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

Title: That Time I Joined the Circus
Author: J.J. Howard
Series: N/A
Source: Publisher for review
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Publication Date: April 1, 2013
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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.

I wanna go join the circus now! I've always really liked the idea of traveling around, so That Time I joined the Circus  hit me in a really good way. In a kind of great way, actually. It was ridiculously fun to get lost in Lexi's world, even if it was only for a little while. I found Lexi to be a rocking character, and I can honestly say that her musical taste isn't all that shabby-- I'll definitely be looking up some of those songs that I didn't know!

I loved that music had so much to do with this one-- I'm a total music geek, so seeing so much music in a book was fabulous! We even get songs quoted to us at the beginning of every chapter. ;)

I have to admit that my only real issue with this book was Lexi, though. She thought that she was forever invisible and alone, etc., but when she joins the circus guys start falling all over her! I can't stand that in a character, but I'll make an exception for Lexi-- because as I said before, I did like her, even if she wasn't the most amazing, flawless character ever.

I also liked all of the secondary characters! We're introduced to a really big cast of characters right away, but I never found myself getting them mixed up. They all appear to have their own distinct personalities, and I loved the way that they interacted with Lexi.

I loved the way that this was written! Few authors do flashbacks well, this is a known fact. But I think that J.J. does it very well! I never got confused in the flashbacks, and I finished each one with either a new fact to think about, or a new need to figure out more. I had most of it figured out, but I'll tell you that some of them threw me for a loop.

BUT SPOILER'S, y'all! I cannot reveal those, alas. All in all, That Time I joined the Circus  was a ridiculously fun read-- and it's going to go on my favorites shelf.