I really enjoyed this story which completely lives up to its title. Dawn Brightside has been homeless for most of her adult life, but always manages to see the positive side of things, which seems to help things along her way. She finally ends up at St Judes Hostel for the Homeless where she discovers that perhaps friends are what she needs to help her find her hope again. Wonderfully written, with plenty of humour and humanity, you really want the best for all the characters at St Judes, and St Judes itself. A lovely heartwarming read, that hopefully will make you see the real people behind the homeless person.

I liked the premise of this book but I found it very slow to begin with. I normally try to persevere but in this instance I gave up. I may go back to it and try again at some point.

I loved this. It dealt with such serious issues in a really empathetic and real way. The main character Dawn was brilliant - I really enjoyed seeing her grow throughout the book. Highly recommended.

Wow. Brilliant, heartwarming and emotional read. Dawn deserves a more stable life than the one she has been living for years. She deserves to be happy and have friends. This is a wonderful and memorable story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I found this to be a wonderfully uplifting book despite it's subjects of mental health and homelessness.

Dawn the main character is a wonderful character to read about despite the hardship of her life, she is still upbeat and a determined person and this just made her appeal to me even more.

Jessica Ryn has written a beautiful story with some characters that stay in your head, long after you have finished.

Excellent book! Shows a lot about mental health and homelessness. Fundraising and different stories of how people can become homeless. Very eye-opening

What a totally wonderful read, I loved every charecter I really loved Dawn, a truly uplifting read, with a great story, just loved it

This is a wonderfully uplifting and hopeful book about homelessness and mental health. I'm not quite sure how she has managed to make a happy book about so many depressing subjects.

It centres around two women, one of which is Dawn Brightside of the title. The second is Grace, the young, idealistic manager of a hostel for homeless people called St Judes. Dawn is homeless and is constantly looking over her shoulder for a redhead man. She is skittish and obviously has mental health issues but she is also kindhearted and befriends a young man who is also sleeping out in the park. They both apply for a bed at St Jude's and she gets it, then has to live with the guilt.

The book is told in the third person but exclusively from the POV of either Grace or Dawn, only changing perspective at chapter change.  Both these characters are very well rounded and three dimensional as are many of the other residents of St Judes.  They all have flaws all over the place, and due to their circumstances they can see exactly where their flaws have lead them.

I love how this book demonstrates how vulnerable everybody is.  Without the safety net of loving parents or good friends all it takes is a breakup or the loss of a job and your home is gone. For those with underlying mental heath issues this problem is compounded and I think this book illustrates this beautifully.

There are some wonderful and unexpected twists and turns to this book, and when I thought I knew what was going to happen and thought I had figured it out, I was wrong, but in retrospect I should have known.

I absolutely adored the characters in this tender hearted novel. Although the underlying subject of homelessness is a grim one, the controversial issues of funding cuts for shelters and hostels etc are dealt with in a lighthearted way that is often very comical. With our first introduction to Dawn Brightside I just knew this would be a lovely, ultimately uplifting read and that her character wouldn’t fail to bring a smile to my face. This is the type of novel that takes you on a rollercoaster of a ride emotion wise. All manner of feelings accompany you as Dawn’s story is revealed, ranging from sadness, frustration to despair and finally hope yet it is also a celebration of the positive attributes of humankind . Kindness and compassion and a desire to change lives for the better make this the feel good novel it is.
Dawn has such a huge heart with so much love to offer and her caring, sunny nature is somewhat surprising given her tragic past but she’s definitely one of those larger than life characters who wears her heart on her sleeve, always putting others before herself. How can you not warm to such a person? I absolutely loved her very vivid imagination and her tendency to daydream, creating such wonderful fantasies in her head at the drop of a hat. They certainly made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion, although it doesn’t take much deducing to understand that this is probably a coping mechanism, a way to deal with her past and current circumstances.
The focus of this novel is the homeless refuge St.Judes and like so many services that face cuts in their funding year on year, it is battling an uphill struggle to survive. Grace and Peter are the unsung heroes of this place that offers a chance to a lucky few to get back on their feet and wave goodbye to homelessness for good. They are both relentless in their determination to turn lives around for the better so just like Dawn they are such likeable characters. In fact there’s not a single unlikeable character in this book. Grace’s organisational skills and fondness for inspirational and motivating quotes make her a very different character compared to colleague Peter who has experienced homelessness himself. She may come across as a typical do gooder but her funny idiosyncrasies make her who she is, her enthusiasm is infectious and I think she can learn a great deal from the residents too. Here in St Judes you meet characters from all walks of life whose lives shouldn’t be defined by homelessness alone. I know this is a lighthearted piece of fiction but even so, hearing these stories made me feel grateful for my own circumstances, knowing how many people are just a couple of steps away from finding themselves in such a position as Dawn and Cara and Shaun and Maisie.
With a real sense of family and community, all who live and work at St Judes embark on a mission to save the refuge from closure, with many ups and downs along the way. There’s much humour too and after finally experiencing a sense of belonging and home, Dawn’s truths are revealed (although by this point you can probably guess what these are). Scenes from her past are quite distressing and the topic is one frequently explored in fiction but amidst the pain and heartache there is still love. Poignant and hopeful towards the end I enjoyed every minute of this read. Yes it is predictable and perhaps rather conveniently wrapped up with a nice bow on top but it is Dawn’s character that makes the storyline so vibrant and alive and I couldn’t help singing ‘Always look on the bright side of life’ in my head as I turned the pages!! Well worth a read in my opinion.
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

Dawn is homeless,living on the streets.She is lucky enough to get a place at a shelter called St.Judes that houses a number of rough sleepers until they get their lives back on track.
The first few chapters are a bit confusing as Dawns story constantly changes.As the story unfolds it becomes clear that Dawn has suffered a tragedy that has left her with mental health problems.
The rest of the story is about Dawns road to stability and the lives and tales of the other workers and residents at St.Judes.
The ending is predictable and a bit twee.I feel that the author has written on a current subject that is very serious and I can see why she has tried to make it a nice story.It might be a subject to discuss at reading groups.

Incredibly moving, so very sad, but wrapped up with a wonderful heartwarming bow, I absolutely loved #GiveALittleHope and it’s definitely made it onto my Books Of The Year List 2020. If you loved The Lido, A Thousand Roads Home and The Wisdom Of Sally Red Shoes, you will love this. Dawn and Grace and the service users of St Judes Hostel will stay with me for a very long time...

I received an ARC of this book via netgalley and appreciate the chance to read it. I liked the narrative of the book which looks at the problems with homelessness in England. This is done very sympathetically, almost too much so at times, there is a feeling of the problems being polished out a little as everyone is so good and kind to everybody else. It did engage me quite well and was a very quick and easy read alongside the occasional hidden depth. Although some things did take me by surprise for the most part I found it predictable and problem resolution just a little too easily achieved. I would certainly read more by this author and can think of friends who would really enjoy the storyline and characters

A great read! Really wanted to Dawn and her housemates and the author tackles a range of sensitive and difficult topics with sensitivity. You really will them all on and the end brought me tears and smiles. One to read!

A slow start but it will grow on you. An uplifting read with some tears along the way. Lots of descriptive writing, bringing the characters to life. A really enjoyable read.

In addition to highlighting the plight of the homeless this is ultimately a feel-good book. There are many reasons that people can end up on the street, but once there it is difficult to leave. Hostel places for such people are few and far between, especially as funding is stretched. This is a story about a hostel in Dover, its staff and residents. Dawn is homeless because of mental health issues in her past, which is all explained in flashback.
Entertaining and informative.

I found this book slow in the beginning but persevered. The characters came alive and difficult topics were covered but I can’t say that I enjoyed it. Sorry, it obviously appeals for some but not me

I found this book a little slow at the beginning but once I got into it I found it an enjoyable read. It deals with some difficult issues, it was sad but also fun. Would recommend. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Sorry not for me. Found it very confusing and hard to follow the way the main character constantly changes her narrative. Gave up half way through.

What a book. How is it possible to write about homelessness, addiction and mental health in a way that’s realistic but also entertaining and hopeful? Jessica Ryn seems to have the answer in her amazing debut, The Extraordinary Hope Of Dawn Brightside.
A big part is obviously writing talent but it also shows that, as a qualified midwife and having worked in the homeless sector, supporting people with mental health and substance misuse issues, she really knows her stuff.
From early on, it’s clear that all is not well in Dawn’s world and even though, as a reader, I’d only just met her, I already desperately wanted her to find the help she needed - and, knowing how the world works, I was worried that might not happen.
Jessica shows just how easy it is for a person (in fact, lots of people) to become almost invisible in our world, slipping between the many cracks in the system.
Thankfully Dawn manages to find a place at St Jude’s but soon that too is threatened.
It’s not just Dawn we meet but a whole host of believable, eclectic characters, all with their own stories which weave into hers.
The flow of this tale is perfect, with some amazing twists, handled masterfully, so that I didn’t see them coming. Many of them stuck with me long after I finished reading.
I’ll admit, there were several bouts of tears (some sad, some happy).
This is a big story with many important themes but in Jessica Ryn it found a safe pair of hands.

I loved this book, it was the perfect read for the current time. Such a heart-warming wonderful story, it's hard not to love Dawn Brightside she radiates positivity even after all the hardship she has endured and so selfless, she is someone you would love to meet in real life.

I would be lying if I said this book didn't bring a tear to my eye on a couple of occasions, you will need your tissues! Great uplifting feel-good story that still manages to deliver an important message, dealing with current issues, it really hit me at certain stages of the book that this could be so many peoples story and that was emotional.

I won't forget this book anytime soon, it left me with a smile on my face. Excellent writing that makes for such easy reading. This is such a fab debut book and I would absolutely love to read another installment from St Judes! Brilliant read, i can't recommend this enough.