Scan barcode
aliwhitley's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly, not my favorite. Lots of repeating phrases & the author didn’t really go to the depth I was hoping she was capable of. No real deep character development, and a fairly anticlimactic fizzle out ending.
ihateprozac's review against another edition
4.0
[I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]
4.5 Stars
Brave Enough is an #ownvoices contemporary novel about a teen ballerina named Cason, whose career plans are suddenly derailed when she's diagnosed with cancer. The road to recovery is long and hard, but it's eased somewhat when she befriends Davis; a classmate, cancer survivor, and recovering drug addict.
This was a delightful quick little contemporary read! Given that it deals with the difficult themes of cancer, disability, death, and drug addiction, it's surprisingly cute and hopeful. It doesn't romanticise cancer or drug addiction, nor does it present an ableist view of amputees and people with disabilities.
Kati Gardner presents an honest story of two teens dealing with shared and differing struggles, and her own experiences with cancer and amputation really come through in the writing. I wouldn't describe this novel as harrowing by any means, but I felt that Gardner's lived experience with cancer and a disability was key in ensuring the story didn't fall prey to any of the "sick lit" romanticism/let-me-fix-you BS that the genre is wont to do. There was a romance but it wasn't in the foreground of the story.
Gardner does a great job at generating a discourse around invisible disabilities and viewing people with disabilities as "disability/inspo porn", while also specifically looking at how age, race, and disability intersect. There's an incident in the book where the characters blatantly call out the societal pressure they feel to "prove" their disabilities, and how having a disability and being a POC knocks you so far down the proverbial totem pole you're seemingly not on it at all.
[Did I mention there's great POC rep from our protagonist and side characters? Because yeah, that too.]
I also thought the addiction themes in the novel were really immersive; though I'm not sure if those are #ownvoices elements or not. I've never really been into drugs or had an addiction, but Gardner's writing is so atmospheric and manages to conjure up the scent, taste, and feelings associated with Davis' cravings to use. I have no personal experience with withdrawal and struggling with sobriety, but in that moment it felt like I did.
One of my main criticisms- and why I rate this 4.5 stars rather than 5 - is that I wanted the two protagonists to have more chemistry. It made sense on Cason's part that she's somewhat emotionally stunted owing to her upbringing, but I wanted sparks and fire between Cason and Davis. They read more as friends and I wanted to feel a strong emotional connection to their relationship. (Instead, I felt more emotion over the thought of kids who didn't survive their treatments)
Gardner also needs to finesse how her characters enter a scene. On more than one occasion characters simply appeared out of nowhere - to the point where it literally said on page "[character name] appeared out of nowhere". I want characters to sidle up alongside the protagonist; for a voice to ring out from behind them; for someone to roll up in their car on the street with the window down- I don't want characters seemingly apparating into a hospital wing.
Overall: This was a really adorable debut! It's a super fast read and presents a really stark and yet hopeful view of cancer treatment, drug addiction, and disability. While there is a romance in this story it is not a romanticised tale of boy-saving-sick-girl; both characters have agency and have their own struggles. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from Kati Gardner.
4.5 Stars
Brave Enough is an #ownvoices contemporary novel about a teen ballerina named Cason, whose career plans are suddenly derailed when she's diagnosed with cancer. The road to recovery is long and hard, but it's eased somewhat when she befriends Davis; a classmate, cancer survivor, and recovering drug addict.
This was a delightful quick little contemporary read! Given that it deals with the difficult themes of cancer, disability, death, and drug addiction, it's surprisingly cute and hopeful. It doesn't romanticise cancer or drug addiction, nor does it present an ableist view of amputees and people with disabilities.
Kati Gardner presents an honest story of two teens dealing with shared and differing struggles, and her own experiences with cancer and amputation really come through in the writing. I wouldn't describe this novel as harrowing by any means, but I felt that Gardner's lived experience with cancer and a disability was key in ensuring the story didn't fall prey to any of the "sick lit" romanticism/let-me-fix-you BS that the genre is wont to do. There was a romance but it wasn't in the foreground of the story.
Gardner does a great job at generating a discourse around invisible disabilities and viewing people with disabilities as "disability/inspo porn", while also specifically looking at how age, race, and disability intersect. There's an incident in the book where the characters blatantly call out the societal pressure they feel to "prove" their disabilities, and how having a disability and being a POC knocks you so far down the proverbial totem pole you're seemingly not on it at all.
[Did I mention there's great POC rep from our protagonist and side characters? Because yeah, that too.]
I also thought the addiction themes in the novel were really immersive; though I'm not sure if those are #ownvoices elements or not. I've never really been into drugs or had an addiction, but Gardner's writing is so atmospheric and manages to conjure up the scent, taste, and feelings associated with Davis' cravings to use. I have no personal experience with withdrawal and struggling with sobriety, but in that moment it felt like I did.
One of my main criticisms- and why I rate this 4.5 stars rather than 5 - is that I wanted the two protagonists to have more chemistry. It made sense on Cason's part that she's somewhat emotionally stunted owing to her upbringing, but I wanted sparks and fire between Cason and Davis. They read more as friends and I wanted to feel a strong emotional connection to their relationship. (Instead, I felt more emotion over the thought of kids who didn't survive their treatments)
Gardner also needs to finesse how her characters enter a scene. On more than one occasion characters simply appeared out of nowhere - to the point where it literally said on page "[character name] appeared out of nowhere". I want characters to sidle up alongside the protagonist; for a voice to ring out from behind them; for someone to roll up in their car on the street with the window down- I don't want characters seemingly apparating into a hospital wing.
Overall: This was a really adorable debut! It's a super fast read and presents a really stark and yet hopeful view of cancer treatment, drug addiction, and disability. While there is a romance in this story it is not a romanticised tale of boy-saving-sick-girl; both characters have agency and have their own struggles. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from Kati Gardner.
lara_bookish_turtle's review against another edition
5.0
If you've ever seen any of my status updates, you will know that I am an absolute sucker for judging books by their covers, and this was no exception. As soon as I saw this on Netgalley, I knew I needed it. I think I even requested it without reading the description if I'm honest here. But DAMN!!! The story definitely lives up to that beautiful cover. A super-cute read!!
A part of me is screaming that this only deserves four stars. This book probably does deserve four stars. But I loved reading it, I was enjoying myself the whole way through the book, and I read for enjoyment, so that is reason enough for a full five stars for me!
Though it was a fluffy and cute contemporary, there were also some more serious topics which were dealt with, and I appreciated that.
It deals with cancer more so than nearly any other book I've read. And the author has experience. She gets it, and that definitely comes across in the book.
It also dealt with drug addiction. This was very new for me. I mean, I knew that it happened, but I didn't get it until now. This book helped me understand so much more what people will go through, and I am so appreciative that this book went there and dealt with the topic.
What I did not appreciate was the insta-love. I say that I hate it all the time, but if I'm honest here I really don't mind if it's done well. However, in this book I did find it a bit jarring. It didn't feel like love at first sight, it was like love at third sight or something. So not long enough for either one to have a reason to like each other, but not like the destiny meet-cute which I thought was a bit strange.
I also wasn't the biggest fan of Cason. I feel like I could have liked her, if I got to know more of her personality earlier on. I get that dancing is a big part of her life, and that was something I really enjoyed in this book, but it is not the only element to her character, and I wish we got to know other stuff about her as well.
But overall, the ship was so so so so so so CUTE and I was absolutely in love, so though I can say these things now that I've had a day to think about this book, I was in love the entire time I was reading, which is EXACTLY what I look for in a book, so that was absolutely NAILED!!
Overall, loved it, highly recommend, can't wait for a realease date! 100% worth that cover!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy. All opinions are my own.
A part of me is screaming that this only deserves four stars. This book probably does deserve four stars. But I loved reading it, I was enjoying myself the whole way through the book, and I read for enjoyment, so that is reason enough for a full five stars for me!
Though it was a fluffy and cute contemporary, there were also some more serious topics which were dealt with, and I appreciated that.
It deals with cancer more so than nearly any other book I've read. And the author has experience. She gets it, and that definitely comes across in the book.
It also dealt with drug addiction. This was very new for me. I mean, I knew that it happened, but I didn't get it until now. This book helped me understand so much more what people will go through, and I am so appreciative that this book went there and dealt with the topic.
What I did not appreciate was the insta-love. I say that I hate it all the time, but if I'm honest here I really don't mind if it's done well. However, in this book I did find it a bit jarring. It didn't feel like love at first sight, it was like love at third sight or something. So not long enough for either one to have a reason to like each other, but not like the destiny meet-cute which I thought was a bit strange.
I also wasn't the biggest fan of Cason. I feel like I could have liked her, if I got to know more of her personality earlier on. I get that dancing is a big part of her life, and that was something I really enjoyed in this book, but it is not the only element to her character, and I wish we got to know other stuff about her as well.
But overall, the ship was so so so so so so CUTE and I was absolutely in love, so though I can say these things now that I've had a day to think about this book, I was in love the entire time I was reading, which is EXACTLY what I look for in a book, so that was absolutely NAILED!!
Overall, loved it, highly recommend, can't wait for a realease date! 100% worth that cover!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy. All opinions are my own.
steministkendra's review against another edition
5.0
Well I read this in 6 hours. Firstly I wasn’t ready for the actual feels I’ve cried so much reading this but honestly it warmed my heart too. I am currently writing a dissertation on the genetic biomarkers of paediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma and if I didn’t already have the motivation I needed to finish it well this book filled my heart and made me want to carry on even more ❤️ Secondly I loved how addiction was described it is also a lifelong disease. Lastly this book was it all
tiffy137's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so cute! I loved how it dealt with such triggering and hard topics and wrote it in a way that allowed all readers to understand what the characters were going through even if we havent been through it ourself. I liked that we got read in both of the main characters points of views becuase even though they both had the connection of cnacer they both had different personalities and were going through their own different troubles and journeys. Cason was a dancer who fell ill with cnacer and was going through the battle of whether she would dance again and then Davis was a cancer survivor who was battling with getting sober from drugs. There were also other characters who all had their own unique personiality and journeys which i enjoyed learning about and cant find out more about. I also liked reading about Casons mum and is showed how a diagnostic of a child can be hard for a parent too.
Their are alot of trigger warnings in this book which is something to be aware of: Cancer, drug addictions, assult, suicide, disability, emotinal manipulation.
I gave this book 5 stars! i really enjoyed it and cant wait for the sequel
Their are alot of trigger warnings in this book which is something to be aware of: Cancer, drug addictions, assult, suicide, disability, emotinal manipulation.
I gave this book 5 stars! i really enjoyed it and cant wait for the sequel
mhuang's review against another edition
2.0
Rating: 2,5 stars
I feel like such a party pooper. I really wanted to love this one and at some moments while reading, I actually did! Unfortunately though, there's a but. Like, a huge but. But let's start with the positives, shall we? Because they were there, despite what my rating might have you believe.
Call me shallow, but first, just look at that cover. The cover was THE reason I was drawn to this book on netgalley in the first place. It's just breathtakingly beautiful and I mean, holy crap just look at it. Second, I absolutely adore books with a protagonist who's completely passionate about art or sports, or anything remotely like that and guess what? Brave Enough has its own MC who is absolutely devoted to dancing and that was totally cool. Also, the plot took an unexpected (in a good way) turn imo, I had not really expected the developments that followed Carson's injury.
But, there were also lots of things that annoyed me. Reading the synopsis, it's pretty obvious that this book revolves mainly about, besides Carson's injury and Davis' addiction, their growing feelings for each other. Which is fine, I mean it was expected and if done right, it was gonna be epic! Unfortunately, there's a big insta-love-alert necessary for this book. I mean, it took what, a few days for them to confess to each other that they liked one another? It just went so fast, I didn't even have the time to root for them. Also, the character development felt off, the secondary characters - though pretty important - were very flat, and I don't know... Despite the one unexpected turn in events, this was pretty cliche and I think I just expected a lot more? The ending was a little too much of a aw yay, let's ride towards the rainbow on the backs of our unicorns!! for me even though it was clear that the author was trying to avoid that with Davis in particular. Keyword: trying.
To be fair though, there were moments where I had to smile or squeal so that was definitely a good thing. I might even change my rating to a three stars instead of the two stars I'm giving it now, but I'm not sure yet. This was a quick, light read so it might be just for you! I'm just a little bit of a cynical person, sorry XD
I feel like such a party pooper. I really wanted to love this one and at some moments while reading, I actually did! Unfortunately though, there's a but. Like, a huge but. But let's start with the positives, shall we? Because they were there, despite what my rating might have you believe.
Call me shallow, but first, just look at that cover. The cover was THE reason I was drawn to this book on netgalley in the first place. It's just breathtakingly beautiful and I mean, holy crap just look at it. Second, I absolutely adore books with a protagonist who's completely passionate about art or sports, or anything remotely like that and guess what? Brave Enough has its own MC who is absolutely devoted to dancing and that was totally cool. Also, the plot took an unexpected (in a good way) turn imo, I had not really expected the developments that followed Carson's injury.
But, there were also lots of things that annoyed me. Reading the synopsis, it's pretty obvious that this book revolves mainly about, besides Carson's injury and Davis' addiction, their growing feelings for each other. Which is fine, I mean it was expected and if done right, it was gonna be epic! Unfortunately, there's a big insta-love-alert necessary for this book. I mean, it took what, a few days for them to confess to each other that they liked one another? It just went so fast, I didn't even have the time to root for them. Also, the character development felt off, the secondary characters - though pretty important - were very flat, and I don't know... Despite the one unexpected turn in events, this was pretty cliche and I think I just expected a lot more? The ending was a little too much of a aw yay, let's ride towards the rainbow on the backs of our unicorns!! for me even though it was clear that the author was trying to avoid that with Davis in particular. Keyword: trying.
To be fair though, there were moments where I had to smile or squeal so that was definitely a good thing. I might even change my rating to a three stars instead of the two stars I'm giving it now, but I'm not sure yet. This was a quick, light read so it might be just for you! I'm just a little bit of a cynical person, sorry XD
rebascool18's review against another edition
4.0
So this was for my may challenge prompt of reading a book goodreads suggested. I am not sure where goodreads got this suggestion because I haven't been reading many hard hitting books. I really loved how addicting this book was. The writing was beautiful. I absolutely loved the characters so much. I was invested in what they were all going to do. So glad I picked this one up!
girliekatie's review against another edition
5.0
This story was heavy and heartbreaking. But it was also gorgeous and full of hope. I loved every part of it. And it's extremely important.
kbroshous's review against another edition
3.0
A promising ballerina has to put her dreams on hold due to a diagnosis of bone cancer.
Davis, a cancer survivor almost loses his new license on life due to a drug addiction.
This story is when their paths cross.
This book was great- a story about cancer, drug addiction and of course, love. It was a relatively "feel good" young adult novel that was cute and quick. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
Davis, a cancer survivor almost loses his new license on life due to a drug addiction.
This story is when their paths cross.
This book was great- a story about cancer, drug addiction and of course, love. It was a relatively "feel good" young adult novel that was cute and quick. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.