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moniquemaggiore's review
4.0
This is an interesting memoir of Aly Raisman and how competing in the Olympics and for herself changed everything for her. Aly is not a child prodigy, she worked hard and got where she was because of her passion for the sport and because she put in the necessary work to stand out. At first the book starts off a little slow, as Raisman spends time taking the reader chronologically through her childhood and through her grueling schedule and extolling the virtues of hard work. The ending was very interesting, as I found myself wanting to read more to see what happened during Olympics Games (even though I watched it). I gave this book four out of five stars because she does get a little repetitive.
_rachelreads_'s review
4.0
I have been a fan of Aly Raisman since the 2012 Olympics, and I enjoyed learning more about her story. Her resilience and unparalleled work ethic come through in full force, and along with what I assume is a ghost writer, she builds a real sense of suspense and triumph around the Olympic events even though we know the outcome! The book has a few platitudes and some of the anecdotes are repetitive. Overall though this is inspiring and illuminates how much hard work went into Aly’s triumphs.
mheffner3031's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
linda_v's review against another edition
5.0
As a gymnastics and Aly Raisman fan I absolutely loved this biography. Gives a great insight in the hard world of gymnastics
postitsandpens's review
5.0
As a huge gymnastics fan, and a fan of Aly in particular, I was excited to read this book. While parts of it definitely veer into "motivational speaker" territory, I didn't find it cheesy or weird at all, and parts of it actually made me tear up. She talks about her gymnastics journey, but also the struggles in her personal life with body positivity and self doubt. Be forewarned she does touch on her experiences with Dr. Nassar, so this book definitely needs a sexual abuse trigger warning. She doesn't go into depth or detail, but also doesn't gloss over what she dealt with, so I want to be upfront and mention it in case that's an issue for you. Nonetheless, it was an awesome look inside the life of a truly amazing gymnast and woman. If you're a fan of Aly's, or just the sport, do give it a read!
strawfly14's review
4.0
Aly's always been one of my favorite gymnasts (actually my second fav behind Aliya, who has been named few times in this book and I loved it) and I've always admired her so deeply. But after reading this book (also after hearing her speech in the Nassar trial), y only have one more thing to say: ALY RAISMAN FOR PRESIDENT.
cmlundy's review
2.0
This book was good at times, but I felt like I was reading a 15 year olds journal that wasn’t edited at all. It seems a little immature, but in the end she’s a strong girl who has endured a ton.