I was a big fan of Dance Moms back when it was airing, so reading the synopsis for this book had me very intrigued to read it. The book has several POVs that are mostly the moms in the story as well as one of the teenage daughters. The focus is on their lives as a French male ballet dancer comes to the studio to do a documentary as he teaches the girls and plans on giving out a scholarship to a ballet school in France. Obviously all the girls and their moms want it, and it’s interesting to see how it affects all of them. This book really sucked me in, and I think it’d make a good limited series as well.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Still Point by Tammy Greenwood was a great novel about the super competitive world of ballet.
Following a handful of ballet dancers and their quest to be granted a scholarship at one of the great ballet schools, this book was very well written.
The characters were flawed but so well developed, and by they end you felt like you knew them all as friends.
A good story that keeps your attention until the end.
I would highly recommend this one!

I absolutely love Tammy Greenwood's books and was super excited to be able to add this one to my collection.

I have never seen dance moms but saw so many reviews about the similarities, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this one. But I did! It reminds me alot of gymnastic moms. Tammy has a way of hooking you from the beginning and before you know it you are rooting for your favorite character and angry at those you don't like (at all)

The story takes you inside the life of ballet and the pettiness of both the mothers and their dancing daughters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

I wanted to read this book because of the ballet context and it did not dissappoint! I loved so much about this book which about ballet dancers competing and their moms. The characterization was wonderful in this book and the themes of love and loss kept me turning the page. I highly recommend this one especially if you were a fan of dance moms!

The Still Point is a riveting book about dance moms and their ballerina daughters. Fast paced, but perhaps too many different areas of action.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

At first instance, I was only interested in reading The Still Point because of its unique plot about ballet dance moms and their daughters. But it turned out to be an unexpected gem that I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The chaotic events, gossip, secrets, and just all around drama made it a very entertaining read. Though, certain aspects of the book did feel childish at times, it didn’t take away from me enjoying the book as a whole.

The Still Point, by Tammy Greenwood, follows the lives of young aspiring ballet dancers and their troubled relationships with their mothers. The novel focuses on Bea, a talented ballet dancer with lots of raw potential, who is driven by her dream of one day becoming a prima ballerina. A once-in-a-generation title, so rare that only a handful of dancers since the 19th century have held this title. But Bea’s fellow dance friends also share the same dream and the unfortunate reality is that there can only be one prima ballerina. Bourne out of this competitive dream, is a toxic rivalry between the girls and their mothers who all want their daughter to be the best of the best. The Still Point is a unique novel that exposes the ugly feelings, destructive relationships, and the toxic rivalry that plague the world of dance.

Greenwood’s writing style, is captivating from the first turn of the page, throwing the reader instantly into the dance world drama. It alters between the perspectives of the young ballet dancers and their mothers, giving a more in-depth understanding into the complex relationships that dance mothers have with their daughters and each other. Greenwood clearly taps into her own experience as a mother of a professional ballet dancer and pours into each of these characters the polarising feelings between the love of dance and the hate that can come as a result of it— The Still Point.

Throughout the novel, a mystery which led to a rift between Bea and her fellow dance friends, particularly her best friend Olive, is tugged on here and there. When the mystery is finally revealed, it seemed arbitrary to the plot of the novel as a whole and slightly childish, (though they are children the mystery just didn’t fit the storyline). Also, the way Bea and Olive resolved their friendship, felt rushed and clumsy. And, Ever’s, Bea’s mother, storyline didn’t resonate with me at all . By the end of the novel it seemed like her storyline was also rushed to a conclusion which slightly took away the impact the novel had.

Though overall, The Still Point is still an enlightening read, which explores a range of important themes like, toxic rivalry, overbearing parental pressure, romance, and chaotic family drama. Shedding light on the true nature of the world of dance beyond the dazzling plays and bright spotlights. It uncovers the hidden sacrifices and burdens that comes with pursuing ballet. Almost warning mothers, of the still point between wanting the best for their daughters careers and burdening them with their expectations. Though I felt the multiple storylines seemed to reach a rush conclusion, it doesn’t negate the important overarching question it leaves the reader with — is thrusting children into the world of competitive dance truly worth crossing that still point and jeopardising cherished mother-daughter relationships?

*Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.*

“You moms. You’re worse than we are, you know. You’re supposed to be the grown-ups, but when it comes down to it, you’re all vicious and jealous and awful.”

Truth be told, while I love opera and classical music, I’ve never been much of a ballet fan. But I love stories of hypercompetitive environments, where parents are trying to live (or relive) dreams through their child. And this is what I got in The Still Point.

This novel revolves around a southern California ballet school, where the moms are way too involved in their daughters’ lives. The story is told through alternating perspectives of ballet moms Ever, Lindsay and Josie, and Ever’s daughter, Bea. Competition is mild until the day ballet bad boy Etienne Bernay arrives from Paris, with his distinctive teaching style, and offering a full scholarship to the Ballet de Paris Academie … for one lucky girl.

“May the best young woman win” isn’t an option with this clutch of clingy ballet moms, and the tensions rise, both between once cordial mothers and the girls who have trained together from first grade. The alternating chapters move the action along and I enjoyed the various perspectives made this an enjoyable tale. That said, I’m sure ballet moms or those who love ballet would enjoy it more and recognize the grueling practices and certain types. An enjoyable, voyeuristic view into the world of ballet.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

Another compulsively readable, beautifully crafted novel by Tammy Greenwood. “The Still Point” highlights the competitive, back-biting world of developing ballet dancers-and their parents. Set against a backdrop of real-life love, loss, uncertainty and regret, this book will take your heart on a breathless ride. Highly recommend.

Welcome to the world of ballet! It’s filled with mothers and daughters acting badly, ambition, jealousy and manipulation. Watch the behind the scenes struggles as three mothers push their daughters to compete for the best roles and prime internships. Then see what happens when ballet master, the charismatic Etienne Bernay enters as a guest teacher and promises a full scholarship to the prestigious Ballet de Paris Academie. Ever, Josie and Lindsay have been friends since their daughters, Bea, Savvy and Olive, first began lessons. However, ambition beats friendship and the fight for the scholarship is on.

The Still Point is impossible to put down. Ever, Josie and Lindsay are so well described, you’ll feel like you know them. Ever, a recent widow with money problems is heartbreaking. Josie is so desperate to have Savvy win that she loses sight of the other important things in her life. And Lindsay is worried about what exists in her imagination. The daughters must struggle with the physical pain of dance, teenage angst and social media. The Still Point is totally unique, exceptional and a must read. Kudos to Tammy Greenwood! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Tammy Greenwood for this ARC.

I expected more from this book. Advertised as a mix between Celeste Ng books and dance moms, The Still Point immediately piqued my interest. However, it ended up being lackluster and ultimately seemed like it was trying to do too much and failing. So disappointed

Sometimes it is difficult to know who is the most childish in the story - the ballet dancers or their parents. Vicious, vindictive, evil…loads of drama and love in this saga. The book moves along quickly through conflict, surprise, and pain. The Still Point is an interesting insider’s view of the ultra-competitive ballet world.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A new, French ballet instructor lands at a California ballet school to film a documentary. When he announces he will be sponsoring a scholarship to a ballet school in Paris for one select dancer, the competition brings out the worst in the dancers and their moms.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I liked portrayal of cut throat stage moms that almost felt like an homage to Dance Moms.

I think this book's downfall for me was the pacing. It just took a long time to get where it was going.

I also would have loved to have heard the POV's of some of the dancers other than Bea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! It was pacey, gossipy, and the perfect balance between teenage issues and adult. I am praying it gets picked up for TV because I'd love to see it adapted. Just brilliant!

A fascinating peak behind the curtain into the world of ballet. The Still Point follows three mothers and their daughters as the girls apply to a prestigious ballet program.

The many switches of narrator and the fact that their voices weren’t much different was distracting. Each of the stories were slow moving, but at as a whole I enjoyed see inside the cutthroat world of ballet.

I think no book review can ever justify how exceptional this book is! This book has the realest characters. I literally don’t know what to write rn… I’m speechless. It might sound like a lot but I feel like this could be a classic. I said what I said.

I picked this book because it mentioned ballet, but it was so much more than a competition for a ballet scholarship!! I was about love, loss, family, relationships, friendship, motherhood, sacrifices, jealousy, struggles (both parents and children), parenthood, backstabbing, disappointment, victory, acceptance omg the list is never ending!

The characters were so real like everyone in real life, no one is all good or all bad, we act according to the circumstances, according to what felt right, you can never blame a single person for what they did or didn’t and this book covered all this beautifully. I’m just not able to write how I am feeling right now, all I can say is that you need to read this book! Like really! Add this to your tbr, you’ll really thank me for this one 😭😭😭😭😭

The Still Point is entertaining and well crafted. The story takes us in the world of ballet mothers and their talented children. The different point of views throughout the story were enjoyable and the aesthetics of the plot were nice to read. The ending felt satisfying.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

The Still Point is a fascinating behind the scenes look at the competitive world ballet. The level 6 girls are hoping to turn pro, and most have been competing against one another since they were young. When a famous male French dancer comes to the studio and begins to shake up the old traditions and hierarchies, the girls and their parents, are concerned. The promise of a full scholarship to a prestigious dance school has everyone trying to catch the visiting teachers attention. Some will quit. Some will be injured. And at the end of the day, one will win.

Thanks to the author and publisher for making this book available for my honest review. I rate this book five stars.

When I saw this book on netgalley, the cover was what drew me in. I'd frankly not read anything by Tammy Greenwood nor do I know a lot about ballet.
The story follows three ballet moms and their daughters as they prepare themselves for The Nutcracker and fight for a chance to get a scholarship to Ballet de Paris.
I found myself wanting to know more about ballet. My one point of critique might be that I don't feel like I've learned a lot about ballet. I like learning stuff about new topics by reading books about that topic. But actually, I think the ballet may just be the background (the set pieces of you will) against which the main story plays out: that of (the relationships between) the moms and the daughters.

Thanks a lot to the publisher for granting me this eARC and to the author for writing this book!

I loved the book. It's entertaining, with a bit of irony and a certain wit, a realistic, tender description of realities. I particularly enjoyed reading it, while waiting for my daughter's girls' ballet class to finish, surrounded by more or less ambitious ballet moms and a few dads. Although in Germany it is still a bit different from the overall schooling setting in the US, I believe. Ballet lovers, moms and daughters will certainly enjoy Tammy Greenwood's novel.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this alluring ballet novel. Definitely was sucked into this book mostly due to the ballet component. Despite the rest of the content I seem to be captivated by books relating to the mystery and demands of the ballet world. If this book were about something else would it have been as good?....probably not but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the characters, story and seeing how the plot played out. It did feel a little slow at times and I wish there was a little more finality to the story but overall a good read for fellow ballet lovers