danileah07's Reviews (1.05k)

Some books are really hard to rate. This was one of them. I ultimately decided on a 3.5, rounded down to a 3. 

The Happiest Girl in the World is fiction, but in a way, it's not. It's a very realistic portrayal of the dark side of elite gymnastics. I've been a fan of the sport since the early 2000s, and despite never being a gymnast myself, I know a pretty good amount about the sport. I've watched documentaries and competitions, and have read several gymnast's memoirs and biographies over nearly two decades. Alena Dillon did a fantastic job at replicating the abusive environment that was normalized in the sport. She includes fictionalized versions of Bela & Marta Karolyi (Rudi & Vanda Balogh) and Larry Nassar (Eddie Levett) that may not be realized with regular readers, but the similarities are precise to fans of the sport... so much so that it felt chilling and haunting with the foreshadowing elements Dillon threw in. 

The aspect of the book that I really disliked was that every few chapters, there would be a chapter from Sera's mom's point of view. They were jarring to the overall flow of the plot, and were largely unnecessary. I didn't feel like they added value to the storyline. 

The story of the hundreds of survivors is an important one to hear. While I can tell that Dillon took great care to tell a fictionalized version, it still felt... off. It has only been a few years since Larry Nassar was sentenced to prison, so the book felt premature. There are multiple books that address the sexual abuse scandal within USA Gymnastics that I would recommend reading instead of this one, the best being What is a Girl Worth? by Rachael Denhollander. 

The writing is good despite the strange placements of some flashback scenes. Dillon did a great job with portraying the world of abuse American gymnasts were subjected to, and I feel like she also did a great job with portraying the trauma responses different people in the sport went through as a result of the scandal. I just felt it was too soon for this book to have been written. 

I was initially drawn to the book by both the cover and the title... it was visually appealing and I loved the message of the title - Survive and Keep Surviving. 

The book follows Mara, a high school senior that was sexually assaulted the summer before her freshman year at a party, and then had a psychotic breakdown her freshman year. Now, 4 years later, she is still dealing with the aftermath of how her assault effected her mental stability. 

According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, and 1 in 6 American women have been the victim of completed or attempted rape in her lifetime. 

Like Mara, I fall in that 1 in 6 statistic, so her story, though fictional, reflects a reality that is far too common in our society. Reading Survive and Keep Surviving made me reflect on my own assault, as well as the mental illnesses that originated due to my traumatic experience. Unlike Mara, I did not suffer a psychotic episode, but the way Mel Mallory unraveled Mara's experience clutched my heart. It made me wish I knew this fictional character, so I could give her a hug and tell her that while things feel dark and terrible now, they do eventually get better. 

I applaud Mel Mallory for writing this emotionally raw story, and raising awareness for both sexual assault and mental health. 

The one thing I hope for with the final publication would be for it to include resources for those who have had to endure sexual assault.