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A review by ci_reads
The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
"Is phonelessness a very repetitive exercise in not getting what you want the moment you want it? Apparently it is."
This is a story that's trying to be relevant in the age of social media influencers, but it fell flat for me. It started off veryyyy slow, and it honestly took me a couple months to get past the first 100 or so pages. The story alternates between the perspectives of skinny model-like influencer, Mia, and overweight and emotionally unavailable Silicon Valley programmer, Paige. I didn't find either one to be particular lovable or relatable (although I did really enjoy a lot of the side characters: Azalea & her chickens, Cary, Mia's anti-tech mom).
I appreciated the frank conversations about mental health, overcoming trauma, and unhealthy relationships with parents (TW: suicide attempts). By coming at it in a straightforward manner, I think the author did a good job of not bogging the reader down in what can be really tough subjects to cover. And while there were some comments that made me think about my relationship with my phone (ironically at a time that I just set up a new Instagram account for reading/bookish things), overall the author didn't add anything new to the conversation about social media addiction. I didn't find anything unique in this story, and I frankly found myself bored for a good portion of the book.Also, the ending seems to suggest that the solution to all problems, including getting over depression, is to get a dog. I'm sorry, what?? After the fairly deep discussion of depression and suicide throughout the book, this just seemed soooo simplistic, and I didn't like it. Dogs are great, but I didn't like how they were treated as the end-all-be-all solution to life's problems.
This is a story that's trying to be relevant in the age of social media influencers, but it fell flat for me. It started off veryyyy slow, and it honestly took me a couple months to get past the first 100 or so pages. The story alternates between the perspectives of skinny model-like influencer, Mia, and overweight and emotionally unavailable Silicon Valley programmer, Paige. I didn't find either one to be particular lovable or relatable (although I did really enjoy a lot of the side characters: Azalea & her chickens, Cary, Mia's anti-tech mom).
I appreciated the frank conversations about mental health, overcoming trauma, and unhealthy relationships with parents (TW: suicide attempts). By coming at it in a straightforward manner, I think the author did a good job of not bogging the reader down in what can be really tough subjects to cover. And while there were some comments that made me think about my relationship with my phone (ironically at a time that I just set up a new Instagram account for reading/bookish things), overall the author didn't add anything new to the conversation about social media addiction. I didn't find anything unique in this story, and I frankly found myself bored for a good portion of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Suicide attempt