The best thing you've ever done for me is to help me take my life less seriously.

I recently received a copy of Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This book is quite engaging and an incredibly quick read – I downed in it in a few days after Christmas. The characters in it are quite that – characters, for sure. The main one is Tallulah “Lulu” de Longland, who befriends young Annabelle Andrews in grade school and finds her life transformed (and not always for the better) by their friendship. 

This book has some great pieces – Lulu’s relationship with her parents, the steady Harry, a plumber, who is always there for Lulu, her twin brothers, and her mother Rose, who suffers from depression. It’s nice to see a fairly honest and yet original treatment of depression in a novel (not to give too much away but Rose names her dresses and her family gauges her behavior by what dress she’s wearing – it’s a neat little add). We also get Annabelle’s quirky parents, Annie and Frank, both artists, who don’t always do her any favors. And then there’s Josh, Lulu’s high school boyfriend, who leaves a lasting imprint on both Lulu and Annabelle.  And finally, we get Duncan, Lulu’s eventual employer, a true character (on radio) who works so hard to change Lulu’s life. 

But it’s Lulu who truly has to make the decision – once a good girl, always a good girl?

I found Lulu a very enjoyable character (for the most part, though I wanted to kick her into gear sometimes) and her supporting cast was fun for the most part. The plot is very fantastical—a stretch even for me, and I can buy just about anything. Still, it’s a fun, worthy read. (3.5 stars)