Walking on Trampolines

January 1, 2015

Best friends Lulu and Annabelle's close, sisterly bond is shattered when they get romantically involved with the same boy. Josh and Annabelle leave Lulu picking up the pieces of her broken heart--she's lost the two most important people in her life. As the years pass, reuniting with Annabelle and Josh seems possible for Lulu, until a betrayal at Josh and Annabelle's wedding. Meanwhile, Lulu finds a true friend in her boss, radio personality Duncan, but he also is lost to Lulu when he succumbs to cancer. With beautiful nostalgic turns of phrase, Whiting, a popular Australian columnist, explores Lulu's feelings of defeat but also shows her growth in learning to forgive and embrace the strong bonds of friendship and love. This broken/restored theme is also present in the stories of the flawed mothers of Lulu and Annabelle, both of whom are at times absent from their daughters' lives. VERDICT Although the character of Josh is minimal and not developed, readers who enjoy coming-of-age tales centered on women's lives will enjoy Whiting's first novel.--Sonia Reppe, Stickney-Forest View P.L., IL

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2015
Tallulah Lulu de Longland and Annabelle Andrews, with their difficult mothers and made-up language, were inseparable in the way only the luckiest childhood friends can be. Unluckily, in the same way so many other girlhood friendships falter, Annabelle and Lulu have Joshua Keaton to thank for driving a wedge between them. Lulu's first true love expanded her heart, her world, everythinguntil she discovered him with Annabelle. Years later, the childhood rift never fully repaired, Lulu decides to bury the hatchet and attend Josh and Annabelle's wedding, but caught between what is proper and what feels so familiar, Lulu gives into temptation and is faced with the consequences. First-novelist Whiting has crafted a compelling and emotional journey in Walking on Trampolines, the bittersweet story of Lulu's attempt to atone for past mistakes while rebuilding her life from the ground up. Lulu's family and friends, a spectacularly well-drawn supporting cast, offer shoulders to cry on in a variety of charming and relatable ways. Fans of Liane Moriarty, Sarah Dessen, and Jennifer Close will adore Whiting's heartwrenchingly honest and utterly earnest tale of female friendship, unbreakable bonds, and learning to let go.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)