Arc Review: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie and Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Based on the wildly popular YouTube channel, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl has been described as “ Gilmore Girls meets Paranormal Activity for the new media age.” YA fans new and old will learn the secrets behind Sunshine—the adorkable girl living in a haunted house—a story that is much bigger, and runs much deeper, than even the most devoted viewer can imagine…

I was given an arc copy of this book from the publisher on net-galley in exchange for an honest review

This was a GREAT book, I started it and couldn't stop reading it. It is haunting, refreshing and unique. I haven't seen the YouTube channel it is based on and don't really care to, honestly. This book was awesome, the atmosphere was great I actually felt cold, wet and moldy while reading it just the way the main character describes feeling in their haunted house.

I am not sure it's as Gilmore Girls meets Paranormal Activity as the blurb says, but I did enjoy the plot line, mythology, characters and background. The novel didn't scare me however, at no time was I like, "turn the lights on please." I enjoyed Sunshine's interactions with the ghost little girl and the demon as well as Nolan and all the other colorful characters. This was a solid novel, thought out, interesting and built up.

I really like that there is a HUGE possibility for a romance between Nolan and Sunshine that never happens, so many YA books have too much romance in them (mine included) that it is a breath of fresh air to find one without.

My only issues with this book were that she was just SO into photography at the start of the book, which bugged me cause that seems to be popular in YA right now. I just read a novel called Sweet Unrest where the heroine is WAY into photography too. However, the big issue was that after a few chapters the photography thing really isn't seen again. My second issue was the start of this book was too Twlight for me. Sunshine has been forced to move from sunny warm Austin Texas to an always raining and wet small town in Washington, that she bitches about being dark, wet, cold and dreary for most of the novel.

Those things aside, and they did NOT affect the rating, this book was a fast paced edgy novel that I read through in two days. Warning though: It ends on a cliff hanger that seriously made me go, "WTF! No!!!!" Now I HAVE to read the sequel.