Sunkissed by Jenny McLachlan

Sunkissed The Ladybirds Book Three
Written by Jenny McLachlan
Contemporary, Coming of Age
Expected Publication August 13th 2015
302 Pages
Thanks to Bloomsbury Australia via Netgalley
RATING ★★★★★
Following on from Flirty Dancing and Love Bomb, Jenny McLachlan's next book is perfect summer holiday reading for fans of Geek Girl and Louise Rennison.

Kat can’t believe her family are sending her to Sweden for the summer. But without her friends, or even a phone signal, can Kat make it on her own?

In a land of saunas, nudity and summer sun, Kat soon realises she has nowhere to hide. It’s time to embrace who she really is, underneath what she’s been thinking people want her to be. Especially if she’s going to win the heart of mega fit Swede Leo! Can Kat find her inner strength and prove she’s got what it takes?

Kat soon finds that when you're surrounded by phosphorescence and wonder it’s easy to sparkle. Or maybe that’s what happens when you fall in love... Or maybe you only shine when you’re true to yourself.
Fifteen year old Kat is in trouble, again. A long story of a wardrobe and her sister's former boyfriend later, and she finds herself en route to spending the summer with her Aunt Frida in Stockholm while her parents are on their fifth honeymoon, leaving older sister Britta home alone. But little does Kat know that she isn't on her way to Stockholm...

Welcome to the island of Strala, where nothing ever happens. Leaving behind her impressive shoe collection, not to mention electricity, Kat has a choice of canoeing, snorkeling or dancing every Friday night away to the sounds of grumpy resident Otto and his one man dance party. Her only friend on the island is thirteen year old twin Nanna, an explosion of loud shirts and compliments that could be mistaken for insults... Until Leo turns up.

Leo is a regular on the island each year, staying over the summer break to compete in the island's annual triathlon tradition Tuff Troll. Over five magical days, their tentative friendship turns into something more. Until Leo breaks Kat's heart. 

Wanting to prove that she's more than a summer tourist, Kat begins to train for the triathlon to prove to her family, Leo and most importantly herself, that there is more to Kat than shoes. But to enter, you need a partner and with everyone on the island already in pairs, it's time to call in the big guns for help. The ladybirds.

MY THOUGHTS

Like previous books in the Ladybirds series, Sunkissed follows the story of Kat, one part of the group of once best friends and now fumbling through adolescence with each other for support. Kat is fashion conscious and can't live without best friends Bea and Betty, even resident mean girl Pearl. So when she's caught hidden in her wardrobe with her sister's former boyfriend, she knows she's pushed her parents too far. She's on her way to Sweden, spending the next few weeks of summer with her eccentric aunt Frida, but little does Kat realise that her aunt has other plans. Kat is staying in a ramshackle hut on the island of Strala, with no phone coverage, no electricity and no cute boy prospects. Then Leo arrives.

As a character, Leo wasn't the summer romance I had assumed he would be. He was lovely enough, but lacked a backbone as readers will discover. New friend Nanna more than made up for Leo's lack of likability, with her loud obnoxious shirts which are at odds with her personality. She's such a breath of fresh air.

Unlike previous series installments, Sunkissed isn't as comical, but more about the power of believing in yourself. There are still moments of laughter thanks to Nanna, but I felt Kat was much more serious than both Bea and Betty and it took me longer to warm to her personality. Regardless, it was wonderfully entertaining and I absolutely adore this series for it's fun and lighthearted take on four teens who are rekindling their childhood friendships.

THE VERDICT

A brilliant series for fans of fluffy, coming of age romances. Jenny McLachlan is the ultimate crafter of quirky characters, entertaining and feel good storylines that stay with you long after the final page is turned.

16 comments

  1. Thanks for your honest thoughts. That's good you still enjoyed this one even though Kat was hard to get used too.

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    1. It wasn't as funny as previous books in the series, but a lovely little quick and entertaining read nonetheless.

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  2. Ahh I love this series, despite how young it reads. Sometimes when I'm in the mood for a cute romance filled with realistic friendships and relationship, I turn to these books. I have yet to read the third installment (actually forgot who Kat is eep), but I'm looking forward to picking this one up, especially in summer. :D

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    1. Same Joy. I couldn't remember who Kat was at first either, I can't recall her having played a big part in the previous books in the series. Pearl was awesome in this one, the resident mean girl. She's outrageously funny and really looking forward to her story now too.

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  3. This series sounds cute :) Coming of age romances can be so fun. Thank you for sharing Kelly, it sounds like a great summer read!

    - Wattle @ Whimsical Nature

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    1. It really is Wattle, fun, fluffy and really entertaining. I loved the series so far and now eagerly awaiting book four in the series, which I believe is the final installment.

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  4. Gosh. I don't even know about this series, Kelly. I'm often curious about seeing the characters of Kat's calibre brought down a few pegs, so that alone is an enticement for me. *sneers evilly*

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    1. Me too Joy. Nothing like a pretentious, puffed up character being put in her place. This series is more upper middle grade, but fluffy and fun. A perfect read for in between those heavier books.

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  5. That is such a cute cover! Sad that this is in series. :( I am avoiding them for now. Don't have time and budget for series. Anyway, thank you for putting this on my radar! Maybe picking this series when I'm ready for them. Lovely review as always! :)


    Yani @ Paper Boulevard

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    1. Even though they are part of a series, they can still be read as standalone books too Yani. I'm pretty sure Sunkissed is still available on Netgalley as well, so perfect timing if you wanted to give it a go without committing to an entire series.

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  6. Wow, I have GOT to check this series out. This whole post was making me smile, so I can just imagine the book itself.

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    1. It's really lovely Christy. It reads as upper middle grade, but with fun and flirty romances, not to mention really quirky characters. I did enjoy books one and two more than Sunkissed, but it's still a great addition to the series.

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  7. Ah, I just saw this one at the bookstore yesterday! o_o Now I'm a bit stumped that I didn't buy it. I love quirky characters and lighthearted friendships and romances. So glad you enjoyed this one, though! I might pick it up next time. Lovely review, Kelly Bear! <3

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    1. You should definitely start from book one though Aimee, it's so utterly charming and really sets the scene for the whole series. Although I really enjoyed Sunkissed, I felt it wasn't as strong as the previous two books and didn't have that same quirky humour sadly. Still a worthy edition though.

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  8. This series looks like a lot of fun! I definitely need to check it out.

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    1. It really is Sarah. It's young, but such a breath of fresh air for in between series and heavier reads.

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