Hello, Sunshine by Leila Howland

Published on July 11, 2017 by Disney-Hyperion

Source: eARC for review from the publisher

Plot Summary of Hello, Sunshine by Leila Howland

Becca Harrington is a reject. After being rebuffed by every college on her list, she needs a fresh start, so she packs up everything and moves to LA, giving herself one year to land an acting gig or kill herself trying. Unfortunately, not everything turns out as planned, and after a few grueling months, LA is looking like the worst idea ever. As hard as she tries, Becca can’t land an agent, she's running out of cash, and her mom is hounding her to apply to more schools. In an act of desperation, Becca and her friend Marisol start posting short videos online—with the help of their adorable filmmaker neighbor, Raj—and the videos catch the attention of a TV producer. Could this be it? Her big break? Or will she have to move back home with nothing but some bad head shots and a monstrous credit-card bill? Becca may not get the Hollywood ending she was hoping for, but perhaps she’ll learn there’s more than one way to achieve her dream.

Review of Hello, Sunshine by Leila Howland

This book was adorable! 

Becca's feeling low. Not only was she rejected from every college she applied to, but after a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend - he's headed to Stanford, she's headed to L.A. to try to find work as an actress - he dumps her. 

But she pulls herself up and tries to make it work.

I loved that this book didn't sugarcoat the difficulty of working toward your dreams. I was reading an New York Times article recently that described a new college class on ... failure -- being open to it and bouncing back from it. The article argues that today's kids, raised by helicopter parents in a trophy-for-everyone culture, haven't been taught how to fail. (I'd also argue that social media culture, a culture that didn't exist during the 80s and 90s when I grew up, encourages all of us to pretend that our lives are great and perfect all the time.) 

So I kind of loved that Becca does fail. Even though she's hard-working and motivated, she suffers a lot of setbacks, which were painful to read about at times. But she never gives up.

There was something so endearing to me about this book. I'm an HGTV addict, and loved Becca's struggles to set up her tiny apartment on a budget - yes, stories of hanging curtains on the cheap are fascinating to me. 

Becca also gets to know her motley crew of neighbors (very Melrose Place, lol), navigates the competitive and often frustrating showbiz world, and even finds time for a new romance.

All in all, a cute book that's also inspirational. And a great summer read!