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Sunshine on a Rainy Day

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It’s Zoe and Jack’s first wedding anniversary party. They’ve got an announcement! They’re getting divorced…

Marriage isn’t for everyone – something that Zoe and Jack discovered only after they’d walked down the aisle. Bad timing, huh? So now they’re stuck together in their once harmonious marital home, neither one of them willing to move out of their lovely house.

With Zoe’s three sisters always wanting a say, and Jack’s best friend trying his best to fix things between them, misunderstandings arise. Tempers flare. ‘Accidents’ happen…

Zoe and Jack are going to be lucky if they’re still alive when the twelve months are up. But maybe things aren’t quite as final as they seem?

416 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 8, 2016

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Bryony Fraser

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
Profile Image for Leah.
1,654 reviews339 followers
Read
August 29, 2016
DNFed at 60 pages.

This sounded like a really fun read. A couple, married for a year, decided to get divorced but still live together. WHAT CAN GO WRONG? Well, actually, that's not quite how this story was told. Instead we go back to the wedding day, when Zoe is already questioning her decision. She's like the least bride-like person I've ever met in my life, and considering I could tell she shouldn't be getting married, it's worrying no one else saw that. Then, we see their first few weeks of marriage. It should be blissful, yes? WRONG. Zoe just picks at silly things, starts fights, throws a tantrum over Jack going out with his mates, when she had already been out twice since their wedding day, throws another tantrum because people assume she's taken Jack's name, and she's way, way, way too cool to do that. Or feminist? Who knows what her reasons were, but it greatly offended her that people assume that of her. It just seemed like one big over-reaction after another. She didn't seem mature enough to be married, even.

It was just too much for me. Too much negativity, too much over-reaching about the littlest things, going off the deep end because of a little joke, if all you have to worry about in life is what your married name is, or isn't, I'd say you're doing pretty well. Zoe, however, had the opinion that it was the worst thing ever. She was just so hard to like, period.

I honestly thought this would be a funny, enjoyable read. Not something that made you want to cover your eyes and scream. Not my kind of read at all.

I'm terribly curious who Bryony Fraser really is, as this is a pseudonym, and I'd be intrigued even further to know if it's an author I've previously enjoyed. I kinda think it might be Mhari McFarlane, since that's who they relate it to in the taglines, and who is in the back of the book as "if you like this, etc", but I'm not sure. Either way, this wasn't for me. I wanted to like it desperately, but you need to be able to like/sympathise with its main character and Zoe wasn't either of those things :(
Profile Image for Amanda.
616 reviews102 followers
September 5, 2016
Originally published at Desert Island Book Reviews

This cover is so cute and I so wanted to love this book. The concept had real promise: a couple gets married and then announces that they're getting divorced at their anniversary party one year later. It could have been funny, or sad, or entertaining, but instead, I found it more annoying than anything else.

My main issue with this book was that the main character, Zoe, was immature and irritating. Her new husband, Jack, isn't much better, but the problems really started with Zoe early on. She didn't want to get married ever, but she agreed to marry Jack (we find out why eventually), and even though she loves him, she hates the idea of being married. Now, as a married person, I can say that my life, at least, didn't really change much at all because we got married. And I think Zoe's and Jack's lives didn't need to change, either. If they loved each other, why did they suddenly turn into bickering idiots as soon as they'd said their vows?

Zoe and Jack antagonize each other pretty much from the start over such stupid things, things that must have happened before they were married, too, and yet they still loved each other then. So why did everything go downhill? It was really strange to me, and if this is someone's reality, I feel bad for them.

Zoe was also a little over-sensitive about the issue of her name. Under no circumstances did she want anyone to think she was Mrs. anyone, and she seemed to get actually angry when people referred to her by her husband's name. For better or for worse, society still expects women to change their names when they get married, and it leads to confusion when someone doesn't. (Not to say I don't understand on some level — I didn't change my name, either, and I still get things from family members as well as strangers assuming I did.) Her reactions were over the top and childish, and I found them annoying.
I did like the resolution (though I'd guessed at it early on) and I thought there were some funny elements (like the issue of the wedding gifts, for example), but overall, this book was more than a little disappointing. I didn't hate it, but there was nothing in it that made me feel like I had to keep reading, and honestly, Zoe's feelings about marriage are so completely opposite from mine that it was hard to read her perspective sometimes. I just couldn't relate at all.

This book was absolutely not my cup of tea, but I can see how other people might enjoy it. There's petty drama on many levels and the author did a good job of blending the past and present to help us understand the situation a little better, but in the end, if you find the idea of a childish newlywed who gets personally offended by EVERYTHING annoying, this probably isn't the book for you. I gave it two stars.

*ARC from Avon via NetGalley
Profile Image for Y..
260 reviews6 followers
December 9, 2016
Got this as an ARC from Netgalley...(I requested it because the cover was cute, and the summary was interesting).

I'm still barely past the beginning, but oh my god, can Zoe be more insufferable? I would like to edit the Goodreads summary to this: "Marriage isn't for everyone -- something that Zoe (and maybe Jack? haven't gotten that far yet) discovered BEFORE she walked down the aisle." She knows, I know, we all know (maybe not Jack though) that marriage isn't for her. And yet... she gets married. She's not even waffling between choices - she just knows it's not for her, at least not with Jack, and she thinks about marriage in such a concretely negative way that it seems like she's a fucking idiot for doing it. She is (based on the little I've read).

Anyway, I'm assuming the rest of the book is about that "conflict" that shouldn't have been. All I know is that things got boring, the negativity continued, something about unwrapping wedding gifts, and I skipped many pages.

I'm not sure I want to continue reading. It's not even that I don't want to read about a couple regretting their decision to get married. It's that I cannot stand the character and how she's conceived/written.
Profile Image for Toni.
827 reviews268 followers
October 7, 2016
First, I agree with some reviewers, the cover is misleading. Regardless of what people say, many of us do "judge a book by its cover." I would also change the title to: "Sunshine on a Rainy YEAR." That gives the reader a clearer indication that the newlyweds had a tough first YEAR, of adjusting to marriage. The wedding day was fine, the months after that, well that's the whole story! And it's a decent story really, relatable and possible. No spoilers, but for those that hated Zoe, and turned away, come back. She knows she was acting like a brat, and she admits it was all her fault, but she was confused and couldn't really articulate her feelings. We've all been there. Give her another chance.
I want to say a little more, so I'll be back.

Thanks Netgalley.
Profile Image for Sara Islam .
Author 5 books338 followers
January 7, 2024
I really don’t understand what’s the point of divorce if they’re going to stay together🤷🏻‍♀️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sarah.
881 reviews
October 29, 2016
There wasn't anything feel good, funny or romantic about this book.

Zoe was horrid and selfish. The story blends past and present to good effect to explain why she behaves as she does, and why the couple get married, but I just couldn't swallow Zoe's behaviour after the wedding. No-one ever gets cross with her or points out that she is acting in a ridiculous fashion.
The other characters were really 2 dimensional and added nothing to the story. We never get the viewpoint of anyone else and Jack is such a doormat. Also, why? why? did Zoe's boss always have to be mentioned as having a wife. OK, she's a married lesbian, so what?

Not one for me, thank fully it was only 99p on Amazon and a few hours of my time wasted.
Profile Image for Zoe.
756 reviews14 followers
April 21, 2017
I couldn't get past my intense dislike for Zoe in this. For me, this was essentially a story about two people too immature and emotionally unstable to handle marriage - I just found it really annoying. That's all I can really say about this one. There wasn't anything I found particular funny or endearing about two individuals who got married and turned into children about the whole thing. Irritating rather than humorous.
Profile Image for Ellie.
63 reviews1 follower
June 14, 2018
interesting story. little bizarre in places but enjoyable nonetheless
Profile Image for Agi.
1,681 reviews105 followers
September 14, 2016

Those of you who follow my blog already know that I am not the biggest fan of cinema and watching films just bores me. However, there are some films that I could watch and watch, over and over again, such like "Bridget Jones" or ""My Big Fat Greek Wedding", but also I absolutely adored "The War of Roses" with Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. The description of "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" has totally reminded me of this film and it was for sure one of the things that made me request this book. I was desperately hoping for this war of roses, for "accidents" happening, tempers flaring and tons of misunderstanding - shortly, I was hoping for incredibly funny story with twists and turns.

And it could be a brilliant story, as it had tons of potential. I loved the idea for the plot, however the delivery somehow lacked. My biggest problem was with Zoe - already in the first chapter we learn that Zoe isn't sure if getting married is something for her. So far, so good, you could say, the only problem was that Zoe was GETTING MARRIED. It was crystal clear for me, after reading this few pages, that she shouldn't, under any circumstances, marry Jack, yet she went with it. Why? Why did she agree for this? It was a little childish and laughable for Zoe to blame Jack - her argumentation was that he KNEW she doesn't want get married, so why did he ask her? Erm, hello? Why did you say yes? It was also Zoe who created this hell on earth after the wedding, to be honest, she was picking at the smallest things, she was always unhappy and she was a hypocrite, as she herself was allowed to meet with her friends, yet when Jack wanted to meet with his mates she was questioning this. And guys, if you think that you've seen a tantrum, then probably you haven't seen Zoe in action yet. I also didn't completely get her obsession with not taking Jack's surname - sure, she was not obliged to do this but to flip her lid when other people assumed she changed her name? Altogether, I just couldn't understand what is so tragic and dramatic after you get married? What changed, day by day? So yes, Zoe was selfish and unfair and truly, she behaved as if she didn't have any regard for Jack's feelings. Jack, on the other hand, came across a little like a doormat, to be honest. He was a great guy, and he loved Zoe, and I think he really didn't understand what's happened to his Zoe, because - as the story jumps between present and past and shows us how Zoe and Jack got to know each other and fell in love with each other, showing us a totally different picture of Zoe - she wasn't like this before! However, it was always Jack who was doing the first step, making the effort but he was also stubborn and instead of telling his wife that this dinner was meant for her, he'd rather bin it. Communication, guys! Communication!

But! And you know what is funny? Despite all my problems with Zoe I still have found this book highly entertaining. OK, it wasn't completely this what I was so hoping for, this war of roses took place in maybe two scenes, and I so, so waited for accidents happening, for Zoe and Jack having heads full of ideas how to make each other's life more complicated and difficult - in a funny way! However, I wanted this book to be a light - hearted, entertaining read and I think that if you don't take Zoe too seriously, that if you read it with a pinch of salt and turn a blind eye on Zoe's tantrums, you can fully enjoy this story - at least this is how I read this book and how I felt about it. It didn't annoy me as much as it seem to have annoyed so many other reviewers.

The idea of this story was brilliant but as I've already mentioned it before, I think that it lacked in development and I really couldn't understand why everything went downhill - it was just so ridiculous. It is actually about a thing that shouldn't have happened, at all. However, there were many more elements that made this book a fun read for me. I liked the end, though I could see it coming from far away, and even though it couldn't be more clichéd, even if I asked for it, and some of the scenes were laugh - inducing. I liked the absolute support Zoe had from her family, and how much patience they had dealing with her and her problems.

So really, if you are in a need for a light - hearted, not too complex story about newlyweds making problems from everything and picking at anything and getting offended in the best childish way (and I don't mean it in a bad way!), then "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" may be the book for you. I enjoyed it, and liked the writing style, the sharp dialogues and that it was a quick - paced read. It just drew me into Zoe and Jack's world and I wanted to see what's going to happen. Altogether - yes, I was a little disappointed with the lack of the promised "accidents happening" (though tempers were flaring, especially those of Zoe), but still I really liked this book.

Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a review.
Profile Image for Susanne.
1,206 reviews39.4k followers
August 31, 2016
Have you ever had a moment in your life where you knew you were making the wrong decision? Where you knew you were making a huge mistake but you felt like you couldn’t get out of it? Like you knew the day before, the day of and every day thereafter that what you were doing was completely wrong for you but you couldn’t say it for fear of hurting someone else? I know I have. And so has Zoe, one of the two main characters in Sunshine on a Rainy Day.

And for Zoe, this is a big one, she agreed to marry her boyfriend Jack of 7 years, even though she has never ever wanted to get married. And even though she loves him very much. It’s just that marriage isn’t for her. She knows it with every fiber of her being. As the wedding approaches, she gets even more uncomfortable. And every day after the marriage, she is even more miserable, and because of it, things go awry. If only she had been honest and told Jack how she felt and if only they hadn’t gotten married. And so the only solution for both of them - immediately after getting married? Why getting divorced of course! If only it were that easy.

The author of Sunshine on a Rainy Day, Bryony Fraser switches timelines throughout the book, with Zoe narrating, starting with the wedding day and then going back to seven years prior. While both of the main characters Zoe and Jack were described well, I didn’t really care what happened to either of them and wasn’t invested in the story, though I did understand Zoe’s dilemma. Her parents, and siblings support her fairly well but don’t do much for the story itself and are extraneous. Sunshine on a Rainy Day is chick lit (which I will admit, is not a genre I typically read) and is a fluffy, easy read. If you are looking for a book you can pick up and put down again, and get through quickly without feeling like the world is going to end, this one is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, Avon and Bryony Fraser for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 8/31/16.

** Will be published on Amazon on 9/8/16.
1,917 reviews32 followers
October 24, 2016
I was given an advanced copy of this book but I waited till recently to read it as I wanted to take a funny book on holiday with me. I really didn't enjoy this one, I read till halfway and gave up. I found Zoe quite irritating and very immature. I was hoping something would happen but unfortunately it did not. Even though I hate giving up on a book I just knew that would have to be the case in this book. This is my opinion of the book but other people may love it.
Profile Image for ThatBookGal.
725 reviews103 followers
April 10, 2018
***Spoilers***

Every single time I’ve picked up this book, I’ve mentally broken into song, humming Zoe’s song from the 90’s non-stop. That was annoying enough, the fact that the main character was also called Zoe just hurt my soul a little bit. Clearly the author intended to give me this annoying and persistent ear worm, why would you do that to me?!

Flaw two was the dedication at the front of the book, I felt like I instantly wasn’t going to click with Fraser and this was made abundantly clear by about chapter 3. I’m immensely proud to feel like a family, taking my husbands name was a choice I made and a choice I’m proud of. The main characters absurd ‘feminist’ attitude to a woman choosing to do that pissed me off. Ordinarily stuff like that doesn’t bother me, but I really felt like the author was throwing her own views out there by talking through her character. My mother has never been married either, the idea that her parents made her feel she couldn't be and the utterly out of date views of marriage in this book were just ridiculous.

Zoe was awful, selfish, stupid, utterly flawed in every single way. She literally had everything that so many people dream of, and threw it away because of a fucking tea bag?! A TEA BAG?! Its just not real life. Her utterly absurd rhetoric about how terrible her marriage is was laughable. If I was a woman who'd been cheated on, or worse, and was reading this crap I'd be furious. A TEA BAG?!

The whole story line with Kat was equally ridiculous, she accidentally ends up working for the evil secret ex of her big sister, and ultimately plots his downfall but cant tell anyone about it, even though they see him for about 10 seconds in the whole book, and that was just to check she was ok. So if she'd told them the plan, their paths would never have crossed with his anyway?! So stupid. Just tell them you're ok, you're just as selfish as your big sister. And why?! The parents are the only redeeming quality in the whole book, so why have they raised ridiculous, idiotic, spoiled brat children.

This is billed as a fun book. Its not. Its billed as hilarious. Its bloody well not. Its billed as a story about divorce. Its really not, more a hate speech about marriage than anything else. The whole thing was bad. Don't read it.

Profile Image for Di McLean.
338 reviews3 followers
January 29, 2018
This book could have had a lot going for it, but unfortunately the main character Zoe was very poorly written and simply came across as being very immature and selfish. Not to mention thoroughly annoying. I actually had no idea why her new husband Jack was with her - he could do a lot better. Indeed this is one of the mysteries of this shaky romance - Zoe is surrounded by an absolute bevy of totally charming friends and family who are very generous, kind and patient with her rank stupidity and downright cruelty. I would much rather the main character could have been someone - anyone! - else. That said, the premise of a newly wedded couple opting for divorce is an interesting one, but poorly executed here. Such a shame.
I was so close to giving up on this book, it was actually a chore to read!
Profile Image for Nana.
66 reviews
April 17, 2025
enjoyed a lot of it but just couldn't warm up to Zoe. I initially picked up this book because I was excited to see a pair of brown legs on the cover and it's so rare to actually have a brown protagonist in this type of "chick lit." I loved that Zoe was half Nigerian and her sisters and friends formed a nice community. However, Zoe's actions were truly nonsensical to me a lot of the time and while I could understand why she felt the way she did, nobody forced her to agree to marry Jack and it felt like she was punishing him for something he wasn't aware he'd done.

The blurb says "perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane" and some may find that true but I've found Mhairi's heroines to be far more likable. All in all, this is still worth a read but don't expect anything life-changing.
Profile Image for Sophie West.
12 reviews
July 18, 2018
I really enjoyed reading 'Sunshine on a Rainy Day'. This book really shows the true aspects of marriage and addresses the fact that life doesn't always go as planned. The chapters in the book alternated between the past and the present which I found helpful in understanding the relationship between Zoe and Jack however I do believe some of the chapters were not necessary. However, it was still a good read despite the unnecessary chapters and the predictable ending.
Profile Image for Jenna.
113 reviews10 followers
May 30, 2020
At first I wasn’t sure at all. My first thoughts where “why get married?” As I felt no real happiness through the pages. As it went on I started to get into it and wanted to see how things worked out between the newly married couple.
I feel like the book ended calmly, no sudden twists and turns but overall I did enjoy most of it. I’d read it again and do recommend it if you like an easy, not complicated read.
Profile Image for Jazmin.
32 reviews
September 16, 2019
It says feel-good romantic comedy, it was more constantly-cursing-at-zoe and frustrated. This was that book that for me was ALRIGHT. However, definitely not for the impatient. I had a difficult time finishing this book, because every page i flipped made me want to rip this book apart.

Clearly from the first page Zoe had an issue with marriage and through out the entire book she was so stuck with the idea how marriage is the worse thing on this planet earth..

300 plug pages and perhaps only 10 pages were the romantic bits. The rest were Zoe trying to sabotage her life and her poor husband trying to "HELP" get Zoe's shit together.

COME THE ENDING.. sigh, could have been a GREAT book
Profile Image for Jo Hooper.
10 reviews
January 27, 2021
Took me longer to read this book! Found it hard to keep focused on what the topic was about in the chapters I was reading. Persevered with it and thought well I’ve started it may as well finish the book! By the last chapter I read the last 90 pages in one day!
If you want a book that keeps you engrossed and longing for more, sad to say this isn’t the book for me or maybe for you!
Profile Image for Janet Camilleri.
115 reviews6 followers
March 27, 2017
Zoe made me so impatient - I thought she was a bit of an idiot and really couldn't relate to her as a character. I nearly put the book down for good after about 100 pages but persevered. Of course by the end of the book you realise WHY she is the way she is but still ... she frustrated me no end!
Profile Image for Sarah-Jayne Windridge-France.
295 reviews9 followers
November 24, 2021
I can’t lie - this is a downright depressing read!

It came good in the last couple of chapters, but there weren’t many laughs.

It was predictable, sad and not really what you want to read if you have a positive mindset. 😒
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Dewfall.
515 reviews1 follower
May 7, 2017
Struggled a bit with the story jumping years couldn't sit and read more than a couple of chapters at a time
Profile Image for Beth Cooksey.
228 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2017
This book is not hilarious nor is it heartbreaking.
Profile Image for Caitlin.
367 reviews3 followers
March 26, 2019
Cute fluffy read that I could see being made into a brill tom com movie.

Didn't 100% love Zoe, did adore Jack though, but Zoe's dad was the scene stealer. Absolute gem.
Profile Image for Jo Baalham-Curry.
24 reviews
February 11, 2020
Was not my writing style. Had to not finish it after 50 pages as couldn't get into it. Was disappointed as storyline sounded good.
Profile Image for Katie.
140 reviews2 followers
August 6, 2020
Dnf 29 percent. Didn't care about the characters or their story
Profile Image for Natalie.
226 reviews
December 28, 2022
Just about enough to keep me going, despite Zoe's horrible treatment of Jack and her immense ability to while away her life on the sofa. Won't be reading anything else by this author.
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