Book Review: Sunny Side Up

📚 Book Review: Sunny Side Up

Kate Sturino

🗓️ Publication Date: June 24, 2025

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚 My Review: Sunny Greene is bold and funny and I loved how she figured it all out one awkward date and body-positive pep talk at a time. I loved the writing style and how it made me laugh, cringe (in a good way), and root for her through it all. Between the ex reappearances, mailman flirtations, and business pitch drama, it was full of heart and sass. I'd say this is for anyone who is looking for a heartwarming self-love ride that shows that reinvention can be messy, but also empowering!

Thank you to Celadon Books via netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚 Goodreads Synopsis: Sunny Greene is thirty-five, recently divorced, facing the looming prospect of going solo to her little brother’s wedding, and currently trying to find anything plus-sized in the Bergdorf Goodman swimsuit department that doesn’t make her want to cry. It’s not going well. But isn’t rock bottom the perfect place to start a climb? 

She decides it’s now or never. Sunny has her PR empire, her gorgeous Chelsea apartment, her two dogs, and her loyal best friends. Maybe it's time to just love her body and accept herself for who she is. With a new commitment to confidence, her journey begins. Who says a plus-sized divorcee can’t put herself first, feel beautiful, and date up a storm?

Of course things are never straightforward in the dating world. Is fate knocking at her door with Dennis, the charming and down-to-earth mailman, or should she be with Ted, the business tycoon who seems ready to make her size-inclusive swimsuit brand a reality? And what should she do about her ex, who shows up unexpectedly, eager to reconnect?

With the same candor and confidence her followers love, Sturino brings us Sunny Greene, a Carrie Bradshaw for the next generation, and her journey through the trials and triumphs of dating, friendship, and finding yourself.

Book Review: The Widow's Husband

📚 Book Review: The Widow's Husband 

Natasha Boydell

🗓️ Publication Date: June 18, 2025

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚 My Review: Creepy, twisty, and completely addictive! I was suspicious of everyone

 At some point! Friends, neighbors, strangers, even Maggie’s husband being alive and I still didn’t see the ending coming. The romance plot with Gary added an interesting layer to all the tension and the slow unraveling of her world had me holding my breath. A chilling, gripping read that’ll leave you questioning everything!

Thank you to Boldwood Books via Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚 Goodreads Synopsis: Maggie has started venturing out of her house at last. Years of being held as a virtual prisoner by her controlling husband, Frank, she’s now free. She’s just taking little walks in the village, braving smiling at strangers, feeling delighted when they smile back.

Then, on one of her walks, she finds herself drawn to a poster in the window of the local pub, advertising an evening with a psychic. Maggie doesn’t believe in the supernatural, but decides it is the perfect place to finally meet some friends.

But the psychic has news for Maggie. She tells her that Frank is back. And that he’s got a message for her… And when strange things begin happening, Maggie can’t help but wonder – does someone have it in for her? Or could Frank have found a way to come back for her?

Book Review: Everything's Coming up Rosie

📚 Book Review: Everything's Coming up Rosie

Courtney Walsh

🗓️ Publication Date: June 10, 2025

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

📚 My Review: A heartwarming and cozy read! Exactly what I love about Courtney Walsh's writing. Rosie’s journey was full of charm, humor, and unexpected lessons and I have to say that the quirky cast of seniors added so much fun! I enjoyed watching Dylan's story unfold and the sweet romance with Booker. The story reminds us that dreams can change—and that’s okay! This was a sweet, feel-good read with plenty of heart! Add it to your summer list!

Thank you to @Thomas Nelson Fiction via @netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚 Goodreads Synopsis: Sometimes what you think you want and what you actually want turn out to be different things . . .

Rosie Waterman has one to become a working actor. But lately, that hasn't been working out. When she loses her apartment and her job on the same day, she does what she always does--puts herself out there, ready to find the next big thing. But a trip home makes her realize that while she's been struggling to make this dream come true, all her friends have become real adults with careers and weddings and babies on the way. Rosie's been at this for years, and she has nothing to show for it. But how does she simply let go of her dream?

When she's offered a job as the director of a regional theatre's production of Cinderella, she jumps at the chance--even though she's only directed in college and the job is in Door County, Wisconsin, and not in New York. She has no other offers, and at least she'll be getting paid to do something theatrical. But when she arrives, she quickly realizes that the "regional theatre" is actually in a retirement community, and the "actors" are actually senior citizens with no acting experience whatsoever.

Working on the show presents new challenges, forcing Rosie to learn how to step up and be the leader this fledgling theatre troupe needs. The more time she spends with her new cast, the more she begins to rethink what it means to dream big, especially when that big dream hasn't turned out to be at all what she thought it would be. It's not at all what she expected, but could it be exactly what she needs?