This novel is a story of love, loss, survival, and the coming together again, This book touched my emotions on many levels. I was able to identify with Sadie Harlan as a mother and a wife. The self-isolating struggle of coming to terms with the loss of a child; the struggle to form a strong and loving bond with her daughter while protecting her from the world; and coming to grips with the strain on her marriage all came together to create a captivating story.

The underlying issue is a strong force in the story. The way the story unfolds in the form of the struggle between mother and daughter to survive a nature hike gone awry is rich in emotion and love.

I highly recommend this book, as it is a truly remarkable story. It is very well written with incredible characters.


Thank you #KayBratt for writing this amazing book. Thank you #Netgalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for approving my request. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

This is the first book by Kay Bratt that I have read and one that I very much enjoyed. When what was supposed to be a quick, fun afternoon hike takes a turn for the worse, Sadie and her daughter Lauren find themselves lost and are forced to depend on each other to survive. This is not only a book about survival while lost in the wilderness, it also is about a mother and daughter bonding through this unexpected frightening incident, about forgiveness, dealing with grief, and letting go of the past in a positive way in order to move forward and live again without guilt. This was a quick and intense read. It reminded me of the importance of telling people where you're headed if you plan a hike, no matter the distance, and to always have plenty of water, food and supplies with you because you just never know what will happen.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance reader's copy.

This book was very suspenseful, but not in an action way.
Sadie, Lauren's Mom decides on a whim to fly out to see her daughter where she is studying in California, when Lauren picks her up at the airport, she tells her mom she wants to take her somewhere very special. The special place is Yosemite National Park, where Lauren wants them to take a short hike to a beautiful lake. Sadie is tired from the flight and not really equipped to go on a hike, but Lauren convinces her to go as it is only a mile hike from where they parked, and she has something she wants to tell her mom.
Sadie had not left a note telling her husband where she had gone as they have been a bit estranged and Lauren had not told anyone either of her plans.
And so begins this story of trust, faith, love, grieving and overcoming obstacles out of their control as these two get lost on their hike.
I love stories that delve into the psyche of a person and this one does not disappoint. The mother is suffering still from the lose of one child and trying to hold on to her daughter as she is becoming a woman and wanting to come into her own. This experience that they go through lets the two of them reconnect in a way that lets each see and respect the others points of view.
This book is full of emotions and fears both present and past. A really great read.
This author has been a favorite of mine.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book

Very intriguing story. Raw and so full of emotion. Thank you Kay Bratt for this book. I was intrigued from the beginning and had a very hard time putting it down.

This is such an emotion filled book that I felt like I had to slowly emerge from it as I finished the epilogue. To close the covers and quickly reenter real life would have been jarring and unsettling. Sadie's story plumbs the depths of emotion from intense love to the deepest grief, from self- recrimination to self-sacrifice to self-preservation, from the dark of night to dawn to dancing with the sun. Kay Bratt skillfully knits together several weighty themes in Dancing With the Sun: dealing with the death of a child, creating a family bond with an adopted child, forgiving oneself, holding a family together while navigating life-altering events, letting go of the past without losing the special memories, and holding on to gratitude when being thankful seems almost impossible.

It is difficult for a review to do this book justice. A synopsis of the story seems so shallow when the reviewer knows the depth that is awaiting future readers of this book, and truly the same could be said of every book that I have read by Kay Bratt. If you are looking for a lighthearted, feel-good read, this book is not for you. If you are looking for a meaty book that gives you much to think about, welcome to Dancing With the Sun.

I thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to write a positive review and received no monetary compensation.

Kay Bratt has written another amazing book with Dancing With the Sun. It brings out all the feels - sadness, anxiety, hope, relief. This novel is a real page turner - I read it in one sitting. It was so easy for me to picture myself lost in the wilds of Yosemite. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

This was a beautiful, heart-breaking, and hopeful story that evoked all the emotions in me. Sadie lost herself many years ago, but trudged on, trying to create the perfect life for her daughter. She takes a last minute trip to see her daughter, who convinces her to take a short hike into Yosemite. They set out on what is supposed to be a short trail hike, unprepared for more than a walk around the block. Their quick hike to check out the scenery takes a turn when they get lost. The situation quickly becomes one of survival, and Sadie has to find the strength and the courage to do whatever it takes to make sure her daughter gets home alive. While fighting for their lives, Sadie and her daughter have some intensely emotional and truthful conversations forcing Sadie to confront what her life has become and realize what she has been missing.
This was an amazingly well-written novel that resonated on so many levels. It will make the reader think of how they would react in the same situations, and not just if it is life or death. This is a new author for me and I was impressed with the way she crafted this wonderful novel.
#DancingwiththeSun #LakeUnionPublishers #KayBratt

Dancing With the Sun is the story of Sadie and Lauren. Sadie has never recovered from her son's death at a young age and with Lauren away at college, she has started to reevaluate her life. Her marriage is on the rocks; Sadie and her husband have never moved past losing their son. Sadie makes a spur of the moment trip to visit Lauren and tell her the news that her parents are separating. Before Sadie can deliver her news, Lauren suggests a hike in Yosemite. After taking a wrong turn, mother and daughter are hopelessly lost in the wilderness. While battling the elements, they are forced to confront the feelings of loss and grief. I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming story. Losing a child is a horror that I hope to never experience but I remember feeling lost when my daughter moved away to college. Kay Bratt has penned an emotional, fast paced tale of a journey through grief and finding a new normal all while battling the wilderness.

Kay Bratt is an author who creates wonderfully rich, well-developed characters, and who has the ability to transport us mentally and emotionally wherever she wishes us to be.

In Dancing with the Sun Bratt tells the story of the Harlan family, Sadie, Tom, their adopted daughter Lauren, and Jacob, the son they lost when he was eleven. Sadie has been solemnly walking through life, mired in grief, since the death of her son decades ago. She feels that to move on is akin to forgetting him, and she can't bear the thought of that. Her stance has cost her dearly though - she and her husband seem to be leading separate lives and she is ready to ask him for a divorce. As the anniversary of her son's death approaches, Sadie decides to spend the day with their daughter, who, following her first year of college, is interning in Yosemite National Park.

When Sadie arrives, Lauren talks her into going for a short walk in the park so she can show her mother a beautiful lake. Though another hiker warns them of an unexpected change in the weather, Lauren is confident that they'll be able to walk to the lake and back before the storm comes. If only that were the case! Instead, the two women find themselves lost, in a drenching storm, with no food or water, and few supplies. Night is upon them before they know it.

Fighting the elements, injuries, illness, and encounters with wild animals, they must rely on each other, using everything they know and all the strength they have to survive. Their dire situation also forces them to come to terms with each other, the death of Jacob, and other events in the past where they have felt apart from each other.

Dancing with the Sun is a book about strength, resilience and the power of love. A very good read indeed, and one I highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

What a beautiful story! One that brings love, forgiveness and strong women together. Beautiful mother and daughter story. The writing is crisp with detail writing of surroundings and teaming with raw emotions.

"Dancing with the Sun" is a general fiction novel. Half of the story consisted of flashbacks of Sadie's past. Her son died in an accident while camping with his father, and she has mistrusted nature ever since. Her marriage is strained because she withdrew emotionally in her grief. She longs to connect with her adopted daughter, Lauren, and so reluctantly allows Lauren to take her on a relatively short trail in Yosemite. Since it was supposed to be a short walk, they did not come prepared for the possibility of getting hopelessly lost and encountering wildlife.

The characters came across as complex, real people. They reacted realistically to the situations, relationships, and loss. I cared about what happened to the characters. Though the characters were in a difficult situation, I did not feel depressed or scared by what they were going through, though I felt a lot of sympathy for them. And healing comes through the journey. The title refers to turning to face the light, both literally using the sun as a compass and figuratively as she heals from her dark grief. There were only a few uses of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this emotionally genuine novel of surviving the wilderness and grief.

How can I be the only one who was horrified by how irresponsible Lauren was? I had high hopes for this given the strong start (although I was wondering why Tom didn't even leave a note for Sadie) but once we got to Yosemite, things went downhill fast for me. What regular hiker would take off into the woods as unprepared- and defiantly so- as Lauren was? I won't dis the boot brand she was so proud of but those are not hiking boots for the forest. And then the bear. Oh please. The aftermath was more annoying to me- has there ever been an instance where a bear has smelled a cherry lip balm stick and come after the owner to eat him/her so why on earth throw it away? Oh and what brand of cell phone is taken out by a hard rain when it's in someone's pocket because I sure don't want to buy it. Anyone working in Yosemite, anyone who has done any hiking, anyone who has camped would have behaved entirely different than Lauren did. Sadie, well she's sort of excused. I know I was supposed to read this as a mother daughter journey to healing but I was so distracted by the woods parts (and drinking that water out of the stream might well have made them both incredibly sick) that I couldn't enjoy it. I clicked through to the end. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm the odd one out but this just didn't do it for me.

Thank you NetGalley. This was just ok for me. And I found myse,f doing a lot of skimming.
Partly I had a hard time liking the mom. I know she was depressed but there was nothing likable about her. I also had a hard time feeling someone who just completed an internship at Yosemite would go for even a shirt hike so unprepared.
Disappointed because the premise was interesting.
I did like the last ten percent of the book.
One possible error because it was an ARC is that the foreword was then repeated word for word in a later chapter.

That was heartwarming! It was also sad and scary and lovely. It was tough to read about Sadie’s grief. It looms so large it’s almost another character in the story. Her need to control every situation was understandable though frustrated me at times. Lauren was the perfect combination of blossoming adult and sullen teen depending on the situations she faced. The layers to Sadie and Lauren felt so real, the writing so very good!

The two face many obstacles and setbacks throughout the story. It was fascinating and informative. Both characters walk away haven grown as individuals and in their relationship as a family and that was pretty awesome. A realization of how truly blessed we are even though at times it is hard to see...

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Lake Union Publishing for a copy in exchange for a review.

image_563998594538461Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “Dancing With the Sun” by Kay Bratt

Kay Bratt, Author or “Dancing With the Sun” has written an inspirational, and emotional book filled with love, hope, and courage. The Genre for this novel is Fiction. The timeline of the story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her characters as complex and intriguing.

Sadie Harlan is grieving the loss of a child for many years. She keeps to herself, and also keeps herself from getting to close to people in her life. Her daughter Lauren thinks she always seems sad. Lauren is an intern at Yosemite National Park. Sadie decides to visit her daughter there.

At Lauren’s request they take a walk in the trails, and what starts as a quiet walk admiring the beauty of nature turns into a nightmare when they get lost. The both try to use their survival skills so they can be found. While at the mercy of the elements, both Sadie and Lauren have some intense conversations.

When Lauren’s leg gets hurt, Sadie promises she will protect her daughter at any cost. Will Sadie be able to keep that promise? I appreciate that the author discusses, family and emotional support, faith, hope and love. I would recommend this novel to any readers who enjoy an inspirational story of courage, compassion and love. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

Dancing with The Sun was an emotional and inspirational novel about family relationships! I enjoyed the way the characters’ deep emotions and relationships were portrayed. A mother Sadie goes to visit her daughter Lauren in California where she is staying to do her internship. Lauren talks Sadie into taking a short hike in Yosemite National Park. What is supposed to be a short walk to enjoy the scenery soon turns into days where the women are lost in the wilderness. As they struggle to keep their spirits up and try to find their way out, the women come to terms with some things between them. Sadie takes a hard look at her marriage and her relationship with her family. And Lauren gets the courage to really talk to her mother. Both women struggle with the emotions from what has happened in the past. Sadie begins to realize that she has to confront some tough emotions about the loss of her other child if she wants to heal herself and her family.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishers and Kay Bratt for this beautiful book.

This story will take you on a journey of the soul. One you won’t soon forget. The love, loss, fear, sadness, emptiness, desperation, determination and much more. There are so many emotions in this story that you will do them all at once and each at it time. I’ve never read a book like this one. It touches on things that made my heart break and heal within minutes. The fear a mother has. The strength she has. The fears and the love. Above all the love. Losing a child is the ultimate pain. What would you do to keep from losing a second child? Sadie knew she had to do whatever it took to make sure Lauren was going to be ok. To ensure that she brought her out of this journey safe and alive. She knew she would never survive the loss of another child. The strength she had while battling the pain, the physical pain she lived with and the pain of the losses she had suffered with for so many years, was beyond comprehension. Her love for Lauren far outweighed the pain she felt. The hunger she felt and the thought of losing the love of her life.

They went through a lot and you will feel the pain they feel. The tears they shed in fear and in letting go of the past. Lauren helped her mother in ways that surprised Sadie. To let go of the pain, as much as a mother can, of the loss of her son so many years ago. The grief she held onto. She learned how to celebrate the child’s short life. And to forgive herself and her husband who she loved more than even she knew at this point. The love was there but the pain was greater. Tom was the love of Sadie’s life and she pushed him away for so long.

The thought of a love dying when it could have been so much stronger. Two people who need each other so much yet blame themselves for the greatest loss of their lives. Can they find their way back to each other or are they destine to be alone. To continue to grieve for each other and the child they lost. Can the daughter they adopted bring them back together through the love they both have for her.

I love when I see the part of a book that tells me why it has the title it has. I have two quotes that I loved: (1) It sounded remarkable if it were true. No wonder the boy had made her fall for him. Jetting her off to France. Watching flowers dancing with the sun. And (2) in the EPILOGUE: after a moment of silence and a few sniffles, Tom cut the seriousness by making them sway, as though they moved to music. Sadie smiled, happiness flooding through her as she realized that for the first time all together, they danced with the sun.
To me that was perfection at it’s best.

At the end is the From the author the story behind the story. A must read after you finish. It’s heartwarming and so touching and explains so much.

It’s such a good book. Rarely do I find one that actually truly touches me like this one did. I’ve loved lots of books but this one was different. It was like nothing I have ever read before. The feelings, the descriptions. It was wonderful. I loved it from cover to cover. And what was written at the end was perfect and so touching. It is hard to find the right words to express but just know it’s my favorite book this year!! Hands down.

This book was truly a beautiful one. The characters are wonderful. You fall in love with them. The scenery is told so you feel like you are there. I felt the wind, rain, cold and love. The love is always the best part. Finding your way back where you belong.



A big, huge, 5 stars for this wonderful book. I loved it from start to finish. Thank you Kay Bratt for writing such a beauty for us.

I really struggled to like the characters so even though I enjoyed the setting of the story I started skipping through alot. Not my favorite.

Sadie meets up with her daughter and they end up in Yosemite Park for a quick walk on a trail. Sadie finds out how strong she really is after they get lost. A emotional story of facing your fears and pain and seeking the future.I enjoyed this story and thank Net Gallery for a ARC. This is my unbiased review.

Dancing with the Sun is an emotionally charged book. I really felt for the main character, Sadie, who struggled with the horrendous loss of her young son due to a tragic accident years before this story takes place. She has never really moved on from the deepest grief and has only functioned on the surface, not really enjoying life anymore. When she and her daughter get lost during a hike Sadie fights for her daughter ‘s life with everything she has. The book kept me reading into the night to see what became of them. It was so tense I couldn’t sleep without knowing the ending. I was given an ARC by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a review.