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jules_writes's review
3.0
It was ok, but a little slow at points. I did like the majority of the characters and I loved Ticket.
ruby_ann's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
bookevin's review
5.0
Full review here: http://iheart-chicklit.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-by-my-side-by-alice-peterson.html
Why you would love this:
This is the first book I've read by Alice Peterson and it has literally blown me away. I'm telling you, it's absolutely amazing! From the start, I was immediately absorbed by the book and I knew I would be reading something spectacular and I was right!
By My Side follows the story of Cass Brooks, a twenty-something medicine student who seemed to have everything going her way - perfect boyfriend who loves her, the flatmate anyone and everyone would die for and doing what she loves. One morning, distracted and hungover, she steps into the path of a truck and she's paralysed from waist down. She can no longer walk, run or do the things she has taken for granted.
First of all, I would like to point out that I really loved Cass. Never in my life have I come across such an honest character. Right from the start, my heart went out to her when she discovered that she wouldn't be able to walk or use her legs any more. What I've learnt from Cass is that you shouldn't hold back in life and when you're down, always look at the silver lining. I really liked how Cass seemed to be strong and independent even though she is held back. I really admired how Cass managed to carry herself throughout the book and she is truly an inspiration.
Why you would love this:
This is the first book I've read by Alice Peterson and it has literally blown me away. I'm telling you, it's absolutely amazing! From the start, I was immediately absorbed by the book and I knew I would be reading something spectacular and I was right!
By My Side follows the story of Cass Brooks, a twenty-something medicine student who seemed to have everything going her way - perfect boyfriend who loves her, the flatmate anyone and everyone would die for and doing what she loves. One morning, distracted and hungover, she steps into the path of a truck and she's paralysed from waist down. She can no longer walk, run or do the things she has taken for granted.
First of all, I would like to point out that I really loved Cass. Never in my life have I come across such an honest character. Right from the start, my heart went out to her when she discovered that she wouldn't be able to walk or use her legs any more. What I've learnt from Cass is that you shouldn't hold back in life and when you're down, always look at the silver lining. I really liked how Cass seemed to be strong and independent even though she is held back. I really admired how Cass managed to carry herself throughout the book and she is truly an inspiration.
mumtwogirls's review
4.0
WOW! What a read, had me laughing out loud and also in tears. If you have read Me Before you and enjoyed it, then I would think you would also love this book.
laurapatriciarose's review
5.0
This is definitely a novel everyone needs to read. This was an extremely poignant tale about how precious life is and that you need to take chances as you just never know what is going to happen.
I absolutely loved this incredible story and was so absorbed that I read it in one day. Alice captures you with her words and doesn't let you go until the very end.
Cass's life seems to be going great. She's got a gorgeous boyfriend, is doing really well on her university course in Medicine- her passion. One wrong step on a happy morning, Cass walks into the path of a car. Paralysed from the waist down, Cass's life takes a different direction, one that she had not been planning on.
Cass was such a great character and I warmed to her instantly. Despite what had happened to her and her shaky start dealing with her new way of life, she managed to pull herself together. She truly was an inspiration and I greatly admired her. I also really respected her friends Dom and Guy, they each dealt with their disabilities in their own way and it's obviously not easy to accept. You never know what life is going to throw at you and it really makes you realise that you should never take anything for granted, when sadly all of us do.
When Cass discovers Canine Partners, I could sense that Cass's life was going to have positive turn around. I could feel my heart beating faster when Cass was waiting to see what dog she would be partnered with, as she desperately wanted to be partnered with the adorable dog Ticket. (You will have to read to find out if she is).
This story had more poignancy for me, as last year my Dad fractured his C2 bone in his neck and I really thought I was going to lose him. It was a really stressful time and with his operation, we were told there was only a 3% chance that he would survive. He really must have had his guardian angel with him because he is not only still alive, he is able to walk and carry on as normal. My Dad was extremely lucky and I know there are people like Cass, Dom and Guy who aren't so fortunate. I don't mean to use the words lucky and fortunate as they do not quite explain what I mean- Cass, Dom and Guy were all lucky and fortunate in their own ways.
I really commend Alice for giving those with disabilities a voice in fiction as because of my Dad and what could have been and the way Cass was treated by people in the novel and the difficulties she faced, has really made me realise how precious life is and just because you are disabled, does in no way make you less of a person. I could really feel myself getting heated in the novel with how unhelpful and selfish people can be- especially when that stupid woman parked in the disabled space when she was lucky enough to have full use of her limbs.
This novel will really open your eyes and see things differently. Even though this story is sad, it still has a light and humorous side that will leave you feeling heart warmed. It will definitely make you cry in places as it is an emotional read, but I loved it and it comes highly recommended!
I had also never heard of the the amazing charity Canine Partners and I think they are absolutely brilliant! Please read more about them here: http://www.caninepartners.org.uk
leahmichelle_13's review
3.0
Since I read Monday To Friday Man by Alice Peterson last year, she’s become one of those authors whose books I REALLY look forward to. Her writing style is so easy to read, she has a dog and writes about dogs which automatically makes her amazing, and I love her characters. I read her newest novel Ten Years On just a couple of months ago and I loved it. I devoured it in hours whilst waiting to go to work one day. So I was completely and utterly chuffed when I saw Alice had a new book up for pre-order on Amazon called By My Side. It’s currently only available in Kindle format (a paperback release will follow, though, fear not!), and I purchased it as soon as it become available, and it was a really, really good read.
By My Side is a novel that will put chills up any twenty-something. Or, anyone, period. But as a 22-year-old myself, just like Cass, the idea of ending up paralysed is terrifying. Utterly terrifying. Much like Cass, at the beginning, I wouldn’t be able to cope. I don’t think I’d have had the strength of character like Cass to be able to get on with life. It would break me, I think. I take my legs for granted, I admit, it’s not as if I particularly like exercising or walking or anything, but I need my legs, y’know? I have massive respect for people who, like Cass, find themselves in a situation they shouldn’t necessarily be in and just get on with it. I know that just because you’re in a wheelchair your life doesn’t have to end, absolutely, I just don’t think it would be something I could cope with and I found it both sad and uplifting how Cass dealt with her injury. I admired her massively. She’s a much better person than I think I would be in that situation.
Yet again, Alice Peterson has written a warm and engaging read. You don’t come across many disabled heroines (in fact, I’d say of the 700+ books I’ve read, I have NEVER come across a disabled heroine) and Cass was just awesome. You could really feel for her as she struggles with her new life. At 22, it seems like the worst thing imaginable to end up in a wheelchair, but what I learned from the novel is that it isn’t, at all, and I loved how Cass eventually clawed her way to independence. I loved her fight, her spark, her drive, even when she finds herself unable to get off a train due to very unhelpful staff (which made me SO angry because I am 100% positive that that has happened to someone, somewhere, every single day) she still manages to push forward. Most of all, I loved Ticket. I love any dog in any fiction novel, but oh Ticket! Ticket is just immense. Ticket is AWESOME. Ticket does things you wouldn’t expect dogs to do and he’s just mint. I loved the whole Canine Partners aspect of the novel, it was so, so well written and I just love that there’s a charity out there that does that for people in wheelchairs, it is just something else. No one can write dogs like Peterson, no one!
The novel isn’t all happiness, though. Cass’s friends, Guy and Dominic who are also in wheelchairs, particularly Guy, struggle with being in a wheelchair (sort of how I would, I think) and I just knew something bad was going to happen. I had a very, very bad feeling and it had me in tears. Despite knowing what was going to occur, it still came as a massive surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed By My Side. The romance part of it wasn’t to my cup of tea mostly because I never knew where it was going and I wasn’t entirely convinced by how it ended, I much preferred reading about Cass and Ticket. I’d really recommend the book, it’s a fabulous read and it also makes you think about how you would react in Cass’s situation, it makes you appreciate the life you have a little bit more. I can’t wait to see what Alice writes next. She’s a brilliant writer, and I just love her books.
By My Side is a novel that will put chills up any twenty-something. Or, anyone, period. But as a 22-year-old myself, just like Cass, the idea of ending up paralysed is terrifying. Utterly terrifying. Much like Cass, at the beginning, I wouldn’t be able to cope. I don’t think I’d have had the strength of character like Cass to be able to get on with life. It would break me, I think. I take my legs for granted, I admit, it’s not as if I particularly like exercising or walking or anything, but I need my legs, y’know? I have massive respect for people who, like Cass, find themselves in a situation they shouldn’t necessarily be in and just get on with it. I know that just because you’re in a wheelchair your life doesn’t have to end, absolutely, I just don’t think it would be something I could cope with and I found it both sad and uplifting how Cass dealt with her injury. I admired her massively. She’s a much better person than I think I would be in that situation.
Yet again, Alice Peterson has written a warm and engaging read. You don’t come across many disabled heroines (in fact, I’d say of the 700+ books I’ve read, I have NEVER come across a disabled heroine) and Cass was just awesome. You could really feel for her as she struggles with her new life. At 22, it seems like the worst thing imaginable to end up in a wheelchair, but what I learned from the novel is that it isn’t, at all, and I loved how Cass eventually clawed her way to independence. I loved her fight, her spark, her drive, even when she finds herself unable to get off a train due to very unhelpful staff (which made me SO angry because I am 100% positive that that has happened to someone, somewhere, every single day) she still manages to push forward. Most of all, I loved Ticket. I love any dog in any fiction novel, but oh Ticket! Ticket is just immense. Ticket is AWESOME. Ticket does things you wouldn’t expect dogs to do and he’s just mint. I loved the whole Canine Partners aspect of the novel, it was so, so well written and I just love that there’s a charity out there that does that for people in wheelchairs, it is just something else. No one can write dogs like Peterson, no one!
The novel isn’t all happiness, though. Cass’s friends, Guy and Dominic who are also in wheelchairs, particularly Guy, struggle with being in a wheelchair (sort of how I would, I think) and I just knew something bad was going to happen. I had a very, very bad feeling and it had me in tears. Despite knowing what was going to occur, it still came as a massive surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed By My Side. The romance part of it wasn’t to my cup of tea mostly because I never knew where it was going and I wasn’t entirely convinced by how it ended, I much preferred reading about Cass and Ticket. I’d really recommend the book, it’s a fabulous read and it also makes you think about how you would react in Cass’s situation, it makes you appreciate the life you have a little bit more. I can’t wait to see what Alice writes next. She’s a brilliant writer, and I just love her books.
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