I received a free copy of The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals and honestly, I tried, but I cannot get into it. What could have been a heartwarming, cute book did nothing but annoy me. You instantly brought up politics which just downright annoyed me. Guess what, I voted for Trump, I'm glad I did, and this just made me roll my eyes and think "He won, just get over it already". Needless to say, I'm not finishing this book.

Very interesting read that definitely held my interest. A delightful mix of dysfunctional relationships, politics, and the power of dogs to heal a hurting heart. The dynamics between Ariel and Mona, Ariel and Gideon, and Ariel and Dex were the core of the novel. Loved Gideon who seemed so sincere. Dex and his obnoxious friend, Buddy, had me laughing while cringing at the same time. A jar of peanut butter will long remind me of Buddy. Loved the parts with the escape and subsequent recapture of my favorite characters. Becky must be an animal lover as she evokes such camaraderie, love and comfort when writing about them.Many thanks to Becky Mandelbaum, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read this delightful book, to be published in August, 2020. Between these pages lives a story that everyone would enjoy.

The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals by Becky Mandelbaum

Ariel Siskin, a Kansas native in her early twenties travels back to her estranged mother’s animal sanctuary when it is targeted in a hate crime on the heels of the 2016 presidential election. Once there, Ariel grapples with what it meant to leave and what it means to come back to those she left behind to pursue a different life.

Political without being preachy and sentimental without being precious, The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals offers the reader a full and gripping portrait of Ariel’s inner tumult as she tries to navigate a new adulthood that is not the comforting blanket she thought it would be when she made the decision to leave home. The main characters felt nuanced and real and the setting endeared itself to me immediately being a native of Lawrence, Kansas. Despite making a number of frustrating decisions, Ariel maintained her sympathy and kept the momentum of the story going as the conflict between she and Dex as well as she and her mother came to a head. I never found myself bored with the story despite it being one where very little actually happens. I found myself not being sure what or who exactly to root for, a dilemma that kept me interested as the story unfolded.

The ending felt rather abrupt, not because it wasn’t earned but because it seems to have left certain decisions unexplained, and I would have liked one more chapter from Dex. It seems that his stance at the end does not necessarily adhere to what Ariel is counting on, and I felt conflicted leaving the story that way. I didn’t need a certainty of what exactly would happen, but I wish I had had one last peek into Dex’s brain there at the end.

Overall, it was a great story that any number of readers will see themselves and their loved ones in, and animal lovers will melt at many of the descriptions. Mandelbaum’s writing is vivid and accessible and I anticipate this to be one of my favorite reads of the year.

(I will be posting this review to Goodreads closer to the publishing date and will provide a link when I do so)

For a full-length novel, it seemed to me there was a serious shortage of forward momentum here. Backstory, yes, there’s scads of it. And some sensitive drilling down into character and psychology. But a book needs a plot, and this one seems pretty light on forward movement. This reader became pretty frustrated with the repeated deferral of narrative in favor of flashback. Perhaps the novel’s heavy load of sentiment will carry it forward for some readers, but personally, I’m dubious.

I wasn't sure about the beginning of this book. I generally don't care for fictional books that bring real-life politics into them. If that's you too, my recommendation is to read past that into the heart of this book. Because whatever your political views may be, this book won't offend you. Instead, it is a story of our times interwoven with the stories of how we misunderstand the ones we love, and definitely the ones we don't know very well. It's a story about communication and human nature. I found a lot to like about this book. I liked that it was set at a struggling animal sanctuary that so many people cared about saving. I liked that it was about different types of relationships that anyone can relate to. I saw right into the minds of the characters. And I found that they don't always say what they're thinking. The author writes bluntly and with insight about things we all feel but aren't very good at expressing. I will be watching for other books by this author. I truly appreciate the advance reader's copy provided by Simon & Schuster and Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I was surprised by this book. When I first started reading it and Mona stole a Trump sign. I wondered what type of book this was.. I wanted an escape from all the BS in the world. But I said I will keep reading and see if the story gets better. It did. I loved Ariel. I loved the craziness of the sanctuary. I liked all of the characters. It showed Ariel really growing as a person. I recommend this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I did not care for the political agenda that was littered throughout the book and do not feel it had any added value. With that being said, I enjoyed the story and Ariel and Mona were relatable as characters. I am a volunteer with a farm animal sanctuary and also with a dog rescue so I appreciated reading a book that had those aspects as a main theme. Becky Mandelbaum is a talented writer. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes animals and reading about them and who likes animal rescue. Once you get past the political junk, it's a good book.

I enjoyed reading Mandelbaum's "slice of life" novel, The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals, but ultimately wouldn't recommend to my patrons. Too many plot points are introduced without satisfactorily explaining why they matter to the greater story. Unfortunately it made for a dissatisfying ending that tainted the rest of the novel.

I fell in love with The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals.

The story is anchored in the 2016 post-election unrest, and the emotional cracks are echoed in the characters personal lives. Six years earlier, Ariel ran away from everything — her boyfriend, her mother, and her home at Bright Side Sanctuary. And she never went back. But now the Sanctuary has been the target of anti-Semitic hate crimes and her mother has decided to sell. Ariel knows she has to go home. She needs to face those she left behind, and try to help save the Sanctuary.

Strained relationships are at the heart of this novel: the emotional chasm between Ariel and her mother, Mona; the hurt of Gideon, Ariel’s first love, who continues to live and work at the Sanctuary; the guilt Ariel feels for a mistake made in high school that might have contributed to the violence against the Sanctuary; the secrets between Ariel and her fiancé, Dex; and the collective confusion and anger of a community divided.

Most of these scenarios add to the complexity of the characters, making them feel raw and relatable. The exploration of the mother-daughter bond, as well as the uneasy relationship of Ariel and Dex, are handled beautifully and drive the plot. However, the too quick turnaround of Gideon’s anger to consoling friendship seemed unbelievable, and the high school situation with Sydney was unnecessary and unresolved.

It is the animals who’ll steal your heart, though. I loved how detailed the descriptions and personality quirks of the animals were. They helped me understand Mona’s anger and Ariel’s regret and Dex’s hidden depth. Their unconditional love of the humans they encounter provided a contrast to and a roadmap for the love between the humans themselves.

This is a wonderful, slow moving character study set against the wildness of Western Kansas. I really enjoyed it and recommend that you give it a try. If you’re an animal lover and can appreciate the emotional journeys taken by the characters, this is an excellent choice. If you need action and adventure, this is likely not the book for you. Likewise, if you’re squeamish about the sights and smells of an animal sanctuary, you may want to pass this by.

Thank you to #netgalley and #simonandschuster for providing this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon Schuster for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

The cover is what initially drew me to this book because it is so pretty by itself but when I read the title, I knew I would have to request this one. :) And I am going to say that this was a book that was 100% back and forth for me. At times, I thought it was going to be 5 stars and at other times, it was all the way down to two stars. In fact, until the last ten pages, it was going to be two stars for the win. Let me preface all of this by saying that I never 100% connected with one of the main characters, Ariel. I can completely understand where she was coming from and why she was the way she was but I never really liked her. I liked her mother, I liked her ex boyfriend and his new girlfriend(and even HER mother). I liked her new boyfriend/fiancé(actually, I liked him best)and occasionally his best friend(and that is saying a lot) but till the last ten pages, I did not like Ariel. Mona(the mother) was a woman with a dream to save animals...and when that dream had a chance to happen, she jumped at it. Unfortunately it affected just about every relationship she had even the one with herself in the end. She let that dream take over her entire life...and that is what the book is about. Recovering as best you can from such a huge thing. I loved reading about the animals and each one clearly had their own personality...Hippo/Bam Bam was my favorite as I am a pitbull Mom myself. What kept it from being 5 stars in the end was that I wish it had gone on just a tiny bit more. I want to know what happened AFTER the end. Maybe just ten more pages to explain how things ended up all the way around.

Debut book by this author and I will definitely be interested in more! As a midwesterner and an animal lover, the setting couldn't have been better. A story of an estranged Mother and Daughter, misunderstanding and hurt. A current romantic relationship and a relationship from the past Reconciliation and forgiveness. A feel good story! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was written exactly how I thought it would be based on the synopsis and the plot was what I expected as well. I thought I would be more intrigued but I realized about halfway through that I was reading this book just to review it for this website and not because I enjoyed it. I liked the writing style and the set up but I don't feel like the plot was for me.

This book is Ariel’s journey back home from Lawrence to Western Kansas when she finds out that her mother’s animal sanctuary was the site of arson and anti-Semitic crimes. There are several complicating factors. 1. She hasn’t seen or spoken to her mother, Mona in over 6 years. 2. There’s an ex-boyfriend Gideon back at the sanctuary that Ariel might still have feelings for. 3. She just got engaged to Dex who dotes on her. 4. Dex has an annoying friend Buddy. Well, annoying at least according to Ariel. 5. The Sanctuary, her mother’s dream, is up for sale. We throw all these factors in and maybe a couple more and we have a novel filled with drama and interesting characters. I say, interesting, but I’m not so sure on believable. I don’t know. I didn’t “feel” what I was supposed to “feel”. And did I say there are plenty of animals in the sanctuary that Mona takes care of. If you love animals, above human beings, you might like and identify with a lot of the elements in this book.
I like books that either make me laugh out loud or make me pensive or rip my heart out and make me feel. This book was not any of that. It was a story. It was a drama with a lot of characters and yet I feel unsatisfied. I don’t know what I wanted, but the resolution that was supposed to make me feel something, like love or family connections, or forgiveness. I don’t know. I didn’t feel anything. In a sense, I read it to see how it would end. And then it ended and I thought. Ok. That’s fine. Whatever. Next book. Moving on.
I give this book 3 stars. If you like family dramas and animals, then this book might be for you. Also, if you are a new reader and don’t have too many books to compare with, this might be a good starting book to enjoy. But it didn’t fully tickle my fancies.

4 Stars.

Thank you to #netgalley #beckymandelbaum and #simonandschuster for the complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and it actually spoke to me on a lot of levels. I grew up an only child with a single mom who loved(s) animals. To the point where I too questioned if my mother loved the animals more than I and the older I got, I loved animals but also resented them a little. Just as Ariel escaped to college and a different life- I did the same. The only big difference is Ariel goes back.

This book is about people and complex relationships. It starts off showing some very liberal viewpoints and hatred towards Trump (I'm super liberal and absolutely hate Trump) but later in the novel, it digs a little deeper into some of those beliefs. My big problem is that it didn't dive deep enough.

The book looks at the parent/child relationship, the husband/wife relationship, fiancé/fiancee relationship, Ex-boyfriend/Ex-girlfriend relationship, but really only skims the surface. I would have liked her to dig deeper and provide more context into why each person was there and why they were so passionate about animals.

Overall I felt like it was a good book. I read it quickly, but i really left me wanting more. I'm excited to see what the next book by Becky Mandelbaum brings.

DNF. While the premise of this book sounded really interesting (who doesn't love an animal sanctuary?), there were too many things that turned me off the story. Sorry, but I don't need to read about videos of people farting on birthday cakes or how filthy the cat urine smells in a room. I couldn't get past the crassness of the content. I also kept getting taken out of the story whenever it switched to the fiancé's POV. It felt unnecessary. The author can write, but the book wasn't for me. Too bad.

I really enjoyed this story. It started a bit slow and I craved more in the end. It was a great book that I will definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and S&S for the ARC. This was a lovely story about where you go to find yourself and to come to terms with who you are. Or that it's okay to still figure it out. There's no happy endings in life just journeys with ups and downs and making sure that we have people with us for all of them. What home really means. And how animals, esp dogs, are the greatest healers on Earth.

A quick read due to the enjoyable plot and pacing. The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals was charming, but not overly sweet, Mandelbaum has a style that's easy to read. even though the characters are multi-dimensional and some of the relationships complex. I'd definitely pick up more of Mandelbaum's work for book clubs, beach reads, and just winding down at the end of the day.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals. If you're a dog lover, there's not much to dislike about this book! It's about dogs, there are two semi-unpleasant male characters whose transformations in the presence of dogs makes them mildly enjoyable; it's also about family reconciliation, which is nice, but not nearly as entertaining as the dogs were in this one. I was expecting Bright Side to end much differently than it did, but I felt like the ending was really quite perfect! End remained untied, just like I like them. I didn't necessarily bond with any of the characters in this book, but I found the characters to be likable, pleasant and felt like I knew a lot about a few of them in a good way. The descriptions in this book were also pretty incredible. If you've ever spent time around animals, you'll be able to vividly recreate scenes in your brain courtesy of Mandelbaum's descriptions. All in all a great read! Shout-out to BamBam/Hippo and Xena/Naomi for stealing the show in this one!

Thanks to #netgalley and #simon & Schuster for giving me this ARC for my honest review.

I originally chose this book because it was about animals and specifically it takes place at an animal sanctuary which I’m an avid believer in.

The story starts with a mother/daughter relationship. The daughter wants to leave to go to a college that she gets a full “ride” to and mom doesn’t want her to go so far away, wanting her to go to the local college.. Each have their own reasons but neither will really talk about it, par for mothers and daughters of that age and beyond at times. I tried putting myself in each of the different generations shoes and could do it very handily! A mother letting go of her daughter and a daughter spreading her wings but do these two things happen independently?

A wonderful story that delves into the growing up and letting go process of life on both sides of the equation. I promise you will be frustrated with one of the characters and then turnaround and be frustrated with the counterpart.

Just read it. It will give you insight.