i was given this ARC from netgalley and publisher for an honest review and opinion

i have never read anything by this author but i did enjoy reading about the characters in this book. the main character has lived her life online and gets to the point that she wants to start living her life away from online. it is a high paced and funny read but very enlightening about how much people put value on their phone and social media.

I almost passed on reading/reviewing The Bright Side of Going Dark, let me say that would have been a mistake for me. I have been struggling with focusing on my reading, nothing is really holding my attention until Kelly Harm’s book. I started this book, I quickly became invested in the characters, and I found the story easy to follow. There were times I would sneak away just to read a few more pages or, hopefully, another chapter.

While I am not a social influencer, there are times that I feel like I am hooked to my screen. I loved that Mia, a social influencer, makes the difficult decision to step away from her life on Instagram. It was amazing to see her bloom into a real person, a person who had friends, who did not photograph everything, and a person who could see her life for herself not just as her followers see her. The story opened my eyes to what I am missing when I sit with my phone or tablet open while the family is around. I really like that with Paige’s side of the story you could see how someone who didn’t spend a lot of time on social media and then starts to spend more time was losing herself and losing time that she couldn’t make up. While it could be fun, for a bit, to be an influencer there is so much more to life and The Bright Side of Going Dark shows just how much is missed when your stuck behind your screen.

The other part of this story is the anxiety, grief, and family. The generation gap between mother and daughter, the age difference of sisters, the fiancé calling off your wedding, and the cute neighbor with the adorable daughter are all added aspects to this story. I definitely recommend picking up your own copy.

Mia Bell has curated the perfect life as an envied, insta perfect, social media star. With her adorable dog and movie star handsome fiancé, she’s gathered enough sponsors to have the most hashtag worthy wedding ever. Until, that is, her fiancé decides he wants no part of it. What to do?

Meanwhile Paige Miller, an introvert who spends her days flagging inappropriate content in the standards department of a Facebook-like tech company, has a near collapse when she realizes her estranged younger sister Jennifer has posted a sad cry for attention on Mia’s page.

After making several bad decisions, Mia listens to her charming hippie mother, flings her phone off a cliff and tries to live in the moment. It isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. Paige, on a much needed break, is visiting her sister. She and Jennifer notice that Mia has stopped posting and Paige, being a techie, hacks the account and begins posting.

What follows is a delightful comedy of errors until an abrupt and near tragic end. I loved The Bright Side of Going Dark. It’s a romance, it’s laugh out loud funny but it deals with serious problems in our online all the time world. And, Kelly Harms, no spoilers but the scene with Mike made me sob. I know you have a dog. 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Kelly Harms for this ARC.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms explores the culture of living our lives on social media and how even a carefully curated life can sometimes fall apart. Mia Bell was rescued by her dog Mike when she was devastated by the loss of her brother. She began posting pictures of Mike on social media and became one of the most famous influencers and everything in her life from Mike’s death from cancer, and her upcoming wedding is shared in carefully curated photos. Unfortunately, her fiancé has decided to pull the plug on the wedding and not wanting to let her audience and her financial sponsors down Mia decides to fake her wedding. Heartsore she goes to spend time with her mother who’s advice to “Toss your phone off a cliff” resonates somewhere deep inside, and so she does. Paige Miller works for the social media giant that Mia posts her photos on, and when her younger sister Jessica a devoted follower of Mia’s posts a cry for help and attempts suicide, Paige blames herself for letting her relationship with her sister lapse. The thing is Paige also attempted suicide, and her method of coping is to lock down all feelings and avoid interaction with people. Desperate to find a way to connect with Jessica, she hijacks Mia’s account and starts posting content as a means to help her sister and find common ground. Of course, you can’t really run away from your problems, not can you live someone else’s life indefinitely, everything has consequences and chickens come home to roost. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, some of the subject matter is quite dark, but is dealt with honestly and thoughtfully and the dark parts are nicely balanced with humour and compassion. Publishing Date May 12, 2020. #NetGalley #TheBrightSideOfGoingDark #KellyHarms #LakeUnionPublishing #ContemporaryWomensFiction #bookstagram

As with all of her books, The Bright Side of Going Dark is much more complex than the title suggests. From the first paragraph, the lead character admits to being a liar and a fraud, but don't worry you will grow to love her. The book is an unpredictable story of how three unlikely characters are brought together as they stumble through the bright and dark sides of technology. Their flaws and strengths are so human that you feel able to relate to each one of them. I love how Harms can write a story with the joy of a beach read or Hallmark movie, but with such intelligence and complexity. This is a must-read.

The Bright Side of Going Dark is a book meant for these times, the times of the social media addiction. I would have finished this book sooner had I not let social media distract me so much. I wish I wasn't being serious! This book follows the life of a social media influencer, Mia as she comes to realize she is doing life wrong. The story also follows Paige, a staff member of the social media company Mia posts to. Mia takes a break from social media... and Paige hacks her account to keep the account relevant. Just a heads up, suicide is a somewhat prominent part of the story line. Overall, it's a sweet read about what is truly important in life and what we might miss if we're so focused on our phones.

This was a very thought provoking book in the sense of how much we all use & feel we need our phone especially for social media.Though I expected a romantic love story, there is nothing that I missed in here. There is a bit romance, but it mainly focuses on family, friendship & finding oneself again. I must say Paige, Jessica & Mia's story were actually relatable. Last 2017, I'd decided to take a break from social media & deactivated all of my accounts. I haven’t looked back ever since. It’s surprising what shutting yourself off from it all for a while can do for you. Then a couple of months ago, I've decided to make new IG & Facebook accounts for my hobby and to keep in touch with my close friends & family. Plus, I'm using it more nowadays just to keep posted on our local news. It was when I deviated from that intent that I started to experience social media positively. I remembered back then when I felt pressured into accepting friend requests for individuals I don't even know & care for. Worst, I even felt obligated posting how happy I was celebrating holidays & birthdays alone when in truth I was so lonely & even hurting. It made me realized how fake my life & ‘happiness’ was just to please other people. I was using it to block out real emotions with likes (So dumb & naive right?). In all honesty, I couldn't blame Mia in this story, sometimes being authentic is not easy, especially in a society that adores perfection. I really like the message of this book, it's true we deserve to be happy. Therefore, position your social media in a way that serves you positively. Consider real life more important than the virtual world.

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review. I often roll my eyes when my daughter talks about social media influences. What do they do, other than make me feel bad about my average life? This book digs deep into the mindset of one influencer and shows there's always more behind the scenes than you realize-even though we do realize it's all a pretty art form. The characters are well developed, and I liked the back and forth nature of the story. I teared up several times when Mia is talking about her dog. and the frank look at mental illness was done in a really informative, compassionate way. This book really pulled at my heartstrings.

The Bright Side of Going Dark is a look into the mind of an influencer and the not-so-pretty truth of what it's like behind a big instagram account. Kelly Harms explores influencer and follower culture in this novel. Mia has it all from the outside--a huge following, an adorable dog, and a hot future husband. But it all comes crashing down. I loved seeing Mia trying to grapple with what her life has become. I think any social media user can relate to trying to make everything look perfect online. Readers will love seeing Mia find herself and learn about her self-worth away from likes. This won't make you delete all your social media but it will make you think twice about how much time you're putting into it.

At the start of this book I thought it would be regular chick lit but I was completely wrong, it’s is so much more. It’s a powerful read, it’s about empowerment, depression and who you are. It’s an amazing book, so well written, it draws you into its web and won’t let you go. It’s enthralling, a very emotional read and you discover a lot about yourself while reading it. A very relevant story and such a delightful surprise, I wasn’t expecting this (based on the cover and description) but literally blown away. A great social commentary on our social media driven lives and how we deal with it, how we deal with each other and family. A thoroughly entertaining, intriguing, emotional and humorous read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I absolutely loved this story. Our whole society is obsessed influences and appearances and “keeping up with the Jones” Mia is an influence with tons of followers who goes “dark” after pretending to have a wedding when she’s really been jilted. This was a great book.

This heartfelt examination of the toll of influencer culture was really compelling reading. Heads up on trigger warning regarding suicide. The Bright Side of Going Dark was a deep dive on offline relationships and both the good and bad sides of constant online presences, about honesty in social media and the repercussions of portraying only an aspirational life. It resonated deeply and was another wonderful story from Kelly Harms.

I'd give this more of a 3.5-3.8.

A light story about two women's messy lives that intersect. One is an influencer whose wedding gets cancelled and who takes a forced break from social media. Her life feels so fluffy and fake, but it evolves in the cliche of 'going back to your roots to make you rediscover yourself'. It's well done!

The other one is another obsessive character who works for the social media platform and accidentally takes over the social media account of the first girl. It's a fun look into the other side - and realising people's lives aren't what they may appear to be.

A fun, light read. I'd recommend. Trigger warning for suicide attempt.

A must read book for anyone who can't log off of their social media accounts!

@Mia&Mike sounds like an account I'd follow in real life. An influencer and her 3 legged dog, off on a world of adventures! Mia's life is going perfectly, until, well, it isn't. How she copes living without a phone can give everyone a lesson in living without the screen.

One of my favorite new releases this spring, The Bright Side of Going Dark is a must read!

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down. A fantastic read with a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of social media from an influencer and someone who is impacted by all those posts of beauty and perfection. I love the alternating narration and the fact that while it touches on the darkness (suicide, depression) it also brought out friendship, sisterhood, romance and how to live a true life.
Thank you Lake Union, NetGalley for an ARC of this book. It's one I will be recommending!

This was about two girls and social media. They both seemed so much more interested in themselves. I didn’t really feel a connection to either one. I really didn’t even like them. I thought this book was going to be something completely different, light hearted in fact. After my previous book I needed that. This was not it. Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy

I adored this book. The storyline, the characters, it was one that I could totally dive into. I found myself getting a little frustrated with Paige, but not in a bad way. I also was cheering Mia on the entire time. I loved that it was all wrapped up with a pretty little now at the end as well. It was the exact kind of book I needed right now!

The opening scene, a prologue of sorts, has Mia throwing her phone off a cliff...who hasn’t wanted to do that at one point or another??

The Bright Side of Going Dark reminds you of what’s important in life, but also makes a valid point of the connections that can made through social media, if it’s being used for good. I felt the struggles of Paige and Jessica’s anxiety, depression and family history were portrayed very openly, honestly and realistically.

Thank you to the Tall Poppy Writers for the advanced copy; all opinions are my own.

The Bright Side of Going Dark was an entertaining read that offers some insight into the world of internet influencers and their young followers. I found it hard to connect with the main characters, perhaps because I am older than they are, or because the whole world of instagram and posting pictures of my life is foreign to me.

I recommend this book to young women.

With thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I'll admit that it took me a little while to get into this book, but I'm unsure if that was my quarantine-time attention span or the pacing of the book itself. The dual perspectives took me a little while to get used to as well, but I did come to appreciate the two sides. Mia's growth as a character was fun and compelling to read and I enjoyed Paige's relationship with her sister and optimistic growth as well. This is an excellent women's fiction book that will likely grow in popularity this summer - it definitely forced me to think a little bit about what is important in life and how to remember things without being constantly attached to my device (this isn't really the whole point of the book but the snarky comments did entertain me for sure!)