The Bright Side of Going Dark

By: Kelly Harms

Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky, Katie Koster

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler comes a fresh, funny, and thoughtful story about going off the grid in order to truly live.

As one of the most popular influencers on social media, Mia Bell has lived her life online for years. With her celebrity dog and gorgeous fiancé, she is planning the ultimate virtual wedding - expensive, elaborate, and entirely paid for by sponsors. But off-camera, her world is far from picture perfect. After being jilted by her fiancé and faking her nuptials to please her sponsors, Mia finally has had enough. She heaves her phone off a cliff, ready to live - and maybe find love - offline for a change.

Mia’s sudden absence doesn’t go unnoticed, especially by techie loner Paige Miller, who hacks Mia’s account and begins impersonating the internet celebrity. Paige has her reasons. Her half sister, Jessica, idolizes Mia and desperately needs something to believe in. If taking over Mia’s online persona is Paige’s only means of connecting to her sister, so be it.

Creating a like-worthy life is more fun than Paige expected. But when she grows too bold and is caught in the act, a fiasco ensues that could forever change Mia, Paige, and the people who love them. Because somewhere amid the chaos is an invaluable lesson - one that only real life can teach.

©2020 by Kelly Harms. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic Reviews

“Refreshingly, each character is a true-to-life individual with complicated emotions and unique voices. A surprisingly easy read containing a little romance, a lot of personal growth, and an honest look at weighty topics.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Witty, lively, and au courant, The Bright Side of Going Dark will make readers think twice about refreshing Instagram for the tenth time today. Tackling thornier questions of mental health and the toll of constant comparison, this will appeal to fans of Meg Wolitzer and Elin Hilderbrand, who’ll adore the intertwining lives of Mia, her followers, and those they encounter IRL.”—Booklist (starred review) 

“Even casual users knows how absurd and unrealistic social media can be—yet keep logging on day after day. Kelly Harms takes this dichotomy to new heights in a clever and unputdownable story of two women whose so-called online lives collide IRL. I laughed, I cried, I came away from the experience with a newfound appreciation for life—which is to say The Bright Side of Going Dark is everything I’d hope for in a Kelly Harms novel, and more. I loved every page.”—Camille Pagán, bestselling author of I’m Fine and Neither Are You 

Political

I’m absolutely not interested in a book that feels the need to get political in the first 15 minutes. Why Is that necessary in fiction? I can wrap up this book in 2 sentences. Spoiled pretty girl gets dumped, oh my gosh! Rich ‘twitter’ employee that censors posts helps her find herself. Wanna talk politics? Write a non-fiction. The world is too hate filled to add this to my ‘light reading’.

Rich and wonderful story

Kelly Harms has written one of the most incredible books in The Bright Side of Going Dark! I was inclined to like this book because I really enjoyed The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, but to say I loved it is an understatement. This book is so much beyond the blurb on the book jacket. It’s honestly difficult to discuss without giving away too much. Harms does an artful job talking about some very heavy and weighty issues like mental health, relationships, suicide, and death, but also joy, love, and finding your voice and footing in the world. She is able to strike the balance for joy and sorrow and good and bad in a way that it feels real. I related to a number of things in the book especially the weight of grief not just when we lose our people, but when we lose our animals. I enjoyed this so much that even though I had a copy I still pre-ordered the ebook and then bought the audible version too.

A host of depressing topics all in one book

The writing was excellent in this book. The narration was fantastic, too. However, this book cover a host of depressing topics: suicide, anxiety, panic attacks, dog abuse, dysfunctional family relationships, death of a pet, and on and on it went. Lovely ending to the book, but it really didn't make all the depressing topics worth reading through. This author is so talented; I hope she'll choose more uplifting topics for her next book! Narrator was also excellent! I just thought potential readers would want to know what topics are covered in this book.

surprisingly great novel of contemporary issues

Both of the authors novels are really excellent in character and plot without following predictable cliches rom com types.

Excellent all around!

Great narration, great story!
I had a few ugly-cry moments, but so glad for the happy ending!

Bright Side

This book is so witty and insightful. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, and I cheered. I fell in love with the characters. In fact, I miss them already. Mia grew in me, but Paige is hilarious and a freaking genius. My heart was literally changed as I worried for all the Jessicas of the world. Wonderful book and fabulous performance!

Beautiful

This book is Just absolutely beautifully written. I wish I had more words to describe it but it’s simply perfect.

The Dark Side Made Beautiful

Loved everything about this story. It's captivating, thought provoking, funny and encouraging. Worth the credit. Highly recommend.

Phenomenal message and engaging story

An entertaining look at the pros and cons of social media. The two heroines were excellent, both dealing with issues that made them feel fun and relatable.

Such a Good story!

I really liked the story. Kelly Harms has such a way with words. she has officially move into my top 5 authors category.

The story starts off a little slow and a little rambling, but develops into a very good story line that meanders along at a pace that keeps you intrested but not something that overwhelms you.

Page and Mia are 2 completely different personality types but they quickly learn the benefits of moving outside your comfort zone.

The narrators chosen for this story are absolutely perfect for the characters. I highly recommend this book!

TW: Avoid if suffering with mental health issues!

The book however very well written was, I found, extremely depressing and a very tough read. The author did a great job addressing alot of real world issues e.g depression, suicide, death of loved ones/pets etc. However if I had known beforehand how hard hitting this book would be, and especially triggering for those who have dealt with such serious issues in life - I personally would give this book a miss. It isn't all doom and gloom though and there are some light moments throughout, but personally I felt they were overshadowed by the overwhelming heavy feeling the book brought on.

The story overall was somewhat enjoyable but I would not be recommending this book to anyone in the future.