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

Goodreads Blurb

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.

While this wasn't the emotional read I'd imagined it to be, That Time I Joined the Circus was still an amazing book that pushes Alexandra (aka Lexi aka Xandra aka X) on her road to self discovery--the kind of contemporary I love to read. 

I loved the story idea. How often do we read about a character who runs and joins the circus? Almost never! But I definitely want to read more now! Seeing the circus through Lexi's eyes was wonderful and I loved reading about the circus and the life behind it! 

That Time I Joined the Circus is more of a light read, though you can tell where the emotional parts were supposed to be. It's not bad, but it wasn't really what I expected! It was an adorable story that honestly made me want to squish the characters to death! It had an airy atmosphere that didn't really give me the "I'm in a hopeless situation" feeling. Where it may have been a deeply emotional book, it came as a sweet book with a happy feel.

And I think part of the reason was maybe because of the unreality of it. Lexi was completely unpopular at her old prep school, but when she stumbles into a circus filled with beautiful, talented people, she's suddenly adored. It was just super fairy tale-ish, not to mention the fact that it's rare when a ringmaster would let you work without, really, any talents. But it was perfect for the story and I honestly didn't dwell on the story!

But I definitely dwelled on the romance. It was a weird little thing. One moment Lexi was making out with Jamie, then Nick, then oh look a blast from the past. Then, still in love with one of them, one of them betrays her, she goes with one of the other guys, then the left out guy dates her friend. What? It was pretty all over the place and I maybe wanted to introduce my face to my palm, though it was rare. Because it was adorable (no matter how awkward the situation was!)

The characters were definitely detailed, though I did think a few minor characters were flat. The twins were definitely sweet characters, but I'd definitely hoped to see more of their brother so that we could sympathize with Eleski's situation. I felt a little detached from the characters, but they were often relatable a bit contradicting, but it's hard to explain!

I loved the story itself. It was seriously amazing and I really did just adore it. I would definitely recommend this to any contemporary fans! 

Pages: 272

Genre: Contemporary

Series: Stand alone

Publisher: Point

Release Date: April 1, 2013

Rating: 4 stars