Kim Holden

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.

Bright Side

Jenna-Lee Gordon

This was a slower start for me but worth the wait once it picked up. It shows a story of Kate who has such a passion for life! Loved all the characters and can’t wait to get a chance/time to read part two. Gus!!!! 

You might want to get your tissues for this one! 

Sarahi Alvarez

This was a slower start for me but worth the wait once it picked up. It shows a story of Kate who has such a passion for life! Loved all the characters and can’t wait to get a chance/time to read part two. Gus!!!! 

You might want to get your tissues for this one! 

Hannah

“I've always been pretty good at accepting the whole of someone, the good with the bad. I see it all, but try not to let it cloud my judgement. People are complicated. Life is complicated.” 
 
Oh my god I haven’t cried this hard over a book in awhile, wow, You can’t not love Katie she’s just so true and good and the course of the book is just absolutely devastating. All the love she has and all the pain in this book such strong contrast but they feel so genuine, would highly recommend with the note that it is crippling sad. Through it all you have Katie’s love and that’s what stays strong through it all, It’s heartbreaking but I would read it 10 more times right now.

rakshu

Jeder hat Geheimnisse. Manche können heilen. Andere können dich auch zerstören. Kate Sedgwicks junges Leben war bisher alles andere als einfach. Sie musste eine Tragödie nach der anderen ertragen, doch trotz der Umstände blieb sie stets optimistisch und fröhlich. Kein Wunder, dass ihr bester Freund sie "Bright Side" nennt. Kate ist willensstark, lustig, klug und musisch talentiert. Gleichzeitig hat sie jedoch noch nie an die Liebe geglaubt. Und so ist das Letzte, was Kate erwartet, als sie aufs College geht, sich Hals über Kopf zu verlieben ... Sie fühlen es beide - und kämpfen doch dagegen an. Denn beide haben ein Geheimnis. Und wenn Geheimnisse gelüftet werden, können sie heilen ... ... oder auch zerstören. EBooks von beHEARTBEAT - Herzklopfen garantiert.

Ein Moment für immer

dija

I feel like i didn't give this book much credit, which is very very very wrong of me. 

So...
 Roses are red  
 Violets are. ...Red  
 This book MUST be read .

This is the kind of book you need in your life, i swear you won't regret reading it. And when you finish it, you won't know whether to hug it or throw it away, far far away.... and give Shrek the chance to read it (i know am lame but you've got to deal with it).

So the story follows a 22 years old college student, named Kate who lives her life the fullest. 

"Just don’t forsake the present for the unknowns of the future.” 

She is a sweet, funny , cool, full of life, beautiful and funny woman. She has the best bestguyfriend in the world. Who is Gus, my love, Gus. 
She loves books, yes hell she does. Oh and coffee. 

“What is it about coffee? It's the perfect beverage. It warms me, body and soul. And it makes me insanely happy.”  

 She is your ideal woman.  

Bright Side is told from 2 POVs. Kate's and KELLER'S 
Hello, this is Keller, your new man. 
 
I won't described him for you, you do the job. Go and get to meet him fictionaly. I LOVE him.


I sobbed like shit, i felt like shit, i laughed, i cried, i enjoyed, i loved, i felt every single emotion that can possibly be felt in a book.
 
This is all you get, hope you give it a try. THANKS FOR READING.

celene

Cecilia

Dude really????? I couldn’t read past the 2nd chapter.

Annabella

Demi

“You are brave”

I have honestly never cried so much in a book before. Bright Side was such a beautiful, sweet, heartbreaking story, and it ABSOLUTELY took me by surprise.

When I started reading this book, I was under the impression that it was going to be a cute, fun, heartwarming love story that leaves you all fuzzy inside, but this really slapped me right in the face. While it starts off being your typical cute romance with amazing and interesting love interests that fall for eachother, about half way through or so we are hit with a plot twist secret that someone was hiding. From that point on I had tears in my eyes, which ended with me absolutely bawling.

The characters in this book were so so incredibly written. Each character had well written and thought out personalities and back stories which made them feel real. The friendships we watched grow were also just so fun and lovable. I do think my favorite character in this book was definitely Gus. He was such an interesting and well developed character, and his personality just made me absolutely love him to pieces!!! (AND I FOUND OUT THERE IS A SEQUEL TO THIS BOOK CALLED ‘GUS’ AND I NEED TO READ IT RIGHT NOW!!!). Anyway, as for our two main characters Katie and Keller, I absolutely ADORED THEM!!! Their relationship was so adorable and it felt real, which made the events of this book even more heartbreaking. 

Overall, Bright Side was such a well written novel. It had amazing characters, and amazing romance, AND an amazing honest and raw storyline. This is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2019! (I don’t recommend this book if you don’t like love stories or don’t like your heart being torn out).

“Do epic”

Turtle lover

** spoiler alert **
           okay.. for a book that had been on my tbr list for many years now, this book is actually great. I somewhat spoiled myself since I was looking at the reviews but I did not mean to spoil myself. hoping a little maybe. but then I saw a review with highlights about the spoiler. ugh. they should have marked that as a spoiler. 

so..Just like everyone else, I guess, I AM SO INTO GUS. He was my man (Bright Side's man..hehe) from the start of the book even until the end. I feel like this book is mostly for Kate and Gus but mostly for Kate. I loved how Kate is and the whole character development. I loved the journey on how I knew each character and how i eventually loved them, Man, this hurts. It shows how good of a soul Kate is and what a life she had lived. 

my favorite part about this book is how they handle themselves. How reading it made you feel for the characters and feel the burden they are carrying as well as the love they have in their hearts. It makes me want to just bathe is their emotions. im not good at reviews. this is an experience.

allie

5/5⭐
⬇️
Qué novela tan maravillosa, bonita y emotiva.

En esta historia nos encontramos a Kate, nuestra protagonista principal. Kate va a empezar su primer año de universidad y está muy ilusionada y con ganas de disfrutar al máximo. Allí conocerá a gente nueva que hará que su vida esté completa después de mucho tiempo. Keller se convertirá en alguien muy especial para ella.

Los protagonistas me han apasionado. Kate me ha parecido un persona extraordinaria. Su manera de ver y vivir la vida y su personalidad y forma de ser me han conquistado por completo. Es una persona divertida, muy amiga de sus amigos y muy especial. Me ha parecido un personaje maravilloso, de verdad. A pesar de lo dura que ha sido y es su vida, su optimismo, valentía y coraje es maravilloso y creo que es un gran ejemplo a seguir.
Por otra parte Keller también es un personaje increíble. Me ha gustado mucho Keller. Es una persona trabajadora, sensata y con un claro objetivo en la vida.
Ambos conectan de una forma especial desde el primer momento. Su conexión es súper bonita, dulce y llena de vida. Me ha gustado mucho lo bien que se complementan, lo especiales que son y el buen equipo que forman. De verdad, es que me han parecido maravillosos.

Por otro lado los personajes secundarios también han sido increíbles y una parte muy importante de nuestros protagonistas y de la historia en conjunto.
Gus, el mejor amigo de Kate, es maravilloso. La amistad de este par es lo más bonito que he leído en mucho tiempo. El apoyo mutuo, el cariño y respeto que sienten, el estar ahí para el otro en todo momento. Ha sido una amistad muy especial, muy sentida y con un corazón increíble. Las conversaciones entre ambos han sido muy especiales, emotivas y llenas de sentimiento. Increíble la amistad de Kate y Gus.
Shelly, otra gran amiga de Kate que conoce cuando llega a la universidad, también ha sido increíble. Al igual que Clayton, Pete y Duncan. Todos forman una gran y bonito grupo que se apoyan en todo momento.

Esta novela ha sido increíblemente especial para mí. Me ha apasionado desde la primera página hasta la última. Me ha hecho sentir y vivir taaaaantas emociones que ha sido una novela maravillosa.
A pesar de lo duro que ha sido leer ciertas partes, creo que ha sido una novela preciosa. El mensaje y los valores que transmite esta novela creo que han sido increíbles.

Esta novela va más allá de la historia de amor de Kate y Keller. Es una historia de amistad, la autora le ha dado mucho valor a la amistad y eso me ha parecido algo muy especial y bonito. Es una historia de superación personal. De vivir la vida a tope el todo momento, disfrutar de hasta el más mínimo detalle y hacer lo que te hace feliz y lo que tu corazón siente.
Creo que este libro es una gran enseñanza de vida, que te hace reflexionar sobre muchas cosas. Una historia donde cada batalla de los personajes siempre tiene un gran apoyo detrás.

De verdad, es que no tengo palabras para describir lo especial que ha sido esta novela para mí y lo mucho que me ha hecho sentir. 
Es una novela dura, con momentos difíciles de leer pero a la vez muy bonita y especial, y cuando terminas de leer el libro, te sale una sonrisa. Cuando terminé de leer el libro, solo podía pensar en lo especial que han sido los personajes, en especial Kate, en todo lo que ha vivido y la esperanza y la sonrisa que siempre ha mostrado en toda la novela. 
Con esta novela he reído, he disfrutado, he vivido la novela como si estuviese con los personajes y he llorado sin consuelo. 

"Bright Side" es una novela adictiva, entretenida y que te mantiene pegada a las páginas en todo momento. Es una historia increíblemente emotiva, especial y con unos valores muy bonitos y que te hacen reflexionar y ver la vida de otra manera.
Los personajes, todos y cada uno de ellos, son increíbles. 
Esta novela ha sido maravillosa, la he disfrutado de principio a fin y creo que es una historia que, a pesar de lo dura que es, es muy necesaria y muy bonita. Una auténtica maravilla.

Pauline J

This had a strong start, but somewhere in the middle, I started to lose interest. It felt like things were coming out of left field. For instance, Kate’s ‘past.’ Very vaguely hinted at in the beginning, but VERY LITTLE. Then midway through, you find out what it is because of the two or three lines that hinted at it. And then BAM—that’s what her story is. I was like... wut 🙄

But because I was already so invested in the book, I couldn’t just stop. I adored Gus and Kate’s friendship WAY MORE than I did Kate and Keller’s. Idk why I didn’t feel 100% invested in them—maybe the pace of their relationship (slow burn and then also literally out of nowhere they’re in love. Again... WHAT??)

The ending... woah man, I didn’t expect waterworks today. I mean... I welcomed it, but a little notice would have been nice.

The ending was bittersweet. Good read, debated on giving it 3.5 stars, but ehh, whatever. 4’s fine.

Samantha 

One of the absolute best, and saddest, books I've ever read. 

I can honestly say I cried for at least 50% of this book, no joke. 

Seriously people read. You'll have a crazy book hangover, but so worth it dude. Oh gawd I think I'm going to cry again!

This book tore out my heart. 
I loved reading every minute of this book. 
It explored the feeling of loosing someone you love & being the person who is slowly loosing their own life while still trying to give back to the world. 

Michelle Boyea

I legitimately cried while reading this book. Very few books make me emotional that way. I have never gone through a situation that is even close to the one in this book, but the author did such an incredible job that I was completely sucked in. The emotional connection was incredible. 

Beautiful story.

Melea Mullican

At first I wasn’t sure what to think of this book. It was good, but not the romance I was expecting. Kate is definitely Bright Side. Readers don’t find out how strong and impressive it is that she remains positive until close to the end of the book. Kate endured a ton, and the way she handles life is impressive. 

This book is the kind of book that you start of thinking “Yeah this is pretty good, but I don’t know what is so special about it.” Then you move to “Oh I’m starting to see. This is really good.” To, “Crap. Now I’m bawling.” Bright Side is emotional, gut wrenching, funny, and romantic. 

I enjoyed the romance between her and Keller. It was very quick, and while it had to be, reader’s don’t necessarily know that yet. I felt like the build up to the romance could have been explored a little more. We don’t even get introduced to Keller for quite some time, and it is even longer before we see things through his point of view. I felt like some of the set up to that point could have been used exploring their relationship. I really enjoyed Kate’s relationships with those around her. From her friends, to her family, to her co-workers, she brought life to every room. 

I will warn you that this book is sad, but in such a beautiful way. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a read that has a little bit of everything. I also listened to this book. Lidia Dornnet did a great job voicing Kate. Roger Wayne brought life to Keller. I enjoyed his narration, but it took me longer to get used to his narration than Lidia’s. Overall the story and narration were great. I recommend this book.

Julia H

Isabella Stocka

Wenn ein Buch dich so emotional mitnimmt. Du es liebst und hasst zugleich.
Dieses Buch hat mich zerstört!

Eine Rezension schreiben, ohne Spoiler ist für mich bei diesem Buch absolut nicht möglich!

SPOILERGEFAHR!

Die Geschichte beginnt unspektakulär. Zwei beste Freunde müssen sich trennen und jeder geht seinen eigenen Weg, der Zukunft entgegen. Doch das ändert nichts daran das sie weiterhin nicht ohne einander können.
Während Gus seinem Herzen folgt und mit seiner Band auf Tour geht, zieht Kate - von Gus liebevoll Bright Side genannt - von San Diego nach Minnesotta um dort zu studieren. Sie lerne Leute kennen und freundet sich rasch mit ihnen an. 
Der Leser erfährt von beiden wie es ihnen so ergeht. Soweit sogut. Man merkt schnell das die beiden mehr als nur Freundschaft verbindet. Sie sind Seelenverwandt und ich muss gestehen das ich ein wenig gehofft habe die beiden würden am Ende auch mehr als das sein. 

Während Gus weiterhin seine Tour absolviert freundet Kate sich immer mehr mit Keller an und man merkt das sich da was entwickeln könnte. Beide vertrauen einander und schlussendlich vertrauen sie sich auch ihre größten Geheimnisse an. 
Ich muss gestehen, mir blieb der Atem weg. Einige Seiten vor den Geständnissen dachte ich mir schon das da viel trauriges in beider Leben vorfiel und so ist es auch.
Während Keller sich als Alleinerziehender junger Vater durchschlagen muss, gesteht Kate das sie erst vor kurzem ihre Mutter und Schwester verlor und selber Todkrank ist. Da versteht man auch warum Gus Kate immer "Bright Side" nennt. Sie ist immer positiv und lässt es sich nicht anmerken wenn es ihr schlecht geht. 
Leider kam es wie es kommen musste und das Buch nimmt eine Wendung von der ich gehofft habe sie nicht lesen zu müssen.

Ich lese Bücher, weil ich von der Realität entfliehen möchte. Manchmal ist es einfach besser mit dem Kopf wo anders hinzuwandern und darin ein wenig abzutauchen. Daher versuche ich Geschichten, welche mir die Realität so richtig schön vor die Nase halten zu meiden. Doch hätte ich das hier getan, dann hätte ich eine wunderschöne traurige und doch so toll lebensfrohe Geschichte verpasst.

Das Leben ist kostbar und wir sollten jeden Moment davon bewusst genießen!

An diesem Platz ein herzliches Dankeschön an Vorablesen für das Rezensionsexemplar. Darf ich euch jetzt auch die Rechnung für die Taschentücher schicken? :)

Und weil ich so ungeduldig bin liegt Band 2 "Gus" schon bei mir parat. Jetzt geht es auf Englisch weiter.

Casandra Sandu

Real. Raw. Painful. Beautiful. And my eyes hurt from crying too much. My hearts also hurts. But, I’m so grateful this was my first read of the year, because I know it’s going to stick with me until the end. Kate is one of the strongest, bravest characters I’ve ever met. I found myself reflected in so many of the people she encounters along her journey and all I can say is that I wish I had a friend like her in my life.

Bright Side

Reviews

Highlights