Kim Holden Books in Order (Updated March 30, 2026)

Kim Holden’s bibliography is much smaller than some of the romance authors you’ve been assigning, so this is one of those cases where the reading order is clearer and less crowded. The main continuity is the Bright Side series, while So Much More, The Other Side, and Eye for an I are better treated as separate books unless the author later groups them more formally.

Kim Holden’s current publicly listed books are Bright Side (2014), Gus (2015), Franco (2016), So Much More (2016), The Other Side (2019), and Eye for an I (2026).

Where to Start

1. The strongest first stop is:
   Bright Side (2014): This is Kim Holden’s debut novel and the book that anchors her main series, so it is still the most natural entry point into her work.
2. Readers who want the full emotional arc should continue with:
   Gus (2015): This follows directly from Bright Side and works best once the first book’s relationships and losses are already in place.
3. If companion novels built around an existing circle are your thing, the next move is:
   Franco (2016): This keeps you inside the Bright Side world while shifting the center to another familiar character.
4. Because Kim Holden has a small catalog, one clear recommendation is enough here for most readers: start with Bright Side.

The core series: Bright Side

This is the only clearly labeled Kim Holden series in current public listings, and it should be read in order. Goodreads and the author’s own books page both point to Bright Side, Gus, and Franco as the main connected run.

1. Bright Side (2014): Kate Sedgwick goes to college carrying a difficult past, and this opening book sets up the friendships, love story, and heartbreak that define the series.
2. Gus (2015): The story continues through Gus, making this less a detached sequel than a continuation of the emotional fallout and healing that began in book one.
3. Franco (2016): Franco Genovese, the drummer from the wider circle, takes center stage in a companion novel that lands best after the first two books.

The non-series shelf

Kim Holden’s remaining books are not currently grouped under a second clearly named series in the same way as Bright Side, so the safest way to present them is as standalones or separate companion-style novels.

• So Much More (2016): A separate contemporary romance outside the Bright Side trilogy, best read on its own rather than inserted into that series.
• The Other Side (2019): Another standalone-era Kim Holden title, published several years after the Bright Side books and not listed as Bright Side book four.
• Eye for an I (2026): A surprise-release contemporary romance with rockstar, reverse-age-gap, found-family, and lighter, more openly playful elements than the early Bright Side books.

The best reading order for most readers

Kim Holden is best read with a very simple plan.

Best first-time route

1. Bright Side (2014): Start here because it is the foundation of her best-known work and the proper beginning of the only clearly labeled series.
2. Gus (2015): Read second because it continues the emotional line of the first book.
3. Franco (2016): Read third to finish the Bright Side sequence in order.
4. So Much More (2016): Move here after the trilogy if you want another Kim Holden contemporary romance without Bright Side continuity pressure.
5. The Other Side (2019): Continue with the later standalone shelf.
6. Eye for an I (2026): End with the newest release.

Do you need a chronological order?

Not beyond publication order.

This is not a sprawling backlist with multiple heavily interlocked universes. The main thing that matters is reading the Bright Side books in order first. After that, the remaining books are best handled as separate reads.

Latest Kim Holden book

The newest confirmed Kim Holden release is Eye for an I (2026). Kim Holden’s February 5, 2026 Goodreads blog post calls it a “surprise release” and notes that it had been seven years since her previous new book.

Questions readers usually ask

Which Kim Holden book should I read first?

Bright Side is the best first book. It is her debut, her best-known title, and the start of the only clearly labeled series.

Do I need to read Gus after Bright Side?

Yes. Gus is best read after Bright Side because it continues the emotional journey already underway rather than starting a disconnected new storyline.

Is Franco a sequel or a companion novel?

Functionally, it is a companion-style third Bright Side book centered on Franco, but it still belongs after Bright Side and Gus.

Are So Much More and The Other Side part of Bright Side?

Current public series listings do not place them inside the Bright Side series, so the safer classification is separate standalones or separate companion-style books.

Is there anything new after The Other Side?

Yes. Eye for an I released in 2026, and the author described it as a surprise release.

The simplest recommendation

For Kim Holden, the answer is refreshingly straightforward: begin with Bright Side (2014), continue to Gus (2015), and finish the trilogy with Franco (2016). After that, read So Much More, The Other Side, and Eye for an I as separate books in publication order.