A review by agigliotti758
Sunkissed by Kasie West

4.0

Another adorable read from Kasie West.
This one follows Avery over a summer of challenging herself following a betrayal by her best friend. Her family ends up going for an extended vacation at a mountain resort, and yes it feels shades of Dirty Dancing, which also gets name dropped in the story. There she meets a band and it’s guitarist, Brooks. Avery agrees to help the band with writing a song, and she discovers, or rediscovers, her love of music and embarks on a new relationship with Brooks.
This story was quintessential Kasie West. I loved the addition of a sisterly dynamic, with Avery and Lauren. And it was a true sibling dynamic with the over protective older sister (Avery) and the slightly annoying, slightly favored, slightly bratty younger sister (Lauren). While they had typical sisterly conflict, they also had the beautifully supportive sisterly bond.
Brooks and Avery’s relationship developed from a deal/need for help from each other to truly learning about each other and forming a deep understanding of their lives and goals.
I loved Avery’s arc and how she learned to find her passion and voice. And how Brooks slowly started to think of a future that he wanted and see a way to improve his relationship with his mom.
Also the band boys, especially Kai, were really fun additions to the story and Avery developed what felt like true friendship with Maricella.