eARC Review: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie

The Haunting of Sunsine girl
The Haunting #1

Author: Paige McKenzie
Expected Publication: March 24th 2015
Publisher: Weinstein Books
Format: eARC
Number of pages: 304
Source: Netgalley
Preorder: Amazon, TBD

From Goodreads
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…

My Review

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl enchanted me from the moment I read that it had been inspired by a Youtube series about ghosts; many of you may have noticed that I love Horrors, I love Stephen King, I loved Bag of Bones, and I was excited to read more about ghosts and creepy stories. Although The Haunting of Sunshine Girl may not have lived up exactly to my expectations, I can't really say that I didn't enjoyed it ... on the contrary, it was a light read with a little touch of creepiness that I would recommend to all those who actually don't have the courage to pick up horrors, but would like to give ghosts a try!

Let's just say that I had some troubles with the beginning (as I usually have); the ghostly theme is introduced since the very start, and I though that, this way, there would have been more space for the creepiness itself, but actually, half of the book developed without really focusing on the haunting.

Sometimes I felt like the book resumed some majors cliche without really bringing something new: I mean, I think I've heard a lot about the weirdo girl, who tends to stay away from boys and girls her age, that discovers to be special. Sunshine, although, is a very likable character, funny, sweet, someone you can easily grow fond of, but probably not the right person to put as the heroine of a ghost novel. I thought that her humor sometimes didn't quite fit the situation and contributed at lightening the tension that was already really low. On the other hand, I loved her relationship with her mother, and I think this has been one of the main reason why I kept reading the book, because I loved how she struggled to keep her safe, and I really wanted her to be safe, indeed.

Speaking of the creepiness, I already told you, I expected it to be more than what it actually was, especially because of the Youtube's references, but being sincere I also have to admit that there were a couple of scenes that really got me goosebumps! They were horrible, disgusting to imagine, but, of course, I can't reveal much more without ruining the story! 

Despite everything, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl is really fast-pacing and entertaining novel, the author knows how to write fluently and how to interest the reader. If you're willing to try a little bit of horror, without compromising your sleep, then you should give The Haunting of Sunshine Girl a try!

Rated 3.35