content warnings:

Spoiler

loss of loved ones, grief, suicide joke, mentions of child abuse, mentions of animal abuse, animal deaths, underage drinking, hangover, implied prostitution, underage sex, teenage pregnancy, sex-shaming, classism, child abandonment, alcoholic parent, mention of withdrawal, ableist language

This is objectively fine, just really not for me: I found the plot incredibly predictable and thus lacking in tension, and I was annoyed by how frequently it veers into waxing philosophical, with pithy "life lessons" that are pretty much exactly what you'd expect to find on an ~inspirational quotes~ Tumblr (except that some are circus-themed). I found Callie irritatingly self-absorbed and Victoria exasperatingly naive; neither plotline was especially compelling, though Victoria's was slightly more interesting except that Callie's gave away most of it.

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CONVERSION: 5.27 / 15 = 2 stars

Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 3 / 10
Emotional Impact: 2 / 10
Development / Flow: 4 / 10
Setting: 5 / 10

Intellectual Engagement: 1 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Memorability: 2 / 5