A light hearted, fun, swoony, coming of age romance. A perfect summer read with a family camp setting. Fast paced and entertaining. The friendship and eventual romance is enjoyable and believable. Kasie West nails YA contemporary, this story will appeal to audiences of all ages.

Oh I think have a new favorite Kasie West book. Sunkissed is the perfect summer read. It has everything you want from a summer ya release. Cute boys? Check! Fun summer setting? Check! Awesome characters? Check! Swoon worthy romance? Check!! I really loved Avery and Brooks. Their connection felt genuine and grew through friendship. I thought the family camp setting was ton of fun and provided lots of interesting moments! I seriously can't stop gushing about how adorable this book was! I loved it! I can't wait to get my copy and read it over and over again! Sunkissed is a perfect beach read!

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc! Following Avery as she attends a family camp resort with her parents and vlogger sister, Lauren, this is the quintessential summer YA book! Over the first couple of days at the camp, Avery establishes a friendship with some of the staff and meets lodge guitar player Brooks who becomes an integral part of the story. Avery learns more about herself over the summer and it teaches her to live her life more adventurously. I devoured this book in two days and enjoyed the campy vibes I got which is the perfect way to start the beginning of the summer! I loved the break out of your shell, discovering your true passions theme and found the non instant love romance refreshing! Family, love, self discovery, and camp themes combine to make a good summer read!

Spending your entire summer without internet at a remote family camp sounds like the makings of a horror story. But in this swoony, lighthearted summer romance by Kasie West, that is anything but the case.

This book came at the perfect time for me! I was in a bit of a reading slump after finishing a few emotionally heavy books in a row and picked this one to help “cleanse my palate” a bit. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I connected with the characters and got lost in their story. This is the first Kasie West book I’ve read, and I am definitely now a fan! The plot moved quickly with plenty of funny moments mixed in with the blooming romance, camp adventure, and Avery’s growth as the main character. This is the perfect, fun summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars

Avery is stuck spending the summer at a family camp with all sorts of forced togetherness and no wi-fi. She's not sad to be disconnected from the drama she left behind at home, after her best friend kissed her ex-boyfriend a week after the broke up. But she'd really rather have some time alone to lick her wounds, not be stuck playing badminton and horseshoes all day with the parents who seem to think she's a boring rule-follower whose life they can decide for her and her sister, whose sole obsession is her YouTube channel. Then she meets some new friends among the camp employees, including Brooks, a cute musician who is struggling to finish his newest song. They make a deal: she'll write the rest of the lyrics if he helps her try out new things so she can figure out what she actually likes. As they spend more and more time together, Avery learns that Brooks has baggage of his own that he's running away from. Is the summer going to end with her heart broken all over again?

Dirty Dancing meets Music and Lyrics, this was a sweet, easy YA romance. I'll be honest and say that I often find Kasie West's books a little young for my taste (I mean, they're written for teens and I'm an adult so that's entirely a me problem), but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Avery was young, yes, but not naively so in a way that made me cringe for her. She's smart and kind and trying to figure herself out. Totally relatable. And Brooks was swoony but he wasn't just a MLD (mysterious loner dude). There's a lot more to him than his long hair and rocker vibe. I liked that they challenged each other and made each other better. It was very fluffy and too-good-to-be-true, but who doesn't enjoy that every once in a while?

So I thought it was actually really cute, and I will be more inclined to check out some of Kasie West's future work based on this one.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!**

Sunkissed is rom-com YA staple Kasie West's latest title. Unfortunately, it was also massively lackluster. It features a girl, Avery, as she travels to a summer lodge with her family for a wifi-free vacation. She makes friends with various staff at the lodge and the entertainment band and takes an interest in Brooks, the handsome guitar player.

I found this title to be so underwhelming. All of the characters were bland and one-note and I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them or what happens. I liked the lodge/summer camp premise, but it was tossed out about 40% to focus on the band, which could have happened anywhere. I feel like the setting was included as an easy grab for summertime publication and the band plotline could have happened anywhere. The relationships also were bland and uninteresting and I really didn't care if Brooks and Avery ended up together.

I know Kasie West is a massive player in the YA market, and I do enjoy a portion of her titles, namely Maybe This Time and The Distance Between Us, but I haven't enjoyed most of her books to the fullest. I think she has been outpaced by other up-and-coming authors who do the same thing as her but with more diversity in character, plot, and character development successfully. I'm sure there will always be people who pick up her new releases but this one has confirmed that maybe I am not one of those readers anymore.

When I start a Kasie West book I have high expectations. I know that isn’t the best way to go into a new book, but I can’t help it, it’s Kasie. Her books usually just get me so I always expect to have that experience. So when I picked up Sunkissed my expectation were off the charts…and man did Kasie deliver. Sunkissed hit my soul in all the right places.

Sunkissed’s main character, Avery, has just been betrayed by her best friend. She is ready for the summer of her life where everything falls into place. That is until her parents inform her they are going to a remote family resort, a resort with limited internet access and she will be sharing a room with her sister. But as soon as they arrive Avery finds herself drawn to the band and to Brooks especially. Too bad staff is not allowed to fraternize with the guests. Well at least not get caught doing so.

It is safe to say that I devoured Sunkissed. Once I started I couldn’t read it fast enough. I loved everything about the book. I loved the Dirty Dancing vibe, I loved the relationship with Avery and Brooks, I loved the setting, I loved the whole thing. Avery was a character I was able to really connect to and understand. She did everything in her power to be the easy, laid back one and all that accomplished was her never getting to be herself. She agreed to things just to be agreeable and that wasn’t fair to her. Watching as she slowly realized this and started to step outside her comfort zone was a highlight. She had her Baby moment and she was tired of living in the shadows and being the “good one”.

Kasie West once again lived up to my expectations. And if I’m honest she may have destroyed them with Sunkissed. The whole book hit the right note and just left me wishing it was longer than it was. I have a handle of books by Kasie that I love and this just jumped right up there for a tie at the top. Definitely buy a copy of this gem!

First of all, I just love Kasie West books. They always leave me feeling warm and happy, like a giant hug. This teen romance was no exception.

Avery Young is headed with her parents and sister to a two-month long ritzy camp. She’s happy to leave her real life behind, where her best friend just kissed the ex-boyfriend Avery was hoping to get back together with.

When she meets handsome camp employee Brooks, she’s immediately smitten, especially as he plays in a band. But unfortunately, staff are forbidden to date guests, and Brooks needs his job. But Avery and her sister Lauren quickly befriend the band, especially after aspiring filmmaker Lauren sells them on making a documentary of them. As the summer wears on, both Avery and Brooks have choices to make, about each other and who they want to be.

The summer camp was a fun setting, and having no WiFi was an interesting twist, especially as it made Avery take a break from her friends and Lauren take a break from her social channel.

This is such a sweet romance. This book left me with a smile on my face.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I had my doubts about this. The first 20% had me thinking maybe I've finally outgrown Kasie West's books. But then the rest happened. And it made me realize just how much I'm far from outgrowing them.

I live for the ADORABLE moments between Avery and Brooks. Except for that part near the end, I was totally IN LOVE with Brooks and his charming, jaded, sign-seeking, guitar playing self. Avery and Brooks complemented each other so well, and I just love how they write songs together?? Effin' BRILLIANT is what it is. *cue swoon*

And although the cover and blurb is a bit misleading (there was barely any lake-related and/or camp-y things going on; most of the time I forgot they were even in a camp far from civilization), I love how so full of heart this book was! Avery's love for music and the way she slowly discovered herself were fascinating to witness! Lauren too with her passion for film and infectiously vibrant energy. I also really liked Maricela. It's just too bad she was barely in the book. But she's definitely a favorite!

Sunkissed is a sweet and heartwarming quick-read that is sure to melt your hearts.

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"If I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing something, I want to make sure it’s what I want to be doing. Like you.” I paused as my brain caught up with my statement. “Oh frick , that came out wrong. I don’t want to be doing you. I meant, you know what you want to do with your life.” My cheeks were bright red.

“You don’t want to be doing me?” he asked, obviously enjoying my embarrassment.

---

"I was excited that you’d be around all summer , let’s just say that.” He covered my hand with his. “And what was yours of me?”

“I thought you had a magic smile.”

“A magic smile?” He offered it to me now.

“Yes, that one. I also thought you were very confident and way too pretty for me.”

“It’s the hair, isn’t it?”

“Trust me, it’s the face.”

“Well I like your face too.”

---

“But sometimes we start to change, grow, and the box begins to get small and cramped. And yet we fight to stay inside because the walls are high and climbing out seems harder than staying."

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I received an ARC via Netgalley to read and review. Quoted excerpt/s may change in the final print.

Kasie West has written another YA summer romance that will for sure be a hit among teen girls. There is nothing like a coming of age story of a girl who falls in love at summer camp. This is a sweet story that digs into identity and truly understanding who we are and who we want to be.

Lighthearted, swoony, and filled with relatable characters, Sunkissed is the perfect young adult contemporary romance for this summer. Dirty Dancing vibes are all over this book and I was absolutely here for it. I had so much fun living vicariously through Avery, our main character, as she spent her summer before senior year at a swanky resort cabin with her parents and little sister, far away from the Internet and any hope of phone service. The various activities Avery got to participate in within the pages really brought such a fun summer camp vibe to the story and really immersed me in the writing. It was so refreshing considering that resorts like this aren't possible to attend right now.

I loved going on Avery's journey of self-discovery with her after her father's comment about her predictable, easygoing nature to another guest. Her realization of how her parents and therefore the world sees her is something I think a lot of us can relate to. I've certainly felt differently about myself compared to how others see me before! Her struggle to find something she's truly passionate about rings true for a lot of us in this generation as well. And Avery's growth throughout the story and the way she conquers her fear in so many ways brings a lot of inspiration to her character. I also loved her corny, dry jokes!

And then Brooks, our main love interest. I really felt for him and his family situation. Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of readers who will be able to relate to the poor cards he's been dealt in life and the way he's trying to find his way through. His charisma and determination was one of my favorite parts of the book and I loved the sweetness to the romance. Seeing the two of them together made my heart speed up more than once and I definitely had a giddy smile on my face multiple times while reading this.

The supporting characters also added so much fun to the book. Getting to see Avery's little sister Lauren work on making a documentary of the band headlining the resort brought so many fun pop culture references and I loved the contrast between Lauren's go-getter attitude and determination for her passions compared to Avery's uncertainty. Their sister relationship is portrayed so accurately and it was really nice to see an actual functional family in young adult fiction. I also loved Maricela and Tia, two of the other camp workers who made friends with Avery. It was so nice to read about healthy friendships in a book instead of the typical cattiness between women you often see.

Although not the fastest paced book, Sunkissed definitely kept me interested while reading and gave me tons of warm fuzzies inside. And the ending made me long for an epilogue so badly that I'm still wondering what happened to the characters even now, days after finishing it. West is known as one of the best clean teen romance writers and this book continues her cornerstone of that market. I'm eager to read more of her books in the future!

The Quick Cut: Two teen sisters are dragged by their parents to a camp for the summer without wifi. Chaos ensues when their interests clash.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Delacorte Press for providing the ARC for an honest review.

Family relationships can be complicated enough, but when you have to spend extended time together? That can be like asking for trouble. It's a trouble that leads to unexpected places for Avery.

Avery definitely did not plan on spending the summer away with her family. Even more so, she did not plan on spending it without wifi or her bestie who recently betrayed her. When her parents bring her and her social media influencer sister Lauren to a remote camp, Avery can't help but find her life very different than she's anticipated. She has always done what was expected of her, but when she meets a guy working at the camp? She feels drawn to him and begins to do what is least expected of her. Will change lead to better things? Or worse relationships than what she had to begin with?

Kasie West is the queen of young adult contemporary novels. She's great at writing stories that help you check out of reality and into someone else's. This latest release definitely checks that box, but it also adds a level of escapism that we could all use right now. Rather than focusing on quarantine, this book lets you drop into a world where avoiding one another and viruses isn't the norm. We could all use more of that.

This book centers around Avery and her journey of self discovery. Her life hasn't gone as expected, but rather than focus on how frustrating that is - she decides to try things she's never done. If I found myself not liking the path my life was on, I'd probably do the same thing. It was easy for me to relate to Avery's journey and the end of that made me smile.

The other focus of this story is around expectations. It's fascinating how common it is to hear how we feel pressured to meet an image our family places on us. Seeing Avery's family be forced to face those images directly is a great example of how important being authentic is. That's exactly the type of point I think we all need to hear more.

A fun, sun filled book that will leave you smiling.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Is there really anything better than a Kasey West book in the summer? No, there isn't. When Avery Young finds out that her best friend and boyfriend kissed, she’s more than happy to escape on a family vacation with her parents and younger sister, This book has loveable characters and the perfect summertime setting. This is the perfect summer time read for anyone just wanting to feel those summer vibes!

I have plenty of students who love Kasie West and will be thrilled to see another new one from her. I enjoyed it, and the Dirty Dancing vibes are definitely strong. The main characters are more than just a shallow love story; they learn and develop their own separate lives, too, which is important for teenagers to see. Excellent new offering from one of my favorite YA romance authors!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for an early eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

Quick Stats
Overall: 4/5 stars
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Age Rating: 12+

Kasie West and I have a complicated relationship. Her books have been really hit or miss with me in the past. I’ve loved some and hated others, but Sunkissed has falling squarely in the love category.
This was such a fun, summery read—perfect for reading stretched out on a towel at the beach. I really liked Avery, Brooks, and Maricela. Kai and Lauren were solid characters as well, though sometimes they got on my nerves. I related a lot to Avery, and though she annoyed me at times, her actions always made sense and were usually what I’d have done in that situation too.
I loved Brooks. Typical, broody but actually sweet, damaged and yet not toxic YA love interest. He hit all the marks of a typical swoon-worthy YA love interest without the toxic edge that so many have, yet still seemed like his own character instead of a walking cliche. I really enjoyed his character and the relationship that developed between him and Avery.
Speaking of their relationship—the romance in this story was Kasie West at her very best (hey, that rhymes): sweet, swoony, stock-full of chemistry, with a dash of teen angst, and my favorite part—innocent. Kasie West’s books are perfect for every age of reader, and they deliver swoon-worthy chemistry and romance without any smut that many other contemporary/romance books (even in YA) have. I really like that.
The plot was fun, it sewed teen angst, family, friendship, and romance together nicely. I loved the music and song writing aspects—another common staple in Kasie West’s works—as well as the journey that Avery went on to sort of “find herself”. Avery grew as a person very steadily throughout the plot, and it felt natural and not forced, which is hard to do. I never felt like the story dragged or rushed. There was nothing super special about the plot, but it was solid and enjoyable.
If you’re a fan of fun summery romances I highly recommend you check this out—whether you’re 12 or 20, this is a great beach read.

Sunkissed was a Kasie West book. The characters were likable, and the plot moved along quickly. I enjoyed the setting and the side characters a lot, but I found Avery and Brooks's relationship too rushed. Plus, the ending felt a little convenient. However, fans of West's will enjoy this book, as will younger teen readers looking for a romance.

Read if you like: YA Contemporary Romance, summer reads.
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Avery goes to a summer camp with her family, which is a good thing because she needs some distance between her best friend and herself. While at the camp, she meets a boy who helps her to break out of her shell and start living her life more fully.
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This book was super cute. I really liked Avery for wanting to go outside her comfort zone and try things that scared her. I also loved the romance and thought that it wasn't too instant love. Overall, this would make a fun beach read this summer!

This book was cute, as is typical with Kasie West's books. They are always super clean, with lots of giddy teenage romance packed in. These are GREAT books for parents to let their teenagers read if they want them to stay away from steamier books.

This book was definitely a contemporary take on Dirty Dancing, which is ultimately why I wanted to read it. It's my favorite movie of all time so getting a chance to read about new age Johnny and Baby? Sign me up. There are definitely a lot of similarities, so if that's something that bothers you then back away slowly.

Avery and Brooks were a really fun couple to read about. I liked the slow progression of their relationship and I liked how Avery constantly surprised and impressed Brooks. She was someone who was coming into her own and I think that Brooks helped her to realize what her capabilities were. When the two of them were together it made my heart giddy and instantly transported me back to summer crushes and the feeling of butterflies you get when you just see the person you like. It was sweet and endearing.

I loved all of the secondary characters, too. I loved how they all easily accepted Avery into their circle. Avery's sister was one of my favorite characters because she was just so full of life and I think her energy really rubbed off on Avery despite being the younger one.

Overall, this book was really sweet and fun. I think I might be getting past the point of being able to read clean YA novels, but as potentially my last one, this one had me going out with a bang. If you've liked other West novels, I can safely say you will like this one.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book was cute!! A fun summer romance where the female main character ends up finding her voice (literally) and standing up for herself. It was a great fluffy romance- but not too seriously romantic? Since there is kissing but no other physical contact, I would be comfortable giving this to a younger teen. Fun read- but some of the plot points felt contrived, and the book ended way too quickly after the climax. A good "happily every after" if you like books that tie up loose ends.

This was probably the best West book yet which is saying something since I really love all of her books!! The family bonding was 10 heart emojis, the fun summer camp was 50 heart emojis, and the romance was a million heart emojis. The queen of YA romance remains strong on her throne!

Like I mentioned before, I loved the family bonding in this book! Particularly, we get to see some strong sisterly bonds. It was great to see Avery and her sister, Lauren, grow as individuals and as sisters. I think this was something that elevated this book of West's from some of her others. I always appreciate a book that can build on more relationships than just romantic ones.

Second, I wanna mention the ever-amazing summer camp! I am a suuuuucker for summer camp books and this was no exception. It had fun summer activities and forbidden guest/employee relationships, plus a few extras. If you enjoyed "You Have a Match" or "Sleepaway Girls" then you'll enjoy this one!

Lastly, the romance!! We get a handsome, long-haired musician in this book and he really couldn't have been better! He has things he's trying to escape from home, just like Avery, so we get a little depth in their relationship through their shared hardships. Also, this was mostly a slow burn. It burned long enough for some angst to build up, but ended soon enough to enjoy some cute scenes together.

Overall, this book was pretty much perfect! It had everything I love in a YA romance plus more! I can't recommend West's newest book enough!