When I read that this book follows Kiera’s journey as she is diagnosed with breast cancer, I was worried about how such a heavy topic would be brought to life. However, even with personal experience with a family member who also received the same diagnosis, I thought this book was a powerful testament to the power of friendship, resilience, and not allowing a challenging circumstance to redefine your life completely. There was so much hope and kindness throughout the novel that it wasn’t all about the negative effects of a diagnosis like that. I was happy that this book had a more light-hearted feel, but still check the trigger warnings. There is a lot of information about breast cancer & the process of treatment that it could be triggering to some audience. Overall, I really enjoyed listening to this book - I thought the narrator did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and giving them a unique charm that added to the overall excellence of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the digital ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Between the story and the narrator, it grabbed my attention and kept it. While heartwrenching, it was fun getting to know Keira and the rest of the Bright Side Running Club. The characters are well developed and the growing relationships were fun to explore. It was even more touching that Keira’s experience going through the diagnosis of and treatment for cancer was the author’s personal journey through the process. This book provides it all … family dynamics, relationships, trust, health issues, encouragement, etc. The one negative aspect is the too frequent use of the “F” word. But the story is so moving that it helped me overlook that one issue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was just the book I needed right about now. Full of strong female characters, female friendship, family drama, funny quips, heartfelt emotional topics, and hope. I have been so weary of the depressing and dark books recently. And the title of this struck me, especially because it is about a group of women who start a running club because they are battling cancer. That seems like it could/should be a dark and depressing book. But the author does a splendid job of keeping the topic Titus and real and raw without it being dark depressing, of course due to the beautifully written character of Tamsen as she helps walk main character Keira through her recent diagnosis. It doesn’t seem possible that a book about such a serious topic could bring a smile to the reader’s face, but that is the simple beauty of the book. Tears alongside smiles. And I believe that was the whole point of the “Bright side running club” that no matter the darkness there is always a bright side of hope. Oh that we all could have this type of outlook no matter what we face. I highly recommend this one! Listened to it in 2 days! Great narration!

I really enjoyed this story. I think that the audiobook was so well done and I could really feel the emotion of what was happening. I think it told such a realistic and well rounded story of what can happen during Cancer treatment and how important family and friends could be to that journey. I loved the storyline with Wishwells and how Keira was able to overcome all of the drama happening there. All of the relationships in the story were so well rounded and I think they added so much to the storyline!

Keira is in her 40s, runs a successful gift shop and she's a mother of three school-aged children. She's floored when a routine mammogram leads to a lobular breast cancer diagnosis. Suddenly Keira is facing surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy.

This story follows Keira's journey through treatment and the struggles she faces in telling her children, stepping back at work, her relationship with her husband and her own body. But the story also focuses on Kiera's friendships she makes as she's invited to come for a run around the park. These weekly runs throughout her treatment are a shining beacon holding her up and leading her through this difficult time.

I absolutely adored this story, the positivity, the hope and inspiration of the characters. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other!

I loved this book! The perfect blend of hopeful and sad, complete with a small mystery along with family drama and friendship struggles, this was the perfect book to curl up with on a snowy day!

The Bright Side Running Club is wonderful on audio. The narration helped me feel immersed in Keira’s journey with breast cancer. It felt real, as even when you’re going through a major life event, everything else carries on as well.

I enjoyed the different types of relationships Keira was navigating, from coworkers to family to friendships. Even though this book centred around cancer, it felt full of hope and growth.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook arc.

First and foremost, be sure to check the content warnings on this.
If you are triggered by stories about cancer, this may be one you need to pass on.

I was so frustrated by the MC's super judgmental internal dialogue, that I really struggled to get into this one. However, I'm glad I stuck it out because there was definitely an arc to her character and while she certainly was still flawed, I appreciated that there was growth and self reflection on her attitudes and behaviors.

Once I was into the story and met all the side characters I quickly became quite invested in their relationships. In fact, I would have loved to delve even more into their stories, since I found every plot point in Keira's storyline easily predictable.

Danielle Cohen's narration was delightful, and I look forward to hearing more from her.

***Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.

Did not finish. I could not get into this audiobook and was not a fan of the narration. I’ll be checking out the physical edition of this one in the future.

I neither liked nor disliked this audiobook. The narrators spoke very slowly and I needed to up the pace to 1.25 to feel like it was following a normal pace.

In many ways this book was what I expected it to be, but it also held its fair share of surprises. I rather liked the hijinks happening at Wishwells, proving that a devastating diagnosis doesn't stop the world from turning or keep terrible people from being terrible. I liked the real challenges in Keira and Tom's marriage - proof that even a strong marriage isn't bulletproof. But most of all, I loved the supportive female friendships. I loved Kiera learning to take up space for herself. I loved the "this is shit and I hate it, but I can absolutely do this" message throughout.

This book was such a roller coaster of emotions for me! I was originally overwhelmed with the amount of characters throughout the story but soon was so invested in each characters stories. Josie Lloyd has a way of writing a story with so many likeable characters that the reader becomes attached to.

Overall, the story brought me on such a rollercoaster. At some points I was so sad for the characters, and then at others I was so proud of them. I almost felt part of the Bright Side Running Club! What an admirable group of women. I felt so encourage by this group of fictional characters.

I expected a sad ending all along but was pleased that while it was in fact sad, I was left with a good feeling.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a great story! This book gave me every emotion possible. I laughed, I cried, I got mad and I smiled. I smiled a lot.

In this book we meet Kiera, a suburban wife, mom and business owner who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Facing the unknown, Kiera meets Tamsen, Amma and Shawn, who are all in various stages of cancer treatments. Together they find solace in running.

I really loved the story, the characters and the brutal honesty about how awful cancer treatments can be. My mom was recently diagnosed with stage 4 laryngeal cancer and just finished her treatment, so this story resonated with me on a deeply personal level. Kiera felt so real to me and I adored her. Her relationship with her husband and kids was so authentic. Great book!

The narrator of this story was great. She embodied each one of the characters and her voices were great. I heard a few different accents and her voice for Pierre was spot on. A strong 4.25 stars! Highly recommended!

Wonderful book triumphing those who battle cancer and do everything they can to continue living life and going through personal growth. Loved the characters, narrator, and plot. Though it sounds like a dire topic, it is handled just brilliantly and with so much grace and compassion and hope. Highly recommend!

I appreciate NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an early edition of audiobook for review purposes.
I was attracted this book because of the title and the cute book cover (good job marketing department!) I am a runner and I love reading about running.

The story is about Kiera, a working-mum, juggling her own business, growing family, and opinionated mother. One day, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and now she has to juggle that too - It is her adventure story into the cancerland. What's refreshing is that she doesn't lose a sense of humor through it all. It's realistic as well, because everything won't all the sudden get better or worse. You still get irritated by other people's thoughtless acts and comments, be happy with little good things, and life goes on. It gave me some insight about a life with a cancer in a straight forward way, which was refreshing. Through all the trials, Kiera keeps going and find running. Personally, I had hoped to have running to take the center stage. Unfortunately, if you want to read about joy of running, this book isn't it. However, if one wants to read a ultimately positive book despite illness, this book may cheer you up.

The Bright Side Running Club

Keira is killing it in life when she receives a breast cancer diagnosis and her entire life gets turned upside down. However, when she starts a running club with 3 other women who are battling cancer, she finds hope and love in the most unexpected place.

This book was so unexpectedly beautiful and I can’t say enough great things about it. After reading the author’s note and understanding that so much of this book came from the author’s own journey with cancer, it is even that more special. This book is filled with emotion and inspiration. Not only does it walk you through Keira’s cancer journey in great detail, but there’s work and family drama, a little mystery, and so much love and friendship intertwined. I adored this audiobook and couldn’t stop listening This is a book that will definitely stick with me for a while.

The story of Keira's journey through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment with the help of a running club of fellow patients is moving but borders on campy at times. There are actually quite a few storylines woven in with Keira's work, relationships with her kids and husband, and her budding friendship with the ladies in the Bright Side Running Club, which keep the book from feeling like its focused on her medial situation alone. I don't think you'll be too surprised by any revelations throughout but its well-written and realistic, so its not a bad thing. Be prepared for some emotions when you pick this one up.

The narrator, Danielle Cohen, does a lovely job and her voice fits the story well - it was easy to believe hers was the voice of Keira and it didn't distract from the story at all.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an audiobook ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Bright Side Running Club is an uplifting story of Keira, who finds out she has breast cancer after a routine check up. Initially I was nervous to listen to an audiobook about a protagonist going through cancer treatment. I thought it could be bleak but it was not. It is full of hope. This book is generally lighthearted but honest. Keira's treatment includes mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiation. So be warned if the details of the treatment would upset you for any reason, The author, who has battled with cancer herself treats the subject with care. She touches on how losing her breast and her scars affected Keira both physically and emotionally, how losing her hair affected her self esteem and how her home life had changed.

The book in its core is about finding your own tribe. Keira cannot put her life on hold because of her diagnosis. She still has 3 kids to raise, an old dog and a house to take care of (for some reason these are her responsibilities because her husband is a busy and stressed out lawyer) and a business to keep afloat. She has two close friends from uni a phone call away, a somehow supportive and sympathetic husband but Keira finds a true support mechanism in the ladies of the running club which she joined on a whim, These ladies know exactly what the others are going through and encourage each other to keep going. Keira, Tamsin, Emma and Sian develop strong and touching relationships with each other. it's the bonds of female friendship that really make this book.

The author has a humorous tone when it comes to unsolicited and unwelcome cancer stories Keira receives after she reveals her diagnosis to people. That is something I've heard another cancer patient complaining in real life. Once you tell people about your cancer they tell you someone they know who had cancer! But finally when someone shares his sister's inspirational account with Keira, she decides to run a 10K race for fundraising, She convinces the running club ladies, they get support from their friends and families, local businesses and even a celebrity, they catch the attention of news outlets and their fundraiser ends up being quite motivational and successful one.

The one thing I'd change in the book though is there is a second subplot with Kiera's business and a gaslighting coworker. I wish instead of the tension at the shop the author focused more on the running club ladies. They were all interesting and lovely characters.

The narrator Danielle Cohen was very good with delivering Kiera's emotional changes. This book is quite heartwarming and moving, the dialogue is good, the characters are, mostly, lovable. The author's writing style and sense of humor reminded me of Jenny Colgan's. If you like her style of English novels, you might like this one too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

Whelp. I didn't want to cry but here I am. Blubbering away over loveable fictional characters. Again. This is a truly beautiful novel about the power of love, perseverance, and friendship.

The Bright Side Running Club is a group of women who run together as they each go through their own cancer journey.

Keira has a lot going on in her life. She's married with children and works full time running her own business. While dealing with the drama of all that is happening in her children's daily routines, working to fulfill her wifely duties while simultaneously trying to ignore her niggling suspicion of her husband's infidelity, and then having to deal with changes and complications from her co-workers, she gets diagnosed with breast cancer. Facing daily life while taking on the unknown battle of what cancer will bring, she finds herself adrift until a fellow breast cancer patient invites her to run. There's nothing terribly challenging about their runs. Each one is just an easy go-at-your-own-pace jog around the neighborhood that leads to a way to connect, to unload, to strengthen and to take control. Needless to say, friendships are formed, life is dissected, and hope is born. This was a lovely story of family, friendships and perspective.