Offers credible descriptions of first-time motherhood, affecting characters and situations and low-key charm.Kirkus ReviewsStellar . . . Center paints an accurate and humorous view of motherhood.Booklist Jenny Harris always expected that shed fall in love, get married, and have a babyin that order. Now, very pregnant and not quite married, she actually doesnt mind that she and her live-in fianc, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned; shes happy to have so much to look forward to. But Deanwhom Jenny loves enough to overlook his bad facial hair, his smoking habit, and his total commitment to a cheesy cover bandis acting distant, and not in a pre-wedding-jitters kind of way. The night he runs out for cigarettes and just doesnt 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 babys), theres not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things start looking up. She learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even manages to give dating tips to her sweet, clueless fatherwhos trying to court her sassy mother again, fifteen years after their divorce. She also gets to know a handsome, helpful neighborwith a knack for soothing babieswho invites her out dancing. But Dean is never far from Jennys thoughts or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end Jenny must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life shes been lucky to find.A spirited debut novel with a terrifically appealing voice, a fantastic sense of humor, and a lot of heart, The Bright Side of Disaster reminds us that sometimes it takes the worst-case scenario to show us the best in everything.From the Hardcover edition.