Review: The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center

First line: The end began with a plane crash.

Why I read this: I had picked this up at a book sale last year after reading a few other books by Katherine Center and am also using this book to count towards the Reading From My Shelves Project.

From the back cover: Sometimes the worst thing that can happen is exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

Very pregnant and not quite married, Jenny Harris doesn’t mind that she and her live-in fiance, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned. But Dean is acting distant, and the night he runs out for cigarettes and doesn’t come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor.

And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor.

In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never anticipated: single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and the baby’s), there’s not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things are looking up: Jenny learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor. But Dean is never far from Jenny’s thoughts or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end she must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she’s been lucky to find.

My thoughts: I have read a few books by Katherine Center before and was excited to pick this one up at a book sale. I really enjoyed it. While one of the main themes of the book is about being a new, single Mom, that’s not the only one. Interwoven into the storyline we see relationships of every type – family, love and friendship. 

This story rings of truth as Jenny Harris, a spunky modern young woman, finds herself overwhelmed by unwanted events cascading down upon her. The characters are well developed and appealing, and the story unfolds with warmth and great humor. At times, I found myself actually laughing out loud. Jenny is a survivor and you will be cheering for her as she copes. Author Katherine Center teaches us that it’s okay to have a baby and fall in love in whatever combination and whatever order suits you.  

(I purchased this book.)