The Truth About Sunsets

by Lacey Lorraine

For eighteen years, Lenore’s parent-regulated life has centered around one thing competitive gymnastics. Most girls change their minds a dozen times while growing up. They want to be a princess, a veterinarian, a movie star, an astronaut. Not Lenore. Since she was five years old, her one and only goal was to be just like Shannon Miller. She might be nearly good enough to compete in the Olympics, but it’s come at a price. When her relationship with her parents hits a low point, it’s just in time to decide on college, and she and her twin sister Raven know exactly where they want to be. Boston is as beautiful as it is appealing, in that it is far, far away from Louisiana and their strict parents.

It turns out that when you’re not being smothered by rules, you can have quite a few life experiences. Just not necessarily the good kind. What follows is four years of self-discovery, love, growth, heartache, and loss. Tragedy strikes, bonds are tested, and familial secrets come to light. So when a devastating accident happens that changes the entire course of Lenore’s life, she’s not so sure that she has what it takes to rise from the ashes. How does one simply walk away from a dream after spending a lifetime working towards it, with no regard for anything else?

Half coming-of-age novel, half love letter to Boston, this story is about the love that only exists between sisters and the best of friends, the inner strength that comes from surviving painful experiences, and a prince that’s worth kissing a few frogs for.

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 12, 2023

About the author

Lacey Lorraine has been writing since she was a child, be it essays, short stories, blog posts, or journal entries. As an Army Brat, she has lived all over, including Alaska and Bahrain, and it shaped her love for travel and adventure. After a lifetime of being a voracious reader, she finally took the plunge and became an author, and it has been the most difficult and rewarding journey of her life. Currently, she is married to her high school sweetheart and they live in Florida with their children and pets...and Lacey's thousand-book collection.

Reviews

[Fiction Vixen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5

This is the first of a type and it was good. But for me it was too slow paced thats why it took so long for me to complete

Some parts were very confusing idk why ...but overall it was a good book. Just that I didnt find it interesting enough to read it every time I open my kindle.

This was a coming of age story that spans out over 4 years and how her love life goes.
It was a slow paced good read.

ARC received in exchange for honest review

[Nicole Scarborough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great coming of age story. They have big dreams but didn't we all at that age? They are normal people and it's refreshing. Like most I have been trapped in the billionaire world

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for choosing me.

I tried really hard to connect to these characters, but I just couldn't. I really wanted to love this story, I gave it a fair shot, but for whatever reason this book and I just didn't click with each other in any way.

It wasn't my cup of tea, but it might just be yours.

[Brooke Mcwhirter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exactly what it described to be - a story about coming of age - Lennie and Raven move from a small town in Louisiana and move to the city of Boston to pursue their education

Lennie experiences university at such a real pace, and other challenges occur in her life, which allow her to grow so beautifully. Lennie shows us that it's okay to feel angry and upset but shows the resilience to move forward and make the best of her situation.

I loved the Christmas scene where her sisters speak with their mom and understand from where she came from, what justified her actions, and how she had to grow. It showed great connection and understanding which was not ever something they did before.

Lennie experiences heart break and questioning through this story but moves forward to experience another relationship that gave her space to be herself, learn more about herself, who she is, what she loves and builds her character outside of gymnastics.

Chase is such a great character who compliments Lennie so well. I love the experience Lennie has when she gets to meet his family, that she didn't get with Luca and his family.

This was a sweet story, and I'm glad to see the story continue through Raven's POV

Thanks to Lacey's team for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Nikita · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

It was a refreshing coming of age story, I loved how realistic it felt while reading.

There were points where I could relate to Lennie and Rae, especially with the over protective parents characters, it reminded me of my university days.

The story is about Lennie and her twin sister and their new journey after leaving their small town behind and moving city of Boston.

I witnessed Lennie’s personal growth throughout the story, it was written beautifully. I saw her at her happiest moments, at her weakest point, when she went through her first heartbreak, and when things were falling apart.

She gave herself the opportunity to heal, grow stronger, and become a better person. Lennie knew where she went wrong and made up for it.

The author's portrayal of the friendship between the girls was refreshing.
Their friendship was not all hihi-haha, and good times, they went through a bit rocky phase, but then at times got each other’s back too.

Chase is going in my book boyfriend list, he was so caring, considerate, and cute. I was squealing and giggling when Lennie and him finally got together.

Also this book also deals with some heavy topics, so please check TW.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful coming of age story about Lennie. She and her twin sister Raven move from Louisiana to Boston to go to college and get freedom from their strict parents. Lenore ‘Lennie’ is a gymnast and has goals to be on the Olympic team. Lennie and Raven make friends with their suitemates and like any other college student they go to parties and meet guys.

This story goes through her four years at college as she deals with boyfriends, drama with friends, go visiting new places in Boston, being a dedicated gymnast and her college classes.

There’s the banter between Lennie and her friends, the connection between them is so sweet, caring and supportive. The emotional damage I felt as I read this book was high! God, my heart freaking hurt as I read what Lennie goes through. Her strength and courage, and dedication is so admiring, and she overcomes so much!

I love this book so much!

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in a series, and this is Lenore “Lennie’s” journey, where she is focused on gymnastics, and competing in the Olympics. When Lennie and her twin sister Raven head off to Boston for college, they experience freedom from their strict parents, and enjoy the experience of college life. When tragedy strike, Lennie is left feeling lose and unsure in what direction her life will go.
This is a beautifully written coming of age story, which is an emotional roller coaster, with family, friendships, drama, self-discovery, heartbreak, survival, loss, secrets, and witty banter, which leads to an entertaining, tragic, unpredictable, and compelling page turner.
I look forward to reading more from this author whose work I recommend.

[Emmy Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful and emotional coming of age story. Lennie and Raven aka the Landry twins have grown up in a pretty strict home and finally have a chance at their freedom when they go off to university in Boston. What they think will be an environment where they’re finally free from their parents strict rules turns into so much more. This is a story of growth, loss, friendship, love, and all the raw life experiences that push and challenge a person to grow. What an amazing story Lacey has created with such depth to the characters. I can’t wait for the next book!

[Sydney]

dnf at 20%

I looked at the authors instagram and as far as I can tell they are white so why did they use the n word? All they needed to say was that people in their hometown used slurs and so they aren't friends with them or something like that. But then in the very next chapter one character goes on to describe another as "exotic looking". Which I guess isn't the worst thing ever but when you used the n word and the f slur and the d slur in the previous chapter it's too much for me.

I received an arc through grey's promotion.

[Devons book corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this coming-of-age story about Lennie. Lennie and her twin sister Raven move to Boston for college. They finally have freedom from their strict parents, and are trying to navigate the world around them, now that they are on their own. Lennie is a gymnast. She has hopes and goals of making the Olympic team. As we read this book, we get to experience all four years of college, along with boyfriends, friends, and her life in general. I really thought this book was quite interesting, not to mention very well written.

[Peggy Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Truth About Sunsets by Lacey Lorraine is the first book in the Sunshine Duology. This coming-of-age novel is mostly focused on the relationship between Lennie and her twin sister, Raven, and their quest to make their place in the world, starting with going off to college and being on their own for the first time, far away from Louisiana, where they grew up with overprotective parents.

I was really impressed with this author's writing style and storytelling, although I thought the focus would be more on Lennie's love story, but it was still really good and I would definitely recommend it!

[Mindy Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 1 in the Sunshine Duology and my first read by this author. It is a heartfelt coming of age story about Lenore. It is Lenore's journey through four years of college experiencing life with her twin sister Raven, boyfriends, and friends. A unique romance.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Grey's Promotions and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book- at first. I would read a chapter or two, then get distracted by another book. However, despite the slow start, I really enjoyed this book. It picked up a lot about 1/3 into it and I finished in just a couple of days. I’m thankful that I stuck with it as there was a lot near the end that really spoke to me. I can’t wait to read the authors next story.

[evieo17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5stars
This was a nice read. You can slowly see the slow growth of Lennie and her friends through out the book. A slow discovery of themselves as a person and how they interact with each other. The pacing her and there felt a little slow but all in all a good read.

[Kara Holzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book A LOT more than I thought I would. It started getting really good about halfway through and I couldn't put it down.

I did notice a lot of spelling errors though all throughout the book. Still a really good story and I'm glad I picked this one up.

[Kendal Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I can’t wait to read the next one!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet coming of age story. Can’t wait for the next one.

[Reading In the Red Room · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an emotional sometimes raw coming of age story. Lennie is a twin and a gymnast with dreams. Big dreams…Olympic dreams..but don’t we all have big dreams at that age?!? When her and her sister go far away for college their eyes are open to a lot of new experiences. Experiences they never thought they could have with having strict parents. They both have growing pains, meet new friends and grow as young women. Young women who experience love, heart break and life changing experiences. This was a well layered read with a heck of a story. The characters were well written, had amazing depth and I can’t wait to get to know them better in the next book.

[Bookworm Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good although it was less of a romance and more about the relationship between the sisters. It did have a lot of layers and I loved getting to know these twins. They had super overprotective parents so decide to venture miles away to attend college in Boston. It was such a beautiful story, full of love and heartbreak and self-discovery. I was really impressed with the writing and the character development!

[Sammie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a unique romance! Well, I guess my first clue was the "A Coming of Age Story" subtitle, but it was a great mix of coming of age and romance. Sometimes it's nice to just read about real people, living and making mistakes, with no mustache twirling villain. Lennie and her twin Raven are tired of being sheltered by their overbearing parents, and so they leave their home in Louisiana to go to college in Boston. Lennie is on the gymnastics team and she's working hard to make it to the Olympics. She has total laser vision on this goal, complete single-mindedness. Meanwhile, she meets Luca and proceeds into her first ever relationship...and I swooned at their first kiss!

Along the way, she and Raven meet new best friends Cora and Gabby, as well as Chase, Luca's hockey teammate. Since this book covers four years of college, and I feel like the author left the final love interest very vague so as to keep things a surprise, I won't spoil the book. Suffice it to say that Lennie, whose viewpoint the entire book is from, does a lot of growing in the four years of college. She loves and loses, she deals with mistakes she makes, a horrible accident that changes her life, and learns all about the ups and downs of living life as an adult.

This was a beautiful story of growth and maturity, and none of that happened overnight, much like real life. As a proud southern woman, I also appreciated that the author highlighted some of the great things about southern living, as well as some of the darker things, such as racism and anti-LGBTQIA mindsets. With the good, comes the bad. All of the Cajun things were so interesting, and I absolutely loved getting to know Lennie and Raven! The teaser at the end for Raven's book has me salivating, she's my favorite character from this book! It looks like Raven's book may be more of a romance than this one was, I saw "A Love Story" subtitle somewhere!

[Lacey Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've dreamed of the day when I could review my own novel and it's finally come! I loved writing this story, loved living in the Kalon U world that I created, and I hope everyone who reads it loves it just as much!