I'll admit that it took me a little while to get into this book, but I'm unsure if that was my quarantine-time attention span or the pacing of the book itself. The dual perspectives took me a little while to get used to as well, but I did come to appreciate the two sides. Mia's growth as a character was fun and compelling to read and I enjoyed Paige's relationship with her sister and optimistic growth as well. This is an excellent women's fiction book that will likely grow in popularity this summer - it definitely forced me to think a little bit about what is important in life and how to remember things without being constantly attached to my device (this isn't really the whole point of the book but the snarky comments did entertain me for sure!)

You can read this as a cautionary tale about social media- it's not. It's a story about three women, told from the perspective of two of them. Mia is an extraordinary influencer until she realizes that she's not living, just posting, and throws her phone into the abyss while she's at her mom's home trying to reset after the death of her engagement and so much more. Paige, an IT whiz who monitors content, suddenly sees a post she realizes is made by her half sister Jessica, who is suicidal. Jessica worships Mia and the loss of her posts has made her despondent so Paige takes over the account. And then there's a blip and Paige and Mia collide. You will laugh, you will root for these women, and you will find yourself turning the pages. Harms has great storytelling skills. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The premise behind it really hit home for me. Social media is so prevalent today, and at times it feels like it has taken over our society as a whole. The potential effects of social media is explored in this story about a young woman whose job is as a social media influencer. It also examines the effects her posts have on a young girl and her sister. Definitely worth a read!

There is a definite trend in books that are focused on social media influencers and how they cope when things go wrong. While I don't think this is the strongest/best book on that theme, I did find it interesting and entertaining. It's the kind of book that you read on a lazy weekend, perfect for the summer months ahead!

I got through about 2/3 of this book and just couldn’t go further. At first the concept was interesting, but the characters just didn’t seems natural or believable. I pushed myself enough to try and finish this book, but really couldn’t. Perhaps if this book had been edited a bit more or redrafted it would be better, but as it is, I didn’t find it very good.

OK, I feel like we are on a trend for books about social media, which totally makes sense given the years it takes to publish these novels. This is at least the 4th one I have read in 2020. Unfortunately, they seem to be getting rated lower and lower as they are released. This book is boring and I just do not care about the two protagonists of this story.

Mia is an influencer on a platform similar to Instagram. She is about to get married, which everyone appears to be following. There is only one problem her fiancé has dumped her and if she does not have her wedding you could be in financial ruin. Meet Paige, who works for this social media platform, in safety and security handling flagged posts. Paige is mandated to take off after an incident involving her family. Mia also takes off and goes off social media to contemplate her break up and what is next for her.

All in all that sounds ok, right? However what ensues is pure silliness and while I think Harms was trying to write a novel of morals, it did not work. These characters are immensely unlikeable for my taste, and how their stories intertwined just seemed like a cop-out of a story.

I do not like writing these types of reviews, but I feel I need to be honest. I am sure people will enjoy this book, but this did not work for me at all. I want readers to go in having an idea of what to expect. If you love Social Media, you might enjoy this book, but I will leave that for you to decide.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kelly Harms has done it again! I loved The Overdue Life of Amy Byler but had been avoiding this one a bit because I thought I would end up feeling guilty about my current screen time. Thankfully it was not at all guilt-inducing but was a story filled with heart and richly nuanced characters.

Thank you to Kelly Harms, #TallPoppyWriters, Lake Union Publishing and #NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this tale of a social media influencer going off the grid. A fun read!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Social influencer Mia is days away from her wedding to Tucker when he ditches her. Initially she’s relieved that their small guest list means she doesn’t have to contact a bunch of guests, but then she thinks of all her followers and sponsors, and decides to pretend the wedding happened.

Paige is a coding genius who works for Pictey, a social media app. Not only does she fail to follow up on a comment by one of Mia’s followers, she learns the suicidal commenter was her half-sister, Jessica. Forced to take time off work, she goes to Colorado to try to help Jessica—coincidentally near where Mia’s wedding was to have been.

With Mia on a self-imposed social media break, Paige and Jessica begin posting for her, initiating a disastrous chain of events.

THE BRIGHT SIDE OF GOING DARK explores both our addiction to our devices and the dangers of believing others’ lives are as perfect as shown on social media. The three primary characters, different as they are, are lovable in their unique ways. Another enjoyable quarantine read. #TheBrightSideofGoingDark #NetGalley

I loved Kelly Harms The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, and The Bright Side of Going Dark did not disappoint! Especially with what is going on today with everything "going virtual" it was a relevant read. The idea of throwing your electronics off a cliff right now is probably appealing to a lot of people. The main character Mia, is a social media influencer who is planning a virtual wedding to her fiancé. She has a little meltdown and and goes MIA for awhile and then her personality gets essentially stolen. The events to follow were interesting and sometimes funny. Its a light read, and totally up to date on the times of virtual everything. Its thought provoking and sweet. Perfect porch with a glass of bubbles read!

DNF @ 24%, 83pgs

oof. I feel like I just spent 84pgs getting clobbered over the head by the fact that social media is terrible and we are all slaves to likes and posts and have no meaningful relationships via anything that comes from the internet, while simultaneously being thrown into some HEAVY topics such as anxiety, suicide, neglect, and abuse.

From reading other reviews (both other DNFs as well as 4★ and 5★ reviews, of which there are quite a few!), it seems like the story doesn't really take off until about 40% into the book - but I wasn't nearly invested enough to keep going.

Speaking of the content warnings mentioned above: I haven't experienced some of the topics at all, and others not to the degree in the book, so I can't perfectly speak to the author's handling of them - but it did feel as though she wrote them with care.

This one just wasn't for me.

The Bright Side of Going Dark


An intriguing and amusing book of our dependence on our phones and the realities of social media.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Mia Bell is one of the most popular influencers on social media. She is planning the ultimate virtual wedding entirely paid for by her sponsors. But off-camera, her world is no so perfect.

She has beenjilted by her handsome fiancé and fakes her nuptials to please her sponsors. Mia finally has had enough. She heaves her phone off a cliff, ready to live offline for a change.

Paige Miller, is a high-paid computer nerd, 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.

Paige has more fun creating posts for Mia account than she expected. But when she forgets who she is supposed to be online she is caught in the act. A fiasco ensues that could forever change Mia, Paige, and the people who love them. But somewhere amid the chaos is a real life lesson.


REVIEW
What would it be like to get rid of your cell phone? Can you even imagine yourself heaving it off a cliff? THE BRIGHT SIDE OF GOING DARK is a clever and intriguing story that makes you give a lot of thought to that little device you hold so dear! It’s an amusing, fast and easy read, perfect for a day in the mountains or at the beach...if you can just put the phone down for a few hours! And by the way...you may not want to tKe it with you when you go on that mountain hike!

The tight writing alternates between Paige and Mia perspectives and moves swift. Both characters are unique and well-developed and will have you invested in the story. At times you will want to to throttle one or the other of them, and at times you’ll be cheering them on. One of my favorite parts of the book was Paige’s renewed relationship and her dedication to help her half-sister, Jessica.

Do you ever think your life should be just as perfect as what you see on Instagram or Facebook? THE BRIGHT SIDE OF GOING DARK’s reveals a reality of social media, It also touches on depression, attempted suicide and recovery, but finishes with personal growth and maybe even a little romance.

Author Kelly Harms also wrote bestselling book The Overdue Life of Amy Byler (2019). She lives in Madison Wisconsin and has been working in the publishing business for two decades.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Lake Union
Published May 12, 2020
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com


#netgalley #lakeunion #kellyharms #thebrightsideofgoingdark #bluestockingreviews #readitloveit

Mia is an influencer on Pictey. She has about 500k followers and basically gets paid to post. She has so many sponsors that she was able to get her wedding paid for. That is until her fiance decides that he doesn't want to get married.... The day before they were supposed to walk down the aisle. Mia panics, how is she going to pay these sponsors back, how will she explain it to her followers. So she lies, not just to her followers, but to herself as well. Meanwhile, there is Paige. Paige works at Pictey. She is one of many who monitor flagged posts and decides if the post or comment need to be deleted. She sees the worst of the worst, all day every day. One day at the end of her shift a comment on one of Mia's posts comes thru, but since she is done for the day, she logs off because that is what she is required to do. It is the next day when Paige comes to work that she finds out that the commenter was her sister Jessica and she has tried to commit suicide. From there the story evolves and the reader is left thinking about their own social media presence, their own phone addiction. Kelly Harms has a way to take a serious topic and make you laugh, make you cry, and just make you think! Take a chance and read this book! You won't be disappointed!!

This was my first novel by Kelly Harms, but since I enjoyed it a lot, I will be checking out her back-list now! "The Bright Side of Going Dark" is a delightful send-up on social media "influencers" and their followers, as well as a look at some mental health situations, and DOGS!! It was a delightful read and I highly recommend it! I received a free e-book in exchange for my honest opinion from NetGalley and the publisher.

This is a fun and engaging story that also makes you stop and question the role social media and technology play in your life.

This story is about a social influencer who gets too wrapped up in her social media. She decides to unplug and actually throws her phone off a mountain.

The story is also about a woman who flags inappropriate things on social media and missed her sisters cry for help on the social influencer’s account. She goes to help her sister and takes over the social influencer’s account at the same time.

I felt this was two books out into one. The books crossed but I think they could have been two separate books. I enjoyed the social influencer’s story much more than the other story. The other story has several triggers for mental illness.

The Bright Side of Going Dark is a thought-provoking book about social media, mental health, and making true connections with people. It was interesting and sobering to read about the life of a social media influencer and also a look behind the scenes of a tech company. I read this book during the height of the pandemic, a time when our only connections with people were through social media—which put an interesting spin on the story!

The Bright Side of Going Dark is an easy, unputdownable read about the illusion of the perfectly curated life that can be created on social media. Told from Paige & Mia’s alternating story lines we follow along as Mia’s practically perfect life beings to fall apart while at the same time someone slips through the cracks of Paige’s online safety parameters.
Mia decides to go offline and starts to really find herself while Paige decides to help Mia from afar while helping her sister. What ensues will make you shake your head, nod in agreement, laugh and ultimately bring awareness to the very real addiction of social media and how it’s possible to “go dark”.

What a clever idea for a story! As one of the most popular and influential media personas, Mia, after being jilted by her fiance, chooses to abandon social media and live life “off the instagram grid.” And so Paige, a techie loner, poses as Mia online and continues her social media popular presence.

I think this book covers so many more topics than it original presents and is highly applicable to many lives today. While being fun and entertaining in many ways it also begins to tackle the emotional issues that arise in society today due to social media and comparing our lives to others.

Mia is a popular social media influencer who shares her entire life online. But when her fiance calls off their wedding, Mia finds herself doing something she never could have imagined. She throws her phone off a cliff, and works on living her life offline.

Paige works behind the scenes for a popular social media site. When her sister attempts suicide, Paige takes time off work to go be with her sister.

The Bright Side of Going Dark is told in alternating perspectives of Mia and Paige, with a connection between the two women that is wild.

I enjoyed this book and found that it has some excellent points to think over. I'm not triggered by any topics, and I'm not sensitive by any means. So content warnings and judging what people may be upset by is not my forte! But, with the heavy focus on suicide, I think it will be difficult for some readers to enjoy this book. For everyone else - I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Kelly Harms for the advanced copy of The Bright Side of Going Dark in exchange for my honest review.