Brave Enough

Brave Enough #1

by Kati Gardner

Teenager Cason Martin is the youngest ballerina in the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory. She never really had a choice of whether she learned to dance or not. Her mother, the conservatory's artistic director, has made all the decisions in Cason's life. But that's about to change. Cason has been hiding an injury, and it's much worse than anyone imagines.

Davis Channing understands all too well what it's like to give up control of your life. He's survived cancer, but his drug addiction nearly killed him. Now he's been sober for seven months and enjoying his community service at the hospital. But just when he thinks he's got it together, Davis's ex-girlfriend, who is still battling her addiction, barrels back into his life.

Cason and Davis are not friends. But, as their worlds collide, they will start to depend on one another. Can they both be brave enough to beat the odds?"

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Disability, Realistic Fiction, Mental Health

280 pages, Paperback

First published August 21, 2018

About the author

Kati is a recovering actor who has spent the last few years keeping tiny humans alive. In high school she was determined to play a doctor on General Hospital and possibly add in a love story with Jonathan Jackson. She would spend hours toiling away on FanFiction for my AOL community and dreaming of the day she would accept a Daytime Emmy Award. In college she majored in Theater arts and spent lots of time hanging out in the box office.

Before any of that happened though, Kati had cancer. She was eight. She responded to chemotherapy and had an amputation of her entire left leg. She still advocates for childhood cancer research and accessibility for all individual with disabilities.

Kati is married, has two great girls, and a posse of furry friends. She doesn't watch General Hospital anymore, but still thinks that Lucky Spencer is one of the most dynamic characters ever written.

Reviews

[jv poore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cason Martin is not a typical high-school student. She attends—half-days and classes only. Isolating, yet unavoidable. As prima ballerina in the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory properly preparing to audition for the American Ballet Theatre, she only has time to dance. This plan has been in place for as long as Cason can remember. No distractions allowed—certainly not this nagging pain in her knee.

Everything changes in an instant when Cason learns that she won’t be pampering a pulled muscle. The injury, in fact, is a much bigger deal.

Natalie Martin probably wouldn’t be a warm-and-fuzzy maternal figure even if she wasn’t Cason’s artistic director first, single-parent second. Nonetheless, her assessment of her daughter’s diagnosis as an inconvenient time-burglar is almost stunning. Cason isn’t necessarily surprised by her mom’s reaction, but she can’t help being disappointed and frustrated.

Maybe she can’t count on her mother, but no one should suffer sickness alone. It is often other adolescents that have dealt with disease who come together to create the strongest support system.

Davis Channing conquered cancer, but now he has a different fight on his hands—with the demon of addiction. Recovering while repaying his debt to society has Davis volunteering in the very hospital that treated him. He may not be just what Cason needs, but the dude knows everyone and is effortlessly the epitome of a kind soul. His sincere desire to be beneficial is evident. The fact that he could use a friend right now, is not.

I read a lot as a teen, but I can only recall one instance when a serious illness affected anyone my age. Now, we have non-fiction and realistic-fiction options for high-school and middle-grade readers that talk about kids being seriously sick. Ms. Gardner joins awe-inspiring authors such as Josh Sundquist, Sophia Bennett, Jordan Sonnenblick, and John Green to fill this void.

Compassionately composed, Brave Enough is an honest journey from heart-ache to hope that deftly demonstrates the strength, resilience and adaptability of our youth.


This review was written by jv poore for Buried Under Books, with huge thanks to North Star Editions/Flux Publicity Department for the Advance Review Copy.

[Sara ➽ Ink Is My Sword · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 “Getting to be brave enough” Stars

After a lot of thought I think is important to leave a part of the author’s note as the start of this review. Some quotes that I loved will be at the end of it. This touched me.

When I was a teenager and reading every book I could get my hands on, I was desperate for a girl that looked like me. For a girl who had cancer and lived. And it was really hard to come by. So, I wrote one.

➽ FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED.

Disclaimer: Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Buddy reading this with my bad currently-reading influence/ twin/ love😍 I also kind of finished before her, but whatever.

WARNING: long review ahead.

First let me just bow to the designer of this cover, because holy mother of covers, my retinas are thanking her.

Also, I don’t have experience with cancer, but the author does and the content of this book is related to her experiences with the illness.

“Until that moment she hadn’t really believed kids got cancer. She’d always thought it was a plot device.”----> If you feel this quote resonates with you, meaning you are tired of authors using cancer just as a plot device, this is a book you want to read. From the start we know we are following two characters who have a connection with this illness, and we literally immerse in what happens when you have cancer. How is it to that becoming your new reality, or have already battled with it but it is still part of your everyday life.

I did want to love this, because the concept was just too good and that cover. Sadly couldn’t love it wholeheartedly. It was very lacking in some aspects.

The main characters. We follow Carson and Davis as our main characters. I really loved both of them, I was amazed by their lives and the fight they had to undergo every day. Just imagine being Carson, a ballerina who gets diagnosed with bone cancer. Or Davis, a cancer survivor who is recovering from an addiction to narcotics. We are in their head and we feel how their worlds get destroyed brick by brick and then are restored when they choose to be brave enough. I admired them for not giving up. With this characters I was able to see how much an addiction or diagnosis can become your identity, your persona, your only thing. I mean I have lived through it but I always thought it was just something more, but then I read this and I felt the importance, the weight people have to carry every single day. I really want to say I know this two characters profoundly, but honestly, I don’t. I got that Carson loves to dance but I really cannot tell you anything more besides their cancer and addiction experiences. Which it was a downside for me because they should have more things to tell, I don’t think is the fault of the author but rather a way to emphasize how your life becomes your illness. But still.

The side characters. The only one I had problems with was Natalie and Davis ex. Holy fuck talk about annoying characters. I will say Natalie got redemption when she finally started acting like a mom and not the ballerina teacher. I loved the new friends Carson makes, and how they are supportive but at the same time now when not to take Carson’s shit.

The writing. I really loved the way we got the descriptions of the feelings or characters were feeling, the way it vividly described the scenes in the hospital, it added realness. What I wasn’t a big fan of was the chapter endings, it was so abrupt, and suddenly we were jumping 3 weeks in time and so many things felt in a black hole. It sadly contributed time not connecting with the romance part of the story.

The plot. I am really scratching my head here, thinking if there was any plot. This was my biggest problem, I loved being able to see this characters go through this journey, but there wasn’t any big action occurring. After 40% mark, I was like okay so now what? Something big will happen, it didn’t. So if you are a person who appreciates plot over characters, not for you.

The tiny romance. This book is not a romance contemporary, the two characters don’t exist only to fall for each other, romance may develop but is not the main point. Our two main characters are equally as important, and they just realize they have an attraction and undergo a sweet very subtle romance. Yes, it was a bit too instant for my taste, but I also understood it. They weren’t in a position to have this epic romance adventure where they ditched everything happening in their lives for each other, really this is not a romeo & juliette romance. Again I felt this part was really affected by the weird flow of the story. I wished we had had more insight into their messages interaction and stuff like that.

Cancer & Addiction. The main reason why I liked this story, was how deep we got into this aspects. We followed our characters in their hospital visits, treatments, surgery procedures, narcotics anonymous reunions, police officer appointments. I hadn’t read another YA novel that touched this subject with such a focus, and it was refreshing. It also gives us hope that cancer has survivors, because is honestly not fair all books introduce cancer as a way to just keep killing characters, yes it happens, but not all the fucking time.

I overall I am so grateful this exists. I hope teenagers out there can relate to this story and not feel alone.

“He wanted to claw at his mind, rake his nails down the synapses and neurons as they fired, and he begged to just forget everything in his own head.”

“Sadness held her heart and soul in claws that were digging into her beaten body. She fought to not scream, not to scratch and hit at the tangible demons tearing at her.”

Pick this book up if the author's note quote I added at the start touched you, you are a fan of contemporary and you prefer characters over plot.

Initial thoughts:

I GOT AN ARC OF THIS! HOLY SHIT THIS COVER, I AM IN LOVE.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

 

"When I was a teenager and reading every book I could get my hands on, I was desperate for a girl that looked like me. For a girl who had cancer and lived. And it was really hard to come by. So, I wrote one."

Normally I like to start off my reviews with a quote from the book, however, we're going change things up a little bit today. This quote is from the author's note at the very end of this story and I would be 110% lying if I didn't ugly cry after reading this. But really, how powerful and amazing is that?

I think it really says a lot about a book when you've read it months ago and it still continues to blow you away, and that's exactly what debut author Kati Gardner has done. I read this book in March and I still can't seem to find the right words to talk about how important this story is. I will admit that I did initially judge this book by it's cover because I mean how can you not?! It's absolutely beautiful. But I was further sold on this book after reading the synopsis for two reasons. The first, was because I can't recall ever reading a YA book that battles drug addiction. The second, was because the only other book I've read that tackles cancer was TFIOS which I enjoyed.

This book was definitely more character driven than anything else but I found myself rooting so hard for both Cason and Davis, individually and together as a couple. Cason, has been hiding a leg injury in order to audition for a ballet theater telling herself "it's just a strain", until she can no longer put off her injury anymore and finds out it is something much worse.

In that one moment her perfect, prima-ballerina, pink-tutu world fell off its pointe. She wasn't Cason Martin, prima ballerina, anymore. She was Cason Martin, number T7654908, cancer patient.

With her hopes and dreams shattered Cason struggles heavily with her new reality and falls into a deep depression. Davis, a former cancer patient, is sentenced to 300 hours community service at the hospital wing he was once a patient in after getting caught and charged with an intent to distribute drugs. Although Davis has been clean and sober for almost a year he does still struggle heavily throughout this story with his drug addiction, especially on the harder days. As horrible as it is to say, that struggle is appreciated. His drug addiction was not sugar-coated as in "he once did drugs but now isn't phased by them" it's "he did hard drugs and still battles it every day", which is the reality of drug addiction.

If you haven't put two and two together yet, cancer patient + community service in cancer wing of hospital = Davis and Cason's worlds colliding together. And although their reason for meeting is anything but happy they both seem to find healing and happiness in one another. This did feature the dreaded insta-love, but I was able to see past it very quickly because this is so much more than a love story. It's a story about finding hope in the most unlikely places and character development like you wouldn't believe. Speaking of character development, you've never seen it written so well when it comes to Cason's mom, Natalie. She's annoying, nagging, and unable to accept daughter's illness in the beginning, but at the end? Oh, she was everything I hoped for and more. I really had to hold back the big fat ugly tears for her.

This is merely the tip of the iceberg of the story. There's still so much more to be expected, like, ex-girlfriends coming around, new friendships, restraining orders, surgeries, AH-MAZING disability rep (visible and non-visible), and who knows Cason may even find a new passion in life.

All in all, you don't want to miss this because it's a book that will stick with you for a long time to come. And this author deserves not only Cason's story to be told but her own as well, so don't mind me while I go back to the author's note and continue bawling my eyes out.


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[Aneela ♒the_mystique_reader♒ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of Cason Martin and Davis Channing. Their sickness brought them together as both of them are cancer survivors. Besides cancer, Cason also struggles with her shattered dream of being a ballerina and Davis stuggles with drug addiction. I liked Davis's character because he is so caring and supportive. Cason on the other hand was too bland for me. I tried but I could not connect with her.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. Coming from an author who is a cancer survivor herself, I highly appreciate her writing but for me it lacked depth. A lot of the stuff was repetitive and hence boring. I wanted to know more about Davis except that he is a drug addict and he wants to use some but sadly, a good part of the book was comprised of this.

[chan ☆]

buddy read with my OG buddy ready partner in crime & lovely lady who i am a terrible influence on: sara

[Lara Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever seen any of my status updates, you will know that I am an absolute sucker for judging books by their covers, and this was no exception. As soon as I saw this on Netgalley, I knew I needed it. I think I even requested it without reading the description if I'm honest here. But DAMN!!! The story definitely lives up to that beautiful cover. A super-cute read!!

A part of me is screaming that this only deserves four stars. This book probably does deserve four stars. But I loved reading it, I was enjoying myself the whole way through the book, and I read for enjoyment, so that is reason enough for a full five stars for me!

Though it was a fluffy and cute contemporary, there were also some more serious topics which were dealt with, and I appreciated that.

It deals with cancer more so than nearly any other book I've read. And the author has experience. She gets it, and that definitely comes across in the book.

It also dealt with drug addiction. This was very new for me. I mean, I knew that it happened, but I didn't get it until now. This book helped me understand so much more what people will go through, and I am so appreciative that this book went there and dealt with the topic.

What I did not appreciate was the insta-love. I say that I hate it all the time, but if I'm honest here I really don't mind if it's done well. However, in this book I did find it a bit jarring. It didn't feel like love at first sight, it was like love at third sight or something. So not long enough for either one to have a reason to like each other, but not like the destiny meet-cute which I thought was a bit strange.

I also wasn't the biggest fan of Cason. I feel like I could have liked her, if I got to know more of her personality earlier on. I get that dancing is a big part of her life, and that was something I really enjoyed in this book, but it is not the only element to her character, and I wish we got to know other stuff about her as well.

But overall, the ship was so so so so so so CUTE and I was absolutely in love, so though I can say these things now that I've had a day to think about this book, I was in love the entire time I was reading, which is EXACTLY what I look for in a book, so that was absolutely NAILED!!

Overall, loved it, highly recommend, can't wait for a realease date! 100% worth that cover!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy. All opinions are my own.

[Kylie Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

** I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher North Star Editions in exchange for my honest review**

“Your smile is one of my favorite things.”… “And not just on you, like, it’s one of my favorite things in this world.”

After finishing this novel, I mainly have positive things to say. I love the setting of the story, I always have been interested in hospital storylines. I really enjoyed how much the characters developed over the length of the story. And I didn't hate any of the characters (besides Natalie, for about half of the book). For me Brave Enough was very fast-paced and a novel I was able to dive deep into immediately, which I loved.
The problem areas for me though are:
- I felt like the plot fell a little short after half of the story. Too much happened to soon, so much that I remember looking at the page I was on thinking "Oh dang, if it's like this half way through, something even better must be coming" To me, nothing else was very interesting besides the ending life decisions for each character.
-One other thing that irked me was how Cason talks about dancing. I understand she is passionate and devastated over the loss of her true love but, the way she was CONSTANTLY talking about herself dancing with perfect this and perfect that, bothered me because I felt like she was one of those snobby performers you see at conventions and competitions (yes, I am a dancer of 18 years so it probably didn't bother most people.)
- I also would have liked to see more of how Cason and Davis get to this point of liking each other, rather then them seeing each other once and being like "OOO I like that person", even though they didn't know who the other was.

I give this story 3.5 stars because it was a cute, quick read that I was having fun with while reading. I also really loved how caring Davis was, even though he was dealing with his own problems he was always right at Cason's bedside when she need "a friend". Definitely recommend this one (:

Check out the full review on my blog!
www.savedbythebook.com

[Kayla Silverss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a deep beautiful story about Cancer and Drug addiction and Love, the book was so well written and the plot was so realistic.

[Farhina ↯↯ The Wanderer Of Inked Adventures · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5
Thank you to NetGalley the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

This story is about Cason and Davis. Cason is the youngest ballerina in the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory, But her life is turned a 360 degree when she gets diagnosed with Bone Cancer. Davis has survived cancer, but his drug addiction nearly killed him. Now 7 months sober sentenced to do community service on the cancer ward where he was treated, his life collides with Cason where she is also being treated....

The title of this book fits this story so well. This book is so bloody positive through and through. Being BRAVE is the theme throughout both Cason's and Davis's arc.


Things i liked:
- Cason's Journey; I quite enjoyed her arc. The journey from shock to acceptance and moving on (to some level).
- Davis’ struggle; The representation and the struggle of a former addict and all the temptation he faced all around and how real it was.
- How there were no extra over the top villains; this was one of my favorite thing about this book. It didn't had to make things and events extra like a soap opera. Like people asked for help and were able to maintain strength through out. Like no bad guys got away with being shit ass!
- All the help that was around when it was needed; i loved that their were so many people around to help all the support groups. It was just so positive and empowering that yes you can do this. And so many people are yes indeed around you rooting for you!!
- The representation of the disabled and sick; Their are so many diverse and disable and recovering people in this book. And all their view, struggles are discussed.
- Addiction Talk This book deals extensively with addiction, i found it so positive. It has like such a big message that YES HELP IS HERE FOR YOU! I loved that and their were support groups and the NA meeting. And how the parents, doctors and friends around were so supportive and helpful.
- Authenticity Since this book draws from the authors own experience with cancer. This felt real and genuine.
- Side Supporting Characters: Each one of the side characters were so different, fun diverse and supportive.


Things i didn't like:
-The insta love: I am so sad about this tbh. It had so much potential sigh like so bloody much!! But they ruined it. The like so instantly fall together ugh, it could have worked so well if it didn't just happen in an instant. I mean she doesn't even know him other than his name from school, when they meet and BAAM they end up together.
- Camp: The camp is mentioned like 3948348 times through out the book and in the end we just get glimpse of like two to three events not even day!??!?!?!?
- The mom Oh she start as such villain and a bitch but than she out of nowhere get a conscience?
-Lack of back story for: The story starts with the feeling that Davis knows of Cason and maybe kinda likes her. But we never get why and how he knew her from school.

Overall this book is filled with a nice, positive and authentic representation of cancer patients, survivors and addiction. You should definitely pick it up for that alone!...

P.s The struggle was real with Cason's name through out this review xD The amount times i wrote Canson and Canon was to darn high!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i got approved for it on net galley I MEAN WOW!! Now i get why people freak about net galley approvals!!!!

[Kiera LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally picked up this book because the main character was ballerina, but this book is really so much more than that, I may have also picked this book up because of the GORGEOUS cover!
I really really enjoyed this book. It was so good.
I loved Davis he was so sweet and kind to Cason and I loved how he did so much at the hospital and how Davis was battling with an addiction and there was stuff going on in his life but he didn't let that knock him down. Such a powerful character. I really liked how Davis was able to get help and go to NA meetings throughout this book and fight his addiction it really shows that you can get through something like that and that you can get help. I loved that.
The story was really good I liked how it wasn't a super depressing cancer book but it was fun. I really liked how she overcame some of her challenges and didn't let the fact that she lost a leg stop her.
such a heart warning read! I will definitely be checking out more of her books.
I could gush on and on about this book but, I'll stop for your sake and for mine ;)
The only thing that was kind of a struggle for me was Cason's name I kept wanting to say Carson.
And the instant love was kind of clique but the rest of the book made up for it.
I would 100% recommend this to anyone looking for a good book.
Overall: 4.75 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[✧ k a t i e ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We all have something we're afraid of. We all have something we're fighting."

Don't let the pretty cover deceive you. This book is hella emotional. I can't say how many times I was crying.

Cason Martin is a dancer. She lives and breathes ballet. But her life gets flipped upside down when she finds out she has cancer. Her time at the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory is now being spent at the Children's Hospital. Then Davis Channing walks in. Davis has spent most of his childhood at the hospital since he had battle cancer, but he is now back volunteering because of his probation. As both of their lives become intertwined, they realize how much they need each other.

I haven't been this emotional invested in a couple in a contemporary in a long time. I instantly became attached to Cason and Davis and was rooting for them the whole time. They're just so adorable together it makes me cry.

This book reminded me a lot of the show Red Band Society , which I loved. That was one of my favorite shows and seeing similarities just made me feel so nostalgic. In the hospital, I loved seeing everyone come together when Cason needed it and just friendships grow in general. It warmed my heart and I wanted to protect everyone.

I noticed a few spelling and grammar errors, but since this is an arc I'm assuming that those were fixed so that's not effecting my rating that much.

Overall, this was a happy surprise for me. This novel was fluffy while still tackling heavy topics like cancer and drug addiction. This is a novel is a quick read and that I highly recommend if you want to cry happy tears.

I received an arc from Netgalley and North Star Editions/Flux in order of an honest and fair review.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of BRAVE ENOUGH in exchange for my honest review.***

When ballerina Cason is diagnosed with bone cancer in her leg, she fears her life is over. Davis is currently cancer free, almost a year clean and sentenced to community service on the cancer ward where he was treated. The two teens may just be able to help each other survive their difficulties.

Debut writer Kati Garner, a cancer survivor, based BRAVE ENOUGH loosely on some of her experiences. Billed as a YA novel, BRAVE ENOUGH felt more like a story kids in middle school would enjoy. The predictability, insta-romance and trope characters may bore older teens, but tween readers will be drawn to the drama. I’m also a cancer survivor and was glad for the realistic portrayal of cancer and chemo,

Readers who like Lurlene McDaniel will enjoy BRAVE ENOUGH.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like I expected, this novel was hard to get through. Not because I didn't like it - on the contrary - but because there are a lot of hard topics present. It starts with cancer, with Cason realizing she won't be the ballerina she's always wanted to be. She falls into a depression and struggles to get out.
Then we have Davis who used to have cancer. Although he doesn't anymore, that doesn't mean his life is all rainbows and butterflies. On the contrary. He's a recovering drug addict. 

"Easy is boring," Noah said. "Everyone can do easy, it's a lot more rewarding to do hard."

Especially being in Davis' head, reading his POV, was very hard on me because you can feel his struggle to stay sober. Whenever things go wrong and even when they don't, his brain tries to convince him he needs that high - if only for one more time.

His addiction didn't define him. It was just one of his layers.

I love how Brave Enough made me feel, made me understand to some extent what these people are going through. Sure, it isn't the same for everyone but at least now.. Now I have somewhat of an idea of the things going through their head and being able to say that after reading a book reminds me why I love reading contemporary novels.

A decent human will want to be with you because of who you are, not because of or despite your disability.

There's only one thing I struggled with and that's how there's a bit of insta-love going on. More like an insta-crush, but still. I felt like there should've been more build-up to Cason and Davis' feelings instead of it feeling like an instant connection. For me, that would've added more to the story but I can see how others wouldn't be bothered by this at all.

4,5!

Kathy

Quotes were taken from an uncorrected proof and might differ from the finished copy.

[Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixture of feelings! I wanted to like this book so much, but it just didn't sit all too well with me.

Scene: a dancer with bone cancer meets a previous cancer patient and recovering drug addict. Personal struggles, people struggles. Are they "brave enough"?

This book was nice in that it gave me the backbones of characters I wanted. We have the support systems, the wrecking balls–the buildings trying not to crumble. My problem was, that's all they were.

I had so many expectations for the emotional mess I was waiting to ease into (okay but me on a daily basis who am I kidding). The heartache and rawness I would feel for the MCs in their battles from start to finish.

I wanted so much from the descriptions; simply put, going into the book, I wanted to really feel what they were feeling. This is not to say that I felt like the characters were emotionless bricks, more like they genuinely could've been so much more than how they were portrayed.

Another issue I had with this book was the insta-love aspect of it. I get it, it's decently short to begin with + it's YA so tropes galore, doesn't really matter, but I couldn't understand why they were a thing. Chemistry was kind of a stretch to me, and I think I probably would have liked Brave Enough more if they were just friends that helped each other along their journeys.

Last small thing: I was secretly hoping for some sort of plot twist toward the end. I am really glad things turned out the way they did for the characters though!

All that aside, I did enjoy the overall pace of the book and the course of the book was definitely something fun to walk through. My appreciation to Netgalley and North Star Editions / Flux for the ARC!

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit it was the cover that initially drew me in and made me pick this book. However, after reading the book I can say that it is not just the cover that makes this book stand out. Brave Enough is a heartbreaking story of Cason - an extremely talented prima ballerina with a great future ahead of her, who is suddenly diagnosed with cancer. The story is focused primarily on Cason and a boy called Davis who is a former drug addict and a cancer survivor.

I think what is remarkable about this book is the fact that it was written based on the author's own experience with cancer which made the story more authentic and real for me. What I also like about this book is the raw emotions and strength of the main characters - Cason overcoming the tragedy of the loss of her leg and Davis fighting his drug addiction.

The reason I'm giving it only 3 stars, despite loving the storyline, is because the writing style felt a bit rushed in some places, it was too much dialogue driven with little background story. The characters were also lacking in depth for me, I would welcome some more detail to get to know them better.

Overall, a very positive review, this is a great YA debut novel that I would recommend, especially to younger readers.

***The copy of the book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

[Lena Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

* Thank you to NetGalley for e-ARC in exchange for an honest review *

First the good things:
-I loooved the cover for this book;
-I liked Davis (Until I did not);
-I really liked the fact that author actually knows what she is talking about.
And that's about it.
-I didn't like insta-love;
-I didn't like Casons mother (I swear to God I wanted to punch her in the face every time she was cheking her email, and she was cheking her email all the fricking time);
-I didn't like Cason AT ALL;
-I HATED emotional manipulation.
I won't put any spoilers, but you pretty much know what is going to happen from the page 1. And if you don't know, just look at the authors' page.

[Raksha R · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 stars

Firstly thank you to NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read and provide an honest review for this book.

Author's note:

"When I was a teenager and reading every book I could get my hands on, I was desperate for a girl that looked like me. For a girl who had cancer and lived. And it was really hard to come by. So, I wrote one."

Ok so this book was actually pleasantly surprising. Was it my favourite book? No. Was I obsessed? No. But did I enjoy it a lot? Hell ya.

Books that focus on cancer are really hard books to effectively deliver. Because cancer is such a sensitive and prominent issue you really need to be careful when writing stories pertaining to it. Though I really enjoyed how Kati Gardner delivered this story.

The plot was very character driven so let's talk about the main characters really quick.

Cason - I loved her dedication to Ballet and her ultimate grit and determination. She was dealt a terrible card and dealt with it in a very mundane way. A lot of books portray the protagonist to be this strong and accepting individual, constantly fighting through cancer and being optimistic. But through Cason we were able to see how vulnerable you truly are. You get to see how cancer is ugly and can sometimes make you act ugly if that makes sense. Not to say that Cason wasn't strong, because she was!

Davis - He was my FAVOURITE character in this. Honestly if this book was entirely about him it would be AMAZING and I wouldn't complain. Davis was just such a raw and heartbreakingly real character that I was able to connect to on a different level. He suffered through cancer and a drug addiction and thought the struggle was over......yup you guessed it, it wasn't. It was so empowering to read his story and I love him so much!

As for the plot, this book was really fast-paced.....and I mean REALLY! I wish some things were drawn out a bit in order for everything to sink in. Like the romance was really quick but because the bigger picture of this story was the idea of finding hope in unexpected places I won't complain too much.

Overall, this was a great book about the power of courage and hope in your life. It was very relatable even though I have never been through such an experience.

Would urge anyone to give this a try!

P.S. THE COVER IS GORGEOUSSSSSSS!!

[Ayah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brave enough hooked me right from the start. I remember being barely 10% in, and I KNEW I was going to end up loving this book. Past me was right, and here is why.

This story is so real and heartbreaking! Cason's cancer isn't terminal, but it might terminate her ability to participate in the thing she loves the most, ballet. And her mother isn't making things easier. She is always treating Cason cancer as a minor thing that her daughter must overlook in order to continue pursuing their dream. Failing to find comfort and cohesive advice from her mom, she finds them elsewhere; aka, Davis.

Davis survived cancer and is a recovering drug addict who volunteers at the hospital. Love is written in the stars, but most importantly, the friendship built on caring and supporting each is truly priceless.

Kati Garden is brave enough to write this important and hard to find own voices representation for cancer. In doing so, she created a raw, honest, heartbreaking, and beautiful story that has probably never been told before.

I am really excited to see that there is a sequel in the works, and I can't wait to read it.

I received a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Flux for hooking me up with this beautifully depressing ARC.
This is a two POV story told through the alternating eyes of Cason and Davis.
They are both dealing with extreme hardships in life and find comfort in a new friendship with eachother.
The bulk of the story if magnificently honest and painful and yet so lovely.
I wish there were more, I wanted more with the two of them. I wanted to know what was next for them and see them out in the world.
Does Cason pursue silk dancing and manage to overcome her insecurities about having her leg amputated?
The author deals with some difficult subjects with honesty, tact and grace.
Definitely worth checking out.

[Kim Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I just finished this book a few minutes ago, and I'm sitting here in a puddle of tears! I was so incredibly moved by this powerful tale of two young people, Cason and Davis, who are trying to put themselves back together after life-changing events--cancer and drug addiction. The heart of this book is truly the journey the characters go on, the struggles they endure, and their fight for survival. I was blown away by this raw and realistic look at how we all get dealt bad hands in life, and we all have to decide if we're going to be brave enough to keep on fighting. I think a lot of teens will really relate to this book and I whole-heartedly recommend it! A gorgeous debut by Gardner!

[angelica ༅:*ﾟ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars! ”When I was a teenager and reading every book I could get my hands on, I was desperate for a girl that looked like me. For a girl who had cancer and lived. And it was really hard to come by. So, I wrote one.”

This quote from the author’s note is how I discovered this book. I was trying to search for some book recommendations that centred around cancer without the characters having to die like The Fault of Our Stars by John Green (ps. I still love that book with my whole heart) So I scrolled through tiktok, as one person would to look for book recs and stumbled upon a tiktok that showed book recommendations that had disability rep, I then went to the comments and read a person stating that a author that goes by the name ‘Kati Gardner’ is a cancer survivor amputee who writes romances about cancer survivors, and I swear I screamed with joy and immediately looked her up on goodreads to add her books on my tbr. I cannot express how happy I was to find a book about what its like living with cancer and then the aftermath of being a survivor. I knew it was going to be accurate because the author herself went through it, therefore making me connect greatly with the characters and story.

This book showed that stories can still be emotional without the death of a character. In the midst of reading, I can’t count the amount of times I said “Oh my gosh yes that is so relatable” or noticed little details about the cancer experience from the story that have occurred to me in reality. This book was so amazing in many ways, I recommend everyone to read this book once in their life. It’s very character driven so please be aware of that if you’re a plot person. The only thing that strayed me away from giving this book a full five stars was because I wanted more romance scenes between Cason and Davis, but I understand that it wasn’t needed as it focuses on the topic of cancer. I will be reading more of this author’s books from now on because her writing makes me feel incredibly understood. A piece of this story will always stay with me forever <3

[Hélène Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I thank Netgalley and North Star Editions - Flux for sending me the ARC in exchange for my honest review)

I was very happy to read this book, which has many qualities of authenticity.

Indeed the author has chosen a subject that matters a lot to her, as she’s directly concerned. She explains, in the end of the book, that she had the same cancer as her heroine as a child, and have lost her left leg as a result. The story and its characters are the product of her imagination, but all the facts, the details, the emotions are quite true.

I’ve got ambivalent thoughts about the actuel tendency of presenting more and more teenagers with various illnesses in YA books. In a way it’s really great, giving information to readers, encouraging them to understand, to be tolerant, to show that a person is a person no matter what, and never their illness. But on the other hand I’m always suspicious. Some authors, even motivated with the best intentions, even concerned by the difference, sometimes instrumentalise it, using the dramatics of an illness or neurological difference to create high emotions. I’m not sure it’s a bad thing, especially if the result is wholesome for the readers, but I can’t feeling the process sometimes a little dishonest… In « Brave enough », I was quite happy, all was perfect in my point of view.

I read this book very easily, it was a good story, with strong message about illness, family and drugs. I applaud the author to have managed to write a very positive story without letting the reader forgot about the realities of cancer and addiction. Some children and some teenagers die of cancer, even with good treatments. Some people aren't able to overcome their addiction, even with the best help. And still, hope is bright, as so many courageous people - patients, their families, doctors, hospital workers, volunteers - do their best, always.

Withstanding the gravity of the themes, the story was pleasant, with good characters, and the two stories intertwined of a teenage girl, a professional dancer, and a teenage boy, who was a "cancer kid" and is now cured but had also been using drugs. Their psychological evolution is a little bit rushed, but is sound and optimist, with a positive ending, which is a beautiful message!

[Leeloo (She Sniffs Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.



SONG I LISTENED TO WHILE WRITING REVIEW

In that one moment her perfect, prima-ballerina, pink-tutu world fell off its pointe. She wasn't Cason Marting, prima ballerina, anymore. She was Cason Martin, number T7654908, cancer patient.

Bravo to debut author Kati Gardner for this amazing story about a prima ballerina with cancer and a recovering drug addict fighting the need to use again. It's a story about real life situations and how we deal emotionally and mentally as everything comes crashing down in cruel, sweeping blows. About how two people from different backgrounds are brought together by one of the worlds most devastating killers: cancer. It's been a while since I've read a book where I fully connected to the characters, and because of this Gardner's novel struck a familiar emotional chord within me; a chord that can be hard to avoid playing because it's so painful and scary.

Seventeen year old Cason is the Prima Ballerina for the Atlanta Ballet Company, and she got there not only by hard work, but also because of her stern, overly critical mother, whom Cason calls Natalie instead of mom. What Cason doesn't know is that the pain in her leg isn't a spran, it's really cancer turning the bones in her leg to mush. During her audition for the American Ballet Theater based in New York, she breaks her leg. Cason soon finds out she has an aggressive form of cancer called Ewings Sarcoma...and with that, all of her dreams of going to New York and becoming the worlds best prima ballerina gets flushed down the toilet.

Davis is a recovering drug addict who is sentenced to community service in the hospital wing for cancer patients. He was there once a few years ago battling against non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which overcame. Davis was caught with drugs and charged with intent to distribute, but at 17, going to NA meetings, and receiving help from a doctor who saved his life once already, he's given 300 hours of community service. And even though Davis has been sober for almost a year, he still fights with his demons, always thinking "Just one hit. Just one." The need to score some dope is always creeping in the back of his mind, especially when things get tough. Not only is he still fighting the urge to use again, but his ex-girlfriend continues to pop up in the most inconvenient ways, asking him to help her find some dope or begging him to pay the money she owes to Ethan - Davis's ex-dealer. He also carries the guilt of being the person to get his ex-girlfriend addicted, something that his ex always throws at him while she's trying to manipulate him for more drugs or money.

It is during Davis's community service and Cason's chemotherapy that the two meet. Sparks fly soon after, and it isn't long before they start to care for one another in a romantic way. The beautiful thing is that Davis finds Cason beautiful, even without hair and a missing leg. And Cason cares for Davis, even though he has a past. Both characters are dealing with their own issues but they're constantly brought together because of past choices and current circumstances. Davis is a safe place for Cason to utter her dark thoughts and deepest fears and the only person she can count on to truly understand how she feels as her own mother can't seem to come to terms with Cason's cancer, or the fact that Cason will never be the ballet dancer her mother has trained her to be. And Cason becomes one of the reasons why Davis must continue to fight for sobriety.

I tend to stay away from books with highly emotional and social themes, simply because they are triggering for me, but I couldn't help myself with this one. Cason goes through some serious depression in this book, and the way Gardner writes about Cason's feelings and reactions to each life-altering and crushing hurtle, I couldn't help but be transported back to my days of suicidal depression. Cason's dark thoughts align with those who simply just want life to end; Cason certainly sounded a lot like me when I just wanted life to stop...to be dead. But with every challenge that is thrown at Cason, these kinds of thoughts are to be expected, and so I was able to really empathize with this character on such a deep, deep level.

Now, you don't have to have dealt with these kinds of thoughts to understand because Gardner writes Cason so well that it's easy to put ourself in her situation to understand her line of thinking. I couldn't help but feel the same negative thinking that Cason has when she loses her leg...I certainly wouldn't think I'd be able to live like that. But it's seeing Cason come to terms with what she's lost and fighting for her life that makes this story so beautiful...because even if we lose parts of ourself, physical and mental, we can accept it, gain strength from it, and create something even better in place of what we've lost. It's an uphill, life-long battle but it's totally worth it in the end. And I know this on a deep level...

And when you read the author's note, you realize why this story is so realistic and honest. Author Kati Gardner battled with Ewings Sarcoma just like Cason does. So thank you Kati for this amazing book.

[Morgan Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars- This book reminded me so much of an old show I watched called the Red Band Society. I love reading to gain a new perspective, and that is exactly what this book gave me. Reading it, I realized I had never read a book where the mc was someone with an amputation. This book delved in to the issues of addiction and ableism in our society in such a thought-provoking way. There was some romance, but not too much where it overshadowed the main themes. I think that this is an important read and cannot wait to see what happens in the next one.

[Isha · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars

I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley for an honest review.

This book was a lot more emotional and hard-hitting than I thought it would be. I did not expect to have the feelings that I did, either. That being said, as much as I wanted to love this book, there were some things that needed to be improved upon that I can’t ignore.

The Main Characters: Cason and Davis. I felt way more connected to Davis than I did to Cason, but I still did not feel like I knew either of them really well by the end of the book. Cason is a dancer and she loves it so much. She dreams to perform and dance. I can relate to that. But, even dancers are more than just dancers. That was the biggest issue. For Cason, all I knew of her was that she was a dancer that has cancer. For Davis, he was a cancer survivor and a drug addict. That’s it. They both needed to be developed more.

The Writing: The writing style was really easy to read. At times, I felt like things were worded oddly (which I know sometimes happens so it wasn’t a huge issue). The biggest issue was the time jumps. I found myself having to

The Plot: I can’t really say there was one. The book was about two people who struggle through cancer and addiction and the repercussions of those things, but I don’t know if there was a climax. I know other people have said this too, but I feel like 50% of the way through the book, it could have been over. Though the emotion and representation of Cason and Davis’s struggle was there, this was not a plot driven book at all.

Other Points: There was a line that Davis said in the beginning of the book about how he wanted to focus on the books and college so he didn’t have to think about Cason being admitted to the clinic. It made me wonder if he had seen her around before and liked her? That wasn’t ever addressed. I wish the progression of Cason and Davis’s relationship was not as fast as it was and had a little bit more depth to it. I think the time jumps played a part in this. Another thing that I found off was the fact that Cason and Davis seemed to rarely discuss Davis’s addiction. It felt like Davis was always the support system for Cason and barely ever vice versa. There needed to be more overlap between their story’s. They needed to connect more.

I loved the representation in this book. I have had some experience with cancer (though definitely not as extreme) but I feel like it was done really well. It is an own-voices novel with the author being a child cancer survivor and amputee as well. I don’t have any experience with drug addiction, but again, I do like how it was shown. I also love the friends: Mari, Jase, and Noah. They were great additions to the story and only wished they were in it a little more.

Overall, I really liked this book and the message that it sent.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review

This book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Flux and Netgalley!

Brave Enough tells the story of Cason and Davis. Cason is the youngest ballerina in the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory, and was hiding her injury while doing an audition. But after her audition, everything changed… Davis is a cancer survivor, but his drug addiction almost killed him. But his addiction is still taking its toll.

Brave Enough was such a beautiful book about friendship, love, cancer and addictions. I don’t always know whether I’m going to like or hate a book about cancer because my grandma died because of cancer. However, Brave Enough was such an inspiring book and I couldn’t stop reading!

I really wanted to read this book because I’ve always been fascinated by ballet, probably that fascinated because my parents didn’t let me do ballet because of my mum’s physical illnesses she got because of ballet. The doctors thought I was going to inherit them if I would start practising myself. I’ve always been sad about that because I think that ballet is so beautiful (but, of course, also hard work!). Too bad that this book wasn’t really about ballet that much but more about cancer.

The story itself was really good, I kept on reading because I wanted to know how it was going to end. To be honest, the end was a bit abrupt. I expected more chapters than the story had. The characters were also really enjoyable. I really liked Cason and Davis, they’re so cute together and they don’t want to give each other more pain.

I really liked Brave Enough and I cannot wait to discover more books written by Kati Gardner!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

This was so completly enjoyable! I fell into the story right away and stayed in it until the end. It's so heartfelt and wonderfully written. Plus it is based on the author's own personal story though parts are fictional, alot was based on her life and journey with Cancer. I would have prefered the Authors Note to have been at the start of the book because I feel that it changes how you read the story, with knowing from the start that this book is partly true.

Carson is such a strong girl who is having to deal with one of the worst diseases a person can suffer through. Her own struggles are very real and I instantly felt a connection with her. On her way to being the best Ballerina at a very well known Dance company, her world is utterly shattered. Davis is a character who is battling drug addiction. I found this character to also be very realistic and as someone who also suffers an addiction, I can say that at times, this was a bit triggering. So just a warning for anybody who has an addiction with either drugs, food etc. I really liked Davis though. His strength and self control was at the height of amazing. He is definitely a character to look up to. There is little romance in this book but it is not mainly focused on. I feel it was just the right amount.

Lastly, this cover! Ohh my god this cover is just simply beautiful!! Definitely one of my favourites for this year. I highly recommend this. It is an excellent YA story for anybody but expecually those with an interest in Cancer or Dance.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was lovely.

I've never read about childhood cancer so I was a little apprehensive about how intense it was going to be. At the same time, I was also worried about how real the situation was going to feel. After reading the author's note about how she had the same kind of cancer as Cason, it made it feel all the more real.

Cason's story was incredibly heartbreaking. Her fears and anger were so real and heartfelt that it made me so sad for her. I loved how she pushed through her pain, but also allowed herself to feel all the emotions and grief that came from her journey.

Davis was such a great character. His cancer didn't really come in to play much in this book beyond having a connection to Cason. His struggle with addiction felt very real and I can only imagine that's what other people with addiction go through on a daily basis. For being as young as he is he showed incredible strength and I think other young people who are suffering from the same disease can really draw strength from his story. I wish there was an epilogue so we could see how he was doing 3 years from the end of the book.

I loved every last one of the secondary characters. They all had amazing stories to tell and they accepted Cason with open arms. I loved the little bits of their storyline that we got to see, too. Especially Mari, she was probably my favorite.

If you're worried about being a crying blubbering mess through the whole book, you won't be. I cried through the last maybe 10% of the book because mushy moments always get to me. Overall, I do recommend this book.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

“I wander sometimes, but I’m not lost.”

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

This was an easy read. It was sweet and left you with a content and joyful fluttering in your gut. Add on that it handled cancer kids, drug addiction, and other life shattering situations, and this was a solid solution to a few hours of boredom.

I enjoyed both Cason’s and Davis’ characters. Both were going through serious issues (Cason losing her leg to cancer, ending her professional dancing career and Davis struggling with his sobriety and past as a cancer kid himself) but managed to be ‘brave enough’ to not only face their own demons but support each other as well. Toss in a blossoming romance and what’s not to love?

While this book was solid and enjoyable, it ran a tad slow at times. Other than a few murky sections in the middle though, this was a painless binge read that offered a unique perspective for YA: a YA author writing about cancer who actually had cancer. Yep, you read that right. The author’s personal experiences with cancer and other aspects of the book are apparent and lend serious credibility to the story. I also loved the author’s note at the end; it was so sweet and heartfelt. I'm a real sucker for good author's notes.

Overall, solid, easy read that tackles some tough topics but isn’t a downer. Highly recommend, especially the readers who appreciate #ownvoices narratives.

[Kerri Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of reading a draft of this book. Prepare to be wowed! I cannot wait for its debut on August 21, 2018.