Review: Sunshine is Forever by Kyle T. Cowan

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website: 

After a life-changing decision, Hunter decides that he can’t go on…

…which lands him in Camp Sunshine, a rehab center for depressed teens. Hunter is determined to keep everyone there out of his head, especially his therapist. But when he meets Corin, a beautiful, mysterious, and confident fellow camper, all Hunter wants to do is open up to her, despite the fact that he’s been warned Corin is bad news.

When Corin devises a plan for them to break out of the camp, Hunter is faced with the ultimate choice — will he run from the traumatic incident he’s tried so hard to escape, or will he learn that his mistakes have landed him right where he’s meant to be?

Sunshine is Forever captures the heartbreaking spirit of The Fault in Our Stars, the humor of Orange is the New Black, and the angst of Catcher in the Rye.

Review:

Sunshine Is Forever was pitched to me as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest meets Moonrise Kingdom for Today's Teens," and as someone who is a fan of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,  I was intrigued. 

However, I had to admit: I was still somewhat hesitant about diving into this. I wasn't sure if I was going to love it or not. As it turns out, I absolutely loved Sunshine Is Forever - it's actually become one of my favorites of 2017! 

From the first page I was sucked into Hunter's story. When we're introduced to Hunter we are made well aware of the fact that he's done something horribly bad, something so horrible in fact that his mother refuses to look at him. I was intrigued by this. Sure, at first glance, Hunter had his flaws and problems. He was rash and bold, occasionally putting his own pride before others's feelings, but I still liked him. I felt his pain, his suffering, and deep down, his desire to find a cure to his depression. So while I kept bracing myself for the worst of the worst, I was also hoping that it wouldn't change my opinion of him too much. I was rooting for him - for him to make peace with his past to forge new friendships to find his home again. 

Besides Hunter, we're introduced to a whole array of other characters at Camp Sunshine. From the camp counselors to the campers to the camp's owner/resident psychiatrist, each and everyone introduced something special to this book. My favorite, however, was seeing the friendships that developed between Hunter and the other boys at camp. They couldn't have been more different - polar opposites in fact - but over the course of the summer, they come together, making alliances as well as enemies, laughs as well as bad decisions. The friendship between Hunter and Qunit was my particular favorite. I thought Kyle did just a fanatic job of making their bond realistic. 

The plot in this mainly focuses on Hunter's time at Camp Sunshine. Kyle T. Cowan did a great job of developing this camp - I could easily picture it! I enjoyed seeing the different types of activities the counselors had the campers do as well as the alliances that formed throughout. As hinted to above, there was also an air of mystery to the book as well regarding not only what Hunter did but also regarding Corin, the girl Hunter falls in love with from afar. Both mysteries had me hooked to the pages even more than I already was, especially towards the end!  

Lastly, I have to comment on how much I liked the way in which the story was told. Kyle T. Cowan does a journalism type approach, I guess you would say. Hunter basically talks to us the entire time, recounting his summer- it's very casual yet incredibly addictive! Reading one more chapter often turned into reading three more chapters and so on...

Perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Sara Zarr, & John Green, Sunshine Is Forever tackles tough subjects with poise, realism, and a whole lot of heart. Basically, add this book to your TBR pile. It's well worth a read! 

Grade: A

Sunshine Is Forever will be released August 29th!

Source: eARC provided by publicist/publisher

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Check back later this week for an interview with Kyle T. Cowan!