The pacing was slow and dragging and my expectations were higher after reading the synopsis that was giving Black Swan vibes and a promising, dark introduction to the world of ballerinas. Mostly I liked the cover.

FIRST POSITION is not the book I thought I would be getting. I was hoping for one in the vein of BALLERINAS, but Hamrick's story fell a little short for me. It was an okay read that I am sure will find an audience, but just not was I was wanting to read when I picked it up.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I'm not familiar with the world of Ballet. I only know that they are some of the most graceful performers I have ever seen. When I read the blurb for First Position, I instantly requested it, thinking that it would be similar to the psychological as the Black Swan. It really wasn't so much of a thriller so to speak, but does show the dark side of dancing and there is a lot of spicy scenes in here...

I requested this one purely because of the cover.... It ended up not being for me and I DNF'd it...could not get into it.

This book knows its audience: Millennial women who grew up memorizing Center Stage and have now moved on to reading smut. Drugs, sex, jealousy, and competition fuel the plot, and the book flies by, but like cotton candy it melts away from your brain almost as soon as you've finished reading it and isn't very substantial. I'd say more, but let's face it-- you were either in or out from the "Center Stage, but with more smut" line.

I’m always in for a dark book set in the world of ballet. Nothing is as graceful as the ballerinas on stage. There’s a world of darkness behind the curtains and this book showcases just that. This would make a great tv series.
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Thank you #berkley and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of this book.

An intense story. I loved the ballet setting.

Ballet books are my weakness. I immediately requested when I saw this cover. I was not expecting this book to be as dark and heavy as it was. Think Black Swan and The Turnout.

Thanks to Netgalley & Berkley Publishing for an advance copy.

Ballet novels often show the dark and devious side of dance, but debut author Melanie Hamrick’s First Position may be the most sensational yet. Showcasing the complexities of being in competition with your fellow dancer, while also being at war with the ruthless ambition that lives in yourself, First Position is a multi-layered novel about what it means to live and breathe ballet.

First Position tells the stories of two dancers - one with an inherent talent, frenetically driven to succeed to the point of self-destruction; while the other lives and dances with passion and verve, embodying her roles in an utterly mesmerizing way. They are each other’s opposites - and rivals. Told from the POV of both girls, First Position takes us behind the scenes of the fictional elite North American Ballet Company, and pays tribute to the blood, sweat, and tears that go into being a prima ballerina. But don’t be deceived … there’s a lot more that builds a ballerina, as you’ll soon discover while reading this gritty, emotional book.

First Position is a tour de force debut, and is a complicated, compelling read. Hamrick surprised me time and time again throughout the course of this novel, lighting fire to secrets and scandals that I never saw coming. Steamy and salacious, First Position explores flawed, chaotic characters and demonstrates the lengths people will go to follow their dreams.

Overall, this book kept me invested and interested. I was disappointed when the first POV change happened because I wanted to stay with the first ballerina’s story - I found the second POV to be lacking - and I felt like the ending was a bit too neat for the overall darker tone of the rest of the novel.

Recommended to fans of Megan Abbott’s The Turnout.

I think this book can be summed up in the first line of the publisher’s synopsis, which I used above: it is about an ambitious ballerina’s fall from grace and her attempt to claw her way back to the top.

If you’re really into ballet novels, you’ll enjoy this one.. There is a fair amount of technical ballet info in the book, which I appreciated. I love books about the dark side of ambition, and “First Position” delivered on that storyline. This author has a second ballet novel coming out — the advance copy includes a preview of it — and I’m already excited for that one.

This was a twisted, drug and sex laced story about the ballet world. I didn’t enjoy the characters, no intrigue at all. I struggled to finish it, not a title I’d recommend.

This was a brutal and at times so difficult read. There have been other books about the cutthroat business of ballet, but this was just as shocking. This wasn’t an easy read and I felt myself disjointed with the characters. Maybe it was the fact that I never really understood WHY they would endure this torture over and over again. The actions of Sylvia was difficult to understand, even with PTSD. I wouldn’t describe this as a thriller by any means which made it a bit off putting.

First position is a dark look into the world of professional ballet. As someone who danced for 20+ years, I loved the way the dance world is explained and portrayed. This book is sexy and seductive but definitely tended into the darker parts of this world.

The characters were almost unlikeable at times and the changing POVs took me a little time to get used to. Overall this is an entertaining read but I would strongly encourage someone to read the content warnings before diving in.

This is definitely in the realm of dark romance so I wouldn't pick this one up if you are looking for a rom com.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I went into this blind and I ended up really enjoying it! I can see how some readers were let down thinking it would be like Black Swan. It definitely wasn't a suspense novel. It had a lot of character depth and growth and I can totally see this being a TV show.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

As a former ballerina I'm always drawn to books about ballet and books that dive into the crazy world that is professional dance. First Position was well written, well researched and had a storyline all too common in the ballet world. This isn't a light read, rather it's a bit dark and through Sylvie and Jocelyn's story, describes the challenges they face in a professional ballet company. I loved the mixture of a story line and ballet terms. Check out the TW before reading but the audio was fantastic!

I love books set in the world of ballet and I really enjoyed this book. The characters were all interesting and I thought she used the ballet world well.

“There are two voices inside of me. One of them is the truth-teller. The one who sees things how they are and tells me, whether I like it or not, what I cannot admit to myself. The other is the liar. The one who acts on fear and anxiety. The one that tells me to stay scared because I will fail and who tells me not to take a risk because I’ll fall. They speak the same language but seem to have an almost imperceptibly different dialect. It makes it hard to tell which is speaking.”

Sylvie Carter, a prima ballerina, had her whole future mapped out for herself, including a list to keep her goals on track, but after a forbidden relationship is revealed, and her reputation is in tatters, she becomes seduced by the dark world of ballet. When sex, drugs, and alcohol begin to derail her future, she has to decide whether she wants to fight to be the ballerina she knows she can be or if she will let the darker side of ballet ruin her future.

I am not sure why this is being marketed as a romance because it most definitely is not one. Yes, there is sex and quite a lot of it, but most of it isn’t between the hero and the heroine, and in the end, there is no real happily ever after. I was expecting so much more from this book, and while there were aspects I did like, it was overshadowed by the many problems this story has.

Sylvie came across as highly unlikeable and selfish. I understand the issues that she had, but the way she treated people throughout the story just rubbed me the wrong way. I thought surely there would be some sort of growth in her, or the author would try to redeem her, but that didn’t happen. She was the same old Sylvie until the very end when I am supposed to root for her because she decides to stop drinking and treating everyone badly.

I think this is a case of Melanie Hamrick being a debut author, and she needs to work on character development and making her characters more multi-dimensional so they don’t come across as flat and one-dimensional. I did like Alessandro, and I liked the way he did support Sylvie even when she didn’t truly want his help. The author was previously a ballerina, and her firsthand perspective of ballet lent a very realistic backdrop to her story.

This book is marketed as Colleen Hoover meets black swan, and I think if you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover, this may be up your alley and something you might want to try.

~ Michelle

Short synopsis: In the cutthroat world of professional ballet, we get Sylvie and parts of Jocelyn’s stories as they try to reach their dreams.

My thoughts: Wow, this is heavy and dark. I’ve heard it compared to the Black Swan, and while I’ve actually never seen it I know the concept and it seems fitting.

Told from the perspective of two ballerinas we see the dark side of ambition and stopping at nothing to fulfill their lifelong dreams of becoming a star. Knowing at a moments notice you can be replaced despite your talent and work ethic.

I did feel like the drugs and sex were very prominent in the book, and while that may be how it is behind the curtain I would have liked less of that and more of the ballet.

There are definitely some heavy topics in this one: Manipulation, grooming, drugs, eating disorder and body dysmorphia to name a few.

Read if you love:
* The ballet
* Dark stories
* Becoming a star
* Pointe shoes and tights
* Alternating timelines

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

The concept of this book kind of reminded me of the Black Swan movie, which I really enjoyed! It follows the lives of two young women traveling the world with the North American Ballet Company. I grew up dancing and have two daughters who have danced most of their lives so a large part of the story was super relatable! The book is well written with a captivating story that I know many other will enjoy too!

I enjoyed ‘First Position’ as a ballet psychological thriller, but the thrill is in the intensity of our main characters emotion and experiences instead of something like murder. A perfectly good afternoon read, I enjoyed the authors writing style and build up of the plot. There’s no lives on the line but the build up of tension is so real and intense. I’ll definitely read more of this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.