her apologies are always accompanied by a defense argument of “yes, but” and in many cases she lashes out as a defense mechanism. Except she isn’t forceful enough with the ones who truly deserve it, like Ryan who turns out to be quite the proverbial sleeze ball. The novel could have stood on stronger ground if Sunshine had seemed less Paula Deen and more Bill Clinton in her quest for forgiveness and endeavors to rise from the ashes.
We probably would have applauded her then.

A sarcastically amusing read about truth and lies, in all its forms. Sunny Mackenzie's entire professional life is a lie, which eventually bleeds into her personal life until she loses herself altogether. This is a story of finding oneself, amidst the lies, the small ones that lead to the big ones that eventually take us over.
Dave really makes you think about how this pertains to us today in the social media world, where "Everyone's the New York Post, posting the catchiest headline they can think of. A little imagination and you can make yourself the story of the day....(but we're) still trying to figure out what we all lost in broadcasting our lives for everyone else's consumption."
In this light hearted and saucy novel, Dave has us really thinking about how we put ourselves out there to others, why, and ultimately who actually cares! She has a fabulous voice as Sunny, and as messed up as she made her life, there's still an authentic person in there that makes you root for her. Terrific read, fun, perfectly timely and thought provoking.

I can't imagine what it would be like to go from having it all to losing everything, in one fell swoop. Sunshine has that happen to her, but when your life is based on lies, I suppose it's bound to happen at some point. Those little lies have a way of catching up with you.

Hello, Sunshine is a wonderful read as we watch Sunshine try to figure out her life when everything she loves is gone. This is the first novel of Laura's that I have read but I will definitely be adding the rest of her books to my TBR list.

INITIAL EXCITEMENT & SUMMARY
First of all, I have to note how weird it is that two books with this title were released this year… and I read them both! One is YA and one is adult, but still. They also, oddly enough, involve “fame” in one way or another. I was really excited for this one because Laura Dave is one of those authors I’ve wanted to read for a while. I’ve been on this adult contemporary kick lately and was excited to get to this one.

Sunshine is a famous YouTube chef, essentially, whose world comes crumbling down one day when her lies are revealed. She doesn’t know anything about cooking, she’s not from a small southern farm, and she’s cheated on her husband. The world learns she’s a fraud and she has no choice but to head to her hometown of Montauk, New York.

STORYTELLING & CHARACTERS
I love the Hamptons as a book setting so much. There’s something so special about northeast / east coast beaches for me. I can’t imagine growing up there and then desperately wanting to leave, like Sunshine did. The story itself has somewhat of a redemption arc, with Sunshine going home and having to make up for lost time with her remaining family. She has to start from scratch in just about every area of her life, especially her career. She picks an interesting path to try to get back into the cooking world, which honestly didn’t make much sense to me. It’s essentially been revealed that you aren’t a real chef, so why would you decide to go back into that world? With a chance to start over, find something else you’re passionate about!

Anyways, it was interesting to see how she tried to move on with her life. Sunshine was somewhat of an unlikable character because of her deception and reaction to it (keep lying). I found myself drawn to her and her story though. I was rooting for her to make a comeback in one way or another, even with a different career path.

Her sister and niece were really interesting characters. I loved Sammy; she was so cute and smart for a 6 year old! I wish their story was a little bigger though? I don’t think there was enough explanation around why Rain decided to stick around, follow their dad’s rules, etc.

I liked the commentary on social media and how people present themselves online. The message of the book wasn’t heavy-handed at all, which I appreciated. It had to do with authenticity in a world where everyone can share whatever they want on the internet.

NEGATIVES & ENDING FEELS
I have a few issues with the book overall, but nothing major! I mentioned a few things above. The ending wasn’t my favorite. I appreciated the way the last few chapters were narrated and how Sunshine closed out her story for the reader (aka how Dave wrote it)… but I don’t know how I feel about how it wrapped up. I don’t want to spoil much, but mild spoiler – it was sort of open-ended in some ways. Part of me thinks that makes a lot of sense, because hopefully Sunshine continues to grow after the story ends and there really isn’t a set ending to it. BUT as a reader, I wish there was a little more wrapping up for a few things. Not sure how I feel about the possibility of her getting back with Danny? I know that it wasn’t explicitly said (Sunshine even notes that she’s not sure it’s going to happen) but the hint of it bugs me. After what he did to her?! It’d be one thing if he wasn’t the person who outed her, but jeez… how do you forgive someone for that? AND I feel like her and Ethan would have been such a good fit! Why didn’t they get together and make me happy instead?!

TL;DR?
This was a nice, light, quick read, with a beachy setting! I wouldn’t consider it fluffy because Sunshine deals with some more serious ~life-altering events~ and essentially an existential crisis. If you’re looking for a LITTLE heavier of a beach read that’s set in the Hamptons, definitely give this one a try.

Sunshine Mackenzie seems to be living the dream. She has a very successful blog, a book deal, a future Food Network show and a loving husband. Oh, it’s the dream until it becomes the nightmare. Someone hacks into her twitter with #aintnosunshine and starts spilling some secrets. It seems that Sunshine doesn’t really know how to cook. It seems she wasn’t born on a farm and worst of all, she seems to have cheated on her husband. Sunshine’s near perfect life is suddenly down the tubes. She goes back home to Montauk, to a sister that she hasn’t been the closest to, and has to start from scratch. She thinks that if she works for a world famous chef there, maybe, just maybe, she can learn to cook and become what she once pretended to be. What she didn’t count on was falling for a niece that she never really knew and finding a certain fisherman whose friendship is just what she needs. And above all else, who was the hacker?!

I started this before I left for Florida to see my grandson and daughter for the week so that is my only reason for not reading this faster. I got on the plane yesterday and finished it between Florida and Colorado. It is that good! Laura Dave never lets you down. Her books are always on my top ten lists of the year. She didn’t let me down yet again. Loved it! My little disagreement is that I wanted a bit of a different ending with someone but it wasn’t my story to write and maybe we can revisit these people at some point to see what has happened? Hint hint, Laura Dave. This is one of my favorite books of the summer and boy, was it a perfect read for the plane. I lost count of the hours.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first novel by Laura Dave and I wasn't disappointed. Hello, Sunshine was the perfect summer read and I couldn't put it down. From work drama, to family and romance drama, this novel had it all. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Sunshine and her personality and this novel hit on a lot of important topics. I especially liked how Dave made the reader contemplate if a person becomes "bad" all at once or over a period of time.

Hello, Sunshine could be described as a "chic-lit" novel, but it didn't have the typical romance theme, and it included a little bit of mystery as well. Sunshine's career secrets were blown up on social media, and when the reader finds out who it was that leaked the information, well... let's just say it's pretty surprising! I loved the fast paced story and the characters were entertaining and complex. This was such a fun novel and I would highly recommend it to readers who enjoy chic-lit and easy reads.

While the description makes it sound like the book could take a dark turn fast, the author easily avoids that route and instead makes a fun and entertaining book about a Youtuber's fall from fame. Though some parts were a bit unbelievable, they only added more to the story and made the overall experience more enjoyable.

Wow, someone has taken Sunshine MacKenzie and ruined her career all over social media. All her lies that have been made up to become the You Tube sensation that she is have been discovered and they want the world to know.

A definite eye opening experience for the main character of this book. One minute she's a hot sensation, the next she's nothing. She loses her career, husband, persona and herself. The poor thing then returns to her roots and she is shunned by the only family she has left. I really felt for this character.

This was a great story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. This would make a great beach read.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

My favorite type of book- coming back from a fall. Loved it. Hope its a movie

Looking for your next beach/poolside read? This is it! It's quick and easy, yet there are still layers to it. This novel definitely keeps you thinking. If you've ever made a life-changing mistake and you just need to know there's still hope and you're not alone --check this book out. It's a redemption story, great for anyone looking for a second chance.

The main character in this novel is Sunshine Mackenzie. She's famous for having a cooking show on YouTube and some best selling cookbooks. She also has a popular website and many fans and followers. When we meet her, Sunshine is even on the brink of having her own television show on a popular food network channel. Her life seems like a dream. Her fans see a woman with mad culinary skills. They see a sweet, sincere chef with a loving and devoted husband. She has what seems to be the perfect life. But very early on in the story, we find that things are not always as they seem.

It's interesting getting to know the various characters, especially Sunshine. Even though it would be easy to dislike her, and sometimes you probably will, she's ultimately a likable character. She is easy to relate to. I mean, who among us hasn't made a huge mistake or a bad decision (leading to a string of other bad decisions)? Her relatabililty causes the reader to root for her despite her deceptions. It is fun to see how her various relationships play out throughout the course of the story. I also really enjoyed seeing how Sunshine grew through her adversities and what she learned from her mistakes. I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say that I did not love the ending. The upside though is that the book had some twists and turns, wasn't as predictable as I would have thought it would be, and kept me guessing until the end.

This book explores family relationships, love, and loyalty. See what I mean about an easy, breezy beach read that still contains meaningful layers? I read Hello, Sunshine in two or three sittings, which is pretty fast for me. I really enjoyed it and kept wanting to see what would happen next. Oh, and it's worth mentioning that this book is by the author of the hugely popular Eight Hundred Grapes (which I am sad to say I have not yet had a chance to read). I'll definitely be moving that one a bit higher up on my TBR list now.

Title: Hello, Sunshine

Author: Laura Dave

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: July 11, 2017

Rating: 4/5 stars

Rx: Are you sick of social media? Tired of feeling like you are on the outside looking in to everyone else's "perfect" life? If so, then this one's for you! This book deftly explores the dichotomy between real life and perceived life on social media. It reminds us that people often only put on their best selves for social media, and sometimes neglect to post anything that addresses the unhappy or messy parts of life. In fact, sometimes a person's social media-self is nothing but an empty facade.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for review.

Hello, Sunshine: Laura Dave
Love the documented fall from grace. Sunshine was a loveable character and I adored her relationship with Sammy. Although things did not go her way, I respected her determination to find herself and face her past. Dave filtered the perfect amount of humor, surprise and endurance into this novel.
Just released yesterday- go grab it! #highlyrecommend #feelgoodstory #socialmediaisthedevil #bookbloggerperks #netgalleyreview #hellosunshine @lauradaveauthor #src2017 @booksparks @simonbooks #lauradave

From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: I adored Laura Dave's last book, Eight Hundred Grapes, so I was excited to see that her newest book was going to be part of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge...I knew it was a book I would want to read anyway! And it was such a fun, relatable and highly relevant book!

What I found to be most compelling about this book is the central question that it seems to ask: Are you living your life authentically or are you cultivating it? In a world where most of us spend lots of time on social media - are we putting our true selves out there or are we trying to craft a better life thru posts and pictures?

This book takes us on a journey through one person's downfall after her carefully crafted life on social media came crashing down...though not in a head-bashing, in your face type of way. It's a light-hearted, sometimes humorous, and very insightful look at how easy it is to become obsessed with social media. It's a quick, fun read that just might have you thinking about your own social media use!

I really enjoy Laura Dave's books and this one was no exception. I love the characters she creates and the food - oh my! I was hungry the entire time I was reading this book...I wanted to make/eat all the food she mentioned. This is definitely a great summer read - pack it in your beach bag and be prepared to have a fun reading experience - with a little food for thought!

On her 35th birthday, food celebrity Sunshine loses her marriage, her job and her apartment after someone hacks her Twitter account to reveal her darkest secrets. Abandoned by everyone, Sunshine packs her things and moves back to Montauk to live with her estranged sister, Rain, and her niece, Sammy. Trying to get her life back on track and to build a relationship with her sister, Sunshine goes through a rediscovery of herself and what it is really important in her life.

I found the character of Sunshine strong and determined, but also selfish and self-centred. Throughout the novel, she has a transformation and becomes a more mature and sensitive (and also more likable) person. The character I preferred is Sunshine’s niece, Sammy. She is only six years old but she is very smart and more mature than the adults who surround her. I loved her quick remarks and her perspicacity. It is a carefully plotted novel and I didn’t expect the final twist. Well-written, insightful, and thought-provoking, this is a novel about the power of social media and how real life is different from how we portray it on social media.

Bottom line is that I gulped this down sitting on a screened in porch by a lazy river- and really enjoyed it. Sunshine's life goes wacky when someone decides to take revenge on her, for what she does not know, via social media, destroying not only her carefully constructed media based career but also her marriage. All her lies come back at her. She ends up going to the home she has denied for years and discovers in her sister and her niece the family she's missed. The characters-from Sunny to Sammy to Amber to Chef are all well done. This is light fiction so don't look for any big thoughts but it's also not entirely predictable, which is why I liked it so much. Dave is a terrific story teller with a good sense of plotting and a breezy writing style. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Highly recommend this if you're looking for a good read about a woman who gets upended and finds her way back.

Sunny warns you right from the start: she's a terrible person. Then she follows this up by admitting her confession is basically an attempt to manipulate us to sympathizing for her. It shouldn't work but it did. I could not help but root for Sunny, as I wondered if she was capable of change.

Can a liar change its stripes? Especially when they're forced to changed?

I loved Dave's novel Eight Hundred Grapes and was expecting this to be in a similar vein. It's not. Eight Hundred Grapes was a meditation on romance and synchronicity, while Hello Sunshine peels back the curtain of what happens when social media takes over our lives instead of the other way around. It was compulsively readable. I positively inhaled it, so curious as to see how the events in Sunny's life would play out. With each character introduced, I wondered how they fit into her new life and whether they could be part of her redemption or her undoing.

Sunny wasn't always a liar. It started out small, the lies built on one another, and before she knew it, she was queen of a YouTube cooking empire. Everything serves to feed that beast but all it takes is her Twitter account being hacked for the empire to collapse. Sunny loses it all- her show, her husband, her apartment. And it's what she does from there that makes this novel so compelling.

How does one start over in the age of social media? Do you manipulate your image or walk away from your accounts altogether? Do you shape the narrative or do you let the chips fall where they lie? This aspect of the novel was incredibly thought-provoking. I haven't read Jon Ronson's So You've Been Publicly Shamed yet but I imagine it would pair well with this.

Sunny's attempt to reinvent herself involves slinking back to her estranged sister in their childhood home. She has to confront the memories of their complicated past, while getting to know her precocious 6 year old niece. The two sisters must consider whether they can make amends or whether Sunny will leave them high and dry like she did the last time.

All the while, we are left with the mystery of who hacked Sunny and why. When we finally learn the culprit, I was genuinely shocked and this paired with another unexpected twist gave me mixed feelings. Ultimately, however, Dave wove these threads together into an enjoyable story, one that remained true to life. Happy endings aren't guaranteed for us. It matters more what we do with our every day, ordinary lives. Especially those like Sunny who have glimpsed extraordinary lives and must figure out who they are and what they're willing to do to scrabble back to the top.

Sunny warned us she's not a nice person but in the end, she was lying even about that. Now there's a heroine worth rooting for.

This would be a perfect beach read and I can see a book club discussion taking its themes in interesting places.

Laura Dave writes characters, you know, like, want to be or empathize with. I love that she can get you engaged and keep you invested in the story. I look forward to continuing to read her novels.

This book was beautifully written from start to finish. Laura Dave infuses the dialogue with wit and charm; these are characters you can't help falling in love with, despite their massive flaws. I never saw the ending coming, and I didn't want the story to be over!

I finished Hello Sunshine over the weekend and found it to be such a quick, fun read! I read the first half of the book in one sitting!! It's a story of a reality cooking show host named Sunshine whose life comes crumbling down when she gets caught up in lies and insincerity and a hacker reveals the truth about her. It's interesting to discover who the hacker was and how she will get back on her feet. This book comes out tomorrow and I think it will make the perfect beach read!! Thank you Netgalley for my copy of the book.