This book started out slow for me, but once it hit the middle, I was really enjoying the story as a whole. The main character, Sunny, is so relatable and I love how passionate she is about creating a swimsuit line for those that are curvier like her. This would also be an amazing movie. I could see it playing out in my head and with the humor, I feel like this could be a great romantic comedy movie.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this book for me to enjoy and review!

sunny is plus sized woman who has gone through a divorce. she designs a swimsuit and also has an email that goes viral. she finds love with 2 men but finds love with the postman. loved her friends.

Thanks to the publishing team for an ARC copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this book! I'm not huge on rom-com-type books, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this blew me away.

If you loved Sex and the City, this is right up your alley. It's a chronicle of the adventures of Sunny, a 37-year-old in New York City who recently got divorced less than a year after her wedding. Her efforts to get back out dating and her friendship with two other women in the same situation are definitely reminiscent of Sex and the City, down to the high fashion/shopping angle.

What's different is: Sunny is not a size 2. Her emotional recollection of many times trying to find a larger size in department stores (she's usually a size 14) is so, so relatable to many women, at least in America. The feeling that all of the stores, the magazines, everyone important has decided that you're not "worth it" if you don't fit in these smaller sizes is sadly true for more than half of the women in this country. I nearly cried at the story of having to shamefully go ask for a larger size, at getting the 2 frumpy and poorly made options that the store carried, and at realizing you don't even fit into those options.

<spoiler>What's extra special about this story is that not only does Sunny live this relatable path, she decides to do something about it. She creates a swimsuit fashion line aimed at fitting well for every size body, and at making sure that options are present in stores for everyone. Is the fact that she happens to have all of the resources and people necessary available to her a bit.....convenient? Yes, but I'll forgive it because the story comes together so nicely around this part of the plot.</spoiler>

My favorite part of the storytelling here is that you follow Sunny's adventures from her point of view - so you might fall for a guy who ends up not being "the one," and you might feel as conflicted as she does going through the process.

My only minor suggestion is that some of the characters adjacent to the story aren't as well fleshed out as they could be, and perhaps a bit more intentional diversity would have been nice (I, at least, imagined all of the characters except Noor to be white, although I don't think it's said anywhere).

Overall, if you're looking for an emotional rom-com with real meat on its bones (pun intended) - definitely give this a read!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sunny is an amazing woman who struggles with her feelings of self-worth and has issues with men. Her character is relatable, and the ending is hope-inducing.

This is a fun read for a book club.

TLDR: Sunny needed a therapist, not a boyfriend

Sunny is 35 and a newly divorced CEO of her own PR company in NYC. Her little brother is getting married and in order to prove to her entire family that she’s fine, she gives herself a deadline to find a date. Along the way she meets shitty men, okay men, great men, and her ex pops in whenever he gets the chance. She also is daunted with the task of finding anything not resembling a smock in the plus size swimwear of Bergdorfs to which her solution is to create her own plus size swimsuit line.

Having a meltdown in a dressing room? Relatable. Creating, from scratch, an entire company and line of clothing and having it on shelves in 5 months? Not relatable.

It is a canon event for most women, breaking down in a dressing room at some point or another (my worst was senior prom dress shopping, but I digress). The dressing room’s “omg I know that EXACT feeling” is what had me requesting this ARC. However, Sunny’s take on body positivity was meager at best and toxic at worst. The self talk in parts of this book had me wanting go touch grass. Sunny was also just very difficult to root for because everything came so easy to her throughout the entire book.

It’s entirely possible that this book just wasn’t meant for me and that is completely fine, but everyone should check the trigger warnings that I’m sure will be in the published novel.

This was such a fun read!!! Sunny wanting so much to have a boyfriend and all her ups and downs in finding “the one”. I do think that the younger generation of the age of 20 something would enjoy this book the most. However, I am in my early 70s and I enjoyed it as well! Sunny is a smart young woman trying to make her way in NYC and trying hard to find the right boyfriend - and to make her business a success. Thank you to Kate Sturino for writing this fun story and thank you to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read it and give my opinion.

3 favorite things about this book:

- main character is plus size but she accepts herself so it’s not a book with a lot of self loathing about her body, which gets old sometimes so I don’t want to read a lot of that. She is very much body acceptance > body positivity. And she’s very confident about her job and fashion! But still has anxieties and feels realistic.
- Mr postman seems very human and normal and I loved that
- Genuinely enjoyed reading it - writing style, banter. Funny moments. The mistakes seemed like ones humans would make. The triumphs felt realistic. all the supporting characters. Esp Avery. Chapters arranged well. Not too long, not too short.

This will make a great summer or poolside read .. heck it’ll be good for any season.

Absolutely can’t wait to see what else this author writes.

4.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sunny with a chance of a strong, thirty-something lead, recently divorced making her way through the dating scene while killing it at her career and starting her own size inclusive swimsuit line. There are very relatable emotions, women supporting women, and New York romanticized. It’s a perfect pool/beach read that I really enjoyed. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

3.5/5


Sunny found success with her business ventures, but her love life is a different story. Sunny is a divorced thirty-five year old plus size woman who is juggling a lot. At the same time she is mourning the loss of her marriage

Sunny's story tackles body positivity. The body positivity hit me hard as it’s a constant battle and I found myself relating to those judging you on your looks and not who you are (a classic repeated teenage lesson!) I did feel like some of the romance was a little unrealistic, but it was all fun so I did enjoy it overall

Things I liked about the book:
1. I enjoy body inclusivity and positivity
2. Strong female friendships
3. Women running their own successful businesses is always great in a storyline

Things that I struggled with in this book:
1. It was pretty cheesy, but thats probably just a me thing! I like a lighthearted book, but the writing felt kind of elementary and corny. Compared to authors like Emily Henry, Annabel Monaghan, or Abby Jimenez, the writing was a lot less enjoyable. From the POV of the main character, it sort of felt like an 18-year-old in a 35-year-old body.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino.

I really enjoyed Sunny getting her life and confidence back after her divorce. Many laugh out loud moments! I just wish she would have been more honest to the people close to her.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! It took me a little while to get into this book, but it was fun, easy to read, and entertaining. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a palette cleanser after a heavy read!

TBH I’m surprised I finished this one. I guess I did because it was a very easy/light read. But completely unbelievable. I was never into Sex in the City but I imagine this storyline is similar. Writing was a bit choppy and predictable.

This is an easy lighthearted read. It has the usual tropes that go along with a romance/chick lit. If you need a fun summer beach read or a break from a highly emotive book, I would recommend Sunny Side Up. Thanks for @netgalley and #celedaonbooks for the eARC.

I have a love hate relationship with books about heavy set women. However; Katie Sturino's Sunny Side Up was hilarious and fun. I did NOT feel icky about the story and I found myself enjoying the characters. The love story was fun and exciting!

This was such a fun, fast paced, and special read. Sunny's story tackles dating after divorce and body positivity. As someone who lives the experience that Katie does with having to shop for her body in a world that doesn't necessarily fit/have options, it can feel demoralizing. And typically characters like this are written in as the side character, friend, family member, etc. who doesn't offer a ton of value. Having Sunny's character front and center was amazing. I did feel like some of the romance was a little unrealistic, but it was all fun so I did enjoy it overall!

Thank you so much to Celadon Books for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Such a great story of female friendship and family! I loved the characters and their development as well as enjoyed the plot. Can’t wait to see what the author writes next!

I absolutely adored this book!! Sturino does an amazing job channeling the inner thoughts of women across the world regarding personal feelings about body image (and working, full time women, and much more)! I felt this book deep in my soul and literally laughed out loud at multiple times! Sunny is down right hilarious and the exact confident, strong, and body positive woman everyone should strive to be. This book was refreshing, fabulous, empowering, and made me feel so seen and so great about myself! Thank you Sturino for making the characters so relatable and well rounded. 4/5 stars because the plot seemed a bit chaotic and cliche at times. Thank you Netgalley, the author, and Celadon Books for the ARC!

Sunny found success with her business ventures, but her love life could use some upgrading. Sunny is a divorced thirty-five year old plus size women who is juggling multiple business ventures. At the same time she is mourning the loss of her marriage. Being married equated to being loved. Sunny needs to learn how to love herself before venturing into another relationship. Being with a man doesn’t define who you are. Being a plus size women had her struggling with her self-esteem and confidence. Dealing with body image has been on ongoing issue for her and she wants to change that.
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Sunny Side Up is about a thirty-five year old divorcée with body image problems. Sunny thought life would be different for her. Unfortunately, her marriage lasted three months. Now she’s living life by her own rules and giving her listeners the newsletter material they need.
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This is my first time reading Katie Sturino. Katie’s writing voice and my reading style didn’t line up. While I appreciate the message behind Sunny Side Up I wasn’t all that thrilled with the focus being on Sunny’s personal life. I I had a hard time getting through this book. My interest level was very low. I had to take this one in short strides only reading a few chapters a night it just wasn’t calling to me. I got bored easily which resulted in skim reading. There was too much context and not enough content. Sunny’s character thrived in the business world. She beat herself up regarding her personal life which annoyed me. It was like she was letting it define her. Without a man to love her she felt inadequate which she internalized. This bothered and frustrated me especially when she had a few one-nightstands which illustrated that some men were attracted to her.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have no notes on this. From the first page I felt seen. I completely understood the meltdowns in dressing rooms and not feeling like anything fit. Sunny is such a bright spot in this book and I rooted for her the whole time. I loved every second of this book!