I did quite enjoy this. I expected a fun and quick novel, and that's exactly what i received. Would definitely recommend if you're in the mood for a fun, summery pick-me-up!

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside was a lot of things. It was about exactly what you'd expect - hopefulness. But it was so much deeper than that. It's about unwavering hope in the face of extreme adverse circumstance. It's about stereotypes and assumptions of the population and fighting to live on despite them.
I didn't like Dawn at the beginning, and perhaps that was the point, but despite myself Ryn had me grinning and choking back tears in all the right places. It was very well written. I particularly liked the psychological aspect, the exploration of the effects of trauma on a person's mind, but also how it can effect their behaviour and their life even so many years later: something that is all to easy to ignore. i liked how it was normalised, almost, it was dropped in here and there, but it wasn't leaned on and Dawn wasn't ostricized, it was beautifully balanced. Originally I was hoping for a dark turn at the end, but Ryn wrote the characters and the ending so well that I was left satisfied despite this not normally being my thing.

A real provoking and uplifting story. I didnt know really what to expect with this one, but I am so glad I have read it now.
An easy to read book that will also have you thinking about things too for quite some time after you have read the book.

I ended up DNFing this as it was such a slog to get through. Initially I was enjoying it and I enjoyed getting the POV of Grace as well as Dawn. I was looking forward to a bit of a different story as well, but by about chapter eight I just didn’t really want to pick it up and I wasn’t really fussed on Dawn.

Thank you for my gifted copy, and I’m sorry that I ended up DNFing it.

Was absolutely set to enjoy this book as it had such a captivating, bright beginning, but then when Dawn showed herself to be an inveterate gambler, this killed any enjoyment for me and the rest of the story was a slog I had to drag myself through. Not a story I enjoyed in the end

Another blog tour with the lovely team at @hq and @harpercollinsuk. This is a charming story about Dawn, a troubled, gentle soul in need of support and direction, whilst having a huge amount of love and kindness to give to others. This books opens your eyes to the plight of those who are homeless and those who are trying to help. It’s a common misconception that homeless people end up on the streets through a fault of their own, but it’s said that everyone is only a couple of payslips away from being homeless, we need to be more open minded. Dawn is full of light and hope and the community around her will make you smile and give you that fuzzy feeling.

This book brings out all the feelings. It tugs at your heart strings by tackling tough topics such as homelessness, addiction, sexual assault, mental illness and loss of a loved one (to name a few) but simultaneously mends it by discussing kindness, hope, compassion, friendship and love.
Essentially, it’s a lovely, heart-warming story.

A story about homelessness and mental health that grabs you right in the feels and doesn’t let go!

Dawn Brightside, the main and titular character, is homeless and has issues with mental illness, but her outlook remains relentlessly optimistic regardless of her circumstances. Luckily, her circumstances begin to improve as she finds a place, not only at St Jude’s Hostel for the Homeless, but also in the patchwork family of ‘misfits’ who live there. As she constantly tries to save everyone around her from themselves, we see her grow in strength and confidence, as they help her in return.

This story tackles sensitive issues of substance addiction, rape, mental illness and homelessness with gritty realism, but also with a warmth and constant hope that is incredibly moving – I cried real tears more than once.

The old ‘fundraising to save our home/business’, bringing disparate characters together in a common cause, is a bit of a tired trope, but it works perfectly here and the characters are fantastic (and this book made me feel EVERYTHING!), so I can easily forgive a bit of cliché and coincidence in a very good cause!

Dawn’s story is tragic, but also funny and heartwarming – a real ray of light in a dark, hard world.

Jessica Ryan has written a poignant and very compelling book illustrating the life of Dawn Brightside. It is indeed a story of hope as the title suggests. It’s at times sad, at times uplifting and always kept me interested. I thoroughly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ an imprint of HarperCollins for a copy of the book.

Both poignantly sad yet, at times, joyous and funny, this book touches on subjects of homelessness and mental health.
Dawn Brightside is homeless and running from her past but her positivity eventually shines through in this lovely novel.
A bit slow at first, this book does grab you and urges you to read on to an uplifting story overall.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot (plenty of other reviews like that out there already!)

I loved this book. It deals with some really sad issues - including homelessness, abandonment, rape, mental health issues, drug addiction, loss of family and more - but there is a thread of optimism running through it. The writing is very accomplished for a debut novel - a mixture of sadness, optimism and humour - a reminder that the human spirit can prevail no matter what life throws at it.

There are some fabulous characters - not least Dawn herself - I particularly liked Jack, Grace and Cara too. The book made me think about how bad life is for some people, and gives an insight into how people end up being homeless. Too many people look down on the homeless - but as one character says, many of us could be just two pay cheques away from that situation ourselves. Much food for thought.

Without giving away the plot, the ending is exactly what I hoped for - and more besides.

I will happily read more by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

The main character in this book is Dawn, she has been through some tremendous things and that has impacted her mental health. However it hasn't impacted her belief or want to help people and to keep people above water.

This book shines a light on the homelessness problem in England and the lack of support options out there. It also highlights the impact that services can make when suitable me tal health services are.not provided. As well as showing that both services are not keeping up with demand based on funds.

This is a heart warming story that shows that you can be positive and make a difference
Regardless of what you have already been through in your life.

This is a moving and uplifting story. The pace was slow at the beginning but it did speed up.
This book is a humourous engaging read

What a beautifully written book this was, I loved Dawn and grace in their own individual ways, totally different characters but adored them both, it broaches some very serious and sensitive subjects and handled brilliantly also, a turkey great book that I’ll be recommending to all my friends and family, beautiful ❤️

Absolutely delightful and perfect for anyone who enjoyed The Lido, Full of tears and drama and hope, the story of a homeless woman, finding her place in the world and a homeless shelter peopled with great characters.

Has to be one of the best books I have read in a long time. It grabbed me from page one, and kept my interest all the way through. Very well written, and dealing with some very important subjects with sensitivity and realism, without coming across as preaching. Homelessness and Mental health, both which are sadly become increasing issues in our world. It also done through the narrative and the characters. It very much about the Character and Story.

I love the two main character, they are both believable and extremely likeable. Dawn and Grace are very real, They are in someway different and in other ways the share similar trails. They are far from perfect but they are decent people at heart. You become invested in them, and enjoy the time you spend with them.

The story is a surprising and beautiful journey, with surprises along the way, which I didn't see coming. I love surprises. It both heart warming and completely filled with hope, but also brings tears to the eyes. Beautiful to the core. I cannot recommend this book enough, it should be regarded as up there with name like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Its full of hope and the book to read during the Pandemic!

Book Review: The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside written by Jessica Ryan and published by HarperCollinsPublishersLtd2020 follows the trials and tribulations of the protagonist, no actually hero, Dawn Brightside. Miss Brightside, is a 40 something, former nurse, who navigates the ruthless and uncaring world of life from the point of view of someone who is homeless. The book is simply extraordinary! I’m not sure that I have cried, laughed and railed in equal measure at the events in a book as much as I did when I was reading this. After spending yet another night in a park, Dawn is given the life-line of a place in St Jude’s homeless shelter in a picturesque location in Devon, where she is anchored by the brave and kind hearted staff. What they don’t realise is that as Dawn searches for a place that she can finally call home, the staff need Dawn as much as she needs them.

What we thought of the Book
I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t sure what I thought of Dawn Brightside at first. She’s presented clearly as a character in need, who is quirky. I couldn’t decide if she was going to irritate me or whether I was going to be interested in her enough to read on. How wrong I was. The book is written with a focus on her point of view. This means that a true picture of the events which shaped her present are cleverly concealed from the reader until the end. It completely replicates the way that she hides the truth from herself throughout her life. At first I wondered if that was because she was so fantastical in her outlook that her head was stuck in the clouds rather than reality and that’s how she got into the situation she was in. However, the devastating thing is, that she does this to protect herself. Being stuck in one of the alternate realities she weaves in her stories, is ultimately far better and less painful than the truth. As the story unfolds though, she realises that she can’t hide forever.

The narrative flicks between Dawn’s then and now. This structure is very effective in revealing tit bits of Dawn’s former life so that you begin to piece together why she’s in the situation that she is. It with-holds some key parts though which makes you jump to all kinds of conclusions about our main character, some not always seeing her in the most positive light. However, in the ‘Now’ chapters, you see the reality that Dawn is faced with and you begin to root for her in every way. When you add in to the mix Grace and Pete, the two main workers at the refuge, you won’t want to put the book down. Grace and Pete both have their own stories to tell and when St Jude’s is faced with forced closure, it seems they are set to battle with their biggest challenges and demons yet. This book is tragic and full of hope at the same time. It will make you laugh and it will definitely make you cry! Jessica Ryan captures homelessness, its challenges and the prejudice it’s faced with in such a moving way. I’m not sure if it was her intention, but she absolutely champions the cause of people who are homeless. It certainly made me want to go out and do more to help as this fictional hero definitely shines her light brightly on those around her.

How much is the book and how can you buy it?

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside can be purchased from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Extraordinary-Hope-Dawn-Brightside/dp/0008364613/ref=nodl_

The Kindle edition is £5.99 and the paperback edition is £6.55.

About the author

Jessica Ryn is a former midwife and homeless resettlement worker. She has recently completed her MA in Creative Writing at CCCU, and her stories have been shortlisted for the Kimberly Chambers' Kickstarter Award, Wordsmag and the Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing. When she's not scribbling away, Jessica can be found meandering through the woods, reading stories that pull on the feel-strings and eating yoghurt-covered skittles. Jessica lives in Dover with her husband, two children and their high-spirited springer spaniel. The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside is her debut novel.

Beautifully written such a heart felt ending! Brought a tear to my eye. Throughly enjoyed reading dawns journey. Such a lovely ending too!

This is one of those books that will make you experience all the emotions and that you will find yourself thinking about long after you've finished the book.

Dawn was once a student midwife. Then her life fell apart and since then she has been running from her past.
Now Dawn is homeless and is referred to St Jude's. A homeless hostel.

She has lived in in many towns and many place and now finds herself homeless and referred to St Jude’s hostel and this is where she finds a place for herself.

A heart-warming and uplifting read. I loved this book. I loved it that much I have bought my Mum a copy for her birthday. A light hearted read about a sensitive issue.