Bright Side by 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.

Amazon US

Review:

   A few months ago after I read the first chapters of this book, I put it down and decided not to read anymore at the time, because it just didn't have me hooked. Im not sure what is what that kept me from being captivated right away, it might not have even been the book at all but what was going on in everyday life, knowing how the book was going to end from spoilers though might also have played a part. Anyways after reading lots of great reviews and hearing lots of great things from a friend that just recently finished it, I decided to finish reading Bright Side and I'm so glad that I did.
This time round when turning the pages the words roped and knotted me in, I became tangled in the lives and emotions of the main character, Kate and the other characters surrounding her.

  The relationships that Kate shared with old and new friends, filled with kindness, honesty, laughter and love, were so touching that they made the characters seem more real than fictional. Each one of them brought to life by their big hearts and the strength and support they showed for one another. There are so many beautiful parts to this book, even when faced with painful experiences Kate and her family of friends still managed to make me smile with their outlook on life and how other people should be treated. Though that still wasn't enough to stop the tears rolling down my cheeks, that fell at poignant moments of struggle and loss within the pages.

  I wasn't sure whether to give Bright Side a four or five star rating, since I wasn't enthralled right from the beginning but the rest of the story was so good that in the end I don't think I could rate it any less than five