Reviews

Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman

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An almost perfect read. The pacing was inconsistent and I wish some of the parts (ie friendship with Chloe) were explored a bit more.

I did overall enjoy the premise, the characters and the themes of this book.

kkoerth613's review against another edition

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4.0

Loved the circus aspect. The romance was predictable but I’m always a sucker for anything Akemi writes.

jess_mango's review

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4.0

Harley has just graduated from high school and lives with her family in Las Vegas. Her parents run a famous circus there. Harley dreams of being a trapeze artist and gets upset when her parents refuse to let her train on the trapeze and instead insist that she should go to college. Harley jumps at an opportunity to leave and join a competing circus as a trainee, even if it means burning quite a few bridges.

I find it hard to resist circus stories so this was a fun one for me. Harley is a like-able character despite the poor choices she makes. She is pursuing her dreams even if that means betraying some of her loved ones. She feels very guilty about her betrayal so that makes her more sympathetic to me. I also liked the dilemma she felt about who she was. Being mixed race she doesn't feel white enough OR Asian enough to fit in anywhere. This was a good mix of coming of age, family dynamics, circus atmosphere, with a touch of a love story thrown in.

What to listen to while reading..
Paradise Circus by Massive Attack
Human by Sevdaliza
Habits by Tove Lo
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Keane
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by Bono
The Trapeze Swinger by Iron & Wine

harleyrae's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was well worth the read! I enjoyed every minute of it!

d0nnaw0ng's review against another edition

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4.0

4.25/5

allysadventuresinbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

I read this book so quick, because I couldn't put it down. Plus there was real tears coming out of me for some of the later chapters.I am so emotionally attached to this story and it's characters.

Because of own personal past, it felt like I was walking down a different path I could have explored in life. Which was amazing and so personal for me.

The representation for mental health is phenominal, I wish I read this book when I was a teenager so I could have maybe expressed my feelings better!

The descriptions of the circus acts are beautiful and so captivating. The plot pulls you in and the story develops so well. The characters are flawed and so, so likeable - Harley for me was a hugely relatable character.

This book was the big hug that I really needed during this pandemic!

jessicafarmer80's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Harley is torn between following her dreams or her parents dreams, for herself. As she pursues her own dreams, the story shows her internal struggles and successes, while learning to navigate thru her own demons. It’s a great coming of age story with a happy ending.