Brighter Than Before + Giveaway

In her forties, newly single in the Windy City, and reeling from a major life shake-up, Claire Karadec finds a reset in the most unlikely of places–a dating profile set up by her adult daughter. From New York Times bestselling author Courtney Walsh comes a refreshing, lighthearted, sweet novel, perfect for fans of Annabel Monaghan and Sarah Adams.

Claire did not plan to end up mid-forties with a daughter studying in London and the unfortunate discovery that her husband is not the man she thought he was. In fact, he’s the exact opposite of a faithful, loyal, kind, and good-hearted spouse. And the discovery of his real nature and lack of remorse leads her to do what she never thought she would–divorce him.

After a year of wallowing before hitting rock bottom . . . in public, unfortunately, Claire realizes she needs to finally answer the question her therapist asked her all those months “What do you really want?” It was a question she couldn’t answer then, but now she knows it’s time to figure it out.

It’s the turning point that leads Claire to change her life. And not just a little–a lot. She sells her house in Denver and moves to the city that’s always had her heart–Chicago.

With the help of nosy neighbors, new friends, and a daughter who sets her up on a dating site from across the ocean, Claire begins to answer that big, important question by figuring out what she wants and how to live life on her own terms.

My Review:

Another smash hit by one of my favourite authors! Courtney Walsh never disappoints. Each time I read one of her books I’m convinced it’s my favourite…until the next one, anyway.

I felt for Claire right from that wince-inducing opening scene. I kept shouting, “Nooooo, turn bacccccckkkk!” but, alas, she didn’t listen to me and chaos ensued. The kind of chaos that you can laugh about…ten years down the road but is absolutely mortifying at the time and I was mortified right along with her.

So Claire decides to start fresh with a list of ‘new-to-her’ goals both big and small and, honestly, more chaos ensues but in the best of ways. New city, new friends, new experiences along with a host of hilarious (and sometimes not so hilarious) mix-ups that need sorting. Thankfully she has more triumphs than failures, though once she goes awry it’s always in epic fashion! And in the midst of all things new comes the possibility of romance…something she’s not keen on at all.

Walsh has created the perfect blend of emotion and humour with characters that are as endearing as they are flawed. Claire’s personal growth story is phenomenal and left me teary-eyed more than once. And that reluctant romance takes on a life of it’s own, full of tenderness and yearning and the fragile hope of a very different kind of future than she planned.

I listened to the audio edition of ‘Brighter Than Before’ narrated by Patti Murin who did a fabulous job portraying all these characters and their unique eccentricities and her performance really captured the heart of the story which I appreciate so much.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Important note: This book doesn’t release until June 9 so this giveaway is an IOU until the release date. 🙂

US – paperback or ebook copy – winner’s choice

Canada – paperback,ebook or audible copy – winner’s choice

International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Brighter Than Before, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 2, 2026

24 thoughts on “Brighter Than Before + Giveaway”

  1. I absolutely love Walsh’s brilliant writing style & the way her characters quickly become friends–ones you care about, root for, laugh & cry with and celebrate all the victories in their lives with. This one is another must-read for me 😊❤

    Your reviews are always compelling me to add to my ever-growing TBR pile….and that is a good thing!

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  2. BRIGHTER THAN BEFORE is already on my TBR list and I can’t wait for the opportunity to read it. I totally agree with you on this author. Your review just makes my desire to read this one go up several notches. Isn’t that the cutest cover?

    Thank you so much for the chance to win a copy!

    Have a magnificent day to start off a new week! I’m off again running the highways to see my pain specialist. Taking a book with me and hoping for some good reading time is the mountain curves don’t have other plans.

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  3. Great review and the cover is so cute! Courtney Walsh isn’t an author I normally read but you’ve convinced me!

    Connie

    cps1950ATgmailDOTcom

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  4. Good review, Kav! I’ve only read two of Courtney Walsh’s books, so I would love to read this new one.

    Jolene – iwant2save34 at gmail dot com

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  5. I’m so glad to hear you loved it! Later in life romance is not one of my favorite tropes but Courtney is a favorite author so I know she will do it justice.

    colorvibrant at gmail dot com

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  6. oh my gosh… I’m so excited for this one! Courtney is one of my favorites too. I’ve loved every one of her books. Thanks for the chance to win one!

    dmandres5 at gmail dot com

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