J.J. Howard

After her father is killed in an accident, Lexi finds out that not only is she broke and homeless, but she can’t continue her last year of high school without a guardian. Lexi hasn’t seen her mother since she ran out on her at the age of eight. Almost a decade later, she still hates the woman who left her, but without any other options, Lexi sets out to find her. Her mother is supposed to be somewhere in Florida traveling with a circus. Unfortunately, she hasn’t worked there for over show more six months and nobody knows where she’s run off to this time. With no where else to go and with no money for food, Lexi joins Circus Europa.

The circus actually fascinates me for some reason. I haven’t been to one in YEARS which is why I love reading books that revolve around them. And there aren’t that many which makes them extra special. That Time I Joined the Circus is adorable. This is a cute, entertaining read, but it also has depth. It has love and self-discovery, but it also deals with some heavier topics like death, loss, and betrayal.

Lexi is a lot like I was during my senior year. She is kind of in a slump and spends all her time at home listening to music or reading. She only has two close friends who are dating which makes it that much harder to make plans since she is the constant third wheel. As horrible as the situation is, I feel like it was the best thing that could have happened to her. Being evicted and penniless forces her to go out and do something. Those four months she spends at the circus completely change her and she comes out so much stronger and confident because of them.

The story is not completely chronological, it bounces around quite a bit from the present to the past and then back. But it wasn’t at all confusing because the date is clearly printed at the beginning of each chapter. I did have a problem with this constant jumping back and forth thing though. I felt like the relationship development lacked a little because of the constant shift. One moment the ring leaders daughter, Lina, is giving Lexi the evil-eye, then we get a ‘flashback’ of Lexi’s life in NY, and then we’re back at the circus and all of a sudden Lexi & Lina are going shopping together and becoming roommates. We never get to see this shift in their friendship, it just kind of happens. This constant back and forth also made the romances in the book problematic for me. I never connected with any of the guys because we never really get to fully know them. First she’s making out with Jamie, then she’s falling in love with Nick, and then Eli pops up and she likes him again. It was just kind of all over the place. I would have liked to see more of Nick because I felt he was the most interesting and the one she truly cared about. I never got the feeling that she actually had any romantic feelings for Eli, it just felt like she went back to him because...well, why not?

Other than the last paragraph, this is a really great debut and I can’t wait to see what else J. J. Howard has in store for us! show less

My Fast and Furious Take: Just as the summary suggests, That Time I Joined The Circus is a dazzling young adult contemporary debut from author J.J. Howard that mixes humor with heartbreak and features a dry-witted heroine with exceptional taste in music. With its engaging story, quick pace, and entertaining characters, That Time I Joined The Circus will make you wish you could find your own home under the big top.

Digging Into the Details: From the moment I read the summary for That Time I show more Joined The Circus, I was hooked. I mean who doesn't at some point dream (even for just a moment) of running away and joining the circus? In Lexi's case, however, the circus is just the last known location of the mother who left her when she was eight. But when she discovers her mother has already moved on, it's up to Lexi to make a new life for herself under the big top as she searches for leads to her mother's current whereabouts. Along the way, she makes new friends and finds romance in unexpected places - all of it set to the playlists she carries inside her trusty iPod and head.

Music plays a huge role in this story, and was one of the elements I enjoyed the most. Each chapter starts out with different song lyrics (identified by artist and title underneath), and I actually felt somewhat proud that I recognized many of the artists and songs highlighted in the story, as they appear on my own playlists - Augustana, Radiohead, Broken Bells, Florence + the Machine, Arcade Fire, etc. Lexi's life is set to a variety of playlists that she has built for every occasion and mood. Since I surround myself with music as much as possible, I absolutely LOVED this aspect of Lexi's character. She puts her talent to use as she settles into the circus, assisting the trapeze artists with a song for their new routine and putting together an appropriate playlist to lure clients to her new gig as a fortune-teller. They say "Music makes the world go 'round," and in That Time I Joined The Circus, J.J. Howard makes that quote come alive.

But this story isn't all about the music - it's about a teenage girl whose world is turned upside down when tragedy strikes, and the guilt she feels because of the one mistake she made that tore friendships apart. J.J. Howard smoothly moves the story between the past and the present with each chapter, giving us the opportunity to see how the past has affected Lexi's present and providing insight into her character. And I loved her character. Lexi is not perfect; she closes herself off, she plays it safe, and sometimes she is a bit blind to her own feelings. But she has a dry wit and sort of ironic outlook on life that is hugely appealing. Once Lexi's world is knocked on its ear she suddenly has to open herself up to new places and experiences; by the end, she has grown tremendously and learned how to forgive herself and others for their mistakes.

The transitions between past and present also let us see the boy she left behind, and the two new boys who enter her orbit via the circus. I really liked all three of them - Eli (the best friend in her past), Jamie (the circus roustabout with a "love-em and leave-em" rep), and Nick (the gorgeous young man who has a habit of saving others). All three have a place in Lexi's life, and I enjoyed the way these relationships played out, with each of them finding their niche and none of them perfect (although Nick came awfully close!).

In addition to the three guys in her life, Lexi develops friendships with the ringmaster's daughters Lina and Liska, two of the trapeze artists. It was nice to see solid female friendships building naturally as the walls between the three girls came down and they got to know each other. Thankfully, we are given the chance to see how these friendships end up influencing all three girls since J.J. Howard extends the story past the point of Lexi settling with the past and shows us the paths each girl will be taking in the future. Definitely a point in the author's favor; she doesn't leave us wondering what would have happened next - she shows us.

You would think with all the jumping around that occurs in this book the pacing would suffer, but that isn't the case. The story moves lightly and quickly over good times and bad, and once Lexi's past catches up with her present things speed up even more. Yet nothing feels rushed or too abrupt; characters are given opportunities to grow, and events are given time to develop. Everything feels balanced - humor and heartbreak, time spent in the circus with time spent in the city, past and present, girlfriends and boyfriends. There is a place for everything, and everything is in its place. This is a very well-rounded debut.

From the Big Apple to the big top and back again, That Time I Joined The Circus introduces us to an appealing new voice in the young adult genre. Author J.J. Howard has produced a well-balanced, lightly paced, engaging story filled with interesting characters and featuring a heroine with a dry wit and excellent ear for music. That Time I Joined The Circus will keep you entertained with its mix of humor, tragedy and romance and have you wistfully longing for a little circus magic of your own. show less

When I think about the circus, I think of clowns, and tightrope walkers, trapeze artists, and cool animals. Not once have I ever thought about the work that goes into putting it together; let alone joining one. But this book made me do just that, think about leaving it all behind and joining a traveling circus.
I admit, when I heard of this book, I was only interested in seeing if the story would live up to the cover and how the circus was going to be incorporated. I really was expecting it show more to be a light funny read since it is about the circus. But it turned out to be so much more than what I thought. And I mean that in the best way possible. It wasn't so much as Ringling Brothers and clowns, but Lexi's tale of growth and love.
The best part was all the plot twists. There were so many that I hadn't seen coming and I loved that. Especially with this being a contemporary. There was so much going on and none of it was expected. And with the easy to love characters, it was hard for me to put the book down.
The characters in this story were another favorite part of mine. I felt every emotion possible for Lexi. From happiness, to sadness, to giddiness. It was an emotional ride that I was glad to take on with her. With everyone else, I'll let you make your own opinions so I don't spoil anything for anyone. But I will say, don't judge anyone off the bat as I did. You'll be sorry in the end.
The writing itself was a huge part of why I enjoyed the book so much. I found myself swept into the story and reading it every chance I got. From my phone, from the computer. Anytime I had down time, my eyes were glued to the book. I honestly was surprised to find out this was really a debut. I cannot wait to read more by Howard.
Especially if it'll involve music like this one. I was very impressed to see some of the songs incorporated in this novel. I'm one of those people that likes ALL types of music and can tell you lyrics, song titles, and the artist. I'm very artsy. Just like Lexi, so it was easy for me to connect with her.
Howard's debut novel was a huge winner in my eyes. It was a sweet read that left me breathless with its unexpectedness of music, love, and funny little lessons about the circus. I ordered a finished copy from Barnes and Noble before I had even finished the galley. I found myself devouring it in two days, being transported all the way to sunny Florida to watch the superb three ring act that Howard had created. show less

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

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 show more 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. show less