3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

"Maybe mothers are like fairy tales: the true story begins only after their deaths."

Ms. Kapelke-Dale clearly likes to write about the complexity of mother/daughter relationships. Her first novel centered around the world of ballet, and now, The Ingenue brings us to the world of a classical pianist prodigy.
Saskia has been playing piano since she was three, but flees Milwaukee, her parents, the infamous Elf House and her musical life as soon as she legally is able. As the book opens, she's now 37 and seems to be floating through life in NYC - no real job, relationships with married men and only one real friend. This life is interrupted when her mother dies from a debilitating illness, and Saskia didn't even know she was ill.
The Ingenue is a very structured book. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from Fairy Tales for Feminists, a series of books written by her mother, and then is followed by events and secrets from Saskia's history, and then present day.
I thought the fairy tales were unique (and often entertaining). The challenges for me were the pacing, which was slow at times, and some aspects (ie the tower) were unrealistic and distracting from the story. Saskia was not a likeable character, but through the course of the book, you will get an idea of why that is the case.
The Ingenue kept my attention and the overall story was interesting. I liked Ms. Kapelke-Dale's first book, which was compelling in a different way, and look forward to her next book!
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read The Ingenue in exchange for an honest review.

Despite a slow start, I ended up enjoying this book as a whole, but can very much see how this story would not be for everyone. A major storyline involves sexual abuse of a minor, so please heed the content warnings.

This is my first read from Rachel and I look forward to reading more of her work!

At first it took me some time to get into the story but the way it developed made me really enjoy it. The main character Saskia has to return home when her mother suddenly passes away. She thought her mothers house would be left to her but it was given to a man that Saskia has a difficult past with. The story goes between Saskia's childhood and present day to show the relationship she had with her mother and the secrets of her past.

Thank you Netgalley, Rachel and publishers for my ARC!

This book was very much an Oreo read for me: good at the beginning and end and just filling in the middle. Normally I would have given the book 3 stars; however, the snippets between chapters of supposed quotes from Fairy Tales for Little Feminists truly saved the book for me. Otherwise, I felt the book floundered around while Saskia came to terms with her mother's will and her own dark relationship with the beneficiary of the will. I liked how slowly and calmly the realization that she wasn't special and unique came to be. That was well played, but in order to fully develop that, the rest of the story seemed to suffer. I felt like the book was throwing several plot lines out in hopes that one of them would stick. But, like I said at the beginning, I do like where the book ended up. I wish that direction had come in to play sooner and had played a bigger role.

Another winner by Rachel Kapelke-Dale!

If you liked "The Ballerinas", you will love "The Ingenue". The story follows piano prodigy Saskia as she returns home for her mother's funeral. There are several surprises in store for her, and you will find yourself quickly immersed into her world and rooting for her!

The people in her life are not all who they seem. "Sas" must uncover what others have done as well as discover the truth of her own hidden past in this beautifully descriptive, sometimes dark, and yet at sometimes funny book.

My favorite parts were at the beginning of each chapter when we are treated to an excerpt from the "books" that Saskia's mother "wrote", "Fairy Tales for Little Feminists". I could not wait to see what story was next.

It would make an excellent book club pick!

Content warnings: some sex and abuse (not gratuitous; crucial to the story) and language

The main character, Saskie is a former piano prodigy. Unfortunately, she hit a wall when she was younger and her ability fell off. In addition, she has never really found a career that fits her. After a recent firing from her last job, Saskie was forced to take a job writing questions for testing exams for a set fee. It's barely enough for her to live on but she hasn't wanted for her family to know. When her mother dies, she returns to the family home. After her arrival there, she is slammed with multiple shocks.

This book was told in multiple time lines. It was a clever way to portion out the history of Saskia. Many of the mysteries in present day are tied to her past and what happened then. It's heartbreaking to read how Saskia viewed herself as a teenager growing up. She felt a good deal of pressure and didn't connect easily with her peers. It made her susceptible to people who wanted to take advantage of her.

I really enjoyed the gothic and creepiness of this novel at times. It was especially obvious when there were descriptions about how the house was built and the history of it. In addition, this author writes very descriptively, but not too much so. I felt as if I could really imagine my surroundings and the characters. In addition, the reader could easily feel Saskia's frustration as she's trying to uncover the present day "mystery."

AUDIOBOOK: In addition, I listened to the audiobook as well and found it to be quite good. The narration was a nice match for the characters and lent itself to my enjoyment of the story. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and ALC. I voluntarily chose to read/listen and review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

I absolutely loved this compulsive read - will be recommending it to other readers as a creative thriller.

Saskia Kreis is stunned by her mother's seemingly sudden death, until she learns her mother has been sick for some time. The shocks keep coming, though. The family estate she had expected to inherit is instead willed to Patrick, a man Saskia has known for most of her life.

As Saskia and her father negotiate the after effects of Evelyn's death, Saskia begins to reevaluate her past relationship with Patrick, realizing that what she thought of as romance as a very young teen has far darker undertones. But confronting Patrick doesn't get the results she wants. Or does it?

There are few things I enjoy more than Gothic novels, and with its intriguing Milwaukee setting, this one fulfills that. Saskia is a complex character, with a loving and lovable father. I found the "surprise" ending disappointingly trite, but the book is still well worth the investment of time. #TheIngenue #NetGalley

Looking for a book that’s purported to be a cross between 𝘔𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢 and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵? If so, don’t expect to get that with 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗨𝗘, Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s sophomore novel. While I loved her debut, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘴, this one just did not work for me. It’s a dual timeline story about a young piano prodigy who mysteriously gives up playing at 18. Nearly twenty years later she returns home to Wisconsin after her mother’s death. As the story moves back and forth her secrets are revealed.⁣
⁣
My issues all center around difficult to believe plot points:⁣
⁣
∙ In the post #MeToo era, not nearly as much would be swept under the rug.⁣
∙ The entire “tower” aspect (on which the story relies) was ridiculously implausible.⁣
∙ Many characters who should have fought back didn’t, both women 𝘢𝘯𝘥 men.⁣
∙ Absolutely no one was likable (except maybe the dog).⁣
∙ Fairy tales, cute at first, but then got old.⁣
∙ The ending.⁣
⁣
Though I had no trouble getting through 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦, my frustration with it grew throughout! 2.5 stars (rounded up)
⁣
Thanks to @stmartinspress for an electronic ARC of #TheIngenue.

Honestly, this gets off to a really slow start. I kept questioning whether this was really the same author that wrote The Ballerinas. But then she sort of hits you with it. And it's a bit stunning, but mostly in a good way.

A young woman, a former piano prodigy, returns home to settle things after her mother dies. After finding out she willed the ancestral home to someone else, she starts along a quest to get it back, and not for the reasons you might think. I don't want to give too much away.

If you liked the author's previous book or like this new wave of novels where the women get justice in a world where men are being held accountable for past wrongs, I definitely recommend this.

Oh wow this was really well written. Its a bit slow, especially the beginning, but I'm glad I stuck through it.

Rachel Kapelke-Dale has such a firm grasp on a gritty novel. Content warning for SA and CA.

I wasn't sure what exactly to expect from this novel, but I expected it to be excellent after having read Kapelke-Dale's The Ballerinas.

In The Ingenue we are introduced to Saskia Kreis. Saskia was a child prodigy in piano, but she has long since left behind any accolades, awards, and achievements. Instead of fame and success, she's lost her last job after having had an affair with her married boss and is currently getting by crafting SAT questions. She's taken aback with the news of her mother's death. A fate she didn't know to expect so soon, but her mother, Evelyn had kept the news of her terminal illness from her and kept her distance in the last months of her life.

Saskia is left grieving and confused, back at a home she hasn't been to in years with questions her mother can't answer. And just when she thinks things can't get worse, she finds out that the house she thought was her future was left to someone else. And honestly, it's the last person she would have expected: Patrick Kinter. The man she loved and lost.

As Saskia learns more about her mother and her own past, she is quick to reevaluate her relationship with Patrick. This is a page-turner that will have you flipping pages quickly to figure out just what has happened in Saskia's past and what her future will bring.

I especially loved the introductions to each chapter and how they gave excerpt from Evelyln's reimagined feminist fairytales for girls. Should Kapelke-Dale ever wish to elaborate and publish that, it would be a great supplement to this book! The pace and tone of this book were perfect and engaging from start to finish. The book itself has a sort of haunted, fairytale feel to it as well.

I could not get into this book. The writing was not for me and the story was slow and badly paced. I do not recommend.

1/5 stars

"The Ingenue" by Rachel Kapelke is a deep, complex story about Saskia, a child prodigy pianist, now returning to her hometown as an adult. Many topics seamlessly woven into this story, reconciling past and present as well as Me-Too movement, high pressure childhood, mother's death, and legacy house about to be lost. A powerful story. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this story. After reading the prologue, I knew it would be something I’d enjoy — and I found myself squeezing in reading time any chance I got!

What I loved
🖤 dual timeline
🖤 family dynamics
🖤 the gothic vibes were incredible. the writing was very chilling + suspenseful!
🖤 Saskia was a piano prodigy + the story explored the burden of talent
🖤 Saskia’s mother was the bestselling author of the Fairytales for Little Feminists series + I loved how each chapter started with a feminist fairytale!

The Ingenue is an intriging tale about the pressure of being a child prodigy and the expectations that go with it. It's dark and twisty but not in a way that makes the story unenjoyable.
I'll admit that I didn't like Saskia at first. Coming home after her mother's death, she seems lost and self involved. It's not until she learns that the house she grew up in was left to her ex lover that we start to understand why.
Told through Saskia's point of view, both as a teenage prodigy and as an adult, we get to see the pieces of the inheritance decision come together, leading to a very shocking but mostly satisfying ending. More on display than Saskia's piano playing genius, is the relationship she shared with her mother Evie. I thought it was a great exploration on the mother/daughter relationship told through the lens of a child who's famous parent demanded that same level of greatness from her child, and what happens when the child doesn't live up to that potential.
At times dark, but utterly thrilling, The Ingenue is another sleeper hit from Rachel Kapelke-Dale and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read and reivew this title.

Similar to The Ballerinas, this was dark, weird, engaging, and I could not put it down. This is an under the radar gem that I hope gets a lot more attention.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I read that this book was a mix of The Queen’s Gambit (Didn’t read the book, but loved the Netflix show) and My Dark Vanessa I knew I had to have a copy…but after reading the first chapter I was unsure. It starts a little slow and me being a mood reader didn’t know how to feel about it… so I put it down for a few months. WOW, I am so glad I picked this up again and gave it another try. I finished it in two days!! This definitely gives My Dark Vanessa vibes with an even better ending, in my opinion. There is also a great twist in the last third. I really enjoyed the little fairytale twists at the beginning of each chapter. If you enjoyed My Dark Vanessa, but wasn’t quite satisfied by the ending, then I highly recommend this book. 4 stars!

Beautifully told story and such power behind the words. The characters were amazing as well. I can see the relation to My Dark Vanessa, but this deals with it differently. Great read!

After reading and enjoying Rachel Kapelke-Dale's "The Ballerinas" last year I was excited to be approved for an early review copy of "The Ingenue." I am a dancer and one of the things I liked about "The Ballerinas" is how Kapelke-Dale did a wonderful job researching and presenting the complexities of the world of ballet. I thought she may present this kind of narrative in "The Ingenue."

The description of the book and comparison to "The Queen's Gambit" also set my expectations for this book to be somewhat of a comeback story with a me-too plot line. I was incredibly confused and am not sure exactly what Kapelke-Dale presented here.

Some mild spoilers are ahead so stop here if you need to.

This book is about a former piano prodigy and heiress named Saskia who's mom has passed. Her mom has left the family home to a man who just so happened to be her daughter's abuser as a teenage girl. The story is dual timeline: In the past setting we kind of learn about Saskia's career but this book is less about piano and more about how Patrick, her abuser, groomed her as a teen.

The present timeline revolves around Saskia reconciling with her past trauma while also attempting to figure out how she is going to keep the house she grew up in. At the beginning of each chapter we read excerpts from her mother's feminist fairy tale books which other than being mentioned incessantly do little for the plot.

Supporting characters who enter the story and then disappear include the following: Saskia's boxing coach, nothing comes of the boxing storyline. Saskia's cousin Lexi who offers to help Saskia finish the stories her mother started which is then dropped from the storyline. Saskia's fake teenage boyfriend and semi real present time lawyer turned boyfriend who did relatively nothing for the storyline.

I forced myself to get through the first 70% of the book and then it took a weird but predictable turn that livened up the pace a bit. That being said I can't say I enjoyed this book at all. The characters felt disconnected from each other and the plot was just sloppy.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to recommend this one.