- Brightest Light of Sunshine

5⭐️ 50⭐️ 500⭐️ 50000⭐️ I feel so loopy & giddy with the amount of serotonin this book just gave me so bear w me pls in this extremely comprehensive (not 🫠) review of The Brightest Light of Sunshine by Lisina Coney aka: the book that destroyed me in the best possible way 🤪 » Grace was omg 🥹🤯… strong, open, WONDERFUL!! » Cal? 😮‍💨 Cal has me over here CRYING into my blankets, sobbing & panting like a lovesick fool. 🥵 » Grace & Cal… & MADDIE!? ❤️ HAHAHA NOOO SHUT👏🏻UP👏🏻 SO GOOD. 👑 So good. SOOO good! Can I say anything other than “so good” ? 🤣 Let’s find out! 👇🏻 The pacing was impeccable. Nothing felt too rushed or too dragged out. The slooowww burn ❤️‍🔥 angst of their feelings, does she like me? does he like me? does he like me in THAT way, I SHOULDN’T be thinking abt her in THAT way? *nom nom nom* I ate that UP! 🤤 The writing was fantastic. So easy to read, so descriptive, so REAL. I LOVE that this book features healthy communication. MISS ME WITH THAT 3rd ACT BREAKUP👏🏻😂 two grown adults actually telling each other their honest feelings???? Girl, that is so refreshing to read!! The issues the characters dealt with were very serious & intense (check TWs) but they never felt DRAMATIC. I loved that. The author struck the balance so well & u could clearly see that so much time went into developing these characters bc they were perfect. Yes- PERFECT! 👌🏻 The spice?? The sex positivity?? Cal ENCOURAGING Grace to read SMUT 🤣 yes baby yes! Their first kiss? 🌶️ Their second? 🌶️🌶️ Cal asking Grace’s permission? 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Their first night together!? 🔥🔥🔥🔥 CAL’S DIRTY TALK!? Call the fire company bc I’m up in flames 🚒🚒🚒🚒 THEIR VULNERABILITY W INTIMACY? 🪦🪦🪦 there is nothing left of me. I am a pile of ashes on the ground. Y’all go read this book. If u like BEAUTIFUL romance with all the best tropes, an amazing, determined FMC with a touching backstory, a protective MMC who is literally too good to be true!? Then u will DEVOUR this soul wrenching book. 🌸🧡🩰🔥

The Brightest Light of Sunshine was a charming and heartwarming debut. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I really enjoyed the characters, romance and writing. It is dual POVs of the main characters, Grace and Callaghan, and there are some great tropes like an age gap, an older brother guardianship, a friends to lovers, and a slow burn romance. I would suggest checking the content and trigger warnings before reading just in case. The overall premise was enjoyable. The writing and pacing of the story was so well done. There were some cheesy, heartfelt, angsty and laugh out loud moments. One of my favorite aspects was definitely all the sex positivity. I just really appreciated the discussions regarding the aftermath of an assault and being a survivor. I will say though, there was quite a bit of repetitive dialogue and a few subplots that could have been more explored or developed. Especially towards the end, there were just certain things left open-ended. Grace’s journey and growth was fantastic though. Seeing her come out of her shell and not letting her past define her was incredible to read. Callaghan was also a complete cinnamon roll. I loved his devotion, compassion and love for his little sister. Their romantic development was beautiful as well. I loved their dynamic of him being a tattoo artist and her being a ballet teacher. They just worked so well together and understood what they each needed. Callaghan’s patience and protectiveness of Grace was absolutely swoon worthy. The spice did not disappoint as well, very steamy and hot! There was really no third act conflict, which I appreciated. They did however, take their time and space to deal with certain things. The ending did feel a bit rushed though, but the conclusion and epilogue were really sweet. Overall, just a fantastic debut and I cannot wait to see what this author writes next.

Lisina Coney's "The Brightest Light of Sunshine" is undeniably an easy and quick beach read that navigates through heavy topics with a surprising blend of lightness and gravity. Tackling sensitive subjects such as sexual assault, poor parenting, and alcoholism, the novel attempts to illuminate the darker corners of life while providing a quick-paced escape for its readers. One of the book's notable strengths is its ability to approach heavy topics without sacrificing the gravity of the subject matter. Coney adeptly weaves a narrative that manages to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. The novel cleverly lightens the weight of these challenging issues without diminishing their impact, creating a unique reading experience. However, the believability of the characters and relationships within the story leaves much to be desired. The main character, Grace, comes across as unrealistic, and her relationship with Cal lacks the depth and authenticity needed to make it truly believable. Cal, a 30-year-old tattooed owner of a tattoo shop, is portrayed as an almost impossibly perfect character. His flawless behavior towards Grace's triggers and trauma seems too idealistic, as if the author aimed to present an idealized version of male understanding and support without grounding it in the complexities of real-life experiences. The character of Cal, while well-intentioned, falls prey to the trap of being overly perfect, making it difficult for readers to connect with him on a genuine level. The meticulous and flawless manner in which he navigates the challenges presented in the story gives off an air of wishful thinking rather than a portrayal of authentic human responses. Moreover, the book appears to be on a mission to challenge preconceived notions but sometimes falls into the trap of heavy-handedness. Grace's sudden transformation from a virgin to a sexually liberated individual after only a couple of encounters with Cal feels forced and almost didactic. It's as if the author is trying to make a point about resilience, but the execution comes off as too deliberate, undermining the organic development of the character. The timeline of Grace and Cal's love story also raises eyebrows. The rapid progression from a semester-long college romance to a pseudo-proposal seems far-fetched and implausible. The characters' backgrounds, Grace being a 21-year-old college student and Cal being a pseudo-parent to his 4-year-old sister, further strain the credibility of their whirlwind romance. In conclusion, while "The Brightest Light of Sunshine" succeeds as an easy and quick beach read that tackles heavy topics, its shortcomings lie in the unrealistic portrayal of characters, the overly perfect nature of the male lead, and a narrative that occasionally feels like it's trying too hard to challenge preconceived notions. Readers seeking a blend of light and heavy subjects may find enjoyment in this novel, but those looking for more authentic and relatable characters might be left wanting.

Excellent read! Wonderful character development , makes you feel and cheer for them to live a wonderful life . I’m only part way through.

It honestly took me a while to get through this book. I got to the halfway mark and it was such a slow burn that I put it down for a while but I’m glad I picked it back up. Grace is such an amazingly strong and caring FMC considering what she went through. But her support base is important and I loved her dads and Aaron. Then Cal enters the picture and you can’t help but love him. He’s tall, dark and tattooed so what’s not to love? He’s also a golden retriever who has also had a tough go of it with his mom but is the best big brother. He is instrumental in Graces development and helps her overcome her past trauma. They make a beautiful team. It’s a lovely story about overcoming trauma and her tattoo perfectly encapsulated the character growth over the course of this book.

I am so so happy for Lisina, getting this traditionally published is such a big deal and I wish her nothing but the absolute best!! It was so sweet, real and raw, and just GOOD. I loved Cal and Grace, Cal and Maddie, and Grace and Maddie. Ugh the three of them were perfect. I loved Grace so much. She was dealt a tough hand and she was thriving anyway. Some days were hard, and doing “normal” things weren’t always easy. But she was trying her best and I loved it so much for her. And Cal’s hand wasn’t much better. But he did EVERYTHING he could for Maddie and it was perfect. And then they met each other randomly one day and that was it and I loved it. I LOVED that they were so focused on being friends, because obviously that’s all either of them had to offer. But they knew they couldn’t give each other up. And plus Grace is Maddie’s ballet teacher?? So they can’t be anything other than friends?? It was cute, but it was also so important to their relationship as a whole and I loved to see it. I loved how thoughtful Cal was with Grace even before he knew about her past, he knew something was up, but he also knew he wasn’t going to push her. And then when she told him about her SA and how careful and thoughtful and loving he was with her afterward, it was exactly what she needed. They were honestly so good for each other. They were both so understanding of everything that the other had going on and were so supportive. I LOVED when Grace told him she wasn’t going anywhere. I hate a third act conflict, and this wasn’t really a conflict?? It WAS. But it very clearly a break because Cal had so much going on and needed to sort a lot of things out. (Yes which is the point of a third act conflict I KNOW but this felt more obvious? I don’t know. I just know I didn’t HATE this one.) Also the epilogues were everything I could have ever asked for. I loved this book so much 🥹 I cannot WAIT for the next book!!!

“𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑴𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔, 𝒔𝒐 𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝒔𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔.” Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 Spice: 🔥🔥.5 Relationship: MW Tropes/content: Age gap (8 years), tattoo artist/ballet teacher, pseudo single dad to sister, strangers to best friends to lovers, virgin main character, slow burn, praise Series: The Brightest Light #1 ⚠️Check triggers⚠️ After going through a traumatic experience a few years ago, Grace is looking for ways to heal. She decides to get a tattoo to help her with her journey. It's there she meets Cal, the shop owner, who's eight years older with a large build full of tattoos, and a father figure to his four year old sister. An unlikely friendship starts between the two of them and they become inseparable. Their relationship blossoms into more when they both realize they're more than just friends. I'm deeply obsessed with this book and this couple. I was captivated by Cal and Grace the moment they met at the shop and he called her 'sunshine' (on page 6!!!). I was a goner from that moment on. They have such a beautiful relationship. They both have traumas they are navigating, and I appreciated that they supported each other and it never felt one sided. When he talked her through a panic attack, I almost cried. They truly have a friendship at the core of their relationship, which makes the romance so much sweeter. This is definitely a slow burn, but when the spice hits, it HITS. It's not the spiciest book I've read, but the fact that the romance is so wholesome, then you're hit with some solid dirty talk, really amped up the spice for me. When he said, "Shh, I know babe. I know it feels good," and praised her, I died 🥵 I'm SO excited for the next book. I can't wait to see Maddie fall in love, but also can't wait for middle aged Cal 😍

“Wherever you’re planted, bloom with grace.” This book made my heart full. It was a sweet slow burn, strangers to best friends to lovers. They had an immediate connection that bloomed into a beautiful friendship then so much more. I loved the pace of their relationship because it truly made them as a couple much stronger. Don’t let the muscle and tattoos fool you with Cal because this man is so loving, caring and a true sweetheart. He was the best big brother to his sister, that whole situation made my heart hurt but he did everything he should have to support her. The way Grace didn’t hesitate to step in with him and be there for Maddie to was so sweet. Grace has trauma from a past experience but finds comfort in Cal and through that she opens up and his love and support is everything. Even when they moved past friends he was always taking her feelings into consideration. I thought these two were super sweet together. The epilogue and extended epilogue were heartwarming, I loved them.