Review – Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 416 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: March 10, 2020
ASIN: B07TD6GVSS
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Harley Milano has dreamed of becoming 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 heart and soul that she would 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. 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.”
Series Info/Source: I got an eGalley of this book from NetGalley.com to review. This is a stand alone book.
Story (4/5): This is, at heart, a coming of age story about Harley who is desperate to pursue a career as a trapeze artist while her parents would prefer her to go to school. I enjoyed the circus setting and Harley’s steadfast determination to follow her dreams. It was an engaging story that was a quick read for me.
Characters (4/5): The characters are complex and well done, even the side characters are intriguing. I was a bit frustrated at how poorly Harley and her parents communicate with each other. Harley is definitely a heavily flawed protagonist, she’s bad at compromise and not willing to communicate. However, that is part of the point of this story…so, while I didn’t love Harley I did understand how these flaws were something she had to grow around.
Setting (5/5): Absolutely loved the contemporary circus setting, I am always intrigued by circus life.
Writing Style (4/5): The writing in this book flows well and is easy to read. Some of the descriptions are very well done and really make you feel like you are sitting there in the circus tent. While there’s nothing truly outstanding or spectacular here, this is still a very well written book that is easy to fall into and read.
Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this book. I loved the look into circus life and it was interesting to watch Harley learn that her family and friends deserve just as much consideration as her ambitions. It was also interesting to take a look at a character that has manic depressive tendencies and see how that affects the people around her.
