May 7, 2015

Review: Bright Side (Bright Side #1) by Kim Holden

Publish Date: July 4th, 2014
Publisher: Do Epic LLC
Rating: 4 / 5

I purchased a copy on Amazon.

Blurb:
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.



First Thoughts

I can't talk about the plot without revealing too much. It's one of those books you just have to go into without knowing much. All I want to say is: This book made me ugly cry. A lot.



What I Enjoyed

Kate Sedgewick. The blurb says that Kate has gone through hardship and tragedy, but she's remained happy and optimistic throughout it all. That doesn't even begin to explain it. Kate's life circumstances devastated me. Devastated. I can't stress that enough. I didn't even want to get up out of bed after reading Bright Side. How in the heck did Kate get up every morning while living it?? God. Everything she went through...


The relationships between the characters. Kate and Gus had the most adorable female/male best friend relationship I've ever read. I kept wondering why they didn't just get together already! Then Keller Banks came along, and hello! I loved how his and Kate's relationship progressed into full on romance. Everything they went through was very real. I also enjoyed Kate's friendships with all the other secondary characters. Honestly, who wouldn't want to be Kate's friend?

The reality of the story. Again, I can't say too much without giving anything away, but I do want to stress that this story is raw and real. I think the reactions of certain characters revolving around certain circumstances was very true. Even the romance between Kate and Keller wasn't too perfect. There were fights and jealousy mixed in with a love that wasn't too mushy.


Memorable Quote

“Imagine for a moment that you were free of all the expectations in your life. What would you do? How would you live your life with no one watching? What would your future look like?”


TL;DR

Read it. Just read it. Kate is a special girl everyone should read about. The characters were all very likable. Everything was very realistic. There are alot of tough issues in this book, so prepare to ugly cry a ton.


4 asterisks




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