Sunrise

Sunrise #1

by Karen Kingsbury

In preparation for their long-awaited wedding day, Dayne and Katy are determined to keep the ceremony a secret from the paparazzi. Their relationship grows closer and stronger as they plan together, but in the end it takes the help of the Baxter family and many of the CKT kids so that they'll even have a chance at a private wedding. John Baxter is thrilled that his oldest son will be settling down a few miles away, but he isn't sure how any of his kids will handle a situation he can no longer run from--the feelings he is having for his friend Elaine. In the meantime, the Flanigan family is struggling with their young boarder, Cody Coleman, Jim Flanigan's star receiver. After an alcohol overdose, Cody fights for his life. Only God's grace and a miracle can bring him back from the brink of death--physically and spiritually.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Romance, Christian Romance, Adult Fiction, Contemporary

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller lists and many of her novels are under development with Hallmark Films and as major motion pictures. Her Baxter Family books are being developed into a TV series slated for major network viewing sometime in the next year. Karen is also an adjunct professor of writing at Liberty University. In 2001 she and her husband, Don, adopted three boys from Haiti, doubling their family in a matter of months. Today the couple has joined the ranks of empty nesters, living in Tennessee near five of their adult children.

See more at: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/K...

Reviews

[AlegnaB † · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't as interesting as the books in the previous two Baxter series. It seemed like it should have been the end of the Firstborn series instead of the beginning of another series.

[Emily Speller · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, though I personally perfer other books by Karen Kingsbury. It felt too much like a bridging book to be the beginning of a series, because the reality was that it comes at the tail-end of another series featuring the same characters. While I could see the merit in this, particularly as the characters are so loveable, it was a bit tricky for me as I had read very few of her earlier books featuring these particular characters. This meant that for the first half I was trying to catch up on what was going on as the idea was that you were meant to already know a fair bit about how the characters got to where they were (which I obviously didn't, thinking that this was the beginning of a completely different series). And then, once I got it, I realized that now the previous books had been spoilt a bit as I now already knew too much about what the characters had been through. There was also a bit much emphasis on the romantic side in this book which got a bit overbearing at times (I mean, of course if characters are engaged they might be kissing, but did we really have to read a description of that in just about every chapter involving those two characters)? All that said, however, I did still grow to love this book for its clear emphasis on the gospel with characters in a modern world struggling to maintain their witness as Christians through various temptations that we can all identify with to varying degrees. Overall, I would say that this book is worth a read provided you have read the earlier books featuring the characters. Sorry about all the complaints - it honestly isn't as bad as I may have made it out to be! :P Definately give it a go - but maybe read other books by Karen Kingsbury first if you haven't read any of hers before.

[Rissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunrise 4⭐️

Star reasoning

⭐️ love the characters

⭐️the family is so raw and real
⭐️love that the kids are all grown up and have their own families and are moving away. It makes it more realistic to have them split up eventually. Even though I want them to stay close so their relationships last.

⭐️Her writing draws you in to their lives so quickly.

-1 Its not a full reason not to give it 5 but its not the best in the series and Im hoping the rest of this set will be just as good or better.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad Dyane and Katy are married! I'm almost tempted to not finish this series, but I will.

6/15/2021: I do NOT remember reading this book even though I obviously did. Maybe this is the one I stopped on. I was getting burned out with the plethora of characters this series has in it. When I first started reading it this time I counted the number of character mentioned (in just the first few chapters) and it was close to 40 people. I had a hard time keeping up with all of them at times.

I still give it 4 stars. It's an interesting series and I find myself drawn more to certain characters than others. It's a refreshing read to be reminded of God's grace and love. I think Dayne and Katy are the perfect couple especially as they put God first.

Oh and the song that Dayne sang to Katy as she walked down the isle has ALWAYS been the song I've wanted played at my wedding (if I were to ever get married). I loved it!

Rating: PG
Language: a clean read
Recommend: yes

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Sunrise
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Series: Sunrise, 1; Baxter Family Drama, 11
Format: ebook
Length: 786 pages (iPhone)
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis:
In preparation for their long-awaited wedding day, Dayne and Katy are determined to keep the ceremony a secret from the paparazzi. Their relationship grows closer and stronger as they plan together, but in the end it takes the help of the Baxter family and many of the CKT kids so that they'll even have a chance at a private wedding. John Baxter is thrilled that his oldest son will be settling down a few miles away, but he isn't sure how any of his kids will handle a situation he can no longer run from--the feelings he is having for his friend Elaine. In the meantime, the Flanigan family is struggling with their young boarder, Cody Coleman, Jim Flanigan's star receiver. After an alcohol overdose, Cody fights for his life. Only God's grace and a miracle can bring him back from the brink of death--physically and spiritually.

Favourite character: John
Least favourite character: Bryan

Mini-review:
This was an okay book as far as the Baxters books go. I wasn't as impressed as I have been with past books, but that might be my mood. Katy and Bailey kind of annoyed me with this and Dayne wasn't believable with all his cheesiness. The subplot about the football team was interesting. Also Dayne has been in 7 books and only now is he a good singer because it makes their wedding more emotional? I'm not buying it.

Fan-cast:
Katy Hart - Sophia Bush
Dayne Matthews - Diego Klattenhoff
John Baxter - Jeff Goldblum
Elaine Denning - Christine Baranski
Bailey Flanigan - Zendaya
Bryan Smythe - Ross Lynch
Connor Flanigan - Cameron Boyce
Jenny Flanigan - Gabrielle Union
Jim Flanigan - Luke Wilson
Cody Coleman - Brandon Larracuente
Tanner Williams - Tye Sheridan
Joe Agueda - Michael Peña
Landon Blake - Scott Eastwood
Ashley Baxter-Blake - Brittany Snow
Kari Baxter-Taylor - Kate Mara
Ryan Taylor - Matt Lanter
Brooke Baxter-West - Bryce Dallas Howard
Peter West - John Krasinski
Erin - Stef Dawson
Sam - Douglas Smith
Luke Baxter - Joseph Mazzello
Reagan Decker-Baxter - Elizabeth Olsen
Wilma Waters - Cate Blanchett
Rhonda - Anna Paquin
Tim Reed - Nat Wolff

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

sweet story of recovery and love

Sweet story that ended with a destination wedding in the same city I will be in for a destination wedding later this week.

[ClaraBelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yuck, yuck, yuck. Pure trash 🗑 that claims to be Christian fiction. DONT READ IT. Totally HATED this book! People had recommended KK to me so I decided to give her a shot with this book but was so disappointed.
What I liked: The childrens’ parents, John and Susan Baxter, were so amazing especially for how they loved each other and relied on God in Susan’s fatal battle with breast cancer. They got saved while dating in college through the influence of a elderly woman who counseled them through their freedom from post-abortion guilt.
What I hated: their 5 children are VERY UNGODLY yet claim to be Christians as they get divorced, have affairs and abortions, become R rated movie actors, and have illegitimate children before marrying a virgin spouse. Just plain indescribable yuck 🤢. Don’t know why the author thinks we want a Christian couple with prodigal kids.
SPOILER The one good child was eldest Dayne, who is the child John and Susan had thought they aborted while unmarried but who had survived the abortion to be adopted by one of the clinic workers who left the abortion industry when she saved his life and became pro life and then, Dwayne meet his biological parents 26 years later just before Susan’s death. He’s the ONLY TRULY CHRISTIAN child of theirs yet the other “legitimate” children treat him horribly. 😡
RATING: 1 Star
My opinion: won’t be reading this trashy author’s book anymore. I didn’t finished this book, just read 1/4 of it and then returned to the library I borrowed it from

[Tracy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book by Karen Kingsbury that I have read and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Love and faith are the common threads throughout the whole book and that made for some wonderful reading. If you enjoy wholesome love stories, then I would suggest you give this one a try. Happy reading everyone!

[Christine Indorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing saga of the Baxter family. A new start. I’m staring to get a little burnt out with the Baxter family, might need a break, but still an excellent book. Worth the 4 star rating.

[Krystal Hon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my first book by Karen Kingsbury, but I wish I would have started with a different one. It says book #1 in this series but it is really a continuation of a previous story. It referenced a lot of stuff that happened previously which I didn’t follow. The plot was slow and boring, maybe if I had followed the characters from the beginning I would have enjoyed it more.

[Christy Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always love a Karen Kingsbury. This one did feel a bit more re-cap-ish. I'm hoping it's just because it's just a new set in the Baxter Family series. Hoping the next 3 in this series will move a bit faster with less re-capping. :)

[Reagan Soper · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOSH!!! so very many loving thoughts towards this book. but let's jut say that it was beyond amazing. I loved how they had the wedding at 5:53 am to experience the sunrise. perfect.

[Mina Purser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read any Kingsbury books, even though I’ve known that she is popular in Christian fiction. I’m not sure why this was listed as #1 in a series. Clearly there was a lot of background information needed for this book to make sense. I enjoyed the world of romance through the eyes of a Christian author. The characters had enough depth to keep me interested, but I do feel it should not be #1 in a new series when so much background is required to really understand the characters.

[Corryn Geheb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another great book. I just can’t get over how Godly all the families are it’s sooo inspiring. I want to have a Godly community like this and a Godly family likes these. They are just so faithful (I know it’s a book but they are real to me lol)

[Maggie Siler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like a good book about the Baxters to get you out of a reading slump! Always pulls you back into the story right where you left off.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I'm hooked on Karen Kingsbury now.

[Hannah Beth (Hannah's Book Cafe) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dayne and Katy are married! It was very exciting to see the process of them getting to this point. I can't wait to see what happens next!

[The kingdom of books · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 💎
This series really made me think about the importance of new begginings. I mean,it's very important to make new things in life.

[Missy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is confusing and dull book to read. Their are three different stories, but they all lived in the same town. Only got to Chapter 3. If you like to read confusing and dull book. This book is for you.

[Clare Weingarden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I read some of these reviews before starting this series and almost dismissed reading this one.

I have no idea why people would talk negatively about this book. I thought is was great. There's nothing in it that doesn't happen in the real world or people don't think about. We are all sinners and sometimes let our humanness get the best of us.

I thought it was well written and look forward to book #2. Shame on the people that think they are goodie two shoes living a perfect life. When you get to heaven, I promise God has questions for you too.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 3 out of 5]

First in third Baxter series. Dayne and Katy finally get married. Good message about teen drinking.

though this is the first novel in a
new series, it continues the saga of the Baxter family and the people closest to them. Some heart-wrenching moments focusing on drinking and driving offer a powerful lesson, and Dayne and Katy's continuing relationship is meaningful and uplifting, providing some lighter moments. Readers unfamiliar with Kingsbury's previous books may find the number of characters daunting.

Dayne and Katy have many hurdles to jump through in order to pull off the wedding of their dreams without the interference of the paparazzi. But now that Dayne has the support and love of the Baxter family, he feels he can accomplish anything.

Katy has her own dilemmas, including the pursuit of a possible acting career and the fate of the Christian children's theater. In Jim Flanigan's family, Cody drinks too much alcohol and ends up in the hospital. Will the football team learn from Cody's mistakes?
Review originally appeared in RT BookReviews

[Mareli Thalwitzer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just find her books tooooo soppy.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bring out the tissue box.

[Tinomutenda Mpunganyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never anticipated finding myself engrossed in a Christian drama/romance novel, but Karen Kingsbury's "Sunrise" pleasantly surprised me. This book leans more towards drama than romance, which initially raised my eyebrows, given my how the genre usually has dirtier, over-sensationalized narratives. However, after persistent recommendations from a fellow book enthusiast to indulge in the romance genre 😂, I finally succumbed to curiosity and picked up a copy at my local church bookstore. I'm glad I did.

At its core, "Sunrise" beautifully intertwines the themes of prayer and new beginnings. The transformative power of prayer emerges as the central takeaway from Kingsbury's narrative. Through the characters' experiences, the author illustrates the profound impact of maintaining an ongoing dialogue with God, not just during crises but in everyday life. This portrayal felt genuine and deeply resonated with me, particularly during a period of spiritual reawakening.

Another poignant aspect of "Sunrise" is its emphasis on embracing new beginnings with unwavering hope in God's faithfulness. As the characters navigate life's challenges and uncertainties, the novel encourages readers to step forward into each new day with trust and optimism, anchored in a strong foundation of prayer and faith.

Despite its merits, "Sunrise" is not without its flaws. The narrative occasionally lapses into clichés and sentimentalism, a common pitfall in Christian-themed entertainment. While I appreciate Karen Kingsbury's storytelling prowess, I found myself rolling my eyes at certain predictable plot points and overly earnest dialogue.

That being said, Kingsbury's writing style is engaging and accessible. The book's brisk pace kept me hooked, and I devoured it in every spare moment I could find – during lunch breaks, commutes, or even while waiting for dinner to cook. The eagerness to uncover the characters' fates speaks to the author's ability to captivate her audience.

Overall, "Sunrise" serves as a compelling reminder of the enduring strength of prayer and the promise of new beginnings. Despite its occasional corniness, the novel delivers a heartwarming and uplifting narrative that will resonate with readers seeking solace and inspiration. I'm intrigued enough to consider exploring the rest of the series, curious to see where Kingsbury takes her characters next.

If you're looking for a quick, spiritually enriching read with a strong emphasis on the transformative nature of prayer and the hope of new beginnings, "Sunrise" might just be the book for you.

[Autumn Slaght · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars!
This series is promising to be so much better than the Firstborn Series. Honestly, I wish that the entire "Firstborn" series was a novella, a single novella, and this book just by itself. I thought that Katy and Dayne were so much more believable in this series rather than the Mary and Gary Sues they were in Firstborn. Firstborn was Kraft Macaroni with extra cheese and Sunrise actually had some good meat to it. Finally steered away with using Jeremiah 29:11 so much that it was out of context and using it as an abra-kadabra to everything.
The one complaint that I have about the book is that, for a new Believer, Dayne seems pretty mature. I would have liked to have seen him working through some things with God before being shown as such a strong, dynamic Christian. Say, maybe he questions why waiting for marriage is so important and is shown the beauty of it. (IDK he might have in the Firstborn series, I honestly just skimmed the last two and a half books.) But all in all, great story!
I feel like Ashley was portrayed more like herself. Loved the scene with Landon and the fireman...brought tears to my eyes.
I love Bailey. She is probably one of the most real to me characters in the series. I was actually crushed for her when her first kiss was stolen from her. Coming from a woman who is saving her first kiss until marriage, this scene made me devastated for her. But I loved Cody and the verse that he pulled out for her. The verse was so perfect and from my favorite Bible chapter.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and will be able to read the Sunrise series with delight now!

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sunrise is the beginning of a new Baxter series. It picks up Dayne and Katy’s story where it left off at the end of the Firstborn series, so that part doesn’t feel new. But it also switches a significant amount of attention over to the Flanigan family. The Flanigans are a diverse blended family that is loosely based on the author’s own family. Bailey Flanigan appears to be the primary character from this family. She eventually has a spinoff series of her own.

If you have been waiting to see Dayne and Katy finally get married, this book is for you. They even manage to pull it off without the paparazzi. Dayne is still under contract with a movie studio but is no longer comfortable with love scenes, so he suggests that Katy audition for the role of his love interest. Later in the series Katy becomes as much of a celebrity as Dayne is because of this decision. We will see cracks in their marriage from the beginning. In my opinion, this is just taking the same tedious fame and paparazzi plotline from the previous series and dragging it out further. I really wish the author had chosen a different direction.

This book also shows our patriarch, John Baxter, moving on with his life with a former friend of his late wife Elizabeth. Why do men have to be portrayed as incapable of living a fulfilled life without being in a relationship? He spent almost 30 years with Elizabeth for crying out loud. Let him be single. Single does not equal lonely. Nor does it require jumping into another relationship right away. Does he not have male friends to spend time with? What about his huge family? It was way too soon to introduce this.

[Tali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this more than I thought I would! My expectations for christian fiction are LOW bc there's often shock value, poor writing, terrible representation, etc. BUT this one was actually pretty good. Nothing amazing by any means, but the best christian fiction I've read in a long time. Which isn't saying much, but still worth noting.

I didn't read the previous books in the series, and was kinda lost bc of it. If this is supposed to be the first book in a new series with characters from a previous series, there should still be enough description to be able to get good context. This book failed at that and there was a lot I felt like I missed.

I connected pretty well with the characters, but there were A LOT of them. There were definitely too many POV's. In the books defense though, seeing as I got this from my church library, the card holder is covering a good portion of the synopsis. So I thought originally I was only getting Dayne and Katy's POV, not a whole cast. So that part is on me.

Some topics like alcohol and dating had old fashioned views, and some of the logic there didn't make sense. But I kept reminding myself that this was written by an older woman back in 2007, when those topics weren't really known or talked about, especially in christian circles. Purity culture is still an issue but it was even worse back then, and this book reflects that, but it's not as bad as other books I've read, so that's a plus.

But this book was a really sweet romance that had its moments of depth, too. I definitely want to continue the series, and hope it's just as good, if not better!

[Brent Soderstrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book of the Sunrise series but the 11th book of the Baxter Family series.

If you have read the previous 10 books of the Baxter Family series (Christian Soap Opera in a nice way) you know all about movie star Dayne Mathews and his fiance Katy Hart. Dayne is the oldest, and recently found, sibling of the Baxter family. Well...Katy and Dayne finally get married and they avoid the paparazzi in doing so, which is a feat unto itself. This event is much of the book.

John, the widow and patriarch of the Baxter family, is starting to develop more than friendship feelings towards Elain Denning. It has been a few years since Elizabeth died. Is this enough time? What will the kids think? What will Ashley think?

The third story in this book involves Cody Coleman, who is living with the Flannigans. Cody drinks way too much at a party and nearly dies. Cody is an alcoholic but still in high school. You get the high schoolers drinking issue. I never drank in high school and I was definitely in the minority. I sadly enough made up for it in college. The football coach shows up at a high school party and catches many of his players drinking. How does Coach Flannigan handle it?

I enjoy the Baxter Family series because it gives you Bible verses giving God's view on issues we all face. Plus I have become attached to the Baxter family. They are almost real.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I keep repeating myself when I say what an awesome author Karen is. She really draws a person into the story with her words. The best part of this book is about the wedding. The romance between Dayne and Katy is a dream. So happy when they were able to pull off their wedding without the paparazzi being involved. Will their strong bond be able to survive the next book with filming on the new movie? Cody and his near death experience with alcohol is a sad but true thing our youth face. Parties where everyone seems to think it's so cool to be drinking. Jim is an awesome coach though. When he learns that his football team is involved in these parties, he tries to make a difference for his players. He asks a retired cop to bring a video of a crash that happened when he was on active duty where some teens were killed in a drunk driving accident. Then he has them sign a contract that they will not drink or they will be kicked off the team. When he hears about another party happening and some of the team are there, Jim takes control and goes to the house and won't let any of the kids leave until their parents have come and gotten them. He even has to kick some of his star players off the team because they broke their contract. Thankfully, Cody admits he has a problem and agrees to go to therapy. So the Flanigan's let him stay living in their house.

[Mandi Navarre Eschenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sunrise” by Karen Kingsbury is the 1st book out of 4 in the Sunrise Series.

Katy and Dayne are trying to plan their dream wedding without the paparazzi getting wind of its location. (Backstory - Dayne is the 1st born son of John and Elizabeth Baxter. They were forced to give him up for adoption. Dayne is a movie star who recently found his birth family, The Baxters).

Meanwhile, the Flannigans are going through a tragedy. (Backstory - Katy lives with the Flannigans and runs a church theater camp in Bloomington, where The Baxters and Flannigans live.) The Flannigans took Cody Coleman, a football player for Jim Flannigans team, into their home because of his devastating past. Cody overdoses on alcohol and fights for his life.

This is a beautiful story of God’s unending faithfulness, promise of new beginnings and the importance of persistent prayers.