Larkin is a skilled storyteller. It took me a bit to get into this story, but after about the first 25% I was sunk into this book. I'm a sucker for a found family and appreciated how that trope was utilized in this book. Part of the story dragged a bit for me, but overall I thought this was an enjoyable read.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just perfection. I loved to see the growth in Freya and how she came out of her shell. How she stayed for her niece and the others who grew to depend on her. Even mending some old relationships and letting go of those that can’t be. I think this is Ms. Larkin’s best yet.

I liked her last book a lot, but I read about 10-15% of this and everyone was just too much of a mess. It's hard for me to connect to characters when their lives are in complete shambles and it seems like they have nothing going for them. I've heard good things, and maybe I should've kept going but I just wasn't in the mood for "adult who needs to grow up and get their act together".

This book was one that was hard to put down. The characters were relatable and you just wanted to see things work out for them.

This one truly is a beautiful, emotional, coming-of-age story, focusing on family and relationship dynamics. If that's the type of story you love, than I highly recommend this one! Very well-written and the characters feel very real.

Short synopsis: Freya moves back to the hometown she left behind after she inherits her parents home. She reconnects with her former life, but more importantly withher niece Aubrey.

My thoughts: This book was so beautifully told. While it’s a very character driven book I felt like I was right there with Freya and Aubrey as they walked through their present and past journeys.

There are some really heavy themes discussed that will have your heart aching for the characters. I loved the exploration of found family in the pages, it really brought a sense of hopefulness to situations that otherwise be hopeless.

I did a mix of audio and physical reading, but would highly recommend the audio version. Julia Whalen narrated the characters perfectly really amplifying their voices, and bringing them to life.

Read if you love:
- Found Family
- Character driven stories
- Aunt/Niece relationships
- Flashbacks

@simon.audio @gallerybooks | #partner Yay! Allison Larkin has delivered another winner with her sophomore novel, 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗖𝗜𝗥𝗖𝗨𝗦. Like her debut, this book is about found family, but in this case a different sort of found family. As a young adult, Freya Arnalds left her hometown of Somers, New York, feeling she had no other options. Life there was simply too punishing. She kept in touch with no one, essentially vanishing. More than 10 years later, Freya, in a state of desperation, returns to her dilapidated childhood home recently inherited from her parents.⁣
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As the story develops, Larkin introduces the people it tore Freya up to leave long ago, those she was fleeing from, and others in Somers new to Freya’s life. The family she cobbles together is a mix of both old and new. We also come to understand why she felt powerless to do anything but leave and just as importantly, the people she hurt most when she made that choice.⁣
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I really enjoyed this story for its many beautiful human connections, most especially that between Freya and her niece. I have to be realistic and say that there were a few elements that felt a little too good to be true, but sometimes that’s easy to overlook, as was the case in this book. I listened to the audiobook, and as always appreciated Juilia Whelan’s narration. I think she enables me to forgive minor flaws more easily than I might in print.⁣
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It’s worth noting that Somers, NY is Larkin’s hometown and her decision to write a book taking place there was not an easy one. Though the story is not based on any people from that town, in her author’s notes Larkins does share some beautiful words of tribute to the place she grew up. Be sure not to miss them! Somehow the fact that the story took place in her hometown made me like 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘴 even more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Beautifully written, tragic yet hopeful. Such powerful prose and style of writing. Will read anything she writes!

🎪 Home of the American Circus - Allison Larkin

4 ⭐️- I enjoyed this one but I oddly feel like it won’t be for everyone. Larkin’s first book took place in Ithaca and holds a very dear piece of my heart so I was SO excited to see she had a second coming out. Which takes place in Somers, where I’ve been to because of my friends from Ithaca. With this weird cycle of connections, I feel very drawn to Larkin’s writing and books. It is easy for me to connect with them.

After an emergency, 30 year old Freya Arnalds leaves her lackluster life in Maine and moves back to her hometown of Somers, NY to live in a house she inherited from her estranged parents. Freya dreamed of laying low, but unfortunately that doesn’t happen. She runs into childhood friends, enemies, old rivals, and her 15 year old niece Aubrey. As Freya and Aubrey reconnect, they lean on each other to restore the old house and their relationship due to events of their past.

This is a slow burn exposing generational wounds and trauma. If you like family trauma stories, this might be for you! I loved Aubrey the most, but I genuinely enjoyed the journey of grief, self loathing, and self love that each of our characters goes through. The plot itself is a bit slow, but this is a more character driven story purposely written to travel the real life roads of experiences and emotions of our characters. I definitely recommend the audio; queen Julia Whelan reads to us! I already can’t wait to see what Larkin does next!

After loving this author’s previous novel, I had high hopes for this one, but it just didn’t land for me. The story follows Freya, a thirty-year-old who returns to her hometown after a personal crisis, only to discover her teenage niece secretly living in the house she inherited. As they slowly reconnect, the two work through layers of family history and pain.

While the premise had so much potential, with themes of reconciliation, homecoming, and healing, I never quite felt connected to the characters, and some parts dragged for me. That said, I can absolutely see why others are loving it. This just wasn’t the right book at the right time for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy.

Thirty year old Freya returns to her hometown and the house she inherited from her parents to find her teenage niece Aubrey has secretly been living there. I love the relationship between Freya and Aubrey. I love seeing the ways Freya figures out how to rebuild her life and deal with her past. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ebook - would also absolutely recommend on audio.

The People We Keep was one of my favorite books of 2021 and I have been anxiously awaiting Allison’s next book. Allison shines in these coming of age, character driven stories, family focused stories. Freya is 30 and leaves her job as a bartender in Maine to go back to her hometown in Somers, NY to live in the house she inherited from her estranged parents. During her time there, she reconnects with her niece Audrey, her childhood best friend, and others around this small town.

This is a story of redemption, going back home, and found family. There are a lot of tough topics covered in here but I was so invested in rooting for Freya and her happiness and just hoping she would hit a run of good luck. Just about everyone you meet in this story is heavily flawed but by the end you feel so connected to all the characters and their happiness - and this would be very tough to pull off for some authors but Allison nailed it. The story is emotional, heartwarming, and shows the power of connection.

Allison Larkin's latest novel, Home of the American Circus, is just as captivating as her previous one was. Her recent novels are grittier than the ones she has written as Allie, but still have uplifting moments.

I really liked how honest this story felt and the dialogue was so genuine throughout. I could easily see characters and settings, like they were practically jumping off the pages. Freya is someone I could see myself befriending, even though we're a bit far apart in age. I just liked her personality a lot. I also loved her relationship with Aubrey and seeing flashbacks from when they were both a lot younger. There was a nice blend of humor to balance out the more intense parts, which I appreciated.

There was a lot happening in this story and some of it was unsettling to read. Allison handled the sensitive content really well though. (Trigger warnings below.)

This was such an engaging and rewarding read. I already can't wait for whatever Allison writes next! Pick this one up and put it on the top of your TBR.

Movie casting suggestions:
Freya: Melissa Roxburgh
Aubrey: Olivia Edward
Jam: Devon Bostick
Eddie: Jake Weary
Bee: Leila George
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TW: Death of parents, child abuse, sexual assault, sexualizing a minor (from flashbacks), poverty, drug abuse, medical situation

Thank you to Gallery Books for the gifted ARC!

3.5 Stars

I was so excited to read this after reading THE PEOPLE WE KEEP by Allison when it came out and was a Book of the Month pick!

There were so many things I liked about this one! Allison has such a way with writing characters that make you want to cheer them on!

While I enjoyed most of it, I do feel like it could be better if it were shorter as some parts seemed to lag on. It was less plot heavy than I typically prefer.

Overall, this will be a big hit for many.

After what seemed like a bit of abrupt beginning, with Freya suddenly leaving a bar job she'd had for years in Maine and returning home to suburban NY, broke and despondent, I was quickly drawn in to this story of overcoming childhood abuse and finding one's true self.

I loved the connection she made with the niece she had left behind and how they slowly developed trust and love for each other again. Both had grief and dishonesty in their past to come to terms with and, as they worked together to restore the old family home and faced painful memories together, they managed to understand each other and realize how deep their connection was.

I loved this book! Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and the author for an opportunity to read an eARC of this heartwarming novel.

Home of the American Circus is a phenomenal story. I feel the title is a bit misleading - there is a tie in, but don't overlook this one if you aren't into a circus! This story of the family black sheep coming back will have you loving the main character and cheering her on.

HOME OF THE AMERICAN CIRCUS is the ultimate found-family story, full of heart, circus history, and second chances. After hitting a rough patch in Maine, Freya reluctantly returns to her small hometown in upstate New York. At 30, with little to show for her life, she takes a job bartending at the local restaurant and moves into her estranged parents’ run-down house with her young niece.

As Freya works to rebuild her relationship with her niece and navigate old wounds, the restoration of the dilapidated home becomes a poignant metaphor for healing and new beginnings. Along the way, she reconnects with childhood friends, rekindles old romances, and comes face-to-face with a past she can no longer outrun.

Allison Larkin affectionately writes about her hometown, nostalgia, and messy families. This is exactly what I love about character-driven fiction.


READ THIS IF YOU:
-want to read more from the author of The People We Keep
-can’t get enough of Julia Whelan’s audiobook narration
-desire an escape from the circus of life

PUB DATE: May 6, 2025
RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)

Many thanks to Gallery Books, Simon Audio, and Netgalley for an ARC

3.5 stars. This one is a toughie to review. I was really looking forward to Larkin's latest but it didn't completely hit for me. I think the writing itself was very well done, but I think it was the length and pace that put it out of reach for me to really sink into. Freya is short on rent after a medical emergency and as she faces eviction, she flees to her hometown of Somers, NY, where she fled from years ago. She takes up residence in the dilapidating house that she inherited from her parents and becomes reacquainted with her 15 year old niece Aubrey. Freya's sister Steena is one of the most abhorrent characters I have ever "met" in a book and I couldn't relate to her one bit. This sad, slow, character driven novel took me what seemed like forever to get through.

𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★★★★★

This book was the book I have been waiting so long to get my hands on and let me tell you, it was so worth the wait!! Allison Larkin has a way of writing such captivating story lines and characters that grab your attention immediately!

This story was full of family drama, character trauma and growth, second chances and so much self discovery even through all the hardships these characters faced. The story was beautifully crafted with such depth and so many layers that it makes it nearly impossible to walk away from this story even once you have finished reading it.

The characters struggle of learning how to belong through the trauma and circumstances they have faced, their resilience to push through and their ability to thrive in the end was remarkable. I don’t know how Allison did it but even through the heartache and brokenness, this book was like a big warm hug that I desperately needed to read! This is one of those books that are so impactful that it will stick with you for many, many years to come!

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
Found Family
Family Drama
Self Discovery
Second Chances
Small Town Setting
Character Driven Story

4.75 stars rounded up.

Positively incredible! This book is one that once I got into it, I could not put it down! I was completely hooked and drawn into this rich, emotional tale of family, friendship and choices people make.

The story follows Freya, the younger sister in a highly dysfunctional family. Freya navigates them, life and friendship despite her upbringing.

Advanced reader copy provided by Gallery and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.