Gus (Bright Side #2) by Kim Holden

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Synopsis:

The journey that began in top-rated, best-selling Bright Side, continues ... 

This is the story of Gus. 

Losing himself. 

Finding himself. 

And healing along the way. 

“ … but the honest-to-God truth is I don’t even know how to function anymore. Bright Side wasn’t only my best friend; she was like my other half ... the other half of my brain, the other half of my conscience, the other half of my sense of humor, the other half of my creativity, the other half of my heart. How do you go back to doing what you did before, when half of you is gone forever?” 

Review:

*Note: You should have read Bright Side prior to reading this book. It is a continuation of the same story and there are some spoilers for that book ahead

And everything was right in the world. That is how I felt when I got to the end of Gus. Man I tell you after reading Bright Side it was like I was lost. How would I ever move on from that? What could I read next that would at all be as good or fill that void that I had? Luckily Gus was out and did just that. Turned that happy/sad into just a beautiful story and a wonderful read. Now if only we would get a book where Keller gets his happily ever after. Because that kid? He deserves it. Man he has gone through more than anyone should in such a short amount of time. 

So Gus. I knew this would be hard at first. I mean Gus had just lost Bright Side - his best friend, his other half, the person who was always there for him, with him, since forever. He can't remember her ever not being in his life. And it was rough. He does not take it well and it is understandable. Drugs, girls, alcohol, whatever he can get to try and dull the pain and forget even just for a minute. He was in a bad place and oh my heart hurt for him. 

Then Scout comes into the picture. Scout who is his PA and they do not start off so well. Part of that is Gus is not in a good place and part of it is Scout isn't in a good place. She has some stuff she is dealing with so she doesn't really like anyone, but she can't help but be her sweet self even then. She just does things for other people without thinking about it or wanting anything in return. She was amazing. She has not had the best life thus far, she has gone through some stuff that doesn't make her very confident so she is always trying to hide herself. But Gus sees her. He sees how strong she really is. How awesome she is and how she could be anything, do anything she wanted. He helps her come out of her shell and be this confident woman she should be, and she helps him get his groove back. She helps him find peace with Bright Side and move on to live his life. Oh it was a wonderful read. I loved the both of them together. Gus is such a genuinely nice soul and exactly what she needed. They just worked and after the wringer that was Bright Side I needed this. I needed to see everyone trying to move on and keep living their lives. To see them not dwelling on the past and staying in that sad place. To see the happy again. It was great. 

It wasn't easy, but by the end it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. There were still times I teared up with this story, times when you see everyone being just so amazingly sweet and kind, like the tattoos, but it was healing. And I loved every minute. A great read and I am glad I had it to bring me back. 

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★1/2