Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous

The main draw for me with this book was the farm setting. Unfortunately the sense of place, the sights, the sounds, the smells (even if they aren’t always pleasant) were rarely as vividly described as I’d hoped. There was more social media discussion and typical summer camp stuff than farm life.

I could have gotten over the disappointment with the setting had the story and characters offered more depth. Like the setting they too felt underdeveloped, the romance, the stereotypical depiction of senior citizens and the mean girl, and even Sunny’s ambitions just felt like they scratched the surface. For instance, the entire plot hinges on Sunny being sent away to detox from social media yet while we do know the two things she went show more viral for, otherwise her social media activity is presented in vague terms, her arguments against college and for an online career never include insight into what she thinks that career will look like, what kind of content she’s passionate about, what her goals and plans are, etc..

There was plenty of potential here, with the farm, with the mother/daughter dynamic, with the truth about the mean girl’s online life, with Sunny’s desire for a decidedly modern unconventional career path but there was never enough information or specificity to give any of it the layers necessary to become as compelling as it could have been. show less

Sunny's obsession with social media isn't as apparent to her as it is to her parents. Everything comes to a head when she forgets to turn off the camera and accidentally films herself in a sports bra while trying to clean up the mess following her brownie making video. The next she knows, Mom and Dad have signed her up for a social media detox camp on a farm in Iowa. She's outraged, but after arriving and seeing the addiction level of other campers, plus meeting Theo, one of the farm owners' sons, her awareness and attitude begin to shift. It's not an even or smooth one, but following her, Theo, and some of the more memorable campers, makes for a very satisfying story and one that ends with nearly everyone better for the experience.

This is a sweet, charming read. It does give off summer vibes with Sunny being sent to summer camp. While Sunny is younger by more than half my age, I can relate to the social media obsession that she had with trying to gain followers and the best content. I have gotten a little obsessed with Instagram. When I do take some breaks, I realize that it was great not to be so attached. Luckily, I am not at the point of needing to attend a detox summer camp.

I did like Sunny and her summer crush, Theo. Theo is a sweetheart. I am still laughing when I think back to the moment that Sunny met Theo and found out who he was named after. In regards, to the other campers; I did and could not really form a bond with them. This is a little where my show more age comes into play but also because to me the other campers did come off as juvenile. I am not saying that Sunny was not that way too in the beginning but Theo's non social status rubbed off on her. Overall, I still did like this book. show less

This is the perfect summer read. Serious camp vibes!!