"And if being at St Jude's has taught me anything, it's that you need to find your tribe. The rest of the journey's not designed to be a solo one. Group tickets always offer the best value." 

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside is a truly special book. The definition of 'uplit', it is one of those books that feels like a warm hug or a hot chocolate on a cold day. It will make you laugh and cry. It will steal your heart and make a permanent home in your soul. 

I adored the colourful cast of compelling and very real characters. I liked that the author showed their humanity and personality rather than making them a cliché. She makes their experiences leap from the page, transports you into their world and makes you live every moment alongside them. 

Dawn is quite the character. She is damaged, flawed and unreliable but also hopeful, joyous and endearing. Despite being down on her luck and going through some very traumatic things, she sees the silver lining - the 'bright side' you might say - and encourages others to do the same. She cares deeply about others and becomes a real light in the lives of those around her. She is a character I won't forget and I challenge anyone not to fall in love with her too. 

This was a very nostalgic book for me as my father was a manager for the YMCA and we lived on-site for three years when I was twelve to fifteen. The experience made a huge impact and is a big part of who I am today. The residents became like family and we are still in touch with a number of them even now. All the memories of that time came flooding back while reading and it was clear to me that the author knew her stuff. This felt authentic. So I wasn't surprised to learn she'd worked with the homeless and had even lived on-site too. 

But while this is a very uplifting book, it also addresses serious topics such as mental health, addiction and homelessness. She examines these things on a deeper level, commenting on the perception and judgement of the homeless or with mental health or addiction issues, the underfunding of homeless hostels and the degradation of applying for sickness benefits, something I personally related to as someone unable to work because of chronic illness. But she has a talent for doing all of this without bringing the mood down, balancing gritty realism with a humour and optimism that is reminiscent of Dawn. 
 
Addictive, heartbreaking, hopeful, evocative, entertaining, warm and emotionally resonant, this is a remarkable debut. This book has arrived at the perfect time; Dawn's kindness and positivity is something we all need more of right now. READ THIS BOOK!

There are few types of book that give me joy like stories of underdogs achieving their dreams and that’s exactly what I was expecting from this one. I’m overjoyed that this is exactly what I got!

Dawn Elisabeth Brightside has escaping from her past for 22 years but when she is offered a bed at St Jude’s Hostel for the Homeless, her life is finally starting to look up. When the hostel faces decreased funding and potential closure, it’s up to Dawn and her new friends to save their home and the jobs of those who have given them a chance.

I learnt so much about the truth behind the UK’s homelessness crisis while reading this charming novel. Of course, I knew that it is a very severe social problem that is growing due to the pandemic but experiencing life through the lens of the people actually living through it was a unique, eye-opening experience that I wholeheartedly thank Jessica Ryn for. 

These characters are all of us and that’s something that was very much with me for a lot of the time I was reading this book. They’re not bad people or even people who have made terrible decisions. They’re simply people who have had tremendous streaks of bad luck or one or two devastating traumas. Homelessness is something that could happen to anyone extremely suddenly and this reinforced my desire to actively do something to help.

‘You can make anything happen if you hope hard enough.’

Dawn is an eccentric optimist with a lot of darkness and loss in her past. Her mental health and self-growth journey slowly unfolds over the course of the narrative and my heart swelled as good things slowly began to come her way. She works so hard to keep everyone else’s spirits up and I really wanted some of her light to reflect back on to her. 

Dawn regularly has these little impossible fantasies and I admit that my own daydreams often get as big as hers too. These passages always made me smile and marvel at how she has managed to hold on to the ability to dream so big, despite the hand she has been dealt. The fact that she has these breaks from reality led me to immediately cotton on to the truth about one particular friend of hers. It’s a devastating twist when it comes out but I knew instantly that it was something that Dawn would definitely do.

There is also a romance in this book and it’s a very cute, easy-to-root-for one. I had no doubt that they would eventually get together and both parties thoroughly deserve each other. It’s a beautiful wholesome sub-plot built on friendship and genuine care that is the sugar on top of this wonderfully light novel.

The writing is studded with little gems of wisdom and I felt so uplifted on finishing it. It felt like justice had been served, good things exist and gave me an enormous amount of hope. Hope is something that is so precious right now and we need to drink in every drop of it that we can possibly get. Read this book for a healthy dose.

‘You need to grab happiness whenever it comes past, otherwise it just keeps moving, leaving you cold and empty.'

This was an absolutely gorgeous novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Dawn is a hugely loveable character. She felt older than her years. I had to keep reminding myself that she was only in her forties but I feel that is because of the weight the years have put on her. She made me smile, chuckle and full on belly laugh. She also made me cry. This strange little community of people at St Jude’s had such heart. They are what some would consider the lowest of the low but within the pages of this novel you see that each and everyone has a sad tale to tell and that any one of us are just a bad turn away from being in a situation like them.

This was a truly heartwarming read. Yes at times it was very sad but it reminded me how resilient we can be and that as long as we have someone to care about and someone to care for us, well, we can make it through the tough times. It also showed me that sometimes the people who really care are there even when we can’t see it and the heart and empathy that can be found when needed. During these difficult times, when so many people are suffering for so many different reasons, this novel seems to capture the magic of the human spirit.

How to sum up my time at St Jude’s with Dawn and the other wonderful characters in this story? It was a wonderfully uplifting read, full of memorable characters and a story that will stay with me for a long time.

Many thanks to the lovely team at HQ Stories for inviting me to take part in this blog tour and for providing me with a digital copy via Netgalley. It was a real pleasure to meet Dawn.

Do you ever read a book and think WOW. For me this book definitely hit all the right spots for me, it had emotion, humour, love, friendship, excellent characters, well written and most of all it made me FEEL.

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside is exactly what its title says, its EXTRAORDINARY and has HOPE. I was a bit dubious at first let me tell you and I put it off to the last minute to read as I wasn’t in the mood for it HOWEVER I read this book in one sitting, THAT’S RIGHT ONE SITTING. I could not put this book down to save my life. It had me enthralled it has my emotions going and yes I did reach for a tissue or two. It really did evoke that much emotion in me and you know why I think that is, I think its because I also work with the homeless and persons with mental health illnesses and I can see the frustration that Grace has with no funding and the support just not being there for people who need it.

Ok so I digress, the book is about Dawn Brightside. She’s down on her luck she has no job and she is homeless. She is in Dover which is in Kent, she turns up at the Council declaring herself homeless and it goes from there. She ends up on the waiting list of St. Jude’s a Hostel and that is where she meets Grace and Peter. Things start to look up when she is accepted at the Hostel but there is tragedy waiting as well.

I don’t want to go too much further into what the book is about as I feel that you need to read it and get all the feels that I did with it. This was a five star read for me, I never ever on reviews now tell you what I rate it but this one definitely deserved it. It was powerful and made me sit back and think as well as well up with emotion.

Lets talk Characters. There is a motley crew of characters in this book, all with different backgrounds and abilities and I tell you what I loved each and everyone of them. Even though the book is about Dawn Brightside each of the characters had their own limelight in the book. They each had enough about them that I was invested, and to me this is one of the reasons why I enjoyed the book so much. I have always said that the supporting characters need to be heard as much as the main ones. The way they all interacted with one another made it that much more special.

Grace was a fabulous character, nervous at times but coming from her being a Social Worker and having to make big decisions I get it. She wants to please everyone and help those that need it with the restrictions she has. I think this is another reason why I liker her character, I work in Social Services as well and its hard. You want to help so many people but there are restrictions everywhere. I love how her kindness and wanting to help others shone through.

The book talks quite a lot about hard topics. There would say is some trigger issues from some people including alcohol and drugs misuse, sexual assault, mental health and overdosing. These were done however with sensitivity and with knowledge especially around mental health and the knowledge behind the Mental Health Act and what it means being under the Mental Health services. I will say it didn’t go into detail but from experience I can see how it goes and applaud Jessica Ryn for including it.

I one hundred percent will recommend that others read this book. It was pure joy to read. As I said it did make me laugh, smile, cry and get emotional that I had to put it down. It makes you realise how much suffering people go through and not to judge them just because they may be homeless, suffering from mental health issues, drug addiction or alcohol misuse. Everyone has a story and not all are able to deal with it in the way that some may think they should.

This is a story of kindness and hope. It is a charming read about Dawn who needs to get as far away as she can, when she is offered a bed at St Jude's hostel she is over the moon, can she make a better go at living a fairly normal life? Will life be plain sailing or will it come crashing down again? I really liked Dawn and wanted the best for her. I am sure people can relate to her story and also we get to see the lives of the other characters which could be relatable too. I feel like in times like these we need books to be uplifting and promising warmth and with Jessica's writing we get the best of both worlds.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

This is an emotive read, a story that shines a light on the plight of the homeless but doing so in both a realistic and uplifting way. The lead character, Dawn Brightside, usually lives up to her surname, always looking on the bright side of life, but events more than twenty two years ago made this particularly difficult for her. She has been homeless, moving regularly for all those years but when she's offered a bed in St Jude's Hostel for the Homeless she finds support, friends and the opportunity to make a new start. . . . . only to have the hostel threatened with closure. That's when her positivity comes to their aid as she strives to sort out not only her own life but supporting others and endeavouring to help inspire the residents and staff to work together to raise the funding necessary to keep the hostel open.

As the story progresses you learn the history of many of the people who are homeless, some who are still on the streets and others who are staying there, no two are the same but, like many other homeless people, fate has dealt them many blows, disrupting their lives and derailing their hopes and dreams. It is only through the support of St Jude's and places like this that they can have the opportunity to be supported as they find their way again. I suspect reading this story will help highlight the plight of the homeless and gives examples showing that this could be the fate of anyone of us. Hopefully it will encourage people to look more kindly on those unfortunate enough to find themselves without a home or safe, warm place to call their own. Everything doesn't go right for them, there are issues of substance abuse, mental illness, family dramas and so much more that are dealt with sensitively through the story, There are also some heartwarming incidents, too, involving moving on, romance, family reunions and unexpected sources of support that make this a moving and delightful read, one that is not to be missed IMHO!

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside introduces us to a very memorable character in Dawn. When we first meet her she is just about to be offered a space in a shelter for the homeless - St Jude's. It's no coincidence I'm sure that St Jude is the patron saint of lost causes. Dawn is such an interesting character and at first I was full of questions. What has happened to her daughter Rosie? Dawn seems to have a different story for every different person she meets. Why does she have an aversion to men with red hair? Just what has she been running from for the past twenty years? And could I actually believe anything she said? I really wanted to but I wasn't sure she could be relied upon.

Jessica Ryn shines a light on so many different issues throughout this book. Mental health is a key theme and something which affects so many of the residents of St Jude's. So many will have been considered lost causes either as individuals or as a group - 'the homeless' or 'junkies'. Through finding out about the reasons why each resident ended up in St Jude's, the author sheds light on the many, complicated reasons why people can find themselves homeless and shows that people from any walk of life can find themselves in this situation. She also shows clearly the challenges and stress caused by underfunding of this sector.

But Dawn does not think of her fellow residents as lost causes and neither does hostel manager Grace. I so enjoyed that we got to see each person in the book as an individual, that we got to find out about them. This created a real sense of empathy and I was certainly hoping for positive outcomes for them all, even when that seemed most unlikely. When it was finally revealed what had happened to Dawn, my heart broke for her. You could see why throughout her years she had wanted and needed to care for people, wherever she found them. There was an urge deep within her that compelled her to look out for others.

Without giving anything away, I will say that the ending of this  book genuinely is one of the uplifting and hopeful conclusions to any book I've read this year. It is only when you get to the very, very end that you realise, with a lump in the throat, just how appropriate the title of the book is. The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside is a wonderful, heart-warming book. If you need your faith in humanity restored, I highly recommend you get a copy of this book because out there right now are lots of people like Dawn and Grace and they are a lifeline to so many.

This novel focuses on the issues of mental health and homelessness.  The narrative alternates between the main character, Dawn Brightside, who is given a room at a homeless hostel; and Grace, who runs the shelter. 

Dawn is such a positive and caring woman, despite the fact that she has clearly had a traumatic past, although you are only given glimpses of what this is until the end of the novel. However, this lack of knowledge of her past meant that all you see is her obsession with her daughter and her constant lying, with no idea how she ended up homeless and alone for 20 years.

Grace is trying her best to run the hostel, deal with her own insecurities and developing feelings for a service user.

Dawn is a very complex character and is a wonderful example of how mental health and homelessness is such a large and intertwined issue in today’s society.  The novel covers the lack of funding in services that would support people in the same situation as Dawn.

I did not agree with Grace’s main storyline, which is an inappropriate relationship with a service user.  I know this is a lighthearted romcom novel, however, Grace is in a position of trust and such a relationship would result in her losing her job, her reputation and, potentially, risk a criminal record.  Moving in together so soon after he has left the service would still set of an investigation.  To have such a storyline as the romantic part of novel was far from ideal.

Apart from this, this was a heartwarming, and heartbreaking, novel; a tale of a lost past and a discovered future.

A raw, viceral look through the lens at homelessness. Dawn Brightside, a misnomer if ever there was one, is on her beam end. Life has thrown so many lemons that she could set up a commercial enterprise selling all things lemony. 
Then there's Grace... 
A wonderful gut-wrenching read that smashes your heart into little bits before rebuilding it, piece by piece. 
We need life reafirming books like this now more than ever.

This book was emotional, and moving, and a real eye-opener. It showed just how easy it can be to become homeless. 

This book also showed how showing some empathy and a bit of kindness can really make the difference to all people, not just people who are done on their luck.

Dawn has the most amazing outlook on life, even with everything that has happened in her past, and I admire the strength she showed throughout for her friends and new family.

The humorous elements added the right amount of comedy to ensure that this book was not too heavy, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with the residents at St Jude's.

I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. 
Such a feel good book, surrounded with empathy and a fantastic read

Get your tissues ready! This book will have you crying tears of sadness and joy! 

A wonderful tale of Dawn Brightside who has been homeless for a long time, constantly feeling the need to move on. Until one day she reaches Dover and settles down.

The second story is of Grace, a woman who manages the homeless hostel in Dover.

Both stories are equally sad and heartwarming. The book shows how, no matter the material things we have in life, we all go through the same battles.

Wonderful characters and a story that will have you laughing and crying. Beautiful.

This was such a warm hearted book full of kindness and hope. It was exactly what I needed to forget about 2020 as a whole for a few days. But. But. But. But. Homeless people are people. Their struggles and stories are heartbreaking but sadly they can feel so invisible as most people don’t really give them to the time of day. So for this, I appreciated that Ryn centred her book around homeless people because they are not often written about and I think if readers take one thing away from this book, it would be to treat them with kindness and to not make assumptions about their situations. As warm hearted as this book is, I’m not going to call it escapism because the struggles of homeless people are real and Jessica Ryn used her experience of working in homeless hostels to highlight this. But it did feel a bit like a snuggly blanket because she wrote her characters so authentically that they felt like real people. The plot was also pretty perfect; people coming together for the greater good.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for allowing me to review this book.

The story follows many characters that Dawn comes into contact with. The story begins with Dawn who has been running away from something for most of her life and ends up at St Judes a hostel for the homeless.

Dawn settles in well but then news of possible closure of the hostel makes Dawn look at herself with the help of her friends to battle some demons of her own as well as helping others.

Jessica has tackles some big topics in this book such as drugs, homelessness and mental health. Yet the ways she brings the topics into the story is brilliant that it draws you in further to the complexity of the characters in such a simple way. I love how she tackles the subjects with respect and reality you can tell she has worked in the field.

The characters are all individuals with a past and a future and each one is carefully thought out. It must have taken time to get each character so perfectly written.

The story line is relatable, you could have read the basis of the book in a newspaper article, yet Jessica brings it to life with purpose and feeling. It’s heart warming yet sad in places. Even thought provoking in places making me realise how lucky I am.

I would recommend this book as it is detailed and kept me wanting to know more. I loved the character of Grace, something drew me to her I’m not quite sure what but even at the end of the book I wanted to know more.

Brilliant read! Definitely one to recommend

This was a very interesting read.
I have to be honest, it was not a book that suited my personal reading taste sadly but it was a nice easy read

This has been one of my favourite books to review of 2020. A thoughtfully written and accurate portrayal of homelessness, mental ill health and the challenges faced by services in the face of austerity..

Dawn has been sleeping rough, but when she is given a lifeline in the shape of St Jude's hostel, it is to change her life forever. Haunted by the past, she focuses all her energy on helping others, but forgets about herself. Twenty two years and two months ago, Dawn gave birth to a daughter, Rosie. But Dawn becomes ill and unable to care for Rosie, who is given up for adoption. Dawn always loved her, but was afraid. She was drugged and attacked and all she can remember is that the man had red hair, and threatened to kill her if she told anyone what had happened. He is the father. Dawn loses everything, including all hope. 

But being at St Jude's she is surrounded by people who genuinely care and want to help her. They form a tight knit group, and when the hostel is threatened with closure, due to funding cuts, they pull together to save it. 

And Dawn finds safety and most importantly, she finds her Hope again. I don't want to give away the way this story ends, but all I will say is, it is a beautiful conclusion to a beautiful book.

I loved the book. Homelessness has been a bit of a pet project for me for several months and it seemed fitting that I found this book at this time. It has been on my NetGalley shelf for a little while .

It struck me as a lighthearted look at some exceptionally hard hitting issues , the Merry band of hostel residents fighting for their Homes, the mix of personalities is a great foil for the deeper more sobering issues examined here.   I do not want to give things away but the two strong female voices here  allow for a rounded and sympathetic examination of our perceptions of those left without safe shelter and the systems w3 have to support them.

I loved Dawn and Grace all the more for their flaws, for their frailties and humanity.

Thank you to HQ Stories for allowing me a space on the Blog Tour for this book. Let's appreciate just how lovely the front cover is; I always think yellow is a good colour for covers because it's so vibrant and just pulls the reader in. 

For the most part this was a really good and enjoyable read; it deals with the important topic of homelessness but I never felt that it was dealt with inappropriately. It highlights just how vast homelessness is and really shows that anybody is just a paycheck away from being homeless. It also puts a spotlight on the lack of resources there to help those that are homeless, and the hoops people have to jump through to get help - such as signing on for benefits when you don't have a home address, but you can't get a home address without benefits. It's definitely a really poignant read and I think it shines the spotlight on an important issue that I don't see dealt with a lot.

What I liked about the writing is that all the characters felt very human; they all had realistic problems and faced challenges - there were no magic solutions to the challenges but they still managed to find the good, or the bright side, as Dawn would say. I liked the little community that existed at St Jude's and almost wish we got more focus on some of the wider characters because they were so interesting, but then again I couldn't have handled multiple POV's!!

Was it a little cliché in places? Yes... but I often find contemporaries are because they're an escape from the real world and so you want to read about happy ever afters. So there were a couple of things that were a bit too much for me in terms of how things worked out, but it didn't ruin the story.

The only reason I have rated this book 3 stars is because of one aspect of the book which I just found really inappropriate and uncomfortable reading.  Grace, the social worker and manager of the hostel, begins to get feelings for one of the hostel residents - a service user/client - and although she initially tries to stay away from him (because she knows it's wrong) the book ends with them getting together and moving in?? Without addressing any of the repercussions of this on her job and registration as a social worker. Having a relationship with a service user, current or former, is extremely inappropriate as a social worker because there is always going to be a power imbalance in that relationship and honestly, is just down right wrong. At the very least Grace would have lost her job but also likely her registration if she maintained this relationship. It doesn't matter that they're both adults, she was in a position of power over the service user due to her role and it's just ethically wrong. Because of this it did impact my enjoyment of the book, working in Social Services myself, and so was personally something I didn't agree with. 

That said, aside from that issue it was a good book and I think it deals well with the issue of being homeless. 

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Stories for allowing me to read an eARC of NetGalley.

An honest and uplifting read which I will recommend to others. Dawn was a very likeable character whose determination to remain positive and upbeat was admirable. The supporting characters were also well-written and each had interesting backgrounds which added to the story.

Homelessness, mental health and many other relevant and serious issues were approached with both a realistic tone and also with empathy.

Would like to read more by the author! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went to a online talk with the author and I thought this sounded fab so I went straight onto NetGalley and requested it! It follows Dawn, a homeless woman troubled by her past, and Grace, the manager of the homeless shelter who offers her a room. It’s a really sweet but haunting book based on the author’s own experience of working at homeless shelters, full of lots of details about people living on the streets, with a real mix of personalities and characters.