Cover Image: Trapeze

Trapeze

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Member Reviews

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

Let's start with how beautiful the cover art is.
Seventeen year old Corey is a trapeze artist with the traveling circus. That's all she's known. So when tragedy strikes, and the tent/circus burns to the ground, she's at a loss.
So begins her new life of trying to balance everything new to her...

Beautiful read. truly.

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Trapeze was different than eveything I'm used to read. The plotline is refreshing and innovative, but unfortunately, for me, it missed the mark. It wasn´t quite there. The execution lacked a bit for me too.

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4 stars. I really enjoyed this one but have not gotten the chance to type up a review until now. I was surprised with the direction that this book took and the plot and themes that this explored - in a good way. I was expecting the whole book to be set in the circus, but that is only the initial set up for the story. This book does have some tropes in it (new girl comes to town, popular boy, cheerleaders, etc.) but I think it handled it in a good way. I loved our love interest and the way that this book explored family issues. I would for sure recommend this to anyone who likes ya romance that deals with some more serious issues (trigger warnings for domestic abuse). Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

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In many ways, this is your standard new kid, fish out of water story. As expected, she lies to her peers, creating a barrier and eventual conflict with them. She's at odds with her mother and missing her old life. And romantically linked to a mysterious boy. I was frustrated by how easily things happened. She easily finds a group of friends. And as soon as she actually confronts the issues with her mother they are resolved. And having resolved that trouble, she immediately has a solutions to her circus troubles. In a snap. I liked the ambiguity of the ending, but not enough to make up for my general frustration.

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This had a lot of potential, but didn't hit the 4 or 5 star mark for me. An okay story of a subject matter not often seen.

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For me, Trapeze was one of those books where I needed to take the good with the bad, and enjoy the good and not think too long about the bad.

Corey Ryder is a teenage trapeze artist performing in the circus, in a troupe known as Mystique. It's the only life she's ever known, until a tragedy sees her life turned upside down and she's forced to live with a mother she's never known, in a small town with narrowed views.

There was good and not-so-good for me in this book. I also think it's important to be mindful that once I started reading Trapeze , I realised I wasn't the exact target audience that this book was intended for, and as I was thinking about writing this review, I felt like someone else with different desires from a book could really enjoy Trapeze .

I liked the pace of the developing romance with Corey and her love interest in Sherwood. For me, this was the strongest aspect of the book, and how this romance developed until the end of the book is exactly as I think it should have been, given the personalities of Corey and the love interest. While being careful not to give spoilers, the ending the author chose was an ending true to all the characters and I respected the ending Ansell wrote. The ending itself was what moved this book into a higher rating for me.

The not-so-good bits of this book were mainly in the writing itself. Believing Corey's age and how she was presented in the book was hard for me - I didn't buy it or the age of any of the other teenagers for that matter. For nearly all the other characters, they weren't developed enough to be really believable - there needed to be more.
There were also aspects of the plot that didn't feel real and this was the hardest thing I found in enjoying the book. It took me a lot of persistence to get past this, and I really got to a point where I just had to ignore that it wasn't believable for me and just keep reading.

That being said, overall this book had some good points as I've mentioned, and it had moments that were enjoyable to read. I give this read 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 for reviewing purposes.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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When Corey Ryder's life as a trapeze artist is set aflame around her, she has to learn to be earthbound. Beautiful story of life, love, loss.

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This was a light and quick read that I really enjoyed. The characters were great and the story held my interest. The book isn't centred around the circus like I thought though, a bit more of those scenes would have been great!

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<I>I received this book via NetGalley for reviewing purposes. This has in no way influence my opinion.</I>

This book needed more circus. A lot more circus. In the middle. This was like a sandwich. The circus was there at the beginning and the end, trying to make you think this was something different, but in the end, all the ingredients for a romance sandwich were still there. Issues with the circus? Yep, sure, but not mentioned again until the last 10%. Reconnecting with her mom? Sure, but not until the romance has run its course in the last 20%. It could have been an interesting and complex plot point through which character growth and flaw could be shown. Instead, it was brushed off as soon as it could in favour of an extremely checked teenage/high school romance, only to be brought back up again as a happy ending to everything.

There was no morally grey character. They were all either good or bad. There was no nuance, nothing different, nothing that gets promised with a circus theme or the idea of running off to the circus. There was so much that could have been done here, so many deep avenues to be explored, but they were, unfortunately, all glossed over or completely forgot about until the very end. There was no build-up and no payoff.

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The premise of this book sounded very good: Corey Ryder, a young girl trapeze artist, suddenly finds her way of life destroyed in an instant and has to learn to live a new “normal” way life with a mother she’s never known, going to school for the first time and trying to fit in with new friends (and enemies).

I’ll admit, as I was reading the book, I really wanted more trapeze. The end of the circus came quite early in the book, which I knew was coming, but the idea of a teenager who travels in a circus is a lot more interesting than a teenager going to high school. However, that was not meant to be.

This book surprised me by being in the Young Adult genre. I wasn’t expecting that - or else I just wasn’t paying much attention when I selected the book. I can appreciate a YA, don’t get me wrong, but they aren’t my preferred genre.

The writing was good, the situations were real, the feelings and angst and heartbreak were spot-on. Some of the characters could’ve been fleshed out more - such as Claire and her admission to Corey, Landon the bully, even more of Luke’s story. There were some really meaty plot points that could’ve made for a whole other book altogether. Sadly, in this book, we only get the tip of the iceberg with some of these secondary characters.

As for the ending - and this is NOT a spoiler - I liked it. I appreciated it. It was real to me. Had it ended any other way, I might’ve eye-rolled big time.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. And while it wasn’t quite the page-turner I had hoped, I am glad I got the chance to read it. Whatever the author has coming next (maybe a Luke-centered follow up?), I’m definitely interested.

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We have all thought about running away to join the Circus, but in this novel Corey has to leave her home in the Circus to live a “normal” life. New friends, new school, new experiences. Fun read with laughter and tears, life lessons and drama.

Thank you NetGalley, Leigh Ansell and Wattpad Books for this advanced reader edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partners

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This book was very well written for it being the first book the author has ever written. I loved the characters and that there wasn't a big love story attached to the plot. I've always wanted to go see a traveling circus this gave me an idea of what it would be like. Overall this was a very good book.

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In this breathtaking debut, Leigh Ansell has cooked up a compulsive and heart-stirring tale about a young trapeze artist in a travelling circus.

Seventeen-year-old Corey Ryder can’t remember a time when she wasn’t gliding through the air of Cirque Mystique’s big top. Corey wakes up every day in a different place, brimming with anticipation for each night’s performance.

Set in small-town Sherwood, California, everything seems normal, apart from meeting the exceptionally cute Luke Everett at a local diner. But that night, in the midst of the performance, tragedy strikes and flames engulf the tent. While Corey narrowly escapes the fire, the only home she’s ever known lies in the ashes of the circus pitch. Corey must now strive towards a different future without forgetting her past, get to know her estranged mother she’s never known, and negotiate the wonders of first love, as well as being true to who she really is.

First off, I must confess that I was drawn in by the striking cover. Almost all of the characters were very well rounded and possessed traits of kindness and sometimes maliciousness which made Trapeze a fascinating read. Even though I initially thought the plot would be more focused on circus life, there was plenty of scope for a compelling story within the tropes of abuse, bullying, sexuality, and dysfunctional families. Sweet but not too sugary, it was a cracking story and a book that I revelled in all the way through. It brought no disappointments and Leigh Ansell's neat plotting and writing-style helped me to fully grasp the struggles and situation of protagonist, Corey. The changes of direction paved the way for a pleasing denouement. I would love to read more from this gifted story-teller and I am delighted to recommend this book.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Wattpad Books via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

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I was intrigued by this book just from reading the back cover. I love books with anything circus in them. This story did not disappoint.

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This book was a good and quick read. Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre. I would read something from this author again.

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Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My rating is maybe closer to 3.5.

To begin, I enjoyed reading this book. It had enough intrigue and mystery to keep me interested, and it was a quick read. I enjoyed the main characters, who I thought were fairly well-developed and relatable.

The plot ended up being a bit more YA than I tend to read, but it was still an interesting story. The title and cover were a bit of a mislead - trapeze is really a pretty minor part of the story.

The parts of the book that I didn’t love were some of the cliche inner thoughts - some were supper angsty or obvious or predictable. There were a few eye rolls from me anytime I came across them.

I also thought parts of the plot were unrealistic, particularly the hatred this community seems to have for the circus. I couldn’t buy into that. Some of The main character’s reactions also seemed unrealistically over-exaggerated. I get that they’re teenagers, but I don’t remember everything being so melodramatic when I was 17.

Regardless, the whole story made me root for Corey, and Luke. I was invested until the end. I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for a light, quick read.

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I originally read this book on Wattpad and remember adoring it so when I saw it pop up on Netgalley I knew that I had to request it and read it for old times sake. I remembered some of the basic overall plot before I went into this and I was happy to see some of the same details included.

Corey is a trapeze artist in a traveling circus and when tragedy strikes, her world and future career comes to a halt as she is sent to live with her mother as the circus struggles to pick up their pieces. The main overarching theme that stood out to me is Corey's journey in self growth and self reflection. All at once Corey is forced to face many different obstacles in her life and she is able to tackle them head on. When things get rough towards the end and she feels doubt she looks to a friend for guidance. I really loved the relationship Corey had with Silver, her aunt, and Dave in the circus, they were her real family through and through. Corey's relationship with her mother also blossoms and grows as well as the book goes on which was really nice to see.

Now, Corey is also faced with the difficult task of coming clean when someone close to them is being hurt. This was hard for her to do but I'm glad she was able to make the right choice and reach out to someone for help. Corey's relationship with Luke was necessary to her realizing that her childhood may be different than everyone at the school but she can still belong wherever it is that she ends up. She also becomes one of the main proponents in getting Luke the help he needed. I didn't love all the drama that followed that but I understand why Corey was given that reaction from Luke.

Overall, this is a good but heavy read with great characters and an interesting plot.

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so good! Thank you for providing me with a review copy of this book, it was really good and i wanted so much more.

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This is such a wonderful and light hearted read. I really loved Corey and how much she grows in this novel. The story is captivating and immersing and I never want to leave!

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DNF at 30%

I really tried loving this book and kept giving it chances over the past two months but it just didn't seem to work out for me.
I couldn't engage with the book or relate to the characters in any way.

The book felt very detached and aloof and since I couldn't bring myself to care much about the characters, the book was very boring for me.

Moreover, while the plot did seem interesting at first, the slow-paced writing made me unwilling to move forward and find out exactly what could have happened.

This book was not for me, but if someone has more patience to move on ahead and see what it can be, I am sure it will be a great book!

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