This book was fine. It's the dangers of spending so much time on social media and living your life online in one compact story. It's not terribly subtle or nuanced, but readable

What bothered me about it was the pacing and the writing/characters. It's really slow, nothing happens for the first half of the book even though if you've read the blurb you know what's going to happen. So it's painstaking getting there, which if you buy the character development then you'll be fine. 

But that brings me to my next point, I found the writing to be very lazy when it came to character development. For writing a book about technology, the author either doesn't understand how technology works, chose to ignore the complexity of working in tech, or was too lazy to properly research any of it (sure who can't hack hospital records). The result is Paige. 

She's depicted as socially isolated and awkward, and basically an IT robot with limited feelings and thrust behind the IT stereotype it was just such a shame. She could've been a complex character but because we kept going back to the dangers of technology I just felt like it was a dehumanization of IT workers and lacked creativity. I would've appreciated Paige much more in the backdrop of other details. Work in tech, fine, but it just seemed like a cop out that she was a self-proclaimed wonderful coder and then had all these emotional/social issues. It made me think readers would see her and think sure but she's an IT robot anyway, not a real person when these are real issues that affect even the least tech savvy person. There was a lot of Paige that could've been unpacked but wasn't and that was too bad.

Mia was meh. I couldn't really connect with her, I know there are probably people out there like her but found her whiny, which was probably the point.

I didn't find the ending to be realistic, there are consequences after all and nothing was really addressed, and it just didn't feel like the book did justice to any of the major topics it broached. 2.5 stars.

To be quite honest, this was a DNF for me personally. Once I was reading about a penis on multiple pages in a row within the beginning 5% of the book, I was totally turned off from reading anymore but I pushed through but lost interest as I did not enjoy the characters. Kelly Harms is a great author and I enjoyed The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane (one of her previous works), but I just couldn't get into this one.

Do you want to take over the place of someone’s life? But think again because nothing is for free and nothing as it seems! You may also take over the burdens of someone that you have no idea how to handle it!

This book is remarkable, powerful, riveting and incredibly written women’s fiction. It’s about living, breathing and being asocial people who buried their faces into their phones and losing the connection with the real life. It is also about dysfunctional, estranged family relations, making changes in your life to reach out your second chances, making peace with your depression and choosing different path in your life to catch your own happiness.

Mia Bell’s life looks too good to be true.

Popularity around social media arena with her influencer gig: CHECK!

A handsome, dreamy fiancée: CHECK!

A cute, adorable dog: CHECK AGAIN! It seems like lucky bitch live her dream. But what a minute! Why is she calling her wedding off and shutting down her social media accounts. Is she out of her mind? How many people want to be her! Does she have any idea? And yes, she just moves with her mother. Yes, there must be something really really wrong with her!

But don’t worry a geeky techie is about to hack her account and replaces her place. Her name is Paige Miller and she is reluctant imposter. She only wants to connect with her sister and does this as a prank. But at the end nobody laughs at her!

This book starts like a regular chic lit, light, fluffy, swoony reading but it’s not even close. It’s dealing with feminism empowerment, clinic depression and so many heavy stuffs but author’s witty, emotional and relaxing words give you enough positive energy and you easily go and become witness of the emotional turmoil of the characters because she enlighten us our vision to see the brightest sides at the darkest places and help us keep enjoying yourself and smiling the progression of the story.

Overall: It’s entertaining, smart with great sense of humour and tear jerking, poignant, lovely book I truly enjoyed to read.

Kelly Harms’ previous works are at my MOUNT TBR forever and this book encouraged me to read them ASAP.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sharing this promising ARC in exchange my honest review.

2.5 stars
I read The Overdue Life of Amy Byler and I loved the book! Unfortunately this one I didn't like so much. I found it to be much darker than her first novel. This book delved into the world of social media, how it affects our self-esteem, our quality of life (thinking everything has to be perfect!), and our mental health. Going dark is the best idea for everyone - unplug and enjoy life and always remember not everyone's life is perfect as it is online. Unfortunately there were many characters to keep track of during this book, and some scenes were just not believable (the break up text before the wedding?!) Her characters were so infuriating at times and I got frustrated reading it (are you really that dumb? I kept thinking to myself). Overall it was OK.

Thanks #netgalley for the ARC.
#thebrightsideofgoingdark

The Bright Side of Going Dark is such a fun way to explore our society's dependency on technology and social media. This book follows two main characters, Paige and Mia. Mia is a social media influencer whose whole life revolves around being present and active on her Pictey account (similar to Instagram). Paige on the other hand tries her best to remain under the radar by working for Pictey and screening anything that has been flagged inappropriate (comments, posts, etc.). When Mia's wedding is cancelled and Paige's sister attempts suicide, both women are thrown into lives they never thought they'd live.

One of my favorite things about this book was the subtle shift from Mia being a social media influencer to Paige taking over her account. At the beginning of each chapter, we would see a post written by Mia. But as Mia began to be offline more often and Paige began to run her account, those posts would then transfer over to Paige's chapters. I thought it was a subtle yet smart move to indicate to the reader who was living online and who was living offline.

I also really enjoyed the shift in Mia becoming more comfortable in living her life without her phone. I thought the author did a really nice job of showing the reader how much of job being a social media influencer is as well as the other reasons why Mia thought she needed her phone (banking apps, GPS, the internet), but then also showing how much we don't actually need our phone to survive in this world. We see Mia start off completely dependent on her phone, to struggling with technology withdrawals, to accepting her lack of access to her phone, and finally being at peace with not being connected all the time. The change in Mia felt very natural and progressive and extremely relate-able to what many people are experiencing today.

On the flip side, it was really interesting to see Paige's shift from not using social media to becoming addicted to it. The author did a really nice job of showing how easy it is to become addicted to receiving "likes" on photos and reading comments from people who idolize you, and how quickly you keep wanting more. she never directly compared it to drugs, but the way she showed Paige getting more and more involved with Mia's account was very similar to someone getting addicted to drugs. There are the highs where it feels great (lots of likes and positive comments), but when things begin to slow down you (trolls positing negative comments) then you begin to search to get an even better high. (positing a better photo to get more likes and positive comments).

This book is so much more than technology addiction though. It hits on topics like loss of an animal, depression, suicide, and being true to yourself. I loved how the different themes were intertwined throughout the book so that no one theme outshone the other but instead worked congruently with each other.

My only complaint is that the story got a little slow and repetitive at times. Towards the middle of the book, the story felt like it dragged a little with Mia accepting her life without her phone and Paige embracing her life as the person behind Mia's Pictey account. I felt like the story was moving forward, but we were also being given the same information over and over again. This may just be a personal thing though, and I may not have been in the best mindset for reading when I was reading these parts. I think many people will enjoy this book as a whole and find it very well paced.

Overall, I thought this was an extremely cute book that hit home with a variety of topics. It is full of enjoyable characters who are easy to relate to and have well written character arcs. The side characters shone just as much as the main characters and made this story even more enjoyable to read.

Mia Bell is a social influencer, with 25K followers on Pictey, a social media platform similar to Instagram. Paige Miller is a Safety and Standards monitor at Pictey. Her job is to flag questionable posts and “zap” comments deemed socially unacceptable, hurtful, or dangerous. It is also up to Paige and her colleagues in safety and security, to flag posts that could indicate suicidal ideation. At the end of each day, Paige has to complete a mental health evaluation checklist. One day, Paige finds herself on mandatory “rest” leave (secondary to work related stress) ... and around the same time, Mia’s Pictey account goes “dark” ...

This book constantly had me thinking about so many different aspects of social media. Why do people post on social media? How much screen time is too much? What do people on social platforms expect from their followers? What do followers expect from celebrity influencers? These are some of the issues Mia, Paige and the other characters in the book confront, and that many of us confront. Despite having thousands of followers, the life of internet celebrities can still be lonely (how sad 😢). While I may have made the book sound “serious”, it’s never depressing. It’s the opposite, full of optimism and wise words of advice! Even the title, tells you, there’ is “a BRIGHT side to going dark” ! 😊 I strongly recommend this book. I loved reading it! Thank you #netgalley for the e-ARC. #5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ @kelly.harms @lakeunionauthors #nomophobia #darnyarnbarn #suicide #polymath #thebrightsideofgoingdark
Of Celebrity Mia Paige, Jessica says: “All she creates is hope and optimism. Hope, optimism and a good living selling fancy yoga pants.”

The Bright Side of Going Dark
by Kelly Harms

I enjoyed this book. The beginning was a little confusing to me, as I did not know what am "influencer" was. I guess I'm old! But once I got into the book, I really liked it. I was pleased with the ending. I have read all of Kelly's books & I like her writing style & characters & plots.

I went into this book thinking it would be lighthearted and fun. It was so much more than that. What a great commentary on today’s society and the effects of social media. I liked the behind the scenes look at influencer culture and the role it can play for both good and bad. I found the characters to be very likable and relatable. This book is well written and I enjoyed the bit of a love story thrown in. Altogether a great read that was well worth my time.

I wasn't wowed by this book, but that said it is a good read. It provides some much needed talking points, particularly around mental health and the influence of social media. I found Mia's parts flowed more easily and were ultimately more interesting. Paige's parts were sometimes flat and I skipped over some of her introspection. It was clever the way the paths of Mia, Page, Tucker and Jessica all met up. As a dog owner I also appreciated the way some time was spent on Mia's grief for her dog. It wasn't dismissed and was dealt with sensitively. Mia's relationship with her mother was also written well. There's a lot here, and a lot to like at that. Whilst I can't quite give it five stars, I can highly recommend it.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun jab at how technology has taken over our lives and how you can never fully avoid digital life. This was a quick read and I enjoyed the alternating POVs of Mia, a famous content creator who lives by her phone and Paige, who works at a social media company. Things are not always what it seems on the monitor/screen! I found this story relevant with the prevalence of the internet but also lighthearted and easy to read. Loved the message - get off your devices and smell the 'real' roses!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first time reading a book by Kelly Harms and it didn’t disappoint. The Bright Side of Going Dark essentially follows Mia (social media influencer) and Paige (employee at social media platform Pictey) and their journeys navigating social media, family and love. It’s a fun, easy read with some great character development. The plot focuses on Mia, who has gotten a bit caught up in the world of social media, and what that means for those around her.

Would definitely recommend this book!

Love everything that Kelly Harms writes!! And loved this book! Perfect introspection into our modern lives, what we give up in the name of progress, and how to find balance.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my first ever ARC :) I was excited to be selected as I had just read The Overdue Life of Amy Byler a month prior and really enjoyed it.

This book was so refreshing and different from anything that is out there right now I think. The book follows Mia, a social media influencer, Jessica, the influenced, and Jessica's older sister Paige, who thinks social media is ridiculous but ironically works for one of the platforms. I loved Mia's perspective because it showed that the grass isn't greener, it's just filtered. The story also touched on how social media can make someone who is struggling feel even more isolated because they think these influencers are out there leading perfect lives. There are pros and cons to social media and I think this book shows that with a great story and likeable characters. I found myself rooting for all of them. I also find myself wishing I had a dog :)

Thank you @netgalley and #lakeunionpublishing for the #arc of @kelly.harms upcoming book #thebrightsideofgoingdark
I am a new fan of Kelly’s after reading #theoverduelifeofamybyler on #kindleunlimited. I was so excited to receive the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.
I really enjoyed reading about Paige, Mia & Jessica. The reminder that everything that you read online isn’t always the truth and there is a stronger personal connection out there is priceless. Kelly’s characters are flawed, lovable, real and also infuriating at times. All those things make the book great, in my opinion! I highly recommend reading this book! I hope you will love it as much as I do.
#netgalley #februaryreads #socialmediabooks #popsugarreadingchallenge #bookstagram #bookish

Mia Bell is an internet celebrity as a top influencer for social media platform Pictey. When her fiancée calls off the wedding two days before the event, Mia decides to take a break from social media to recover and reassess her life. She goes a little extreme by tossing her phone off of Mount Wyler In Colorado. Paige Miller is an employee at Pictey who assesses potentially dangerous, inappropriate, or abusive comments and posts. When she learns she missed the comment her half-sister posted on Mia's feed shortly before her suicide attempt, Paige is in a mission to help her sister Jessica and also try to expose Mia as a fraud. We see Mia's journey without a phone back at her mom's house as well as Paige's experience of living like Mia for a bit. Things eventually go sideways for everyone and we find out how they will choose to move forward. A very enjoyable story with flawed but likeable characters that is quite relevant in today's society struggling with so much social media noise in our lives.

i was really excited to read this book, because I loved Kelly’s previous novel.
I enjoyed the premise and storyline of The Bright Side of Going Dark. Sometimes I fee that social media is taking over and is ridiculous.
This book was perfectly okay, but it did take me a lot longer to get through than I hopes.

⚠️ TW - this book contains talk of suicide attempts and panic attacks.


Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

The book was easy to read, both lighthearted and real at the same time. I didn’t really love either of the main characters, but I think that their flaws were well written and the fact that they ate the villains in their own story felt real. A strong 3.5 from me.

This book just wasn't for me. I didn't connect with the characters, I found the story a little slow and I wasn't invested in what happens. The story takes quite a whlle to kick off, I thought reading about both of the jobs the girls had would be a it more exciting, but it was a bit dull. And I found the POV'd rather similar so I kept forgetting who was talking.
I think I expected this book to be a bit more relaxed and fun but it's a lot more emotional than I expected. I found some scenarios that happened didn't work.

This is the first book I’ve read by Kelly Harms, so for the largest part I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, it quickly became apparent she is a fantastically good writer – funny, witty, scathing, intelligent … I could go on, but it would be boring.

This story is told from the alternating points of view of Mia, a not-Insta influencer whose entire life revolves around her followers and on-trend lifestyle, and Paige, an anxiety-riddled loner who works behind the scenes of not-Insta and fails to understand the lure of social media.

When Mia’s perfectly crafted world falls to pieces and she “goes dark”, Paige is ready to step in to the limelight (though, it’s clearly a light that doesn’t suit everyone). Whilst this book cleverly explores the impact of social media, our obsession with it, and the potential damage it can cause, that’s not everything it’s about. Instead, this is also a story about friendship, sisterhood, motherhood, grief and finding yourself.

That’s a lot to cram in to a few hundred pages, but Harms does it very well and sympathetically so it doesn’t feel crazy and hashed out.

My only criticism is the fact that too many characters sounded the same. Paige was a very distinct voice, but as new characters were introduced, they started sound far too much like her. It’s a shame, as it watered her down, for me, and made her seem less Paige-like. It’s a small, picky gripe, and in no way did it change the fact this was an awesome read.

A book that draws you in shows you the dark side of being influenced by people on social media.A book that will make you want to delete your social media apps.It also is a fun read a book I recommend.#netgalley #lakeunion