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kaliishacole's review against another edition
4.0
Brave Enough is a touching story about two teens, Cason and Davis, who are both somewhat opposites besides the fact that cancer has ruined both of their lives. Although the messages within this story were there, I felt that it was a pretty basic story. The fact that it went a bit into a recovering teen addict, was a different perspective than what I have read in other books. I also learned about different types of cancer and I hardly have read books about cancer. I would have liked to see more depth with the story itself because the book was pretty short. I did like the characters because both had a goal and tried to accomplish them, even through the bumps in the road that made them almost give up. I would definitely pick this book up just to get a feeling of motivation and to realize that not every life is easy and not every life has a clear path. Anything can happen.
crunchycrystals's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Ableism, Violence, Drug abuse, and Medical content
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Vomit
kyliieamberr's review against another edition
3.0
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher North Star Editions in exchange for my honest review**
“Your smile is one of my favorite things.”… “And not just on you, like, it’s one of my favorite things in this world.”
After finishing this novel, I mainly have positive things to say. I love the setting of the story, I always have been interested in hospital storylines. I really enjoyed how much the characters developed over the length of the story. And I didn't hate any of the characters (besides Natalie, for about half of the book). For me Brave Enough was very fast-paced and a novel I was able to dive deep into immediately, which I loved.
The problem areas for me though are:
- I felt like the plot fell a little short after half of the story. Too much happened to soon, so much that I remember looking at the page I was on thinking "Oh dang, if it's like this half way through, something even better must be coming" To me, nothing else was very interesting besides the ending life decisions for each character.
-One other thing that irked me was how Cason talks about dancing. I understand she is passionate and devastated over the loss of her true love but, the way she was CONSTANTLY talking about herself dancing with perfect this and perfect that, bothered me because I felt like she was one of those snobby performers you see at conventions and competitions (yes, I am a dancer of 18 years so it probably didn't bother most people.)
- I also would have liked to see more of how Cason and Davis get to this point of liking each other, rather then them seeing each other once and being like "OOO I like that person", even though they didn't know who the other was.
I give this story 3.5 stars because it was a cute, quick read that I was having fun with while reading. I also really loved how caring Davis was, even though he was dealing with his own problems he was always right at Cason's bedside when she need "a friend". Definitely recommend this one (:
Check out the full review on my blog!
www.savedbythebook.com
“Your smile is one of my favorite things.”… “And not just on you, like, it’s one of my favorite things in this world.”
After finishing this novel, I mainly have positive things to say. I love the setting of the story, I always have been interested in hospital storylines. I really enjoyed how much the characters developed over the length of the story. And I didn't hate any of the characters (besides Natalie, for about half of the book). For me Brave Enough was very fast-paced and a novel I was able to dive deep into immediately, which I loved.
The problem areas for me though are:
- I felt like the plot fell a little short after half of the story. Too much happened to soon, so much that I remember looking at the page I was on thinking "Oh dang, if it's like this half way through, something even better must be coming" To me, nothing else was very interesting besides the ending life decisions for each character.
-One other thing that irked me was how Cason talks about dancing. I understand she is passionate and devastated over the loss of her true love but, the way she was CONSTANTLY talking about herself dancing with perfect this and perfect that, bothered me because I felt like she was one of those snobby performers you see at conventions and competitions (yes, I am a dancer of 18 years so it probably didn't bother most people.)
- I also would have liked to see more of how Cason and Davis get to this point of liking each other, rather then them seeing each other once and being like "OOO I like that person", even though they didn't know who the other was.
I give this story 3.5 stars because it was a cute, quick read that I was having fun with while reading. I also really loved how caring Davis was, even though he was dealing with his own problems he was always right at Cason's bedside when she need "a friend". Definitely recommend this one (:
Check out the full review on my blog!
www.savedbythebook.com
alexisneuville23's review against another edition
3.0
An own-voices story about cancer. Great concept, but my one criticism is that it should have been written from first person. There was so much potential to get the thoughts of these characters, but that wasn't as prominent as it was written in third person.
goodeyreads's review against another edition
4.0
ALL THE FEELS.
This book reminded me of The Fault in Our Stars. Yet, with another component added in, drug addiction.
Davis is trying to remain sober, and having previously dealt with childhood cancer, he has many reasons to stay clean, even more so when he meets Cason.
Cason, a ballerina, has now learned she has cancer and has to come to terms with her new identity and lifestyle.
These two characters create a sweet, real young love story. They both had to deal with their internal struggles before they could stand on their own together. While the 'drama' may be minimal, you feel for them all the same.
The turmoil of Cason and Davis pulls on the heartstrings. While personally never going through something so intense, it makes you think all the same: Do we all get a happy ending?
Please visit my blog for an extended review!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a digital ARC for review!
This book reminded me of The Fault in Our Stars. Yet, with another component added in, drug addiction.
Davis is trying to remain sober, and having previously dealt with childhood cancer, he has many reasons to stay clean, even more so when he meets Cason.
Cason, a ballerina, has now learned she has cancer and has to come to terms with her new identity and lifestyle.
These two characters create a sweet, real young love story. They both had to deal with their internal struggles before they could stand on their own together. While the 'drama' may be minimal, you feel for them all the same.
The turmoil of Cason and Davis pulls on the heartstrings. While personally never going through something so intense, it makes you think all the same: Do we all get a happy ending?
Please visit my blog for an extended review!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a digital ARC for review!
showthisbooksomelove's review against another edition
3.0
A young adult coming of age and romance with cancer taking the mainstage, this was an enjoyable read. I found the friendships compelling and the feeling of parental pressure relatable. This is an own voices novel, and Garnder talks in her authors note about struggling to find hopeful books about kids who are cancer survivors. I appreciate her adding to the pool and normalizing this as an experience for kids.
Cason Martin is our main character. She’s a dancer, until she isn’t. She collapses during a performance only to wake up and hear that she has bone cancer. Her bones have deteriorated underneath her, and she will likely have tough choices to make in her journey to recovery. With her whole world thrown off balance, she needs to rediscover who she is and what she wants from the world. Her mom is obsessed with her dancing, and shows her love through pushing her hard to succeed.
Davis Channing is our other main character. He is a cancer survivor and recovering addict. As part of his recovery, he’s volunteering at the cancer center he was treated at, which is where Cason and Davis meet. They also conveniently attend the same school. Davis helps Cason through a lot, but he has secret struggles of his own. His scenes were very parroty, continuing to bring up his unconscious desire to use. I found this rather annoying, but also thought through, maybe this is what it feels like to be addicted, to constantly have that running through your head and having to turn it down almost constantly.
In the end, the friendships were what I was here for. The story was not totally fleshed out, but rather a light-hearted story about cancer and addiction, if ever there was one. Again, Gardner’s purpose is to normalize and reduce stigma.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Cason Martin is our main character. She’s a dancer, until she isn’t. She collapses during a performance only to wake up and hear that she has bone cancer. Her bones have deteriorated underneath her, and she will likely have tough choices to make in her journey to recovery. With her whole world thrown off balance, she needs to rediscover who she is and what she wants from the world. Her mom is obsessed with her dancing, and shows her love through pushing her hard to succeed.
Davis Channing is our other main character. He is a cancer survivor and recovering addict. As part of his recovery, he’s volunteering at the cancer center he was treated at, which is where Cason and Davis meet. They also conveniently attend the same school. Davis helps Cason through a lot, but he has secret struggles of his own. His scenes were very parroty, continuing to bring up his unconscious desire to use. I found this rather annoying, but also thought through, maybe this is what it feels like to be addicted, to constantly have that running through your head and having to turn it down almost constantly.
In the end, the friendships were what I was here for. The story was not totally fleshed out, but rather a light-hearted story about cancer and addiction, if ever there was one. Again, Gardner’s purpose is to normalize and reduce stigma.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
escapelifeinthepages's review against another edition
4.0
*Disclaimer- I received a copy from Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review
Wow. Can we talk about this cover? Absolutely gorgeous. It was one of the reasons I decided to request this book. Well, that and the synopsis sounded pretty good! I love the white color and the water colors! It's gorgeous.
I was a little bit shocked when I found out what the story was really about it. The book involves two different heavy topics. Although I appreciated reading about Cason and Davis's stories, I found it hard to deal with two different heavy topics in one book. For me personally, it was a little hard to read about Cason's life then switch over to Davis and his addiction and overcoming it. However, I did like how Kati intertwined their stories and showed the readers that the characters each come from very different backgrounds but yet the same. (I'd explain that better but I don't want to spoil the book because it's not mentioned in the synopsis).
The beginning of that book had me hooked. I wasn't a fan of the immediate flirting between Cason and Davis. It felt a little instalovey for me. I wanted to learn about their own story and their own background. I found it hard to connect with the characters because the chapters were pretty short. I wanted the relationship between Cason and Davis to develop a little bit better because the book mentioned that the characters didn't talk to each other prior to meeting.
I found myself rooting for the characters. I wanted to see them succeed. I wanted them to be happy, be brave, be a survivor of their own demons. Cason's mom mad me extremely angry in the beginning of the book but as the story went on, I found myself having a soft spot for her.
I thought the writing was simple and easy to read. The pacing was really well. Personally, I didn't find myself getting bored at all while reading. I think my only critic was that Davis said how much he wanted to use a lot. It almost felt like the word because really repetitive.
Overall, I thought this was a really great read. The theme I took from the book was that even if something unexpected happens in life or we're dealt the wrong cards, we still have the ability to overcome it. We just have to set our minds to it. It was pretty empowering to read. I really recommend this book! Not just for the cover, but for the themes in the story as well!
Wow. Can we talk about this cover? Absolutely gorgeous. It was one of the reasons I decided to request this book. Well, that and the synopsis sounded pretty good! I love the white color and the water colors! It's gorgeous.
I was a little bit shocked when I found out what the story was really about it. The book involves two different heavy topics. Although I appreciated reading about Cason and Davis's stories, I found it hard to deal with two different heavy topics in one book. For me personally, it was a little hard to read about Cason's life then switch over to Davis and his addiction and overcoming it. However, I did like how Kati intertwined their stories and showed the readers that the characters each come from very different backgrounds but yet the same. (I'd explain that better but I don't want to spoil the book because it's not mentioned in the synopsis).
The beginning of that book had me hooked. I wasn't a fan of the immediate flirting between Cason and Davis. It felt a little instalovey for me. I wanted to learn about their own story and their own background. I found it hard to connect with the characters because the chapters were pretty short. I wanted the relationship between Cason and Davis to develop a little bit better because the book mentioned that the characters didn't talk to each other prior to meeting.
I found myself rooting for the characters. I wanted to see them succeed. I wanted them to be happy, be brave, be a survivor of their own demons. Cason's mom mad me extremely angry in the beginning of the book but as the story went on, I found myself having a soft spot for her.
I thought the writing was simple and easy to read. The pacing was really well. Personally, I didn't find myself getting bored at all while reading. I think my only critic was that Davis said how much he wanted to use a lot. It almost felt like the word because really repetitive.
Overall, I thought this was a really great read. The theme I took from the book was that even if something unexpected happens in life or we're dealt the wrong cards, we still have the ability to overcome it. We just have to set our minds to it. It was pretty empowering to read. I really recommend this book! Not just for the cover, but for the themes in the story as well!
shirleycuypers's review against another edition
4.0
Original review
This book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Flux and Netgalley!
Brave Enough tells the story of Cason and Davis. Cason is the youngest ballerina in the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory, and was hiding her injury while doing an audition. But after her audition, everything changed… Davis is a cancer survivor, but his drug addiction almost killed him. But his addiction is still taking its toll.
Brave Enough was such a beautiful book about friendship, love, cancer and addictions. I don’t always know whether I’m going to like or hate a book about cancer because my grandma died because of cancer. However, Brave Enough was such an inspiring book and I couldn’t stop reading!
I really wanted to read this book because I’ve always been fascinated by ballet, probably that fascinated because my parents didn’t let me do ballet because of my mum’s physical illnesses she got because of ballet. The doctors thought I was going to inherit them if I would start practising myself. I’ve always been sad about that because I think that ballet is so beautiful (but, of course, also hard work!). Too bad that this book wasn’t really about ballet that much but more about cancer.
The story itself was really good, I kept on reading because I wanted to know how it was going to end. To be honest, the end was a bit abrupt. I expected more chapters than the story had. The characters were also really enjoyable. I really liked Cason and Davis, they’re so cute together and they don’t want to give each other more pain.
I really liked Brave Enough and I cannot wait to discover more books written by Kati Gardner!
This book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Flux and Netgalley!
Brave Enough tells the story of Cason and Davis. Cason is the youngest ballerina in the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory, and was hiding her injury while doing an audition. But after her audition, everything changed… Davis is a cancer survivor, but his drug addiction almost killed him. But his addiction is still taking its toll.
Brave Enough was such a beautiful book about friendship, love, cancer and addictions. I don’t always know whether I’m going to like or hate a book about cancer because my grandma died because of cancer. However, Brave Enough was such an inspiring book and I couldn’t stop reading!
I really wanted to read this book because I’ve always been fascinated by ballet, probably that fascinated because my parents didn’t let me do ballet because of my mum’s physical illnesses she got because of ballet. The doctors thought I was going to inherit them if I would start practising myself. I’ve always been sad about that because I think that ballet is so beautiful (but, of course, also hard work!). Too bad that this book wasn’t really about ballet that much but more about cancer.
The story itself was really good, I kept on reading because I wanted to know how it was going to end. To be honest, the end was a bit abrupt. I expected more chapters than the story had. The characters were also really enjoyable. I really liked Cason and Davis, they’re so cute together and they don’t want to give each other more pain.
I really liked Brave Enough and I cannot wait to discover more books written by Kati Gardner!
cnah2655's review against another edition
3.0
**This review may contain spoilers**
Rating: 3.5 stars
I want to give a thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
"In that one moment her perfect, prima-ballerina, pink-tutu world fell off its pointe. She wasn't Cason Marting, prima ballerina, anymore. She was Cason Martin, number T7654908, cancer patient."
This is Kati Gardner's debut novel, and I will say that this was very enjoyable to read and that after reading this discovering that the author has gone through similar experiences since she has gone through cancer.
This book tells the story of a girl named Cason who has the love and passion for ballet but then is suddenly ripped from her when she discovers that she has cancer. It also tells a story about Davis, a boy who once had cancer. However, he also had an addiction to narcotics and at the beginning of the novel is seven months sober.
I think that the message behind the overall story is strong and very well on point. However, I felt as though the emotions were a bit lacking mostly early on. I didn't feel any emotion until halfway through this novel, and even then not much after.
After the prologue, it felt vague to me and didn't set up the characters emotions for how they responded to everything previous to how the chapters started. I also felt the characters lacked depth and development. This book is very dialogue driven and doesn't particularly express the full emotions of the characters.
As an example, Cason goes through a lot of emotions throughout her cancer treatment, and it explains it, but not in a sense to make us really feel in depth of that moment. Or when Davis is having a very bad craving for drugs, it feels flat and rushed.
The relationship between Cason and Davis isn't what I felt should have happened. I didn't like the insta-love that happened between them. I also was very confused when they discussed that they were boyfriend and girlfriend because I didn't recall that happening previous to that. My personal opinion is that there wasn't too much of a need for romance in this book. I love romance in books, but in this special occasion, I felt as though they both just needed a friend to be there and help each other through the hard times.
"No one has to know. The words itched and slid around the synapses, shocking his impulses, filling his mouth with a desire so strong it stole his breath. It left him empty and hollow. And still, lingering in the deepest parts of his brain. It whispered. Just one."
I really appreciated the relationship between Cason and her mother, Natalie towards the end of the book. I didn't like Natalie that much in the beginning because she refused to accept the truth of what is happening. I saw character development through her mom, which was nice.
The camp experience, I felt was talked about a lot throughout this book, but in the end at camp, it felt flat to me. It was rushed, like last minute planning to incorporate the details, and I was expecting something greater than it had turned out.
The side characters also felt kind of flat, but I think they were a good addition to the story because they helped Cason and Davis through their struggles throughout the story, so I enjoyed that.
On this last note, I will also mention the characters on Davis's side, Ethan and Alexis, and how real the situation can be. In Alexis's standpoint, unfortunately, this is very common to happen to someone, especially when they're addicted. Whenever the relationship between either Ethan or Alexis came up to Davis, it felt unrealistic or flat or even maybe a rushed thought.
Overall, I didn't think this was the best book, nor was it the worst, but I do think that for a debut novel, it's good. I think this should be read because other people could possibly relate and it also has a good meaning, and maybe this wasn't a book for me, but it could be for someone else.
"They were no longer the same people they had been before camp. Davis seemed calmer somehow, more settled in himself. And she remembered how angry and fearful she had been. She couldn’t say that camp had made all of those feelings go away, but she could say that she no longer felt confined by the crutches and a new prosthesis. Together they started to walk away from the amphitheater toward the chapel where the older half of camp waited. Davis held onto her arm just above her elbow, keeping their connection. Cason glanced back at the stage, looking at the billowing silks one last time. She had not just danced. She had flown."
Check out my blog: somethingtofathom.blog
Rating: 3.5 stars
I want to give a thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
"In that one moment her perfect, prima-ballerina, pink-tutu world fell off its pointe. She wasn't Cason Marting, prima ballerina, anymore. She was Cason Martin, number T7654908, cancer patient."
This is Kati Gardner's debut novel, and I will say that this was very enjoyable to read and that after reading this discovering that the author has gone through similar experiences since she has gone through cancer.
This book tells the story of a girl named Cason who has the love and passion for ballet but then is suddenly ripped from her when she discovers that she has cancer. It also tells a story about Davis, a boy who once had cancer. However, he also had an addiction to narcotics and at the beginning of the novel is seven months sober.
I think that the message behind the overall story is strong and very well on point. However, I felt as though the emotions were a bit lacking mostly early on. I didn't feel any emotion until halfway through this novel, and even then not much after.
After the prologue, it felt vague to me and didn't set up the characters emotions for how they responded to everything previous to how the chapters started. I also felt the characters lacked depth and development. This book is very dialogue driven and doesn't particularly express the full emotions of the characters.
As an example, Cason goes through a lot of emotions throughout her cancer treatment, and it explains it, but not in a sense to make us really feel in depth of that moment. Or when Davis is having a very bad craving for drugs, it feels flat and rushed.
The relationship between Cason and Davis isn't what I felt should have happened. I didn't like the insta-love that happened between them. I also was very confused when they discussed that they were boyfriend and girlfriend because I didn't recall that happening previous to that. My personal opinion is that there wasn't too much of a need for romance in this book. I love romance in books, but in this special occasion, I felt as though they both just needed a friend to be there and help each other through the hard times.
"No one has to know. The words itched and slid around the synapses, shocking his impulses, filling his mouth with a desire so strong it stole his breath. It left him empty and hollow. And still, lingering in the deepest parts of his brain. It whispered. Just one."
I really appreciated the relationship between Cason and her mother, Natalie towards the end of the book. I didn't like Natalie that much in the beginning because she refused to accept the truth of what is happening. I saw character development through her mom, which was nice.
The camp experience, I felt was talked about a lot throughout this book, but in the end at camp, it felt flat to me. It was rushed, like last minute planning to incorporate the details, and I was expecting something greater than it had turned out.
The side characters also felt kind of flat, but I think they were a good addition to the story because they helped Cason and Davis through their struggles throughout the story, so I enjoyed that.
On this last note, I will also mention the characters on Davis's side, Ethan and Alexis, and how real the situation can be. In Alexis's standpoint, unfortunately, this is very common to happen to someone, especially when they're addicted. Whenever the relationship between either Ethan or Alexis came up to Davis, it felt unrealistic or flat or even maybe a rushed thought.
Overall, I didn't think this was the best book, nor was it the worst, but I do think that for a debut novel, it's good. I think this should be read because other people could possibly relate and it also has a good meaning, and maybe this wasn't a book for me, but it could be for someone else.
"They were no longer the same people they had been before camp. Davis seemed calmer somehow, more settled in himself. And she remembered how angry and fearful she had been. She couldn’t say that camp had made all of those feelings go away, but she could say that she no longer felt confined by the crutches and a new prosthesis. Together they started to walk away from the amphitheater toward the chapel where the older half of camp waited. Davis held onto her arm just above her elbow, keeping their connection. Cason glanced back at the stage, looking at the billowing silks one last time. She had not just danced. She had flown."
Check out my blog: somethingtofathom.blog