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

Title: That Time I Joined the Circus
Author: J.J. Howard
Published: April 1, 2013
Publisher: Point
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Lexi Ryan just ran away to join the circus, but not on purpose.

A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake--and facing a terrible tragedy--Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi's mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.

When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn't there . . . but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus's fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.

But then Lexi's ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it's Lexi's own future that's thrown into question.

With humor, wisdom, and a dazzlingly fresh voice, this debut reminds us of the magic of circus tents, city lights, first kisses, and the importance of an excellent playlist.

A circus book?!  Yay!!  As children, my brothers and I LOVED the circus!!  Except for my extreme fear of clowns (which extends to everything in costume, not just clowns... FYI), going to the circus was something we always looked forward to.  (As long as those creepy clowns kept their distance!!)  Between the animals and the outright crazy performances (how do they DO some of that stuff?!) it was extreme entertainment, no matter what age.

Our main character, Lexi, the senior who would rather blend into the walls at school than stand out, has two friends... Eli and Bailey.  She is more than frustrated when Bailey and Eli start dating, turning her into the third wheel.  After a HUGE mistake and an unseen tragic event, she's left completely lost, emotionally and physically.  She finds herself in dire straits and ventures off to parts unknown in hopes of finding her mother, who left her when she was very young.  She ends up at a circus where her mother used to perform and decides to ask for a job to give her a place to stay while she searches for answers to her questions about her mother. 

The story flip-flops between past and present.  This really helps to paint a full picture of Lexi's quest to find herself, and the events that led up to where she is currently.  Each chapter also has lyrics to a song, with the band name and song title, which I really enjoyed.  A few of the bands/singers were new to me, so I actually googled the songs.  I loved that addition to the story!

That Time I Joined the Circus is sure to entertain.  It has a mixture of circus fun, romance, love and loss.  This is different than what I thought it was going to be like, but I was definitely satisfied with this novel.

My life has a sound track - it plays in my head all the time.  Sometimes it's on automatic, just a song stuck on repeat from the last thing I listened to.  And sometimes I'm like a DJ, making a selection to suit my mood or the general circumstances.  When there's music playing in the outside world, though, sometimes it takes over.  Like now.

- loc 17, 1%

I was mostly nervous about what to wear.  I'd tried on a hundred things, but nothing felt right.  I felt like an idiot imposter in everything.  Lina found a bunch of stuff she liked at Goodwill, but the clothes smelled musty, so then I felt like a musty idiot imposter.  But Lina had promised to take me back to the mall the next day, and she'd promised me a makeover that would make me at least look fortune-tellery.

- loc 1082, 45%