"The stage reveals more than it hides—and sometimes, it hides everything that matters."

Let me set the stage for you: the barre creaks under pressure, mirrors reflect more than movement, and ambition wears pointe shoes and a razor-sharp smile. Nina Laurin’s The Shadow Girls isn’t just a psychological thriller, it’s a haunting, disorienting pas de deux through the gilded world of elite ballet and the darker corners of maternal obsession.

This book had me in a chokehold from page one.

At the heart of the story is Georgina Prescott, a former prodigy whose career was shattered by the same injury now sidelining her daughter, Anna. The parallels are eerie, the tension immediate. But it’s what lurks beneath the surface layered rivalries, whispered betrayals, the weight of unrealized dreams—that pulls you into a vortex of suspicion and unease.

Enter Naomi: Anna’s best friend, the brilliant understudy suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Is she innocent… or merely well trained to perform innocence? And then there’s Dawn, Naomi’s mother, fiercely loyal, deeply protective, and utterly blind to the shadows curling around her daughter’s ankles.

Laurin’s prose is razor-edged and elegant, much like the world she paints. Every plié and pirouette drips with the weight of secrets. The atmosphere is claustrophobic in the best way think Black Swan meets Gone Girl, with an added dose of parental dread that gnaws at your bones.

Just when you think you’ve figured it out BAM. Laurin pivots. You stumble. You doubt everyone. And when Anna disappears after receiving a chilling anonymous note, the real dance begins.

This story is a dark waltz of twisted loyalties, broken ambition, and unrelenting pressure not just on the stage, but behind the scenes where mothers become monsters, daughters become enigmas, and trust is an illusion shattered like glass slippers.

I devoured this in one sitting. My heart is still racing. My trust in ballet moms? Absolutely obliterated.

If you crave thrillers that don’t just scare you, but stalk you long after the final page, The Shadow Girls is your next obsession. It’s unnerving, hypnotic, and full of beautifully choreographed chaos.

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑫𝑶𝑾 𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳𝑺 𝒃𝒚 𝑵𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝑳𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏 was my latest @novelsuspects suspense, published in April and #gifted via @netgalley by @grandcentralpub.

Confession: when I was young, I had a friend who was in ballet and just got her Pointe Shoes, of which I was insanely envious. When she was in the bathroom, I locked her bedroom door, put the shoes on and tip-toed around for just a moment. She had told me not to, which warranted the locked door. She came back before I was through and, well, we weren't friends after that.

I can understand the pull of ballet and was fascinated by this slow burn suspense centered around two girls at a dance academy, leading up to the final performance of their senior year. The intense pressure, jealousy, wealth disparity, and natural ability all swirl together in this layered look at what we will do get what we want when no one seems to be listening.

I enjoyed the turns this story made, examining the relationships between friends, mothers, teachers, and self expectations. Plus it was just really entertaining trying to figure out what was happening to the Golden girl who wouldn't speak about her injury!

Reading more like a young adult novel, this story centers around the world of ballet. Told from different timelines and perspectives made this a compelling tale. We witness how strenuous a dancer's life is and how one event can impact their life for better or worse. I did want more development in the characters here in order to fully be invested in their emotions. While this was a good one, I didn't find myself thinking about it once the last page was read. Overall, this was a steady paced, solid story and would be perfect for a relaxing weekend read. Three stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing, for this ARC.

A compelling and twisty psychological thriller set at a ballet school and centering around two mothers and daughters who are fiercely competing for a role that will promises to propel them into a professional career. Comparisons to dance thrillers like The Turnout and Black Swan are apt, but I will also recommend to fans of intergenerational thrillers featuring parents and children and teens/young adults like those of Robyn Harding (The Perfect Family, The Party) and Liane Moriarty (Apples Never Fall, Big Little Lies).
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a digital review copy.

I always like a Nina Laurin book but this one got glitchy and despite help from Netgalley, couldn't get it to work out!

Readers, watch out for The Shadow Girls by Nina Laurin. It's out now and will be one you don't want to miss.

This book wasn't my typical scene for a psychological suspense. I enjoyed, but didn't love. Felt a little more YA than I like, but for the right audience, this book would be a 5 star read. I loved the ballet aspect of it, even though I know absolutely nothing about ballet. Would definitely recommend to those who enjoy a more YA type read.

Told in the world of competitive ballet, this novel was high drama. The plot skips back and forth through time, so it was a bit confusing to follow when events actually took place. It felt long and dragged out to me and read like a YA novel.

I was thrilled to receive this arc of The Shadow Girls from @netgalley and @grandcentralpub . Strength, grace and devotion to sport, the world of professional ballet fascinates me. Combine that with a psychological thriller and I knew this was a book I must read.

Georgina Prescott, a former ballerina whose career was ended by and injury, now puts that same dedication into her daughter Anna, a star student at a prestigious ballet academy. When Anna is injured and threatened to reveal what happened, her best friend and ballet rival, Naomi is the only other one who knows the truth of how the injury occurred. And then Anna disappears….

I wanted to love this book, but it ended up being only ok for me. The ballet world aspect was my favorite part and I just wish the story and character development had been as strong. It was all just a little one dimensional for me and was kind of the equivalent of watching a Lifetime movie. It read a bit like a YA novel and I think it would greatly appeal more to that demographic. Still, it held my attention and I did enjoy it but would have liked a bit more depth.

I struggled a little bit with this. I think if you love the world of dance you'll really enjoy this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

As a former ballet dancer, I was very intrigued by this book. It tells the story of two dancers at an elite ballet academy. They each want to be and do their best and so do their mothers. This was done very well and I loved the two timelines with the different perspectives. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Nina Laurin is an author that just sneaks up on you. All of a sudden you realize that that all of her books have been really good and she becomes a favorite! This story takes place in the ballet world, and I totally loved reading about that! This world is about as far from mine as it can get. Georgina is a former lead ballerina who now lives vicariously through her daughter Anna. Anna is the star at her prestigious ballet academy. She suffers a fall, and her role is taken over by her best friend, Naomi, who may have had something to do with her injury. Georgina becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened. None of these women are very likeable, but that fits in perfectly with the situations, so I had no problems with that. The story is told back and forth between the accident and afterwards and what happened leading up to the accident. And, as I said, the insider look into the ballet world was super fun!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Nina Laurin and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Shadow Girls is another great novel full from Nina Laurin. Full of suspense and all the drama that comes with an elite ballet school full of teenagers and their sometimes overbearing, sometimes oblivious mothers. Told in multiple perspectives and timelines, this is an intriguing story that is so fun to watch unfold. Another great one by Nina Laurin! If you love the drama of the ballet world, definitely check it out.

The Shadow Girls by Nina Laurin is a psychological suspense novel that takes a hard look into the cutthroat world of ballet.

Georgina Prescott was once a prima ballerina until a severe metatarsal fracture tragically ended her career. Now she fiercely manages her 16 year old daughter Anna's meteoric rise in the competitive ballet world. Having recently been named as the lead role in an important performance, Anna seems to be making her presence known. But when Anna falls and fractures her foot, Georgina sees her daughter's (and her own) dreams crumbling away. Whispered rumors that Anna's fall was an intentional act by Naomi (Anna's best friend and the girl that steps into Anna's place in the performance) spread and Georgina becomes obsessed with finding out the truth and holding her accountable. Everything changes though when Anna receives an anonymous letter telling her to keep her mouth shut, and then she disappears...

This novel was definitely suspenseful and intriguing!! I do feel like it is more geared towards a YA audience rather than adult but I still really enjoyed it!! The author had to have done some extensive research because the imagery was so detailed that I was fully immersed into the narrative. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves an escapist thriller that is like Dance Moms but with an ominous atmospheric vibe.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nina Laurin, and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC!! Publication date is April 22nd 2025.

If you're not a lover of ballet, don't let that keep you from grabbing a copy of Nina Laurin's latest thriller, The Shadow Girls. The interpersonal dynamics between not only the ballet school girls, but mother-daughter and teacher-student had me riveted. None of the characters are particularly likable, but they're all fascinating. While not a whiplash-inducing twisty thriller, there is at least one reveal that made me keep anxiously flipping pages. Nina Laurin once again proves to me why she's one of my must-read authors.

I enjoyed the story itself - a behind the scenes of the twisted world of ballet. That said, the character and plot development was lacking. A lot of telling and not showing with the characters - I didn’t feel like I got to know any of them. While the plot has a lot of twists, I also didn’t feel like some of them were earned.

'The Shadow Girls' was an excellent thriller that held me captivated through the end. The action takes place at a ballet academy. There are two timelines: present during Anna's fall and what happens after, and the months leading up to the fall. There are also multiple points of view. I enjoyed the drama found at the ballet school and in the girls' personal lives.
5 stars.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

What will they do for a role? That's the question in this tale set in a hotbed ballet school. Anna has always been the star and Naomi the runner up. Anna's mother Georgina was a ballerina before her marriage and she pushes, hard, for Anna. Naomi's mother Dawn works nights as a nurse. Now Anna has broken her metatarsal and all bets are off for the big performance. This moves around in time before and after Anna's accident and that's a problem-the time line is murky and it's not always clear where we are in the sequence of events. Everyone has a secret, even Anna, whose perspective isn't given until the end. There's lots of drama (gotta love the drama) but best of all are the twists, including a real whopper. The women are all believable, the scenario suspenseful. No spoilers but know that I was actually surprised. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This was a page turner for me.

A surprisingly intriguing story following mothers and daughters at an elite ballet school. I was skeptical at first but ending up really enjoying this story. Characters are well developed, although not necessarily likable. Plenty of twists and turns in this drama.