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A review by lillimoore
Lady Sunshine by Amy Mason Doan
3.0
If Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau and Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid could have a literary love child, this would be it. It has all the groovy vibes of the 1970s books that are all the rage right now and the setting of what is essentially a summer camp for adults on the California coast is a lovely escape. I really enjoyed the alternating timelines between 1979 and 1999 and I thought Jackie—especially the younger version of her—was a really interesting and nuanced character. Teenage Jackie was definitely the most complex and interesting character we had throughout. However, the other characters were not as much. Although I did really love both Angela and Willa, I felt like both of them and everyone else in the book could have used a little bit more development.
What this book does well: set the scene, make you feel as though you're in this magical little California summerscape, give anecdotes from the time period that make you nostalgic even for something you may not have been alive for. What I wish it had done better: character and relationship building. I wanted so much more from Graham, so that maybe I could have empathized with him and his fate. I wanted him to share more about Jane with Jackie. I wanted more from Jackie's father. I wanted more from Shane. I want to stop reading books where Nice Dudes just get totally hurt for no reason! I don't think having Jackie start the story as a single woman would have hurt anything. Paul felt totally unnecessary. I just felt like this idea was so cool and the story had so much potential, but missed the mark a little bit. However I still really enjoyed it and think you will too if you're a fan of the books I mentioned at the beginning of this review!
What this book does well: set the scene, make you feel as though you're in this magical little California summerscape, give anecdotes from the time period that make you nostalgic even for something you may not have been alive for. What I wish it had done better: character and relationship building. I wanted so much more from Graham, so that maybe I could have empathized with him and his fate. I wanted him to share more about Jane with Jackie. I wanted more from Jackie's father. I wanted more from Shane. I want to stop reading books where Nice Dudes just get totally hurt for no reason! I don't think having Jackie start the story as a single woman would have hurt anything. Paul felt totally unnecessary. I just felt like this idea was so cool and the story had so much potential, but missed the mark a little bit. However I still really enjoyed it and think you will too if you're a fan of the books I mentioned at the beginning of this review!