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Tumble
Emma Reynolds knows what she wants: ace year 12, get into the Victorian College of the Arts then join a dance company and become a professional dancer like her Mum. It’s the beginning of the year and Emma has her last year of school and her future mapped out, with the opinion that nothing will get in her way.
When her long time crush Daniel finally notices her, Emma thinks her life can’t get any better but already her perfectly planned year is falling apart. She starts her first job teaching dance where she meets Riley, an arrogant circus performer student who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Emma is on track to making her dreams a reality, until an event changes her and those around her lives forever. Nothing will ever be the same and she questions everything she thought she wanted. With family pressure to be the best, torn between two boys who couldn’t be more different and a future very different from the one she had hoped for, what and who will she choose?
Sometimes, the best laid plans, are not the best plans for you.
When her long time crush Daniel finally notices her, Emma thinks her life can’t get any better but already her perfectly planned year is falling apart. She starts her first job teaching dance where she meets Riley, an arrogant circus performer student who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Emma is on track to making her dreams a reality, until an event changes her and those around her lives forever. Nothing will ever be the same and she questions everything she thought she wanted. With family pressure to be the best, torn between two boys who couldn’t be more different and a future very different from the one she had hoped for, what and who will she choose?
Sometimes, the best laid plans, are not the best plans for you.
- GenresYoung Adult
165 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 27, 2016
67 people want to read
About the author
Clare Griffin
9 books18 followersClare Griffin is a best-selling and award winning freelance writer, author and playwright, who will start conversations with “I love your shoes!” – often to complete strangers. Clare writes about strong willed women, past and present, in contemporary and historical fiction. With a love for vintage fashion, her characters are normally quite well dressed at some stage of their journey.
In 2016 she published her debut novel Tumble which became an Amazon best seller. The first chapter won the Freshly Squeezed C1 Blitz and became part of an anthology. In 2017 her 10 minute play The Karma Fairy was runner up People’s Choice Award as part of Gemco Players Take Ten Festival. Clare has also published several novellas and short stories such as Happily, Ever After? and The Hunt for Scarlett O’Hara a short story about the night Hollywood found its Scarlett.
In 2020 she curated the historical anthology Easter Promises with four other historical fiction authors and in 2021 was longlisted for the Adaptable prize.
Clare lives in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne in a house full of men in the form of her husband, two sons and a retired greyhound called Gary.
In 2016 she published her debut novel Tumble which became an Amazon best seller. The first chapter won the Freshly Squeezed C1 Blitz and became part of an anthology. In 2017 her 10 minute play The Karma Fairy was runner up People’s Choice Award as part of Gemco Players Take Ten Festival. Clare has also published several novellas and short stories such as Happily, Ever After? and The Hunt for Scarlett O’Hara a short story about the night Hollywood found its Scarlett.
In 2020 she curated the historical anthology Easter Promises with four other historical fiction authors and in 2021 was longlisted for the Adaptable prize.
Clare lives in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne in a house full of men in the form of her husband, two sons and a retired greyhound called Gary.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 10, 2023
Sept 2017: Read this book again today and enjoyed it just as much the second time, even though I know what happens. Please, please, please: need a sequel so I know what Emma decides!!!
March 2016: Loved this book from the moment I started reading and couldn't put it down. Loved the depth of characters and the storyline. As I was reading, I found myself really invested in Emma's life and saying things out loud like "OMG! What are you doing?" Any other books written by this wonderful storyteller, will definitely be on the top of my to read list. Congratulations on an amazing book.
March 2016: Loved this book from the moment I started reading and couldn't put it down. Loved the depth of characters and the storyline. As I was reading, I found myself really invested in Emma's life and saying things out loud like "OMG! What are you doing?" Any other books written by this wonderful storyteller, will definitely be on the top of my to read list. Congratulations on an amazing book.
March 26, 2016
Tumble stirred up a lot of emotions for me, it was as if I were reading pieces of my own young adult life.
Absolutely wonderful storyline, you can't help but feel genuinely attached to the characters, especially Emma. (And Riley). A perfectly synchronised 'storm in a tea cup' scenario, such an enthralling read, especially towards the end.
A heart warming tale, perfect for a day on the couch under a blanket with a nice cup of tea.
Loved it.
Absolutely wonderful storyline, you can't help but feel genuinely attached to the characters, especially Emma. (And Riley). A perfectly synchronised 'storm in a tea cup' scenario, such an enthralling read, especially towards the end.
A heart warming tale, perfect for a day on the couch under a blanket with a nice cup of tea.
Loved it.
March 30, 2016
I was privileged to critique the first chapter of Tumble in last year's Freshly Squeezed #C1Blitz competition and loved it then - the characters, the way they bounced off each other, and the witty lines (the bitchy girls who are "sticking to the guys like toilet paper on the bottom of a shoe"). It's not surprising that it won an Industry Professionals' Choice Award in the comp.
So I was rapt when I found out that Clare had finished the book and I could finally read the whole thing!
Emma is in Year 12 and knows that she wants to be a dancer like her mum, and she has everything all planned. Except for the small factor of a hot boy. Okay, make that two hot boys. And when she gets the chance to teach dance to a rhythmic gymnastics class, her view of dance changes dramatically (think the gorgeousness of Cirque de Soleil!).
All the characters are well-written, from Emma and her mates Nathan & Vicki, to hot boys Daniel & Riley, plus Emma's family and many other supporting characters - none of them are reduced to cardboard cut-outs (except maybe Daniel's dad, who we don't meet for long, but we feel his presence, and you could meet him easily enough in real life anyway).
Put all this together with lots of humour, party scenes, family stress, and some sadly very topical issues of one-punch violence and the darker side of footy team mateship and you have Tumble, a very Aussie YA book that hits the spot in multiple ways :)
So I was rapt when I found out that Clare had finished the book and I could finally read the whole thing!
Emma is in Year 12 and knows that she wants to be a dancer like her mum, and she has everything all planned. Except for the small factor of a hot boy. Okay, make that two hot boys. And when she gets the chance to teach dance to a rhythmic gymnastics class, her view of dance changes dramatically (think the gorgeousness of Cirque de Soleil!).
All the characters are well-written, from Emma and her mates Nathan & Vicki, to hot boys Daniel & Riley, plus Emma's family and many other supporting characters - none of them are reduced to cardboard cut-outs (except maybe Daniel's dad, who we don't meet for long, but we feel his presence, and you could meet him easily enough in real life anyway).
Put all this together with lots of humour, party scenes, family stress, and some sadly very topical issues of one-punch violence and the darker side of footy team mateship and you have Tumble, a very Aussie YA book that hits the spot in multiple ways :)
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June 20, 2016Loved it!
Loved the location as it is set in my home town of Melbourne, Australia.
Loved the story and the characters.
Although it has been quite some time since I was a teenager and despite the differences with such things as Internet and mobile phones (didn't exist when I was a teenager) there is certainly a universal and timeless sameness about the challengers teenagers face. This book has an appealing charm as it is beautifully written with a simple but engaging style of writing that is easy to read.
The characters are engaging with friendships and conflicts that are very believable and realistic. With best friends issues between Emma, Nathan, Vicki and Gem and the love interest for Emma deciding between long time want to be boyfriend Daniel and new on the scene circus student Riley there is plenty of complex personal issues.
The final year of school is highlighted in this story and the tensions of the year are successfully portrayed.
I loved the performing arts side of the story with dance and circus training as it gave the story another dimension.
While this is a story about teenagers I would recommend this as an excellent book to read, no matter what your age - we were all teenagers once and as we live our lives we constantly face challenges and have to make decisions that change the direction of our lives.
Thank you to Goodreads and author Claire Griffen for a signed copy of Tumble to read and review.
Loved the location as it is set in my home town of Melbourne, Australia.
Loved the story and the characters.
Although it has been quite some time since I was a teenager and despite the differences with such things as Internet and mobile phones (didn't exist when I was a teenager) there is certainly a universal and timeless sameness about the challengers teenagers face. This book has an appealing charm as it is beautifully written with a simple but engaging style of writing that is easy to read.
The characters are engaging with friendships and conflicts that are very believable and realistic. With best friends issues between Emma, Nathan, Vicki and Gem and the love interest for Emma deciding between long time want to be boyfriend Daniel and new on the scene circus student Riley there is plenty of complex personal issues.
The final year of school is highlighted in this story and the tensions of the year are successfully portrayed.
I loved the performing arts side of the story with dance and circus training as it gave the story another dimension.
While this is a story about teenagers I would recommend this as an excellent book to read, no matter what your age - we were all teenagers once and as we live our lives we constantly face challenges and have to make decisions that change the direction of our lives.
Thank you to Goodreads and author Claire Griffen for a signed copy of Tumble to read and review.
November 8, 2016
I wanted to like this book, I really did. And I did enjoy it - the plot overall was interesting the characters well written... but I had a few issues with the book. There were spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and sentences that switched tenses halfway through.
I also think that there was way too much lead up. The blurb describes an 'event' that disrupts Emma's plan for year 12 - but I spent most of the book waiting for it to happen. Almost nothing happens for the first 3/4 of the story, it's just describing the first 3 terms of the school year.
I liked the acrobatics storyline and the love triangle though.
I also think that there was way too much lead up. The blurb describes an 'event' that disrupts Emma's plan for year 12 - but I spent most of the book waiting for it to happen. Almost nothing happens for the first 3/4 of the story, it's just describing the first 3 terms of the school year.
I liked the acrobatics storyline and the love triangle though.
May 15, 2016
Tumble is wonderful coming of age, using relatable, flawed characters who feel the pressure of becoming adults before they're ready. I found that I could see myself as an teen in aspects of Emma's personality, especially the pressure of being in year twelve and finding the balance between work and play.
It was well written and a clean young adult that will most definitely appeal to a younger audience who are experiencing their many firsts of being a teen. Really enjoyed it.
It was well written and a clean young adult that will most definitely appeal to a younger audience who are experiencing their many firsts of being a teen. Really enjoyed it.
March 26, 2016
Loved this book! The sign of a great book to me is how invested you get in the characters, when they become real people in your mind and stick there for days after the book is finished, desperately wanting to know what happens next. That's how I felt about Emma, Riley, Daniel and Nathan in particular.
Couldn't put it down. A must read
Couldn't put it down. A must read
March 24, 2016
Fantastic read! It made me laugh out loud & cry with a twist I did not see coming. Took me back to the pressures of my teenage years. Highly recommend for teenagers. Hopefully we will see a sequel to see where Emma ends up *fingers crossed*
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews