I received an ARC from the publisher. I'm a big fan of Kelly Harms, but The Bright Side of Going Dark is not her best work. It lacks the laugh-out-loud moments of her other novels, and I struggled to find anything to like about either protagonist. Disappointed, but will continue to recommend Harms' other books, especially The Overdue Life of Amy Byler!

This book was unfortunately not for me. I found it boring and it felt like the story never really took off.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this novel!

This was a great book! It was an easy and fun read that had a meaningful message. The characters were well done and I found Paige especially relatable. It was pretty entertaining to follow along as she took over Mia’s Pictey account. Mia was a good reminder that people’s lives aren’t as perfect as they seem on social media platforms and it was refreshing to see her reclaim her life.
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There really is a bright side to going dark. In other words, there is a bright side to cutting down, or even taking a break from, our usage of phones and social media. Speaking to myself here. Throwing your phone off a cliff (like Mia) is probably a drastic measure, but taking a step back and thinking about how much time we spend on our phones and the effect that has on us sure wouldn’t hurt.
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Definitely pick up this book when it comes out! In addition to this book, I’d recommend The Overdue Life of Amy Byler which is also by Kelly Harms.

Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick and enjoyable read, told in alternating POVs by two characters who are meant to be diametrically opposed in lifestyle -but who actually have many of the same issues to deal with in their lives. Although the writing was a bit formulaic, the premise was intriguing and the characters, including secondary characters, well-drawn (not necessarily likeable though). I loved the fact that the author did not shy away from hot topics like mental health, women in tech, picture-perfect lies on the Gram, social media and the hold it has on us. The ending was predictably neat, with all loose ends tied into a happy-end bow - but satisfying in spite of the predictability.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

I think I was beginning, as I often do, to feel a bit disillusioned and tired of the blog/Instagram ‘game’, and I haven’t read many books that have social media as a central focus. I of course LOVE this content creation world, but I often think that certain elements have become game-ified, leaving little room for creativity but plenty for a herd mentality. In this novel, Kelly Harms throws this conversation open in a story that’s told through the eyes of two characters and chapters that alternate between them. I think this is a format that works perfectly for this story.

I ended up rating this novel three stars out of five, because although lots was great about this book (the topics tackled, the character development, lots of the characters’ own monologues), I felt some parts of the plot were thin on the ground and others felt like they’d been mangled and squished into the narrative for the sake of it.

At first I thought this book would be too trendy for me, focusing on a social media influencer. I was wrong, as the two main characters in the book are quite unique. Paige is a quirky loner, working in IT flagging issues on sites. Mia is a social media influencer, who at first glance appears spoiled and self-centered. Not to give away spoilers, but as their paths to self-discovery uncover some pretty heavy truths, the story becomes more and more appealing. I recommend the book, and thank Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed reading this, it was exactly what I needed. Given that much of the world is being forced to self-isolate for possibly months, we are turning to social media more than ever. However, it can still be an uncomfortable and difficult presence in our lives. Harms creatively shows both sides of social media, and has written two protagonists that make you think about your own actions. Still an entertaining book, but perfectly though provoking!

This story really dives into influencer culture and how toxic it can be, It was a fast and easy read but of a serious topic. During a time of social distancing this is a perfect book to read and try to disconnect.

DNF at 40%. I had a problem with the dialogue, and couldn’t connect with the characters. The final straw for me was that her sister is in the hospital after a suicide attempt, yet she’s debating even going to see her?? No. It doesn’t add up.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With all that is going on in the world right now with the coronavirus, I found this book to be very timely for me as I've examined my own social media use and its effects on my well being. What I found interesting was that I really disliked the sections dealing with the fictional Pictey platform and Mia's social media presence, and I really enjoyed the parts when Mia starts living in real life. Everything in the book comes together a bit too easily and neatly for me, but this is the perfect light read for anyone giving thought to the influence social media has in their own life.

I loved THE OVERDUE LIFE OF AMY BYLER and was so excited to start this newest release by Kelly Harms. It did not disappoint. THE BRIGHT SIDE OF GOING DARK is an incredibly poignant and timely read about mental health and social media addiction.

Told through the alternating POVs of internet influencer Mia and social media naysayer Paige, this is a deep and meaningful story about self-worth and self-discovery. Mia and Paige’s storylines move separately on a collision course and along the way we meet a cast of interesting and memorable side characters that all have something to teach them. Despite the seriousness of the message, Harms delivers an engrossing and engaging read with several laughs thrown in for good measure.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing & NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy of this fun and relevant book.

Very cute. :)

Longer review to follow, but thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

A fun, fast read. Definitely going to be a contemporary many will pick up and fly through. The characters are laugh out loud at times, emotional at others.

I really enjoyed this book. While I'm getting a little tired of reading romances about influencers, this put an interesting spin on it and helped distract me from what's going on in the world.

Mia is a social media influencer whose life revolves around providing her half of a million followers content all day everyday on Pictey, a social media platform for posting pictures. When she isn’t out capturing the most perfect shot to post to her feed, she is doing her best to interact with her followers. Unlike most influencers, Mia believes that what she does is not just for ad money. She believes that her carefully curated posts and captions help to spark conversations, friendships, and connections. She posts only positive and motivational things because she believes that people depend on her.

Paige is an employee at Pictey as an enforcer on the Standards Enforcement and Quality Assurance Team reviewing flagged content. She is a socially awkward introvert that is very cynical of the influencers on Pictey’s platform and the people that buy into their online personalities. To Paige, its all a scam for influencers to get money. Besides work, Paige doesn’t socialize much, her job is her life. When she’s not working at Pictey, she is scrolling through the feeds being a spectator to the lives of influencers and their followers.

This story is about how these 2 very different people’s lives intersect and paths cross after very traumatic events that happen in their lives simultaneously. Both are forced to not only look at their lives through a different lens, but to also live their lives differently and what they both learn changes them forever. We see how they respond, reflect, and attempt to reinvent themselves into the people they truly believe they already are.

The Bright Side of Going Dark is a great look at our dependency on not only our electronic devices but the social platforms they have created. Instead of having in person social interactions, we have become used to expressing ourselves through photos, memes, likes, and replies. We face time, teleconference, email, and text instead of sitting down or meeting up and just being in the moment. What happens when those virtual platforms are taken away and we are forced to face our life? How will we respond to this change, especially when we THINK it is a necessary part of our lives? This story does an awesome job of showing how social media and electronic devices can be very powerful and very productive tools IF USED WITH THE BEST INTENTIONS AND RESPONSIBLY. It’s about finding balance between being in the moment and also keeping up with the times.

This story goes a lot deeper than just talking about an influencer and a cynical computer programmer. It touches on very real topics such as depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, and loss. A lot of these things are exactly why some people prefer social media to in person interactions and on the flip side, a lot of people have experienced these things because of their social media dependency.
At various times throughout the book, I saw a lot of myself in both Mia and Paige. They both thought they were doing the right thing and neither realized just how much their decisions to act or not to had on others.

As an avid social media user and micro influencer, I absolutely loved this book! It’s fresh, fun, very relevant, and very, very relatable.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

This cute contemporary women's novel alternates between two perspectives. Mia is an extremely popular social media influencer on fictional social media site Pictey who doesn't know what to do with herself when her fiance calls off their (totally sponsored) wedding right before the wedding. Paige is a socially awkward woman who works for Pictey reviewing flags on posts/comments, but actually disdains social media herself, but ends up getting involved with Mia's account and starts to see the good side of social media as well as the dark side. Along the way, both women learn to connect to people in real life. The theme that people's lives (whether in person or on social media) are often not as perfect as they look on the outside is definitely a good one, but I also liked that while extolling personal connection, the book doesn't completely trash everything about social media but considers some of the good ways it can help connect people as well as well as its negatives. I liked Kelly Harms' book last year "The Overdue Life of Amy Byler" a little better, but she has definitely earned herself on a spot on my list of authors I will continue to read regardless of what they write.

I requested a review copy of this book to read on vacation - I thought it would be light and fun, an easy escape. I was delighted to find that it was so much more. This is the best fictional consideration I've seen of how different people, each with their own unmet needs and personal struggles, deal with social media. The story unfolds in alternating chapters between Mia, a high-ranking influencer on a FB-like platform, and Paige, a borderline agoraphobe who works behind the scenes at that platform, policing problematic posts when they get flagged for inappropriate content. These characters are exceptionally well developed, with meaningful backstories and family dynamics that influence their choices, both online and off. And every character in the book is someone you want to know more about as you read. I appreciated that there's no easy fallback "bad guy/girl" here, but rather an array of interesting people working out problems we all (or those of us who spend anytime online) face ourselves. Highly recommend & I look forward to reading more from this author!

A great read on the modern addiction to social media, humorous with just the right amount of darkness (pun intended!) thrown in. Thanks NetGalley!

I had difficulty warming up to this book. Both Mia and Paige live behind a screen. Mia is a social media influencer who lives to post. Paige is a safety standards emforcer for the social media platform used by Mia. Paige assumes Mia's online identity when Mia ditches it. I found both characters to be sad and lonely. I finished the book, and all turns out ok, but I wasn't a huge fan.