I don’t know about y’all, but for the past few days I’ve been glued to the screen, watching in total awe as Simone Biles and Ally Raisman obliterate their competitors. Never have I seen elite gymnasts compete at this level of pure awesomeness. I love watching them tumble their way across the mat, effortlessly reaching unfathomable heights and landing delicately on their feet, just mere centimeters from the white tape.

When I watch the “Final Five” girls giggling with each other between events, I wonder what’s really going on behind the scenes. Are they hiding any serious game-changing secrets? Are they cheering on their teammates, yet secretly wishing for them to fall? Are they working under the pressure of a Tiger Dad coach? How cool would it be to spend a day in their shoes—or ballerina beam slippers—while competing in the Olympic trials?

Well lucky for me, I got to do just that while reading Tumbling. Told through alternate narratives, the book follows several elite gymnasts during the Olympic Trials. Some are shooting for the gold while others are vying to compete in the NCAA. You’ve got the typical “bunhead” athlete who eats, sleeps and breathes gymnastics. There’s also the comeback kid ready to make one last go at the Olympics. And, of course, there’s the underdog who might just surprise everyone and win it all.

The goal: Total perfection. However, their lives are anything but. The girls are all dealing with some weighty issues, such as anorexia, chronic self-doubt, closeted homosexuality, and overpowering stage-parents. And if that’s not bad enough, a dreamy boy-band heartthrob is throwing them off their game via Twitter. Good thing flirtatious tweetering wasn’t a thing back in the day when I obsessed with the boys of NKOTB!

But I digress…this book is a lot of fun, especially for Olympic-hopeful wannabes like me who can only fantasize about the world of elite gymnastics. My only gripe is that there’s’ a little too much behind-the-scenes drama and not enough action. I wanted to be right there with them as they twisted and catapulted their tiny bodies on the beam, floor, vault and bars.

Other than that, this is a quality read for gymnastics fans. If you, like me, need something to fill the void now that Simone and Ally tore up the Olympic Games, go ahead and treat yourself to this book. Now I’m moving on to my next rotation: Shawn Johnson’s new title, The Flip Side.