Reviews

Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park

anyaemilie's review against another edition

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4.0

 This was cute! It was a simple, sweet contemporary YA with a summery vibe. It also made me question how much time I’m spending on social media, so I guess it did its job 😂

This is a younger-feeling YA that I'd definitely recommend to middle schoolers, which I'm always looking for, so that was a nice find as well. I always feel like it's hard to find books for middle schoolers that don't talk down to them or that don't feel way above their maturity level. 

akookieforyou's review against another edition

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2.0

*2.5*

I have so many mixed feelings towards this book. I genuinely thought that this would be right up my alley, as I read a lot of YA contemporary romances, but I was left pretty unsatisfied when I finished it.

Some of the things I enjoyed:

-Takes place at a farm. Ever since I got into Stardew Valley I've had such a strong appreciation for things farm based, and this was no exception.

-Relatively cute romance. While it wasn't perfect, and it didn't quite make my heart race, they were still a cute pairing, with nice chemistry.

-Korean rep. I love seeing things involving different cultures, especially when that culture is Korean. I just wish there could've been more

Some of the things I didn't enjoy:

-The reason Sunny gets sent to the farm felt way overblown and overdramatic. It was obviously a mistake, and if any one had actually watched the video in the first place, they would've realized that.

-Felt too preachy. There were so many scenes where I felt like the author was talking down to the audience about technology usage. I agree that people do overdo it, I just wish it could've been handled a little differently.

-Not enough time spent showing Sunny trying out new things at the camp. Given what the story was about, I thought we would've had more focus on that aspect. Plus it would've been really fun.

-The ending felt rushed, and a little too unbelievable. I usually like idealized endings, but this was a bit overboard in my opinion.

Overall not a bad book, just not for me. I mainly picked this up for the summer vibes, but Kasie West has a couple books that feel way more like summertime to me, like her newest release Sunkissed (which is also about a summer camp, and has a romance that is much better sooo).

bluebelle_reads's review against another edition

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4.0

This was DEFINITELY a 4.5 star read! I laughed out loud, I teared up at the end, got butterflies at certain spots, and I simply could not put it down! 10/10 recommend. I’d really like a sequel to be able to know what happens after everything. I really liked the characters and connected with Sunny. The way it was written was also really great. I really felt like I could visualize what was happening, and that is something that doesn’t happen to me very often.

cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5 stars

I liked elderly couple and Sonny everything was ruined by fast pacing, romance was okay.

izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition

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5.0

5/5

It has been too long since I’ve read a good book. I loved this story, sure it seemed like a teenage hallmark movie, but it was fun! When I was little I would watch hallmark with my mom so it was nice to return to that feeling. I loved the Sunny and Theo’s relationship. Mr. Fuller was amazing. I loved how it showed different type of influencers and how they struggled to adapt to a farm schedule. I forgot what a good contemporary book felt like, hopefully I don’t end up getting a book hang over.

charvi_not_just_fiction's review

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lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
 
I fell in love with a book by this author like 5 years ago but ever since then, I've been unable to even finish any of her other books. I think this is where I give up...
I really liked the concept of this book but the writing felt very tell not show, every lesson that Sunny needed to learn was laid out so plainly and there were just so many monologues. I can't relate to Sunny, I don't find her particularly interesting or likeable either.

Everything about this book makes me feel so indifferent and bored so I decided to finally dnf at 41%
I gave it a shot, but it's not for me.

karroll's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I am clearly not the target audience for this book so it's no surprise I didn't enjoy it. I would like a little more complexity and heft, even from a YA novel, but at least this was a light vacation read.

nicolemhewitt's review

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This book is a light and breezy summer romance that tackles the topic of social media addiction and what it means to define yourself by likes and views. I loved that the book talked about online addictions without getting too preachy or completely condemning all social media (let's face it, no teenager wants to hear that all social media is evil). The romance is sweet, and the country-style summer camp shenanigans are super-fun. In the end, the book puts a spotlight on using social media for good!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

gayathiri_rajendran's review

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4.0

Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous was a cute and fun read. It follows Sunny Song,a Korean American teenager whose addiction to social media prompts her parents to sign up for a digital detox camp during summer. What follows is whether Sunny is able to get past the digital world and spend time with real people in the real world.

The plot is pretty straight forward and predictable for the most part. The word building is good and since it’s a YA book you get that vibe from the get go. Sunny is a relatable character and we are able to relate to most of her embarrassing moments as a teenager. The side characters weren’t touched upon much and there are only a few characters apart from Sunny who are fleshed out a bit better. The climax was very well done,tying up all the loose ends together. Over all,it was a breezy read with something to ponder upon.

The premise of this book is very interesting and a timely one too in this current age. Many of us suffer from lack of boundaries with respect to social media and end up mindlessly scrolling for hours together. I’m guilty of it too. This book made me think about how I could make better choices with respect to time on social media.

ameserole's review

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4.0

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous was so much fun to dive into. It was just really cute and easy to listen to. In it, you will meet Sunny. She's spunky (in a way) and completely adorkable in others. I'll also admit that she tends to dive into her bratty side from time to time as well.

In other words, she's like a regular teenager. Definitely obsessed with social media and likes. So it's no surprise that she wants to have the best summer ever.. and for her ideal summer list to go out the window.

Mostly because one of her home cooking videos goes drastically wrong and she's now off to camp. Social media detox camp. Which, yes, I did laugh about this because I didn't think this camp was a thing. I mean.. it still might not be but who knows.

While she thinks this camp is going to ruin her life and summer.. it actually ends up being a lot of fun. I think I liked Sunny a bit more after she went to this place because she was actually having fun and not stuck to her phone. She's meeting new people and developing new crushes - which, yes, I totally agree with. I wanted more from them.

In the end, Sunny definitely became more likable to me and it made this book a lot more fun to listen to. Definitely happy that I got the chance to dive into this and look forward to my next book by Suzanne!