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KASIE WEST
Age Range: 13/14 and up
Avery has always used music as an escape. But after her best friend betrays her, even her perfectly curated playlists can't help her forget what happened. To make matters worse, her parents have dragged her and her social-media-obsessed sister to a remote family camp for two months of "fun." Just when Avery is ready to give up on the summer altogether, she meets Brooks—mysterious, frustratingly charming Brooks—who just happens to be on staff—which means he's off-limits.
What starts as a disaster turns into . . . something else. As the outside world falls away, Avery embarks on a journey of self-discovery. And when Brooks offers her the chance of a lifetime, she must figure out how far is she willing to go to find out what she wants and who she wants to be.
I have not read a book by Kasie West in a long time because of my dislike of Moment of Truth, so when Sunkissed came out, I was hesitant to read it. I finally read Sunkissed about a year after it was published, and oh my goodness, it was great! I was looking for a teen summer romance book to read, and this was the perfect one.
Reading the book, I felt a strong pull toward Avery, who is just an ordinary girl forced to go on a no-internet camp for two months. I love books where I can connect myself to the main character as I could with Avery (though there were things she did that I would not do). Throughout most of the novel, Avery struggles with who she is as she keeps getting pushed around because of her go-with-the-flow and non-confrontational personality. It's inspiring to see how she stands up for herself near the end and makes her wants known!
My few issues with Sunkissed are how Avery lies to her parents instead of just telling the truth and how Brooks is introduced and his personality in the book's first few chapters. Avery feels her parents would disapprove of her little outings and how she spends her day at camp, so she lies to them about what she is doing. I believe people tend to act like the people they read about, so I think Avery should have been a better role model, especially when everything turns out with pretty much no consequences.
And now Brooks. I could not understand him at all at the beginning of the novel. His attitude did not seem attractive to me, but I would have been okay with it if he slowly started to change, but that did not happen! He changed from being a jerk to super nice with no reasonable explanation. I began to like him about halfway through, but I don't think he was the best character.
Overall I thought Sunkissed was a cute summer romance YA novel that you could just read by the beach or pool and feel happy!
Things to Mention: Some kissing with a bit of detail. One kissing scene thats has some more details. Avery often lies to her parents. Avery's best friend Shay "accidentally" kissed Avery's boyfriend. In a joking mess around manor, Avery's mom used a word that mean being with a guy sexually.
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If you have read Sunkissed, let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Do you have a book you want to be reviewed? Let me know, and I'll add it to my list! Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you're here.
