I loved Center Stage when I was in high school, so any book with ballet and I am in! This book moves between the present and the past and keeps you reading until you get the amazing twist!

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Ballerinas was a great read but I thought it would be juicier. It did take awhile to pick up, but then it was full steam ahead and was a delicious and sordid tale.

Set at the fictional Paris Opera Ballet, the Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale, follows the lives of three dancers from rising teenagers into adulthood. This character-driven novel unfolds through a dual-timeline mystery narrated by Delphine. In present day, Delphine is trying to find her footing as a female choreographer at the company. She’s also navigating strained relationships with best friends Margaux and Lindsay after returning from Russia after many years away.

The author juxtaposes the present with the girls’ rise through the ballet school. The competitive nature amongst these girls comes to a head with a secret between Margaux and Delphine, something they did to Lindsay. With plans to never tell their secret, the friendship among the three struggles under the weight of the truth.

I love a good ballet book, so I was excited to get my hands on this one. I struggled with the characters, however, so wasn’t as invested in the book as I was hoping to be. Overall, I found myself more invested in the beautiful ballet world the author paints than in the plotline of the story. It felt a little clunky at times.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Rachel Kapelke-Dale for an advanced copy of the novel.

This book brings out the ruthlessness that can happen in the dance world from a young age. The competitiveness that occurs is heartbreaking at times. The Ballerinas goes back and forth from present day to the adolescence of the main characters. You see their passion and drive and how it changes and shapes their lives.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

The Ballerinas is a complex tale involving the long-time friendship between three women who grew up attending the Paris Opera Ballet and Academy. The main character is Delphine, who returns to Paris to choreograph her own ballet with the POB company. As Delphine treads into the male dominated world of Paris Ballet, she and her friends try to save their careers.

The story alters between 2018 and years between 1995 and early 2018. The main character is a bit narcissistic, and I found myself torn between empathy and frustration with Delphine, Margaux, and Lindsay. The male characters are a bit cliché, weak, and masochistic. The pacing is even and fast, and the conclusion is satisfying.

Triggers: sexual harassment, spousal abuse, abortion, and death.

The Ballerinas immerses the reader into a world of ballet, fitness, body image issues, friendships, drama, secrets and discovery. There is light suspense , friendships and drama between the friends. The Ballerinas has two timelines told from one of the ballerinas point of view, Delphine Léger.

Delphine left the Paris Opera Ballet thirteen years ago but now she is back to choregraph a ballet at the Palais Garnier Opera House, where she also hopes to mend her friendships with her two best friends. I enjoyed reading about the world of ballet, how demanding it is, how competitive it is and how important friendships are to maintain sanity in a world that demands you give all of yourself to the dance.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for an advance review copy of The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale. As always, my opinions are my own and my review is voluntary.

This was a lovely read. The characters were fascinating, and I love the multiple story lines. The setting of the opera house is hauntingly lovely, and provides the perfect backdrop.

I loved the atmosphere in The Ballerinas. The streets of Paris versus the studio felt extremely realistic. The friendship between the three girls made the story more interesting to me and I appreciated that the author continued to develop their relationship through to the end! I found the ending surprising and a bit out of sync with the flow of the book but overall I enjoyed this story immensely.

The Ballerinas was a did-not-finish for me, unfortunately. I would be willing to pick it up at a later date if I were in a different mindset, perhaps.

The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale may be about ballet, but the heart and soul of this book are the female friends who dominate the pages. The story is told completely from the viewpoint of Delphine, and I did find it interesting seeing everything through her eyes only. I always enjoy multiple viewpoints, but only having one completely worked for me in this novel. I don't know if I was expecting it to, but this definitely ended up being on the darker side. You will be appalled at some of the actions of these women, but for some reason I still found myself liking them. I loved the look into what being a ballerina entails and I really have no idea how people do it, but I find it fascinating. I love that Dale took something she knew very well and put it on the page, and I could tell just from reading it that she knew what she was talking about without even having to read her about-the-author section.

I was completely enthralled with The Ballerinas and while it is a slow burn, I didn't want to put it down. I honestly might nudge my star rating up at some point (especially on sites like Goodreads where you can't do half or partial stars), because I can see myself remembering this book for some time to come. This is really saying something considering I have basically the worst memory ever! I also just have to mention how wonderful the audiobook is which is narrated by Ell Potter. I have only listened to her voice one other novel so far, but she was clearly the right choice to narrate this one. She put me right into the story and really helped me feel everything the characters were feeling, and not just Delphine either! A stellar performance and I highly recommend doing the audiobook if that's your thing. And did I mention how much I love this cover? I'm guessing Dale didn't have much to do with it, but even if she didn't whoever created it really nailed it. I am kind of excited that this is a debut because I can’t wait to see what else Dale will create!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is solid, character driven, well researched, realistic approach to the ballerinas’ disciplined, competitive, excruciating lifestyle!

I was expecting to read a thriller after seeing the blurb about defining the novel as Black swan meets Luckiest Girl Alive but this is closer to women’s fiction, drama, historical fiction genres.

I have a little hard time to get into the story because of the slow paced story telling. But luckily second half the author wrapped up the story and fasten the pacing to help me get through the entire premise. The conclusion is also better.

The Ballerinas was just ok. Character driven by three females who came up together in ballet school. The story shifts between trio’s present day and teenage years….hinting at a big secret that happened back when they were teens. Unfortunately it took forever to finally reveal what exactly this was.

The story was fascinating and well written but was a very, very slow burn. Strong themes of feminism and what it means to be a woman in society today.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

I enjoyed this book so much I went out and bought three copies for gifts! I’ve always been intrigued by ballet stories and this did not disappoint!

The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is told across two time periods - when three friends were dancers at the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet and then as adults who have made difficult choices in their lives - going their own ways in their careers.

Delphine returns to Paris to choreograph a ballet and make amends. What she doesn't anticipate is how the secrets she thought were long-buried are just barely under the surface.

This book had a lot of twists and turns - some more inconceivable than others. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had focused more on the dance and the relationships between the women.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Some books jump back and forth between timelines well and some do not: this one does it very well. I kept turning pages to find out exactly what had transpired all of those years before that was alluded to so many times. I loved the world that this book took me into. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that it seemed like it was a twist that came out of nowhere and not in a great way: it did not seem to "fit" with what/who the author had previously designed. Overall a solid read, but I didn't love one of the ending twists.

I received an electronic copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was not an action book like I first expected it to be, however this only made me take some time in finishing the book at a slower pace. The focus is mainly on the struggle that women in this field are facing since early childhood and until they are “forced” to find another alternative to sustain their living since they no longer have the freshness, mobility and attractiveness of the newbies.
In the end it represents the dramatic life of Delphine and her two best friends, the search for meaning in life after they are thrown in this world of spectacle and appearance. I liked to read and discover how the main character was developed, how the mysteries were unfolding until the very last page.

DNF at 40%. I tried reading this one, I really did. I was expecting a mystery, but this was not what this was. I had such high expectations for this one.

This book was so good! I was lucky to be approved to recieve an eARC, but dumb enough to wait a few months before I actually started it. What a mistake that was. As a former professional dancer myself, the tone of this book really hit home. The author captured the hyper competitive atmosphere with a sinister edge. I think I assumed this book was a thriller, but I would definitely say it is more of a dark drama for women. The back half of this book is epic, and I couldn't put it down. If you grew up dancing competitively (or you just live for the drama), this is a must read!