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tealeafbooks's review against another edition
2.0
It was okay. BUT that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it.
It addresses alcoholism and grief in a way I don't recall seeing in YA recently.
It addresses alcoholism and grief in a way I don't recall seeing in YA recently.
salmashesh's review against another edition
3.0
Endearing and wholesome with amazing set of characters and some deeply touching moments
But it suffered from an abundance of...everything, too niche, too many alienating media specific references, too over the top moments, the cultural representation is top notch but sometimes left me lost and struggling to thread it together, probably due to my unfamiliarity with it which isn't the book's fault
I understand the story is pretty much personal and self indulgent for the author, but as coco chanel once said "take off one thing before you go out"
But it suffered from an abundance of...everything, too niche, too many alienating media specific references, too over the top moments, the cultural representation is top notch but sometimes left me lost and struggling to thread it together, probably due to my unfamiliarity with it which isn't the book's fault
I understand the story is pretty much personal and self indulgent for the author, but as coco chanel once said "take off one thing before you go out"
whitneymouse's review against another edition
4.0
**Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers in association with the New England Library Collaborative Teen Summit for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my rating**
I read the first three chapters of this in a sampler a few months ago and knew I needed to read it in full. I'm so glad I was able to! Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions is such a joyous celebration of nerdy fandom, especially what that looks like with BIPOC characters, which I loved. It also examines grief and love.
Sunny G starts off at prom, where Sunny is expecting the "best night of his life" based on Teen movies. This goes off the rails when Mindii Vang steals his recently deceased brother's notebook, leading them on a wild ride throughout the night as they both discuss loss in their families and make a "series of rash decisions", from trying new foods to cosplay poetry night. The characters in this were really fun to read about. I think a good "comparison" would be it's like a mix of Darius the Great is Not Okay and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist with a little hint of The Sun is Also a Star. The similarities to Darius ALONE guaranteed I would read this (both feature a male BIPOC character who is on a journey of self-discovery and have nods to their respective fandoms, Star Trek for Darius and the Jamie Snollygaster series for Sunny).
The ending of this book, especially, was really sweet and I thought the way the deeper themes of grief and loss and acceptance were handled really well, especially for a debut. I've read some books with similar themes lately that weren't handled with nearly as much grace or care as Dhillon puts into Sunny's ending. I was really impressed with that, as well as how the arc went across the book to lead to that moment. It was a highlight of the book.
The infusion of both the Punjabi and Hmong languages into the book were beautiful and makes me want to listen to the audiobook, as well, so I can hear how it's actually pronounced instead of reading an approximation online. There is a point made that it isn't the way that it's spelled. I loved Mindii's comment that the spelling is "for [her and her culture], not for you all to mangle the pronunciation by what you think it's supposed to sound like." The book is highly quotable like this, but I thought that particular point was well done and something that made me stop and look up the way it was pronounced every time since I was reading the text version.
My only real "gripe" is that there is a LOT of references to Avatar the Last Airbender in this book. I got the Snollygaster references because it's a large part of Sunny's life and an event they go to. I will also add that they delve into other fandoms as the book goes on. But the beginning was frontloaded with a LOT (I counted. It was 12) references to ATLA and how "Sunny only knows it because he watched it with Goldy (his brother)." That is too many for me. I tend to hold pop culture references against a book unless it's thematically relevant and while Mindii is very into ATLA (she dresses like a character), it was clear Sunny knew her references and didn't need to remind us each time that he knew because he watched it with Goldy. Just trust the reader a little more to remember that part and pick maybe the three most relevant references. Past that, it becomes too much for me. But that's my only issue in a otherwise GREAT book! That is excellent.
Overall, I would highly recommend this. It's funny and touching and a great read. I think many people will really love Sunny.
4/5 stars
I read the first three chapters of this in a sampler a few months ago and knew I needed to read it in full. I'm so glad I was able to! Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions is such a joyous celebration of nerdy fandom, especially what that looks like with BIPOC characters, which I loved. It also examines grief and love.
Sunny G starts off at prom, where Sunny is expecting the "best night of his life" based on Teen movies. This goes off the rails when Mindii Vang steals his recently deceased brother's notebook, leading them on a wild ride throughout the night as they both discuss loss in their families and make a "series of rash decisions", from trying new foods to cosplay poetry night. The characters in this were really fun to read about. I think a good "comparison" would be it's like a mix of Darius the Great is Not Okay and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist with a little hint of The Sun is Also a Star. The similarities to Darius ALONE guaranteed I would read this (both feature a male BIPOC character who is on a journey of self-discovery and have nods to their respective fandoms, Star Trek for Darius and the Jamie Snollygaster series for Sunny).
The ending of this book, especially, was really sweet and I thought the way the deeper themes of grief and loss and acceptance were handled really well, especially for a debut. I've read some books with similar themes lately that weren't handled with nearly as much grace or care as Dhillon puts into Sunny's ending. I was really impressed with that, as well as how the arc went across the book to lead to that moment. It was a highlight of the book.
The infusion of both the Punjabi and Hmong languages into the book were beautiful and makes me want to listen to the audiobook, as well, so I can hear how it's actually pronounced instead of reading an approximation online. There is a point made that it isn't the way that it's spelled. I loved Mindii's comment that the spelling is "for [her and her culture], not for you all to mangle the pronunciation by what you think it's supposed to sound like." The book is highly quotable like this, but I thought that particular point was well done and something that made me stop and look up the way it was pronounced every time since I was reading the text version.
My only real "gripe" is that there is a LOT of references to Avatar the Last Airbender in this book. I got the Snollygaster references because it's a large part of Sunny's life and an event they go to. I will also add that they delve into other fandoms as the book goes on. But the beginning was frontloaded with a LOT (I counted. It was 12) references to ATLA and how "Sunny only knows it because he watched it with Goldy (his brother)." That is too many for me. I tend to hold pop culture references against a book unless it's thematically relevant and while Mindii is very into ATLA (she dresses like a character), it was clear Sunny knew her references and didn't need to remind us each time that he knew because he watched it with Goldy. Just trust the reader a little more to remember that part and pick maybe the three most relevant references. Past that, it becomes too much for me. But that's my only issue in a otherwise GREAT book! That is excellent.
Overall, I would highly recommend this. It's funny and touching and a great read. I think many people will really love Sunny.
4/5 stars
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up
This was a fun YA #ownvoices Ferris Buellers day off-esque prom night story. It takes place over one night as straight-laced Sunny G, a Sikh teen who has drastically rejected a fundamental part of his culture and is dealing with his grief over the tragic death of his brother and Mindii Vang, a Hmong girl who is all about living life to the fullest.
Mindii steals Sunny's brother's notebook, setting off a chain of events that leads these two teens around the city on a series of increasingly rash and romantic adventures where they try new things and take chances Sunny never would have ordinarily taken.
I really enjoyed how well this story dealt with being a family member of an alcoholic, the diversity and cultural representation of the characters and that Sunny had a stutter he had to work hard to not feel self-conscious about.
Heartfelt with depth. This book is such a great YA story. I really enjoyed it on audio and definitely recommend for fans of books like Sway with me or Radha and Jai's recipe for romance.
This was a fun YA #ownvoices Ferris Buellers day off-esque prom night story. It takes place over one night as straight-laced Sunny G, a Sikh teen who has drastically rejected a fundamental part of his culture and is dealing with his grief over the tragic death of his brother and Mindii Vang, a Hmong girl who is all about living life to the fullest.
Mindii steals Sunny's brother's notebook, setting off a chain of events that leads these two teens around the city on a series of increasingly rash and romantic adventures where they try new things and take chances Sunny never would have ordinarily taken.
I really enjoyed how well this story dealt with being a family member of an alcoholic, the diversity and cultural representation of the characters and that Sunny had a stutter he had to work hard to not feel self-conscious about.
Heartfelt with depth. This book is such a great YA story. I really enjoyed it on audio and definitely recommend for fans of books like Sway with me or Radha and Jai's recipe for romance.
kelleemoye's review against another edition
5.0
I was so excited to write a teaching guide for this one, and I cannot wait to share it! I adored the nerdiness of this book–it has cosplay, fandom, and fanfiction references throughout that so many are going to love. Sunny is also such a wonderful character–both caring, funny, but also dealing with some real stuff. I also loved the allusions to rom-coms; it added an extra fun element to it. And on top of the story, I loved the representation in the book and was so happy to read reviews from readers who found themselves reflected in this novel. For me it was a window that I loved looking into, but for those who it is a mirror, it seems to mean a lot.
zbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This book is definitely made up of Sunny’s rash decisions that were pure amusement but also let him to the discovery that it’s ok to be yourself; that it’s ok to be mad at those who left before you and not understanding the “why” and to learning that friendships don’t end just because people move on. I did get lost in a lot of the cos-play references, but it didn’t detract from the story. The burgeoning romance between Mindii & Sunny was sweet and left me rooting for them to the end. The scene between Sunny & Goldy definitely brings out all the feels (no spoilers!)
_basicbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
After the death of his brother, Sunny decides to reinvent himself and make a series of rash decisions. This book takes place over a 24 hour period where he sets off on his adventure to change himself and makes some friends along the way.
One thing in particular that I loved about this book was Sunny. Not only was he a fun and endearing character, it was also interesting to learn about his Sikh Punjabi culture. This book captures Sunny’s friend and his brother’s alcoholism in a way that is raw and real and vulnerable in so many ways. There were a lot of references to fandoms that were a bit over my head at times and it was a bit slow during certain sections. Overall, this book was a fun adventure and a great story of a boy finding himself through his grief.
Thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
One thing in particular that I loved about this book was Sunny. Not only was he a fun and endearing character, it was also interesting to learn about his Sikh Punjabi culture. This book captures Sunny’s friend and his brother’s alcoholism in a way that is raw and real and vulnerable in so many ways. There were a lot of references to fandoms that were a bit over my head at times and it was a bit slow during certain sections. Overall, this book was a fun adventure and a great story of a boy finding himself through his grief.
Thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
notinjersey's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Sunny has shaved and stopped wearing his turban, wanting to be fearless and make a new start. He heads out to prom night, where he connects with Mindii and they end up spending the rest of the evening together. The best part of this book was the cultural representation – Sunny is Punjabi Sikh and Mindii is Hmong. Sunny is also mourning the loss of his older brother due to alcoholism and has a stutter. What I didn’t love about the book was the cosplay and fandom references, which I found hard to understand and relate to. Teens who are in these sort of communities will likely enjoy this one more than I did.
thindbooks's review against another edition
3.0
*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
I liked this book which is about Sikh boy who changed himself and decides to fill up his brother's rash decisions with a girl. It's so amazingly to see a Punjabi author write a book with a Sikh main character. As a Sikh myself, I enjoyed seeing this representation come to life because there aren't many books out here with Indian/Sikh representation.
For the writing, I have to say that it kind of felt more middle grade. It's not something I have read when it comes to contemporary romance and I don't know if it's because the MC is a boy and I'm a woman which makes it hard to feel what the MC is feeling. The storyline was very well done with many conflicts thrown into the story. Also there is a great amount of diversity in this book that I enjoyed as I learned about different cultures. I do have to say that the beginning was a tad slow for me and it did take me a while to get into the book. The story was very heartwarming and the only problem I had with the writing style was that it kind of felt middle gradish for me.
The main character in this book is Sunny who is the stuttering Sikh boy. I really enjoyed his character as he had a journey that was filled with grief and he grew throughout it. I enjoyed his character development in the book and his story. There are also many side characters in this book that I enjoyed. The main side character is Mindii and I enjoyed learning her Hmong culture. She was such a great friend for Sunny and I loved how she was such a supporting person. There is romance in this book which is friends to lovers trope. It wasn't my favorite romance and I rate it 0.5/5 level of steaminess.
I enjoyed the ending of this book as it was left open ended. Sunny has to still process the grief of his but he has friends to help him. This book was overall well written even though I didn't enjoy the pacing, romance and the middle grade style vibe. I will still of course read more books by the author in the future as I would love to see more Sikh representations in YA novels. I recommend reading this book to expend your diversity and learning about the Sikh culture.
I liked this book which is about Sikh boy who changed himself and decides to fill up his brother's rash decisions with a girl. It's so amazingly to see a Punjabi author write a book with a Sikh main character. As a Sikh myself, I enjoyed seeing this representation come to life because there aren't many books out here with Indian/Sikh representation.
For the writing, I have to say that it kind of felt more middle grade. It's not something I have read when it comes to contemporary romance and I don't know if it's because the MC is a boy and I'm a woman which makes it hard to feel what the MC is feeling. The storyline was very well done with many conflicts thrown into the story. Also there is a great amount of diversity in this book that I enjoyed as I learned about different cultures. I do have to say that the beginning was a tad slow for me and it did take me a while to get into the book. The story was very heartwarming and the only problem I had with the writing style was that it kind of felt middle gradish for me.
The main character in this book is Sunny who is the stuttering Sikh boy. I really enjoyed his character as he had a journey that was filled with grief and he grew throughout it. I enjoyed his character development in the book and his story. There are also many side characters in this book that I enjoyed. The main side character is Mindii and I enjoyed learning her Hmong culture. She was such a great friend for Sunny and I loved how she was such a supporting person. There is romance in this book which is friends to lovers trope. It wasn't my favorite romance and I rate it 0.5/5 level of steaminess.
I enjoyed the ending of this book as it was left open ended. Sunny has to still process the grief of his but he has friends to help him. This book was overall well written even though I didn't enjoy the pacing, romance and the middle grade style vibe. I will still of course read more books by the author in the future as I would love to see more Sikh representations in YA novels. I recommend reading this book to expend your diversity and learning about the Sikh culture.