Trapeze by Leigh Ansell

Trapeze

by Leigh Ansell

How do you trust the ground when all you’ve known is flight?

In this breathtaking debut, Leigh Ansell has created a compelling, heartbreaking, and truly engaging story about a young girl used to flying high only to be faced with living life with her two feet firmly on the ground . . .

Seventeen-year-old Corey Ryder can’t remember a time when she wasn’t gliding through the air of Cirque Mystique’s big top. As a trapeze artist in a traveling circus, Corey wakes up every day in a different place, buzzing for the moment she can suspend gravity during the night’s performance.

When the circus pulls into small-town Sherwood, California, everything seems normal—aside from meeting the exceptionally cute Luke Everett at a local diner. But that night, in the midst of the performance, tragedy strikes and flames overtake the tent. While Corey narrowly escapes, in the ashes of the circus pitch lies the only home she’s ever known.

Repeatedly thrown out of her comfort zone, Corey must learn how to push toward her future without forgetting her past, what it means to be a daughter to a mother she’s never known, and how to navigate the confusing magic of first love, even as she performs the high-wire act of being true to who you really are.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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Rating: 3.5 Stars

Corey had been traveling with her aunt's circus for practically her whole life, but when a fire ravaged the big top, her future as an up and coming trapeze artist was put on hold, and she was forced to settle down with her estranged mother. Faced with so many new and intimidating situations, Corey pushed on as she awaited the fate of future with the circus.

• Pro: I absolutely loved the premise of this story. I am always up for a good fish-out-of-water tale, and having someone from a traveling circus settle down in one place was something I was interested in learning more about.

• Pro: I was captivated by all the trapeze portions of the book. The author's appreciation of the art form was obvious, and I thought she did an impressive job pulling me into that world and helping me see the beauty these artistic athletes create. I actually wish there was more of this, because it was one of my favorite parts of this book.

• Pro: I was so happy with the group of friends Corey found outside of the circus. Kim, George, and Luke were all fantastic, and I enjoyed seeing their friendships grow.

• Pro: I was especially fond of Luke. I shipped these two from their first meeting in the diner. He was just as closed up as Corey, so it was gratifying to see them learn to share more of themselves, even the ugly parts, with others. I was really please with the direction Ansell took his story, even if it didn't go exactly how I had wished.

• Pro/Con: I had such a love/hate relationship with that ending. There were way more positive things than negative things, and I was very grateful for the vast number of plot lines Ansell tied up, but she left a few things a little murky, and it basically made my heart ache. I am known for needing really definitive endings, though, and I do believe others would be ok with it.

• Pro: Corey was a great protagonist. I found myself immediately invested in her story and was torn between wanting her to embrace her new life and wishing she could return to her life on the road. Her struggle with assimilating, catching up, trying to open up to others, and battling her loneliness had me turning the pages, which was a good indication, that I cared.

An interesting fish-out-of-water story, which captivated me with the high flying routines and captured my heart with its exploration of complicated family dynamics, friendship, and romance.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 29 August, 2019: Finished reading
  • 29 August, 2019: Reviewed