Teddy, Taryn, and Jaidev are all dancers at Roseheart Ballet Academy, and each of them have some secrets up their sleeves.

I felt like readers got in-depth perspectives of all three main characters, and I liked that they were all very different from one another and each had their own story, in a sense. I found each story interesting to learn about as this book progressed. The one thing about the book that frustrated me was a scene towards the end, where Teddy invalidates Taryn’s sexuality and makes a racist remark. However, I do like that Taryn called him out for what he said, and that he eventually got the help he needed for his eating disorder. I liked the majority of this book and thought it was an interesting read, but I was definitely frustrated at the offensive comments Teddy made about other characters.

If you asked my friends and workmates whether I was into dance, they would probably tell you no. They’d be wrong.

When I was young, I took Tap Dancing lessons for a while. I remember enjoying it; I remember wishing it was Irish Dancing instead; but mostly I remember playing in the entryway with the other kids, squishing ourselves into the little storage shelves meant for bags and belongings. Hey, I never said I was GOOD at dance.

I have however been enjoying the influx of dance-themed movies and books lately. From Step Sisters and Work It on Netflix, to Flowers in the Attic and Tiny Pretty Things (as both a book and a TV show), I love reading about the hard work the dancers go through, and the amazing ways they can push their bodies. So this book caught my eye - it’s set at a ballet boarding school - uh, yes please!

Honestly, this book was so good. We meet our main characters in the first scene, and things don’t go too well! With an injury right off the bat, Teddy is in trouble. Taryn, his dance partner for three years, finds her life plan changed - the company she desperately wants to dance for will only take a pair. Enter Jaidev, our third character; a dancer who is haunted by an accident that happened the last time he danced; an accident that had serious ramifications and ended with him being arrested. He doesn’t want to dance anymore, he wants to leave that life behind and try to move on, but his mother won’t let him.

I won’t give away too much more about the story, as it was almost a compulsive read. I will note that I was surprisingly on board with the tri-narration; I wasn’t sure it was going to work when I first realised that we had three first-person POVs, but the author did this really well. I liked the open and honest discussions of eating disorders - yes, they are discussed, but it’s a ballet school. There’s no way people would think it was well done if they ignored this aspect, but it was handled sensitively and well, no weight specific descriptions, more focussed on the health and wellness aspect - meetings with nutritionists, therapy sessions. A character also gets a major diagnosis which changes their life, and I felt that was handled really well, it explored how different people react to the same diagnosis in very different ways.

And the rep! This book is #ownvoices AroAce, which is awesome! While our characters don’t want to be outed (let’s be real, who does?), it’s not at any point shown as a detriment or a ‘bad thing’ (except by one homophobic nutbag, but we don’t like him and neither do most of the characters). The reader gets to learn about what being aromantic and asexual means, and how there is a spectrum, and how people who identify as these are not all the same. There’s also discussion about being sex-repulsed, and how that too differs from person to person, with some Ace people being willing to engage, while others are physically repulsed. We need more Ace books, and even more so on the Aro side, so I will 100% be recommending this book.

In terms of racial rep, Jaidev is Korean, and it’s not until he appears to be being racially targeted that Taryn realises just how homogeneously white her school is. It’s not explored fully, but it’s not brushed off either. I hope the author might dive further into this topic with the subsequent books.

Content warnings: medical diagnoses, talk of eating disorders (incl some vomiting*), bullying, racism, homophobia.

Overall Rating: 5 stars, no doubt.

*spoiler alert* content warning - backstreet abortion.

The blurb made me feel this book is everything I want and love. Unfortunately reading this book proved otherwise.
The whole idea is great, but the characters felt super flat, I didn't feel any connection to any of them. They were all as interesting and had as much personality as my dining room chairs, which means no personality whatsoever. But you know what the characters has in an abundance? Trauma. Buts, as another reviewer said - trauma is not a personality trait. You cannot just give a person a dead family member and be like "ok, this is your whole personality from now on".
Also TWO people in one school were accused of murder. Like, I'm a fan of coincidences like a next girl, but even I have my limits.
Also Teddy is the worst character ever, I hate him with my whole soul, and I have zero respect for Taryn for wanting to be friends with him.
I will not be continuing with book two.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Ineja press for the arc.
Overall this was a good book, it was easy, fast to read and it has great representation. My issues with this book however is that it’s very overdramatic and unbelievable, I couldn’t believe that all these things were happening and it made a lot of the characters unlikeable because of their plot points. I also think that the book wrapped up pretty well and it definitely doesn’t need a sequel, I think it’s a shame that the author made the ending of the story like a what it? Scenario for the future of the main character ‘Taryn’ and her future. I don’t really care what happens to any of the characters I feel like everything was achieved in the book. I did really like Taryn who I feel was the true main character but one of our other narrators ‘Teddy’ was absolutely insufferable despite his difficult situation. I loved having two aro-ace mcs, how their sexuality was discussed, how sexuality can be on a spectrum and how no two people are the same in how they present their sexuality. There was also a lot of discussions about racism in the ballet world, toxic masculinity and eating disorders. It was interesting to have the male Mc have the eating disorder as men are often told that they can’t have them because of toxic masculinity but there’s also a female side character with an eating disorder and you could see how differently they were treated. There’s definitely a lot of triggering content and scenes in the book so please be careful if you’re interested in it. I think that this is a solid read, a good story but so overly dramatised that it’s entirely unbelievable.
Trigger warnings for racism, sexism, bullying, mentions of rape, death, assault, abortions, eating disorders.

Meet the dancers at Roseheart Ballet Academy! Taryn Foster, who wants to be the first aro-ace ballerina, Teddy Walker, who has a serious illness, Jaidev Ngo, who was arrested the last time he danced

This book took me a little bit to get into since I am not a Ballet dancer, nor do I identify as aro or ace. Once I got into the book and met the characters, I fell in love with the story. it had me hooked and coming back to figure out who was the culprit. I can't wait tobread more from this series and more into the lives if Taryn and Jaidev!

I rate this book as 4.5 🌟!

I'd like to say a huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

#readingchallenge #reading2022 #winterreading2022 #booklover #bookworm #bookwormlife #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #netgalley #readinggoals #therhythmofmysoul #elindyer #elindyerbooks #YAbooks

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Okay, so where to start? I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it either. I think they storyline has the potential to be good - I even found myself wanting to learn more about the characters and getting involved in the mystery of who was after Taryn. But I think where this book lacked was the repetitiveness (mostly during Teddy's storyline - it was the same thing every chapter, just worded differently). And, my gosh, Teddy was so WHINY.

I loved the dancing and ballet aspect, though - and I loved the suspense, I just wish it would have focused on that a little more and left Teddy and his whininess out.

I also would have loved to learn more about Jaidev's character.

My favorite thing about the book, though, was the inclusiveness of different sexualities. Especially because, as that is becoming a bigger topic in todays society, it is nice to see it included in the book realm.

I would definitely consider giving a second one a shot if there ever is one.

3/5 stars.

Un livre sur lequel je suis tombée par hasard sur Goodreads, et qui m'a tout de suite interpellée – notamment pour sa représentation de l'asexualité !
Dans The Rhythm of my Soul, nous allons suivre trois personnages en alternance : Taryn Foster, Teddy Walker et Jaidev Ngo. On va les découvrir petit à petit, même si nous avons certaines informations au départ. Concernant Taryn et Teddy, par exemple, nous apprenons qu'ils sont tout les deux asexuels (même si ils ne sont pas sur le même « spectre »!). C'est une des choses qui a rapproché énormément les deux jeunes gens, en plus de l'amour évident pour la danse et le désir de devenir danseur et danseuse professionnel. Taryn est en outre hantée par le fantôme de sa sœur, qui était également une danseuse et le désir de danser deux fois plus pour honorer sa mémoire. Teddy, lui, va être touché physiquement, suite à un malaise et où on lui découvre une maladie impactant sa capacité à danser. Car si il continue, il pourrait en mourir, littéralement. Nous faisons la rencontre de Jaidev Ngo plus tardivement, étant donné que c'est un nouveau danseur à l'académie, arrivé pour être le nouveau partenaire de Taryn. Le jeune homme a également un passé trouble, plusieurs personnes peuvent lui en vouloir, le poussant même à vouloir à arrêter la danse – pourtant une des rares choses qui lui procure plaisir !
J'étais très curieuse de découvrir The Rhythm of my Soul : j'ai lu de très bonnes critiques sur Goodreads, les différents thèmes m'intéressait énormément (spécialement la danse et l'asexualité), et le tout avait l'air très touchant. Et je dois dire que The Rhythm of my Soul s'est avéré une excellente lecture !
Parlons tout d'abord de l'asexualité : j'ai apprécié le fait qu'il y ait deux personnages principaux asexuels. Ils ne sont pas sur le même spectre de l'asexualité, ils ont explorés cette facette d'eux-même différemment, et cela donne l'opportunité d'expliquer davantage, de montrer plusieurs représentations de cette sexualité trop peu connue.
Taryn et Jaidev ont tout les deux vécus des événements traumatisants dans leur passé, et c'est parfaitement bien décrit, notamment sur le complexe du survivant et toute la culpabilité que cela peut entraîner. Du côté de Teddy, nous avons affaire à une maladie physique. Le jeune homme doit apprendre à l'accepter et à vivre avec, ce qui n'est pas facile du tout évidemment ! Surtout lorsque cette maladie l'empêche de poursuivre sa carrière de danseur...
Je ne suis pas en mesure de la pertinence de la description de l'ambiance dans une école de danse classique, mais Elin Dyer utilise en tout cas des thèmes largement répandus dans ce milieu : une jalousie fréquente, les harcèlements entre les différents danseurs et danseuses, le rapport compliqué à la nourriture... Même si tout cela n'est peut-être pas la norme, je dois dire que l'autrice a fait un excellent travail en dépeignant ces différentes rivalités, comment cette passion de la danse et le fait de vouloir en faire son métier peut entraîner des conséquences, que ce soit sur le plan physique ou mental.
The Rhythm of my Soul n'est pas une lecture facile, loin de là ; mais c'est en tout cas une lecture que j'ai trouvé personnellement extrêmement addictive et prenante ! Le deuxième tome est à paraître apparemment au cours de l'été 2022 : j'ai hâte !!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..

Trying to be as generous as possible, but....there was a lot of cringe, and it was a chore to make myself finish reading.

Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: none
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.

I mean, YA book about ballet school shenanigans? With not one but two aroace characters? What’s not to like? In practice, a few things as it happens, but I did broadly enjoy the book. The plot basically revolves an English-set ballet school that specialises in … and here my ignorance of ballet is about to set in hard … but, like, romantic duets (pas de deux)? It pairs up dancers specifically for this and there’s some kind graduation show, after which the top pair of dancers go on to join the professional company linked to the school.

Unfortunately, the heroine’s partner suffers an accident at the show, the underlying cause of which is a heart condition that means he won’t be able to dance professionally again, which means, in turn, the school makes the unpreceded decision to bring in a dancer from a different ballet school. A dancer who turns out to have dark secrets of his own.

To some extent this has the, no pun intended, expected rhythms, of a school/college story: the main characters have a particular goal and a shared passion, and part of the pleasure of the story is sinking into the routines of their lives, with training and rehearsals, and the necessity of navigating emotional dynamics of competitive environments. But it’s also, like, chock-a-block with trauma. I mean, way beyond eating disorders and bullying trauma. I think each of the protagonists has a deceased loved-one/family member (sometimes both) apiece in whose death they feel emotionally implicated. I think there’s more unrelated hospital visits in this book alone that I’ve had in my entire life, and these are eighteen-year-olds and I’m in my thirties. And, honestly, I do think the constant stream of terrible happenings sort of diminished the emotional impact of the book as a whole: it already has a central character dealing with the loss of being to do the thing he loves and another central character dealing with the loss of her professional partner. There was so much that could have been explored springing just from that and so it was hard to tell what backstreet abortions and bullying that escalated to legit actual attempted murder were bringing to the story.

In terms of the characters, I’ve seen some reviews dunking on Teddy: the guy who has the accident. And, y’know, normally I’d be the first in the “this YA character is behaving in a problematic yet age-appropriate way that makes me, an adult, impatient with him” queue but … Teddy was actually my favourite character. He’s a mess, don’t get me wrong, his does bad things, and his entire perspective is distorted to the pointed of delusional (because of grief, loss, and mental illness) but he felt the most consistently characterised of the three protagonists. Or at least the one with the most recognisable (and, to me, relatable—though what that says about me, I don’t know) arc.

While I liked Tarryn—the heroine—most of her conflict is external: her partner can do longer dance with her, and some people are hating on her because she’s just sooooo talented and sooooo special. I should add, I don’t have a problem with the hyper-successful heroine (I’m inclined to believe the whole concept of the Mary Sue is to some degree grounded in misogyny) but everyone in the book either loves her or hates her with no middle ground, and I wish I’d seen her do more to earn the former at least. She’s also got this slightly awkward non-arc where she’s supposed to be taller and curvier than the average ballerina, which I think was supposed to make her a bit more relatable/accessible to what I presume are going to be the non-ballerina sized audience. And, to be honest, I’m not sure this worked or was necessary.

The third protagonist, Jaidev, is actually kind of lovely, but once he gets to Roseheart (that’s the ballet school where the book takes place) his POV mostly becomes ‘worried about Tarryn’.He has his own dark backstory which wasn’t fully explored—something something maybe supposed to have killed his former partner what the fuck something something. But ultimately he did feel just a little bit like his job was to follow the (I think white?) heroine around being caring.

What I did really appreciate it, however, from—I should hasten to add—my position of zero standing—was the diversity of the cast and the range of ace and aro rep across the book. I think there’s sort of a way of dealing with LGBTQ+ identity in fiction that I think of as post-queer, which is that it’s less about the discovery of your identity, but about living in the world knowing who you are. Both types of story have value, but I think we can all remember a time when The Gay Story was almost exclusively The Coming Out Story, and I’m kind of relieved that we’re getting past that as well for other identities on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. By the time we meet Teddy and Tarryn, they’re both well aware they’re aroace, and Tarryn in particular has spent time online, on forums and such like, speaking to others and researching who she is the way I think (based on the behaviour of young people around me) you just kind of do if you’re a 21st century teenager. Unlike 20th century teenagers who just sort of thrashed around in confusion wondering what the fuck was wrong with us.

Anyway, this means that both characters are very comfortable with who they are and their awareness of their own aroaceness is woven naturalistically through the text. Their obstacles are more about perception and prejudice—for example, Teddy’s aceness intersects in complicated ways with his masculinity (the fact he’s never had a girlfriend or evinced any desire to fuck women is viewed with suspicion by his male peers) and Tarryn fears that if it was publicly known she was aroace her ability to showcase romance through her dance would be brought into question. I honestly wish Tarryn and Teddy had been less in conflict for most of the book, because their queer platonic more-than-friendship-not-a-relationship is not the sort of thing that we see explored very often, especially because they are not, in fact, suitable as life-partners for each other. Teddy very much wants a family and Tarryn does not: and, again, seeing intra-queer conflict/divergence of identity is rare and important.

I should say, as well as its nuanced and complicated approaches to queer identity, the book approaches eating disorders with similar care. There are a couple of characters who suffer from eating disorders, but as a POV character, it’s Teddy’s that gets the most narrative focus. Firstly, it’s rare to see an eating disorder explored through a male character, and secondly he suffers from … I think it’s an OSFED? Which is to say, an eating disorder that isn’t one of the ones that typically gets explored in fiction.

So …. Yes. Lots of admire in this book, I think, in terms of its approach to identity. But also a fair bit that didn’t for me personally when it came to some aspects of characterisation and the almost comically constant trauma-fest that is the plot.

As ever, do check trigger warnings before jumping in. There’s a LOT in this book.

* Scroll down the page to read the review in English. (it was translated by google :) )

Obrigado à NetGalley e a editora por me fornecerem o ARC digital em troca da minha resenha.

Eu tive vários problemas com esse livro, a resenha vai ser grande, não tem jeito.

Pra começar: Eu peguei esse livro na Netgalley, lá está disponível uma resenha pela qual me interessei. Quando já tinha sido aprovada pela editora e já tinha começando a ler o livro fui nas redes de leitura para fazer o progresso e descobri que dependendo da edição que você acessa existe sinopses diferentes! A sinopse no geral foi meu primeiro problema com o livro. Primeiro porque se eu tivesse acessado a sinopse que não estava no Netgalley eu jamais teria solicitado esse livro, fica claro nessa que a autora vai criar algum tipo de triângulo "não amoroso"? Porque os personagens são aces, mas eu jamais teria me arriscado. E sim, existe uma sensação de triângulo sim durante o livro, não chega a ser maçante como normalmente em livros allos mas ainda assim tem a pressão do romantismo e tal. Segundo que na sinopse original, dar a entender que o foco da protagonista é quebrar as barreiras do "romântico" e conseguir o lugar dela como aroace. Só que pra começar, não que seja um problema no geral, nem que ela precise ser para alcançar o que deixou entendido na sinopse mas ainda assim: Ela não é assumida como aroace, e como eu disse ela não precisa ser, não existe nada de errado nisso e ela nem sequer precisaria pra ter como sonho ser a primeira aroace da academia. O caso é, o que é muito recorrente no livro no geral, ela não tem como saber se ela é a única bailarina aroace da companhia, e o mais irritante: em nenhum momento ela pensa fortemente, ou leva isso como lema pra carreira dela, ela só quer chegar na companhia, ela nunca parou no livro e falou "eu quero quebrar limites, eu quero ser bailarina aroace que dança numa companhia romântica" sabe?  Ainda acontece umas divergências no que está acontecendo no livro, o que acredito que tenha sido erro nessas mudanças de edição, aqui no começo do livro ela diz (praticamente no mesmo parágrafo) como não quer se envolver com ninguém, como nunca sentiu necessidade de conexão e tal e no outro já diz que sempre sonhou em ter a conexão que sente quando está dançando no balé,  enfim...

Outro problema que tive, que pego a culpa pra mim mesma, é o seguinte: Quando li a sinopse me deu a parecer que eles não seriam adolescentes. Isso me deixa desconfortável porque eu não quero ser a pessoa que pega livro de adolescentes sendo adolescentes e fica diminuindo o que estão sentindo. Mas, de qualquer forma eles são pessoas que deviam ter uma maturidade, eles vivem basicamente sozinhos, o foco todo é na carreira deles então fica muito difícil durante o livro aguentar algumas ações, algumas decisões e tal. E aí dentro disso tem vários outros pontos, como ela não consegue tomar uma decisão prática, as pessoas estão no hospital e tudo que ela faz é mandar mensagem de texto? Como ela nunca para pra ajudar as pessoas a volta dela, e sim ela está passando por muita coisa mas o tanto de vezes que ele se questiona se deveria fazer algo sendo que são coisas gravíssimas é absurdo.

Outra questão é essas coisas gravíssimas, em vários momentos do livro eu não senti que todos os problemas estavam ali para serem bem desenvolvidos. Isso me incomodou bastante, ainda mais como tinha algumas ações (mencionadas) da escola e como isso não era realmente abordado como deveria ter sido.

Sobre a questão das deduções que os personagens fazem, que falei ali em cima: Isso acontece o livro todo, desde ela não saber se tem outras pessoas aroaces até cenas totalmente desnecessárias onde ela toma conclusões que não fazem o menor sentido. As cenas de quando começa os ataques contra ela, toda interação que ela tem é cheia de questionamentos ridículos, com conclusões sem nexo. E são horríveis porque ela ainda nem age nisso, ela só fica nesse monólogo. Ainda pesa mais porque no início do livro ela deixa claro como não é próxima das colegas de quarto e aí do nada ela está fazendo essas leituras sobre elas como se fossem super próximas.

Sobre o balé em si: eu não senti nada. Os primeiros capítulos eu quase arranquei meus cabelos de tanto ler "pas de deux" e depois tem muito ensaio porque eles dizem que tem MUITO ensaios.

Todos os três personagens tem narrações,  então esses problemas se dividem entre os três. Que é quando fica óbvio que não é um problema seu com tal personagem, é realmente a escrita e desenvolvimento da autora.

O plot eu também não gostei. Eu não consigo acreditar, porque pelo que eu entendi era isso que estava acontecendo, que pessoas que já são bailarinas profissionais, que vão trabalhar lado a lado, iriam parar pra juntar grupinho e ficar sendo uma versão de garotas malvadas com as novatas do trabalho? Eu não estou dizendo que não vá haver rivalidade e etc mas é algo totalmente diferente.

Eu não gostei de como já se tem uma sensação de pouco balé, e ainda os três personagens nem sequer dançam por si mesmo é sempre por outra pessoa. Nem sequer Teddy que arrisca a saúde pelo balé não passa essa profundidade.

Eu li as notas da autora e ela também é aroace e disse que consultou leitores sensíveis mas eu não gostei de como a assexualidade foi reduzida a gostar ou não de sexo.
Acho que as cenas de acefobia e a arofobia do Teddy foram um ponto que não me agradou também, independente do fato que ela tentou fazer de ele não estar bem e tal, acho que não cabe. Tanto porque ele quer muito uma relação queerplatonica, enfim...


SPOILERS !!!!!!!!


Sobre furos no plot: Não faz sentido Victoria não ter falado logo quem deu o sapato para ela. Não faz sentido a pessoa que ataca a protagonista ter sido violenta daquele jeito no banheiro e com uma faca na mão ter feito apenas um cortezinho no rosto dela.
Não faz sentido Teddy ter ficado tanto tempo dançando, mesmo depois do diagnóstico, porque a direção não se importou? Porque o pai dele não avisou a direção? Mesmo que tenha o caso dele ter sido negligenciado, o pai estava presente e nem queria que ele voltasse.

Aquelas cenas finais do Teddy foram horríveis, tanto a acefobia que ele soltou quanto a final mesmo, foi gratuito e sem nexo.
A mãe da protagonista também, o livro inteiro ela age de uma forma aí no final ela muda do nada? Ainda mais sendo que antes deu a entender que era algo bem mais grave que apenas luto.

Eu não volto para ler nada mais da série. Não acho que vá ficar melhor, não acho que tenha como trazer profundidade pros personagens. Acho que só trazer mais bullying ainda mais com gente adulta e professional não agrega em nada.

//

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital ARC in exchange for my review.


I had several problems with this book, the review is going to be huge, there's no way around it.

For starters: I got this book at Netgalley, there is a synopsis available that I was interested in. When I had already been approved by the publisher and I had already started reading the book, I went on the reading networks to make progress and found that depending on the edition you access there are different synopses! The overall synopsis was my first problem with the book. First because if I had accessed the synopsis that was not on Netgalley I would never have requested this book, is it clear in this that the author is going to create some kind of "non-love" triangle? Because the characters are aces, but I would never have taken the risk. And yes, there is a feeling of a triangle throughout the book, it's not boring as usual in allos books but it still has the pressure of romanticism and such. According to that in the original synopsis, to imply that the protagonist's focus is to break the barriers of the "romantic" and achieve her career as aroace. But for starters, not that it's a problem in general, nor that it needs to be to achieve what you understand in the synopsis, but still: She is not assumed to be aroace, and as I said she doesn't need to be, there is nothing wrong about that and she wouldn't even need to dream of being the first aroace of the academy. The case is, which is very recurrent in the book in general, she has no way of knowing if she is the only aroace dancer in the company, and the most irritating thing: at no time does she think strongly, or take it as a motto for her career, she just wants to get in the company, she never stopped in the book and said "I want to break boundaries, I want to be an aroace ballerina who dances in a romantic company" you know? There are still some differences in what is happening in the book, which I believe was a mistake in these editing changes, here at the beginning of the book she says (practically in the same paragraph) how she doesn't want to get involved with anyone, how she never felt the need to connect and such and in the other, he says that he always dreamed of having the connection he feels when he is dancing in the ballet, anyway...

Another problem I had, which I take the blame for myself, is the following: When I read the synopsis it made me think they wouldn't be teenagers. It makes me uncomfortable because I don't want to be the person who picks up teenagers' books as teenagers and keeps downplaying what they're feeling. But, anyway, they are people who should have a maturity, they basically live alone, the whole focus is on their career so it's very difficult during the book to put up with some actions, some decisions and such. And then within that there are several other points, like she can't make a practical decision, people are in the hospital and all she does is text? As she never stops to help the people around her, and yes she is going through a lot but the many times she wonders if she should do something being that they are very serious things is absurd.

Another issue is these very serious things, in several moments of the book I didn't feel that all the problems were there to be well developed. This bothered me a lot, even more so as there were some actions (mentioned) from the school and how it wasn't really addressed as it should have been.

On the question of the deductions that the characters make, which I mentioned above: This happens throughout the book, from her not knowing if there are other people aroaces to totally unnecessary scenes where she makes conclusions that don't make any sense. The scenes when the attacks against her begin, every interaction she has is full of ridiculous questions, with inane conclusions. And they're horrible because she doesn't even act on it yet, she just stays in this monologue.
It even weighs more because at the beginning of the book she makes it clear how she's not close to her roommates and then out of nowhere she's doing these readings about them as if they were super close.

About the ballet itself: I didn't feel anything. The first few chapters I almost pulled my hair out from reading "pas de deux" and then there are a lot of rehearsals because they say there are LOTS of rehearsals.

All three characters have voiceovers, so these issues are split between the three. Which is when it becomes obvious that it's not your problem with such a character, it's really the author's writing and development.

I didn't like the plot either. I can't believe it, because from what I understood this was what was happening, that people who are already professional dancers, who are going to work side by side, would stop to join a little group and be a version of mean girls with the newbies at work? I'm not saying there won't be rivalries and etc but it's something else entirely.

I didn't like how it already has a feeling of little ballet, and yet the three characters don't even dance by themselves, it's always by someone else. Not even Teddy, who risks his health for the ballet, doesn't pass that depth.

I read the author's notes and she is also aroace and said she consulted sensitive readers but I didn't like how asexuality was reduced to liking or not liking sex.
I think the acephobia scenes and Teddy's arophobia were a point that I didn't like either, regardless of the fact that she tried to make him not be well and such, I don't think it fits. So much because he really wants a queerplatonic relationship, anyway...


SPOILERS !!!!!!!!


About plot holes: It doesn't make sense that Victoria didn't immediately say who gave her the shoe. It doesn't make sense for the person who attacks the protagonist to have been violent like that in the bathroom and with a knife in her hand to have just cut her face.
Doesn't it make sense for Teddy to have been dancing so long, even after his diagnosis, because the management didn't care? Why didn't his father notify the direction? Even though there is the case that he was neglected, the father was present and didn't even want him to come back.

Those final scenes of Teddy were horrible, both the acephobia he unleashed and the final one, it was gratuitous and pointless.
The protagonist's mother too, throughout the book she acts in a way, then at the end she changes out of nowhere? Even more so since before he hinted that it was something much more serious than just mourning.

I won't be going back to read more of the series. I don't think it's going to get any better, I don't think there's any way to bring depth to the characters. I think just bringing more bullying with adult and professional people doesn't add anything.

I absolutely loved this peek into the ballet world. It was also a nuanced and sensitive insight into aroace relationships, and other identities on the ace/aro spectrum. Will highly recommend

I received a copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

tw: eating disorders, violence, death of a family member, racism, implied rape, bullying

The book opens with two of our main characters, Taryn and Teddy, who are dance partners at Roseheart Ballet Academy. It's the final performance that decides who gets to be in the company, and the two of them are the best. However, when Teddy collapses during their performance, he has to face the reality of having a serious health condition and potentially not being able to dance. And having lost her dance partner for the foreseeable future, Taryn's only choice, if she wants to be a part of the company, is to dance with a new partner, Jaidev. There are a lot of secrets and intrigue surrounding both of their pasts, and it seems like the other dancers aren't thrilled to have them there.

The premise of this book sounded amazing, and I was so excited to read it. I enjoyed this book a lot, but I'm sad to say it didn't meet my expectations. I was underwhelmed by some of the revelations, they didn't seem as big as the build-up has led me to believe they'll be. The writing style didn't work for me at times. The way things were explained, and the ways dialogues were written seemed stilted and forced at times. The book tackled a lot of big, important topics such as eating disorders, bullying, loss of family members, adoption - and I enjoyed how it dealt with some of them. It did feel slightly like the author was trying to encompass everything at once, but at the end of the day, it is just one book.

The characters were definitely interesting. We follow three perspectives - Taryn, Jaidev, and Teddy. Out of the three main characters I definitely enjoyed Jaidev the most, he seemed like a ray of sunshine in this story. He transferred to Roseheart to be Taryn's dance partner, despite having lived through a traumatic experience the last time he danced. He is a well-rounded character, he cares about Taryn and that is very obvious. I also enjoyed Taryn a lot, she is determined and stronger than she seems. Teddy's POV chapters were the hardest to read. He has to deal with his illness, as well as watch Taryn continue to dance without him. Both Taryn and Teddy are aroace, which is something they connected over, and he feels increasing jealousy when Taryn and Jaidev are made dance partners. He is the most frustrating out of them, and while it's understandable, he is 18 and dealing with a lot - he crosses a lot of boundaries with Taryn. He takes all of his frustration on her, and she didn't do anything wrong.

I think that some things were done great, I think the way eating disorders were presented in a very realistic way. I enjoyed the exploration of grief and how it affects both people directly dealing with it, and those around them. I didn't particularly like either of the backstories of Taryin and Jaidev. In the whole book, both of them think that they're being targeted because of "what they did in the past". I thought those revelations were a tad bit disappointing, as it was obvious that neither of those things was their fault. And all of the harassment Taryn goes through and the reveal of the perpetrator at the end also falls flat because I felt the motivation was off, in a way. It didn't really make sense.

This was still an entertaining story, even if I was slightly disappointed by it. It was entertaining, and there were some good moments. If you are looking for something quick to read, I would recommend it - but check out the trigger warnings.

This is a different kind of novel that I am used to (YA) but I thoroughly enjoyed it and found that it had a lot of heart

2.5 stars

I was so excited about this book because both the cover and the blurb sounded amazing but sadly... although the story was good I couldn't connect or liked the characters.
This book is following a group of young ballet dancers sorta competing for who will be the top spot of a very prestigious ballet school. Like in most YA books, there are secrets that everyone is hiding so of course ensues and boy this has drama and trauma.
Really check the TW for this one because it has them all. From bullying to racism to aphobia. I particularly like the exploration of EDs in ballet because it felt very real and well portrayed.
Still, the plot didn't help because I didn't like the characters. Some were too over the top or too dramatic and it put me off the story with their antics. I think with better development of the characters I'd liked it more.
I Still think some people will truly enjoy this book because it does have potential and I'm curious about the next one if I'm honest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC for review.

This book was perfect for me to review because I am a dancer.

This book is about the struggles of being a dancer. Taryn thinks that she is going to get a spot with a professional ballet company. While dancing on stage, Taryn’s pas de deux(a dance with two people; normally a girl and a guy) partner falls and hits his head. The company that she was going to dance with only accepts couples. It is extremely hard to dance with a different partner after dancing with them for so long. Taryn finds out that her partner is not going to be able to dance with her in the future. Taryn is stuck and doesn’t know how she could get into the company. Her ballet school offers her another partner that she has never danced with before. She agrees and waits to meet her new partner. Her new partner is Jaidev Ngo. Jaidev was arrested the last time he danced. Taryn and Jaidev have to put their differences aside and work together.

I loved this book so much! It was well written and the representation is amazing.

The main character is Taryn who is aroace. It’s very interesting how she is able to look like she has so much romantic passion on stage. I have never heard about an aroace professional ballet dancer. I love this representation!

You can tell that the author put a lot of research into this book and wanted to respect the ballet community. She did a lovely job at explaining the terms and steps. I was shocked when she explained all the different parts of a pointe shoe and the fact that it was accurate.

I liked that this book was not a normal ballet murder mystery. I’ve noticed that this is a common theme in movies and novels. This book goes on a different route, there is still drama but no murders(It’s not like Black Swan)

I was so impressed by this book! If you’re looking to learn more about the dance community or are just interested in dance, this is the book for you!

Rhythm of My Soul is a YA drama following a group of young ballet dancers vying for the top spot of a prestigious ballet school. Everyone has their own secrets and their own demons that they’re hiding, some not as well as others.

I loved that two of our main characters are aroace, and I love the way this book explores what that means for each of them. This book also deals with bullying, eating disorders, illness, racism, death of a loved one and unwanted pregnancy, so please, please check trigger warnings before reading this book.

The main thing that brought this book down for me was Teddy. I couldn’t empathise or even sympathise with his character at all. I know he was dealing with a lot and it made him irrational, but he came across as whiny and immature to me and I couldn’t stand reading about him.

Taryn and Jaidev, on the other hand, were great characters and I really loved their growing friendship.

I also really loved some of the side characters, especially Sibylle.

The plot was a typical YA drama plot, neither amazing nor terrible, but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless.

An amazing book with a diverse cast of characters (including one from France my home country😌) and TWs! This is so rare in books I would like to highlight that fact! The plot was so interesting I absolutely loved it! Recommend 100%

Omg I couldn't put this book down! I am in love with this world and the people in it! I can't wait for the next book. I love seeing new Queer representation in books.

Wooow this was a wild ride. I don't know how to start, but... This book was not well written. At first I was going to dnf it, but I ended up sticking around to see how the drama would unfold. And oh my god there was so much drama. An unbelievable amount. The characters in this had absolutely no personality, because guess what? Trauma is not a personality. EVERY character in this had at least one dead family member, and TWO people were accused of killing said family member, like.. really? And Teddy? Teddy. Teddy made me so goddamn angry all the time, he was a horrible, horrible person. I have no idea why Taryn wanted to stay friends with him in the end, I personally would have cut contact way sooner. F off Teddy, waaay off.
Sorry, this is becoming ranty. I'll try to be more organized:
- Characters have no personality and there is no character development.
- Very stiff and unnatural dialogue
- Jaidev is the only character that brings warmth to the story
- Infodumpy writing
- So many names, I still don't know who all of them are
- Body image could've been handled better. There is nothing challenging the view that Taryn is "fat" because she is "slightly more curvy" than the other dancers. We already know she too is actually skinny, so at least discuss it properly
- Soooo much trauma. No one is safe. If someone has not almost died for a whole chapter, you better watch out
- I know this is fiction but WOW it's so unlikely that there are THREE whole people who happen to be ace-spec + every other character knows what that means?? Yea, fiction for real

TW for literally every traumatic thing you can imagine (look up TWs if you're in doubt)

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect to the characters nor could I get into the story. I did, however, love the asexuality/aromatic representation. You don’t see that much in fiction so I was pleased to see that. But apart from that I really couldn’t get into the book. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a chance to read and review this book.