I picked this book up because I liked The Ballerinas. This book just didn’t deliver for me. I found it hard to connect to any of the characters and the writing was too heavy for me to get engrossed in the book. I’m sure this novel is a great read for a different type of reader.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.

An enjoyable, but heavy read, The Ingenue is reminiscent of The Paper Palace. While the plot and characters weren't especially impressive. The fluid writing made it incredibly difficult to put down despite its heavy topics. I haven't enjoyed a writing style this much in many years.

This book was difficult to get into which resulted in it taking me months to read through. I appreciated the story it was trying to tell but it felt clunky and was not captivating. Ultimately, while it may be the right story for some, it wasn’t for me.

Probably not something I would have picked up based on the plot, but I loved The Ballerinas and thus decided to give this a whirl, and I’m glad I did.

The part of the story that was the most intriguing (and also the one plot element that caught my attention before reading) was Saskia’s life as a piano prodigy. Though the focus of the novel is more about inheritance and her reckoning with her history of abuse, I found the way she spoke about her talent and work fascinating, particularly the realization as one ages that being an wunderkind in one place and at one point in time doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll always receive that designation.

Her relationship with an adult while in her midteens is a tough read at times and not a topic I’m particularly fond of in literature, but this one has a revenge element that helped pique my interest and the ending is pretty satisfying if, like me, you need a sense of justice when reading about these things.

The Fairy Tales for Little Feminists which appear at the beginning of each chapter provide an interesting minor plot component. As little riffs on fairy tales, they’re a mixed bag. Some are cute and clever, others kind of cringe.

I’m still not sure about Milwaukee as a setting for this, though I don’t think it interferes with the story. Milwaukee is probably one of the toughest cities to create much sense of place in general, and that’s true in this book as well. There are better places to set something like this (especially because the family house and the concept of home as a space was so central to the narrative), but again, I don’t believe it did much damage to the story.

In both concept and execution i much preferred The Ballerinas to this book, but both are well worth a read, and Rachel Kapelke-Dale is now on my must-read list.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5 ⭐ Rounded down.
I read Rachel Kapelke-Dale's The Ballerinas last year and loved it!
When I saw a new book by Rachel pop up on NetGalley, I immediately hit request.
Her writing is solid and I am addicted to her style 100%.
I didn't enjoy the plot of this was as much as her last book, but I would still recommend it.
Had I read this first I likely would have rated it higher, but I loved The Ballerinas soooo much more!
This felt like too slow of a walk to the end, where as with The Ballerinas I enjoyed the tension building behind the past. I'll likely still read anything she writes lol.
Much love to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for my ARC.

The timeline jumps back and forth between Saskia's childhood as a young child pianist prodigy and adulthood. When her mother passes away, Saskia stands to the mansion that's been in their family for generations only to discover that her Mothers will was changed.

It was dark and choppy at times but i still enjoyed it. It had alot of the same vibes as My Dark Vanessa.


Thank you to netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was eager to check out The Ingenue after seeing it compared to The Queen’s Gambit, and while that was an apt comparison, this incredibly dark story fell flat for me.

WHAT I LIKED
🎹 I haven’t really read a ton of books that take place in the Midwest so the Wisconsin setting was a nice change of pace that added to the Gothic vibes and did a good job of illustrating how darkness and evil can live where you least expect.
🎹 The Elf House, Saskia’ childhood home that she’s fighting to retain, was described in exquisite detail, which made it really easy to get immersed in the story.
🎹 Saskia was a great MC and it was easy to root for her, even when she made some tough decisions.
🎹 The premise – child prodigy looking back on their development – is one I enjoy, and I liked how psychological thriller elements were layered throughout. This is definitely one of those books that falls into the “ghost stories without actual ghosts” category.

WHAT I DISLIKED
🎹 I felt kind of let down by the ending, as after all of the build up, I was expecting something more.
🎹 The third-person present tense narration kind of threw me off (but that might be a matter of personal preference)
🎹 The feminist fairy tales that kicked off each chapter didn’t really add much to the story and were a little distracting.

Even though the book was a miss for me, I actually think this would make a great miniseries or movie as it has a very compelling story and characters. Check it out if you like MeToo stories, psychological thrillers, and haunted houses.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Ingenue is out now.

I really enjoyed this. I took my time reading it since it's kind of heavy subject matter and I never had to remind myself where I was in the story so I think that speaks to how into it I was.

Side note - I loved those feminist fairy tale blurbs and I would totally read that imaginary book.

I think what I liked so much about this was all the layers. It wasn't just a story about a girl coming to terms with her in inappropriate relationship with a predator. In fact, at the beginning of the book, that's not what it was at all since she was still under the impression that what they had was special and unique. It's only as she's realizing the manipulation of other girls, the blackmailing of her mom, the sheer goodness of Josh, and resurfacing memories that she sees how wrong and damaging it was.

There was a point towards the end of the book that I thought "What?! No. I think this just jumped the shark." However, when she told her dad, it was so very satisfying. And you know what? I'm a fan of the ending. Sometimes you just need to read a story where the bad guy gets what they deserve.

This is my second read by Rachel Kapelke-Dale and my second 4 star by her. I'll definitely continue picking her up.

Like the Ballerinas, the writing style of this one is by far the best part of the story. Definitely gives you the uncomfortable read similar to My Dark Vanessa, and as such I would make sure that’s a theme you’re okay with reading before delving into it, but I thought it was a very thought provoking read overall.

I really enjoyed The Ballerinas and was absolutely thrilled to get a copy of this book from @stmartinspress. I find this author’s work/writing very unique and I really can appreciate it. I saw this one described in good reads as “My Dark Vanessa meets Queen’s Gambit” and I completely agree. I was very invested in this story and especially the main character, Saskia. I really loved the interdispersed chapters with the feminist fairy tales.

Quick synopsis: Saskia is a former piano prodigy who returns home following the death of her mother. She is expecting to inherit the family estate which has a long rich history. I stated she finds it’s been left to a man she has a long, complicated history with. She wants to figure out why this happened but in order to do so is faced with the troubles and secrets of her past.

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ecopy in exchange for an honest review!

The Ingenue is a timely and important read about a young piano playing prodigy in the wake of the Me Too Movement. Told in alternating timelines of past and present allows the reader to get a good sense of Saskia's illicit childhood relationship with a much older man (a consuming and abusive affair that ultimately leads to her fall from grace) and her current vengeful need for retribution,

This was an intense read full of surprising, unexpected twists and a shocking, unpredictable ending, If you're looking for an original, clever, and well written revenge novel full of suspense, complex relationships, a crumbling Gothic mansion (princess tower included), and feminist themed fairy tales of young women taking back what was once theirs, then I highly recommend this one-of-a-kind, evocative tale!

Dark story told in dual timelines about Saskia, a childhood piano prodigy, and the fallout from her relationship with an older man. When her estranged mother dies, Saskia returns home to find her mother has left the family home to that man.

I enjoyed this book, but the subject matter was a bit disturbing, it may not be for everyone.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Rachel Kapelke Dale does it again with her newest novel, The Ingenue, featuring a musical prodigy who has fallen from grace.
Back home to deal with the recent death of her mother, Saskia is expecting to inherit the famed Elf House that she grew up in. But when her mother’s will stipulates Saskia's former lover is the recipient, Saskia goes in search of answers - unlocking the trauma of her past in the process.
Sprinkled throughout with vignettes of feminist retellings of fairytales, this searing story explores the mother-daughter relationship and examines the dark truth behind sexual predators. I was transfixed by her writing and rooting for Saskia to slay her demons like a true fairytale heroine. This heart-thumping novel about music was a best book of 2022 pick for me.

Trigger warnings are need.

The book was good. But there need to be warnings about the relationship between Saskia and Patrick, her music teacher.

I wasn’t able to fully immerse myself in this thriller. I felt the potential and the eerie nature from settings and the scenes. But I unfortunately had to DNFN.

I don't know what I expected with this one, but it was enjoyable. Very thrilling and intriguing. I liked the main character quite a bit

Not a bad read by any means, but I think in a sea of “me too” novels and fiction featuring a groomed relationship, it gets lost.

THE INGENUE by Rachel Kapelke-Dale had me hooked from the shocking beginning. I sat there, stunned, wanting to know more, but wondering what kind of person Saskia was and how she had gotten to that point. My perceptions of her evolved as the book progressed and the events of her life, past and present, unfolded. Told in a dual timeline, we flash back and forth to see how someone who was a childhood piano prodigy ended up estranged from her mother, living somewhere far away, and not touching a piano. On top of it all, why did her mom not only fail to tell her she was sick, but also leave the family home, passed down through generations, to a man Saskia has a past with? As Saskia fights to save her family home, she looks for the answers to these questions and finds more than she expected. The more Saskia uncovers, the more she has to reconcile her childhood beliefs of what happened with those of an adult looking back with experience and figure out what comes next for her. Kapelke-Dale keeps you traveling through the novel, throwing in unexpected twists, with a shocking final one, to bring the roller coaster ride to a satisfying conclusion.
Thanks to the publisher for the chance to read an advanced copy. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#TheIngenue #RachelKapelkeDale #StMartinsPress

The ingenue is told in dual timelines, the past and present life of Saskia. In the past, she’s a teen piano prodigy in a relationship with a much older man, and in the present, her childhood home is left in her mother’s will to someone else instead of her and she has to figure out why.

This was a bit of a heavy read, with dark topics, and at times a little unbelievable. Took a weird turn and ended up becoming kind of a different story than what I thought it was about halfway, which I liked. More becomes revealed as the storyline of the past goes on and it starts to come together. It was a good book and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it.

Quick Thoughts

I really enjoyed this novel. For the second time, Kapelke-Dale has delivered a wonderfully haunting contemporary story that I couldn't get enough of. I loved reading the way Saskia's story unfolded both in her present life, and the way she's still intertwined with her past, like all of us are, even if she's tried to shake it.

It took a little while for the story to get going and really hook me, but just like in Kapelke-Dale's previous novel, The Ballerinas, the story unfolded like a movie in my head, and I was invested from the start all the way to the climax.

Overall, I am so glad that I got the chance to read Ingenue and I just know I will be eagerly awaiting the author's next work.