Who is already missing the Olympics? I loved watching swimming and gymnastics the most! During the two weeks, @letstalkbookspromo hosted a buddy read for The Happiest Girl in the World. It was a perfect tie-in for the games.

The book follows a fictional version of the real life scandal of a well trusted doctor taking advantage of young, female athletes. Sera is a gymnast who trains around the clock, starving herself and guzzling Advil. She has her eye on the Olympics and nothing can stand in her way; even her best friend and fellow gymnast. When her BFF stand up to the doctor, Sera chooses to deny this and focus on her own career.

This was such a fascinating look the road to gold. It means even more after watching what Simone Biles just went through with her own mental health. The sacrifices that these athletes go through it incredible and at such young ages. I felt the book was extremely well written and would be a good read for HS athletes.

I truly enjoyed our discussion of both the real games this year and the book with thr buddy read.

Thank you so much to @williammorrowbooks, @alena.dillon, @netgalley, and @letstalkbookspromo. The Happiest Girl in the World is on sale now!

Happy Olympic Opening Ceremonies Day! I am so excited and can't wait to cheer on all of the amazingly dedicated athletes competing on the world stage!

There was no better lead-up to these summer games than reading Alena Dillon's The Happiest Girl in The World and discussing it with the Let's Talk Books Promo buddy read group. Dillon's writing was so raw and real, and Sera's story took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride and had me looking at not only gymnasts, but all elite athletes, in a different way.

Though this story was fictional, it so closely mirrored real-life events and controversies involving the United States Gymnastics Association and the United States Olympic Committee, that I often felt like I was reading a memoir or work of non-fiction. Situations in the book evoked so many different emotions from me - from joy, excitement and anxiety before a big meet, to shock, anger, heartbreak, and disgust. I cried both tears of happiness and sadness, and whether absorbing Sera's experience from her perspective, glimpses of her best friend Lucy's, or her mother Charlene's, it opened my eyes to the horrific abuse gymnasts both past and present have experienced, and how the price of fame and greatness can impact an entire family.

I'm not going to lie - parts of this book were very upsetting and difficult to read. Dillon's fictional story discusses the hidden abuse within the gymnastics world and had me looking further into the Larry Nassar trial, and though it was heartbreaking and horrific, I felt that Dillon handled these issues with grace, sensitivity, and heart, and let abuse survivors' voices be heard. Know going into this one, however, that reading about these situations could potentially be very triggering.

While this book focuses on gymnastics, I think, like many others have said, that The Happiest Girl In The World also shines a light on the sacrifices, commitment and lifetime of hard work any elite athlete or Olympian dedicates to their sport and their quest for greatness. It allows readers to view athletes and their families in a different light, and it's a story that will stick with me for a very long time.

Thank you so very much to @alenadillon @berittalksbooks @letstalkbookspromo and @williammorrowbooks for allowing me to read and discuss this incredible book. Happy Olympics to all athletes who are competing in Tokyo these next two weeks; we see you, we respect your hard work, we will cheer you on, and most of all, we must help ensure your safety by holding those responsible for keeping you safe to a higher bar.

Review of The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sera Wheeler is an elite gymnast who has been training her entire life for the Olympics. Her mom Charlene is even more hungry for that Olympic dream to come true than Sera. Training through torn muscles, broken toes, and utter exhaustion, Sera will do nearly anything to get to the Olympics because it’s all she knows. The pressure to get there is instilled in her daily but when her best friend and fellow elite gymnast comes forward comes forward with allegations of sexual abuse by the gymnastics doctor, Sera denies having known anything. Because Sera knows that if she sides with Lucy, her Olympic dream would be shattered. So Sera trains harder because if she doesn’t get to the Olympic village she has to question if whether or not her disloyalty and the sacrifices made were worth it.

I found this book to be a powerful inside look to gymnastics and the gymnastics culture over the years. It dives into the mentality of gymnasts who feel trapped by the pressures to do more; do better. A common theme was how the allegation of abuse was poorly addressed and not taken seriously, allowing it to continue. This book reads like a documentary yet it is a work of fiction (based on true events). It left me looking at gymnasts - and athletes in general - through a different lens. The physical, emotional, and mental toll that training and competing has - coupled with the external pressures - really can do a number. Simone Biles is a perfect example of the weight of expectation being too much yet her withdrawing herself from the Olympics to put her health first was a momentous and admirable decision. The actions of one can give others the courage to speak up and be heard and listened to.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Molestation

3.5 stars

A perfect book to read while the Olympics are underway and especially interesting with Simone Biles withdrawing from most of her events.

Since she was a little girl, Sera’s life has been all about gymnastics. She progresses from classes at the Y, all the way to the well known camps run by legends in the field (clearly modeled after Bela and Marta Karolyi). She gives up so much, including a real education, and her family’s sacrifice is equally significant. Through a good part of the book, Sera’s only friend is another gymnast, Lucy, and they’re both focused on being Olympic champions together. Sera has a twin brother and it was poignant to see her mother’s focus on Sera, to the detriment of Joe (although she did make his favorite dinner of Mac n cheese and hot dogs when he left for college).
While the focus is more on Sera’s teen years, the story does take us into her early 20’s and right up to the Tokyo Olympics. There’s an interesting blend of real life people and characters modeled after real life people. There are appearances by the gymnasts we (the casual once every four year fans) would recognize, like Simone Biles. And there’s also the pivotal character Dr. Eddie (or the Crotch Doctor as one gymnast called him), clearly modeled after Larry Nasser.
Most of the story is told by Sera, although there are chapters narrated by her mother, Charlene - who deftly balances manipulating her husband and driving/supporting Sera’s quest. I heard the author say in a podcast that the mother’s voice was added at the suggestion of her editor, and I have to say it was what really made the book a stronger read for me. Additional depth would have been added if we were able to get a better understanding of the relationship between Sera and her brother.
The Happiest Girl in the World was a fascinating book in a number of respects, especially since the author is not a gymnast and relied on her extensive research and an outside reviewer to ensure the accuracy of the many, many details about gymnastics. In many ways, it was about the ugly side of the sport and how these young girls and women are so manipulated by the adults in their lives. The ending fell short for me - I had trouble reconciling it with what we already knew about Sera. But, overall, a very interesting book.
Thanks to the Book Club Girls Early Read Program and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A relevant book with not only the Olympics currently taking place but also the conversations on mental health awareness that came about from Simone Biles withdrawing from competing. What we see on tv is the breathtaking performance of athletes but usually we do not know what happens behind the scenes and the years and trials it takes to get there. Not only with the athletes but what their families have been through to see them make it to these competitions. This story also touched on scandals of abuse ripped right from the headlines. It’s a real and raw look at the world of competitive sports.

this book is fantastic! Not only is it very topical but it provided a fascinating window into the life of a fictional elite gymnast and her journey to becoming an Olympic hopeful. My heart broke for Sera, her family, and for her friend Lucy. I loved the peak inside her mother Charlene’s mind- both as a northern midwesterner and as a stage-mom, for lack of a better term. There was a lot for me to relate to, not as an elite athlete, but as someone who has pursued and achieved a (somewhat) difficult childhood dream blindly.

Dillon is impressive for the research that she did to create this book and for her character construction. I also greatly admire her writing style and would love to read more of her work, both backlist and future projects.

𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨!

Wow, I’m still impressed by this story; a fictional novel that reads as a memoir and resembles the scandal of 2017 in the gymnastic world. I devoured it in one sitting. The Luckiest Girl in the World is the perfect read for the summer Olympics.

Thank you Allena Dillon, William Morrow, Let’s Talk Book Promo and NetGalley for this digital copy.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘪𝘳-𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘨𝘺𝘮𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

What I Liked:
-Reading this during the Olympics was perfect timing, especially with Simone Biles dropping out to focus on her health - this felt like the background information we didn't know we needed.
-I liked how this followed true events and real people - inspired by the events of Larry Nassar and the Karolyi Ranch were changed, but we got real names like Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, and Aly Raisman and how they dealt with abuse.
-I loved how much I hated the characters - I loved them when I was supposed to love them and hated them when I was supposed to hate them, but the emotion behind all of that was so real and so raw.
-I just love reading about this sport in general and all the hard, sometimes horrible work that goes into it.

What I Didn't Like/Wanted More Of:
-The writing style felt rushed and a little juvenile.
-I wanted more detail - this story felt very "tell" rather than "show"

You Should Read If You Like:
Watching the gymnasts on the Olympics!
Powerful femininity.

Wow, I loved this book. A fictional tale of the world of gymnastics with a version of Larry Nassar and The Karoli’s as fictional characters. Haunting, devastating and all encompassing this book could not be put down.
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Sera is a gymnast who will do whatever it takes to make the Olympics. She will push her body until it break and then some. “Nobody achieves these heights without stepping on a few heads.”
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Her mom Charlene will do whatever it takes to make sure she’s an Olympian. Her dad just wants to learn how to say in other languages, “that’s my daughter.”
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When Sera’s best friend comes forward and says the team dr, Eddie has been abusing her at the team ranch Sera denies knowing anything. Her friendship is over but she propels herself forward, but at what cost? This is a fall down a dark rabbit hole in gymnastics and one I will be thinking about long after it’s finished!
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Thank you to @williammorrow @letstalkbookspromo @kccpr @alena.Dillon for letting me participate in this awesome tour.

Although fiction, this reads like narrative nonfiction, like it was ripped right out of the headlines - because Alena Dillon based a large part of it off the scandal that rocked women’s gymnastics when a trusted doctor was found guilty of sexual abuse in 2017.

The story follows Sera and Lucy as they chase their dreams to become Olympic gymnasts. From the tender age of six, they are training, dieting, and working hard to be “elite.” Over the years, the two girls become close friends, even as they compete for that coveted spot on the Olympic Team. We see how their journey affects family, as well, and we get Sera’s mother’s point of view, who was living vicariously through Sera and needed a reality check.

Injuries plague Sera over the years, and Lucy becomes emotionally withdrawn, but the two friends continue to support one another. But when Lucy makes an allegation against the team doctor, Sera makes a choice that could sever their friendship forever.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 takes an honest, hard look at this competitive sport, and what these athletes must sacrifice and endure for the hope of the “Gold.”

My heart went out to Sera and Lucy, and I flipped through this one wanting to see how their story would end. Though the ending seemed a bit condensed and hurried, I still felt this was a gripping read, especially in concurrence with the summer Olympics.

Thank you to @letstalkbookspromo @williammorrowbooks and @alena.dillon for an invitation to this tour and a digital copy.

Man, the gymnastics world just sounds so brutal. There was a lot of description (too much in my opinion) of taping up toes, hands, blisters, etc.... All that comes with the world.

Sera (and get friend Lucy) wants to go to the Olympics like every other gymnast. She will do anything sure can to get there. Work hard, never play. Be the best. Even if it means screwing someone else over!
When Lucy is one of the abused and she finally decides to speak out about it, Sera does not have her back and keeps quiet, saying she's making it up. Lucy leaves because of this and Sera continues on without her. That made me so upset....Sera was in the room sometimes while Lucy was being abused but of course the doctor says it's all "a medical necessity" talking advantage of the fact that they were so young at the time, they may not have known exactly that it was abuse.

There are a lot of parallels in this book to the real life scandal of the doctor that sexually abused so many gymnasts over so many years. There are a lot of familiar names of real gymnasts they I got excited over if I knew the name well (like Simone Biles).

This was the perfect read before the start of the Summer Olympics! If you love gymnastics as much as I do then this is a must read. This was a fictional novel, however it did resemble what closely happened in the real life US gymnastics. It also portrays just how much Elite athletes struggle with on a daily basis just to make it to the Olympics. There is no time to being a kid when you are an elite. Is it worth it?

#TheHappiestGirlintheWorld
#AlenaDillon


Gymnastics came alive for us when Nadia Comaneci glided and floated on the beams and the bars to make this sport look so easy.

Perceptions of course are deceptive. Any sport requires rigorous training; and to reach Olympic standards, it requires giving up ‘normal’ life or fun, gossip, movies, hanging out. A gymnast in particular has to start very early in life; and the regimen requires to even control physical growth. Not to mention diet management and the medication one has to take alongside.

Alena Dillon in her new book, ‘The Happiest Girl in the World, takes us through the life of ambitious Sera Wheeler who feels for gymnastics; but she also feels bound to be the best, an Olympic star, to live up to her parents’ expectations, and to fulfil their dreams by realising her own! A sportsperson can often go to any lengths to reach her dream : Sera is equally susceptible and vulnerable.

A fictional story based on true stories from the news the book highlights abuse and pressure. There is sacrifice of everyday life and a lot of hard work behind each medal and but there is also silence, sacrifice of ideals, loss of friendship . The viewer sees the perfect jump, twirl, landing: only the insider knows of the broken, beaten down bodies and often the physical and emotional abuse at the hands of coaches.

Sera’s mother wants to fulfil her own dreams; her father wants to be able to say, “that’s my daughter” and her twin brother doesn’t want her to give up.

The author has included a few pages about the pandemic and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics from 2020 to 2021. Clearly this was an addition, to make the read topical, but it feels a little rushed.


SYNOPSIS:

For Sera Wheeler, the Olympics is the reason for everything. It’s why she trains thirty hours a week, starves herself to under 100 pounds, and pops Advil like Tic Tacs.

For her mother, Charlene, hungry for glory she never had, it’s why she rises before dawn to drive Sera to practice in a different state, and why the family scrimps, saves, and fractures. It’s why, when Sera’s best friend reports the gymnastics doctor to the authority who selects the Olympic Team, Sera denies what she knows about his treatments, thus preserving favor.

Their friendship shatters. But Sera protected her dream—didn’t she?

Sera doubles down, taping broken toes, numbing torn muscles, and pouring her family’s resources into the sport. Soon she isn’t training for the love of gymnastics. She’s training to make her disloyalty worthwhile. No matter the cost.

The Happiest Girl in the World explores the dark history behind an athlete who stands on the world stage, biting gold. It's about the silence required of the exceptional, a tarnished friendship, and the sacrifices a parent will make for a child, even as a family is torn apart. It’s about the price of greatness.

Is the price paid for greatness worth it?

Thanks to the author, to William Morrow Books and to Net Galley for the .#gifted digital copy sent for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This story was INCREDIBLE!!

This felt like a one-of-a-kind book. It captured everything that fans of gymnastics/Olympics love while also educating readers on the not so glamourous side to the sport. This book handles the very difficult topic of the sexual assault case that surrounded the women's gymnastics team, but it does so in a way that does not expose the reader DIRECTLY to any thing super triggering. Things are discussed but not really in an intimate way, which I think really helps to allow readers to understand how difficult it was for the people involved to have to live through it. The discussion of this topic was handled as tastefully as something like this can be.

At its core, this is a story about literally risking it all to accomplish your goals. We see how all of the characters in this story can be effected by one person's choices. Readers get to see and feel the aches and pains that go into being a competitive gymnast, whereas on TV you might see the struggle but what you mainly see and experience is the glitz and glam.

This story opens readers eyes to a lot of aspects of the sport that are not usually discussed, but it does so in a way that allows readers to understand WHY someone would be willing to do it all. It's a story about physical and emotional pain and exhaustion, but it's also a story about perseverance, strength, and accomplishment. This story provides an incredibly emotional and complex way for readers to view gymnastics, gymnasts, and everything it can take to accomplish your goals.

So real and so timely, with the Olympics about to begin and gymnasts once again in the spotlight. This story of sacrifice, betrayal, dreams and heartache was great!

First, I would like to take a moment to thank Alena Dillon, Let's Talk Books Team, William Morrow Paperbacks, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Trigger warning: sexual abuse, molestation

Sera Wheeler has been doing gymnastics for practically her entire life. She lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps gymnastics. She is part of the culture. Sera is an elite gymnast with hopes of going to the Olympics. Maybe London, maybe Rio, maybe Japan, but she has hopes of getting there. When she's 12, she and her best friend (her only friend really) Lucy end up being selected to go to the Balogh ranch in Texas to train under the king and queen of American gymnastics. While there, they meet the doctor who will change the direction of Lucy's life, forever. Sera has set back after set back, but continues to get up, and to start again. She's broken her wrist. She has suffered through Osgood-Schlatter disease where her growth plate in her knee is almost permanently wrecked. She had poison ivy all over her face during her first try at the junior national team and it distracted her so much that she lost out on her position. Then came 2020, and Sera had to deal with the Coronavirus. Sera also didn't listen to Lucy when Lucy was trying to tell her something major and she had to lose her best friend in order to understand. As an elite athlete trying to compete for the top position Sera's entire life was about this one moment in time.

The Happiest Girl in the World was a tough read on the cutthroat sport of gymnastics. It was told primarily through Sera, but her mother, Charlene, also had some parts dedicated directly to her. It was a good read about just how far someone will go to be the best. Sera had so many opportunities to say no and to leave the sport, but she had a hunger in her eyes and couldn't, wouldn't, back down. It was also a timely read as we get ready to watch the next round of Olympic gymnasts in the 2020/2021 Japan Olympics. Gymnasts are some of the strongest athletes I've ever known. It was hard to read the parts about the doctor abusing the girls, but it was even harder to read because we all know how true that is. These girls, in real life and in the book, trusted the person they should have trusted and he broke that trust. This is definitely a great read for gymnasts and non gymnasts alike.

If you love gymnastics, then this book is for you! It’s a story of perseverance, resilience, ambition, pain, heartbreak, coming of age, and the list goes on. Gymnastics is not just pretty leotards and fancy acrobatics. There’s so much more to it. Although it’s a fictional story, it addresses the scandal & sinister things that happened in the real world of gymnastics just a few years ago.

Thank you to Alena Dillon, William Morrow Books, & Let’s Talk Book Promo for the gifted copy!

The Happiest Girl in the World is not typically a book I would select for myself. However, I am very grateful I did! Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this great novel!

This was an insanely intense novel outlining the world of gymnastics and an athlete's struggling journey. Sera's dream has always been to go to the Olympics and her mother has shared in this dream since she was little and will do just about anything to get her daughter there.

Sera's best friend has just reported their physician for a sexual assault. This causes a wedge between the two friends. Sera now has to face a difficult choice, does she stick up for her best friend or turn a blind eye in order to accomplish her dreams?

The topics outlined in this novel can be tough but if you can get past the sexual assault you will see its also a story of triumph, friendship and fighting for what is right!

This one was hard to read. The subject matter, a story similar to that of Dr. (if he can be called that) Larry Nassar, the gymnastics coach who was abusing his patients. It was the story of two girls, Sera and Lucy, and how that sort of abuse affects everyone, not just those who are abused. There were points where I had to stop and breathe because I got so frustrated with Sera and the decisions she was making, in the name of being a champion. It was a good book, though tough to swallow.

If you’re looking for a depressing look into professional sports-aka the Olympics-then you’ll love this book.
It is mind blowing what these athletes do to stay at the top of their game. Stunting their growth, starving themselves and dealing with abuse.
My heart broke for the women gymnastics-the author pulled stories from the actual sexual assault case that rocked the world a few years back.
What was also incredibly sad was how the main
Character Sera denied knowing anything, to save her career, and losing her best friend in the process. Was it worth it? I’m not positive it was. This story left me incredibly sad and a bitter taste in my mouth. Not sure if I can ever watch the Olympics in the same way.
The good part-you get so involved in this story. The author draws you in and you feel pity and compassion for everyone.