Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli

 

Audrey is one of the top gymnasts in the US, and 2020 is her year. Recovering from an injury, she’s competing to be in the US team for the Tokyo Olympics. But when the team coach is arresting for crimes including sexual assault and cover-up, her world is thrown into confusion.

This is based loosely on events which have taken place in the US over the last few years, though it is definitely a fiction book. And while it goes into tough ground, it doesn’t go into detail of the assaults. It doesn’t need to – it’s about Audrey and the other gymnasts and the way the deal with the big changes that happen in their world.

Reading this in the middle of lockdown during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, it’s quite nice that this book is in a reality where the Tokyo Olympics take place, and that the big concerns for the characters are not about being in the world and getting sick, but about being elite athletes and winning.

I loved this. It’s a strong  YA book that touches on troubling subjects, it has good characters and a bit of romance.