"Move over Arthur Dimmsdale and Heathcliff; Katherine Center has found a whole new level of bad romantic male protagonists in "Dean" - the poignancy of which makes this debut novel all the more delightful in its voyage. Bravo!"
—CLAIRE TISNE, Vice President, Director of Subsidiary Rights, Editor, The Random House Publishing Group

"I read this book and found it to be one of the most enjoyable reads thus far. I was rooting for the woman in the story, and if anyone can relate to picking a real loser boyfriend, my past history surely shows I can! And in the end, there was a bright side to my disaster, as well! It was refreshing, endearing without being sappy, realistic without being harsh and romantic without being over-the-top. You can be a mess and someone will still love you! What better message than that? "
—CAMILLE MARCHI, Telephone Sales Manager

"As soon as I started reading The Bright Side of Disaster, I knew that Katherine Center was a writer with a big future--I was laughing out loud during the entire read. Her characters feel like good friends, and her down-to-earth sensibility and fresh wit are truly unique."
—LAURA FORD, Editor, The Random House Publishing Group

"Katherine Center's, The Bright Side of Disaster is a wonderfully fun novel that women of any age can relate to. It is a story about love and loss, but more importantly about the relationships that we have in our lives and how they develop over time. Jenny's relationship with her inattentive and disappearing fiance; her eccentric parents who are divorced, but possibly dating again; her best friend who is at a different point in her life than Jenny and just can't relate; the good looking neighbor that has to be too good to be true; and finally, Jenny's brand new baby who changes everything. You will laugh out loud at Jenny's quirky ways and yell out loud at her mistakes and insecurities. The Bright Side of Disaster is a must read for everyone!"
—KATHLEEN MCAULIFFE, Sales/Marketing Coordinator, The Random House Publishing Group

"Jenny is a woman who you really care about and you want her and Maxie to be a happy family! You realize that this can not happen with Dean in the picture. He is incapable of being committed to anything or anyone. His bribing parents, especially his mom, are despiteful. The positives are the support that Jenny gets from people like her mom, Gardner, and eventually, Meredith. This reads like real life, and it is funny, as well as, entertaining."
—CENETA LEE-WILLIAMS, Sales Director, Baker & Taylor

"As this amazing novel comes to an end, you find yourself questioning whether or not you could be as emotionally strong as Jenny Harris. The life we dream of as little girls--Prince Charming and all that is perfect--is not in the cards for Jenny. In the end, does she settle or risk it all in the name of happiness? The Bright Side of Disaster proves that the only way to grow is to open your eyes--and your heart--to see the bright side in what seems like life's disasters."
—CHRISTINA COLEMAN, Assistant to the Publisher, Ballantine Books

"I love The Bright Side of Disaster. Jenny instantly becomes your new best friend. After reading the book, I kept thinking about Jenny, Maxie and what they are doing now."
—LIBBY MCGUIRE, Senior Vice President and Publisher, Ballantine Books

"The Bright Side of Disaster reminds us that more often than not things in life don't turn out the way we plan but happiness can be found in unexpected places. Katherine Center brings humor and heart to the story of Jenny Harris the novel's protagonist. Jenny's inner dialogue is candid, often funny, and always smart. This debut novel is sure to touch readers."
—CHRISTINE CABELLO, Deputy Director of Marketing, Ballantine Books

"You are in for such a treat when you read The Bright Side of Disaster, Katherine Center's first novel. Katherine is a terrific writer with a refreshing voice all her own. In The Bright Side of Disaster she reminds us that sometimes you have to push away the clouds to find the sunshine in life. I can't wait to share this one with all my friends!"
—KIMBERLY HOVEY, Vice President, Associate Publisher and Director of Marketing, Ballantine Books

"The Bright Side of Disaster is a delight. In Jenny, author Katherine Center has created a spunky heroine, whose experiences with men and motherhood are an engaging mix of humor and heartbreak. Her quotable revelations about life and love are so hilariously memorable that I'd like to print them up on greeting cards and send them to all of my girlfriends."
—KRISTIN FASSLER, National Accounts Manager, Borders and Waldenbooks

"At some point in our lives, we've all been blind to the signs that the Apple of Our Eye is in fact a Bad Apple. How to recover 20-20 romantic vision, take charge of one's own fate, and lose the Loser is what this wonderful novel is about. It's funny, perceptive, universal in its appeal, written with clarity and grace. Bright Side is brilliant!"
—DAN MENAKER, Editor-in-Chief, The Random House Publishing Group

"Katherine Center's fresh portrayal of holding out hope for a relationship that 'could' be is a welcome reminder that we can't always get what we want, but sometimes we get something even better. This book is guaranteed to brighten your day."
—STACEY WITCRAFT, Director of Advertising and Promotion, The Random House Publishing Group

"The bright side of my job is working on books like Katherine Center's The Bright Side of Disaster."
—KATE BLUM, Assistant Director of Publicity, Ballantine Books

"The Bright Side of Disaster is such a treat from start to finish. If you have ever had a friend that you have fallen in and out of touch with, had a baby or known anyone who is pregnant or being a first time mom, and or had a really terrible boyfriend or husband, this book is a must read! With great laughs and also a few tears, this is the perfect book for any weekend, vacation read, or a day at the beach. "
—KELLY MOFFAT, National Account Manager AWBC/BAM

"With a seemingly effortless storytelling style and a very strong sense of place and characters, Katherine Center's The Bright Side of Disaster is not so much a gander into the life of a stranger as it is a gloriously long letter from a school friend you've lost track of--learning through tears and through laughter where she's been and what she's been up to."
—ROBERT KEMPE, Ad/Promo Manager, Ballantine Books

"I've had a Dean. You've had a Dean. Even my mother had a Dean. But I've also had a Gardner (my mom married hers), and turned many a disaster into a bright side. The Bright Side of Disaster is the kind of novel that makes you smile unknowingly, and the kind of story that makes you feel normal. Center has created characters that are totally relatable - lives that are dramatic without being hopeless, love that is exciting yet completely confusing and relationships that are honest and complicated. Read it, and you'll feel right at home."
—KATIE O'CALLAGHAN, Marketing Coordinator, Ballantine Books

"Witty, touching......Jenny is the kind of character that you can imagine sitting around the kitchen table with, laughing at the craziness life can throw your way. "
—KATIE MEHAN, West Coast Divisional Director, The Random House Publishing Group