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Ballantine Books

The Bright Side of Disaster: A Novel

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"A charming debut . . . Cleverly told and uncommonly appealing."--PEOPLE 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 fiancé, 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. "The Bright Side of Disaster is a treat of a book. It is so warm, so smart, so touching, so wise-and, despite its poignancy, you read the whole thing with a laugh in your throat." -Anna Maxted, author of A Tale of Two Sisters "A funny and poignant novel about love, motherhood and men . . . elevates the subject matter beyond the realm of 'mommy lit.' " -Houston Chronicle"A compulsively great read with a truly likable leading lady."--MetroCanada"Charming, quite sweet, and deliciously hopeful." --Stephanie Klein, author of Straight Up and Dirty Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books


Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more


Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 26, 2007


Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st


Language ‏ : ‎ English


File size ‏ : ‎ 2.2 MB


Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported


Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled


X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Should be 10 stars.
Format: Kindle
This was a perfect read. The main character is someone you would like to be friends with so you could love her and also want to choke her for her decisions. She describes the baby in such detail I feel like I can hold her, and she does sugar coat life with a new born. It is an all around entertaining book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2026 by avidreader
    • Beautiful debut novel!
Format: Paperback
I've read a lot of Katherine Center's newest books and a happen to grab her debut novel. Very impressed with it given that it was her first. You can tell it's her voice that has only gotten stronger with more books. Really detailed a realistic picture of a struggling couple who end up facing their challenges very differently. Dean, the bastard fiance MMC who left, totally made sense why he did given his maturity level and how he was raised. Jenny, the new single mom, I really felt for her and could see the struggle of trying to do it all, while also being super paranoid about your first born. I was so like her with my first. I loved Gardner and Jenny's parents. Great characters. I only wish we got to see more of Gardner and Jenny in their HEA. Audiobook was excellent too! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2025 by Denice L
    • 3.5 Fangs!
Format: Kindle
Continuing with my desire to read everything written by Katherine Center, I had to go back to her beginnings. The Bright Side of Disaster was her first published novel. Although, I do wonder about her Duran Duran fanfic :) The Bright Side of Disaster is about a young pregnant woman, Jenny Harris. When the story begins, Jenny is staying home waiting for the arrival of her first child. Jenny is sure it's a boy. She's enjoying her pregnancy and she's happy and in love with her fiance, Dean. But her happiness won't last. Dean becomes distant and suddenly one day, he just leaves and never comes back. The day after, Jenny is in labor and all her careful birth planning goes out the window. Being a single mother is not easy. The painful birth, the lack of sleep, the battered nipples, the constant worry about this new life you have created are all things carefully brought in by the author. There were many things I enjoyed about The Bright Side of Disaster. Katherine Center has a knack for making me smile and sometimes laugh out loud. Her characters can make me quite angry and some I wish I could hurt them physically. Dean was a perfect example. He was simply a bad man. A man who was not happy with his life and who was not mature at all. He thought Jenny was beneath him. He used her and left her high and dry when she was counting on him the most. A despicable man. Show/hide Other than Dean's parts at the end of the novel, the rest was quite enjoyable. I wished I had seen more of Jenny and Gardner together. Maybe after a year has passed. Cliffhanger: No 3.5/5 Fangs ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2019 by MrsLeif
    • Left me with a smile on my face
Format: Kindle
Rating 4.5 Stars This was the final Katherine Center backlist book I had to read, and as expected, it was a delight. This was the final Katherine Center backlist book I had to read, and as expected, it was a delight. Dumped by her fiance, Jenny finds herself facing new motherhood on her own. Reading about Jenny’s first few months brought me back to my own time as a single mom, and Center did a beautiful job portraying all that difficult and lovely time in a new mother’s life. It was a challenging time for Jenny, but not to fear! She was lucky enough to find support in many places. I think that was one of my favorite parts of this story. I loved this wonderful group of women who rallied for Jenny. They was critical in helping her make that transition to motherhood, and strong female friendships are always great to read about. There was also her neighbor, John. I really liked John. He seemed to pop up at all the right moments, and he always seemed to say or do the exact right things. At first, I thought he was some sort of unicorn man, but there was more to that story. Learning about his past did nothing to sour me on him, and I was ecstatic about his growing friendship with Jenny. Though it’s been a very long time since I gave birth, it was fun revisiting that time in my life via Jenny’s experiences. The mix of fear, frustration, and joy is something I think many moms may find relatable. I do wish I got a bit more at the ending, but overall, I greatly enjoyed this book. Packed with humor and heart, it put a smile on my face and warmed my heart. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2022 by Sam K
    • Until the abbreviated ending this was a 5 star.
Format: Kindle
I was very much taken with this until the uprupt Deus Ex Machina ending.
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2025 by Amazon Customer
    • Very good story
Format: Kindle
I liked this book. It kept my interest. I didn't like that she took dean back but was glad she got rid of him. It was humerous and easy to read. Good author
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2025 by Barbara
    • When Disaster Strikes, What Happens Next?
Format: Hardcover
What happens to a woman on the verge of giving birth, while her fiancé continues acting as if he is still an adolescent boy? The answers form the story that follows, in a somewhat predictable pattern...boy-man goes out for cigarettes and doesn't return; woman goes into labor the next day; and the saga of treading water in the single mom's world, while trying to recover from heartbreak, could be just another predictable tale. But Jenny Harris, our single mom, adds that extra spark--her humor, her tenacity, her all-encompassing love--and we find ourselves rooting for her from the very first moment. Even before the "cad" leaves, we can see the handwriting on the wall and know that he will disappoint. He lolls around the house, sleeping until noon; he stays out late with his boys playing music; he doesn't lift a finger to help his hugely pregnant fiancée set up for the garage sale they're having. So, in a way, we're kind of glad that he leaves. He isn't anything to write home about. The challenges Jenny faces, even with the support of her "new mommy" group, remind us all of any of the difficulties we've faced in life. We hope and believe that she will triumph. So what happens to Jenny, once she has accepted that fiancé Dean is not coming back? Does she finally realize that she doesn't want him back, and will she bravely forge new relationships? Or will she totally focus on her baby, this new love who consumes her time and attention? Discovering what happens next kept me reading until the final page. The Bright Side of Disaster: A Novel is not one of those books that we'll clamor about for days to come, but it is thoroughly enjoyable and definitely rates four stars. Perhaps even four-and-a-half. Laurel-Rain Snow ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2009 by Laurel-Rain Snow
    • I am a huge Katherine Center fan, and so will you be if you read this!
Format: Kindle
The world is so dark these days, I swear, the only relief I get is reading all Ms Center’s books. They are charming, lovely, romantic, human SO HUMAN, and kind and not sappy, but smart and oh…just do yourself a favor and read one!
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2025 by Patoonia

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