Hello, Sunshine

By: Laura Dave

Narrated by: Joy Osmanski

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

From Laura Dave - the author of the "addictive" (Us Weekly), "winning" (Publishers Weekly), and critically acclaimed best seller Eight Hundred Grapes - comes a new novel about the secrets we keep...even from ourselves.

Sunshine Mackenzie truly is living the dream. A lifestyle guru for the modern age, Sunshine is beloved by millions of people who tune in to her YouTube cooking show, and millions more scour her website for recipes, wisdom, and her enticing suggestions for how to curate a perfect life. She boasts a series of New York Times best-selling cookbooks, a devoted architect husband, and a reputation for sincerity and kindness - Sunshine seems to have it all.

But she's hiding who she really is. And when her secret is revealed, her fall from grace is catastrophic. What Sunshine does in the ashes of destruction will save her in more ways than she can imagine.

In our modern world, where celebrity is a careful construct, Laura Dave's compelling, enticing novel explores the devastating effect of the secrets we keep in public...and in private. Hello, Sunshine is a fresh, provocative look at a woman teetering between a scrupulously assembled life and the redemptive power of revealing the truth.

©2017 Laura Dave (P)2017 Simon & Schuster

Interesting message

Overall the book is very simply written and easy flowing. The interesting message is that being authentic and truthful to yourself and to others is a true pathway for happiness. In a fake world like this, where people lie and pretend most of time, Sunny’s life experience is something admirable. Let’s be AUTHENTIC ❤️

Loved it

Cute, easy read. Redemption even in a day when social media mistakes can haunt you forever.

Lacking in story and closure

The lead character was terrible and only redeemed herself by teething pregnant and being nice to a few people, then turning down a job. There was little in the way of an ending and nothing really happened the whole second part of the book. It wasn’t terrible and was entertaining enough but it left me overall unimpressed.

Sunshine

This book for me was interesting. It does a pretty good job of bringing self awareness of the main character (Sunshine) and how social media distorts ourselves to ourselves. How fudging a bit here and there starts to become true to ourselves when it truly isn’t ourself. I know that is a confusing statement but so is how social
Media has distorted us! How many followers do I have….did they like my post….

Oh That Social Media!

Sunshine is self-obsessed, and hard to care about. There really is no deep explanation about why she and her sister are not close as adults. The animosity between sisters is just too forced. The voice of Chef Z is too much of a caricature, and unless the part of Sunshine as “Sam” happened to a real person, it’s too unbelievable. The last chapters do not redeem Sunshine. She’s still a know-it-all thinking her life is the most important one.

I downloaded by mistake

I was always on the fence about whether I would return this book. I really could not relate to the main character and I am not sure what made her story worthy of a novel. But I hung in wondering whether there was redemption, failure or something else at the end. No spoilers but I made it through the novel. Some of the most memorable characters liked the heroine the least. If you have a spare credit and want something light, this may fit the bill.

Not sure why

Was it to soap opera for me. But couldn't finish.
I don't care about her demise. Maybe bc I know the main character is goingf downhill I didn't want to take the ride.

Joy Osmanski was really good.

As good as Joy Osmanski was, she could not help the light weight story. The characters we not well fleshed out. Maybe a bit more back story would have helped.

Frustrating

I loved this book… until the end, there is no closure to the character… sure it ends with the character finding herself but what about all the rest of it? Where does she end up?
i thought, surely that can’t be the ending?
It was. UGH.

Good light read

Tired of ultra-shocking, horrifying, &/or super sad reads? Then you’ll love this like I did!