Mini Monday: Sunshine Is Forever by Kyle T. Cowan

I've realized that I have a LOT of drafts from years ago. Most of them are short reviews that I never actually got around to posting. To get them out of my drafts and into posts that I can share with you, I've decided that on Mondays I am going to post one until my drafts are cleaned out. Without further ado, welcome to my first Mini Monday!

Sunshine is Forever by Kyle T. Cowan

Goodreads Synopsis

After a life-changing decision, Hunter decides that he can’t go on…

…which lands him in Camp Sunshine, a rehab center for depressed teens. Hunter is determined to keep everyone there out of his head, especially his therapist. But when he meets Corin, a beautiful, mysterious, and confident fellow camper, all Hunter wants to do is open up to her, despite the fact that he’s been warned Corin is bad news.

When Corin devises a plan for them to break out of the camp, Hunter is faced with the ultimate choice — will he run from the traumatic incident he’s tried so hard to escape, or will he learn that his mistakes have landed him right where he’s meant to be?

Sunshine is Forever captures the heartbreaking spirit of The Fault in Our Stars, the humor of Orange is the New Black, and the angst of Catcher in the Rye.

Thoughts

I struggled a little to get through this book. The author tackled the very difficult subject matter of depression and suicide, and I would love to say that it was handled well, but a lot of the time, the writing was repetitive, and the story became boring to me at times.

One aspect that I did enjoy was the intimate relationship in this book. It could be described as insta love, but I didn’t mind it. To me it felt like two teenagers clinging to each other while they struggled to navigate their lives and mental health. I think it’s fair to say that they probably would have found a way to cling to anything that may have made them feel some kind of escape from their personal darkness, and I think that that is a feeling that a lot of people can resonate with.

Overall, I did not feel captivated in any way by this story, even though I did enjoy the relationship dynamics occasionally. I wouldn’t say I definitely don’t recommend this book, but it definitely wasn’t for me.