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bethanneguc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
randina's review against another edition
3.0
I would’ve much rather read a completely fictionalized book that delved into the intricacies of being an elite gymnast rather than a regurgitation of the Nassar scandal by someone who wasn’t even involved. I also just felt weird this book was trying to put itself too much into the recent past, down to naming current gymnasts and events.
chelro's review against another edition
5.0
A must read for anyone planning to watch this summer's Olympics.
gymnerdreader's review against another edition
4.0
Another ARC and one that was the perfect read while watching the gymnastics competition these past few days. It took me a bit longer than I would have liked to finish, but I was so focused on the Olympics that reading wasn’t a priority, but this read sure did put things into perspective
✅I’m a gymnerd so I know the events detailed in this book really well. As a fan, I’ve researched it, watched podcasts and interviews from survivors and I’ll tell you the sexual abuse scandal that rocked USA Gymnastics was harrowing. This book was a pretty accurate portrayal of what happened without delving too far into it. Overall, I found this book to be a pretty accurate portrayal of elite gymnastics that painted some of the dark undersides of elite sports in general.
✅I’m a gymnerd so I know the events detailed in this book really well. As a fan, I’ve researched it, watched podcasts and interviews from survivors and I’ll tell you the sexual abuse scandal that rocked USA Gymnastics was harrowing. This book was a pretty accurate portrayal of what happened without delving too far into it. Overall, I found this book to be a pretty accurate portrayal of elite gymnastics that painted some of the dark undersides of elite sports in general.
joannasbookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
This was the perfect book to read during the Olympic Games. I love watching gymnastics and find it fascinating watching the routines these strong athletes put on. It’s definitely a tough sport and the work ethic these athletes have is remarkable. The Happiest Girl in the World is a fictional story of Sera’s life as an elite gymnast. Though fictional, it parallels to the Larry Nassar case and there are some big names in the book as well (Simone and Aly). Sera’s best friend Lucy tells her that she has been abused by their team doctor. Sera has to decide whether to speak up and believe her or not which puts a riff in their relationship and also affects her career. The amount of pressure they are both under is intense and it seems like they will never catch a break. This book also touches on the family dynamics of being an elite athlete. We also hear from Sera’s mom, Charlene’s perspective. Charlene’s character was bothersome because she was way too hard on Sera. But, unfortunately that’s how it is sometimes. I thought this was a perfect book to read surrounding the olympics to get a glimpse inside what some of these athletes go through.
sarahsbookstack's review against another edition
3.0
Man, the gymnastics world just sounds so brutal. There was a lot of description (too much in my opinion) of taping up toes, hands, blisters, etc.... All that comes with the world.
Sera (and her friend Lucy) wants to go to the Olympics like every other gymnast. She will do anything she can to get there. Work hard, never play. Be the best. Even if it means screwing someone else over!
When Lucy is constantly abused and she finally decides to speak out about it, Sera does not have her back and keeps quiet, saying she's making it up. Lucy leaves because of this and Sera continues on without her. That made me so upset....Sera was in the room sometimes while Lucy was being abused but of course the doctor says it's all "a medical necessity" talking advantage of the fact that they were so young at the time, they may not have known exactly that it was abuse. (Which is another sad fact that their parents never talked to them about sexual abuse?)
There are a lot of parallels in this book to the real life scandal of the doctor that sexually abused so many gymnasts over so many years. There are a lot of familiar names of real gymnasts that I got excited over if I knew the name well (like Simone Biles).
Sera (and her friend Lucy) wants to go to the Olympics like every other gymnast. She will do anything she can to get there. Work hard, never play. Be the best. Even if it means screwing someone else over!
When Lucy is constantly abused and she finally decides to speak out about it, Sera does not have her back and keeps quiet, saying she's making it up. Lucy leaves because of this and Sera continues on without her. That made me so upset....Sera was in the room sometimes while Lucy was being abused but of course the doctor says it's all "a medical necessity" talking advantage of the fact that they were so young at the time, they may not have known exactly that it was abuse. (Which is another sad fact that their parents never talked to them about sexual abuse?)
There are a lot of parallels in this book to the real life scandal of the doctor that sexually abused so many gymnasts over so many years. There are a lot of familiar names of real gymnasts that I got excited over if I knew the name well (like Simone Biles).
mj_reads's review against another edition
5.0
This story was INCREDIBLE!!
This felt like a one-of-a-kind book. It captured everything that fans of gymnastics/Olympics love while also educating readers on the not so glamourous side to the sport. This book handles the very difficult topic of the sexual assault case that surrounded the women's gymnastics team, but it does so in a way that does not expose the reader DIRECTLY to any thing super triggering. Things are discussed but not really in an intimate way, which I think really helps to allow readers to understand how difficult it was for the people involved to have to live through it. The discussion of this topic was handled as tastefully as something like this can be.
At its core, this is a story about literally risking it all to accomplish your goals. We see how all of the characters in this story can be effected by one person's choices. Readers get to see and feel the aches and pains that go into being a competitive gymnast, whereas on TV you might see the struggle but what you mainly see and experience is the glitz and glam.
This story opens readers eyes to a lot of aspects of the sport that are not usually discussed, but it does so in a way that allows readers to understand WHY someone would be willing to do it all. It's a story about physical and emotional pain and exhaustion, but it's also a story about perseverance, strength, and accomplishment. This story provides an incredibly emotional and complex way for readers to view gymnastics, gymnasts, and everything it can take to accomplish your goals.
This felt like a one-of-a-kind book. It captured everything that fans of gymnastics/Olympics love while also educating readers on the not so glamourous side to the sport. This book handles the very difficult topic of the sexual assault case that surrounded the women's gymnastics team, but it does so in a way that does not expose the reader DIRECTLY to any thing super triggering. Things are discussed but not really in an intimate way, which I think really helps to allow readers to understand how difficult it was for the people involved to have to live through it. The discussion of this topic was handled as tastefully as something like this can be.
At its core, this is a story about literally risking it all to accomplish your goals. We see how all of the characters in this story can be effected by one person's choices. Readers get to see and feel the aches and pains that go into being a competitive gymnast, whereas on TV you might see the struggle but what you mainly see and experience is the glitz and glam.
This story opens readers eyes to a lot of aspects of the sport that are not usually discussed, but it does so in a way that allows readers to understand WHY someone would be willing to do it all. It's a story about physical and emotional pain and exhaustion, but it's also a story about perseverance, strength, and accomplishment. This story provides an incredibly emotional and complex way for readers to view gymnastics, gymnasts, and everything it can take to accomplish your goals.
tchristinew's review against another edition
5.0
This is my first book read by Alena Dillon, but she has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I could not put the book down. It was so beautifully written, the characters were complex and relatable, and the story setting that combines real events and real people into the lives of the characters was completely enthralling.
This story follows a gymnast, her journey to the Olympics, and her relationships with her family and her best friend. Life for everyone is consumed by the sport by expectations and goals. The intensity of the emotion in this book was wonderfully done, and the storyline mirrors the true stories of the gymnasts who spoke out about their experience with USA gymnastics in the past few years.
I really enjoyed this book and am sure it will become an instant must-read for many.
This story follows a gymnast, her journey to the Olympics, and her relationships with her family and her best friend. Life for everyone is consumed by the sport by expectations and goals. The intensity of the emotion in this book was wonderfully done, and the storyline mirrors the true stories of the gymnasts who spoke out about their experience with USA gymnastics in the past few years.
I really enjoyed this book and am sure it will become an instant must-read for many.
books_by_bethany's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars. Sera Wheeler’s life has always been gymnastics, and she dreams of one day competing at the Olympics. After Sera’s best friend reports the USA Gymnastics team doctor for his inappropriate treatments, Sera feels torn about whether to back up her friend, or continue to do whatever it takes to protect her dream.
Though described as fiction inspired by real-life events, the first half of the book VERY closely mirrors the Larry Nassar scandal. The novel constantly references real-life people and athletes, such as Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, yet creates fictional characters to emulate the Károlyis and Larry Nassar. While I appreciate the attention it brings to the USA gymnastics scandal, I also feel it somewhat shares the scandal in an inauthentic light. I did like the second half of the novel better, as it examines more of the physical, mental, and emotional tolls on a gymnast in training, and Sera’s constant struggles and hardships as she continued to pursue her Olympic dream.
Though described as fiction inspired by real-life events, the first half of the book VERY closely mirrors the Larry Nassar scandal. The novel constantly references real-life people and athletes, such as Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, yet creates fictional characters to emulate the Károlyis and Larry Nassar. While I appreciate the attention it brings to the USA gymnastics scandal, I also feel it somewhat shares the scandal in an inauthentic light. I did like the second half of the novel better, as it examines more of the physical, mental, and emotional tolls on a gymnast in training, and Sera’s constant struggles and hardships as she continued to pursue her Olympic dream.
notedbynnenna's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
Growing up I loved watching gymnastics during the Olympics (and actually, I love the Olympics in general). I thought the gymnasts were so beautiful and powerful, a winning combination. But I didn’t think a lot about what happened between the Olympics, how they had to train and push and train some more. So when I read that this book was about a young girl who dreams of being an Olympic gymnast, I was really looking forward to reading it.
We follow our main character, Sera, over the course of about fifteen years as she chases her Olympic journey. The story is mainly told from her perspective, although there are a few chapters from her mom’s perspective throughout. I understand what the purpose of these chapters was, but I didn’t like her mom’s chapters nearly as much.
As soon as the famous gymnastics doctor appears on the scene, I felt some dread, as it’s clear that this character was modeled after Larry Nassar and the truths that came to light about him. Throughout the book, she has such a single-minded focus on her goal and we see how it affects the relationships with her family and her best friend, Lucy.
About 2/3rds of the way through, I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go because it felt like the main event had happened, so I do think the book was perhaps a bit too long and could have been tightened. I also encountered my first mention of Covid-19 in a book and I’m not sure how I feel about it!
There’s so much pain and struggle and sacrifice in Sera’s story and the main question is: is it all worth it? It really made me think about elite athletes and everything they put their bodies through in the name of sport. How do they determine if the rewards outweigh the sacrifices? I certainly will never be an elite athlete (just the thought of it makes me lol), but I did like being in the mind of one for a few hundred pages.
CW: sexual abuse, disordered eating
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
Growing up I loved watching gymnastics during the Olympics (and actually, I love the Olympics in general). I thought the gymnasts were so beautiful and powerful, a winning combination. But I didn’t think a lot about what happened between the Olympics, how they had to train and push and train some more. So when I read that this book was about a young girl who dreams of being an Olympic gymnast, I was really looking forward to reading it.
We follow our main character, Sera, over the course of about fifteen years as she chases her Olympic journey. The story is mainly told from her perspective, although there are a few chapters from her mom’s perspective throughout. I understand what the purpose of these chapters was, but I didn’t like her mom’s chapters nearly as much.
As soon as the famous gymnastics doctor appears on the scene, I felt some dread, as it’s clear that this character was modeled after Larry Nassar and the truths that came to light about him. Throughout the book, she has such a single-minded focus on her goal and we see how it affects the relationships with her family and her best friend, Lucy.
About 2/3rds of the way through, I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go because it felt like the main event had happened, so I do think the book was perhaps a bit too long and could have been tightened. I also encountered my first mention of Covid-19 in a book and I’m not sure how I feel about it!
There’s so much pain and struggle and sacrifice in Sera’s story and the main question is: is it all worth it? It really made me think about elite athletes and everything they put their bodies through in the name of sport. How do they determine if the rewards outweigh the sacrifices? I certainly will never be an elite athlete (just the thought of it makes me lol), but I did like being in the mind of one for a few hundred pages.
CW: sexual abuse, disordered eating