Unfortunately I had to purchase a new Kindle device and could no longer access this book. I will come back and review if I read this in the future.

I loved this book SO MUCH. Even as someone who knows almost nothing about gymnastics, I was completely riveted, and the somewhat difficult subject matter was dealt with sensitively without sugar coating or dumbing down. I will return to this one over and over I think.

I absolutely loved Audrey as the main character, she showed great determination and strength. The friendships displayed were humorous and compelling to read. I definitely recommend it to anyone who has difficulties in life. Particularly if interested in sports.

Break the Fall is a powerful and ultimately uplifting novel focusing on a group of young women coping with, probably the biggest pressure in sports, preparing for the Olympics. When their coach is accused of abuse, can the team hold it together? I was rooting for Audrey and her team mates throughout and raced through this in one sitting.

With the likes of Cheer on Netflix - and, on a different note, the recent release of Athlete A - there's a lot to recognise in Break The Fall in relation to the pressure of perfection, and the pressure of silence and division. A brilliant story following Audrey's return not only to normal, but to top form. A book in honour of survivors, and for those who focus on their dreams and are ready to thrive.

Happy Friday! Today is my tour and the last day on the Break the Fall tour, thank you to BKMRK for sending me an ARC copy to read and review!

My copy ended up arriving extremely late, I got sent a netgalley copy too but for some bizarre reason it just would not send to my kindle! Luckily it had arrived Wednesday evening but went to my post office to collect Thursday morning, so I had one day to read it!

This book was absolutely incredible, it was filled with fierce gymnasts and I LOVED IT! Our main character Audrey Lee, is going to the olympics with her team but their coach has been arrested and they’re sure it’s all about to go wrong.

The support in this book was so well done, I thought that the plot for it was so well written and I just could not help but binge it all so fast, I read the first half without being able to put it down and the same for the second half, it was so gripping and wholesome, it was perfect. I wasn’t entirely sure if this was going to be my type of read with the olympics side of things but I liked reading what was happening and their process of going through the olympics and practicing!

I highly highly recommend this book but please wary that there are triggers for this book that include sexual assault, rape, grooming, nothing is graphic though.

First impressions: When I first heard about Break the Fall I was incredibly excited to read it, for a number of reasons:

More books about gymnastics please! As a gymnastics-mad kid, I really struggled to find books about gymnastics, although there were plenty of books available about horseriding, or other interests. I read and reread The Fortunate Few, Olga Korbut’s autobiography and was over the moon when Stick it came out. More about gymnastics please!
Gymnastics is a tough sport, both psychologically and physically. I am looking forward to seeing this explored in this book, especially with the pressure of competing at a high level.
The gym, for me, was always somewhere where we checked our baggage at the door because gymnastics requires concentration. This provided a welcome escape for me, when the pressures in outside life were getting on top of me. However, as I became more competitive and the training sessions became more intense, there were times when the pressure inside the gym became hard to deal with too. It will be interesting to see how this is written about.
Audrey sounds like a fascinating character – determined to succeed after coming back from a nasty injury, but also wishing for a normal life, at least in the sense that she could get to explore a relationship outside of her relationship with gymnastics and her teammates.
Just pass me a copy of this book now, please and thank you!
Luckily, I was approved to read Break the Fall on Netgalley, and I devoured it in one sitting. I will be buying my own physical copy of the book, plus pushing it into the hands of any fellow gymnastics fans or just people looking for their next good read.

I was drawn into Audrey’s world immediately, especially loving her determination to overcome her injury and finish her gymnastics career on a high. I also found the strong friendship between her and Emma really fantastic, especially as they are technically competing against each other for a spot on the Olympic team but, even when they do disagree, they support each other in reaching for their dreams.

I don’t want to go into too much detail, but enough to help readers make an informed choice – partway through the book plans for the Olympics are derailed when one of the gymnasts accuses a coach of sexually assaulting her. In the ensuing furore, secrets are revealed, doubts are raised and there is a sensitive discussion of coaching and the trust athletes place in them, power relationships, the importance of speaking out and how the media and others react. While discussion of sexual assault could be triggering for some readers, I personally felt that the author handled this issue really well as the focus is not on what happened but how the people involved survive and fight back afterwards.

The scenes of solidarity with gymnasts from around the world made me really emotional and I liked how the love of the sport and the ties that bound the athletes together were seen as more important than any rivalry or poor sportsmanship.

This book is the gymnastics book that I have been hoping for with strong, inspiring and diverse characters, an intriguing storyline, topical issues and a true love for the wonderful sport of gymnastics.

(For any non-gymnastic fans out there – please don’t be put off by the technical discussions of gymnastics skills – just get on YouTube and watch some videos!)

Don’t miss out on reading Break the Fall!

What I liked: Audrey’s character – she is realistic and relatable, even if you don’t always agree with her decisions. I related to how helpless she feels when details about what has been going on began to come to light and she feels stupid for not having noticed anything. They way she doubts herself, but tries to do the right thing, and how she is focused on her dream even with the distraction of Leo, all made me love her. I also liked the ‘casual’ diversity of the book – I mean in that it is diversity done realistically in that any book that truly reflects the diversity of our world should feature diverse characters. I liked how Break the Fall did this without it being a case of the diversity of those characters becoming a major focus, or being an exercise in tick-boxing.
Even better if: It cannot be improved! I loved everything about this book. Now I just have a hankering for more book about gymnastics…
How you could use it in your classroom: This would be a fantastic addition to any library catering for secondary-aged pupils, especially considering the trials that the characters go through and how the focus is on the recovery from and fighting back against sexual assault. I liked how the abuser is not given a platform in this book, with the focus being on friendship and speaking out. I would recommend this book to any gymnastics fan too, especially if, like me, you have been waiting for more books about gymnastics!

Who know gymnastics could be so tense?! I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book but it wasn't even when the big plot points were happening - it was when they were actually competing! I almost cried during the uneven bars final. It was just all so tense and I raced through the entire book! You could tell so much research went into it and it was lovely to have an insight into the world of gymnastics.

Thank you for the review copy!

A year ago, Audrey Lee could barely do a push up as she recovered from a spinal surgery. Now, she is going to the Olympics. She’s dreamed about going since she was a child, and with her injury, this might be her last year to compete. When news breaks that could tear the team apart, Audrey is determined to advocate for her teammate that was hurt by who they trusted most – but not all gymnasts are as supportive.

Break the Fall follows Audrey Lee and her gymnastics team after their coach is arrested for sexual abuse. It is a book about survival, solidarity, support and unity. It treats the topic of abuse very sensitively and there is no graphic depiction of the assault it is very much focused on the support that should always come afterwards. It is a book about healing, and how important a support system is for that, in sort of the same way that Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K Johnston does.

Break the Fall is getting a lower rating from me purely because there was also a heavy focus on gymnastics, which is obviously to be expected, but I found it less interesting and when there were huge chunks on routines and training, it just lost my interest unfortuantely.

Overall, a good book about survival, support, and friendship.

Audrey Lee is a young US gymnast intent on going to the Olympics. We join her at the end of her journey, as the team is announced. No spoilers, but I guess it’d be a short book if she didn’t make the team. Or would it??

I have a soft spot for gymnastics stories, ever since I bought an old book on gymnastics from a charity shop when I was about 8. I was fascinated by the Olga Korbut pictures. I also remember watching Kerri Strug power through injury to win the Olympic medal in Atlanta, where the whole world caught Strugitis for a few days.  There’s something compelling about the strength required coupled with the grace needed to make the moves look good – probably why I like dance, and ballet.

So “Break the Fall”, by Jennifer Iacopelli, tells Rey’s story – short for Audrey – on her way to the big competition with her best friend and teammates. Along the way they encounter some obstacles, of course. It was really weird that it was set in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, having just been postponed due to the threat of Covid-19/Corona virus. That felt very ‘on the nose’, by pure coincidence, of course.

The story was quite quickly something I hadn’t expected – weightier than ‘just’ a fantasy about Olympic level gymnastics. Rey is battling her own injuries, feelings about potentially beating her best friend to a medal and what that would do to their relationship as well as fanning the flames of a newly hatched romance. It comes into its own talking about the female relationships, the graciousness of young adults and the fact that everyone needs someone to lean on, sometimes.

There were a few things I wasn’t a fan of – small, personal to me gripes. Iacopelli clearly knows a lot about gymnastics and while I enjoy a flashy costume and a sing along floor tune, I can’t tell what a triple piked somersault Amanov looks like. There was a lot of this description, especially towards the end of the book where the competing events took place. This took me out a bit, as I couldn’t really follow the routine. I’ll bet it’s easier for people who have done it, though. Secondly, the love interest being called Leo and the shortened name for their kit being ‘leo’ was a bit confusing sometimes!

I would have liked to have seen a bit more on the Olympic village, some interaction with the male gymnasts, maybe – a description of the opening ceremony, even.

I did enjoy being with Rey on her journey, and her character was well rounded and likeable without being a pushover. Recommended by sports fans, team lovers and anyone who likes a good, well written teen romance.

Thanks as always to Netgalley for the platform and for Hachette Children's Group Publishing for the ARC.

(Thank you to my Mum for typing this for me).
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this eARC.
This book follows the main character Audrey, who is training for the gymnastics Olympic team, despite having a back injury which causes chronic pain. The world of gymnastics is rocked when a team mate, Dani, comes forward to accuse their manager of grooming and sexual assault. Audrey is determined to keep the team together but between changing coaches, uncertain placing at the Olympics and facing what will be her last gymnastic competition, she feels overwhelmed and lost.
What I Liked:
- The discussion of sexual assault. This book is fantastic in the fact that the narrative is about the survivors, rather than the abuser. We don't focus on the act of what he did, or his denial. It is all about the girls and how they keep living and thriving after what has happened to them. Also I think it was both accurate and authentic to have a number of character react very differently to each other because no 2 people will cope in the same way.
- Gymnastics. This book was thoroughly interesting in it's focus on gymnastics. I learnt so much about this incredible sport and it has put me in awe of what these athletes can do. I also enjoyed the setting at the Olympics, the high pressure and high risk kept me on the edge of my seat.
- Feminism. One of this books stronger themes was friendship and sisterhood. It really showcased what can be achieved when women believe each other, advocate for each other and work together as a team. This made me tear up on multiple occasion as I felt proud of the characters and everything they achieved despite the challenges they faced.
- Pain. This is one of the few books that I've come across which addresses chronic pain and the impact it has on a character. I found it to be empathetically handled and an accurate portrayal of not only the pain but all the emotions which it arouses. As a sufferer myself, I felt very seen by this book.
What I Didn't Like:
- The pacing. There were definitely some issues in that a lot of action would take place in a small number of pages and then there would be chapters that felt repetitive and unnecessary. It was just a bit too up and down for me.
- The romance. Luckily this wasn't a prominent part of the plot but the scenes containing romance irritated me. It felt far too quick and there was not any development before words like"love" were being declared.
Overall this was an emotional and impactful story exploring sexual assault and how you move forward after such trauma. As well as an inspiring look at feminism and female friendship. I would highly recommend it as a worthwhile read.

This book is a thing of motivation and beauty. With all the elements of an American gymnastics drama that I loved from Make It Or Break It (tv show), this book did not hold back. Every routine is described in such a way that you can visualise it happening right in front of you. Obviously it’s better to have a basic understanding of the key moves in gymnastics, but a quick YT search should tell you all you need to know.
The sexual harassment storyline was happened very well, and I appreciated more than one situation being explored to show more of the effects.
The romantic sub plot was really cute and I loved how obsessed Leo was with Audrey rather than her chasing him and instead chasing the gold.
Overall, an absolutely fantastic gymnastics drama novel that I think many fans of the sport will thoroughly enjoy.

I genuinely do not know where to start with reviewing this book. Break the Fall was an uplifting, powerful story of abuse, sisterhood and solidarity, mixed with exhilarating sports that lifted the plot and romance that made me smile. This book truly had no shortcomings, and I adored it with all my heart.
Audrey was a fierce, loving and relatable protagonist whom I adored. Her story was one of resilience and claiming her own future. She was fighting injury to take part in the olympics, but wouldn't let that stop her. She was also fiercely stubborn in helping and supporting her friends, always ready to defend and love them against all odds. Audrey was flawed, but that was only natural - her ambition blinded her at times, leading her to push herself too far, but when it was crucial she made the right decisions.
I loved her so much, and the rest of her team as well. She, Emma, Chelsea and Dani totally own my hearts. Their strength and love really show throughout the book and it's completely beautiful. The fierce female friendships in this book really lifted it up and made it wonderful.
The gymnastics aspect totally confused me, but I loved it anyways! Honestly, it took me a while to figure out what each of the moves even meant, but I still found myself holding my breath in the gymnastics sequences, tense and excited! This side of the story made it so exhilarating and really lifted the plot to make it exciting and compulsively readable. We're given an inside look into the lives of these women who push their bodies to the limits in a beautiful way, and it was amazing.
The romance was also integral to the plot - it was a super cute and natural romance that didn't play a massive part in the overall story, but was important for Audrey's character arc and gave the story some fluffy and cute parts that made it even better. Plus, Leo was totally swoon worthy.
Both the gymnastics and romance parts of the story were ever so slightly predictable, but in an enjoyable way. Break the Fall was well structured which made it easy to read and follow. The plot just flowed so well that I was swept up in it, and there were certainly plot twists that took my breath away - though not always in a good way. I was completely captured by this book and sped through it!
Of course, my favourite part of Break the Fall was the feminism and overall messages. It is a powerful exploration of sexual abuse and how important it is to believe and trust the victims, to stand up for them. It's about how this abuse can tear apart friendships and communities but also bring them together, and how it's always more than it seems. The author discusses trauma and its effect in a powerful and hard-hitting way. I was absolutely blown away by how raw and real this book is, and it had me full on sobbing from sadness and happiness at the sometime. Break the Fall is so centrally about believing and supporting survivors. It's about rebuilding relationships and trust and love in the aftermath of abuse. It tackles all this from an angle that is refreshing and beautiful - Audrey's firm belief, unending support and fierce love of the survivors.
Jennifer's writing makes the story powerful, unputdownable and stunning - it's emotive, simplistic and always powerful.
Break the Fall was poignant, raw and fiercely important, and I hope everyone will pick it up.

This book is great for teens who do sports and who love the Netflix show Make It or Break It.
The premise of the book is different to other YA novels on the market which makes its an original and interesting read.
It did at times feel a bit rushed and the author could have gone in to more detail with characters and certain elements within the story which would have made it an even more enjoyable read.

If your looking for something a little different in the YA world then this a book you should consider reading.

This was well written and the plot was interesting and did not ever really stop in what was happening as the story from one step to the next. I loved Lee as a character and thought that she was perfect vehicle to tell the story through. The story was well paced and the characters were believably and i really invested in what was happening to them.

I was really looking forward to reading this book after hearing some early hype surrounding it. It seemed totally different to other YA I had read and having never read a sports themed YA novel I was looking forward to discovering it. However, the book really did fall slightly short for me.

As someone who doesn't know much about gymnastics I found that it was very hard to understand some of the references and I ended up getting a tad bit confused at times. Also, I found the writing style to be a bit dull? and it didn't keep me interested for very long. I couldn't connect to any of the characters on a personal level and development felt a bit flat.

However, I did feel like the topics of sexual abuse and grooming were handled extremely well and this saved the book for me in my opinion.

Gymnastics is my guilt pleasure, This book was delightful fresh look at what it can take to be the best. I appreciated that it just showed a snap shot of someone’s career within the sport. Also it showed how much dedication is needed for a simple thing from an outsiders perspective.

Another aspect of the book I really liked is that it should female friendship in a positive light; rather then trying to sabotage each other the characters lifted each other.

Trigger warning: sexual abuse. I felt like this topic was handled appropriately.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel!

I think this book is perfect for fans of Make It Or Break It (so upset it got cancelled!!!) and definitely fills the gap in YA where sports are concerned. I find the plot to be incredibly believable with Audrey as a great main character. I definitely got Payson Keeler vibes from Emma and I really enjoyed that.

I feel like the more plot-based events, such as the romance + the thing with Gibson, was actually quite downplayed. However, I do understand that this was probably done to amp up Audrey's focus for gymnastics and what the Olympics meant to her - rather than focusing on the stuff that makes a book dramatic.

I could find the sports terms a bit hard to follow along at times - but that's because I'm the least sporty/coordinated person out there.

I had an issue with the protagonist's ethnicity. I didn't fully understand why she had to be part Korean as the author doesn't seem to be of that ethnicity (do correct me if I'm wrong). I understand that it will be good for young people to see their own ethnicities represented in books like this one but it hurts that a person of that descent didn't actually write that story (again, correct me if wrong). As such, in a climate where non-POC authors can get nailed for anything, it was a risky move (and one that irked me a bit= to write Audrey as POC rather than non-POC.

I'm one of those people, and I'm sure many others are the same, that gets completely swept up in Olympic fever every four years. But, more specifically, I get completely obsessed with gymnastics at the Olympics. I google scoring and historical competitions, I YouTube relays and compilation videos. I watch films and TV show like stick it and make it or break it. And of course I watch the events religiously. So when I heard about this book I wanted it SO BAD. And let me tell you this book is everything my little Olympic Gymnastics obsessed heart could ever want distilled and sharpened down to a few hundred pages of excitement and tension.

It's set around the USA women's gymnastics team on the way to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo when their head coach gets arrested for sexual abuse. It centres on 17 year old Audrey who, because of injury, is hoping to win her spot at trials for what will be her only chance at the Olympics before the news breaks. It has all of the tension and heartbreak of what a decade of training comes down to for all the girls involved, knowing that some of them won't make it. And with the added confusion and conflicting feelings about what is happening around them and what has happened to their teammates.

I absolutely loved the dynamics and the relationships between all the girls. The competitive nature of the situation made it complicated and bittersweet but ultimately supportive as the girls learn to stick together and take on the world as a team. Audrey is a great main character, she's Korean American (though this isn't Ownvoices rep which would have been great), and trying to fight for her dream and support those who have come forward about the abuse which often conflicts. Its an important look at the power imbalance of the situation that can - and did - lead to so much abuse but it's also an exciting page turner that focuses on an intense competition with female friendship at the heart.

TW: aftermath of sexual abuse and grooming

2.5/5

Gymnastics is one of my favourite sports that I 100% believe should receive more love, so when I saw this book on NetGalley I just hit the request button SO DAMN FAST.

I will begin by saying that Jennifer clearly knows her gymnastics. I can't say for sure how this novel will read to a YA reader who is not familiar with the sport, but I think Jennifer did a pretty good job at depicting competitive gymnastics faithfully and clearly, explaining the concepts and the judging in a way that's easy to understand without negatively affecting the narration. That being said, this novel as *a novel* was a bit of a disappointment.

Although the portrayal of gymnastics was very good, and the larger themes of sexual abuse and grooming were treated in a very sensitive way, I just couldn't get into the author's writing style. Jennifer's prose struck me as flat, in many occasions telling rather than showing. Moreover, the characters were pretty unidimensional and it was ultimately hard to get into Audrey's head. The love plot was mostly undeveloped and I just couldn't bring myself to root for Audrey and Leo, nor I understood why they liked each other in the first place or why there should be a romantic subplot at all.
The pace was a bit underwhelming as well. Although the chapters set in the Olympics were pretty good, the chapters leading up to them (aka most of the novel) struggled a bit with the pacing and the placement of conflict, so much so that at times the only thing that kept me hooked was my interest in gymnastics rather than my love of the actual plot.