Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Harley Milano has dreamed of being a trapeze artist for as long as she can remember. With parents who run a famous circus in Las Vegas, she spends almost every night in the big top watching their lead aerialist perform, wishing with all her soul that she could be up there herself one day.

After a huge fight with her parents, who continue to insist she go to school instead, Harley leaves home, betrays her family and joins the rival traveling circus Maison du Mystère. There, she is thrust into a world that is both brutal and beautiful, where she learns the value of hard work, passion and collaboration. But at the same time, Harley must come to terms with the truth of her family and her past—and reckon with the sacrifices she made and the people she hurt in order to follow her dreams.

Really loved this story. It's a great contemporary YA that follows a girl who runs off to a circus to be a trapeze artist (a job I always wanted, but I could never do!). Despite the magic of the circus, the story also explores prominent themes about mental illness and stigma, identity (Harley is biracial), and trauma. The other members of the circus are explored in equal depth, like Vas, Dexi, Vivien, etc. The focus on the characters in Harley's circle of friends - while also not taking away from Harley as the MC - is something commendable that Bowman does. There's a lyrical way in which Bowman gets the reader to connect with Harley and the plot - something that brings about a poetic sense while also being exciting to read. The ending could've improved only in the sense that I wish Harley and her mother had planned to work together a bit more to get healthy (mentally). Overall, though, what an awesome read.

3 stars!

This is the first Bowman book I've read, and I can say I'm very interested in reading more. (Do you have any you'd recommend?)

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

One of the things that really made me love this book was the plot mixed with the setting and atmosphere- it was gorgeous! If you were a fan of The Greatest Showman or like to read books with the circus kind of setting then here you go- perfection!

Plot-wise, I really liked the idea at the beginning. Then I loved the idea, but the main character handled things rather pettily at spots which is where the side characters came in and kept me in love.

Harley running off to join the circus that her parents hate was a plot idea that definitely gave us some extra drama in the story and character relationships.
And then later with Harley making, again, some less-than-good decisions for petty reasons didn't help with my opinion of her though it definitely got the story heading in an interesting direction. It helped to get resolve and the development needed though.

The ending was a combination of Harley dealing with different relationships- some made me squeal happily, and some were touching and heart-warming. Again, perfection!

The only downside was Harley herself, I HATED Harley and she almost ruined the book for me.