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A review by mel_muses
Brave Enough by Kati Gardner
3.0
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into [b:Brave Enough|35615200|Brave Enough (Brave Enough, #1)|Kati Gardner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520010426l/35615200._SY75_.jpg|57057713]. The premise was very interesting and it looked like an easy read. And in most ways, it was. It just missed the mark. I don't mean to diminish the importance of this read, and I respect [a:Kati Gardner|17012052|Kati Gardner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1500389892p2/17012052.jpg] for sharing this story and making it easier for kids with or affected by cancer and/or drug addictions to see themselves in literature. Personally, I didn't connect with the story as much as I thought I would.
Please seek out other reviews by disabled people and/or cancer survivors if you are thinking about picking up this book, though. Their reviews matter more in this case.
A lot of the themes seemed very overt, from the beginning. It was also pretty clear from the beginning of the novel where everything was going in terms of plot. Even from the synopsis, you can probably tell exactly what happens and the message the author is trying to send. Sometimes I don't mind having very overt themes when there are other parts of the story that make up for it, like really well-defined characters or plot twists. However, there weren't really any characters that stuck out to me and the plot fell flat.
Another part of this novel that I really didn't like was how ambiguous character movements were. In contrast with the really obvious themes, it was hard to tell when a character entered, left, or moved from a room or scene. The writing became very frustrating for me as it went on because it took me out of the story every time someone said something about a person and I hadn't realized the person left the room. Or, arguably even worse, when someone started talking to another and I had no idea the person they were talking to was even present in the scene. It was jarring, to say the least.
The ending was nice and hopeful, which fit the story and message of the book. One thing I didn't really like about the ending was how many metaphors were used in such a short time span. I didn't think all of them were necessary in order to give that hopeful attitude [a:Kati Gardner|17012052|Kati Gardner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1500389892p2/17012052.jpg] was going for.
It was a very easy read, as I mentioned before. I just personally wasn't very impressed by it and wish it had more of an impact on me, as the reader.
Please seek out other reviews by disabled people and/or cancer survivors if you are thinking about picking up this book, though. Their reviews matter more in this case.
A lot of the themes seemed very overt, from the beginning. It was also pretty clear from the beginning of the novel where everything was going in terms of plot. Even from the synopsis, you can probably tell exactly what happens and the message the author is trying to send. Sometimes I don't mind having very overt themes when there are other parts of the story that make up for it, like really well-defined characters or plot twists. However, there weren't really any characters that stuck out to me and the plot fell flat.
Another part of this novel that I really didn't like was how ambiguous character movements were. In contrast with the really obvious themes, it was hard to tell when a character entered, left, or moved from a room or scene. The writing became very frustrating for me as it went on because it took me out of the story every time someone said something about a person and I hadn't realized the person left the room. Or, arguably even worse, when someone started talking to another and I had no idea the person they were talking to was even present in the scene. It was jarring, to say the least.
The ending was nice and hopeful, which fit the story and message of the book. One thing I didn't really like about the ending was how many metaphors were used in such a short time span. I didn't think all of them were necessary in order to give that hopeful attitude [a:Kati Gardner|17012052|Kati Gardner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1500389892p2/17012052.jpg] was going for.
It was a very easy read, as I mentioned before. I just personally wasn't very impressed by it and wish it had more of an impact on me, as the reader.