A thought provoking read about how we are all closer to homelessness than we realise. I thought Dawn was a wonderful character and would happily read another instalment from St Jude’s. Thanks NetGalley!

I was worried that this book might verge on twee - I’m a bit (lot) of a cynic and twee isn’t my thing. I was pleased. At times predictable but entirely heartwarming, this was an easy, relaxed read which left me with a massive smile on my face.

Bound to be top of the charts when it’s released - this is the book we need right now.

When I first started this book, I really wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it but it is absolutely brilliant! The characters are so real and likeable, and the further you get into the story and the more you know them, the better it all becomes!

I loved this book!! I’d heard about it over on instagram and fell in love with it instantly!! What a truly uplifting story

This is a tale about human life, and what happens when life doesn't quite go to plan. It is a tale about Human resilience, faith, and hope. A real to life, story about forgotten, hidden, vulnerable, and easy to ignore members of our society. The author writes with great insight of issues that lead to despair and isolation. The writing style gives the reader empathy with the characters as their story unfolds, and encourages us to remember that no-one is born homeless and that a series of life events leads us all to the point that we are at now.

Gorgeous cover ✅
Gorgeous read ✅
Great characters ✅

This is a book which is impossible to dislike. I have absolutely adored this read. This is deserving of a lot more than five stars in order to show how fantastic it is.

Dawn is overly optimistic, one of life’s big dreamers, imagining the greatest opportunities for herself. She isn’t selfish or ridiculous, she is escaping. When she is offered a room at St Judes hostel she finds friendship, companionships, someone who believes in her, and a home. Although in this story the main protagonist is Dawn, the background is coloured in with Grace, Peter, Jack and other interesting characters. The question is, can they work together to stop St Judes from being closed down.

This tale is a glimpse at homelessness, hiding, changing your life and gaining trust; a story that gets stuck into the dichotomy and coupling of hope and despair.

Themes: homeless, addiction, pyschosis, suicide, love, friendship, support, trust, adoption

I thoroughly recommend this book.

This is a sweet story; it's a light-hearted feel-good read which still manages to deliver some strong and important messages about British society and the issue of homelessness and lack of support for social services. Told from two sides: Dawn Brightside and Grace, the manager at St Jude's homeless hostel. Dawn has been homeless for many years until she gets offered a place at St Jude's. There are many characters at St Jude's whose individual stories and backgrounds are woven into the story. They include Cara, a mother of two with addiction issues and Teardrop Terry a resident who has previously been in and out of jail but is shown to be kindhearted and he provides much (unintentional) comic relief. When St Jude's is threatened with closure due to lack of funding, the residents and workers have to pull together to save their much needed community.
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Having worked in homeless shelters herself, Jessica is the best author to tell this story. Her writing is light yet powerful and I found myself zipping through this book. It was both a pleasant read whilst also making me think about the deeper issues being addressed. It's shocking to think of the situations wherein someone can having a warm, safe home one day and be on the streets in the cold and rain the next. This story and style of writing really reminded me of 'The Lido' and brings back the very relevant theme of key social and public services being threatened with closure due to lack of money and funding cuts.

This book is just what we all need right now, some shiny sparkle whilst we are all going through Covid-19. A lovely piece of escapism that I can recommend highly to anyone. I loved all the characters, from Dawn to Teardrop Terry and of course Shaun. I will be buying a copy for gifting as soon as released.

Dawn Elisabeth Brightside has been running away and hiding for twenty two years. After being homeless she is offered a bed at St Jude's Hostel. But then the hostel is threatened with closure but Dawn and her new friends are not going to let that happen. Because they all call it home.

I loved this book, I found it an extraordinary tale. Dawn is truly a wonderful character, she has had a horrific past. The book was touching, heartbreaking and truly heartwarming. The ending was ideal. I would love a second book about Dawn. I cried reading this.

Brightside by name and Brightside by nature. What a powerful but endearing book. I loved Dawn from the very beginning. I wanted her to overcome her problems and it 'all turn out okay' for her at the end. Lovely.

I loved this book. The story is very sweet and uplifting, but at the same time it makes the reader think about the homeless people all around us. A well-written and timely book to remind us of our priorities during the coronavirus crisis, but above all, a really enjoyable read.

Dawn Brightside is a woman who has just taken a place in a homeless shelter. She's cheery and tries to lift the spirits of the other residents despite her own problems. I found this a really quick and pleasant read. The book doesn't gloss over problems faced by the homeless and it offers good insight.

A very enjoyable read and a wonderful insight into the realities of the homeless. Any book that is good to read and also makes me look at the world through a different lens is one I enjoy.

Thanks for letting me review this book

Despite the subject matter, ie the hopeless situations in which people find themselves homeless and how little support there is for them, this book is full of warmth - and hope. Dawn comes across as such a caring person who helps others, but I couldn't help wondering why it had taken so long for her to finally reach closure. And it all seemed to happen so suddenly. Very sad and I do think that unfortunately, the ending for most homeless people isn't nearly as satisfactory. But a good eye opener and very well written.

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside is set mainly around the life of Dawn Brightside, who finds herself homeless after years on the ‘run’. Whilst living in the shelter she gets housed in, she forms friendships and changes the lives of the people she meets, for the better.

The debut novel from a new author and it’s a hit! I was drawn straight into wanting to know more about Dawn Brightside. She is about to sleep rough in Dover and then she finds a local hostel, managed by Grace and her assistant, Peter. Dawn is given a room and she soon gets involved with the other residents.
She seems to help everyone she encounters and I wanted to keep reading the find out more about her.
She has a past, which is slowly introduced and her past and present are intertwined, as we find once we go deeper into the book.
The style of writing makes you feel you really know some of the people and you want to find out what brought Dawn to the place she is in now.
Definitely a good read.

This was a book that was just that little bit different, that I ended up really enjoying.

Dawn has been sleeping rough for a lot of her life after a major event, then a birth, then a major meltdown, sent her running away from all she knew in her 20s. She hasn't looked back since and is now in her 40s. She's really quite an eccentric character that I couldn't quite get a handle on, but as she had mental health issues I suppose that's hardly surprising, and it certainly kept you on your toes wondering what would happen next. But she was a really warm character, always helping someone else.

So when Dawn finally gets a room in a homeless shelter she starts making new friends, and then starts trying to help the hostel stay open when it's about to close because of lack of funds, and in the process of all this makes friends and finally starts sorting her life and health issues out. There are lots of really interesting side characters with various issues themselves, all set around the homeless and social working side of life, with some quite sad parts. It's hard when you get so low to drag yourself back up again, but these people were trying their best.

I must admit I wasn't too sure of the story for about half the book, and felt it was slightly slow, but it picked up in the second half and by the last quarter I couldn't put it down wanting to find out what happened. A very memorable and different book, very enlightening, and a great debut novel.

With thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

The extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside.

I really enjoyed this book, the writing style was good and I found that I couldn't put the book down.

I liked how the book was from the perceptive of two Woman, Hope Brightside and Grace Jennings. Both have/had hard lives but don't let this put them down.

The extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside deals with some difficult issues but it also very light-hearted. I did cry at some points.

I will be telling everyone about this amazing book.