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A review by flybybooks
The Bright Side Running Club by Josie Lloyd
5.0
Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Keira's life seems perfectly fine. Unsually lucky, really. At least until a routine cancer screen turns into an actual diagnosis. Suddenly, her life is decidedly NOT fine. People are treating her differently, her business seems out of her control and her children seem to blame her. She finds strength and endurance with a group of women who are all in the same boat, who understand what she means when she describes the 'cancer stare'. They run in the park regularly, keeping each other's spirits up trhough the most harrowing of treatments.
The Bright Side Running Club is a story of inner strength, of love and of tradgedy. I love the friend group aspect of this book; the women find strength in numbers, sometimes just a shoulder to cry on. Every one of the women in the group are unique and well-written. They each have character arcs. This is especially interesting because they don't really have anything inherently in common besides the cancer, which results in deep connections and diverse storylines.
The story touches on a lot of aspects of a cancer diagnosis and is written by a breast cancer survivor. This personal experience and shines through, particularly when problems with the main character's marriage and children arise. There are real, palpable feelings under that writing. The way people tend to act toward 'ill' individuals (here i mean people with long and difficult medical situations) is shown in a way that uncovers not only how difficult talking about an illness can be, but also how the reader personally has probably perpetuated that atmosphere, all out of a sort of reflex.
During parts of the book, Keira seems to be walking on clouds, observing but not seeing the things going on around her. This is strange to read, but I think this shows how truly shocking a diagnosis like Keira's can be and is therefore extremely valuable.
Overall I recommend this book to anyone who thinks an adult and less romance-focused 'The Fault in Our Stars' sounds like a must-read. It made me laugh out loud and cry into my pillow. It perfectly balanced a rom-com vibe with enough emotion to move an elephant.
Keira's life seems perfectly fine. Unsually lucky, really. At least until a routine cancer screen turns into an actual diagnosis. Suddenly, her life is decidedly NOT fine. People are treating her differently, her business seems out of her control and her children seem to blame her. She finds strength and endurance with a group of women who are all in the same boat, who understand what she means when she describes the 'cancer stare'. They run in the park regularly, keeping each other's spirits up trhough the most harrowing of treatments.
The Bright Side Running Club is a story of inner strength, of love and of tradgedy. I love the friend group aspect of this book; the women find strength in numbers, sometimes just a shoulder to cry on. Every one of the women in the group are unique and well-written. They each have character arcs. This is especially interesting because they don't really have anything inherently in common besides the cancer, which results in deep connections and diverse storylines.
The story touches on a lot of aspects of a cancer diagnosis and is written by a breast cancer survivor. This personal experience and shines through, particularly when problems with the main character's marriage and children arise. There are real, palpable feelings under that writing. The way people tend to act toward 'ill' individuals (here i mean people with long and difficult medical situations) is shown in a way that uncovers not only how difficult talking about an illness can be, but also how the reader personally has probably perpetuated that atmosphere, all out of a sort of reflex.
During parts of the book, Keira seems to be walking on clouds, observing but not seeing the things going on around her. This is strange to read, but I think this shows how truly shocking a diagnosis like Keira's can be and is therefore extremely valuable.
Overall I recommend this book to anyone who thinks an adult and less romance-focused 'The Fault in Our Stars' sounds like a must-read. It made me laugh out loud and cry into my pillow. It perfectly balanced a rom-com vibe with enough emotion to move an elephant.