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onthesamepage 's review for:
Sunkissed
by Kasie West
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After a mishap with some coffee in the lobby of the camping grounds they'll be spending their summer at, Avery runs into the camp's dinner-time band and hits it off with one of its members. But Brooks mistakes her for an employee initially, and Avery has to find a way into his good graces after her unintentional deception. They strike a deal: Avery will help Brooks write some lyrics for his band so they can enter a music competition, and Brooks will help Avery try new things so that Avery can discover herself this summer. But when the lead singer of the band gets injured in an accident, Avery finds herself facing a dilemma. Can she conquer her fear and help Brooks win the contest?
If you like Dirty Dancing, you'll probably like this book. The setup is very similar, except that Brooks is maybe a bit less surly overall than Johnny Castle, and it's less steamy.
The parts I liked less mostly had to do with Avery's tendency to avoid conflict, when I was hoping she would stand up for herself. She doesn't get much of a chance to; even though she claims at one point that she's not giving away bits of herself to keep the peace, that is exactly what she does. At the beginning of the book, she is fighting with her best friend, Shay, because Shay kissed Avery's ex-boyfriend not too long after their breakup, at a time when Avery was still convinced they would get back together. Later on, Avery thinks about a few other incidents with Shay, and from those memories I would call this a very toxic friendship. But Avery doesn't see it that way. Even during the big obstacle, which was a great opportunity for Avery to show that she really has grown, it is her sister who takes the step and saves the day initially. Avery does take a stand later on and gets what she wished for, but that moment didn't feel like much of a victory to me.
Overall, as with most of Kasie West's book, this was a cute YA contemporary. Not my favourite by her, but a good time nonetheless.
If you like Dirty Dancing, you'll probably like this book. The setup is very similar, except that Brooks is maybe a bit less surly overall than Johnny Castle, and it's less steamy.
The parts I liked less mostly had to do with Avery's tendency to avoid conflict, when I was hoping she would stand up for herself. She doesn't get much of a chance to; even though she claims at one point that she's not giving away bits of herself to keep the peace, that is exactly what she does. At the beginning of the book, she is fighting with her best friend, Shay, because Shay kissed Avery's ex-boyfriend not too long after their breakup, at a time when Avery was still convinced they would get back together. Later on, Avery thinks about a few other incidents with Shay, and from those memories I would call this a very toxic friendship. But Avery doesn't see it that way. Even during the big obstacle, which was a great opportunity for Avery to show that she really has grown, it is her sister who takes the step and saves the day initially. Avery does take a stand later on and gets what she wished for, but that moment didn't feel like much of a victory to me.
Overall, as with most of Kasie West's book, this was a cute YA contemporary. Not my favourite by her, but a good time nonetheless.