Happy Literary Friday, My Lovelies! How has your first week of November treated you? I'm getting into holiday mode around here, but I have put aside a little time to read, including a new memoir written by Sara McDaniel, the founder of Simply Southern Cottage.
About The Bright Side of the Other Side: Notes from a Soul Restored
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication date: October 13, 2026
Join home renovation expert and entrepreneur Sara McDaniel of Simply Southern Cottage on a journey that goes far beyond transforming old houses. In The Bright Side of the Other Side, she shares her own story of starting over after her life was leveled by a devastating divorce, a health crisis, and career loss. It was in the dust and grime of an abandoned 1926 cottage that Sara discovered a blueprint for her own restoration—and a powerful reminder that even from the most broken foundations, a beautiful new life can be built.
This is more than a memoir; it’s a field guide for finding hope in your hardest moments. With the southern charm and heartfelt honesty of a dear friend, Sara demonstrates how the principles of home restoration—seeing potential in the forgotten, having faith through the mess, and diligently working toward renewal—apply to the restoration of the human heart. If you’re walking through the wreckage of your own life, feeling abandoned or broken, this book offers you the tools and inspiration to start rebuilding, one day at a time.
Discover how to
- find strength and purpose when your life plans have crumbled;
- see God’s craftsmanship at work in the middle of your messiest moments;
- embrace the difficult process of healing as a beautiful act of renewal;
- cultivate resilience and hope, even when the future is uncertain; and
- recognize the profound parallels between restoring a broken home and rebuilding a broken life.
Let Sara’s story of incredible faith and resilience show you that no matter how deep the demolition, there is always a bright side waiting for you on the other side of hardship.
About the Author
After a devastating divorce, Sara McDaniel moved to Minden, Louisiana, and walked away from her corporate career to rebuild her life. Restoring a dilapidated 1926 cottage became a powerful metaphor for her own healing—each nail and brushstroke echoing the faith and hope that guided her forward. Sara now shares this journey of resilience and transformation online, inspiring people to embrace second chances. Beyond renovating homes, she founded Phillip’s Cottage, a transitional haven for women and children in recovery, and opened Purvéy, a vintage emporium in historic downtown Minden. Furthering her mission to showcase beauty in the broken, Sara also renovated The Villas at Spanish Court: eight abandoned apartments turned into a boutique overnight stay experience just on the edge of downtown Minden. Her story proves that from broken foundations, new beginnings can rise.
My Review
I first learned about Sara McDaniel while reading an issue of Cottages & Bungalows Magazine (February/March 2023). The issue featured her project of restoring The Villas at Spanish Court in Minden, Louisiana. I think that the tiny villas were built in the 1930s. When Sara purchased them, they were dilapidated and had been neglected for decades. She kept so much of the original charm of the villas during renovation, and I absolutely fell in love with the apartments. I love her style, and she is not afraid of color. One of my favorite things about them was how each one had a distinct personality, and she has a way with wallpaper.
After reading the issue, I immediately went to Instagram and started following Sara. She had already made a name for herself due to her renovation of her cottage and the videos she made of her renovation projects. Through Instagram I started following her blog. Sara is a powerhouse, and I wish I had one-tenth of her energy. Since y'all read blogs already, you might enjoy reading hers if you don't follow her already.
When TLC Book Tours asked me if I wanted to be a part of their book tour for The Bright Side of the Other Side, I was so excited because I wanted to read more about her story. Sara's voice is so charming, and I was shocked at how much she went through in a short amount of time. Her resilience and courage is so inspiring to me. Her faith and determination got her through heartbreak, and not just from her divorce. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but she does share more heartbreak, and yet through her faith she is able to use her grief for good in order to help and encourage others.
As the book progresses, it's so easy to see God's hand in Sara's life. She suffers disappointments only to receive unexpected blessings. Stories like hers truly inspire me to keep trying and hoping on bad days.
Sara has done so much for her hometown of Minden, and I would love to visit one weekend. You can read about a few of her projects in her town, and there might also be a love story in it, too. But the main part of the story is maintaining faith during the valleys because they will eventually lead to mountaintop moments.
Have any of you been following Sara? Let me know in the comments below!
Disclosure: I received a paperback copy of The Bright Side of the Other Side from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.
TLC review tour schedule:
Tuesday, October 13th: @dana.loves.books
Monday, October 19th: @readingpastdark.marcia
Friday, October 23rd: @teaandbookstoo and Reading, Writing, and Pondering
Monday, October 26th: @peachy.paperbacks – feature
Saturday, October 31st: @bookstoldbycourtney
Monday, November 2nd: @megsbookclub
Friday, November 6th: The Bookish Dilettante
Monday, November 9th: @beckys_bookshelves
Wednesday, November 11th: @the.joy.within.every.page
Monday, November 16th: @books_old_and_new
Friday, November 27th: @nissa_the.bookworm
Until next time...
Happy reading!
Ricki Jill
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