Kay Bratt has such a wonderful gift to bring the reader emotionally into her stories. Dancing With the Sun took me into the harrowing journey with Sadie and her daughter Lauren. This was more than just a story of Sadie getting lost in the wilderness with her daughter...it was the story of Sadie finding her way out of the wilderness that her life had been for many years after the tragic loss of her son. Kay Bratt had me lost in the wilderness with these characters....the fear, the hopelessness, the intense anxiety of whether they would find their way out. Sadie had lost her way many years before and had kept her feelings hidden...or she thought she had. Her motherly instincts kicked in at protecting her daughter, no matter the cost, and had me rooting for them to find their way. Their "adventure" revealed many things that otherwise might have continued to be hidden.

I truly felt I was fighting to survive with Sadie and Lauren. This story is written from the heart and I felt it was very sensitive to the issues Kay Bratt included in this story. I enjoyed the story so very much and when I go out into the mountains and forests and see the light shining through the trees, I will be reminded to always be Dancing With the Sun


This passage in the book touched me:

"...I like to think that we don't really know why the sunflower moves the way it does. That some things in the universe are meant to remain a mystery. But the lesson I learned as I watched them and cataloged their progress is that through everything, good and bad, we should stand tall and follow the light. For our own growth."

I want to thank Kay Bratt, Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley for the honor of reading this wonderful book. I gladly and happily recommend it. I have given it 5...YES READ IT and DANCE...stars.

Another beautiful, emotional book by Kay Bratt. This book touches so many different areas--adoption, loss of a child, grief, adventure, mother-daughter relationships, marital relationships and finally healing. The reader is taken on an emotional journey as mom Sadie and daughter Lauren find themselves on an unexpected adventure in Yosemite National Park. What started as a short walk to see a beautiful view, ends with them lost in Yosemite for several days fighting for their lives.

While struggling to survive and protect her daughter, Sadie finds herself again and realizes all that she has lost by being engulfed in her grief over losing her young son many years before. She finds that it is not too late to start over and build her relationship with her daughter.

Kay does a fantastic job of developing the characters and resolving everything in the end. There are lots of twists and turns but she does a masterful job of tying up all the loose ends so you are not left wondering at the end of the book.

I am not a writer but love to read. Kay never fails to bring me to tears with her books. Her books make you reevaluate your own life and make changes to be a better person.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union for the advanced copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this book! The plot was interesting and moved along well. The characters were flawed and authentic. Kay Bratt writes stories from her heart, that touch the heart of the reader. This book certainly fits that description! Well done!

There are different kinds of isolation and it can either make or break a person. This is a beautifully written book about a mother's isolation from her family and the isolation that she and her daughter feel when they get lost at Yosemite. Will it make them stronger or break their spirits?

Sadie is ready to give up on her life. She has never recovered from the death of her son years earlier and has shut herself off emotionally from her husband and adopted daughter. She has given up her painting and basically her entire life. When she decides to make a surprise visit to her daughter, she has no idea that hiking in Yosemite National Park will be part of their plans. They are not prepared and when a short hike becomes a life threatening crisis, they have to be strong and rely on each other to survive. As they search for food and water and safety from predators, they both have to dig deep into themselves for their inner strength if they have a chance of survival. As their chances of survival dwindle, will they find it in themselves to really love and forgive?

This is a beautiful and well written novel with fantastic characters - flaws and all - that will have readers hoping for their survival and unable to put the book down. I loved it and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Dancing With the Sun is an amazing journey. There were times I just wanted to shake Sadie and Lauren for making really bad decisions, really bad ones! Who goes on a hike without a jacket? Or a compass? Or food? This story is Sadie’s journey to acceptance. I believe that Lauren, her adopted Chinese daughter, is wise beyond her 19 years, and it is with her tenacity and wisdom that Sadie is able to find herself once again. I enjoyed this journey. The characters were very real to me and I traveled alongside them as they danced with the sun.

This book spoke to me.. I have struggled like Sadie. With being a mother. A wife. With my own body. This book deals with so many issues that a parent and a wife face as their children grow up and away from them. How do we deal with "empty nest" syndrome? How do we deal with the loss of a child that never had the chance to grow up?

An honest and heartfelt look at the bonds between a mother and a child, during a time of great trial and risk. Will Sadie and Lauren survive being lost in Yosemite? Will they surmount the obstacles between them? Will Sadie and Tom be able to put their lives back together without the glue of their children binding them together?

Spellbinding and beautiful. An excellent read by one of my favorite authors.

In Dancing With the Sun, vivid descriptions abound, transporting the reader to the mesmerizing Yosemite National Park. Author Kay Bratt spins a great tale! I could feel the characters’ emotions, such as tragic loss, disappointment in failed relationships, and palpable fear at being lost in the wilderness. This is a great story with a heartwarming happily ever after!

As usual Kay Bratt finds a way of sharing what is going on the the minds of her characters. Anyone can narrate a story, but Kay tells you how her characters feel, in a way no author that I have read can do.
Dancing with the Sun is her latest example of sharing emotions and thoughts of her wonderful characters.
Thanks for my preview copy!

This book was awesome! As usual, Kay Bratt allows you to feel the characters in this book. I started to read it and I could not put it down. It was great to see how the characters interacted with each other through good and bad. Loved this book and would recommend reading it. I cannot wait to read what she has next in store to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Kay Bratt for an advanced copy of this wonderful and touching book!

A first time read by this author, and I enjoyed everything about this story of survival, unresolved grief, and a mother’s love for her children.
Sadie Harlan is dealing with the loss of her son Jacob years ago and her daughter Lauren’s absence, as a college student, currently doing an internship in Yosemite. She suspects that her husband Tom’s frequent weekends away, are an indication of an affair, as their marriage continues to crumble. In a moment of acute loneliness she books a trip to visit Lauren in
Yosemite.
Not an outdoorsy type, Sadie is unwillingly pulled into an ill prepared hike by Lauren, anxious to show off her new knowledge and the beauty that is Yosemite. As they’re placed in obvious danger by the treacherous terrain, unstable weather and threatening wildlife, keeping her daughter safe becomes Sadie’s main objective. She learns a lot about Lauren, herself and the reasons for her rocky marriage, as the experience opens up a lot of feelings that she has covered. A very emotional story of losses and the difficulty in overcoming them, without drawing on the love and strength of family and friends.
I received this ARC from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley, for my honest review. Thank you to Kay Bratt for a beautiful story.

What a beautiful book about grief, loss, family, love and resilience. And hope ! Such a beautifully written book from start to finish. You laugh, you cry, sometimes at the same time. So many emotions while you read this book. Brilliant ! So grateful to the author for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. It is so good though I would have happily paid for a copy. For anyone who has ever lost a child this book needs to be read. And as someone who does not have children it touched my heart as well. This is one amazing book, buy it and enjoy !

Again, I am blown away at Kay’s ability to pull me in and make me never want to put the book down! What a beautiful story of heartache, healing and a Mother’s selfless love! If you haven’t read a book by Kay Bratt, you are really missing out ! She is truly one amazing author who ALWAYS puts out a gripping story you won’t soon forget!

Dancing with the Sun is a remarkable story and yet, again, Kay Bratt did not disappoint me. I was pulled into this book immediately.

Sadie is in a rut; her daughter, Lauren, is off starting to live her life on her own, becoming an adult and not needing her as much. Sadie is feeling the empty nest and realizing that she has done things in her life that she wished she could change. Her relationship with her husband, Tom, is strained and has been since they lost their son, Jacob, to a tragic accident years ago. Instead of leaning on Tom during their time of grief, she withdrew. She made a decision to change her life, but wants to see her daughter, tell her in person. In a spur of the moment decision, Sadie decides to surprise Lauren for the weekend. She hops on a plane to California. What she thought would be a relaxing (and somewhat emotional) weekend turns into an adventure neither was expecting. Lauren wants to show her mom a view of Yosemite after she picks her up at the airport. Against Sadie’s judgement, they venture onto a trail and eventually get lost, totally unprepared to be out hiking. This adventure tests their strength, perseverance and undying love for each other in ways neither expected, both doing all they can to survive. It opens up wounds and starts healing that neither ever expected.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Kay Bratt for the advanced readers’ copy of DANCING WITH THE SUN.

Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. The inside of this book is every bit as beautiful as the cover. Written from the heart with lots of emotion, strength of characters and feeling like you are in the wilderness with this lost mother and daughter team. It tugs at all your heart strings and leaves you wanting more. This one will stay with me for a long time.

Dancing with the Sun is such a wonderful, heart filled book that I found I didn't want to set it down to sleep. It pulled me in immediately, the story of Sadie and why she decides she must go see Lauren right away.

Sadie and Lauren were so realistic and likable that I truly cared when I could see a mistake in front of them. I wanted to yell out No, not that way! Do this, not that! I was rooting for them and invested in how this would end.

The author expertly wove themes of self-forgiveness, family and self-awareness seamlessly into the story of a mother and daughter facing disaster in the unforgiving terrain of a huge National Park. There are also object lessons in the story, if you will, about making assumptions, losing your family and friends to your unending grief and the damage not loving oneself can do.

Please don't get the impression from my use of themes and object lessons that this book is preachy, because it's far from preachy. It's a lovely story that carries you along and gently, kindly opens your eyes along the way.

The story flows effortlessly and I found myself realizing that even though Lauren and Sadie were almost the only characters, that there were so many more ~ characters that were introduced during reminiscing or recalling things.

Quite honestly I think almost everyone would enjoy this book. It's obvious to me that a lot of research work went into this as so many places within Yosemite, and bugs, plants and wildlife were described. The author does a wonderful job with descriptions, leaving the reader feeling as if they were actually there.

Do yourself a favor and get this book as soon as it's available. It is that good. I want to tell everyone about it.

An Amazing heart stopping novel that had me holding my breath, crying happy and sad tears and laughing out loud at times. I could relate in so many ways.
When Sadie impulsively and out of character surprises her daughter Lauren with a visit, neither of them realizes that they will be on a journey of survival and healing while lost in the Woods of Yosemite Park.
The message in this beautiful book is clear :"I like to think that we don't really know why the sunflower moves the way it does." "But, the lesson I learned as I watched them and cataloged their progress is that through everything good and bad, we should stand tall and follow the light."
Love this story!

Dancing With the Sun is the story of a mother & her daughter who quite by accident go on the adventure of their lives.

Sadie lost her son Jacob many years ago in a dreadful accident. She has never gotten over that loss. This loss has defined Sadie guiding her every thought, decision, action. As a result, Sadie shut herself off from her husband Tom & daughter Lauren.

At the last minute, Safie decided to visit her daughter Lauren across the country. Lauren takes Sadie on what is supposed to be a short hike but ends up being a 3 day, 2 night adventure. During this time mother & daughter connect on a much deeper level learning things about each othet. as well as Sadie delving into why she has shut down from her family.

Kay's characters seem like people you may know because she draws on real life. It is this aspect that draws me into each of her books time & time again.

#KayBratt #DancingWithTheSun #netgalley

Another great book by Kay Bratt. Has a true to life story line., wife finds some of her husband favorite things missing begins to think the worst so she visits her daughter to telll her what she thinks. Adventure after adventure leads to mother-daughter relationship. Ending is a surprise

Dancing with tears. Wow. This was my first book from this author, who I honestly picked up mostly based on the strength of the other books from her publisher (Lake Union). And yet again, yet another of their authors shows just how good the books they put out are. The book itself is laced with sorrow with a genuine amount of fear of survival once the main plot kicks in, and both the revelations about the past and the perils of the present are well paced. The sense of sorrow never really leaves, even at the end, but it does indeed have a fitting happy ending. I've definitely found a new author to get caught up on.