From the bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler comes a fresh, funny, and thoughtful story about going off the grid in order to truly live.
As one of the most popular influencers on social media, Mia Bell has lived her life online for years. With her celebrity dog and gorgeous fiancé, she is planning the ultimate virtual wedding—expensive, elaborate, and entirely paid for by … entirely paid for by sponsors. But off-camera, her world is far from picture perfect. After being jilted by her fiancé and faking her nuptials to please her sponsors, Mia finally has had enough. She heaves her phone off a cliff, ready to live—and maybe find love—offline for a change.
Mia’s sudden absence doesn’t go unnoticed, especially by techie loner Paige Miller, who hacks Mia’s account and begins impersonating the internet celebrity. Paige has her reasons. Her half sister, Jessica, idolizes Mia and desperately needs something to believe in. If taking over Mia’s online persona is Paige’s only means of connecting to her sister, so be it.
Creating a like-worthy life is more fun than Paige expected. But when she grows too bold and is caught in the act, a fiasco ensues that could forever change Mia, Paige, and the people who love them. Because somewhere amid the chaos is an invaluable lesson—one that only real life can teach.
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Kelly Harms is a sneaky good writer. Her stories are full of winks and wit and whimsy, but don’t think for a moment they are light or, worse, lite. Because the moment you let down your guard (“Wheee—what fun!”) she clobbers you with a wrecking ball of reality, the stuff that hurts deep down.
Her latest, The Bright Side of Going Dark, appears to be about the dilemma that social media poses for most of us: we shouldn’t like it as much as we do, and we don’t, not really, except all the time, apparently. The intertwined storylines of Mia, Paige, and Jessica address this dilemma in a fresh, nuanced way, and it did get me thinking. But this novel is about so much more than moral quandary of screen time. It’s about grief and loss and anxiety. It’s about mothers and daughters—more anxiety—and about second and third chances.
Running through those themes, cinching them together with a red hot needle is one idea: the awkwardness of emotional pain. How much should it hurt? How much will I let it? How long until it’s wallowing? Who needs to know about it? Who needs to be shielded? Everyone—even me?
Awkward, right? And quintessentially human. Like laughter, and this touching, engaging story.
A refreshingly witty escape.
I enjoyed this heartfelt story between Mia and Paige as the two main characters; one of them a technology addict and the other, an anxious person prone to depression and panic attacks. I initially found it hard to get into the characters as I discovered there was a lot of ‘telling’ in the story rather than showing, and engagement with other characters. The first quarter of the book was heavy on the social media posts written by Mia without much engagement with other characters, but as it went on, Mia started ditching technology and her influencer status and connected with real people rather than those online. The story became more interesting and emotional as Mia got to know her mother better and became attracted to Dewey, her love interest. Paige had to deal with a depressed and suicidal sister, and the story tied up all loose ends. A great story, and well worth the read.
Read this book. Please. It’s important and entertaining and soulful and charming and…I’m so glad I did. I’ve found a new author to relish, and I hope you will give yourself the joy and the thought-provoking-ness (okay, yes, I made up that word!;)) of it, too. Enjoy the heck out of it—then spread the word!
What I wouldn’t give to toss my phone off a cliff.
At times I think social media is the downfall of society as a whole, and have often thought of ignoring every single one of them. Who hasn’t?
This was an insightful story of two completely different women caught in the web of social media–one from the influencer side, the other from the flip-side, the “behind the scenes” most of us never see or imagine, or even think about. The title caught my attention and the story kept me going. I enjoyed seeing Mia go from an overwhelmed influencer to finding herself again in the slower version of society we sometimes forget exists.
I did not find Paige the least bit “likeable” but rarely are all the people we associate with all rainbows and puppy dogs. It just doesn’t happen, so even though I found Paige unlikeable, I enjoyed seeing her journey from heartless to the best she had to offer, and both women find some sense of satisfaction by letting go of their “addictions”.
Though Jessica (Paige’s sister) is the third character, she carries a huge weight that yanks Paige from her secluded life in the workings inside technology. Both women find each other again, and Jessica finds the healing she desperately needs.
This book is perfect timing for the age we’re going through…at times in the last few months social media has been our main means of connection, and thank God for the Internet and technology. But it can be the opposite.
This is a spot-on story of how social media influences our lives, the fast-paced world that often overwhelms us, and the false sense that we’re the only ones whose lives aren’t picture-perfect. It also brings up suicide (Jessica) and how social media can be both a trigger (how can I compete when everyone else’s life is perfect?) and a life-saving device (the people behind the platforms monitoring key words). I also enjoyed the romance between Mia and Duey and the connection Mia feels with Duey’s daughter. Though suicide is a subject we tend to want to ignore, or tread lightly around at times, the author handled the subject with care, and the ending with a gentle mix of reality and hope.
This is my second book by Ms. Harms, and I’ll be reading more.
Thought-provoking and entertaining, with characters I felt invested in from the start.
Just the right balance of humor, flawed characters, and life lessons learned make this story a keeper. Harms’ portrait of a social network “influencer” is spot on, and the story set-up feels original.
I enjoyed this book and will definitely read other books by Kelly Harms. The characters were realistic but unique and I could identify with all the main characters. I thought the plot was excellent and didn’t expect the end.
The Bright Side of Going Dark
by Kelly Harms
This book was fun and I enjoyed this read a lot! The life of a social media influencer looks like it’s all picture perfect until you take it over and oops ummm it isn’t that great after all. Kelly Harms wrote a very good women’s fiction I enjoyed reading about that had a powerful message, speaks to us in the social media world, what is real and fake, and the connection that we lose in the real life.
The story is about social media influencer, Mia Bell who has a handsome fiancee and just as popular cute dog. one day she gets sick of it all and shuts down her social media and cancels her wedding. Enter techie extraordinaire Paige Miller our imposter who is taking over to connect with her sister who idolizes Mia Bell.
This is a well written book that you will fall in love with. The characters were amazing and relatable. Harms did an amazing job addressing deep issues about family, acceptance, and the role of social media in our lives. The book was fun to read, had funny moments and still very poignant and touching.
I recommend this book for a great read I enjoyed.
Couldn’t even finish it.
Loved her prior books. This one didn’t speak to me. Didn’t care for either of the characters. Pretty much knew where it was going.
I loved this book so much, I want to flip back to the first page and read it again. Anyone who has ever felt frustrated by their social media or technology usage, or who is curious about the life of an influencer, will be able to relate to this book. I love how the author dives deep into one side of the coin, and just when you’re convinced of one point of view, she flips the script and suddenly you understand the other side. In this case, it’s filtered life vs real life, and there’s no real evils, just different points of view.
The characters are all so relatable, though Paige gave me a few moments of “Don’t do it!” And I love how every character went through their own major evolution.
For pity’s sake, just pick up this book. You’ll love it.
It is perhaps unfair of me to rate a book when I couldn’t make it to 20%. But neither the characters nor the story were doing anything for me. There is too much to read out there to continue with a book that couldn’t engage my interest.
I was drawn to read this because I actually know a social media influencer. She’s actually pretty real and nothing like Mia was in this book. This was a very good read about social media influence and also dives into calls for help and suicide. I really enjoyed the relationship between Mia and her mother and the sisters Jessica and Paige. Very thought provoking yet fun read. Oh! It also has a rescue dog story that made it even better for me. The story of Mia and her love for Mike was one I could really relate to.
Mia has an on line business as an influencer. She is constantly posting and recommending people, places and things. She has a wedding coming up and she must give all the sponsors their due. Well, when her wedding falls apart she heads back home…then she throws her phone off a mountain. She has sudden relief and then the panic ensues.
Kelly Harms has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She always has a character I can relate to. This one is Paige! Paige is an smart introvert, well until she does something stupid. This is why Kelly Harms has wonderful books…her characters are so real and do real things…like hack someone’s account. Oops..did Paige really do something that stupid?? Yep, yep she did.
This is a heart warming read about, well, life. Family and friends and the daily struggle to survive have a huge impact on this story. Plus, unplugging from your phone. What a challenge! Oh…and I cried during one section of this book. That is what rolled it over to a 5 star read for me. I very seldom cry during a book…this one did it! Do not miss this one! It is wonderful!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Loved, loved, loved it! This is a funny and lighthearted read with quirky characters I just adored. This book delicately deals with the issues of attempted suicide and internet addiction and provides the reader with hope and inspiration that tough times do pass. This book is a winner!
THE BRIGHT SIDE OF GOING DARK by Kelly Harms is a novel that brings challenges of life and individual and social perceptions into focus with clever and witty writing. This novel brings into focus life and how technology has changed not only the way many people tackle everyday life, but also how a lot of social media presents a curated view of life: all the good with none of the bad. Harms does this using two characters that at first glance are total opposites, but at a deeper dive, you realize how alike they really are. Told with alternating narrators, this novel will definitely make you think.
Mia found her niche as an online influencer. On a new platform, her account became so popular she was able to make a living promoting items while interacting with her public. Her fans are invested in her and her life, checking in multiple times a day to see what interesting and/or beautiful thing she is doing. When her fiancé breaks things off the day before the wedding, Mia is thrown into a tailspin: She has an obligation to her sponsors and followers. Her followers come to her for happy and inspirational posts, not the unhappy stuff. As she tries to regroup, she turns to her Mother who encourages her to take some time off and reassess. After telling her followers she is going dark for a couple days, she goes to the extreme and throws her phone off a mountain.
Paige appears to be the complete opposite of Mia. She works for the social media company that Mia has her profile on, working with flagged and unflagged content, removing harmful or obscene items, and escalating anything that might need intervention. Spending hours looking at some truly horrible stuff, the company has strict rules about limits and Paige logs out as required, just as she starts looking at a flagged post on Mia’s profile. Luckily, it rolls over to someone else who acts quickly and saves the person’s life…who just happens to be Paige’s half-sister. Guilt-ridden and forced to take time off, Paige heads to the area where both her sister lives and Mia has been posting from. Paige is angry and ready to expose Mia as not so perfect, but as she starts to really get into things, she realizes that Mia may not be what she believes, and as she reconnects with her sister, she enlists her help in keeping Mia’s online presence active.
Paige and Mia’s lives are on a collision course as they navigate through their new realities, dealing with all the emotions they have buried that have gotten them to this point. Both these characters have relied on technology instead of actually living life, so it’s interesting to watch how their lives change as they integrate and interact with people. Mia, used to the public eye, must get used to doing things without using her phone. Paige must put herself out there and interact with people, making friends and repairing her relationship with her sister. Harms does an excellent job at showing how reliant the characters are on technology and how it is replacing experiencing life.
I really enjoyed this novel and it really made me step back and think about how reliant I am on technology, especially now, as we are physically distancing from people and have to rely on technology for school, interacting, ordering…
This one will not only keep you turning pages but thinking long after you turn the last page.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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The Bright Side of Going Dark is a wonderfully told tale of the positives and negatives of social media and off good old human interaction.
Kelly Harms has a great way of getting a reader to follow along, form their opinions, and bam, the story turns. It turns in an intriguing way, taking the reader along and sneakily sucking them into the character’s new reality when it turns again.
I can’t even tell you how much I enjoyed this book and how many times I found myself stopping to think and evaluate where my social media use would fall in a chart of pluses and minuses.
If you have ever thought about or followed ‘influencers’, reality TV stars, or your friend who is a power user of social media, you will likely enjoy this story. I’d highly recommend it.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for approving my request for an ARC. All thoughts are my own.
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.