Did you read Caraval and think to yourself, I wish this book had slavery and took place in the rural US South in the mid-1800s? If so, I have good news for you...

Once Upon a Sideshow was an...interesting book to say the least. It's a story about unexpected romance and hints of magic and curses. However, before I review any further, I think it is important to note that this book has a LOT of grammatical and spelling errors. The word "believe" is consistently spelled as "beLeive" because one of the character's names is Leiv. Some chapters announce the POVs while others do not; there are several scenes that switch POVs without any indication because each character's voice sounds relatively similar. There are several scenes that feel like they are missing as well. If you are a person who is nitpicky about grammatical errors in books, do not pick this one up.
The plot itself wasn't terrible. The story follows a variety of characters, but the main protagonist is Violet, a girl in love with her childhood best friend - Declan - but who must marry a rich man instead. The first half of the book is mostly Violet's very creepy interactions with Count Cristo, while the second half involves more magic with an also creepy sideshow. There's a fair amount of action and some very unexpected twists, but the ending is quite vague and leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion.
I also struggled to connect with the characters. Violet and Scarlet reminded me a lot of Scarlet and Tella from Caraval, but they lacked the spark of the latter. Declan was okay but a bit bland, and Leiv was okay at first until he made questionable decisions later in the book that I can't explain for spoiler purposes. Violet and Scarlet's mother also got a POV later in the book, but both her and the villain weren't super intriguing to me.
Once Upon a Sideshow probably appeals to a very niche audience...one that I am not a part of.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC.

2.25/5