The End of Sunshine Street

by Johanna Constance Hunt

Judy Haite (named for her mother’s used bike) was raised in Maine and settles in Florida working as a physical therapist. She meets Sam, a multimillionaire, on the train to Machu Picchu, soon marries him and is transplanted to the posh island town of Palm Beach. The book follows Judy’s life on Sunshine Street and the few year-round residents there. Something’s a little odd about Judy, but is she a murderer?

306 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2012

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty much by the end of this novel. I disliked most if not all the main characters. I thought the hurricane was going to play more of a role in the story for a longer period of time, but it was just kind of touched on really quick and done. It was not the worst thing I have ever read, but it could have been better.

[Between the Bind · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, when Johanna emailed me about needing reviewers for her book, the blurb was pretty enticing. I occasionally read chick lit and even dabble with mysteries so I thought this would be a unique book to add to my list.

I really wanted to love this book - I did. Unfortunately, I had to force myself to finish it. The story line was rather dry and even the climaxes were a minor blip on my climactic radar. The romance was seemingly non-existent...and so was the mystery.

Here is a summary of our plot:
Judy is a forty-something who met her husband on a trip to Peru. She doesn't take chances, isn't overly flirtatious, actually...she's pretty average in every way. Although she marries self-made millionaire Sam, Judy still enjoyes working as a physical therapist at the local hospital. She is content with her simple (millionaire) life with Sam and her cat, Jack.

Average friends. Average dinner parties. Average life. I've read many books about average characters that I could connect to, but sadly, I couldn't find one in TEOSS.

I was waiting, waiting for something big to happen in this book. Throughout the hurricane I was quickly flipping pages hoping someone would be murdered or for Judy to go all Rambo - but nata.

What I ended up getting was a husband who expected nightly sex no matter the "excuse", a seemingly spineless wife, a plethora of coffee/dinner/drink making, ridiculously polite people hosting obscenely rude people, and a cool cat named Jack.

I wasn't even bothered by the big "she-did-what?!" scene. It didn't seem to matter to Judy, so it didn't really matter to me.

There were parts of the book that I enjoyed. I loved Johanna's ability to work a sentence. She is a great writer - very fluid and detailed. I liked the setting of Palm Beach and even the idea that Sam created genetically altered 4-inch cats! I just didn't connect with Judy, Sam, or their life. I suppose the point made was simply how an average person can create havoc by making average decisions - and that's just what Judy did.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw the synopsis for the book, I was immediately intrigued. While chick lit and mystery aren’t my typical genres, I do enjoy them from time to time and couldn’t resist trying this book out. I really wanted to enjoy it, but unfortunately, it was not the book for me.

I felt completely disconnected from the characters and the storyline and this didn’t change at all. The characters were likeable, I just didn’t feel as if I was invested in the story at all. As quirky and great as Judy, the main character, could be, by the end of the book, I didn’t feel like I knew her any better. Despite the crazy events that happened to Judy throughout the book, the inability to connect with her also disconnected me from the plot and I struggled to get through the pages, even during the interesting parts.

The story was not badly written at all. I thought the author was descriptive. For some reason, I just couldn’t connect or care about the people and events in the book. I don’t know why and I can’t pinpoint an exact reason for this. The setting was great, the author was descriptive, the events were interesting, I was just unable to get into this book!

I think this book might appeal to other readers and other people will rate it much higher. I wouldn’t recommend the book myself, especially since I can’t figure out what went wrong for me.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it so not really fair to comment. but check out Kirkus and Amazon reviews.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really strange stories strung together. I finally understood when the author mentioned writing exercises at the end of the book. It wasn't great, but I also couldn't stop reading.

[Crista McCormick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. #49 for the year.

[Michele]

Don't know if I want to be friends with Judy ..... sure wouldn't want to piss her off!