The Happiest Girl in the World: A Novel

Written by Alena Dillon

Narrated by Frankie Corzo and Mikhaila Aaseng

“Propulsive, transfixing, and disturbing. I could not set the book down. Harrowing and fearlessly honest, The Happiest Girl in the World is a haunting read because it couldn't have done justice to its subjects – fictional and real – any other way.” —Popsugar

One of Good Morning America's Best Books of April!

From the acclaimed author of Mercy House comes a gripping new novel about a young woman’s dreams of Olympic gymnastic gold—and what it takes to reach the top

For Sera Wheeler, the Olympics is the reason for everything. It’s why she trains thirty hours a week, starves herself to under 100 pounds, and pops Advil like Tic Tacs.

For her mother, Charlene,  hungry for glory she never had, it’s why she rises before dawn to drive Sera to practice in a different state, and why the family scrimps, saves, and fractures. It’s why, when Sera’s best friend reports the gymnastics doctor to the authority who selects the Olympic Team, Sera denies what she knows about his treatments, thus preserving favor.

Their friendship shatters. But Sera protected her dream—didn’t she?

Sera doubles down, taping broken toes, numbing torn muscles, and pouring her family’s resources into the sport. Soon she isn’t training for the love of gymnastics. She’s training to make her disloyalty worthwhile. No matter the cost.

The Happiest Girl in the World explores the dark history behind an athlete who stands on the world stage, biting gold. It's about the silence required of the exceptional, a tarnished friendship, and the sacrifices a parent will make for a child, even as a family is torn apart. It’s about the price of greatness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Apr 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063019065

Alena Dillon

Alena Dillon is the author of Mercy House, which is in development as a CBS All Access television series. Her work has appeared in publications including LitHub, River Teeth, Slice Magazine, The Rumpus, and Bustle. She teaches creative writing and lives on the north shore of Boston with her husband, son, and dog.

Reviews for The Happiest Girl in the World

[geauxgetlit · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was the perfect read before the start of the Summer Olympics! If you love gymnastics as much as I do then this is a must read. This was a fictional novel, however it did resemble what closely happened in the real life US gymnastics. It also portrays just how much Elite athletes struggle with on a daily basis just to make it to the Olympics. There is no time to being a kid when you are an elite. Is it worth it?

[brookiexlicious · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is an at times unsettling and yet honest portrayal of gymnastics and its athletes. (And could also be substituted for other sports as well) We’re taken behind the curtain and shown how rigorous and punishing the athletes train, the sacrifices they make, and the lengths some corporations will go to to keep secrets. Alena Dillon writes so lushly that you can almost feel Sera’s pain alongside her, or the sweat dripping down her neck. As someone who occasionally watches gymnastics during the Olympics, I’m not privy to the language that the author uses when describing specific routines, and often had to Google them so I could gain a better picture in my mind. Sera isn’t often the most sympathetic protagonist, and it was almost refreshing (yet still maddening) to read about someone so singularly focused and selfish, because in other books this character would have been written differently and most certainly cliched. I did enjoy the perspectives from Sera’s mom and thought it added even more depth to the story.