Freya has been estranged from her family for many years and living in a small town in Maine. Upon being evicted and having no money, Freya returns to the town she grew up in and takes up residence in the house left to her by her parents. Freya reconnects with her beloved niece Aubry but avoids seeing her sister. Freya and Aubrey begin working on both the house and their relationship with the help of friends and others who want to help.

It is a lovely, funny, poignant tale of the families we grow up with and the ones we make who sustain us. The writing is lovely with flashes of incredible insight. Everyone should read this one.

Freya returns to her hometown to the rundown house she inherited from her parents, only to discover her estranged 15-year-old niece, Aubrey, living there. As they work together to restore the house, they gradually rebuild their fragile relationship. Along the way, they form connections with others in the community, deepening their bond with each other while working through their past traumas. The story is emotional and profound, with a wonderful cast of characters who come together to form a makeshift family in their small town.
This is a beautifully written novel that resonated with me emotionally.
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to read this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A heartfelt novel about going home again, the idea of found family, and breaking familiar cycles and working to move on and build a new life.
This is a character-driven novel that is full of emotion and depth.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Short on rent again, Freya Arnald hits the road, leaving behind Acadia, Maine after a decade. Hounded by an estate attorney, she heads to Somers, NY, where her deceased parents' home awaits—along with two unexpected occupants: her 15-year-old niece Aubrey and a rat named Lenny Juice. Freya's initial plan to sell the dilapidated house quickly evaporates when she realizes serious repairs are needed. Deeply drawn to Aubrey, whom she hasn't seen since she was a little girl, Freya must navigate the challenges of renovation while reconnecting with her niece and avoiding the rest of the town, especially her wicked sister. Along the way, she reunites with Jam, her oldest friend, who is a musical prodigy battling his own demons. As Freya works to rebuild the house and her relationship with Aubrey, she must face painful memories she left behind when she fled at nineteen. In this heartwarming drama, Freya discovers that family isn’t just about blood—it’s about the connections we choose. With its richly drawn cast of quirky characters, this novel is a beautiful testament to second chances and the resilience of the human spirit. Sometimes, despite our best efforts to run, happiness can be found where we least expect it, proving that you can always go home again.

This book was so heartbreaking yet beautiful and tender. It’s a coming of age story with a lot of character development and growth. Such a strong and powerful portrayal of found family and relationships. This book was so emotional at times dark but it was beautifully balanced with moments of love and light. The author does a wonderful job of writing each character as if they are real and believable. The writing style was brilliant and kept me engaged from start to finish. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone that loves character driven novels.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

Not sure many are better than Allison Larkin at capturing hope around the edges when life feels like a series of defeats. I was thrilled to receive an ARC through NetGalley of Home of the American Circus after previously enjoying The People We Keep. The American Circus serves a purpose (setting and story are key here) but don’t be fooled by the title.

The protagonist Freya returns to her hometown years after a rift with her dysfunctional family. Set in 2007-2008 Somers, NY (to me upstate starts where Metro North ends so I would call this downstate), Larkin keenly captures this small town (especially a small town restaurant) and found family type community. All the people we come to care about in Freya’s chosen family are imperfect and all are just doing their best to take care of one another.

A multi-generational character-driven story, the most touching and complex relationship is between Freya and her teenage niece Aubrey as they reunite and try to break family cycles, fix an old house, and muddle through to something new uncovering more about their family along the way. The challenges are heavy, yet there’s so much warmth—Larkin clearly poured herself into this world.

Initially I felt all the characters had depth except Freya’s sister. But as I read further I realized I at one point knew *her*and the accuracy made me shudder. The pacing for some may also be a little slow at first, but it picks up and I think has a satisfying end arch. I feel confident that it’ll be one of my favorites of the year.
This review was shared on Goodreads and Fable.

A coming of age story with lots of growth from the characters. The story showed how decisions are not always black and white but sometimes fall into the grey area. The book was dark but with moments of light and love.

✨This is a beautifully crafted and profoundly moving story of a woman broken by her circumstances searching for a place to belong. The story of her journey is told in these pages with depth and emotion, and I absolutely loved it.

✨The author incorporates symbolism throughout the story in such a way that the story lingers long after the last page is turned. Don’t miss the deeper meanings of the house and the elephant. There is so much to unpack here, and I am thoroughly entranced. I will not soon forget this one.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Contemporary literary fiction
Dual timelines
Found family narratives
Small town dynamics
Family drama
Redemption arcs
Lovable casts of supporting characters

I really liked it! This one definitely leaned heavier in the addiction/drug abuse direction which I didn't expect, but as with Allison's previous novel, she captured that misfit cast perfectly. The people who feel like they don't have any one and are continually searching for support, love, and acceptance. I didn't love this one as much as TPWK, but it still held a lot of meaning for me. I thought the audio by Julia Whelan was phenomenal.

“I delight in being known. “

I really enjoyed Allison Larkin’s previous book The People We Keep. It was a book that I remember fondly with where I was at in life and the weather/season…laying in the sun outside in the summer. Those books always tend to be more special when you can recall those details. Same will be true for Home For The American Circus… the smell from our lilac bush blooming, hands in the dirt gardening, the start of warm days ahead.

“Who knows how we are all suppose to be.”

I knew very little before starting this audiobook… the main character Freya must head back to her hometown after getting in a bind, and once arriving she has to deal with all that she left behind.

Allison crafts characters that you feel in your bones. The struggles and imperfection makes you root your heart out for the good to prevail. The community in the small town feels special and nostalgic. I’m truly captivated by this story and it’s one I’ll have to pick up a physical copy of to revisit.

“There’s so many ways for people to let each other down.”

A beautiful book!

Thank you Simon Audio 🎧

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Another great book by Allison Larkin. It started out a bit slow but I ended up really caring for Freya and Aubrey who were treated so badly by their families. There is a lot of trauma but it is also hopeful.

After a medical emergency leaves her low on cash, Freya Arnalds decides to return to her hometown after years away. She’s inherited her estranged parents’ house but she has no interest in seeing anyone else in town, especially her sister. But things get a little complicated when she finds her 15 year old niece secretly staying in the house.

This book feels so heavy and sad most of the time but there are also moments that feel so joyful. And that’s life for a lot of people isn’t it?

A coming of age, character driven, sad book is so far from my usual style but something about this one really hooked me. A small town romance with the lead returning to their hometown? Sure, I’ve read tons of them. This almost feels like the more realistic take on that. It’s not cute or easy but it’s real. This book is just life and all the hard parts that come with it. Finding out this book takes place in her real hometown makes it even better.

All of the characters in this book are dealing with past trauma, some better than others. In interesting to see the way everyone deals with the pain differently.

Read this for:
-Found family
-Friendship
-Showing up for people when you never had anyone show up for you
-Lenny the rat

Thanks to Gallery Books for the ARC!

"Kids don't need a life where nothing bad ever happens. What they need is someone who's there for them when the bad stuff happens."

Freya Arnalds ends up back in her hometown of Somers, New York, after an emergency forces her to leave her life bartending in Maine. Staying in an inherited house and reconnecting with childhood friends, flames, and family in the birthplace of the American circus, Freya also reconnects with her 15-year-old niece, Aubrey. This becomes her most important relationship, but also causes them to dredge up the past.

UGH MY HEART. After reading THE PEOPLE WE KEEP, I knew I was in for an emotional journey, but HOME OF THE AMERICAN CIRCUS really made my heart squeeze. While there are dark and somber themes in this book, I absolutely loved Freya and was rooting for her the entire book - I just felt so hopeful as she grew and made decisions to create happiness and belonging. Her relationship with Aubrey was just spectactular and such an example of "family is what you make it" and truly being there "when the bad stuff happens." This is a heavily character-driven novel, focusing on Freya, her family, connections, and community. Highly, highly recommend reading this!

Home of the American Circus is at the very top of my list for 2025. As soon as I turned the last page, I wanted to start back over and read it all again. The character development was top-notch and I found myself thinking about Freya, Audrey and Jam when I wasn't reading. The setting was described so well that the homes and buildings themselves almost felt like characters! This book will break your heart, make you laugh and give you hope. I'll be recommending it to absolutely everyone.

I absolutely loved this book focusing on found family and breaking generational curses. I love the life the character has created for herself.

Home of the American Circus is one of those books that will stick with you for a long time.

It is a slow burn so if you need a fast paced book, this isn’t it. With that being said, I found it hard to put it down. The character development was so rich, I felt deeply connected to the characters and to the story.

Larkin’s writing is SO good! I was completely immersed in the story and it surprised me again and again. I love a book about found family and this one is done so well! I felt all the things while getting to know these characters and the ending was perfect. This is a beautiful messy book that I completely loved.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

3 hometown slow-burn stars

Freya Arnalds is the main character in this novel, which explores themes of family, friends, home, and love. It is set mainly in Somers, NY (the author’s hometown), which is also known as the home of Old Bet, the first circus elephant. There are fascinating chapters that tell us the various historical stories of Old Bet and a statue in town!

Freya has escaped her hometown, living in Maine and working as a bartender. She’s just scraping by when a medical emergency forces her to move home to Somers for financial reasons. Her parents are gone, and Freya has inherited their falling-down house.

When she arrives at the house, she discovers that her teenage niece Aubrey has been staying there. They used to be quite close before Freya left for Maine. The two begin bonding again, and we know there’s a big secret in the past with Freya’s sister/Aubrey’s mom.

As Freya reconciles some of her past actions and relationships with her parents and sister, she also reconnects with her childhood friend Jam. I always enjoy stories about returning to your hometown and whether that feels like success or failure.

At 432 pages, this slow burn gave us lots of time with these characters and dysfunctional families. The second half was a stronger read for me as we finally got the story of why Freya left originally and why Aubrey has been staying at the house. I really enjoyed the connection between Aubrey and Freya. I wish some loose threads would have been tied up with the story. I’m envisioning my own ending for the characters!

Home of the American Circus is a heartfelt story about navigating tough family conflict while staying true to who you are. As Freya returns to her hometown and reconnects with her teenage niece with whom she shared a bond since childhood, she begins to understand the tangled layers of her families’ choices—and her own. The novel tenderly explores how healing often starts with confronting the past, even when it’s uncomfortable. Through moments of unexpected friendship and renewed connection, Freya discovers that family isn’t always about blood, but about the people who stand by you. This moving book reminds us that sometimes, home is something you rebuild together.

I do not know how best to articulate the beauty of this book. It broke me down, pressed on bruises I remember and ones I never knew existed; it made me teary, my throat constrict, and my nose burn, and then it gave me a big hug and built me back up again. The gut punch followed by the healing is beautiful. Larkin dives deep into the human condition, generational trauma and emotional abuse; she tears you down, sets the tone, builds you back up and does it all over again. Through it all, she reminds you that you are not what happened to you, or the family you come from, but what you do with life and the people you make your family.

I didn’t fully understand the story of Bet, and how she was the heart of the story, but at one point “I’m sorry for what happened to you” had me putting down the book, I was so moved by it. I highlighted so many passages and I read through them again to write my review and was moved all over again. It feels silly to say this book changed me, but I think it healed a few wounds for me.

I loved The People We Keep, so I feel like any book Allison Larkin writes has a lot to live up to. I think Home of the American Circus was a great book to follow TPWK, it just took me a bit to get in to the story. Once the story started to change seasons and you saw more of Freya and Aubrey's connection, I was fully invested in the book and learning what made Freya flee Somers, New York for Maine years ago was worth the wait as you understood more of both her backstory and Aubrey's.