Really insightful look at the dark side of elite gymnastics! Well written and captivating. My only complaint was that the slang and vernacular of Hoosiers wasn’t correct. I wish she’d spoken with someone who lives here instead of lumping the whole Midwest together...it’s never called “hot dish” here for example. Kind of nit picky, but would have been an easy thing to get right and if you do happen to be from Indiana, it bugs you while you read.

I enjoyed <i>The Happiest Girl in the World</i>'s exploration of the ugly side of elite-level gymnastics with actual events weaved in. I was intrigued by Sera's internal battle over whether to support her best friend (and fellow competitor) or lose her chance at making the Olympics.

So I devoured this book. Talk about stepping off the headlines. I had all the feelings while reading this on. I was mad, sad, frustrated, angry, disappointed, and just overwhelmed. I obviously understand that a gymnast's life is crazy hard but the mother. Nope. Sera was no angel herself. Both the 2 main females in this story were almost completely unlikeable. I say almost because I have to cut Sera some slack. She grew up in this crazy world and was only doing as she thought she should.

As frustrated as this book made me, I still really enjoyed reading it and I am glad I did. Olympic training is not a life I can even begin to understand or imagine. I welcomed the look inside, even if what I saw wasn't pretty. The writing was phenomenal. I also had a chance to listen to the audio and really enjoyed the tone of the narrator.

I love the olympics and gymnastics so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it just did not deliver for me. It almost would have been better to use real names for what this book was based upon. So many of us are already aware of the abuse that has gone on in such a competitive sport.

I appreciate some parts devoted to the mom’s perspective. There is just so much more depth that could have been done into each character. I would love loved to see each part of the story focused on specifics characters. I feel like Lucy’s story could have had more explanation on what happened after she left the sport.

While I understand Sera’s desire to fulfill her dream, pieces of that drive were glossed over. Plus, what about her life afterwards? There was a lot of potential for this book and it fell short for me.

Wow what an emotionally loaded book, but a great read. You can tell the author had done her research and wrote a book with purpose and passion. While I found myself crying more than once while reading of the challenges these girls faced, I also found myself reflecting on my own life challenges and how everyone overcomes and moves forward differently. Well written, I would highly recommend.

I loved this book. I would categorise it in the YA genre. The world of elite gymnasts and indeed of most Olympic athletes was well portrayed . As the mother of two former gymnasts, I was able to relate well to the parents, wishing only very best for their children, as well as the desire to relive lost opportunities and desires. The abuse of these young women was well covered by the national press and handled well in this book.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I absolutely loved Alena Dillon's debut novel, Mercy House, so as soon as I heard she had a new one coming out, I requested it. She has such a gifted way of telling a story and this latest one is no different. She is now a must-read author for me!

I am a big fan of gymnastics - it's my favorite sport to watch in the Summer Olympics, so of course I was curious to see how this author was going to tackle the big scandal that headlined the news surrounding this sport. Loosely based on the events that led to the trial against the USA Gymnastics Team Doctor, this book not only explores that, but also takes us into the world of competitive gymnastics and the toll it takes not only on the gymnast but the family and on friendships as well.

This book is eye-opening to say the least. I was never a competitive athlete, nor were my siblings, so I don't have any first-hand experience of this, but this book sure gives us quite the look and all I can say is it is grueling and made me tired just reading about it! I did like how the story alternated between the athlete's point of view and the mother's -- it was certainly interesting getting both perspectives.

If you are a fan of gymnastics or even competitive sports, I highly recommend picking this one up. It's quite an addicting story that, while at times difficult to take in, really gives a clear picture of just what goes on for these athletes -- both physically and mentally. My heart kept breaking for these characters and I had to keep reminding myself that this was fiction, though there is plenty of nonfiction woven in.

The story of women athletes is never told and books should be written telling the unique challenges of women's sports. I am glad I received an ARC from Netgalley which allowed me to read this story. However, the author missed a chance to write a landmark book that could lead the way for more female athletes to be showcased. A serious historical fiction book about the life of gymnasts and the real life abuse that they suffered would have been a great informative book to read. This was not such a book.

The author tells the story of a fictional gymnast from Indiana, Sara Wheeler in the first person. I thoroughly believe this was a fatal choice by the author. The first person should only be used in an autobiography in my opinion and I almost didn't finish reading the book because of this. Sara is not real and the book could have explored more angles if an all-knowing third person narrator could have supplied some background or some historical facts. Sara goes to camp and some Eastern European couple the Baloghs run it. Who are these fictional people and why does U.S. gymnastics trust them to pick Olympic and World team members? Is this the way it was done in real life for America's teams? The book seems to be more of the author's rant against organized women's gymnastics, which arguably could stand scrutiny and reform, but the author has no credentials to criticize - is she a former gymnast? Did she do painstaking research to formulate her opinions? The book feels off because it's not Alena Dillon's story to tell. It should have been written by a gymnast who survived the brutality of competition.

I asked myself is anything in the story authentic? Somewhat authentic? Since the author doesn't provide any facts, research, or bibliography it's hard to tell. The only way for me to find that out is for me to do my own research. I am generally aware of a Michigan doctor and his abusive trial, but is the author's version comparable to real life?

The author only hints that she talked to a gymnast and read articles that were published. Which articles? Also it states in the author's notes that the story came from her head, but it might speak the truth, which is an odd statement - if the author provided some supporting facts then we would know it was the truth and this book would be a powerful best seller with a lot to say. Instead it is a two-star rant with very shallow characters with an unkind stereotype of the American Midwest that missed an opportunity to shine.

The Happiest Girl in the World
By Alena Dillon

THGITW is a propulsive story loosely based on the events surrounding Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics national team doctor and convicted serial rapist and sex offender. This case was eye opening to say the least - it was completely heartbreaking and infuriating to learn about the abuse these young women were subjected to.

In Dillon’s sophomore novel, I knew to expect another winner as I just adored reading Mercy House. This time, Dillon takes us into the dark underbelly of competitive elite gymnastics world through the eyes of main character Sera Wheeler.

Dillon wrote with so much heart addressing the harsh realities that these young women go through. But to what cost? The detail of the writing was exquisite that I felt every jump, tumble and landing. This book was executed well and definitely a top finisher for me.

Sera Wheeler is a young, elite gymnast whose dream is to make it to the Olympics. As she gets more involved in the world of gymnastics, she's faced with difficult situations and situations, including taking sides when her friend accuses the team doctor of sexual abuse and deciding how much pain (both physical and mental) she can live with to achieve her dream.

This novel was a fascinating mix of reality (with mentions of actual Olympic gymnast and a sex scandal ripped from the headlines). I enjoyed getting into the heads of both Sera and her mother Charlene. It's a story about the price of glory and the toxicity of keeping silent to curry favor. It was a relatively fast read, and I would recommend it.

The story in this novel is an intense and engaging one. It brings the reader into the brutal life of a competitive gymnast and the sacrifices made to reach the highest levels in the sport, The Olympics.

It also brings aware of the ugliness in the sport, abuse from the coaches to the point of physical injuries but also sexual abuse in the hands of the doctor in charge of USA Gymnastics.

This book is not an easy one to read but one that grabs your attention and doesn't let go until you finish reading it hoping that this girl finally fulfills her dream.

From the beginning of the book, I became engrossed by Sera and the world of gymnastics. I live in Indianapolis, and the USA gymnastics scandal was a huge story. The behind the scenes look into what went into these incredible athlete's lives helped to give the scandal another dimension. Young women were preyed upon and taken advantage of by adults that used these athlete's accomplishments for their own gain.

My only complaint would be that the ending felt rushed. I feel like we didn't get a resolve in Sera's character development. The story ended with a nice bow and just ended. I wish the author would have given more a dynamic ending and more final character development to Sera.

Alena Dillon is such a good writer about sensitive and often heartbreaking situation. The Happiest Girl in the World focuses on US gymnastics in a fictional tale of a very real story. Sera, her family, her coaches, and teammates are complex characters. I'll be thinking of this book for a long time.

I loved this book and couldn't believe the training elite athletes complete. The things these gymnasts go through and the pain they endure blows my mind. Not to mention the trust these young girls place in the adults in their lives, and the ways these adults fail them, either through abuse or their willingness to look the other way in order to preserve a dream.

This is very much a ripped from the headlines book, and I liked the name dropping of gymnasts I recognized from the Olympics. Sera, the main character, is relatable and multi-faceted, with an intense drive to succeed. We hear from her mom, too, whom I had a harder time relating to.

I couldn't stop turning the pages to find out what happened next. And I will never look at gymnastics the same way again.

Thank you to William Morrow and TLC Book Tours for a copy of this book!

This book was challenging since it was a pretty tough and grueling story about elite athletes and the toll training puts on them emotionally and physically. It wasn’t always a pleasant space to be in but it was very compelling and beautifully written. .

The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon is a fictionalized account of the sexual assault scandal in US gymnastics. It is a novel, but many of the names of current and former gymnasts are real, which makes it feel somewhat like a true crime account - and I don’t really feel like that sat well with me. I’m not exactly sure how to explain it…I enjoyed the writing and found the POVs of Sera, the gymnast, and her overly invested mother, Charlene, to be strong. It was fascinating (for lack of a better word) to understand Sera’s obsession with getting to the olympics. But its focus on sexual assault, eating disorders, and abuse make this an extremely tough read, so definitely look into the trigger warnings prior to reading.

This one really highlights the complexities of women coming forward and knowing who to trust in situations related to sexual assault and harassment. From the outside, it seems crazy that one doctor could abuse so many women…but reading this, you see how confused and conflicted the gymnasts were, preventing them from supporting their teammates when they spoke out or coming forward themselves.

Overall, I’d recommend, but understand that it’s a tough one content-wise!

A Real and raw, sometimes heartbreaking, occasionally brutal look at competitive gymnastics. This book had a definite ripped from the headlines vibe to it with all the recent devastating news that has come out of the US gymnastics world. As Young girls Sarah and Lucy were queens of the gym. They could stretch further, leap higher, land steadier, and twist further than any other girl their age. This put the girls on the elite track of gymnastics training. Long distances, grueling hours, pain, sweat, tears, and accolades. The girls spend their summers away at gymnastics camp where they encountered the most intense training of all. They also encountered a revered US gymnastics Doctor Who miss treated the girls terribly. When Lucy decides to speak up against the doctor Sarah has to make the decision to stand by her best friend or pursue her dream of Olympic gold.

I’ve always had a love of the Olympics and in particular the gymnastics. This book does not pull any punches. It was truly about the ugly side of gymnastics the hours of training, the working through injuries, The food deprivation, the pill popping, the complete sacrifice of a normal childhood. Not to mention the impact it has on the athletes family both emotionally and financially. The story is told from the point of view of primarily Sarah with her mother’s perspective occasionally sprinkled in. Sarah was so incredibly driven. I can’t say I liked or disliked her as a character but I did admire her strength and tenacity. The lengths she was willing to go for her dream were uncomprehendible. Her mother I struggled with a little more. I just felt like she got so myopic and was willing to sacrifice her daughter for this Olympic dream that somehow became hers? This really was an extremely well told story about the exorbitant price of success. The audiobook is narrated by bothFrankie Corps and Mikhalia Who did a stellar job of bringing the voices of these characters to life.

*** Big thank you to William Morrow and Harper Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. *** Aseng

This is the story of young female gymnasts who are train to compete in the Olympics. I found it very interesting to learn how the gymnasts train. Although it is fictional, it is easy to see that the story parallels the real sexual abuse scandal that rocked the US gymnastic federation. It is heartbreaking to think what these girls went through.

The Happiest Girl in the World was such a dark and amazing read! It looks at an absolutely brutal field that produces athletes who seem to be nothing but poise and grace and the insights it offers into the mental and physical challenges they face, and how difficult it can be to pull back from the edge when being there is all you've ever known. Very highly recommended for fans of intense character studies/psychological thrillers that go deep into the darkness of what we do to each other as well as ourselves.

Possibly my first true 5-star read of 2021, and the first one I've been recommending to everyone. After Mercy House, I was waiting to see what was next from Alena Dillon, and The Happiest Girl in the World did not disappoint.

Sera is a gymnast, one of the rare ones with enough talent to make the Olympics. Even better, her best friend Lucy is at the same level. As they rise through the ranks together, training takes them to the Ranch in Texas, where all Olympic gymnasts train, and where Lucy is violated by the team doctor. When Lucy goes public, repercussions follow for her. For Sera, she must decide between supporting her friend and her Olympic dream. The costs of her decision follow her, and test her friendships and her family along the way.

The story loosely follows the fallout of USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's abuse a few years ago, with the Baloghs and the Texas ranch modeled after the Karolyis, with appearances (as minor characters) actual gymnasts. But the story itself is Sera's, telling the tale of a family who gives up everything in hopes of being one of the lucky few and the sacrifices made by all, from the gymnasts to their parents to their siblings, in the hopes of pursuing greatness.