Bright Side-Book Review

Bright Side by Kim Holden

Goodreads Summary:

Secrets. Everyone has one. Some are bigger than others. And when secrets are revealed, Some will heal you ... And some will end you. Kate Sedgwick’s life has been anything but typical. She’s endured hardship and tragedy, but throughout it all she remains happy and optimistic (there’s a reason her best friend Gus calls her Bright Side). Kate is strong-willed, funny, smart, and musically gifted. She’s also never believed in love. So when Kate leaves San Diego to attend college in the small town of Grant, Minnesota, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with Keller Banks. They both feel it. But they each have a reason to fight it. They each have a secret. And when secrets are revealed, Some will heal you … And some will end you.

Personal Review: 4 coffee cups

This was a pick for my Book Club. Once I got about 15% of the way through, I had a pretty good feeling on what I was going to rate the book. I wasn't crazy about the dialogue or the overuse of words like "dude" or "baby." It got real old, real fast. But a little over halfway, the book started to shift. There was a revelation made that made the book raw in a way you don't see very often.

When a character in a book has a terminal illness, many times the details are skimmed over and left out to spare the reader. The author of this book did not take that approach. As hard as the last 1/4 of the book was to read (I had a lump in my throat for about 100 pages), it was real and honest. It exposed the brutality of cancer and how it can tear apart the people around you. Even when it was uncomfortable to read, I appreciated the way the author allowed the characters to grieve. So if you find yourself reading this book and you are stumbling over some of the dialogue, I encourage you to push through to the end. It might rip your heart open, but you will find a beauty in the way these characters embody those raw emotions that make us human.

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