Kim Holden

4 stars and a half

When I finished Bright Side, I knew I wanted to know what happened to Gus. And I knew it was going to be ugly. But dude, that was way more than that. I had to fight the urge to let the book go because it was so hard to handle Gus struggling like this. I felt so much. Too much. I just wanted him to be happy. And that's how I know I was really and deeply engrossed in this book.

Contrary to Bright Side, the characters felt more real. That's probably due to the fact that they show more aren't as flawless in this second book as they seemed to be in the first one. And that really realistic side appealed to me. By the end of the book it felt like Gus still didn't have a lot of flaws and I was glad that we saw him struggle at the beginning. That made him less perfect. More human. And so much more lovable for that.

This book, alongside the first one, is full of important and so positive messages about life. And loss. Damn, loss is what drives this book, but by the end of it, it seems like you went through all of the steps towards acceptance with the characters. It made me cry (a bit), think about my own losses, but most importantly about life in general and living it to the fullest.

The romance is not the most important part of the book. If anything, it seems to be that it came as a bonus. It was about life, as it is. Sure, it's sugarcoated sometimes, especially when you see that all the people in Kate's former life and Gus' life are living their dreams and not struggling at all, it seems a bit too perfect for my taste but that's alright. But that was one epic book to read and I'm glad I finished it. I think I feel more at peace as well, ready to do anything I set my mind to. Ready to do epic. And that's a really good feeling to have.



Edit:
I just figured it out. This book is like life. It's not perfect, there are things I didn't feel were realistic enough. But in the end, it's not what matters most. Because right now, I'm in such a state of mind that I am just grateful for reading both Bright Side and Gus. It made me feel so much. Thank you for these books, Kim Holden. show less

Read Gus they said. It will ease the sorrow from Bright Side they said. LIARS! They were all LIARS! I cried and wept just as much in this book as I did in Bright Side. I felt like a big baby reading this book. Let's get something straight. I don't cry. Rarely. It takes a lot for a book to make me cry. So again I say, LIARS. And you know who you are!

Taking Gus's journey in coping with Bright Side's death is not just agonizing. It is heartbreaking. His loss is more than evident in this book. I show more expected him to go off the deep end. But he went beyond that is this book. I wondered how Kim was going to bring him back from the dark side.

With all of the love and loss in this book, I couldn't seem to put it down. I lived and breathed Gus's story. I prayed for him to find the peace he desperately needed.

If you are looking for a sweet and romantic read, this is not it. I don't care what anyone else tells you. It is sad and at times it's dark. The journey of loss is never pretty, no matter what light is brought in. This is an overly emotional roller coaster. I am really glad I didn't read both books back to back. I don't think I could have handled that. show less

Here's the story of two people who meet in a bar....zzzzz....
Oh, sorry. One's a rock star. Zzzz..... WHAT? Oh, sorry.
Both are really n....
Oops drifted off again. Nice. They are nice. They are just nice. I guess they are sexy and hot too, cause like, it said so.

They talk about feelings. They have no conflict other than residing on other sides of the world. They are trying to do a nice thing. It is a predictable thing.

It was boring. And some of it was downright irritating. And Kim Holden and show more I are going to need to go ahead and part ways. I think I only enjoyed one of her books and I think it was cause the main character was kind of a jackass.

Just so we're clear here, though:
Ahem, that cover model? He's not boring. show less

If there is one thing that I can count on with this author it is her innate ability to make me feel. I had to stop numerous times to suck in my breath or wipe a tear as I muttered, "sweet holy hell" just to get my emotions in check. This book hit home to me for a plethora of reasons. I am not sure if it was the timeframe that this was written because I was Toby's age, the music which was all familiar with, or the actual thoughts that Toby experienced. It was all just familiar and it felt show more like home. As I write that it seems shocking, even for me, considering the heavy undertones of what is in this book. Yet, that is the beauty of books because not everything has to be happy. For me, those periods of my life were both happy and sad. I discovered so much about myself during that time and perhaps that is why I related so well to Toby and the entire story.

"People aren’t perfect. It’s not about loving them when it’s easy and convenient; it’s about loving them, even more, when it’s hard.”

There were so many beautiful portions of this story that truly stole my breath away. The way that the author puts her words into a way that paints a picture is truly awe-inspiring. She manages to capture the feeling of the characters but also in a way that snares the audience in and makes them feel it not only from the character's perspective but as the person experiencing it firsthand.

This story is full of heartbreak, but it is also a story of self-discovery and growth. There is an underlying love story between Alice and Toby but that isn't the basis of this story. Alice is more there to allow Toby to see things in a different way. This is not a story filled with lots of steamy times. Yet, I implore that to not stop someone from reading it. The story is so poignant and beautiful that I didn't even realize that there wasn't any in it.

“Some people aren’t worth fighting for, Toby. You’re not one of them. There are people we meet in this life who anchor us. They reassure us with their presence. They bring us comfort simply by being. They love by osmosis, radiating it out and diffusing it in effortlessly. Quietly, they walk among us, treading lightly but providing stability and influence because it’s second nature. The thing that’s so special about these people is that they don’t even know they’re doing it.”

It offers peace and a new perspective. I struggle quite often with this thing called life and where I fit into it. However, if this book has taught me anything it is that it is okay to struggle. It is how a person comes out on the other side of that struggle and the lessons that are learned that it all makes sense. This author tackled some pretty amazing subjects that need more awareness. I appreciate the dedication to making it both hurt and feel good. She reminded me that people who live with this aren't there to cause pain, in fact, the thought of causing pain to others is repugnant, but rather is one to stop the pain.

“And depression isn’t about weakness, it’s about battling and wanting to deaden the pain, not the person.”

Well done to this author. My hat is off to you. This is a book that altered the template of who I am. I will remember it for a very long time. show less