ARC Review: Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park

“This was a very sweet, entertaining read”
~ Under the Covers

Sunny Song is your classic rising-senior in high school in LA, looking forward to her summer break filled with friends, college prep classes, and filming content for her social media platforms. Ever since a a video of Sunny as a child went viral, Sunny has managed to create an increasingly successful social media presence. But when one of her live streams goes viral because of some content involving accidentally cooking in a sports bra, Sunny’s summer changes drastically. Sunny’s parents have always been concerned with Sunny’s focus on social media and this new live stream was the final straw, which is how Sunny finds herself in a technology detox camp at a farm in Iowa. Sunny will have to learn to cope without her phone, followers, and LA-friends, opening her mind to unexpected experiences, including farm chores, senior citizens, and new friends.

Team Sunny all the way! This was a very sweet, entertaining read. Park is a great writer—it reminds me of Julie Murphy’s style, in the way that the story reads conversationally. She captures Sunny’s voice brilliantly, which is really what made this book stand out for me. The humor and sarcasm are funny and clever, really capturing the voice of a Gen Z girl.

This was a quick read for me—not so much because of a compelling plot, but because of the ease with which it reads and the shorter chapters. Don’t get me wrong, the plot was definitely fun. As a millennial who doesn’t quite understand how YouTubers have been so successful monetizing their brands, it was interesting to see what goes behind content creation. I don’t think I realized how consuming it could be, so as Sunny’s experience with it was certainly a new perspective.

There were nice sentiments to be found here, like putting real connections and relationships above superficial ones, but as far as YA books go this one didn’t seem to go as deep as others I’ve read. Not that Sunny’s problems were real or serious, but maybe certain issues, like her relationship with her mom, could have been explored more. The end had some enlightening moments, but other aspects of the book seemed to wrap up a little too conveniently. I don’t think it took away from the book, though—it was still very fun, but I would just know that it’s more a lighthearted, summer read. If you’ve read and liked Made In Korea by Sarah Suk, you would really like this one too!