Trapeze

by Leigh Ansell

[Sam@WLABB]

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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