A heartwarming read about a woman who feels life hasn't quite started moving forward for her yet. The tension Sunny felt as a British-South Asian woman was explained clearly and I felt immersed in it with her. Ojla's writing is funny and informative and carried me along. Would recommend.

Sunny is struggling with life, she is living at home with her parents and is stuck in a job she doesn't love. She is growing apart from her friends and doesn't see where she fits in. She is most definitely depressed and this is where I felt that the book needed to be expanded.
It was light and amusing in places, but I felt that it needed some more serious sections and these were glossed
over.
I also felt that we got a lot of back story and then just as things started changing it ended, I would have loved to read more on Sunny decisions and what happens next.
Tliked her relationship with her mum and how that grew throughout the book, the love really some through the pages.

I really enjoyed this book.
Sunny was a likeable and relatable character. I loved reading her dating horrors they were funny and added some realism for why Sunny is now now making some changes. We get to see Sunny's day to day life navigating with her from her family, work and to love. As well as the funny moments we also lightly get to see the vulnerable side of Sunny and her worries and anxieties as what will be and how the world potentially perceives her. I would have liked to have heard more on this.
Overall a fantastic read.

Sunny is hiding things from her parents, her friends and herself. She is caught up in the quest for a suitable husband, and for a while, the reader is too. However, both Sunny and the reader come to the realisation that the way she is living her life is the problem, that the quest is making her suffer. I was rooting for Sunny and felt aggrieved for her when she was misunderstood and harshly judged. Recommended reading.

When I started reading 'Sunny', my first thought was "Here we go again. Not another funny fat girl in search of love' story. But this book shrugged off that initial label and developed into so much more although it did have to pass through "Funny fat girl hiding her identity from her Sikh parents' and 'Funny fat girl not respecting herself enough to expect more than a one night stand' until eventually turning into '30 year old finally realises you don't have to be what you always were for the people you were always performing for'.

It's not bad at all.

If you have Sikh friends, you'll spot ALL the many and varied cliches about family and community but just because they're cliches. doesn't mean they aren't true.

My favourite character is Sunny's mother and Sunny's friend Natalie - both of whom are great people for showing a strong character who is having a gigantic wobble that she doesn't need to keep playing other people's games.

Good stuff!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.

I really liked Sunny and her story, she's likeable, relatable, funny and kind and she's a character I would enjoy reading more about. I like how real she felt, she is trying to survive in the modern world of dating, surrounded by thoughtless friends and constant reminders of how life can sometimes feel like you are standing still whilst everyone around you is running. It really resonated with me and I really enjoyed this book.

Sunny is the centre of her friendship group with her hilarious stories and bubbly personality but she’s also playing the role of the perfect Sikh daughter. She juggles both lives perfectly but as her friends start to settle down and get married, she’s beginning to feel the pressure to do the same. Then her mother starts to take an interest in her dating life. It might finally be time for Sunny to be completely honest with everyone including herself. Sunny is an amazingly written, flawed protagonist with a good heart. She is fantastically relatable for anyone who has ever felt overlooked or out of place. It’s a funny and heartwarming story which explores themes of mental health, family and friendships as well as dating within the Indian community. Ultimately, Sunny is about self-growth and learning to embrace who you really are, packaged in a brilliant five star read.

There was something entirely enjoyable about this book. The point of view is not one I am familiar with or at least the few I have had the opportunity to read did not agree with me. This was not the case here. If anything, I would say only the incessant reference to her own physical appearance was the thing that got a little tiring (the number of times could have been fewer). I got that point out of the way in the very beginning to get a better grip on my review.
Sunny is dissatisfied with where she is in her life. She is living with her parents (to save on rent) and working in a job that she does not have a passion for. Being highly empathetic, she lets people's comfort supersede her own when situations arise. When the book begins, it is an especially tiring time as her closest friend is getting married. This is to be an Indian wedding (one of the best conversations I found was the discussion between this and what it would mean to call it Indian Themed instead)
The author walks a line when it comes close to stereotyping the people in her community by adding enough information regarding daily life (both personal and as a group) to provide an extensive view of what it means to belong to such a community. The narrative did not just pick at a few points and harp on them, which was refreshing and informative.
These varying colours are shown in many of her relationships as well. Each person is not just as they appear at first glance, making some family moments extremely heartfelt. I shed a few tears over a few scenes (quite wholeheartedly).
Sunny is the coming of age story with the growth arc of not just one individual but many of the people and the bonds they share with our protagonist. The writing is smooth, and the author's personal experiences seem to have influenced the stark reality of some interactions featured here.
I would definitely pick another book by the author and recommend this to others who find the blurb interesting.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This was a simple, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I really enjoyed reading Sunny and going on a journey with her!
Sunny is a 30-year-old Punjabi woman who is living at home with her parents, feeling a little outside of everyone else, and wondering what the heck is going to happen next.
She’s really at a crossroads in her life – she hates her job, feels like she’s living a double life she’s sunny on the outside but not so much on the inside! Sunny is lying to her parents particularly her mum a lot, her friends and even her colleagues at work and feels like her friends aren’t really her friends any more, she’s lost.
Maintaining her standing as the dutiful daughter, she’s searching for "Mr Right" away from the watchful eyes of her mum whilst keeping up the appearance of being the happy go lucky, amusing one amongst her circle of friends.
But really Sunny like so many of us, is suffering big style from low self-esteem and anxiety, and she comfort-eats carb heavy and sweet treats stashed away in her bedroom as her coping mechanism. Boy can I relate!
This story is crucially also about the relationship between Sunny and her mother, as they learn to communicate - much of this in the latter chapters made me almost cry because it was just so lovely and heart-warming.⁠ I really liked her relationship with her mum and how that grew throughout the book, the love really shone through the pages despite them not actually verbalising those three little words!
Although culturally Sunny and I are different, I saw a lot of my younger self in Sunny when I had a big breakup and had to move back home and try to start again when some of my friends were settling down getting married and climbing the corporate ladder.
I loved how this wasn’t a typical find a man to make you happy story, this was about Sunny hitting rock bottom and pulling herself out of it, saying goodbye to toxic (and in one case racist) friendships and embracing new friendships and new starts.

☀️SUNNY☀️
.
I've been reading this on my night time wake ups with Baby F and it has been so engaging I've often carried on reading long after he's gone back to sleep!
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Sunny outwardly is the happy, fun, single friend navigating through modern dating whilst keeping it a secret from her family. I loved learning about Sikh culture through Sunny's eyes and following her battle to lead her own life without disappointing her parents.
.
Many relatable moments and humour throughout as well as real talk about mental health and modern life.
Another brilliant debut with another brilliant protagonist. There is so much to love about Sunny but I especially enjoyed that this was not your typical love story. Can't wait to read more by @sukhojla
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#bookstagramuk #bookstagram #booklover #booksof2022 #debutnovel #sunny #debut #ebook #booksbooksbooks #bookishlove #bookrecommendations #bookworm

Sunny Sanghera is a 30-year-old Punjabi woman currently living back at home with her parents in Gravesend. Single and still looking for love, Sunny’s life is a massive lie. Maintaining her standing as the dutiful daughter, she’s searching for "Mr Right" away from the watchful eyes of her mum whilst keeping up the appearance of being the happy go lucky, amusing one amongst her circle of friends. Really though, she is suffering big style from low self-esteem and anxiety, and she comfort-eats ham and crisp sandwiches, slabs of chocolate and huge bags of cheese puffs among other things.

Wise and extremely amusing, I really enjoyed this début. Sukh Ojla applies an injection of humour at precisely the right moments making life's everyday situations interesting to read about. As I greedily flipped the pages I found myself willing Sunny to a happier place where she might feel comfortable in her own skin. This novel is very much about friendships, both genuine and toxic ones. Sukh Ojla's terrific writing made it easy to feel Sunny's emotions; her being the odd one out, her pain and insecurity. Family dynamics are also a main feature of the novel and I revelled being privy to Sunny's evolving relationship with her mum. Sukh Ojla's début is well worth picking up.

A special thank you to Hodder & Stoughton, Sukh Ojla, NetGalley and Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read. This review is my unbiased opinion.

I have watched this author in many stand up comedy shows and received the book with much anticipation. I devoured the book in a couple of days and found myself laughing out loud in parts and at times, wanting to be Sunny's best friend, whether that meant giving her a hug or heading out for some eventful festivities because she is a riot. As a 30-year-old single British-Asian, Sikh woman, who returns home in Gravesend after she is made redundant from her job in London, Sunny is also a representation of the diaspora in the United Kingdom, grappling between the fusion between the western culture they've grown up with alongside their Asian heritage and striking a balance between the two when it comes to identity.

We follow Sunny as she straddles the various pressures that come with this, looking a certain way, achieving certain milestones by a certain age, the struggle to find an emotionally available partner when limited to the superficial confines of online dating apps and ultimately, when surrounded by family and friends who voice their observations aloud, her deliberation of these various desires from life and whether they are imposed by society or act as a true reflection of what Sunny really wants.

Ojla presents her debut with an undeniable conviction and the effort to raise issues of cultural appropriation, mental health, depression the struggle to speak openly with family and experiences with therapy in a way which is sensitive and seeks to be inclusive for the readers. As a British Asian, I found Sunny's experiences of family life ina punjabi household to be accurate that I found myself snug, almost as if it was home...and sometimes so unexpected that I would laugh out abruptly with delight at the similarity! I loved Sunny and found it an easy read and couldn't recommend it more.

Thank you so so much @Netgalley and @Hodderbooks @Hodderpublicity for the advanced reader's copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book and loved Sunny! An angry 30 year old feeling stuck with her unfriendly friends and her inadequate tinder dates. Pretending to be something she’s not she struggles against casual racism and sexism. Unable to see her own value and the love of her real friends she is full of self loathing yet this is a story of hope and finding real love in unexpected places

The balance of keeping up with expectations set upon you by family, always keeping up the appearance of being the happy and funny friend versus the reality of how imagined your life and coping with real feelings.
While it seems that Sunny might mainly be preoccupied with finding “the one”, friendship and what makes someone a good or toxic friend is an enormous part of this story and at one point I found myself wanting to give Sunny a hug and tell her that it's okay to not be okay.
What made this book a great read was the humour that Sukh Ojla put into the characters and the maybe somewhat absurd but still familiar everyday type of situations.

Ok, so this was great. Sunny is a wonderful character, even if she doesn’t seem to think so herself. I found the book very easy to read, entertaining with its witty comebacks but also very much relatable in its depiction of anxiety nowadays. The story is pleasantly layered and I really enjoyed the interactions between Sunny and her mother. It reminded me of the novel “Queenie” at times, only more subtle and better executed. This is a great debut. I’ll make sure to recommend this one to many people in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC.

I really enjoyed reading this. Sunny is a thirty-something Indian woman navigating work, family life, body image, friends, dating and much more.

At times it’s sad, but balanced with a witty sense of humour - an easy, enjoyable read.

Sunny on the outside but not so sunny on the inside; that pretty much sums up 30 year old Punjabi woman Sunny Sanghera, currently back home living with her parents in Gravesend. Single, overweight but still looking for love despite a plethora of dating disasters,Sunny’s life is one huge fat lie. Trying to maintain her status as the good dutiful daughter she’s keeping her search for The One secret from the prying, watchful eyes of her mother whilst keeping up the appearance of being the jovial, happy go lucky funny one amongst her circle of friends. In reality she suffers from social anxiety and low self esteem, comfort eating in the privacy of her own bedroom in a bid to stop thinking she’s been left on the shelf, whilst her cousins and friends are busy settling down, getting married and living perfect, glossy lives thank you very much.

This is a funny, wise and incredibly relatable novel and one I’ll be encouraging my daughter to read. It will definitely resonate with women everywhere, many of the troubles and anxieties Sunny faces instantly recognisable irrespective of your background. But what makes this novel extra special is the humour that Sukh Ojla applies to these everyday familiar situations. Hardly surprising given she’s a comedian but I wasn’t aware of that fact until I’d finished the book as I tend to skim over all the blurb! She allows us to laugh at ourselves, hitting the nail on the head with regards to the absurd pressures we (and others!) place upon ourselves as we stumble our way through our twenties and into our thirties. It’s often hilarious, may occasionally make you wince with embarrassment and will possibly make you salivate as there are a lot of food references (yum yum). However what you’ll find yourself doing the most as you romp through the pages is urging Sunny towards a better happier place in which she learns to feel comfortable in her own skin. Sunny joins the ranks of fictional characters you just want to smother with affection. She really brought out the mother hen in me and as the novel progresses I felt myself becoming fiercely protective of Sunny’s feelings, like a tigress protecting her cub. For the duration of the novel I “adopted” Sunny as one of my own, itching to fight her battles for her. As I often find myself doing with my own daughter who’s struggling to find her feet (and her voice) in an adult world I wanted to hold Sunny close and remind her that everything would be alright in the end and if it wasn’t then it wouldn’t be the end!

Although Sunny (and her mum!) may be preoccupied with finding a potential husband this novel is all about friendships too; unhealthy toxic ones which are well past their sell by date and good, sometimes surprising ones that offer Sunny sanctuary from all the insanity around her. On many occasions I was booing and hissing at these so called friends, berating Sunny for comparing herself to these shallow, unkind, skinny b*****s. I felt every inch of her pain and insecurity at forever being the odd one out, recognising the trap women fall into, competing and comparing ourselves to our contemporaries only to find ourselves wanting. Why do we do it?? I was impatient for Sunny to finally see the light and take control of her own happiness. The question is does she succeed?

I love novels that showcase individuals from very different backgrounds to my own so to be able to immerse myself in Sunny’s life in and outside of the Sanghera household was a wonderful experience I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. She truly is a character and a half! Family dynamics are fascinating full stop and I loved being privy to the conversations that occur between Sunny and her meddling but well meaning mum. The nature of their relationship and the way it evolves over time is an integral part Sunny’s story and is perhaps my favourite aspect of the novel. I adored Mrs S almost as much as her daughter! I could easily see myself making friends with this woman gossiping about our daughters lives amongst other things! I’d like to think that’s not the last we’ll hear of the Sangheras as both mother and daughter are brilliant, believable characters. Sukh Ojla’s debut is a witty, fun read and one I heartily recommend.

My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful ray of “sunny-shine” which will definitely brighten your day! The trials and tribulations of single 30 something Sunny who moved back home after losing her job in London. This story made me smile and made me fall a bit in love with Sunny, I also saw a lot of my old self in her. Definitely a massive heart warmer!,

Sunny by Sukh Ojla

It is rare a book makes me actually laugh out loud but this one did in a few places. It follows Sunny a 30 year old single Punjabi female who has had to move home. It follows Sunny through depression, setting boundaries in relationships, and navigating growing up with two cultures.

I found this book really relatable in many ways. It looked at all the things you “should” achieve by 30 and how you “should look” and the effect it can have on your mental health- such vital topics in a world where we often communicate via social media. This book is not preachy, and is very accessible.

Sunny is a delightful character who you want to give a hug and tell her it’s going to be alright. This is an enjoyable, easy read. One to take on holiday to read by the pool, or for when you loose your reading mojo.

3 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

*this book was gifted by netgalley but all views my own*