That Time I Joined the Circus
That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. HowardÂ
on goodreads:
Lexi Ryan just ran away to join the circus, but not on purpose.A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake–and facing a terrible tragedy–Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi’s mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn’t there . . . but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus’s fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.But then Lexi’s ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it’s Lexi’s own future that’s thrown into question.With humor, wisdom, and a dazzlingly fresh voice, this debut reminds us of the magic of circus tents, city lights, first kisses, and the importance of an excellent playlist.
I was drawn in by this beautiful cover and the premise of reading something entirely unique! Circus stories are nothing we see very often, so this was a must read for me!
Lexi – utterly alone – but oh-so-strong!
I loved Lexi! She was a fascinating main character with a fresh voice and a story that made my cry and laugh so much! Lexi had to go through so much, and it made me gasp when I realized how utterly alone this poor girl is going to be! But it wouldn’t be Lexi if she wouldn’t find a way to deal with her situation and tries to make the best out of it. This is when she joins the circus as this might be the only chance for her! I love her vulnerability, but at the same time I admired her incredible strength. Others in her situation would have crumpled down. Even more, I loved her voice! She was snarky, but also sweet and I loved the mix!
Circus – Love and Friendship
I absolutely adored the setting! Lexi is traveling with the Circus now and finds not only friends there, but also something which feels like family. It was heart warming to see all these relationship form and bloom. There were some amazing characters, that were fresh and added perfectly to the overall amazing story.
But, this wouldn’t be a story if there would be romance missing. And fear not, we will get a lot of romance – maybe a tiny bit too much! There is not one but 3 potential love interests, however, I never felt like this would be a classic Love Triangle. It was more that each boy was there for her when she needed at most and it took her some time to figure out who is her real love! I actually enjoyed this guessing:)
The story is told in alternating chapters between “before” and “after”. Something I usually can live without as it often takes away from fully being able to connect with the story. But. as the chapters here were super short, I didn’t mind so much!
Adorably Cute!
There are no other words to describe this story better than adorable and cute! I loved this story and more importantly the characters. It was filled with love and lots of heartbreak and gasping moments of heartbreak! Emotions, is what drives a story and there was no lack thereof here! Cute were also the headlines of each chapter which made me laugh and warm and fuzzy! They were  a combination of quotes from songs and just cute chapter headlines and they just fitted perfectly!
One  funny example!Â
Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard  was an adorable, fresh, funny and touching debut with lots of love, friendship set in a unique circus atmosphere that invites to dream!
 
 
 
Additional Info
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While I’m not the biggest circus fan (I seriously dislike clowns and everything to do with them. I think Stephen King’s IT scarred me deeply. Oh, and those clowns in the 4th of July parades. *shudder*), now that you’re talking about it, this book *does* sound good. I like that it’s got a kick of humor to it! (Anything that makes me giggle is a good thing.)
Mary @ BookSwarm recently posted..Top Off Tuesday: THE CHOSEN by Theresa Meyers
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I just got this one on NetGalley but haven’t read it yet. Your review has convinced me to move it to the top of the list. The circus setting reminds me a little of the beginning of Tiger’s Curse.
Mrs. ReaderPants recently posted..Review: Dare You To (McGarry)
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3 love interests Danny? NOOOOOO! I don’t love that about this one at all, BUT, anything you recommend this highly is something I definitely need to read, so I trust that the love square will not bother me too much:) I could definitely use something adorable to read at the moment!
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I’ve only heard a little about this but I’m intrigued after your review. I wonder if it’s still available on netgalley. I haven’t read many circus stories either. Have you read Night Circus or Water for Elephants? I loved both. Do they have circuses like this in Germany?
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I’ve been seeing this one around and thought it really looked like something I would enjoy. Great review, Danny!
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This one sounds really good! I’m a little afraid of the love stuff with THREE love interests, but it’s not enough to deter me. I’ll have to be sure to watch for this one!
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I knew this one was going to be good! The cover and the circus just made it seem so good! I’m glad to know my instincts weren’t off. I am so happy you enjoyed it so much! I can always tell from your writing how much you loved a book and it seems like this one had the romance for you! Like I said yesterday, I need romance with my contemporaries. I think it must be the year of contemporaries or Sci-Fi. I’ve been reading a lot of contemporaries this year! I am definitely reading this one thanks to your lovely review.
Heather
hrose2931 recently posted..If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch Review
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Oooh I love when the secondary characters have a family-like feel to them; it just makes me feel all warm and cozy towards them! Three love interests though – that’s a little concerning!
Kelly recently posted..Comments and Expectations: An Inquiry
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This sounds like such a great book. I love the cover and this review only makes me want to read it further. I love good secondary characters. Great review 🙂
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Danny I”m also looking forward to reading this, and like you the cover was the one that attracted me to it LOL I really enjoyed The Night Circus so I loved Circus stories from there on so a YA circus story…well lets just say I was very excited when I saw this cover 😀
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I don’t remember where I first saw this but I was curious. Circus books are hit or miss with me because I don’t like any books with animal cruelty..i.e. Water For Elephants, but I trust if you say this was adorable that it doesn’t have dark themes. I did like Pantomime. Love the cover as well 🙂
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You make me want to pick this one up right away, Danny! It sounds so great.
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Yay, I’m glad you liked this one because I’m excited to read it! It’s not very often you read about circuses in YA. 3 potential love interests? I like that you said it’s not your typical love triangle though so we’ll see. Great review, Danny! 🙂
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I love circus stories! I recently watched Water for Elephants (sob). I just want my own elephant to travel around with. I definitely want to read this because of reasons haha.
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I am so excited to start this book. Hopefully i will get to it in the next couple of week.s Great review. I love a good emotional but cute read.
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I’ve been looking for reviews on this book, hoping to hear good things, because (other than the gorgeous cover), the story seems so, so interesting. I’m glad you loved it, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
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