I received a copy of The Ballerinas from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

And, honestly? I loved this book, but it hit on some strong loves for me- Paris, ballet, and drama. I could understand if someone else only liked the book, instead of devouring it in a few days, staying up entirely too late, and becoming a coffee zombie.

Delphine, Margaux, and Lindsay grew up in a ballet academy together and were the best of friends. But life happens, and Delphine is returning to Paris for the first time in 23 years. She is eager to reunite their close friendships, but secrets and lies keep them from fully trusting one another again.

The writing was very good, I enjoyed how feminism as a concept was portrayed as many different things.

On the surface this is a fascinating look inside the elite world of professional ballet and a glimpse into the lives of the ballerinas who populate it. But this novel is so much more, delving into gender issues and what it means to identify as female in what is still, in so many ways, a patriarchal world.

The author deftly illuminates the myriad ways women are still subject to the whims, wills, and worries of the men in their lives. Yet she never shies away from showing the ugly side of the women in this story, revealing their humanity in ways that make
it impossible to ignore. In doing so she risks losing the reader’s empathy, but I feel that risk payed off as I was able to see true growth from the characters and find myself even more invested than I would have been had she only shown the pretty parts.

Relationships are also revealed in all their complexity, bringing up the question of how much we can ever truly know the people in our lives. Ultimately the author shows us that in order to form deep, real bonds we must confront the often transactional, selfish nature of our connections with others and be willing to embrace them for who they truly are, not who we need them to be.

This novel is bold, visceral, unafraid. The author clearly did her homework on the subject matter. I found myself drawn into the world the she created and have no doubt I will be thinking about it for quite some time.

Interesting story that unfortunately fell flat for me. I found the characters to be bland and didn't feel any connection to them. It took me out of the story and changed the reading experience for me. The dual timeline was confusing. In the present time, the characters would recall a memory from their past, making it a bit redundant to have both storylines. It would've benefited the novel to have one timeline. I think the past storyline was intriguing enough to be the main timeline.
Overall, The Ballerinas has an interesting plot. But, in my opinion, was not executed to its full potential.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC copy of The Ballerinas!

Love. Friendship. Betrayal. In the gorgeous setting of Paris, we become intimately connected to three women living in the world of ballet. They dance. They celebrate life, friendship, and milestones. They hide secrets - sometimes from each other. This book is not just about ballet; rather, the ballet provides the backdrop that allows Kapelke-Dale to dig deeply into the complexities of how women navigate life and find their true passions. This book was timely, gritty, surprising, and resonated deeply.

The Ballerinas is really a story about friendship - 3 friends meet at Paris Opera Ballet. The story then switches between (in their 30s) and the past. If I’m being honest, the first 80 pages were hard work and possibly only those with an interest in ballet would persist.

Having nearly given up, I’m glad I kept going. The book is a twisty, intriguing thriller/drama that kept me hooked. I loved the ending, where they move ahead to the ‘3 girls’ in their 40’s.

The inevitable comparisons with Black Swan are lazy in my opinion (it isn’t as dark or sex-filled as that film) and despite being flawed, the 3 main protagonists are so likeable. I can’t wait to read more by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.

5/5 - 100% recommend (publication due in December 2021)

Fourteen years ago, Delphine left her place at the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet for a chance at a new life in St. Petersburg - taking with her a secret that would change turn the lives of one of her friends upside down. After thirteen years in St. Petersburg, Delphine returns to the Paris Opera Ballet, in hopes of setting off her career in choreography. Though things have certainly changed, she works hard to fix her friendship with Lindsay and Margaux.

Okay, let’s start off with, how breathtaking is this cover? I was lucky enough to come across The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale during a 72 hour period where it was available to read now on @NetGalley and I’m thankful for the opportunity to read it! I LOVED this book! There are so many things I loved about this book - one being I’m a huge fan of anything Romanov’s so I loved the connection with Delphine trying to bring to life Tsarina. Told between adolescent years and present day, it really resonated with me how she realized she had to work hard to repair her most important relationships and that mostly, forgiveness had to be on the other persons terms. The adolescent years really brought me back and made me think of female friendships in high school and how catty girls can be! There were a few twists in here that I truly didn’t see coming, and they were brilliantly written into the story, and Delphine’s subsequent reactions to these were incredible and even empowering!
The Ballerinas was beautifully written, I truly can’t believe this was a debut novel! Make sure you add it to your TBR list because you won’t want to put this down when it hits shelves on December 7, 2021!

This was such a great story! Three friends who grow up as ballerinas, and all of the obstacles they face personally. I love how the story goes back in forth between the past and present. Very heartfelt!

The Ballerinas
by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

This book was very interesting. I love a book that can transport me into a new world, one that I know nothing about. It’s an intense, gritty look into the very competitive world of ballet.

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

The book is written about three young ballerinas who begin as students and then rise through the ranks of the Paris Opera Ballet. It’s written in first person by the main character Delphine. She tells us about her life and the relationship with her two best friends, Lindsey and Margeaux. The book goes back and forth in time, starting from when they met as young teenage ballet students to modern time, when they are 36 years old.

The book covers their hopes, dreams, trial and tribulations as the three climb the ranks of the highly competitive ballet world.

I found the book to be full of interesting facts about the ballet world, and found it fascinating how these women were able to compete, dance, and remain friends through the years.

This book is not a romance, however it is a love story. A story of these women and their love and affection for each other. The story has a strong feminist outlook, which I liked very much.

I have a background in ballet, so I loved this book and could relate to the narrative in ways that felt both familiar and fresh. I think having some knowledge of ballet terms and the relentless discipline and competition of the ballet world is a plus but not essential, as the story is accessible and immersive, the prose smooth and well-written. At times I reread passages to soak up the author's descriptions, many of them masterful. The dialogue pulls you in, and the way the characters relate to one another gives the story an immediate dramatic and authentic feel. There are so many ballet tropes that can pull a novel into melodrama and overuse, but the power of the author's observation of human nature and her use of language manages to lift the story away from that abyss. I absolutely recommend this book. It's hard to put down.

A fictional story of three ballerinas from Paris. It shows the behind the scenes of the fictional Paris Opera Ballet and three dancers who strive to make it as a star. The backstory reads as we are reading about what is occurring now, so we can see what drove the characters to what they have done.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Delphine was a ballerina at the Paris opera ballet when she decided to leave her friends and moved to St Petersburg. Many years later she decided to move back to Paris and hopes to get reacquainted with her friends. This book was well written.

A unique and stunning novel. The author gave what I can only assume is an insider's view into the ruthless world of professional dance - one that I wasn't familiar with, but found wholly engaging. I don't think I'lll look at ballet the same after reading this! The characters were well drawn, the pacing impeccable, and the author insights into female friendship and ambition would give a bookclub much to discuss. I will be recommending this book widely.

I have always been fascinated by books about the ballet and I found this book to be riveting. With the intense emotions, flawlessly constructed characters and intense pacing, I was forced to read it straight through because I could not stand not knowing what would happen next! The author's exploration of sacrifice, friendship, and coming of age was poignant and thought provoking. An excellent read that I will enjoy recommending to library patrons when this book comes out in December. Thanks for allowing me to read this advance copy!

This isn't your average ballet inspired book. This story focuses on the relationship between three best friends who have spent their entire lives training in Paris to become the ballerinas that everyone hopes to be. Flipping back and forth between the their young training days and their current adult lives, we experience the complexities of the choices they have to make as women and dancers and how that impacts their relationships with each other. Sure it involves the jealousy and competition of the cutthroat ballet world, but there's something different in the way it incorporates the MeToo era and it comes off as a refreshing and female empowering read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for my ARC.

As a former dancer I really wanted to like this book but it fell flat. I found it to be a bit confusing with all of the time changes and I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly interesting.

This debut thriller by Kaplke-Dales paints a dark picture of the competitive world of dance and ballet. With a fast paced thriller that threw me off my feet. I was up all night reading about the disciplined and ambitious dancers who would do anything to make their dreams happen. With intense female relationships and fierce competition the book shows you the inside behind the scenes truth of what happens within this ballet company and for lovers of Black Sawn you will be I heaven. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me the change to read and review this delicious book.

Thank you, Net Galley, for not only allowing me to preview this book, but for helping my find a new author to read and enjoy.
I was fascinated by this book. What little girl doesn’t dream of being a ballerina. I picked up this book thinking i was going to get a historical book about ballet. Although you do get some history, what you do get is a book about 3 friends who met in ballet school and watch their lives unwind in front of you from their teenage years into adulthood. I could not put this book down. And just when I thought I had settled in to an ending... bam! You should give this book a read! I can hardly wait to see what the author has in store next!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

My prediction is that The Ballerinas will be book of the year! I would definitely add this book to your TBR list right now, as you will not want to miss this one!
For me, I fell in love with the beautiful cover at first, and then I became intrigued with the idea of reading about dancers (ballerinas). With all the books that I have read, this was the first that told the story of ballerinas. In The Ballerinas, we learned about the lives of three ballerinas named Delphine, Margaux, and Lindsay. Delphine was the main narrator/character, and I just could not get enough of her story. I resonated with her feelings and what she went through in life so much. I honestly could not turn the pages fast enough, I wanted to be there in their world.
The Ballerinas deals with many issues that all women go through in their lifetime, and this is why I feel that this book is going to touch so many. I do however feel that the ending was rushed a little bit (although that could be me being greedy because I wanted more), and I didn’t get too much closure on one of the male characters named Jock. With that being said, I still highly recommend reading this book. I guarantee it will end up being one of your favorites! Rachel Kapelke-Dale is a new author to me, but her writing is outstanding! I’m definitely looking forward to future reads from her.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martins Press for my advanced review copy of this book. The Ballerinas is to be published in December 2021.

I really wanted to love this book. The cover is stunning, and the premise was intriguing enough for me to want to dive right in. I adore ballet, and I was looking forward to all this novel was offering.

Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. There is a dual timeline, going back and forth between the past and present, but the past was written from the perspective of the present, meaning that the reader is not fully immersed in the past. I found myself getting confused about which storyline I was reading, because details from the present were included in the past narrative. This also made the past storyline seem insubstantial.

The Ballerinas is also being marketed as a thriller, but I found that aspect to be very weak. It was very predictable, and I kept waiting for twists that never came. Sure, there were some shocking events, but I didn't find them to be very surprising or impactful.

There were themes regarding both friendship and feminism is this novel that I liked, yet they fell flat for me. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters, beyond frequent annoyance at the main character for how she was behaving, which kept me from being as invested in the events that transpired as I wanted to be.

"Dare Me meets Black Swan and Luckiest Girl Alive in a captivating, voice-driven debut novel about a trio of ballerinas who meet as students at the Paris Opera Ballet School."

I am always looking for books set in the ballet world and they are surprisingly hard to find outside of the children’s shelves, so I was beyond excited when I heard about this book and it did not disappoint. My non-spoiler thoughts on it below:

- This is both an entertaining and an impactful story. It offers a raw and truthful look at the world of ballet and the societal struggles these three women face covering everything from reproductive rights, to beauty standards, to the #MeToo movement.
- When it feels like so many of the stories set in this world focus solely on the competition between women, I appreciated that this book shied away from that while still acknowledging the natural conflict that arises in female friendships.
- Even though I found the pacing slow at times, I adored every second I got to spend in this world and with these characters.

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.