Review: That Time I Joined the Circus - J.J. Howard

Where I got it: Netgalley
Rating: 3.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 3.5 stars (I like it, but I don't love it. It looks a bit too CGI)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: April 1, 2013
Publisher: Point
Page Count:272 p.
Buy it: Book Depository | Indie | Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Lexi has run away to the circus. She was looking for her mom, but her mom was not there. Lexi has nowhere else to go so she decides to get a job with the circus. She made a terrible mistake back home in New York and then something awful happened, so now she's all alone. She seems to fall into things nicely at the circus though and winds up being the tarot card reader(something she had previously only played around with). When Lexi's ex-best friend shows up at the circus to patch things back together with her, Lexi isn't sure what to do. Her past is catching up with her and she just doesn't know if she can face it yet.

This was an awesome read. I love books that have to do with the circus and even though this book could have definitely used MORE circus it was still lovely. The book had a lot more to do about Lexi growing up and dealing with things though. She had to go through one of the hardest things alone. That's a hard thing to do and I think she handled it fairly well. It was pretty much shock that made her join the circus I think. She just had no idea what to do and so she did the first thing that came to her.

There was quite a bit of drama in this novel beyond the obvious. There's a few instances of two-timing, divorce, strained friendships and people not being able to make up their minds about who they like. It wasn't all bad, and it worked in the story.

I loved all the circus characters too, especially Liska. She was took some time to warm up, but she was really interesting. The characters were all a little bit on the flat side which made them a bit tricky to tell apart if you didn't take a liking to them. Part way through the book I had actually mixed up a couple of the love interests and I was very confused. They were all a bit forgettable.

Despite the fact that the characters won't stay with me forever, there was just something about this book that made me end up really enjoying it. Maybe it was the setting. Maybe it was the dialogue. Maybe it was simply the writing. Whatever it was, it just worked. This story just really worked for me and I enjoyed reading it.

First Line:
My life has a sound track—it plays in my head all the time."

Favorite Lines:
"I'd read too many YA novel—everybody was a vampire."

"I realized it needed more up-tempo songs. It was pretty much a suicide mix."

"So there you have it: My life is a post with no comments. Less interesting than spicy tuna."

Also, there were tons of excellent lyrics at the beginning of each chapter.