Flight of a Starling was something vastly different to what I was expecting. I was prepared for circus life, first love, and teenage angst, not so much for the grief, tension, and tragedy that was delivered. I should have known better – Lisa Heathfield’s previous novels have broken my heart and shaken me to the core, and this one was no different. I did feel, however, that the second half of the novel was rushed in comparison to the slow build of the first half; Lo’s feeling of anxiety, confusion, and anger suddenly explode in a dramatic way that lead towards a frantic, tense ending. There’s no denying that this is another excellent story from Heathfield, but I still feel Paper Butterflies is her finest work.

The story centres on sisters Rita and Lo – they are part of a travelling circus with their ma and da, and a small host of others who may as well be family. They live, work, and travel together and the sense of family between them is strong – they are loyal to each other and the life that they live, with some being unfairly suspicious of ‘flatties’ (non-circus people). Whilst Rita is completely happy with her life, Lo finds herself wanting to experience something more, something different – her chance meeting with a boy called Dean awaken feelings in her that she’s never had before, the feeling that maybe the circus isn’t everything and she might not want to travel and perform forever. This feeling only grows as she learns of a secret within the circus that could destroy her family and the novel focuses on her increasingly angry and unsure feelings.

The narrative is split between Rita and Lo and I loved the two different perspectives – Rita loves the circus and doesn’t understand how Lo could ever want to leave, whereas Lo finds herself overwhelmed by the strength of her emotions, both towards the circus and towards Dean. When Lo sees something she shouldn’t, the very foundations of her life crumble and she finds a steadiness, a new feeling of home, with Dean. I did find some of Lo’s feelings towards Dean silly, but I’m well aware of the power of infatuation and how important someone can seem when you’re young, and fully understood why Lo felt the way she did. Heathfield created a very strong and realistic voice for both Rita and Lo, showing the craziness of growing up and the emotions that come with it.

The dramatic turning point in the story was heart-breaking, but felt disjointed. I felt like the first half of the novel was setting up for something completely different – I won’t go into detail but I had a feeling what would happen, it just didn’t happen in the way I expected at all. It seemed a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the story, although it dealt with loss and grief incredibly well. It may just be me, though, as I can’t fault the writing in any way; I had an extremely strong emotional reaction to this story despite the rushed feeling of the ending, which can’t be a bad thing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I haven’t read any other novels by Lisa Heathfield so I had no real idea what to expect.

It’s a novel of different viewpoints that usually I can follow, but the narrator changes so often, and their narrator voice was the same, that I found it hard to follow.

The last few chapters did pack an emotional punch and I finished the book wishing the ending had been different. Not because it was terrible, just the opposite. It was very emotional and has stayed with me.

Flight of a Starling didn’t hit the spot for me but it didn’t stop me being moved at the end.

I can't give this book a good review. I can't do that because it left me feeling awful. It left me shaking and scared and in a really bad state for the whole of the next day. So much so that I ended up having to miss my class and go home because I couldn't manage. I want to discuss exactly why at the end of this review for people who don't want spoilers. But if you have any triggers, be sure to check out the trigger warning above, because this book triggered me really badly.

So one short paragraph about what I like for the people who don't suffer from the same stuff as I do.

I liked the circus life and the characters a lot. Heathfield showed a really interesting culture that went on in the little circus and I would have loved to see more of it. Also, Rita and Lo were such interesting characters. I really think that if it hadn't been for the ending, I would have really loved this book.

On to the SPOILERS:

This book showed a very graphic suicide. It showed a character taking pills, including details like how many pills she took and all the feelings that she had while taking them in detail. I haven't been suicidal for a long time, but this book revived all of the feelings that I had back when I was. It was only for the short time between when I finished the book and I went to sleep as I'd stayed up late to finish it. But as I said. I was shaken really badly during the next day.

I worry about this book falling into the hands of someone who's actively suicidal. The readership of this book is teenagers, who can be more susceptible to this sort of stuff. I know from the acknowledgement that this wasn't the authors intention, so I just really feel that it shouldn't be this detailed.

This book has really made me question whether to pick up any more of Lisa Heathfield's books again because there was no warning for this and I don't want anything like this to happen again.

Around this time last year I read, and absolutely adored, Heathfield's Paper Butterflies, so was extremely excited to get the chance to read her most recent release! Fortunately, for me, it lived up my highly placed expectations and proved, once again, just how much of a poignant and graceful writer she is!

This is the story of a travelling circus family and the 'flattie' boy who threatens to disrupt their peaceful existence.

I loved learning about all of the cultural traditions and superstitious beliefs of this roving community, which felt like an honest insight into a life I have no experience or knowledge of, and I adored the relationship between the two sisters this primarily focused on. Their split perspective and details of their acrobatic expertise made for interesting reading.

I didn't fully appreciate the whirlwind romance, however, which dominated much of the plot. I found myself predicting the ending and forgetting the sinister prologue that framed the piece, only to be deceived just as the novel seemed it was about to draw to a guessable close.

I should have remembered Heathfield's enjoyment at the torture of her readers, and I crawled my way to the close of this book knowing and yet in utter denial of the inevitable conclusion. Once again her evocative writing style is what really sold this story to me and, once again, the ending spoke of the fragility of life and my broken heart.

My Review
Warning - You will need a box of tissues. This is the only book that had me totally sobbing.
I first fell in love with Lisa's books with Paper Butterflies, and I believe that I've found myself a new favourite author of 2017.

Told in the dual perspective, sisters and kindred spirits, Rita and Lo have been part of the circus all their lives, they were born into it and they will live out their days flying through the air. When Lo and Spider find out 'something', this secret could ruin everything they have and she feels obligated to protect Rita and to protect the family she has always known in the circus. Lo feels that what if there was more beyond the big top, to take her away from it all? She finds herself attracted to the outside world and more specifically to a 'flattie' - a non circus being, called Dean.

This is my first book based in a Circus, an impenetrable family of talented gymnasts and artists, travelling the world by storm to share their way of life. That's what Lisa did and that's what Lo did to Dean. Rita and Lo have the most precious and unbreakable sisterly bond I've ever read. Lo is a little more daring as you can tell and she gets more so when she meets Dean. Experiencing life beyond the circus sets her flying in a different direction, one so new and fresh, it's almost too much for Lo to bear. Her way of life, is inspiring, everything she see's is so different than how Dean would see it or live it. Lo is almost innocent and that's refreshing to see how something so simple or small could mean so much, like leaving your footprint at the end of their time, so they will always be remembered. It reminds me of my own relationship with my best friend. Plus they both like hot blackcurrant, ha! I love when an author resonates with its readers, that's a sign of a truly brilliant story.I think it doesn't matter whether you're a flattie of circus star, the world continues to revolve around us and it's just how we see it.

I don't know what is is about Lisa's writing but she has this way of creating the most touching of characters that you can't help the way it captures your heart and never lets go till well after reading the book. Rita and Lo have found a special place in my heart with this book, it's just utter perfection.

I don't know really want to say - there is only emotions and feels for this book and I have them all. Flight of a Starling is Lisa's third novel, and it's as beautiful as it is raw than each of her previous novels. Lisa Heathfield has put her footprint on YA, Flight of a Starling is emotional enthralling, beautiful and uplifting. But don't be afraid to take over your emotions because it will.

Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Note: this books contains themes that readers may find distressing, elements of suicide.
Thank you to Electric Monkey for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, but my heart.

I think Lisa Heathfield might be an auto read author for me, just so you know, because I cannot get enough of her writing. I’ve talked about Seed and Paper Butterflies already, but in summary: ouch, beautiful beautiful ouch, and so I was ridiculously excited when the news reached my little bookworm ears that Lisa had written a new book – Flight of a Starling ­– and that it will be published at the end of this month (you'll pre order it now if you know what's good for you). I read it over the weekend, and by read I mean, in a way not dissimilar to Paper Butterflies in January, devoured and then had to stop and take deep breaths and not dissolve because oh wow my heart.

It was almost funny actually; I read PB on holiday, got a massive sad and made a bit of a dick of myself due to that sad, so then this weekend I read Flight of a Starling and got a massive sad and well, probably you can guess the rest and what is it with me and my inability to not control my feelings over fictional characters. I probably ought to do something about that. Be less invested or something. Oh I know, stop laughing: not happening.

The thing is, I knew this book would do this to me. This book was going to break me, I knew it was. I knew it because that’s what Lisa Heathfield does. She takes your emotions and she puts them through the wringer, she unravels you in ways you weren’t entirely prepared for and she intersperses it all with gorgeous prose and little pieces of magic so that it seems to not hurt quite so much, and then gently, lovingly, when that lump in your throat, that tightness in your chest feels like it’s just about to spill over into too much, she pieces you back together again so that you finish the book feeling emotionally overwhelmed, trembly and tearful and yet somehow kind of warm, still kind of glad. It’s a skill, let me tell you, because this story is really fucking sad and yet the book isn’t a sad book.
It isn’t.
It’s a beautiful book and it’s a hopeful book and it’s a book that’s about family and friendship and falling in love and finding your place; it’s a book about believing in yourself; it’s a book about every days kinds of magic, about finding that magic in the most unexpected of places.

It’s also gorgeous. I highlighted so many parts that if I was to quote them all now then I’d basically just be recreating the whole book which, holy copyright issues batman. I’ll let you have a couple of quotes though because I can’t not. I need to share the pretty. #seducemewithprettywords

‘Lo has secrets hidden in this boy.’

‘Sometimes, I think their dreams for him are too heavy on his shoulders. Sometimes, I imagine lifting them off bit by bit and letting the real Spider roam free.’

‘Not like the pitch near Haworth,’ Da says. ‘Do you remember those sunsets across the moors, Liz?’ THIS IS MY CORNER OF THE WORLD AND I LOVE WHEN MY PLACES ARE IN BOOKS. A couple of weeks ago we went out for food and drove home over those moors and I took a photo of that sunset.

Anyway, where were we...

‘Between us, her costume sits on the ground, the snagged material needing to be tucked under and sewn. I’m unpicking a feather stuck in the way of the thread…’ The detail though, you know? The detail. And the whole book is like this, the writing is so visual. I love it.

‘I could reach up right now and touch the sky with my fingertips. Pull myself through the blue away from all of this.’

And there’s one near the end that I’m not going to share because it’s a spoiler but that has just made me tear up again just reading it.

Basically, this book was right up my street, I knew right away that whilst Seed and Paper Butterflies had touched me this would be The One. I mean, it’s about a travelling circus you guys, and the main characters are trapeze artists. Yes, I know. I know.

The characters are vivid and deep and I fell in love with all of them, to the point that when their carefully constructed worlds began to fall apart I felt it deep in my chest. The way the characters are drawn, the way they're developed, the way they're shown to us, it gets under your skin so you really feel it. For example, Lo and Dean, There was a sense of urgency to Lo’s relationship with Dean, it happened fast, sure (and we all know I usually have issues with that) but it felt different here somehow, like these two people met and right away there was an expiry date on what they had because the thing with a travelling circus is that it travels and Dean, Dean has roots and so things kind of had to happen on fast forward a little bit and the whole star crossed lovers thing, Heathfield nailed it.
Then there was Lo’s relationship with her best friend Spider, who everyone in the circus expected her to end up romantically involved with (never going to happen) which was complicated and also simple, and God, Spider – I wanted more, Spider, actually, because I loved him. I could have read a whole other book just about that boy.
There was Lo’s sister, Rita (the book is a split narrative, told from both Lo and Rita’s perspective) and their relationship which was stunningly portrayed, these sisters who live together and work together and have this symbiotic relationship that you see tested to its limits, and Rita’s relationship with Ash, her circus boyfriend combined with her feelings for someone else – and I loved that, the exploration of the weight of expectation versus the call of your heart.
There’s Grands who hurt my heart because he reminded me of my own Grandpa who I still miss so much, and this whole supporting cast and every single one of them leapt off the page. The circus life was so vivid and the whole story really was just…enchanting.
It’s the way Lo sees the world I think, it makes you want to see it that way too. It left cracks in my heart this book, with it’s gorgeous melancholy tone.

It’s different to Lisa’s other two books - they made me angry, the stories in those books made me rage. Starling didn’t make me angry. It made me sad and it hit home, because, well, because the things that happen in the pages of this book they happen, they happen to people we know and love - I know girls like Lo - and it’s sad and a little terrifying the impact one tiny little decision can have on your whole life. It should be required reading this book, for teenagers, somebody needs to get it on the goddamn curriculum because I’m telling you now: I think it could make a difference.

I loved this book, I loved it and you should absolutely read it . As for me? I’ll be sat here waiting for Lisa Heathfield’s next book and I leaving my footprints everywhere I go.

It was such a heartbreaking and beating book to read. You get to know the characters and feel your heart breaking with them. It really is amazing.

I'd previously read Lisa Heathfield's Paper Butterflies and found it a thought provoking but also disturbing read. I wasn't sure what to expect from Flight of a Starling, but the blurb sounded right up my street - two sisters are best friends, performing together on trapezes and never staying long in one place as part of a tightly-knit circus community. Then Lo meets a boy, and everything changes...

Like Paper Butterflies, this is beautifully written and Heathfield does a wonderful job portraying friendships and familial relationships. The ending broke my heart, but was also curiously optimistic.

I found it interesting that I had very little sense of time and date in this book - the world of the circus seemed to almost exist in a space outside of the world - as the book progressed it did become clearer that it was a contemporary narrative and set in the UK, but it took a while before I felt like I'd got a grip on the setting. It was cleverly done.

Lisa Heathfield continues her trend of writing stories that are utterly enchanting and heartbreaking at the same time. Be prepared to find yourself emotionally invested. I was left reeling for a short while after reading this, even though as readers we're told from the beginning what is to come. Less harrowing than Seed or Paper Butterflies, this still deserves a content warning for depression.

The setting of this story is the circus, and the author does a wonderful job of weaving in the stunning performances in beautiful prose. I just wish there was more to the story. I want to know more about Spider, about Rob and Lo's Ma, about Ash and Rita, about Margaret. Flight of a Starling is a wonderful snapshot into these unique lives which left me wanting more.

Recommended for all YA fans who don't mind a bit of heartbreak!

After reading Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield and absolutely LOVING IT, I was so excited to read more by her, and when I was offered Flight of a Starling from the publisher, I couldn't wait to get into it. I am literally writing this review 1 hour before it's meant to be going live because this book... well... it put me in a massive reading slump and it took ages for me to get through it.

Rita and Lo, sisters and best friends, have spent their lives on the wing – flying through the air in their trapeze act, never staying in one place for long. Behind the greasepaint and the glitter, they know that the true magic is the family they travel with.

Until Lo meets a boy. Suddenly, she wants nothing more than to stay still. And as secrets start to tear apart the close-knit circus community, how far will Lo go to keep her feet on the ground?

There are loads of carnival/circus books going around at the moment, and it sucks because I'm really not a fan of circuses and carnivals... The only book with that theme that I thoroughly enjoyed was Caraval by Stephanie Garber. I think that the thing that really let down this book was that it seemed really slow. There seemed to be lack of a story, lack of amazing characters and lack of a pace. I genuinely feel really bad typing this review because words cannot express how much I loved Paper Butterflies, and it kills to write a negative review about another one of Heathfield's books.

The only part of this book that had my heart racing was the very ending, and that's just such a shame because I wish that's how I felt throughout the whole book. Everything just seemed a bit flat. I didn't really connect with the characters, I thought that Lo was a bit silly for keeping *that secret* from everyone else, especially her sister.



"We're different, us and them" I tell Lo. I'm glad we're leaving tomorrow so she never has to see Dean again. "Don't be stupid, Rita," she says, her voice a bit adrift. 

"I'm not"

"How many eyes have you got?" Lo asks, sitting on her bed. 

"Two" I say. 

"Heart?"

"One."

"Belly?"

"One."

"So have they," Lo says. "They're not different at all"

"You know what I'm saying."

"I don't. Because you're wrong. It doesn't take a genius to work out that deep down, we're all the same."

- Lisa Heathfield, Flight of a Starling



The ending really is the best part of this book though (in my opinion, of course) and even though it was a really good ending and I closed the book having feels, I just felt like I hadn't really accomplished anything by reading the rest of it... which as I've said before, it's a real shame. Another thing that I liked about this book was Heathfield's description about the actual circus environment. Her description of the atmosphere, the different acts, the costumes... It was amazing and I felt engulfed. I was engulfed in the description just not the actual book.

I have heard brilliant things about Lisa Heathfield's other book, Seed. So I'll probably give that one a go and see what I think about that. Even though I didn't enjoy Flight of a Starling, Heathfield is still going to be an auto-buy author for me just because of how good Paper Butterflies was.

Warning: this book contains triggers for depression. 

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review 

Released 29th June

I loved this book - I have enjoyed both of the author's other titles and like that she deals with difficult issues in such a compassionate way. The feeling of difference and isolation shared by both those inside and outside the circus was well drawn. A teenager's yearning for more from life alongside their need for security from around them was at the core of the story for me. I liked Lo and Rita and wanted the best for them. Their hearts led them in directions which would disrupt their close family unit and expose secrets. I did not expect the endings but liked the impact Lo had on those left behind. Thought provoking and difficult to read at times but well worth doing so.

REVIEW
As I had read Seed and Paper Butterflies both by Lisa Heathfield and loved both books this one quickly made it to my "Must Read" List! Also as I had recently read Spectacle by Rachel Vincent which had a "circus theme" to it I fancied reading something else with a similar theme. The blurb also mentioned the trapeze which was always my favourite act to watch at a circus both as a child and as an adult taking my daughter to the circus too.

I love the cover! The stark black background, the type you would see inside a big top at a circus when looking up at a trapeze act, then the byline "Don't let me fall..." that fits the trapeze, circus theme but also fits various other places within the book too. The brightly coloured starling on the cover represents the trapeze act within the book and the fact they too fly through the air and wear brightly coloured costumes with feathers. There are also the feathers being shed from the starling which mix in with the stars and stardust on the cover. I think this cover represents the trapeze family within this book perfectly. I also think the shedding feathers could well represent those that leave the circus such as main character Lo's Gran, Margaret. I certainly think this cover will attract the eye and attention when it's on a bookstore shelf. What more can I say this cover is perfection!

The main character in this book is Laura, or Lo as everyone call's her, she is part of a group that travels with her family and another couple of families and form a circus. Sadly the circus is not what it used to be, less and less people are being born into the circus and staying in it. In fact this circus is in danger of extinction itself. The main character Lo, seems to long for the life of a flattie. A flattie is someone not in/from a circus. So when Lo meets a flattie called Dean she is as curious about his life, as he is about her life in the circus.
It begins with harmless flirting when a group of the circus teens go to explore the town they are about to set up in. The book concentrates on Lo and Dean, their differences in lifestyle and the fact that they both yearn for something different, and better. Dean lives with his mother who holds down two jobs and they still struggle to make ends meet. Dean is trying to learn a trade, one that he really isn't interested in, that would bring in money for him and his mother quicker and on a more regular basis. Lo's father and most of the circus people have a strong dislike and weariness around flatties, so Lo ends up sneaking around to meet Dean.
When Lo's Da finds out she is seeing a flattie he demands she stops. Lo has become too attached to Dean now and it's like an addiction, she has to see him no matter the cost, no matter what she is neglecting to go see him. Lo's parents have always presumed that their daughter would marry Spider, the fire-breathing son of one of the other families that make up the circus. They have also presumed that their other daughter Rita would marry one of the circus performers called Ash. Rita seemed fairly happy with the arrangement until she develops a crush on Rob, the mechanic who does motorbike tricks with them. Rob was once a flattie but he was allowed to join them as he proved himself doing the motorbike tricks and the amount of ideas he had for further tricks. Lo neither likes nor dislikes him to begin with but later in the book she changes her mind when she sees how he watches her mother and when Spider peeks into Robs home then shows Lo, saying he thinks Rob has a woman with him. When Lo looks in she sees her mother.
Despite being ordered to end whatever relationship it is she has with Dean, and everyone thinking once the circus moved to a different place it would be the end anyway. The relationship continues with Dean using his mother's car to get to the new places the circus is at. It's at one of the new places that Lo also sees her mother and Rob on the beach, but cannot say anything about it as she has sneaked out to see Dean after being warned not to. That is the same day that Grands has a fall and is injured making Lo both angry at her Ma, as is she had been where she should have been she would have heard Grands and then he wouldn't have lain on the floor so long. Lo also feels a little guilty that she wasn't about to help Grands too, due to her seeing Dean. So Lo is carrying a lot of information around with her, confusion about her mother and Rob, as well as about her mother and father. Everything is almost revealed when Rita declares her love for Rob. Their Da goes round to Rob's home and drags him back to his home demanding to know what is going on. Lo sees the guilty looks between Ma and Rob but says nothing. Rob turns everything round onto Rita making out she is a silly little girl with a crush, that he had tried to tell her he wasn't interested but she hadn't listened.
With so much whirling round in Lo's head she makes a catastrophic decision. . . which she later regrets so much. In fact all the sacrifices the circus performing families have made may no longer save the circus as they wonder if it's worth continuing their lifestyle.

The book is written from the differing points of view of Rita and Lo. You can actually feel the different personalities within their own chapters too. It is a rather sad story really, all the things the circus performers give up to keep their show and way of life alive when in reality it is a way of life that is slowly dying. Within the book you see how prejudiced people can be. At one point a young teen boy calling Lo and her family "pikeys" and suggesting they are unclean and are all thieves. On the other hand, the travelling circus performers dislike "flatties" living in one place, coming to the circus demanding more and more dangerous stunts to keep their trade.

My thoughts throughout reading this book, were that it was an emotional and poignant read. You agonize along with Lo wanting to see Dean even though she knows it is a forbidden. She also tortures herself with the two images she has of Rob and her mother together. Also as a reader you have to feel some frustration at Lo and some of the hasty decisions she makes. I wanted to hug Grands, I think if Lo had talked more openly with him, maybe she wouldn't have made such a life changing decision. It shows up the difference in culture and knowledge when the circus people come into contact with medical flatties whom they think can fix anything and everything, almost like magic.
I also loved the characters of Lo & Rita, they were close sisters who told each other almost everything. In fact it is Rita that Lo finally confesses what she has done that will change all their lives. I seriously wanted to shake Lo & Rita's mother and scream at her asking how long she truly thought she could keep such a secret amongst people that live so close to each other. It wasn't really a case of who found out first, more a question of when! I felt like punching Rob. Rob who is a flattie pretending to have circus in his blood.....who in my opinion didn't really care about the circus ways of life, he just wanted the adrenaline that the roar of the crowd made when he came up with more dangerous stunts and they watched them in awe. Why did he have to join the circus and what on earth did he think would be the result of his "meetings" with Liz. Surely he also would know it was only a matter of when the secret came out. I enjoyed disliking Rob as a character, he played with Rita's emotions, and was doing something that would impact and possibly break the circus he professed to love to tiny pieces.

My actual first thoughts upon finishing the book were that the book was certainly thought provoking, sad yet uplifting, full of emotions and loss.
Once again I will be on the look out for any other titles by this author. I love her style of writing along with the real life issues she weaves in her slightly more unusual plots. You'll understand what I mean if you read more than one of her books. I highly recommend you read them all.

A beautifully written story I thoroughly enjoyed. I really felt for Lo the main character as belonging to a circus life affected her relationships with others.

This is a beautiful story of coming of age in unconventional circumstances. The story is told through the eyes of the two sisters Rita and Lo, with the point of view of the sisters alternating in the book. Initially, the two voices were so similar I had to flick back and remind myself which was which otherwise things got a little confusing. By the end of the book though, I had my head on straight and the differences between the two were more clear. This is actually a pretty neat parallel to the relationship between the two girls so if that was deliberate props to the author.

The love story that in part drives the plot of this book was dangerously close to committing the YA crime of 'insta love'. In fact I think it probably does just full on commit the crime. But honestly sometimes insta love isn't a bad thing and it can happen. The way it was told within the story was what made it far more bearable than other similar YA relationships. These are two people who for whatever reason are pulled together and manage, despite their differences, to start to make something work between the two of them.

This slots into the other theme of secrets within families which is threaded throughout the book. This perfect circus unit, you soon discover, is concealing far more than anyone is aware and it seems inevitable that everything will fall apart in a matter of time. But Heathfield's captivating descriptions of the circus performances leave you willing them to work everything out just so that these characters can continue making their art.

It was an interesting departure from my usual fantasy realms to read some far more 'realistic' YA literature and I actually really enjoyed it. I was left teary-eyed at my desk in the morning (you may want to have a pack of tissues on hand) which my coworkers may have been a little confused about. Fair warning this book is not a happy-go-lucky walk in the park and the ending is sudden, unexpected and may be difficult for some to deal with.

If you like a good romance, but one that not only has an imaginative setting and angle but also embraces the darker sides of life then look no further than Flight of a Starling. But maybe don't read it in public unless you want them to see you weep.

My rating: 5/5 stars

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of Flight of a Starling from the publishers (Egmont Publishing) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't think you'd enjoy it too.

You know when a book looks into your soul and says 'I know you'? Flight of a Starling by Lisa Heathfield (Electric Monkey) got me like that.

'Rita and Lo, sisters and best friends, have spent their lives on the wing - flying through the air in their trapeze act, never staying in one place for long. Behind the greasepaint and the glitter, they know that the true magic is the family they travel with. Until Lo meets a boy. Suddenly, she wants nothing more than to stay still. And as secrets start to tear apart the close-knit circus community, how far will Lo go to keep her feet on the ground? Flight of a Starling is a heartbreaking read with an important message.'

Lisa Heathfield's writing shines. It has crystal precision. It is different, unexpected, truthful. The kind of writing that wakes you up and makes you see things like new. It's a bit like Katherine Rundell's writing, a bit like Jenny Downham. A bit like nothing I've read before.

Flight of a Starling is about difference and the patterns that make us. About finding yourself and having the courage to be yourself. It's also about understanding family and their flaws; the realisation that people are fallible, mistakes are made. It's about finding your place. Navigating that scary unknown thing, the future.

And now for the hard bit. Which is a bit spoilery, so stop here if you want to read it fresh.

Flight of a Starling deals with suicide. My mum tried to kill herself when I was a young adult. She took a lot of pills and at first she was fine and apologetic and then she wasn't and her body started to break down. She was in intensive care and we said our goodbyes. She did get better. But our relationship has been changed forever. I wonder what it would have been like to have this book then. I wonder if I would have been ready for it. But I was certainly ready for it now and I'm so grateful that it exists. Suicide is a hard, emotive, painful thing and Lisa Heathfield writes about it with honesty and without judgement. It feels raw and truthful and filled with understanding. I hope this book can prevent other families from dealing with it.

Books are our eyes into other lives and experiences and they help us understand and empathise and learn. They reassure and affirm. They hold your heart and say it's ok.

This book held my heart.

Thank you, Lisa.

I love circus books, and circuses in general (people ones not animal ones). What child hasn't dreamt of running away to join the circus? I certainly dream about it and I'm (apparently) not a child anymore. (When did that happen?) Although very different, one of my favourite books is The Night Circus, and I like Nights at the Circus and I'm hoping to read Caravel. So, anyway, when this came up on NetGalley, I had to snatch it!

Rita and Lo are twins (another subject I love reading about!) have been part of the circus their entire lives. Their art is the trapeze, and what an art it is. Heathfield's description of their performances are magnificent, almost as though the art is magical rather than down to hard, hard work and years of practice. Their roving lifestyle sounds so alluring, although I might opt for a comfier bed after a couple of months' travelling!

Heathfield has created two lovely girls in her main characters, but it is not until later on in the novel that I began to really remember which one was which. Maybe I'm dim - or perhaps the characters are too mutable? Their bond as sisters gives them the quality of 'oneness' which I found did no favours as it left both girls the same until the end.

What does almost every YA novel have in it? Love. When Lo meets someone, that's great! She's never had a love interest before whereas Rita has had her eye on one of the other circus lot for a while. The only problem is... he's an outsider. He lives in a house. In one place. How can he ever understand their lives, how can Rita's family ever accept him? But it'll be okay, she'll move on and can forget him.

Except she can't. He follows her. As secrets about her circus family around her unfurl, she delves deeper into him and this 'other life' that simultaneously terrifies and fascinates her. And, like the trapeze wires, if one thing goes wrong, someone can fall. And they don't use safety nets at this circus.

A good read. Not as great as I had hoped, I have to admit, but I had very high expectations. It was the characterisation that let it down a little, and also the love interest was somewhat cliched. But the ending was... well. You'll have to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this, and thank you to Lisa Heathfield for making it available!

I loved this so much. Like her previous books there is a scarceness to the writing, but Lisa manages to keep the reader guessing and hook us in emotiocally. Gorgeous.

I was quite disappointed in this book to be honest, Lisa Heathfield has been one of favourite debut authors of the last two years. She became quite well-known for her capability to write emotions and to effect the emotions of the reader. This did happen for me with this book but I felt like the story leading up to this was haphazard - almost as if she'd written the ending before the story and then just came up with something to get us there. I didn't believe in the relationships of the characters in the first two-halfs of the book. This book doesn't live up to Lisa's first two books so if you're going to read something by Heathfield then start with one of her other books and work your way to this one otherwise you may be put off her first two which would be a huge shame.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this author's previous books but this one just wasn't for me. I gave it to 45% but I wasn't being drawn in like I had hoped so I have decided to DNF it. As I didn't complete the book it would be unfair of me to post a review.