Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino

Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Sunny Greene is thirty-five, recently divorced, facing the looming prospect of going solo to her little brother’s wedding, and currently trying to find anything plus-sized in the Bergdorf Goodman swimsuit department that doesn’t make her want to cry. It’s not going well. But isn’t rock bottom the perfect place to start a climb?

She decides it’s now or never. Sunny has her PR empire, her gorgeous Chelsea apartment, her two dogs, and her loyal best friends. Maybe it's time to just love her body and accept herself for who she is. With a new commitment to confidence, her journey begins. Who says a plus-sized divorcee can’t put herself first, feel beautiful, and date up a storm?

Of course things are never straightforward in the dating world. Is fate knocking at her door with Dennis, the charming and down-to-earth mailman, or should she be with Ted, the business tycoon who seems ready to make her size-inclusive swimsuit brand a reality? And what should she do about her ex, who shows up unexpectedly, eager to reconnect?

With the same candor and confidence her followers love, Sturino brings us Sunny Greene, a Carrie Bradshaw for the next generation, and her journey through the trials and triumphs of dating, friendship, and finding yourself.
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Oh, this book. In the end, I ended up really liking it, but I waffled back and forth quite a bit in the middle. I am someone who has struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember, and I have finally arrived at a place that I would call body acceptance, so there were parts of this book that were a little...triggering is not the right word, but they did press on a tender spot that is still within me. Experiencing Sunny's navigation of this issue was at turns frustrating and inspiring, and there were a few instances that I found her intensely unlikeable, but I did come around and root for her in the end.

There were some predictable bits that unfolded exactly as I expected them to. There were some characters that behaved exactly as you would expect them to. But there was also a sweet romance and a strong theme of women supporting women and a protagonist whose story I did end up really enjoying. I was not familiar with Katie Sturino's work before reading this book, but she now has in me a new subscriber on Substack and I am eager to hear more from her after reading this fiction debut.

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