Kasie West

Betrayed by her best friend and dragged off to a remote family camp, seventeen-year-old Avery's dreams of a perfect summer seem over until a whirlwind romance leads to an unexpected journey of self-discovery.

Sunkissed

Denaiir

honestly not my favorite. was really slow like the main characters did not even kiss until chapter 27/38. kinda predictable and a little corny. it’s a quick light read though. good for cooling off after a heavier read. 

Savannah Bird

This was so cute.
Like legit jsut a simple sweet summer romance.
I loved the heavy aspects, I loved her breakdowns and his put-togethers.
I Absoutely loved brooks. 
I hated the band respectively but they all got better at the end. I loved Lauren. I hated Shay. 
But seriously, this was just an adorable read.
APPOPRIATE

Sofie

Will I read absolutely anything Kasie West writes? Yes. Yes I will.

______

Thank you NetGalley, and Caitlin at RHCB for the e-arc for review! 


  “Sometimes staying in the box we’ve made for ourselves is so easy. It’s comfortable and familiar in there. And a lot of times, the people around us want us to stay in there, too, because that’s how they’ve always known us: in that box.”


Sunkissed follows Avery Young as she spends her summer before senior year at an activity camp with her family, flirts with a (very cute) off-limits staff member, and makes it her summer goal to get out of her comfort zone.

West has a way with cute teen romance. Her novels always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. I think my reading experience of Sunkissed, however, might be a little coloured because, y'all, I LOVED Kasie's last book, Moment of Truth. I'm a sucker for romance with history behind it (whether it be childhood rivals, falling-for-your-best-friend, secret pen-pals, boy-next-door...) so it has been a long while since I've read a YA romance that just... happens. 

Avery meets Brooks, the lead guitarist of the dinner band who performs every night at camp, and they arrange a deal: Avery will help Brooks with lyrics for his music, and he will help her find new experiences. Seems pretty straight forward, and it was. It was cute. The tension and conflicts were quickly resolved, the stakes never felt too high, and the pair just sort of fell together over the summer. The quick pace of the novel made the relationship feel a bit fast, but I think an entire summer in reality is a fair amount of time for a romance to bloom.

Still, everything just felt a little surface level to me. And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that. I've read many YA novels that are pure fluff, no stakes, and sometimes, it works. I think I just expected something a little deeper from West after Moment of Truth (which, if you haven't read it, READ IT!!)

Personally, I would have liked to see a bit more inner dialogue from Avery, to really show her struggling with coming out of her shell, meeting new people, trying new things. We got a taste of it, and then the story shifted almost entirely to the music contest plot, and we lost all the other exciting things Avery could have tried. And I know that stage-fright was a massive hurdle to overcome, but with the laser focus on the band (and her budding romance), everything else that I was enjoying about the novel sort of fell away.

The characters were cute. I would have liked to see Avery spend some time with some of the other people at camp, whether it be some other staff, her sister, or her parents. Most of the chapters we did get with her family were sped through for the sake of pacing, but I think there were moments we could have lingered a bit more on, particularly in regards to Avery and her dad.

Still, West always manages to paint a pretty picture. I loved the atmosphere of the camp. It made me nostalgic for summer and sun and lake-views and everything that was so wonderful about those glorious months off from school. Sunkissed is probably a great novel to get you out of reading slump, and is the perfect length to boost your number on your Goodreads challenge. Not my favourite from West (from whom, obviously, I will STILL read ANYTHING), but about as inoffensive and breezy as you can get!

Maria

почему-то думала, что Кейси Уэст пишет более волнующие романтические сцены

A lighthearted and swoony contemporary YA romance by fan-favorite author Kasie West about a girl who finds that a summer spent at a family resort isn't as bad as she imagined . . . and that falling in love is filled with heartache, laughter, and surprises! 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. Fan favorite Kasie West is back with another unforgettable summer romance that reminds us falling in love is full of wonder, heartache, and--most of all--surprises.

Valeria

Before starting to read I though it would be quite simple and even boring, but it wasn’t!
It ended up being entertaining and -though it took me almost the whole book- I really fell for one of the love interests. And even had a dog!
However, I missed the story with messages in bottles. I’m thinking about re-playing “Sunkissed” justo to see how it is, because I think it makes an important part of the book.

Kayla 

Sunkissed by Kasie West was a super cute book. I love the camp setting and the music vibe reminded me a bit of Camp Rock lol (anyone else remember those movies?).

I loved Avery’s character and how music fuels her. I can definitely relate. I love music for every mood and have a dozen playlists for whatever mood I’m in. Brooke was a cool character too. I liked the bit of his backstory that drove his passion. While the backstory was important I’m glad the story sort of focused on the present more.

This was a cute, fun, light and fluffy summer read. I would totally bring this to the lake/cottage!

laura

I dont think this was my favorite book of hers by far. But i really felt connected to the main character and felt her shyness and also her fear of trying new things. I also really liked this book def shook up the main character life by taking her outside of her world. I also really enjoyed that this book focused on self discovery but also a really strong sister dynamics. I grew to love the romance. It was fun listen and like the music elements that become the focus of the read!!

Alisha E Tucker

Dirty Dancing Vibes! ⭐

Follow along Avery's summer with her sister Lauren and her parents at a family camp, one that they are stuck at for the whole summer and without internet. 

What better time to embark on a journey and find out what you love to do. Especially for Avery who always goes with the flow and avoids all conflict. What Avery doesn't expect to find is employee and guitar player Brooks! Who she may just fall inlove with.

Kaele Perkins 

Another wonderful book by Kasie West. This was a beautifully written summer contemporary that I thoroughly enjoyed. There was a nice emphasis on family, friendships, and standing up for what you want even when it’s scary. I loved watching the main character progress throughout the story. If you’re looking for a feel good book that feels like a real summer trip, deals with changes in relationships, and the importance of surrounding yourself with people that believe in you, I think you will enjoy this! 

Ps. Kasie West writes the cutest love stories, and this one is no exception. The main characters are so cute together! 😍


Thank you to NetGalley for an early digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Abigail Tomlin

This was such a sweet book. I had been having trouble with reading and had gotten into a slump. I read this book so quickly and loved the humor in it.

If there's one thing I never get sick of, it's Dirty Dancing inspired stories and retellings. There's just something I love about falling in love at summer camp even though everything's against it, and then coming out the other side. This book gives you everything, it has music and family and drama, but it also has a love story that you watch unfold and fall apart and then fix itself. The start dragged on a bit for me and some of the decisions just felt flat and unrealistic, but overall it was a really good read!

Aubrey Erskine

I love a classic YA romance that really hits me in the feels and reminds me of what it was like to be a teen. Life seemed so much harder back then, and knowing what I wanted or how to achieve it seemed impossible. In Sunkissed we meet Avery who is known as the “peacemaker” the dependable girl who avoids conflict and is sorta just passively living her life. It’s the summer the of change though and we get to follow her in her journey of stepping outside the box she’s created for herself.

We have so many characters in this book! The camp was the perfect backdrop and actually sounded like a ton of fun. Avery and her sister Lauren had a ton of activities to keep them busy and their parents out of their hair. I adored Marisella and how confident and sweet she was. She was a great friend to Avery but it wasn’t a one sided friendship. The band were a bunch of characters but o truly didn’t see them lasting long term, so the push for them at the end was slightly confusing. The relationship between Lauren and Avery was definitely one of the highlights of the book for me. Taking away their cell service truly made them bond and their relationship reminded me of the one I have with my sister.

Of course the romance was totally adorable. Brooks sounded like the perfect love interest. He was talented, emotional and his sarcasm/jokes matched up with Avery’s sense of humor well. The had the chemistry and I looked forward to their interactions. I felt like he truly saw Avery for who she was and helped to push her out of her comfort zone to help her find herself. So I was a tad confused by the ending when he seemed to have forgotten how she avoids conflict and isn’t the best at standing up for herself. I liked their ending though and wish we had a bit more of it outside camp.

The only reason this was a 4/5 stars for me was the way the conflict was handled with Avery and her best friend Shay. Before leaving on vacation, Avery learns Shay had kissed her ex boyfriend who she thought she would get back together with. We never really get them hashing it out, it was handled kinda passively which really sucked considering all the progress I thought Avery had made over the summer. The girl kissed her ex and it was hinted there might have been more going on before that. I don’t think this is something we should be passing on to teenage girls? It’s not acceptable. The ending also felt slightly rushed and I wish we had some sort of prologue to get that dialogue between them or at least how it played out after summer. 

Overall Sunkissed was a cute summer read that read very Dessen-like. I love a good summer of change story and this one did not disappoint. It’s you’re looking for a cute summer romance with a smidge of drama and a ton of music I can’t recommend this one enough!

Sunkissed

Reviews