The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles

by Aimee Boorman, Steve Cooper (With), Simone Biles (Foreword)

From legendary gymnast Simone Biles’s longtime coach, an insider’s look at the making of a champion

With a Foreword by Simone Biles

Simone Biles is one of the greatest athletes of all time. She’s won six all-around world championships and seven Olympic medals (four gold). Five gymnastics moves are named after her, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the youngest recipient ever), and at 26, an age when most elite gymnasts have retired, Biles is not just still competing—she’s dominating. She’s expected to be in Paris this summer and could easily bring home more Olympic gold. She’s having so much fun these days that LA 2028 is not out of the question.
 
But when coach Aimee Borman met her at a gym in Texas, Simone was just a seven-year-old kid. An exceptionally athletically gifted one, to be sure, but not yet great. That would take time, care, love, and balance. The Balance is coach Boorman’s inside account of the growth of a transcendent athlete and the tumultuous events—from the dictatorial coaching of Bela and Martha Karolyi to the sexual abuse by Larry Nassar—that upended the lives of many girls, including Biles. Boorman helped shaped Biles, both pushing her and holding her back, protecting both her mental and physical health. “She’s like a second mom to me,” writes Biles, and Boorman was the National Team coach in 2016, where the US—and Biles—brought home all-around gold.
 
The Balance combines unprecedented insider perspective on a legend, newsworthy details on gymnastics history, and compelling lessons on coaching, leadership, and development.
 

Genres: Memoir, Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Autobiography

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2025

Reviews

[BookCLE · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Review:
If you’re a gymnerd and/or super fan of GymCastic like I am, then The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Steve Cooper should be your next must-read. And includes a foreword by Simone Biles herself!

This behind-the-scenes look at Simone Biles’s rise to greatness isn't your standard "she was born to be a star" fare—it’s about the work, the coaching, the collaboration, the care, the village, and the humanity it took to get there. Told by longtime coach Aimee Boorman, this sports memoir chronicles her journey coaching Simone during her evolution from a talented, fearless kid in Texas to the most decorated gymnast in the world—all while navigating the dark undercurrents of the sport’s most traumatic chapter.

I loved the honesty in Boorman’s voice—it’s smart, it’s funny, and most importantly, it’s rooted in BALANCE, not just medals and winning. She doesn’t shy away from her own missteps and keeps mental health front and center without ever getting preachy. Boorman weaves positive coaching techniques and valuable lessons seamlessly throughout the book, showing why she's a leader at the top of her sport.

For someone who loves the sport of gymnastics (and appreciates the gymternet drama, too), this book scratched that itch with coaching insight and BTS tidbits (like the post-Rio departure from Simone’s gym, which I never realized wasn’t all glitter and gold).

That said, I craved a deeper dive behind the curtain and to spend more time in the reality of the problems that have plagued the sport for decades. It’s touched on, but I expected more since it's such a huge part of the story. I also would have liked to have more information from Aimee on the negative coaching experiences she viewed firsthand to draw a direct comparison between coaching strategies that don't work versus ones that have more positive outcomes. Still, it’s refreshing to see a coach admit mistakes, examine language, and model what evolving coaching looks like. And I devoured it in less than 24 hours.

This book is not only a story about a coach and her star pupil, but it’s also about shifting the entire culture of gymnastics, and hopefully, The Balance nudges that conversation forward.

Thank you to Aimee Boorman, Steve Cooper, Abrams Press, & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my authentic review.

[Suzannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of The Balance. I have followed gymnastics since the 1976 Olympics. I've followed Simone since she was about 14 or 15, and I became a Gymcastic (the podcast Steve Cooper helps run) fan in the lead up to the 2020 Olympics. All that to say, I wasn't sure how much Aimee Boorman could tell me that I didn't already know. I'm so glad I put that aside and read The Balance! I normally fall asleep reading around 11 or 11:30pm. The night I started The Balance, I had to force myself to put it down at 12:30 a.m. only b/c I knew I had to get up in the morning. It's so good.

Aimee does a great job drawing in the reader so he/she cares about her and her life outside the gym and being Simone's coach. She talks a lot about mental health (hers, her kids', Simone's, etc.). The ARC is mostly chronological from when Aimee started lessons around age 6 through 2021 Olympics. There is a note at the end that the final version will include the 2024 Olympics. One of my favorite stories was about Aimee taking an anatomy class and how she applied that to coaching.

There are a few inconsistencies and minor incorrect info that prevented me from giving it five stars, but if those are corrected in the final draft, I'll up my rating. Overall I very much enjoyed and highly recommend The Balance. It really is fantastic.

***Major trigger warning for those regarding the doctor who is in prison and everything surrounding his crimes. I recommend reading the book and just skipping that chapter entirely.***

[Zoe Zeid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved listening to the audiobook! I really enjoyed Aimee's perspective on the fun of gymnastics and her saying "it's just gymnastics" as this really resonates on my feelings with the sport. As I grow into coaching roles in the future, I am excited to take what I have learned and apply these techniques with my athletes.

[CatReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aimee Boorman (b. 1973) is an American gymnastics coach best known for being Simone Biles' coach from 2005-2016; she and Biles parted ways amicably after the 2016 Rio Olympics and Biles wrote a nice forward for this book.

While a good chunk of this memoir focuses on Boorman's years coaching Biles, she also writes extensively about her Chicago upbringing with her single mom, being an amateur gymnast in the '80s (she was never an elite level gymnast or one that traveled out-of-state to competitions, but she competed through high school at Lane Tech, while also coaching and choreographing her peers and younger kids), and working in coaching jobs after college at several well-known Texas gyms, including the one where she met Biles.

The Biles segment of the book forces her to reckon with many high-level USAG scandals in the last 10 years - the Károlyis' fall from grace, Larry Nassar's abuse and convictions, and ways elite gymnasts used to be trained and coached that have now fallen out of favor. It's hard to be objective about these situations and scandals from the vantage point of any elite level coach during that era.

Boorman portrays herself as a nice, laidback coach but also admits to a few actions she's not proud of in retrospect. It sounds like personality-wise, she was a good match for Biles. Boorman talks about a particularly bad coach she had as a kid who never gave her positive reinforcement and pushed her to work through pain and even serious injuries, so it sounds like she was a lot more patient, supportive, and tolerant of Biles, while being strict on form and technique.

The last few chapters are about Boorman's life after Biles - retiring briefly, then returning to elite level coaching for other countries.

I think dedicated gymnastics fans will appreciate the book, though more casual fans might find the level of detail too much.

Further reading: gymnastics
What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics by Rachael Denhollander
Chalked Up: Inside Elite Gymnastics' Merciless Coaching, Overzealous Parents, Eating Disorders, and Elusive Olympic Dreams by Jennifer Sey
It's Not About Perfect: Competing for My Country and Fighting for My Life by Shannon Miller

My statistics:
Book 199 for 2025
Book 2125 cumulatively

[Bethan Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woweeee that took me a long time to read!! (Not the books fault but life!!) it’s definitely the best written gymnastics book I’ve read so a 4 stars. I did find some parts a bit holier than thou but there were also other parts I resonated with and found insightful. Also not too dumbed down for the non gymnastic fans which was a definite bonus 🤸‍♂️

[Wendy Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great read (or listen). Being a gymnastics fan, I sometimes get disinterested in these autobiographical type of books because I already know what happens, but this kept me engaged the whole time. Interestingly to hear her thoughts of coaching philosophies, standing up to Martha, and realizing when she needed to make changes in her life.

[Lucia Lake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, wow. I infrequently write reviews, I just don’t have time. This book deserves all the praise though. In the sport of gymnastics, we often focus on the athlete’s view. This book offers insight into the long journey of developing an athlete. Aimee offers a unique coaching perspective which shows that a gymnast can achieve greatness while still honoring the needs of the athlete. Filled with anecdotes, funny stories, as well as trials and tribulations, this book is for every gym fan (and gym parent) out there. It was an addictive read for me. She humanized their incredibly long and complicated journey.

[Rachel-RN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read about Simone Biles old coach. As life happens their paths diverge; each going their own way presuming new personal goals/achievements. She does talk about Larry Nassar and the massive cover up. Human being sometimes can see only what they want to see at times; we can be so blind. And then realizing later (most anyway) of how we fucked up. She always talked about the Karolyi's toxic training environment at their camp (and how they were welcomed when the defected by USA Gymnastics). Some coaching styles are cruel, abusive and were considered "normal" and "okay." This was enlightening.

[Courtney Vaughn]

Pure enjoyment simply due to my love of following this sport!

[Kelsie McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is like you are sitting and talking with Aimee for 250 pages. If you loves gymnastics, then this is a must read.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read many gymnast memoirs but not any coach memoirs so this was definitely a very interesting perspective! I’ve personally heard some things about Boorman being in the gymnastics community myself so I was curious to see how I perceived her through her book (albeit with a writer). I definitely appreciated her trying to pave a better way for coaches in gymnastics but it was hard to not come off as a huge humble bragger. Also for me it was a bit too much recounting of Simone’s resume. I much more enjoyed the behind the scenes stories and particularly her life in gymnastics before Simone. Definitely recommend to a gym fan.

[Rachel Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

As gymnastics books go, not bad, though I did think a professional journalist might have written just a tad better. I’m sure Aimee was a great coach but she does come across as far too perfect, and we all know that is just not the case in the gymnastics world….

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I'm a huge gymnastics fan who has followed Simone Biles' career since the very beginning, and by proxy, most of Aimee Boorman's. I enjoyed reading more about her background and coaching philosophy and even learned some things I didn't know before. As is common with memoirs, some situations came off as a bit biased towards the author, but nothing too crazy. I would definitely recommend this book to any gymnastics fan, people interested in sports psychology, as well as any coaches hoping to improve their processes and bring out the best in their athletes.

[CIBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10 Rating - Amy Boorman recounts her career coaching Simone Bikes from age 6 to 19, including 3 consecutive world titles and her first Olympics. Her co-author is journalist and author Steve Cooper who is most widely known as ‘Fact Checker’ on the excellent Gymcastic Podcast (for which he is a producer).

This was okay. I did not care for the conversational tone. One assumed Coop interviewed Amy and wrote a lot of the book from that. The writing is immature, but this is probably intentional to make the book accessible to many ages.

Let's face it, most people are here for unheard Simone stories. We want tidbits, idiosyncrasies, anecdotes, and insights.  I really enjoyed these bits, but wanted much more.

Boorman thinks we're here for her coaching philosophy and how she became a coach. She almost writes as if her reader is an aspiring coach. Nope. I mean, yes I want to know how she coached Simone and why but I want less focus on the coach’s philosophy and more on the gymnast or at least their unique relationship. I also just generally want more behind-the-scenes info.

Too much time is taken up by (a) Boorman’s early life in the first part of the book, and (b) listing timeline events and competitions and results. We don't need to know how every comp went in detail. Give us the shape of that time period or year and how it fits into Simone's arc instead. The book becomes a list in places, which allows no room for life.

In fact, the details of Boorman's coaching philosophy had already been detailed across a few Gymcastic episodes, so I didn't learn a ton of new stuff from the book on that front.

The 2016 Olympics was the end of Karolyi era and we got a handful of instances of Boorman standing up to Martha, the team coordinator. Simone performed best when she was relaxed and able to have a laugh between routines. Martha hated this kind of thing, but Simone was so far beyond every other gymnast, what could Martha say? Something else that marks out Boorman's coaching is the ongoing shared decision-making with her, Simone, and the Biles.

I'm glad I read it, despite it's limitations. I dog-eared the interesting bits worth revisiting, but would never read this properly again.

I would still recommend this to major fans of the sport. There just aren't that many serious gymnastics books aimed at adults, so each one is still worth reading if you want to know it all. However, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes and Chalked Up are much much better written. Dominique Moceanu's autobiography is also good.

I can't wait until Simone writes a real book! (She did one for kids years ago.)

[Robyn Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge fan of gymnastics, when I saw this book on NetGalley, I requested it immediately. I was interested in getting the "behind the scenes look" at what I had watched unfold for years. I remember the first time I saw Simone compete (on TV of course). I was immediately drawn to her charisma and stage presence... of course in addition to her difficulty and execution. It seemed like a no brainer that Simone would excel and that she would become an Olympian.
The memoir started, as most do, with a look at Aimee's childhood. I was surprised to learn about her gymnastics journey, as I had always assumed that coaches needed to have a pedigree. She had seen what NOT to do as a coach, but she hadn't reached an elite level, which I always thought was needed to be an elite coach.
After describing her childhood, Aimee moved on to talk about how she got into coaching and just a hop, skip, and a jump later, she told the story of how Simone found her way into the gym. The bulk of the rest of the book followed Simone's career, through each major event and competition. I loved hearing about their relationship and how Aimee would fight for Simone's wellbeing. Knowing what we know now about the bad apples in USA gymnastics, I'm glad that Simone had Aimee on her side. It was particularly shocking to read about how Martha treated Simone (it truly seemed as a fan that Simone was the golden girl).
What I loved about this book was that even after Aimee was no longer coaching Simone, she continued to proudly tell her story. The "her" in this case referring to both Simone's story and Aimee's own story. I loved hearing about Aimee's career after she left WCC but also wondered what it must have been like watching Simone continue in the sport without her, particularly given what happened in Tokyo and with Nassar.
The book ended with an Afterward giving tips to coaches, gymnasts, and parents. I felt that it was a great way to wrap everything up. It's definitely a Read It for all gymnastics fans!

Note: I received an ARC of this book, at no cost to myself, from NetGalley.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Trigger Warnings: sexual abuse of children

I’ve been following women’s gymnastics for a long time. We’re talking 1980’s here, when Mary Lou Retton won gold in the Olympics. And I remember the 1996 Olympics, too, and Bella Karolyi pushing Kerry Strug (“You can do it. You can do it!”). I remember them all, whether it was the national championships or an Olympic year. And when I first saw Simone Biles, I knew she was something special. You know when you’re in the presence of greatness, even if it is through the television screen.

I loved hearing about Simone’s coach Aimee that channeled her energy and got her more focused and precise. Aimee’s background is an important conduit to how she coached Simone, and it paid off big time.

It was so interesting learning about the process of gymnastics and how hard these athletes have to work in order to compete on the world stage. Simone Biles may be the GOAT, but it took thousands of hours of working with her coach to get where she is. I did not know that Aimee Boorman and Simone parted was after the 2016 Rio Olympics, when Aimee moved to Florida.

There was a bit of talk about Larry Nassar, the team USA doctor who sexually abused at least two dozen girls (and probably dozens more) which is why I mentioned the trigger warning. Boorman, just like dozens of other coaches and parents, had no clue what was going on; that’s how big of a predator Nassar was. He was an expert in subterfuge.

I am so happy I was able to take my kids to see many of the Team USA gymnasts in Milwaukee last fall for the Gold Over America Tour, featuring Simone Biles, Pommel Horse Guy, and most of the rest of the gymnasts we watched over the summer. My son even got to high-five Jordan Chiles. Bucket list item done, because we’ll never be able to afford the Olympics.

This inspirational book is a must-read for fans of Simone Biles, who want to learn more about the other side of gymnastics

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

You might not know Boorman's name, but you know her highest-profile client: Boorman coached Simone Biles from childhood to Olympic success. Many a gymnast has written a memoir (which I'm a sucker for), but I've seen fewer books by coaches, and I was curious to see how her take might be different.

I approached The Balance with a certain degree of caution; elite gymnastics in the US has taken an extremely well-deserved beating to its reputation in recent years (just to be crystal clear: I'm speaking of coaches and administrators, not of athletes), and I'm not here to read the story of someone who perpetuated or was complicit in abuses. Before picking this up, I checked two things: one, that Simone Biles wrote the foreword (suggesting that she is still on good terms with Boorman—which in this context makes a difference), and two, that I could not, on a quick search, dig up any controversy about Boorman. I'm not particularly plugged into gymnastics, but not being able to find anything concerning felt like a good sign.

As a book, it's okay. It felt longer than it was—Kindle says it was under 300 pages, but I remember it as closer to 400, and my ARC includes a note that the final, published version will be revised and expanded to include (to paraphrase) thoughts on Biles' most recent successes. I suspect that some of that sense has to do with the disconnect of reading someone's story when it is so heavily dependent on someone else's story (Boorman cannot speak for Biles or her experience and by and large does not try to), and some of it has to do with so much of the book being about the broader picture rather than specific moments and scenes. There's also a definite element of damage control here. Regardless of her own actions, Boorman was deeply entrenched in US gymnastics (and, more to the point, USA Gymnastics), and it's clear that she's eager to distance herself from people who have emerged as villains of the USA Gymnastics story:

This was the first time I had stood up to Martha [Karolyi], and it wouldn't be the last. (loc. 1248*)

This went against Martha's instructions, but I felt it was important for Simone's physical and mental well-being. In fact, I often told Simone to ignore Martha when we were at camp or traveling because I knew what Simone needed and I felt I cared about her health much more than Martha did. (loc. 1861)

It felt to me like [Steve] Penny was ready to exploit them any way he could, and I wasn't having it. (loc. 2976)

And on it goes. I absolutely understand why Boorman felt a need for some damage control, though I find it a bit sad that she can't just focus on telling the story—I think at this point I'm more interested in hearing new insights than in reading, yet again, about the Karolyis being gymnastics tyrants. (Also, I think some of Boorman's frustrations with the gym Biles' parents started might need some workshopping?) All that said, there are some really interesting things to be found in here. I'm interested in the way Boorman talks about the way in which her own gymnastics training informed her work as a coach:

I never forgot how to do gymnastics when I'd take a couple months off to go visit [family], which gave me perspective when I was a coach that if a kid needed time off for important things in their personal life, it would be all right. (loc. 247)

Lakeshore was a time of struggle and growth. I don't have a ton of memories of how each practice would unfold, but I distinctly remember how I felt. During one practice I remember being left on a beam rotation for the entire practice because I was afraid to do my back walkover. I was left standing on the beam with my arms up; I wasn't allowed to get off the beam, nor was I allowed to put my arms down. All I kept thinking was My arms are numb and I'm going to reach back and my head is going to crash on the beam. Today, when I'm coaching beam, I tell my students not to lift their arms until they are ready to go for the skill. (loc. 326)

I made a vow to myself right then and there never to forget how sad, small, and insignificant his coaching had made me feel; that included an unspoken promise to my future students that I would do my best not to repeat the errors in coaching Coach Jeremy had imposed on me. He was the meanest coach I ever had and he influenced me the most in how I would not do my job in the future. (loc. 495)

Honestly, I think we don't see enough of that—so often I hear about coaches or teachers (e.g., in ballet) doing something because it is the way they were taught, whether it was beneficial or harmful or traumatic, and it's nice to have, instead, an "I am going to consciously do better."

There's also, kind of apropos of nothing (as far as the review goes, I mean; it's relevant in the book), this story about inquiries:

During the Olympic qualification round, I submitted three inquiries. This is not that uncommon, but it can get costly. Every time you submit an inquiry—which basically means you believe a judge has underscored the difficulty of a routine—it costs money. Yes, actual money. At the Olympics, an initial inquiry set the federation back by $500 and each subsequent challenge increased the fee by an additional $500 ($500, $1,000, and so on). Prior to 2016, the money had to be paid in cash and had to be delivered in an envelope. (The envelope was a new addition to this ritual after Japan challenged a routine during the 2012 Olympics and started waving a couple of hundred dollars in the air on live TV. it wasn't a good look.) Obviously, a coach handing cash in a discreet envelope to an official doesn't look much better, so today when an inquiry is submitted, the federation is billed for the fee instead of having to post it up front. (loc. 2726)

Now there's some insider info that fascinates me! I'm not a gymnastics superfan or maybe I'd know about this sort of thing already—it makes a certain amount of sense (I imagine the fees were instituted to keep coaches/countries from submitting inquiries on every other routine), but at the same time, it must highlight financial disparities between programs. I'm curious to know whether there are similar fees/rules in other sports; I know she's talking about an Olympics-specific rule, but imagine if football coaches had to pay a fee every time they objected to a call!)

Overall, Boorman has the benefit of a unique perspective here, and though the writing doesn't set my world on fire, I imagine this will be compelling for a lot of gymnastics fans.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

[Kefi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a 37-year-old American woman who came of age during the era of the Magnificent 7, I've remained a casual gymnastics fan throughout adulthood. I finished The Balance in two sittings. It made me deeply grateful that someone like Aimee was there to look out for Simone. The book also drives home how many factors need to align for a legend like Simone to emerge and thrive: supportive parents, financial stability, great coaching, raw talent, work ethic - and so on.

I really appreciated the perspective Aimee brought to her side of the story. I had seen a documentary that touched on how she and Simone left Bannon’s to temporarily train at AIM, but it was never explained why. In her book, Aimee “spills the tea.” It’s not even about the drama - for fans of the sport, how can you not be curious about this sort of thing? And the truth she shares feels grounding more than anything.

The "hidden gem," if you will, was the following: There are meaningful parallels between what it takes to run the kind of gym Aimee dreams of and what it takes to become a gymnastics legend. Her account of working at various gyms isn’t all sunshine and roses - she clearly has a vision for how she’d like to run her own facility, but lacks the perfect storm to make it happen: aligned business partners/colleagues, funding, understanding parents, time, and so on. I found that quietly heartbreaking. I hope she feels seen in sharing this with us.

It was moving to read about someone who loves this sport so deeply and to see where that love took her. I cried, I smiled, and I loved the photos. It felt like reading a heartfelt movie.

[Joanne Lannin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating behind the scenes look at what it is like not only to be an Olympic gymnast, but also what it's like to be the coach of one. Aimee Boorman knew Simone Biles was special the first time she walked into the gym where Boorman was working with other gymnasts. We learn an awful lot about the training and the decision making that goes into becoming a champion. But what I liked most about this book was Boorman's honesty. She didn't hold herself up as the guru of gymnastics coaching, although she certainly knows her stuff. She wrote about her insecurities and failures as well as her successes. The behind the scenes look at some of the other people we might have heard about in passing, such as the Karolyis, was certainly enlightening. I came away from this book with a deep appreciation for what these athletes have to endure. Boorman only takes us up to the Rio Olympics, since she decided to stop coaching and run her own gym after 2016. But the book continues to follow Simone Biles' exploits. Boorman also spends time talking about the Larry Nasser scandal and ends up deciding she was duped by Nasser into accepting him, just as so many other people were.
The last chapter is full of advice for parents of gymnasts, coaches of gymnastics, and the athletes themselves. Boorman is now an elite judge of gymnastics, which she also gave an eye-opening account of. All in all, a book worth reading if you are interested in the world of elite gymnastics.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of the book for review.

[Sarah Bickings · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Balance was the perfect title for this memoir by Aimee Boorman. Simone Biles is a one of a kind generation talent, but what sets her apart is how balanced she is. She advocates for her mental health, she exudes lightness and joy (though still maintaining her absolute fierceness). While Boorman provides lots of evidence of how she stood up to Martha Karolyi 's toxic coaching methods to advocate for Biles, the proof that this happened is in Simone and what Simone values as an athlete. I'm a mom of a 14 year old girl and an educator and I can tell you how much teaching (and coaching) styles affects our students (and athletes). I think this is a story that needed to be told because as Boorman says, alot of parents are putting undue pressure on their children to succeed and mental health issues in young people are at crises levels now. How can we as parents, coaches, teachers, advocates change the cycle? It starts one person at a time. The stories Boorman told were engaging and thoughtful as she led us through her teenage years, early years coaching, her years with Simone and what happened after. I don't think like other reviews have mentioned that this is damage control to highlight the differences between her and the Karolyi's...I think Boorman's accounting is believable based on what we know from other gymnasts and what Biles's values as an adult athlete. Highly recommend this book for all fans of gymnastics, but also for all parents of young people in sports.
Thanks to #NetGallay and #Abrams for the ARC.

[Jaylynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Split into three sections (Aimee, Simone, Moving Forward), Aimee Boorman outlines the life of her and Simone Biles as well as her experience with USA Gymnastics, the Olympics, Dutch Gymnastics, and her overall career.
A pretty good read. Definitely one of the best gymnastics memoirs I've read (along with Aly Raisman's and Dominique Moceanu—also two grown women who had something to say rather than a quick post-Olympics memoir) and seeing as I don't think I've read one from the perspective of a coach, it's good to get Aimee's story. I appreciated Aimee doing two things in this book: addressing her coaching style and welcoming the chance to learn. It was always apparent Simone was different and I believe Aimee's coaching philosophy, which was one of freedom and understanding rather than restriction, led to Simone's success. Though she never coached elite, it seems like Aimee was better suited to be an elite coach than so many terrible coaches we know of.
That being said, we can judge from the outside, but we never know the full story. I want to root for Aimee as a coach, but so many horror stories have come out about gymnastics coaches, even about the "good" ones. Still, I admire the messages she shared in this book, and I overall believe her coaching philosophy is one of the best. It also proves that you don't have to be controlling in order to raise a great gymnast.
Of course, there's a lot of meet summary going on, but there are some insights that I appreciated, especially Simone's junior years and early senior years.

[Axel Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. As a lifelong gym nerd who has always closely watched the sport and now runs a gymnastics social media account and co hosts a gymnastics podcast; I absolutely ate this book up.

Of course I love learning all of the back story throughout this journey of these two people who have become icons in the sport of gymnastics. But being a teacher of young kids, I also loved getting the true insight of an adult fostering a young person to greatness and how that’s not a linear line most spectators assume from watching an NBC fluff piece.

Simone and Aimee are both remarkable and loved reading about behind the scenes at competitions I watched from home and in person. Especially the 2024 nationals where Simone sat down before vault when they were greeting the judges. I was right in front of vault in the stands and loved seeing that, because Simone is showing the others it’s good to tend to your body when you need to.

Only possible error in the book would be in Simone’s foreword. She talks about the 2015 Jesolo competition and says she was 16 years old. But she was born in 1997 and Jesolo was after her 18th birthday. It’s not remotely a big deal, but worth mentioning if anyone who worked on this book sees my comment.

[Kaitlyn M your_GeekyGF · Rating 5 out of 5]

When reading nonfiction works, I always am seeking education in some way, shape or form.

if I learn something, anything,I typically will rate these non fiction books highly. As part memoir, part behind the curtain peek at higher level gymnastics, this debut novel hit all the marks for me!


I found it easy to read, relatable, informative and educational. As a former gymnast and current judge, I learned a lot about this sport that has caused me so much joy.

- More details regarding the sexual assault Scandal surrounding USAG

- More about judging credentials and criteria

- More about elite level gymnastics and of course


What is really like on the OLYMPIC floor.

When I started this book, I admittedly was a bit closed minded as Simone Biles is not my favorite gymnast.....however, Aimee's delivery of this narrative makes Simone more relatable. More grounded and more approachable. Aimee wrote in a way that was honest, reflective and calm. I felt like I was having a conversation with her!


If you know anything about gymnastics (even if you just like watching it on TV) I think you would get something out of this book.

Definitely the best nonfiction I've read so far!


Happy Reading 😘📚

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would recommend only if you are really into gymnastics, and particularly Simone Biles. As a casual fan, paying attention primarily during the Olympics, I found it pretty boring. If I ran the world, the two main improvements author would make:

1. make it multimedia rather than a book -- hard for me to picture gymnastic moves or routines from a verbal description, but if you could click and see the video, that would be cool.

2. make it maybe a 2-full-pages profile in the newspaper rather than 270-page book. I tapped out before the end. Already agreed with her that it's better to be nice and supportive as a coach than to be an abusive tyrant, so I didn't need nearly so many examples/anecdotes with the structure: Author nice and compassionate/other coach (ex. Martha Karolyi) mean and terrible/author's athlete successful anyway.

[Amber Grell]

I will consume anything about superhuman, superhero, GOAT Simone Biles, and hearing Simone’s former coach Aimee Boorman’s account of teaching Simone from childhood to the Rio Olympics was fascinating. Boorman is a beacon of hope in a sport plagued by some of the worst adult humans, abusers, and predators.

Pick up this book if you are a Simone fan, an Olympic fan, a gymnastics fan, an Boorman fan, a Gymcastic fan, or just want to learn about healthy approaches to coaching in a sport that unfortunately doesn’t have many. I’m so happy Boorman was such a champion for Simone against USAG, especially at national team camp, and I have no doubt that Boorman is a huge reason Simone has/had the healthy, extensive career she does/did (pending retirement or continuation announcement).

[Ashfaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Gymnastics but I only follow it during Olympics. Since the book was about Simone Biles, I thought of reading it.

It gets too technical and most of the part where the author talks about teaching Simone techniques, I wasn’t able to visualise.

The author has stressed the point that she was soft on athletes but other coaches aren’t so. I understand it worked well with Simone but I don’t think it can be generalised that this approach will work for all the athletes.

Couldn’t finish the book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

For as much of a gymnastics fan that I am, I knew surprisingly little about Aimee Boorman other than she was Simone's coach for the beginning of her elite career. I duel read/listened (the audiobook was read by Boorman herself) and I really enjoyed the story of her upbringing and her entrance into the coaching world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the things that were most interesting to me here (probably because they so closely parallel things that happen in the classroom):
*thinking about when you accelerate a gymnast through levels and when you keep them at a level longer than it might seem like they need
*thinking about how you help a very talented gymnast build good technique while also giving them things that feel new and challenging (and honestly I wish there had been more of this, though I appreciated what there was!)

[Michelle]

Mixed bag on this one.

Part of me really liked this book, but another part got hung up on her takes about some of the Olympic events.

Once again, the chapters detailing the abuse are absolutely devastating. I’ll never get over how many people tried to speak up and were ignored

I felt towards the end of her coaching of Simone Biles she seemed a bit lost…

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to goodreads and the author for the giveaway. This book offers a fascinating glimpse into the demanding world of elite gymnastics coaching and the unwavering support in the coach-athlete relationship. Definitely a fun read for gymnastic fans!