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alongreader's review against another edition
4.0
Young gymnast Audrey is on the verge of achieving everything she's ever wanted. She's just made the Olympic team. An accusation against the team coach rocks them all just as training really ramps up, forcing them to pull together or risk losing everything they've worked for.
There's a Venn diagram out there somewhere, with one circle labeled 'People who read YA' and the other labelled 'People who know about competitive gymnastics'. I'm sure there's quite a large overlap in the middle. Sadly, I'm not in it. I tried looking up some of the terms for movements used in this book, but it was breaking my concentration on the story, so I mentally inserted 'twirl' everywhere a term I didn't know was used.
My copy was a proof, so maybe there'll be a glossary in the genuine article to explain some of these things. I couldn't even figure out the scoring. People were scoring thirteen point eights and fourteen point twos happily, so I thought must be out of fifteen. Then someone scored a fifteen point three...
In terms of the accusation, it's kind of glossed over, since they all have more important things to worry about. It left me with a story that I enjoyed reading, but has vanished away like candy floss now. A good read, but not a great one.
(I did love the way all the female teams rallied together to show support and cheer each other on; that was lovely and it's raised my rating by a star.)
There's a Venn diagram out there somewhere, with one circle labeled 'People who read YA' and the other labelled 'People who know about competitive gymnastics'. I'm sure there's quite a large overlap in the middle. Sadly, I'm not in it. I tried looking up some of the terms for movements used in this book, but it was breaking my concentration on the story, so I mentally inserted 'twirl' everywhere a term I didn't know was used.
My copy was a proof, so maybe there'll be a glossary in the genuine article to explain some of these things. I couldn't even figure out the scoring. People were scoring thirteen point eights and fourteen point twos happily, so I thought must be out of fifteen. Then someone scored a fifteen point three...
In terms of the accusation, it's kind of glossed over, since they all have more important things to worry about. It left me with a story that I enjoyed reading, but has vanished away like candy floss now. A good read, but not a great one.
(I did love the way all the female teams rallied together to show support and cheer each other on; that was lovely and it's raised my rating by a star.)
z_brarian's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book in one day. I cried, I cheered, I raged for these girls. The author had me IN this story from the start. It’s a story of hope, determination and perseverance all wrapped up in a bow, letting others no that nothing can stop them and that it’s ok to have a voice. Amazing!!!!
keysersuze's review against another edition
3.0
Audrey Lee is a young US gymnast intent on going to the Olympics. We join her at the end of her journey, as the team is announced. No spoilers, but I guess it’d be a short book if she didn’t make the team. Or would it??
I have a soft spot for gymnastics stories, ever since I bought an old book on gymnastics from a charity shop when I was about 8. I was fascinated by the Olga Korbut pictures. I also remember watching Kerri Strug power through injury to win the Olympic medal in Atlanta, where the whole world caught Strugitis for a few days. There’s something compelling about the strength required coupled with the grace needed to make the moves look good – probably why I like dance, and ballet.
So “Break the Fall”, by Jennifer Iacopelli, tells Rey’s story – short for Audrey – on her way to the big competition with her best friend and teammates. Along the way they encounter some obstacles, of course. It was really weird that it was set in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, having just been postponed due to the threat of Covid-19/Corona virus. That felt very ‘on the nose’, by pure coincidence, of course.
The story was quite quickly something I hadn’t expected – weightier than ‘just’ a fantasy about Olympic level gymnastics. Rey is battling her own injuries, feelings about potentially beating her best friend to a medal and what that would do to their relationship as well as fanning the flames of a newly hatched romance. It comes into its own talking about the female relationships, the graciousness of young adults and the fact that everyone needs someone to lean on, sometimes.
There were a few things I wasn’t a fan of – small, personal to me gripes. Iacopelli clearly knows a lot about gymnastics and while I enjoy a flashy costume and a sing along floor tune, I can’t tell what a triple piked somersault Amanov looks like. There was a lot of this description, especially towards the end of the book where the competing events took place. This took me out a bit, as I couldn’t really follow the routine. I’ll bet it’s easier for people who have done it, though. Secondly, the love interest being called Leo and the shortened name for their kit being ‘leo’ was a bit confusing sometimes!
I would have liked to have seen a bit more on the Olympic village, some interaction with the male gymnasts, maybe – a description of the opening ceremony, even.
I did enjoy being with Rey on her journey, and her character was well rounded and likeable without being a pushover. Recommended by sports fans, team lovers and anyone who likes a good, well written teen romance.
Thanks as always to Netgalley for the platform and for Hachette Children's Group Publishing for the ARC.
I have a soft spot for gymnastics stories, ever since I bought an old book on gymnastics from a charity shop when I was about 8. I was fascinated by the Olga Korbut pictures. I also remember watching Kerri Strug power through injury to win the Olympic medal in Atlanta, where the whole world caught Strugitis for a few days. There’s something compelling about the strength required coupled with the grace needed to make the moves look good – probably why I like dance, and ballet.
So “Break the Fall”, by Jennifer Iacopelli, tells Rey’s story – short for Audrey – on her way to the big competition with her best friend and teammates. Along the way they encounter some obstacles, of course. It was really weird that it was set in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, having just been postponed due to the threat of Covid-19/Corona virus. That felt very ‘on the nose’, by pure coincidence, of course.
The story was quite quickly something I hadn’t expected – weightier than ‘just’ a fantasy about Olympic level gymnastics. Rey is battling her own injuries, feelings about potentially beating her best friend to a medal and what that would do to their relationship as well as fanning the flames of a newly hatched romance. It comes into its own talking about the female relationships, the graciousness of young adults and the fact that everyone needs someone to lean on, sometimes.
There were a few things I wasn’t a fan of – small, personal to me gripes. Iacopelli clearly knows a lot about gymnastics and while I enjoy a flashy costume and a sing along floor tune, I can’t tell what a triple piked somersault Amanov looks like. There was a lot of this description, especially towards the end of the book where the competing events took place. This took me out a bit, as I couldn’t really follow the routine. I’ll bet it’s easier for people who have done it, though. Secondly, the love interest being called Leo and the shortened name for their kit being ‘leo’ was a bit confusing sometimes!
I would have liked to have seen a bit more on the Olympic village, some interaction with the male gymnasts, maybe – a description of the opening ceremony, even.
I did enjoy being with Rey on her journey, and her character was well rounded and likeable without being a pushover. Recommended by sports fans, team lovers and anyone who likes a good, well written teen romance.
Thanks as always to Netgalley for the platform and for Hachette Children's Group Publishing for the ARC.
hitbooksnotgirlz's review
5.0
This book was intense from beginning to end. A total nail biter. The sexual assault elements were heavy and emotional, but they were an integral piece of the story. Following the girls on their journey to the Tokyo Olympics was amazing. So much talent and passion was displayed at each turn. Amazing!
leahmink's review
5.0
4.5 ⭐️. If your looking for a romance book there’s not much romance but it was a powerful read and I really connected to the characters. I do wish there was a more conclusive ending though.
lisamarie89's review
3.0
This book was fine. I liked the characters and the whole plot, but nothing really stood out to me as amazing. The romance was a little blah and I did see some of the big "twists" coming. I liked the girl power aspect and the timeliness of some of the issues it covered that have happened in real-life gymnastics. Other than some of the routine descriptions being a little repetitive, it was solid, just not fantastic.
hellomadalyn's review
4.0
Listened to this entire audiobook during a bad bout of insomnia, and I enjoyed every minute. YA about women’s sports is one of my favorite things, and this was so well-done! I know next to nothing about gymnastics, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of all the gym stuff, but at its heart, this is a story about friendship and the bonds between women. Definitely the thing I needed to soothe the pain of the 2020 Olympics (rightfully) being postponed.
sophiegreen's review
2.0
So this was… boring. I was really intrigued going into it as it had a great premise, and having read a similar series before, I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately it fell completely flat, there was no depth to the story at all.
We follow Audrey’s journey to the Olympics, where she dreams of winning gold with Team USA, despite having an injury to her back. She’s tough, resilient and fierce as she pushes through the pain during the trials. However, that’s to the extent we know of her. We don’t really get to see her outside the sport. The same goes for pretty much all the characters, none of them really have a personality.
The gymnastic trials were the best part of the book. These scenes were written well, very descriptive and vivid. Having read a gymnast series before, I understand a lot of the terms but I could imagine someone new to it struggling to keep up.
The grooming plot line is supposed to be a major part of the story, but to me it felt oddly sidelined since Audrey’s involvement is not very significant. We are shown the aftermath rather than the lead up. I appreciate that it was dealt with sensitively, and whilst it was impactful, I wanted more from it.
The romance subplot was lacklustre, and added no significance to the story at all.
Overall, the book suffered from a very unfortunate case of telling not showing. Any conflict that arose was resolved too quickly. The narrative made it challenging to fully connect and I found myself skimming through a lot of the pages.
We follow Audrey’s journey to the Olympics, where she dreams of winning gold with Team USA, despite having an injury to her back. She’s tough, resilient and fierce as she pushes through the pain during the trials. However, that’s to the extent we know of her. We don’t really get to see her outside the sport. The same goes for pretty much all the characters, none of them really have a personality.
The gymnastic trials were the best part of the book. These scenes were written well, very descriptive and vivid. Having read a gymnast series before, I understand a lot of the terms but I could imagine someone new to it struggling to keep up.
The grooming plot line is supposed to be a major part of the story, but to me it felt oddly sidelined since Audrey’s involvement is not very significant. We are shown the aftermath rather than the lead up. I appreciate that it was dealt with sensitively, and whilst it was impactful, I wanted more from it.
The romance subplot was lacklustre, and added no significance to the story at all.
Overall, the book suffered from a very unfortunate case of telling not showing. Any conflict that arose was resolved too quickly. The narrative made it challenging to fully connect and I found myself skimming through a lot of the pages.
zbrarian's review
5.0
I read this book in one day. I cried, I cheered, I raged for these girls. The author had me IN this story from the start. It’s a story of hope, determination and perseverance all wrapped up in a bow, letting others no that nothing can stop them and that it’s ok to have a voice. Amazing!!!!
tennisgirl27's review
3.0
Did I love this book…..no……it was tolerable but not great. I was looking for a quick light read and this fit the bill but I think overall this was just another average (young adult) gymnastics themed book. I just finished reading another book not that long ago that is pretty much identical to this one so I think that impacted my rating (but this one was better at least). I guess you can only read so many books about a gymnastic and their path to the olympics