Rachel Kapelke-Dale's "The Ballerinas" is a vivid and engrossing story of friendship, ambition, passion, and betrayal, set in the mesmerizing world of professional ballet. The narrative is riveting, moving seamlessly between past and present, drawing the reader into the glittering, high-stakes world of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Kapelke-Dale's talent shines in her character development, particularly with the protagonist, Delphine Léger. Delphine is a deeply flawed yet relatable character, and her journey from a young, ambitious ballerina to a woman trying to rectify her past mistakes makes for a fascinating character arc. The relationships she shares with Lindsay and Margaux, her two best friends, are exquisitely drawn, steeped in shared history, secrets, and complex emotions.

The book's ballet scenes are a tour de force, pulsating with the raw energy and excitement of live performances. Kapelke-Dale, herself a former ballet dancer, paints a visceral picture of the physicality and emotional demands of the art form. This, coupled with the intricate detail with which she describes the Palais Garnier Opera House, immerses the reader in a world few get to see up close.

However, while "The Ballerinas" is a captivating read, it is not without its flaws. Some readers might find the narrative's pacing uneven, particularly in the second half of the book where the focus shifts more heavily onto the unraveling of secrets. Moreover, while the twist at the end is certainly surprising, its execution might seem abrupt to some, leaving a sense of wanting more buildup or foreshadowing.

The dialogue can occasionally feel strained, and Delphine's introspection sometimes verges on the overly dramatic, which might distance some readers from her character. Nevertheless, these are minor blemishes in an otherwise compelling narrative.

"The Ballerinas" is a thought-provoking exploration of the intense pressures that come with the pursuit of artistic perfection and the emotional toll they can take. It lays bare the unspoken competitiveness that can strain even the closest of friendships and shines a light on the sublimated anger many women hold within themselves.

Despite its flaws, "The Ballerinas" is a worthy read for those who enjoy emotionally rich stories of friendship and ambition set against a backdrop of passion and art. The world of ballet is brought to life with striking detail, the characters are complex and compelling, and the narrative is infused with a sense of tension and intrigue that keeps the pages turning. This is a book that is likely to linger with you long after the final page has been turned.

All in all, Rachel Kapelke-Dale's "The Ballerinas" is a dance worth joining.

Definitely not for me. I DNFed halfway through because I just could not for the life of me get into this. I tried, but it wasn't for me.

*Thank you @stmartinspress for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

The Ballerinas is an exploration of female friendships set within the world of professional ballet where competition is a fierce motivator. The story features three dancers: Delphine, Lindsay and Margaux, who all began studying at the Paris Opera Ballet when they were young girls. Over the years, they are intensely focused on the careers to which they aspire. As they mature, they might secure spots as members of the ballet company or, if they are good enough, become soloists or principal dancers, featured in productions. The path to becoming a principal dancer is long and fraught, requiring not just superior talent, dedication, and tireless preparation, but the ability to navigate the politics of getting noticed and championed by the ballet company's teachers, choreographers, and artistic directors. For debut author Rachel Kapelke-Dale, little research was required, aside from learning about the workings of the Paris Opera Ballet because she trained intensively in ballet as child. "My training allowed me to sketch in the background action for various scenes without too much trouble, as the format of those classes is so deeply ingrained in my memory," she relates.

For Delphine Léger, dance is a family matter. Her mother was a star ballerina whose career was cut short by her unplanned pregnancy. Delphine feels pressure not just to live up to her mother's example, but her expectation that Delphine will avoid making the same mistake she did and enjoy a long, successful career. Lindsay and Margaux also struggle with the stressors that challenge young dancers as they mature, including the never-ending effort to maintain an ideal body even as natural changes threaten to render perfection unattainable, the harsh criticisms of instructors ("You start out a whole and then you break," Delphine observes), expectations of parents and family members, and the destruction and debilitating effects of self-doubt and competition that can drive fragile adolescents to behave in harshly shocking ways.

It is 2018, and Delphine has decided that "Paris is always a good idea." After a thirteen-year absence, she has returned to Paris to choreograph Rasputin, a ballet she wanted to stage the entire time she was in St. Petersburg working as a choreographer at the Mariinsky Ballet with her romantic partner. And she has definite ideas about who she wants to star in the production: her old friend Lindsay, who has been a soloist for years. But Lindsay is now thirty-five years old – the company has a mandatory retirement age of forty-two -- and not a good partner. But Delphine is convinced that her staging of the classic, with Lindsay as the tsarina, will revitalize the company . . . as well as her friends' careers. Nathalie Dorival, the artistic director, reluctantly agrees to give Delphine one month to determine if Lindsay is up to the challenge. But she must name an understudy -- an insult to a ballerina of Lindsay's status. Delphine must accept Nathalie's condition because the production will be mounted as part of the opera's three hundred and fiftieth anniversary season, she desperately wants to make the most of the opportunity Nathalie has given her by agreeing to take her back into the company, . . . and she is intent on giving Lindsay "something that would change her life. Fourteen years after I had ruined it." Delphine's one true love, Jock (formerly Jacques), will be Lindsay's co-star, and there will be a role for Margaux, as well. While Lindsay is eager to take on the role Delphine is customizing for her, Margaux is resentful and suspicious, given that Delphine has been out of there lives for so many years and failed to make an effort to maintain their friendship. Kapelke-Dale says Margaux is “disillusioned,” but do not have any training to pursue a different career and has “taken her frustration and turned it in on herself.”

Delphine's first-person narration moves back to 1995, when Delphine, Lindsay, and Margeaux are students . . . and competitors. Kapelke-Dale notes that it was her editor who recommended adding the second timeline in order to fully reveal the characters’ pasts. She immerses readers in the girls' world, providing insight into the grueling physical demands of ballet, their emotional struggles, the imbalance of power in their relationship, and the machinations it inspires, including one particularly stunning betrayal. As the narrative moves incrementally forward in time, Kapelke-Dale reveals the characters' secrets at deftly-timed intervals, providing context for their behavior and illuminating their motivations.

The Ballerinas is a taut, evenly-paced, and absorbing glimpse into the world of ballet. Delphine would be easy to dismiss as unlikable and, therefore, irredeemable. But that misses the point. Delphine is a product of the world into which she was born, and all the people and events that influence her. She is self-centered, selfish, driven, and vengeful. But she also cares about her friends and colleagues, and eventually returns to Paris intent on making up for her mistakes. But is it too late?

The themes Kapelke-Dale delves into through her characters resonate against the ballet backdrop, they are universal. Female friendships are complicated, but their complexity is magnified in Kapelke-Dale's convincing portrayal of women facing consequential choices about reproduction, work-life balance, and workplace harassment and abuse in an industry where men have, for centuries, been the powerbrokers and women have been vulnerable to and dependent upon their desires, whims, and approval. Kapelke-Dale says that as she was writing the book, she thought deeply about an institution that “purportedly celebrate femininity in some ways also reinforce draconian standards,” and wanted to impart the sense of urging that Delphine feels as her fortieth birthday looms and she wonders if her best professional years are behind her. Ultimately, her characters must decide how they will shape their futures, what matters most to them, and what kind of people they want to be. Kapelke-Dale delivers an entertaining story with a conclusion that is nothing less than jaw-dropping, despite early foreshadowing because so much transpires in succeeding chapters.

A captivating story. A great book for those who love mystery and find that ballerinas are beautiful and graceful.

I read The Ballerinas as an audiobook when it first published, but have been very slow with writing my review, partly because while I generally enjoyed the overall story, it took a while for me to be invested in both the story and the characters. It didn't hook me in right away, and there were other moments where I completely zoned out.
Part of my struggle to connect with the story was because of how many technical ballet terms there were and my lack of understanding of the world of ballet. While I wanted to understand it more, I just ended up zoning out. As much as I love thrillers, and as much as this book did have elements that completely took me by surprise, I may not have been the ideal reader for it.

I will say, thought, one aspect of this book that I loved, and wasn't at all expecting, was how it was connected to the #MeToo movement, as well as the feminist elements of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Rachel Kapelke-Dale for the review copy.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

A book about ballet presented as a thriller? Sold! I was so excited for this one due to me being such a big ballet fan. However this just was a little hard to feet into at first. There definitely is some thriller aspects but I wouldn’t consider this a thriller or recommend it to someone looking for one. I feel like it focuses more on women’s fiction. Overall though it was a good read.

This was an entertaining read with the right dosage of character build-up, back stories, interesting characters you grow to love despite their many flaws, and I loved learning about the lives of ballets dancers trained at the Paris Opera Ballet. Delphine the main character and her two best friends Margaux and Lindsay, have a strong, long friendship despite some drama that happened in the past. What makes Delphine feeling like she owes Lindsay something? Why did she move to St. Petersburg at the age of 23 only to return 13 years later? Will she be able to pick upher friendship with Margaux and Lindsay where she left it 13 years earlier? I liked how the author made all the male characters be the evil, nasty, cruel, plain ol bad guys. What I didn't like was the zero usage of the French language. Delphine and Margaux are native French speakers, while LIndsay is American. During dialogues, the author would note that one of the characters would say something in French insteaf of writing the line in French; I have never seen that before and it was confusing. On the other hand, there was some Russian usage when going over Delphine's time in Russia with husband Dmitri.. that made absolutely no sense. Despite that I am giving this book 4 stars because I really enjoyed reading about those three ladies' friendship and drama.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martins Press for this e-ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me an early copy of this novel.

The cover really drew me to this book. I am not a ballet dancer, but I find such beauty and grace in the artform.
This book is set in a fictional world of the Paris Opera Ballet and while it's considered a thriller, I found it to be more women's fiction than suspenseful, it's a very character driven novel.

Delphine is the narrator, she is French and the daughter of a prima ballerina, and the story centers around the friendships with Margeaux, also French and Lindsay and American ballet dancer since the age of 13. All the girls are flawed and kind of awful to each other.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher.

I couldn't get into this book so did not finish sorry to say. I found it slow and it didn't interest me.

The Ballerinas, I honestly don't know what to say about this book. I had very high hopes for it. Even though it was a good book, It somehow missed the mark for me. the beginning started out really slow. I then restarted the book twice. At about the middle of the book it started to pick up, then about three-quarters of the way finished it just lost my interest. I DNF this tile at 73%.

This was a cute book, and it shows how strenuous the work is that these girls have to do to get to where they want to be. It was a little too slow for me and i wish it hadn’t been because i really liked it overall but it was just dragging.

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

I thought this book was just okay.

It is more of a character driven drama than a thriller.

Just not my cup of tea.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you NetGalley and author Rachel Kapelke-Dale for the free E-Arc of this book in exchange for my thoughts and opinions. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4 1/2 stars
This book was a roller coaster ride. The author did an amazing job bringing the readers behind the scenes of the ballet. The narrator had a great story telling voice. I enjoyed the mystery that slowly unfurled as the story progressed. The characters were intriguing and held my interest. The ending was so crazy yet satisfying. Overall, if the ballet has ever interested you, this book is for you. I can't wait to read another book by this author.

This was a beautifully written novel about friendships, family, secrets and the power passion has over the human race. It was very poetic and creatively written, so it's a story you need to pay close attention to. It's a little complicated to follow because of the flowery language but still an excellent read.

This debut novel was tension filled and the atmosphere was wickedly crafted. I was drawn to the darkness behind the dedication of the ballerinas and the drama that lingers just on the edge. Not having much experience in this world, I appreciated the details and how the world was built for the reader. It allowed for a smooth read. ☆☆☆

Though the narrative is slow-paced (Not A Thriller), it's the hook line that immediately pulled me into the story—the nagging question of who she killed and why is ever-present in mind throughout:

‘Before Nathalie emailed and offered to take me back before I killed anyone, I saw variations of the same quotation everywhere: Paris is always a good idea.’

THE BALLERINAS, by Rachel Kapelke-Dale, is very much a coming-of-story centered around the narrator, Delphine Léger, her fellow ballerinas and best friends Lindsay and Margaux.

The story is told by way of alternating timelines of past and present events, through Delphine's perspective, the reader bears witness to three young girls who grow up in the shadow of great ballerina dancers—like Isabelle Durand Étoile, Delphine’s mother—each striving to be the best at any cost.

‘Paris was my birthplace, my home for the first twenty-three years of my life. It was where I had my first kiss, where I met my two best friends, where I danced in sixty-four performances of Swan Lake, forty-three Nutcrackers, twenty-six La Sylphides. Where my mother wrenched my three-year-old hand and ground it, smarting, against the wood of the barre.’

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an eBook of THE BALLERINAS at the request of an honest review.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the #gifted copy of the book.

The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is a story of friendship. Ballet is such a challenging profession and it can be cut throat. I have several friends who did this for years. It takes immense dedication. The characters in this book weren't very likable, but I enjoyed the feminism undertones. Overall, this is a solid read.

I am not sure what I expected from the book but I was left disappointed. The story follows 3 ballerinas as they try to make it to become stars. I was a dancer so I had heard all of the stories about ballerinas and how difficult their lives can be. This book was too predictable for me. I normally like when books go from present day to the past and back but this one jumped around too much for me. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for making this available..

I struggled to try and understand this book, I didn’t know where the story had started and where it was taking me.

I had to read some of it over and over again to try and understand it but I just couldn’t. I didn’t finish it as I just kept losing what the story was supposed to be about.