This was a refreshing, and kind of dark, mystery! Darynda Jones has been a favorite author of mine for a long time, and I'm happy to read something of hers that's a bit different from her other novels I have read.

Sunshine is the new sheriff in Del Sol, and she has more than one mystery to solve! First, it's her own mystery - of what happened to her when she was young. Then there's the mystery of a missing girl, which becomes several other sub-mysteries.

I was glued to my kindle reading A Bad Day for Sunshine, and I had so many (wrong!) theories while reading. I still have one more theory, and now, I'm going to have to wait forever to find out if I'm right or not.

Jones has created a very diverse - and fun - cast of characters here, and I just loved the interactions, and some of the rather unlikely situations they found themselves in. I laughed out loud just as often as I had to catch my breath because of the suspense.

Keep your eyes out for Sunshine, she's definitely worth the detour.

I really enjoyed this story. It was fun and moved at a good pace. This is my first book by this author but I'm definitely going to go through the backlist
Thanks Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc.
4.5 ☆

I loved this book! I was a little hesitant at first because I love the Charley Davidson series so much, but let me tell you Darynda Jones has a gift for storytelling! I read this in one day. I couldn't put it down!

There was a lot that I liked about the characters, but the story itself just left me feeling unsettled, like I couldn’t completely submerge myself in it. Certain plot points felt extremely obvious to me, and waiting for the characters to connect the dots had me impatient. However, the unique community, and heartfelt relationships, accompanied by Darynda’s humor, gave me warm fuzzies. And, while I’m only rating this 3 stars, I do look forward to the sequel.

2.5 stars

As a BIG fan of the Charley Davidson series, I was thrilled when A Bad Day For Sunshine was announced. I love Darynda’s writing style, the characters she creates, and the worlds she develops.
This book sounded like it would have a similar vibe. It did not. This book missed the marked entirely. It was extremely slow and held my interest for about 10% of the book.

Both Sunshine and Auri (her daughter) are narrators, which is new and interesting. Auri seems like she is going to be a relatable character who is struggling with high school and personal issues—as is Sunshine. She seems like she has an interesting backstory and I was excited to see how it played out. Both narrators are likable and relatable. The relationship between Sunshine and her daughter Auri is established as a healthy yet funny relationship. Other characters, such as Levi, Cruz, Jimmy, Quincy, and Zee were great. If you loved Reyes in Charley Davidson, you’re going to love Levi.

Off the bat we learn that Sunshine was kidnapped at 17 and has no idea who did it. Years later, it’s the reason she agrees to become sheriff of her small hometown, despite not actually running for election. This plot device seems really really dumb. Despite acknowledging hundreds of times that “it was illegal” and she “can’t figure out how it happened” (though she suspects her parents), it really bothers me because it’s just SO out there. It’s more believable that there is a grim reaper walking around than someone being able to accept a position as sheriff-no matter how small the town-that they didn’t run for.

For a mystery book, this was excruciatingly mundane. Other than quirky banter-which gets tiresome after a while- and meeting side characters, nothing much happens for a good chunk of the book. Unlike the Charley Davidson books, which always immediately grabbed my interest, this book really didn’t interest me. At first, I found myself skimming Sun’s chapters because nothing happened except establishing a lot of backstory for Sun that was all very up in the air, leaving more unanswered questions than information. Auri’s chapters were cute because of her crush, her mysterious classmate, and her challenges with high school (we all can relate, right?) but even her chapters didn’t seem to have much going on. I think I enjoyed her chapters more because it was like watching a high school drama (which can, on occasion, be entertaining) but featuring a teen who does not come off as a complete idiot. Auri is clever and strong and a very likable narrator. However, when a fourteen year old has a narrative that’s more interesting than a sheriff searching for a missing girl, you’re doing something wrong with your plot. Later, I found myself skimming a lot of it, including Auri’s chapters because-again-NOTHING WAS HAPPENING.

When I got to halfway mark and still nothing was picking up, I ended up skimming the rest of the book. There was no suspense with the main mystery of the book (the missing teen) because everyone working on the case just seemed like they were wandering around the town wondering where the girl could be. Surprise clues, suspects, stakeouts, shady dealings, literally anything would have been more interesting than what we got. There was very little held my interest or invested me in the storyline, and the mysteries surrounding Sun’s background prove to be so inessential that I forgot they existed. A few mysteries are revealed about Sun and Auri’s past while simultaneously opening up even more questions.

When the book finally began wrapping up and the main mystery of the kidnapping was solved, I was disappointed with that too. I don’t know if it was supposed to be some big revelation or what but there wasn’t enough build up throughout the rest of the novel to make that wrap up meaningful or surprising. Other side mysteries, specifically regarding Sun herself, fueled some interest. Those side mysteries had the best dangling clues. I am assuming they are going to be built upon throughout the series and those unanswered questions were interesting enough that I might try and see what the second book is like.

Overall, I am extremely sad and disappointed. Darynda is a very talented writer and she’s good at developing environments and characters. Somehow, this book missed the mark with nearly everything else a good book needs.

I really struggled with the first 1/3 of this book. It was really hard to keep track of all the people and Sunshine's character was initially so much like Charley I felt a little cheated. But...the last 2/3 of this book were much better. Sunshine's character kind of settled down and became her own person. We had a few different mysteries going on but there's a really obvious thing which Sunshine doesn't see which drives me crazy (no spoilers).

I really liked having the difference perspectives with Sunshine and Auri but again Auri felt a lot like Amber and Levi a lot like Reyes. The Bo thing was slightly annoying through the book but when we found the reason, I actually understood. Overall, I really liked this and will wait impatiently for the next book - why did I have to read this months before it came out so now I have to wait even longer for the next one. Plus didn't realise that this was a series so was unprepared for the ending (yeah I don't know what rock I was hiding under).

A small town story, full of unusual characters and fast moving action that will leave you breathless. The relationship between Sunshine and her daughter Auri, and their wordless communication, the jinxed muffins and what they wrought will keep you enthralled.

I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read book 2
Sunshine is awesome if you loved the Charley Davidson series you will love this one. I was dying reading parts of this book. Tried to keep it down some since I was reading it in the hospital

Full review to be published online in April 2020.

A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE is the first book in Darynda Jones new "Sunshine Vicram" series. This is a quirky and humorous read, with a lead character not too far off from Charlie Davidson, the protagonist from her previous series. Sunshine Vicram, the newly elected sheriff of Del Sol, NM, returns to her hometown with her daughter Auri. Having been elected without her knowledge, she plunges right in to the very curious town of Del Sol, a sleepy little hollow where chasing after wayward roosters is about as close to crime as this town gets. Until Sun arrives, and the town is swept up in a child abduction. And that’s just for starters.

The book is not heavy on plot, depending more in character antics than storyline. There’s too much going on, although it’s all somehow connected, to make this a tight story. But what saves this book from oblivion are the characters involved, some of whom are definitely characters. These are all delightful people, folks you’d want on your side and folks you’d like to spend time with. Great for fans of the author and of slapstick humour.

Darynda Jones has created another must read series! I was so sad when Charley Davidson series ended. I knew I would miss that cast of characters. But guess what? Sunshine is here and just as sassy and lovable as Charley. Along with another great set of characters that I need more of. Amazingly fresh & fun. I can’t wait for more!!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this latest book by Darynda as it was a whole new series and often authors struggle to make their characters stand out and they fall in to a similar pattern to their other books. I’m glad to say that is the not the case with this book. All the characters were unique and their personalities leapt off the page at you. And Darynda sure knows how to write a gorgeous guy. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish and all the characters now have a place in my heart.
At first I was a little unsure of the book as it kept switching between two of the characters and I wasn’t sure I would like that but it worked so well and now I can’t wait for the next instalment.
I absolutely recommend this book, to those who like Darynda’s previous works and also to those who have never heard of her. This book is amazing and has several mysteries to solve along with hot guys, some teen angst and amazing family relationships.
Highly recommend

A Bad Day for Sunshine is an absolutely incredible day for readers! I missed Charley Davidson and the sarcastic, witty, snappy dialogue that came along with the characters, now Sun, Auri, Quincy and the rest are here and the dialogue is so on point, I loved every second!

Now, Sun somehow gets elected sheriff without running, thanks to mom and dad’s efforts, right there that should tell you something about this place, or the fact that muffins being delivered to the police department signal impending doom... Or that for 9 years a little girl knew something would happen on her 15th birthday - psychic or something else.

There is so much going on in this book, it could have come across as absolute chaos, but that’s actually the intention and it works beautifully. I didn’t get lost along the way, instead I got lost in the story and the characters, and isn’t that really the goal?

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3024265280?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1



Ceelee Sunshine's Reviews > A Bad Day for Sunshine

A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram, #1)
by Darynda Jones (Goodreads Author)

Ceelee Sunshine's review
Oct 26, 2019 · edit

really liked it
bookshelves: 2019-books, arcs, cozy-mysteries, paranormal-romance-romantic-suspense, suspense-mysteries

First, Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and author Darynda Jones for giving me the opportunity of reading this fantastic book in exchange for my honest review.

Last Wednesday I received an email from NetGalley with an offer to read Darynda Jones' new book A Bad Day For Sunshine without waiting for publisher's approval. The only catch is we had to read it within 48 hours. I decided to accept the challenge because I am a fan of Ms Jones' books and set into reading it later that day and finished it late Friday night. I am not a particularly fast reader, which is mostly due to my visual impairment, but I kept reading during the World Series and some pretty fierce thunderstorms and heavy rain because the book is just that good! I love the setting in New Mexico. I have been there a number of times so I am familiar with the terrain and the weather. The winter season was perfect for the story and I could feel the cold of the wind and snow and even the warmer days with sunlight. It is not unlike Texas where I live.

I really liked all the characters as none seemed flat or dull. They were very real to me, both the good and the bad, and did not seem to be stereotypes which often happens in suspense novels. The town of Del Sol was even a character in that it set the weird atmosphere that seems to be a part of the town's history and influences what goes on there. . Sunshine is a great character, very dedicated to her job as sheriff, even though she was elected when she wasn't a current resident when she won. Her daughter Auri is also a wonderful character, loving, smart,secretive, and sensitive and not all of it is teenage angst. The various characters in their lives: her parents, the members of the police force and citizens of the town, even the moonshine family, were entertaining, frustrating and real, not typed up too much. Some people were not as they seem and I liked that. It's like real life.

I love a book that really takes me into the story and makes me feel like I am there, sharing the experience of the characters s in the book. The mystery was great with lots of twists and surprises which is good because I really dislike a book that is too predictable. I really wish I could give the book a 41/2 star rating because as much as i loved the book, it was not perfect. Toward the end there was so much going on I felt a little frustrated because when I though we were getting to the end, there was a whole bunch of other plot twists thrown in. I felt some of it could have been saved for later books in the series. Sometimes the past seemed to get a little garbled too and I wasn't sure if they ere talking about Auri or Sybil and was confused about who it was that actually tried to kill Sybil. It makes sense now that I finished the book but there was no real hint that I remember in the story Not a bad thing really, it just took me a little bit of time to absorb what happened. The family scenes were a little over the sop with the love fest that seemed like something out of a Walton's episode. Not a bad thing but it seemed a little out of place in this kind of book. And finally, does Sunny really have to call her daughter "Bug Bite"? Maybe I am missing something but to me a bug bite doesn't sound like a compliment. They can get itchy, red and swollen and can even be painful. OK, maybe some kids are a little like that but to me it just seemed weird.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Bad Day For Sunshine and am pleased I was given the opportunity to read it! I highly recommend the book to all mystery lovers and those fans who might be skeptical about reading a new series by the author. I am thrilled this is a series and can't wait to read the further adventures, weird events and new mysteries to solve with Sunny, Auri and all their wacky friends and associates in Del Sol New Mexico where muffins can foretell doom. Do we really have to wait until next April for the book to come out?

Once again, Darynda Jones has written a suspenseful, fun, and incredibly engaging story that will instantly draw readers in. The core mystery is well written, and left me wondering who the baddie was until just before the reveal. In addition, Sun is a fascinating heroine, and the secondary mystery surrounding her and another character is absolutely infuriating, especially in its open end.

Auri, Sun's daughter, and her gaggle of friends are a whole lot of fun, and I look forward to seeing them in the next book (I can easily assume that they will all be back and once again helping Sun and her crew solve another mystery).

I very much enjoyed reading this book, and I'm super grateful to Netgalley for giving me access to reading it so early. I can't wait until next April when I can put 'A Bad Day for Sunshine' on my shelf next to the Charley Davidson series.

Beautifully written with wonderfully visual descriptions. Loved the humor and the snark. Author has produced the start of another successful series.

I was given this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE Darynda Jones’ books. I would read her grocery list and probably give it five stars. This new series is no exception. Sunshine Vicram comes back to Del Sol as the new sheriff- a position she didn’t particularly want and definitely didn’t run for, but one that she is determined to do well. With her is her 14 year old daughter, Auri.

On her first day on the job, a girl, who happens to be a new friend of Auri’s, is kidnapped. Sybil had had a premonition of her death since she was six, but Sunshine is determined to save her.

This book was excellent. There was great character development, and some mystery surrounding Sunshine’s childhood and her reasons for leaving Del Sol in the first place kept me guessing. I cannot wait for the next installment of this series!

Another Darynda Winna! Sunshine Vicram was like Charley Davidson's long lost crazy sister....and I loved her. This book hits all the marks & left me wanting more. An excellent read!

Fabulous start for a new series by a brilliant author. If you've read any of the Charley Davidson series you will be familiar with the kind of humor that draws the reader in. The story/plot have many different facets going on with it. There is the current mystery they are trying to solve, but meanwhile one or two addition crimes take place, plus that one 'big picture' mystery that will most likely carry over throughout the series. The characters are very lovable. They are all smart and witty, even the brooding ones. Sunshine (the Protagonist) has survived a horrible incident when she was younger, and she is determined to stand strong no matter what comes her way. She's raising her daughter to be a strong independent girl as well. (Sometimes easier said than done.) The pair have a unique relationship and are closer than many mothers and daughters. Along with the crimes that take place, there is also some personal mysteries surrounding the duo, and couple of the other small town residents. There's a little romance throughout, but no sexual content included. There is a small amount of violence played out, but nothing to bad or gory. While the crimes and all are of a serious nature, the book as a whole has a lightness about it (primarily due to the humor.) It's a well written and well plotted book. Easy to read. Alternates between POVs. I feel this could be safely enjoyed by both teens and adults.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

Wow oh wow. I could not put this book down. From the very first word till the very last word, I was taken away by this book. It moves along at a very comfortable reading speed and transitions between scenes easily. The characters you will fall in love with and no matter what may be in their way attempting to block them from what they want to achieve, you want to see them overcome. The story is sooo good that once you start reading you will be hooked. There is no doubt about it. This book needs to be on your list to read, you will not be sorry and in fact you will be recommending it to your friends.

I love this author. This is going to be another great series. I think my favorite character is the daughter. I also loved all of the suspense. I can’t wait for the next one,