The Bright Side of Disaster – Book Review

But here’s the unbelievable truth: Dean did not come right back. He did not come back before I finished my chapter. He did not come back before I tried his cell phone nine times and never got an answer. He did not come back before I gave myself a pep talk about giving him the space he needed. He did not come back before I accidentally fell asleep waiting for him on our bed. And he did not come back before I woke the next morning to find my full-term-and-one-week pregnant self completely alone. -From The Bright Side of Disaster, page 64-

Jenny Harris is pregnant with her first child and planning her wedding to the baby’s father…until one night he walks out the door to get cigarettes and doesn’t return, leaving Jenny alone and ready to go into labor at any moment. Everything Jenny has planned – including her lengthy birthing plan – crumbles, forcing her to use her wit and determination to birth and raise her child without a father. Jenny is not quite alone, however. She has her petite and spunky Texan mother; her charming, yet flawed father; her best friend who admits “I don’t like babies” just weeks before Jenny is about to give birth; the mommies from her birthing class; and her handsome, very helpful neighbor who always seems to be around just when Jenny needs him most.

Katherine Center’s first novel is a witty, warm-hearted, insightful, and enjoyable read from start to finish. Many times I found myself erupting into laughter or reading aloud passages to my husband. I have to confess being worried when I first received this book from the publisher. As a woman without kids, I did not think I was this novel’s target audience. But, happily, I could not have been more wrong.

The Bright Side of Disaster is a book to which all women will relate. If you have ever have been dumped by a lover; OR faced a daunting obstacle in your life; OR been frightened to go forward, but more frightened to stay put…you will find yourself amid the pages of this appealing novel. Center writes about courage in the face of despair, finding the humor through the tears, and keeping faith in oneself even when is seems no one else believes in you. It is about love between parents and their kids, and making mistakes but being redeemed.

I cruised through The Bright Side of Disaster in just over a day…in fact, I stayed up until midnight last night finishing it because I didn’t want to go to sleep without knowing the end.

The Bright Side of Disaster is a fine first novel – its characters captured my heart. This is one I can highly recommend.

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