The Sunny Side (The Model Agency #1) - Lily Morton


The Sunny Side is the first book in a new series from Lily Morton, where a Dean is a sunny supermodel that brings love and a carefree existence into the serious and responsible life of Jonas. Model agency owner Jonas is a caretaker in a business suit and when he is swept into the whirlwind of Dean's life, Jonas realizes that maybe love is worth the risk to his protected heart.

From the blurb:

Jonas Durand is successful, rich, and controlled. He owns a prestigious modelling agency and has the world at his fingertips, but a turbulent childhood has taught him to be focused and never deviate from a plan.

Dean Jacobs threatens that stance. He’s one of the world’s most sought-after supermodels, but he’s also laidback and lighthearted and free in a way that Jonas has never quite managed.

Dean has always been interested in Jonas and has never made any secret of his admiration, but from the beginning, Jonas put him in a neat little box labelled, “Don’t touch,” turned the key, and never looked back.

However, the universe seems determined to thwart Jonas’s plans. Over the course of one hot summer, the two men come together, and Jonas’s well-ordered life becomes something a whole lot wilder.

Moving from the glamorous worlds of London and Paris Fashion Weeks to the sleepy South of France, Jonas finds himself liberating partridges, chasing his supermodel, and falling in love.

From bestselling author Lily Morton, comes a romantic comedy set in the fast-paced and snarky world of modelling. This is the first book in the Model Agency series.


SNik's Review:

First in series (The Model Agency). Age gap. Opposites attract. Mostly single POV. 

Supermodel Dean is an easygoing man that has struggled with dyslexia all his life, recently given up smoking weed, and has had a crush on the head of his modeling agency for years. 

Jonas is a serious, divorced father, that is all about business, but also takes care of the people and models he is responsible for, and that includes the beautiful and charming Dean. 

Two men with difficult pasts and opposite ways of living their lives finally start to orbit each other in an inevitable way when attraction and lust start a relationship that each believes can only be temporary, they are much too different. 

Both Jonas and Dean are likable, supportive and caring, while Jonas makes Dean feel safe, and Dean scarily causes out of control emotions for Jonas. 

I enjoyed their sweet interactions and that there was no expectations to try to change the other, and their ability to see deeper beyond the surface where they could love each other is typical Lily Morton. Morton’s writing seems to grab me emotionally at times, and I can feel the romance and love that the characters are trying so hard to achieve. 

Looking forward to more from this series, a great introduction to the Model Agency world with some past cameos.

Rating: 4.5 Stars


Sheena's Review:

I find it hard to write an unbiased review of a Lily Morton book because I love pretty much everything she's ever written, and this is no different. I have wanted Dean's story since I met him in Deal Maker, and this didn't disappoint in any way. You could read it as a standalone but I'd urge you to read at least Deal Maker first (and Spring Strings) as characters from those books pop up here in major roles.

This is Dean and Jonas' story though, and it's wonderful. Dean Jacobs is not a ray of sunshine, he's the whole damn sun itself. He's absolutely the best person who has been treated in the worst way possible by the people in his life up to now and definitely deserves all the good that is coming his way. I am a total and utter sucker for a Grumpy/Sunshine trope and while Jonas isn't all that grumpy (unless he's annoyed), he is buttoned up and cold and a bit forbidding and it was wonderful to see him open up as the story went on.

I have laughed, I have cried, I have wanted to reach into The Sunny Side and give people a good shake and ultimately I couldn't put this down until I'd finished it. It's got everything I've come to expect in a Lily book and I can't say enough amazing things about it. I guarantee you will finish this with tears in your eyes, yet with the biggest smile on your face because Dean is just that wonderful. 

Rating: 5 Stars


Heather's Review:

The Sunny Side was an interesting read, a bit of a slow burn boss/employee romance that starts with an employee's secret crush... Dean has strong sunshine vibes and has overcome a lot of past trauma to become the person he is today... and while grumpy isn't the word I'd use for Jonas, he's definitely buttoned-up and reserved...

It's fun watching their interactions and the ways they surprise each other.  The story does revisit some issues, particularly around the modelling world and the power structure of the business which may be traumatic for some people, but overall it is a really good read, well balanced and well paced, with some humour, a sweet puppy dog, a darling daughter and more! 

Rating: 4.5 Stars

The Sunny Side is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription

Want more?  Check out the Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway post by clicking the graphic below:



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