Sadly this wasn't' the book for me. I tried a few separate times to pick it up but wasn't hooked. I only made a few chapters into it before I stopped.

Brave Enough was a quick, sweet (enough) read about Cason and Davis. Cason's world is shattered when she is diagnosed with cancer and can no longer dance ballet. Davis is battling drug addiction after battling cancer himself. This book was hard-hitting because it was grounded in truth since the author herself is a cancer survivor. While a good chunk of the book was comprised of Cason's depression and obsession over talking about herself dancing (or not dancing), or the insta-love element of the story, the remaining pieces of the book that were hard-hitting and emotional were extremely beautiful. I wish that the pacing was a little bit better and the story was fleshed out more but overall it does have a good story line.

I read the second book of this series last year and ever since then, had been looking forward to reading the first. When I got the chance, I was thrilled!

This book is so much deeper than it appears from the cover. From the cover, I never would have guessed the depth that the character's emotions run and the struggles that they are facing. I felt every emotion that the characters felt.

If you overlook the language, which was my only complaint, then this makes for a really great read that will be sure to pull you along for a ride.

If you are a fan of ya that isn't afraid to dive into heavy topics while still having a lighthearted feel, this would be a great one to pick up.



Rating: 4.5/5

Language: s***, a**, d***, f***

Romance: a kiss or two

Spiritual: n/a

Violence: one character gets beaten up and ends up in the hospital, suicide

Note: Davis has been clean of drugs and alcohol for one year.



*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

Review will be published to the blog on August 17, 2020

A necessary addition to the #ownvoices YA contemporary canon. A beautiful, realistic romance. Five stars!

Read Jan 19

This book was beautiful and real and genuine and heart-breaking! It is so rare for there to be a book about teenage illness that has the main characters survive (I’m looking at you TFIOS)! Cason is a prima ballerina studying at a top conservatory under her strict, distant mother – the director. All she knows is dance until an injury that’s not just an injury puts a stop to everything. She has bone cancer.

On the ward she meets Davis, a cancer survivor who is back on the ward volunteering as a community service type thing whilst struggling to overcome drug addiction. The pair meet and slowly manage to help each other. This was so accurately written and reading the author’s notes at the end you realise why – she too has survived childhood cancer.

Good day! Before anything else, I would like to extend my deepest, sincerest gratitude for sending me a digital review copy of this book (via NetGalley). Thank you very much for the opportunity!

Unfortunately, I am sad to say that I have lost interest in this particular title, and consequently, I have decided against finishing it. Forcing myself to finish a book I am disinterested in (solely for the sake of finishing it) can only negatively impact the entirety of my reading experience, which, in turn, could result in me writing an unfairly negative review. That is a circumstance I hope to avoid. With that said, I believe that the best course of action is for me to simply not read it and to refrain from publicly posting any feedback regarding this book.

I hope you understand where I'm coming from. Again, thank you for the lovely opportunity!

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.

A young adult coming of age and romance with cancer taking the mainstage, this was an enjoyable read. I found the friendships compelling and the feeling of parental pressure relatable. This is an own voices novel, and Garnder talks in her authors note about struggling to find hopeful books about kids who are cancer survivors. I appreciate her adding to the pool and normalizing this as an experience for kids.
Cason Martin is our main character. She's a dancer, until she isn't. She collapses during a performance only to wake up and hear that she has bone cancer. Her bones have deteriorated underneath her, and she will likely have tough choices to make in her journey to recovery. With her whole world thrown off balance, she needs to rediscover who she is and what she wants from the world. Her mom is obsessed with her dancing, and shows her love through pushing her hard to succeed.
Davis Channing is our other main character. He is a cancer survivor and recovering addict. As part of his recovery, he's volunteering at the cancer center he was treated at, which is where Cason and Davis meet. They also conveniently attend the same school. Davis helps Cason through a lot, but he has secret struggles of his own. His scenes were very parroty, continuing to bring up his unconscious desire to use. I found this rather annoying, but also thought through, maybe this is what it feels like to be addicted, to constantly have that running through your head and having to turn it down almost constantly.
In the end, the friendships were what I was here for. The story was not totally fleshed out, but rather a light-hearted story about cancer and addiction, if ever there was one. Again, Gardner's purpose is to normalize and reduce stigma.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think I've ever read a book from the perspective of a teen cancer survivor and what their life is like after that trauma. This was a great book about empathy, and I would highly recommend.

A thoughtful approach to the real struggles of cancer in teenagers. This book deals with difficult topics in a way that promotes empathy. The characters feel very real and while each has their own story they are woven together beautifully.

This book was really good. I loved the annotation at the end of the book, and it really like added something to this book as a whole. I really felt like this book was so character driven. It was a beautiful story! It was so heartfelt, and just hit me in the heart and I couldn't put it down! I didn't want this story to end, I wanted to keep reading and reading. I just felt that what the author had to say through this story was fantastic. I highly recommend reading it! It was so so good! Loved it so much! It talks so much about other things like drug addiction, depression, cancer, so many things.

I received an ARC copy of this from Netgalley. It was so good! It was very well written. It was a very hard heartbreaking read but it was beautiful. I highly recommend this book!

This is a great book about one girls struggle with cancer. I really enjoyed reading this, and I definitely recommend it. Plus the cover is stunning!!!

I appreciate when certain books choose not to be too dark as it goes against the theme of the book most of the time. This book was able to walk that fine line. The characters are written realistically.

It was deep in the right parts, well-written, and is something that teenagers should pause for a minute to read,

This was pretty good - I thought Cason and Davis' relationship was pretty cute but there was nothing special about the book in my opinion. It wasn't anything original I don't think.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. Coming from an author who is a cancer survivor herself, I highly appreciate her writing but for me it lacked depth. A lot of the stuff was repetitive and hence boring.

I am not sure if the site is messing up but I had previously posted my review and now it is gone...

Anyways I thought this was a good book. It covers hard topics like cancer and drug addiction. It goes more in depth with those then most books I have personally read. It was interesting to see the authors note and find out she also had cancer. I really felt for the Cason when the only thing she knew how to do in life was changed. Not that she couldn't do it but that she would have to find a new way to continue with it. I am not a fan of the insta love aspect between the characters and that is the reason it is a 4 star instead of a 5. Over all thought it is a good book. I really enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

This is a great contemporary story with well developed characters. I loved that the story followed a ballet dancer as there are not many YA books that do so.

Cason is an immensely talented ballerina, but one day, her future shatters at the same time as her femur. She had been dancing through incredible pain, and now comes face-to-face with the reality that she has cancer. While in cancer treatment, she meets Davis, who is also a cancer survivor and sober from his addiction to pain meds. 

Their friendship is sweet, and a huge support to Davis who is trying to keep his ex-girlfriend's dealer out of his life. 

This book was beautiful, heartbreaking and heart-wrenching. I am so blessed to not have personal experience with childhood cancer, but reading Brave Enough gave me a small glimpse into the world that these kids grow up in. It's a wonderful read, even as difficult as some of it is to read through.

This book was beautiful and will resonate with readers who get to experience this chilling story. Sometimes in life, you just have to take a leap of faith and be brave, even when the prospect of something going wrong is terrifying. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially because it highlighted how horrific drug addiction can be, and how sometimes, it takes an army working together to get better.

I recommend this to all contemporary readers. This story is more than a love story, but a battle between two characters that ended up with the short end of the stick. Their perseverance and bravery is something that can be admired by all, and it really and truly is a masterpiece