What an astonishingly beautiful story.
I expected this book to be deep, and potentially hard to read, given the main character has just been diagnosed with cancer. I was wrong. It's a page turner with so much heart and hope. It will make you laugh and make you cry. I could not put it down!

There is so much that is relatable in this book, and I highly recommend it. One of my favourites this year.

#TheBrightSideRunningClub #NetGalley

By Josie Lloyd

When Keira first receives her breast cancer diagnosis, she never expects to end up joining a running group with three women she's only just met. Totally blind-sided, all she can think about is how she doesn't want to tell her family or step back from work. Nor does she want to be part of a group of fellow cancer patients. Cancer is not her club.

And yet it's running - hot, sweaty, lycra-clad running in the company of brilliant, funny women all going through treatment - that unexpectedly gives Keira the hope she so urgently needs. Because Keira will not be defined by the C-word. And now, with the Cancer Ladies' Running Club cheering her on, she is going to reclaim everything: her family, her identity, and her life.

One step at a time.

Moving, uplifting and full of hope, this is a beautifully crafted novel about love, family and the power of finding your tribe.

Note - Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trying to be strong in the face of a cancer diagnosis - could I do it? This is the question I asked myself over and over as I read this book. This story is heartwarming, maddening, thrilling, thought-provoking and resolute in its endeavor to describe the journey one woman goes on after she is diagnosed with breast cancer. This is a powerful story centering on the strength of women without overflowing with feminist themes, which I was concerned about when I first started to read.

Although not written as an autobiography, the author infuses her own cancer journey into Keira’s story, giving the reader an inside view into what happens when she was catapulted into Cancer World. For me, this was a highly emotional journey even though I’ve never lost anyone to cancer. All five stages of grief are skillfully woven throughout the story as Keira navigates this diagnosis. We see the effect not only on her and her mental state but also on those around her. We see her break and fall, fail and flail and get back up using the support and love of those around her. She even leans on those who use her illness to try to destroy her.

While Lloyd keeps our attention and focus on Keira, she also gives us a glimpse into what’s going on in the lives of those around her. Her husband, Tom, is maddening at times and seems unsupportive yet cannot overcome the deep, intense love he has for his wife. Her children, Tilly, Jacob and Bea each define their new roles within their home unit with all the difficulty and rebellion and fierce love for their mum appropriate to their ages. We see how the members of the Bright Side Running Club all cope with cancer in their way - choosing or not choosing to talk with those closest to them about their illness. And finally, we see her business partner attempt to use the opportunity for their own selfish gain - which is frustrating in the very least but it lends to Keira’s mental and emotional state as she sees how cancer changes her.

The end is a bittersweet triumph of sacrifice, love and tenacity as these women are determined to overcome. I absolutely cried, laughed and cheered. I adjusted myself in my seat as the final showdown came between Keira and Lorna and Pierre. I rejoiced with these women and wished them well as I closed the book, having finished it one box of tissues later.

One does not need to be intimately acquainted with cancer in order to get something out of this story. The emotional attachment will be instant and immediate. I highly recommend this book and now am off to see what other books of Josie Lloyd’s I can find.

The Bright Side Running Club is the story of Kiera- wife/mom/business owner whose world is rocked by a breast cancer diagnosis. She meets three other women experiencing breast cancer, who meet to run and support each other through it all. Full of vibrant characters and scenarios that feel familiar to working mothers everywhere, this book is enjoyable and inspirational. At times both emotional and humourous this book captures the journey through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment with sensitivity and wisdom.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

THE BRIGHT SIDE RUNNING CLUB
BY JOSIE LLOYD

"Life is a gift--not a given."

Throughout reading this novel it wasn't until that I reached the end of it did I discover it is fiction. Although, the author does say that she experienced cancer in 2017. The main reason that I wanted to read it was because I have been thinking a lot lately about starting running again. I used to be an avid runner for many years and it has mostly been the last five years that I have stopped. What I got out of this book was inspiration, some heartbreak and an up close and personal look at the way this author has generously shared what fighting and by fighting I mean using chemotherapy and radiation along with surgery to try to beat it.

Both of my parents died rather quickly from bone cancer and they didn't have the time to go through chemotherapy or radiation or surgery. They just had too aggressive types with months to live. So for me this book was sad.

The main character is diagnosed with breast cancer and she undergoes the treatments that I have listed above and since the author is basing it on her own diagnosis the treatments were graphically all to real. There is a part in the book about when a cancer survivor gives the main character her necklace that is a butterfly and is meant to symbolize hope that was really the most moving for me. I am grateful that the author seems to have beaten her breast cancer.

The author writes with dark humor or a sarcastic voice which at first was off putting but then I got used to it the more that I was pulled into the story. Also daunting is twice she makes reference to the statistic that one in every two people will get cancer and one time she mentions that one in eight will get breast cancer. Those statistics are pretty grim. I don't know for sure if she is supplying those statistics to the United Kingdom or on an international global stage.

This book is supposed to be inspirational and an informative glimpse into her treatments which were raw and I found heartbreaking and scary. I didn't think that it would leave me feeling so depressed but it did. Perhaps it is because it reminds me of watching both parents die quickly from cancer or because of one of the character's outcome.

All in all this has received many rave reviews so I hope that if you are considering reading this novel which is supposed to be inspirational you will read other reviews and give it a chance. I thought that I had grieved my parents deaths but reading this just made me sad. So perhaps I haven't fully grieved their passing because I just feel that this didn't inspire me but gutted me. It does have some hope to offer it just wasn't for me. I would still rate it a strong four stars and recommend it.

Publication Date: 2/8/2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Josie Lloyd and Alcove Press for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheBrightSideRunningClub #JosieLloyd #AlcovePress #NetGalley

This book is so warm. Love it from the beggining!
You can relate to the principal character Keira who is so in shock and denial in the beggining and then start to realize that you can do all the things that you do before of almost everything that you are living, I thing that is something that you can feel in the situation that her is passing.
I love her and her friends. They are so welcoming and so nice to her and all the thing that she is passing that you want to have the same network that she has.
The nice thing about this book that has some mistery about what is happening behind her that you are in shock when the revelation comes.
So beautiful so well written makes you smile and cry sometimes
I recommend this book 100% percent, it will enligh your day besides something that happen to her but you will see the bright side to the story

The Bright Side Running Club by Josie Lloyd follows Keira, mom to three kids who also runs her own business. During a mammogram examination, Keira is told that she has breast cancer. We follow Keira through her medical diagnosis, treatment, mastectomy, recovery, and chemotherapy treatments. Keira meets a woman, Tamsin, who inspires Keira to run and they, along with two other cancer fighters/survivors, form a running group called “Bright Side Running Club.” I found the medical information and detail extremely interesting. Ms. Lloyd mentioned in the Author’s Note that all of the medical information was based upon her own breast cancer fight (as well as a fictionalized version of the running club). The running club women were supportive and, I felt, in general fascinating supporting people. Besides dealing with medical information, this book also examines how people treat those with cancer - from a massage parlor declining to work on cancer patients, to people over compensating with care, to her children and husband wondering if Keira’s going to die or be sicker than she lets on. I found this part, too, interesting because cancer is still such a frightening word to so many and this book did a great job in describing those actions and reactions. I did feel that the business story line was a bit too out there [why was everyone believing Lauren without contacting Keira personally?]. I also found some of the characters a bit too lacking in their support (Keira’s husband’s actions and some comments rather annoyed me - just talk to each other!). However, on the whole, a really enjoyable book with memorable characters and the power of friendship. A solid 4.25 stars.

The Bright Side Running Club is the most honest and informative story about women and breast cancer that I have ever read. Josie Lloyd wrote with candor and humor.

I loved this book! It did a great job of showing what middle life looks like for a mom and wife and business owner struggling with health issues as well. There were quite a few plot lines that could have maybe been consolidated in some way, but I think for the most part it was great. I will definitely be getting a physical copy so I can hug and reread it!

This book is amazing, it is very heartwarming and inspirational. It is easy to connect with the characters and the journey will tug on your heartstrings. All in all, this is a book that I would gladly recommended to people.

While the business aspect of the book left things to be desired (I had it all figured out immediately!) the rest of the book was wonderful. Great friendships, family, and the struggle of cancer and how it impacts every aspect of life. Really a good read.

Inspirational. If I had to sum this book up in one word it would be Inspirational! I wasn’t sure I wanted to read a book about someone who just discovered she has breast cancer and how it affected every aspect of her life from her relationship with her husband and children, to how her co-workers react to her diagnosis and then, about the incredible women she meets through her cancer treatment. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this book but it turns out, this book was EXACTLY what I needed to read. The women in this book are complex characters. They are never written as silly, they all have so much depth to them. Its very interesting how it examines the relationships between Keira and everyone in her life. I was cheering Kiera on all the way. This book was so inspiring. I will definitely recommend it again and again….
https://mams.ie/forums/topic/the-brightside-running-club/

Such an uplifting story. Women supporting women, and helping each other overcome some of life's biggest challenges.

I would llke to thank Josie Lloyd and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). Although the novel is a work of of fiction, it read more like an autobiography. The novel follows the journey taken by Keria, the main character through her diagnosis and subsequent treatment for breast cancer. Moreover the author, Josie Lloyd, Keria, and myself share the diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. Since, women are more than their breasts, and Keria refuses to be defined just by her breasts, so she decides to join a running club. The club is beyond her comfort zone, and Keria does not think of herself as a runner, so surprisingly she ends up making many friends and some of the ladies are either in the middle of their treatment regime or have completed their treament, and a bonus is that Keria learns to come to terms with cancer and how to be a person with cancer.
I often struggle starting g a new novel, and tend to have an issue with engaging for the first couple of chapters. This is not the case with this novel, I was engaged from the first paragraph and loved how Josie managed Keria's story. I tend to forget the characters quickly after finishing the novel. Keria is the type of woman that I would have choosen as a friend..And often when it comes cancer, it is difficult to focus on the future and the author notes, "not until you have that moment and you come face to face with mortality what really matters". This is perfect description of the roller coaster of what women go through. Josie does a great job interning Keria as a businesswomen, wife, and a woman with cancer. The running club encourages Keria to put her energy into something other than her disease.
I recommend this novel to any women, whether the reader has gone or going through cancer treatment and plus a woman have eludes strength and fortitude.

This was heart touching read, in regards to the main reason all the women are friends. It was like their own support group! Loved the fact it helped each one of them and was actually I feel quite realistic to this day. The read certainly puts you an emotional journey, but loved reading every page of the book.

Simple read that is enjoyable and heartwarming. If you like fiction books that aren't difficult to get through and you can pick up at any time, this one is great!

"The Bright Side Running Club": 5⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @josielloyd and the publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review.)

Okay. So. I don't know how to review this book. Are words enough for this? It was absolutely incredible, breast cancer awareness: it was the first time I've read about it in a book and IT IS SO IMPORTANT!

I was really impressed by the author's writing, so lyrical and easy to understand. The Bright Side Running Club is the best title for this book, absolute genious!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. When you truly feel like your life is going as planned, you have a perfect life, friends, family and husband. And then you find out you have cancer. When everyone puts on the kid gloves with you and all you need is someone to talk to - que the running club. Oh did you mention you have never run before? Heartfelt and engaging. Loved it. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book follows the main character, Kiera, on her journey into and through “cancer world.” Kiera is the owner of a very successful business and has a seemingly perfect life. That’s true until she gets the news that she has breast cancer. I really empathized with her real & raw emotions shown throughout. It truly shines a light on the fact that you are not immune to bad things happening to you. Kiera ends up finding support in other woman who have breast cancer which is how the bright side running club is born.

It’s very easy to get attached to each character in this book. You feel their pain, heartbreak, and love for each other in every chapter. Having an aunt who died of breast cancer myself, I was able to connect with this book on a deeper level. There were so many emotional moments with Kiera that made you want to jump into the story and join her support system. This book will undoubtedly tug at your heartstrings, so be prepared for that if you choose to pick it up. Ultimately, I hope you give this book a chance because it’s extremely well written and an overall beautiful story!

Loved this book so hard!! It will make you happy, sad, angry and make you feel all the things. It was so well written that it takes you into the story. You feel like you are experiencing a small piece of the characters lives.

This is a good look at how cancer can affect you & everyone around you. I liked the journey here and how Keira joins the running group and how they change her life. A good read.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!