The Ballerinas is a beautiful coming of age story full of french culture, ballerinas, friendship, love and loss. The story follows a group of young girls from their childhood dreaming of being ballerinas to adulthood where some have achieved those dreams others have changed their ideas and some are dealing with the consequences of those dreams. I thought from the summary there would be a little more drama and thrilling aspect to the book, you really have to read until the end that finishes with a bang to get the thrill. However I enjoyed the ride and thought it was fun to be submerged in their world.

The Ballerinas is an excellent, dark YA novel filled with friendship and secrets set in the competitive world of dance. Readers of Tiny Pretty Things or Dare Me will be thrilled to check out The Ballerinas.

This is a beautifully written book that shines a light on the depth of female friendships. I enjoyed learning more about the world of ballet. There are multiple timelines to follow. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC

I liked this story, I did. I liked the peak into the world behind ballets. The girls were brutal, the expectation for perfection was almost overwhelming as the girls pushed themselves harder and harder to achieve and be great. The feel of competition, first love and crushing disapointment jumped off each page.

But I didn't think this was a mystery, not really. It's character driven, so you spend quite a bit of time getting to know the MC. She's just come back home, meeting up with her best friends again and planning a show, not as a dancer. I didn't find a lot of mystery in this.

I also think this story tried to tackle a little too much. Once we reached one twist - shocking and awful, I thought the story was pretty well complete. Well told, rage inducing and something I could imagine easily happening in this world. However, the story kept going and we were introduced to another twist and another shock. I did enjoy the story, found it interesting, I just didn't love it.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

First off, the cover of “The Ballerinas” by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is stunning and drew me in instantly! As a former ballet dancer I was immediately intrigued by the story. This is definitely a slow burn at the beginning but I do enjoy books that switch between time periods. I enjoyed the female relationships and characters however, it did take me a bit to get into a the plot.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and the vibe of Black Swan, insight into Ballerinas. I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and this book was so easy to binge read.

This book had such wonderful storytelling format. I am a huge fan of when books jump between two different time periods, especially when it is done so well. As well as this, the writing felt authentic, like looking into this woman's life, rather than like a story.

As someone who grew up in the world of ballet, this book really portrayed the competitive and sometimes harsh nature of the industry, even between friends. I would definitely look up trigger warnings before reading!!

I thought that this book would be entertaining. Delphine gave up dance 14 years before but has always yearned for and missed it. She returns too take charge of a whole program hoping it will renew her career and start the 2nd phase. I found the characters to be shallow and no one jumped out at you. There is a plot twist a hiccup in the scope of things.

I love browsing the endless best books of the year lists and this beauty came from Sarah’s Bookshelves this month. This has big potential to be a selection for our 2022 MomAdvice Book Club year- it is that beautiful and thought-provoking.

It is no secret that the field of dance is cutthroat and Kapelke-Dal knows all about that business after spending years in intensive ballet training. It is, perhaps, why the dance scenes are so spectacular and haunting. At moments, it felt like a memoir about the author’s own dance career.

Following the two timelines, we get to see the beginnings of that hunger for our three young ballerinas fighting for position in the ballet and then we get to see their later years as they find themselves and their own voices. What haunts both timelines though is an incident that changed the course of one of their careers and propelled the other two forward.

This gave me big book club feelings for many, many reasons. The commentary on how women fight the aging process, the contrast between expectations between men and women, and what it means to be a success in this world were giant gut punches.

This book is for readers that don’t mind if the story is slower to build, but delivers on strong well-developed characters. If Black Swan was a favorite, read this immediately.

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

I have a weird thing for ballerina stories (both books and movies), which is funny as I have no desire to actually do ballet lol. This one was waaaay darker than I expected and I really enjoyed that! It showed a different side to the life of a ballerina. The pressures, the competition, the decisions made to prevent other people from doing something/getting what they want, and being considered “old” when you’re still young!

I think this book really focuses on female relationships and how important they are. It also highlights finding a path and figuring out your own growth and development.

I would read this one again as I am sure there are many little things I would pick up on with each read!!! If you’re in the mood for a dark ballet story give this one a try!!!!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Rachel Kapelke-Dale for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers of this book for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited about this book and finished it very quickly! I really enjoyed how the book was a mixture of mystery while also exploring the intricacies of female friendship through these characters. I feel often character development gets the short end of the stick in thrillers/mysteries, however did not find that to be the case in this book.

I would recommend this book to a friend.

A ruthless and unforgiving world for sure!
Great story!!

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.

"Enthralling...irresistible." ––New York Times
"A standing ovation to this debut." ––E! News

Thirteen years ago, Delphine Léger abandoned her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in St. Petersburg––taking with her a secret that could upend the lives of her best friends, fellow dancers Lindsay and Margaux. Now thirty-six years old, Delphine has returned to her former home and to the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House, to choreograph the ballet that will kickstart the next phase of her career––and, she hopes, finally make things right with her former friends. But Delphine quickly discovers that things have changed while she's been away...and some secrets can't stay buried forever.

Moving between the trio's adolescent years and the present day, The Ballerinas explores the complexities of female friendship, the dark drive towards physical perfection in the name of artistic expression, the double-edged sword of ambition and passion, and the sublimated rage that so many women hold inside––all culminating in a twist you won't see coming, with a magnetic cast of characters you won't soon forget.

The Ballerinas is a story about three friends who meet while studying at the Paris Opera Ballet in the 90s. The novel spans through time from their teens to their 30s and tells the story of how their relationship to each other and their careers evolve with time.

A captivating character-driven novel about a trio of ballerinas who meet as students at the Paris Opera Ballet School.
A love story between friends as they face challenges both professionally and personally.
Full of drama and deceit "The Ballerinas" is an insightful look in to the world of ballet.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I love ballet, stories about ballerinas, and the cover of this book is sensational. But this is supposed to be a thriller/mystery, but it's not. It's a lot of descriptions of the horrible inner workings of the ballet world and a trio of catty, jealous frenemies who are completely unlikeable.

This book had me at Black Swan! I was a dancer, and was so excited to read this book and be emerged in the dancing world again. And yes you do get that, but I was too distracted with foul language.

This book started off as a slow burn, but in the second half really picked up with so many added layers and deeper, more complex relationships. It was such a real, gritty look into the ballet world and the characters were flawed and beautiful, each in their own right. I appreciated how this book explored the friendship between Margaux, Delphine and Lindsay as it started, grew and changed, while also delving into their individual stories and struggles and those of dancers in general. The Ballerinas took me by surprise and stole my heart in the end and I would definitely recommend, particularly to those who love dance.

Delphine returns home to Paris from St Petersburg after a thirteen year absence. She hopes to reunited and reestablish her friendships with Lindsay and Margaux, who she grew up with at the prestigious Paris Ballet Academy. Delphine learns that it might not be as easy to assimilate as she had wished, and the secret she is carrying may come by out and ruin everything.

The Ballerinas shines a light on the difficulty of women’s choices about their bodies, motherhood and careers, along with the pressure society places on these decisions. The story is told while transitioning between the adolescent years of the three friends and their current age of thirty six. Overall, the novel had a suspenseful, creepy feel, with a fabulous, unforeseen twist. I enjoyed it very much.

“The Ballerinas” by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is the story of three friends in the high stakes world of the Paris Opera Ballet. As the narrative shifts between adolescence and adulthood, the women explore the complexities of female friendship, trust, and ambition.

As far as characters go, I really enjoyed Delphine. She’s driven and smart, but has a hard time making connections. Her childhood creates a competitive spirit mixed with a need for safe places, but in that Delphine loses some of her heart and compassion. She is definitely a character that I wanted to root for.

In the end, it fell flat for me though. I was captivated by the unique POB world, but the complexities of the relationships didn’t play out the way I thought they would. The surprise twist was more of a shock than anything and it felt a little out of character. Mix that with some trigger warning events, it just wasn’t the right read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.