Big Island Sunrise: Big Island, Book 1

Big Island #1

by Shayla Cherry, Raechel Wong (Narrator)

Lani King and Emma Kealoha both need a fresh start.

Emma lost her husband at thirty-six, and life without him feels impossible. A Hawaiian inheritance might be her chance to start over . . . but the Kealoha place is a mess. The roof leaks, the goats keep escaping, and the jungle is overtaking the orchard. It's more than she can manage on her own.

Lani spent years trapped in a marriage that went from bad to worse. Finally, she summoned her courage and moved home to Hawai'i. Now she's starting over with her four year old in tow.

Emma offers Lani a place to stay—and together, they work to restore Emma's crumbling farmhouse.

Lani reconnects with a childhood friend, now a gorgeous single dad. Romance is peeking over the horizon, but how can she open up to love when her ex won't even sign the divorce papers?

Dive into this heartwarming saga set on the Island of Hawai'i.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published May 13, 2025

Reviews

[Lori Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book. I fell in love with the Big Island when I visited in 2016, and this book has ALL the Big Island vibes. In addition to the setting, I LOVED the characters, the animals, and the overall ohana vibe of the book. Can't wait to read the next one!!

[Doris Ware · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and easy read.

[Cj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I like thus book a lot. My name is mmm in it and Diogenes is the dogs name.
I did have a little trouble with keeping the women straight but I finally did.

So many things to keep straight, feelings emotions, anger makes life hard to live and how to get it right. I like how the 3 women rely on each other but need to co fide better. Anxious to read the next book

Mrs. Rasmussen

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm absolutely thrilled to discover a series set on the East Side of the Big Island! As someone who loves this part of Hawai'i, seeing it brought to life in Big Island Sunrise felt like coming home. Shayla Cherry has created something truly special here.

The writing is excellent. Cherry has a gift for creating characters that feel like real people you'd want to know. Emma Kealoha, grieving her husband's death while trying to support her son through his own pain, is so beautifully drawn. When they inherit her father-in-law's overgrown property, you can feel both the weight of her grief and the tentative hope for a new beginning.

Lani King's story runs parallel to Emma's in the most compelling way. She's finally left her abusive husband for good, and her determination to build a new life for herself is inspiring. The rekindled friendship—and growing attraction—between Lani and her childhood friend (now a single dad) develops so naturally and sweetly. Cherry handles this budding romance with care, honoring Lani's need to heal while showing how connection can be part of that healing.

What really makes this book shine is the sense of community and found family. Watching Emma and Lani work together to restore the Kealoha property, supported by their extended family, captures something essential about island life. The tropical storms and the threat from Lani's vindictive ex add real tension without overwhelming the hopeful tone.

This is uplifting women's fiction at its best—full of heart, sisterhood, and the promise of new beginnings. I'm already eager for the next book in the series.

[Terri Paulson-Sasaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setting for the story is on the big island of Hawaii. My husband is from the big island and I knew exactly where she was talking about, eventhough some of the places she changed the name. She describes a wonderful Hawaii setting. The story is about two women with children that have found themselves single. They are trying to figure out what to do next in their lives. Both women return to the island to find comfort and to start over. I enjoyed Emma and Lani's bond as they worked together to support each other as they tried to figure out what the next step in their lives would be. I really hope Tenn and Lani get together in the next book. Hawaii is all about family and this book shows a lot of the culture and the beauty of Hawaii.

[Clarissa Winger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start

A great start with some old charachters in a new place. This book is written so well that it is pretty easy to image yourself in Hawaii in this little village. The characters are developed with love & detail. I can imagine myself being a neighbor & a part of this community. I love the feeling this book sparks inside of me. It allows me to escape into a friendly, family oriented environment, & community that helps & gives with no strings attached. I recommend this book.

[John Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

great series for Big Island lovers!

Loved Big Island series books 1 and 2 and can’t wait for the next one! The writing and character development are great and the descriptions of the landscape and life in the Hilo area really made me feel like I was experiencing it firsthand. I’ve been vacationing on the Big Island for many years and just discovered how much I like the Hilo area in the last few trips. This book really enhanced my understanding of the way locals live. Highly recommended for lovers of Hawaiian culture.

[Yvette · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s such a feeling of community in Hawaiian culture and it’s so evident in this book. Emma and Lani are both needing a safe space to land when life’s rough roads get the best of them. A fortunate gift for Emma’s son becomes a blessing and the perfect starting point for these two women. I think I enjoyed the atmosphere most in this read. I could picture the lush island of Hawaii and it made the story more compelling to me.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading this author work. This story is about about come home. Where family and friends that become family are there for you no matter what. Lani is back with her little girl Rory, she is a joy for sure in this story.  Then you have  Emma  and her son Kai they return to Hawaii where her deceased husband was born.  Coming back becomes the healing with these mom's need. It's a good story, I guess I need book 2 to finish the stories.

[Terri Mastraieni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A New Sunrise

I really enjoyed this book. Ms Cherry wrote a beautiful story of two women suffering from a major loss. However the tables are turned and things are looking up after family and friends decide to intervene and help these two women and their children. I look forward to the next two books in this series.

[Namele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited that I stumbled across this book! I reside on the Big Island and pretty close to “Pualena.” I loved the aloha sprit throughout this book. It really feels like home. The characters are enjoyable. Cliffhangers and I are not friends, but I know it’s just setting us up for the next book & I’m excited to read it.

[Alexandra A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a quiet gem and a warm hug of a book. The characterizations are authentic and nuanced. I wish everyone had family like the Kealoha family. The weight of existence, which comes for us all, would be so much more bearable. Lucky for Lani and Emma, this is exactly the family they have. The world building is great (world building is usually discussed in high fantasy reviews but it’s so important for any story) and Cherry draws from all the five senses to delicately conjure Hawaii’s healing paradise landscape. I’ve never been to Hawaii myself but I felt very immersed in both the epic scenes as well as the cozy and domestic ones. And let’s talk about romance, because this is not a “romance book” but there is a satisfying romance at its edges and with one of the best book boyfriends you’ll ever find. “Tenn” Nakamura is a ten, and with no buts about him. Scorchingly handsome, deeply kind, and with ZERO RED FLAGS. What a refreshing thing to be asked to fall in love with a male lead who has no red flags. This is novel to me. Very few such characters exist in the literary landscape because I think lots of authors assume you need red flags to create narrative tension. Cherry shows this is not so. There’s plenty of tension and will they or won’t they, but it’s not driven by ludicrous misunderstandings and troubling character flaws. You get to an age or a point in your life where drama is no longer “romantic” or compelling. This is a very human story and I loved it so much. I was so pleased to see the story continues in a second book coming out later in January, 2024.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovin a Hilo story

I was born in Hilo and while this story is its own, it pulls at my heart strings and makes me homesick for the island ways and camaraderie. Looking forward to the upcoming segments as the story continues. Aloha

[Marilyn Geary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Using a story line of you can go home again, it gives a look into life on the east side of the big island. Not the tourist life. It is the embrace of the ohana that matters. I look forward to the rest of the series. Highly recommend.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ends abruptly

The story just ended bet abruptly. I was able to read this book from the Amazon Prime books, which were free or loaned out. Now, the next books are not in the Prime reading selection. Not very happy about that.

[Dawn of Sandwiches. · Rating 5 out of 5]

New.

I'm loving this story about these women starting over and making it work. Through grief and fear, making it work for themselves and family. Looking forward to the books in the series.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I love reading about Hawai'i, mostly because I've not been there. But this one is so descriptive and interesting, I almost feel as though I'm right there, experiencing the greenery, the weather, the sun. And of course, how the people all help each other.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story about family coming together. Emma, a widow was married to Adam. Adam’s dad has left a small farm to her son Kai. Lani, a victim of domestic abuse has escaped with her daughter back home. The two women both move into the farm house and begin new lives.

[Lani Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories of the love and community of ‘ohana.

I love stories of the love and community of ‘ohana. Wishing I grew up there with them. I share the love of the colors, smells and beauty.

[Tonja Denton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

I love how this story follows the different characters in a realistic way. While their lives have challenges the support that they find each other it is encouraging and lovely to hear about. 10 out of 10 recommend this story.

[Pamela A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒘𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔. 😍😍😍

𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒚. 𝑾𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅!! 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆!!

[Goose369 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abrupt ending

I enjoyed reading this book but the ending was very abrupt leaving many loose ends. If you want to know how the story evolves for these characters, plan to buy the entire series.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lani and Emma Two women with a hurtful past (one a spouse's death the other spouse abuse) come together with their children on Hawaii in hopes for a new life. With their extended families support and each other's friendship the bumps in life's road are a bit less 'bumpy'.

[Ruth Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I loved Land and Emma's stories. It was a well written book but I hate that I would have to buy more books to know the ending story. Loved the characters and the location sounded almost perfect.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lani and Emma have each returned to Hawaii after an emotional trauma, one caused by the death of her husband and the other by the betrayal by hers. Each has a whiney and demanding traumatized child. The descriptions of the island and the farming and community life in Hilo are wonderful.

[Lorianne Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and enjoyable

Loved reading this book. I hated when I had to stop to deal with life.

When I saw this series online I knew it was for me as my family is from the Big Island. I can't wait to start the next book in the series.

[Phyllis Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

4 stars for Big Island Sunrise. A story of finding peace and a place to belong where family is everything and always has your back.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story of second chances and reclaiming your life.

[Kathy Bogenberger]

I like it for the island, but feel these women are weak. I like books about strong women who don't run from their problems or grief. I'm not seeing this here.