Sun-Kissed

SparkNotes Smart Novels

by SparkNotes

Smart Novels are compelling, full-length novels with edgy and mature themes that will appeal to teens. Each book showcases more than 1,000 vocabulary words frequently included on the SAT. Brief definitions appear on the same page so that readers can quickly access and digest the meanings as they read along.

181 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2004

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Reviews

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sun-Kissed
by SparkNotes Editors

having trubles in the home and in you social cirlce guess what things could be worse go check out Kristen's life see how she deals with it.
Intresting story that helps you learns your vocabulary for the SATs,but really they are there so you can atleast have an idea of the word becasue yyou probably wont memorize the words until you read it like three times then you learn thre words.But the story is intresting and about the changes a girl who is in the popular clique and actually doesnt feel free and is trying to have her free time with can you guess?Her ..... Surfboard and the waves. And then boom a rumor hits making her friends turn on her,she is now a social pariah(if you dont know this word well they terach it in the book so thats a good reason to read it or atleast the blurb)what will she do?

i never though about it in this way that someone who was popular people wanted her to hang out more and she actually didnt.people change and sometimes the group they hang out with dont change with them and then peoblems start evolving.This book makes you think whaty more truble can arise for her shes at the brink of he mind decsiding to jump or not(my words not the book,diffrent inturpretations may vary)

Having to get used to a new life is harsh and usually sad this book can connect to you if you are feeling those feelings.TTHis book show how teenagers feel expecially the part about how freinds get to far from how they were in your minds having a friend wants to stay in the totally popualar and kind of mean group while now you want to just beable to relax get comforted and surf.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was decent, but pretty predictable. It's about a teenage girl Kristen who everyone thinks is perfect. She's pretty and popular. Her friends are getting annoyed with her because she never wants to hang out with them. She has a good reason though,her parents have gotten divorced and she has so much on her mind that taking about the latest gossip isn't interesting. Kristen likes to surf. Somehow her friends guilt her into going to a party where everything changes. To add to her list of problems, she almost gets raped at the party. And when she tries to confront her friend about it her friend is jealous and calls her a liar. From there things just keep spiraling down. She is no longer popular and has to go to group for people with anger issues. Although reluctant at first she later finds true friends that help her find her way back to normal.

This book is about being true to yourself because you can only keep up an act for so long. If Kristen didn't ever pretend to care about the things her friends talked about, she would've never felt like she had to lie to her friends about surfing. It's so easy to act like a different person than you really are just to please others, but you trying to please the wrong people because they won't let you be you.

[Tiffany]

I got this book from my friend’s mom as a way to study for the SATs, but I ended up enjoying this book very much. It was about a teenage girl struggling to stay in school after the divorce of her very successful parents. Her mother is a TV anchor who started dating a man from the television station and her father proposed to his new girlfriend. There as a lot going in her life and I felt empathetic towards her. Sometimes I feel like there is a lot going on in my life with school and my family. For her, she used surfing as a way to cope with everything and I don’t have anything like that but I try to find a place to relax. I feel like a lot of teens have problems with school by itself, but if you add something like family problems or even a fight with a boyfriend/girlfriend, it can be volatile. I enjoyed reading this book and it helped me with my vocabulary.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Kristen, whose life is not going so good. First, because her parents get divorsed. Next, while attending a party, her friends get mad at her, and the consequences are that they treat her like trash at school. Then, she has to see a psychiatrist at school, because people think shes depressed. That's when Kristen meets Macy and N, who help her get back together.
This book was quite interesting. It has a lot of drama.

[Jane Viviano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the vocabulary in the book was pretty elementary and there were a few grammatical errors, I really enjoyed the story. Kristen's character is real and relatable. I found some of the problems that Kristen faces ones that I have experienced in my school years. I also enjoyed how the author incorporated surfing and related it to the overall message. This book is enjoyable, purposeful, and relatable for those in high school.

[Ariella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gossip girl mixed with SAT words, many would think it's impossible but SparkNotes made it happen. Majority of the worlds were at a very basic level, however it's a quick read perfect for a plane ride or long car trip. Who knew reinforcing and learning SAT words could include surfing, drama queens, and romance? Take a chance on Sun Kissed, who knows you might walk away with a few new words.

[R.smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very interesting to me and I have to have a book that catches my attention from the very beginning. This book really does catch my attention from the first page and on. It also helps me learn new words with it being ways to learn SAT/ACT vocabulary. This is a book that I would read more than once to just read it, and help let the new words stick into my head.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Really liked this, cried a couple of times. Couldn't get too attached to Nate but these are pretty short novels. I feel like both Busted and Sun-Kissed would be great 5 star reads if they were longer and more developed but they're quick and to the point. Learned a few new words and many I already new (yay). These are great books just wish there were more!

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some grammatical errors I found while reading, the plot itself was very interesting; I am in college, and it kept me engaged the whole time. It's a great way for students to learn their SAT words!

[Hippo · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are awesome-i have another one, but they contain words from the SAT's, and the words are in bold w/ the definition at the bottom. Great instead of just looking at a word list

[Cherilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great way to learn SAT vocab.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad for a novel designed to teach high schoolers advanced vocabulary.

[Sydney]

Helps with vocabulary for SAT!