Jessica Ryn

'This is the book we all need right now: a story of kindness and hope. I absolutely loved it' Anstey Harris, bestselling author of Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton She's not lost. She's just waiting to be found...

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside

Janna Niemi

The story is beautiful, sad and happy at the same time. It reminds me that no matter how bad things are, there are people worse off in the world. And they still keep going. 

Dawn Brightside is extraordinary on her own and the way she keeps thinking positive is just miraculous. Her character is mysterious, and I kept guessing and wondering what had happened to her and to her daughter. I also really like how you slowly get to know the events that lead to the present moment. 

Like I said, there’s so much sadness and happiness in this book. The characters have all faced more hardships than I hopefully ever will and I was so, so happy when they all got their more or less happy endings. But I was especially happy for Dawn, because she truly deserves all happiness she can get. 

All in all, a brilliant and deep story of homelessness and how to maintain hope through the hardest bits of life. 

I also quite liked the narrator of the book. Their voice was pleasant to listen to and I think that’s all that matters really. I would give them 4 out of 5 stars. 

*ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley

Pam Sartain

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside by Jessica Ryn is about Dawn Brightside, who is homeless.  She gets a place in St Jude's Hostel for the Homeless, and she sees all the possibilities.

And I do mean all of them, as Dawn is a dreamer.  Helping out in cafe means she'll be discovered to be an amazing chef, and find fame and fortune.  And it's the same for most things.  Her wild optimism means that she's the person with the can do attitude, which helps when there's a crisis, like the threat of closure for the hostel.

This was a book that didn't pull it's punches.  It wanted you to know about the heartbreak, and the struggle to remain sober.  It wanted you to know about sleeping rough.  It also wanted to you know the community spirit, and how people look out for each other.

   The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside  was published on 26th November 2020, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop .

You can follow Jessica Ryn on  Twitter  and on her  website .

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  HQ .

Anika | @chaptersofmay

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside is a heart-warming uplifting tale of hope and humanity. The titular character, Dawn, is a homeless woman in Dover who finally finds a place to call home. And she will do everything she can do hold onto it. It’s both eye-opening and soothing to read this book.

The characters are incredibly easy to root for. And the more you get to know them, the more you realise they’re loveable from every angle. Dawn is very much the heart of the story. All you ever want to do is give her a big hug and remind her she deserves love. Similarly, Grace is a sweet and naturally loving character. As a social worker, she has the kind of optimism that inspires people to hope for the best. 

I really like that the author included painful and traumatic backstories in the book. It adds to its depth and forces the reader to examine their own prejudgements of those around them. This moving story has themes of loneliness, belonging, and regret. But despite its weight, the book has an upbeat tone. I guess that’s just the extraordinary hope of Dawn Brightside shining through.

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She's not lost. She's just waiting to be found... When 42-year-old Dawn Brightside is offered a bed in St Jude's Hostel for the Homeless, it means so much more than just a roof over her head... Dawn has been running from her past for twenty-two years, but finally she's found a group of people who need her, and she's determined not to let them down. So when she discovers that St Jude's is in danger of having its funding cut, Dawn knows she must find a way to save this light in the darkness. But when her past finally catches up with her, will her new friends trust her version of the story, or is everything about to crumble around her once again?

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside

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