Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I'm confused at what this book wants to be. For a thriller, too little happens, and for a literary fiction analysis of the abuse in the dance world, the book is too shallow.

This is very readable and a fast read. However, litteraly nothing happens. I wasn't bored because the story moved so fast, but I kept wondering what the author was trying to tell us with the things we witnessed.

Not only did the story itself contain a bunch of nothing, but the ending also is very convenient. It's one of those endings where something bad happens in the last chapter, and then we jump to the epilog in the future, and everything worked out great for everyone. I personally despise those endings. It always feels like the author didn't know how to end the book and escape the bad, so they just skipped to the future.

If you just want some dance mom drama, you might enjoy this.

The tension in this book is palpable.

Lydia’s spiralling inner monologue felt so real that at times I wanted to hug her and then gently shake her. The world of competitive ballet is portrayed with surprising savagery – who knew tulle and leotards could be so cutthroat?

While the story has plenty of drama, it is not just about dance. At its heart, it explores legacy, control, fear and the heavy weight of motherhood when you are still trying to mend yourself.

Lydia’s determination to protect her daughter is fierce, but the constant push and pull between ambition and safeguarding felt slightly repetitive in places, which slowed the pace for me.

An emotional and at times uncomfortable read, with moments that really hit home, but for me it did not fully sustain the intensity it promised.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

If you enjoyed Dance Moms, you will relate to this book. It is an inside look at the dance world. The competitions are on a whole other level. The things these dancers go through to be the best is unbelievable. It was difficult to read at times due to the suffering of these girls. Check you trigger warnings. It kept my interest the whole time. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

When I first started reading Making the Cut, I found it a little challenging to get into the flow of the story. The opening chapters felt slower, and it took me some time to connect with the characters and their world. However, as the narrative unfolded, the depth of the characters and the emotional layers of the plot began to reveal themselves.

By the halfway point, I found myself more invested in their journeys, and the pace started to feel more natural and engaging. The final part of the book completely drew me in. The tension, emotional stakes, and resolution all came together beautifully, leaving me with a strong and satisfying impression.

Although the beginning required a bit of patience, I am glad I kept reading, because the ending made the whole experience worthwhile. Sophie Wiggins delivers a conclusion that resonates long after the last page.

2.5 stars

TW: SA (graphic description), eating disorders, fatphobia, graphic violence

Okay? I’m not really sure what the point was. Some parts were fine, but the protagonist is such a passive character I ended up hating her. Just take her to another studio? Most of it I was just bored, I had expected more of a thriller pace and reveal. If you really like dance moms and want a super edgy version of that, maybe give this a try.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.

Who would've thought an innocent toddler ballet class would forever change the lives of everyone in Lydia Moffatt's family? When her daughter Annie falls in love with dance, Lydia is willing to do anything to support her. As Annie grows, it becomes increasingly clear that the dance studio (VCS) is taking all of their time, money, and Annie's innocence and joy. As Annie's world starts to bring forth memories of her own teenhood, Lydia must confront not only Annie's present, but her own past as well.

I loved this book. It was a 5-star read for over half of the book... but towards the end of the book, there were some themes that I did not sign on for.

Minor thematic spoilers will follow.

I am a dancer. I danced for over 20 years and my mom danced for over 50 years. The world of dance is super entertaining to me... but when I pick up a book about the dance world, I do not expect to read about a brutal sexual assault (in vivid detail). Once I got past the shock of that, I continued to enjoy my read... until the epilogue. I understand that we don't get to pick how a book ends, that is the author's privilege, but if I could go back and read the book again for the first time, I wouldn't read the final chapter. I'd rather a cliffhanger ending than the ending we got. The "plot twist" was entirely unneeded and I feel it destroyed the character of Lydia. This book is a Read It but for heaven's sake, don't read the last chapter!

Note: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

As a former dance mom this book gave me a little PTSD. The costumes, the other dance moms, the money- oh the money! Annie is nothing but a pawn in an adults game of who can be on top, which was so sad to read. Lydia was likeable at the beginning, but I liked her less and less as the book went on. Hearing her backstory was helpful in understanding her character more, but I still didn't like her. All in all the book was an interesting read that dragged in parts but really picked up at the end.

An insight into a very cut throat world. I think all aspects of dancing and pageants and other activities like this seem to bring out the competitiveness in the parents even more than the kids who are participating. I enjoyed the book. Lots of triggers for those who are might be bothered by them.
Good read.

Thank you for this ARC!
Rating: 4.75 ⭐️
I enjoyed this book so much. I went into it not knowing exactly what it to expect but it kept me captivated throughout.
I really enjoyed the writing style of the book. It kind of reminded me of diary entries in a way.
There are quite a a few TW: SA, eating disorders, death. it can get a bit heavy at times but it was so eye opening.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys deep meaningful books that will leave a lasting imprint.

If you love the drama of a Dance Moms-style reality show—without the stress of actually watching real kids go through it—this book delivers. My inner gossip was hooked from page one.

Lydia is a devoted mother who only wants the best for her daughter, whose greatest passion in life is dance. Naturally, keeping her in an elite academy seems worth the cost, the demanding schedule, and the drama-filled world of competitive dance…right?

The story doesn’t shy away from heavy topics, including eating disorders and sexual assault, so the trigger warnings are important to note. That said, I personally appreciate when a book tackles difficult themes respectfully, and this one does so with purpose. At its core, the novel is about holding close the people you love and finding the strength to push through even the hardest times.

The writing is straightforward and accessible, without unnecessary flowery language or drawn-out symbolism. It feels almost like reading the memoir of a flawed but loving mother who tried her best, only to find herself deep in the whirlwind of competitive child

I’d happily recommend Making the Cut to anyone who enjoys drama from the sidelines—catching up on all the tea without being part of it. It’s especially great for a weekend or vacation read, keeping you entertained for a few days with its mix of tension, heart, and behind-the-scenes chaos.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

1/5⭐️

Making the Cut was a frustrating and confusing read. The book lacked a clear plot line, and I felt lost throughout most of it. The back-and-forth between the mother’s current life and her younger years was disjointed and difficult to follow, making it hard to stay engaged.

One of the most jarring parts was how time seemed to jump without any warning or explanation. Annie would go from being three, to five, to seven, and suddenly fourteen with an eating disorder—with no context or natural progression. It made the story feel messy and poorly constructed.

What really didn’t sit right with me was how the eating disorder was handled. As a parent, I found it completely unrealistic that a mother—especially one whose best friend died from an eating disorder—would have no idea her own child was sick until she was literally on the brink of death. That lack of awareness just didn’t feel believable and made it hard to connect emotionally with the characters.

The only reason I stuck with the book at all was because, as a dance mom myself, some of the early parts felt relatable. But once the story took a turn into rage and anger leading to contemplated murder… it completely lost me. The shift felt abrupt and out of place, and the book as a whole just felt disorganized and disappointing.

This was a quick and entertaining read that I finished in a few hours.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
They are realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

I have a great-niece who does competitive dancing, and I worked at a school with a lot of ballet dancers, so I know something about this world. And while I think the author understands the world and does a good job showing it, the bigger problem is Lydia.

As becomes clear during the book, she has A History that may (or may not) have bearing on the present and her supporting Annie's dancing. That history gets shared in flashbacks, and to be honest, some of that does relate directly to the current day. However, there's a whole large formative part that really doesn't. If that had been cut out, the book would have been far tighter and better, and the dance part could have been expanded somewhat.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

(This review contains spoilers.)This book was of great interest to me as the show Dance Moms was a guilty pleasure for me for many years. The book tells the story of Annie, a young student of dance and the lengths that her Mum, Lydia, would go through in order to protect her child and further her career at all costs. Her obsession with "helping" her daughter came at the expense of her marriage, her daughter's health, her financial well-being and her own mental health. While the author did a fantastic job of mimicking the show with her descriptive account of the competitive world of dance and the financial and emotional burden that is often attached to such a hobby, I felt like I was absolutely reading two stories; that of the dance world and then that of Lydia's past. To be honest, I found myself much more engaged in Lydia's back story and how her own coming of age story centered around her sexual assault by boys in her school. The description of her emotional state, shame, isolation and loss of friendships was supposed to parallel the life of her daughter as she navigated the world of dance with its cut-throat moms, carefree instructors and selfish studio owner, I was unable to connect the two as the author would have liked us to. Lydia's dance mum persona became one of blame and anger at the studio and its instructors but not many instances where she looks inward at her own power to remove Annie from this toxic environment. The notion that her dance instructors would be the only adults that could see a dramatic weight loss and a child slipping into an eating disorder is ridiculous. This child was the focus of Annie's life, yet when she spoke of the "mean girls" at the studio or the ignorant teachers, she never self-reflected on her own power to remove this child from such an environment. If the author's intent was to show the parallel of Lydia's childhood rape with the symbolic raping of young dancer in a truly cut throat world, it missed the mark entirely. Instead, Lydia goes crazy to get her revenge all of the way around in an unbelievable course of events that supposedly brought her justice and peace. I could have read an entire story of Lydia's background story with her final revenge as the main story. I think the author told this part very authentically and I was invested in that journey. The marrying of the two stories just didn't do it for me and that is what my rating is based on.

Firstly I would like to thank Netgalley and the author for providing this ARC.

really struggled with this book. It had an interesting premise, and I was very happy to start the book. But as the book progressed I just felt that it became monotonous and hard to stomach. I was not happy with some of the content trigger wise as it was quite upsetting for me personally and I did not expect it to be there so I would urge other readers to check the TW before reading and might gently encourage the publisher/author to include a list of possible triggers at the start of the book.
Other than that I can however say that as a positive the cover is very intriguing and the premise is well thought out.
I however do not personally like this book and will not be recommending it to my audience. I feel that my review may be biased by the shock of the content in the middle (the trauma that the protagonist undergoes) of the book and so I will not post this review on my blog or socials.

There are 2 things I wish I had known before I read this book because then I wouldn't have opened it.

1. The F-bombs fly everywhere without stopping, to the point that it was hard to focus on the story.

2. (SPOILER) This turned out to be a dark novel, with Lydia turning from a dance mom to a deranged killer. I had no clue and I do not recommend this for anyone who just wanted to read about a dance family.

Coming from a competitive dancer background this book was amazing and very accurate. I really enjoyed it and even though some parts where harder to read than others I really enjoyed itl. You can tell the author really put in research into this world to mak the book authentic.

Making the Cut tells the story of Lydia, a “dance mum”, and her daughter Annie. Starting when Annie is two years old, the narrative alternates between her growing up within the dance world and the classes, costs, and challenges that increase the older she gets, and Lydia's own past as a bullied nerdy teenager whose best friend was a ballerina.

This book exposes several of the dark sides of competitive dancing, from predatory pricing to a toxic culture of body-shaming. As someone who danced throughout their entire childhood, but not competitively, the part I found the most interesting was the culture around the “dance mums” themselves and all of the challenges they faced, not only with financial and time demands, but also the other learned skills, such as styling their kids’ hair in record time between performances or going the perfect makeup.

Lydia, however, is an extremely infuriating protagonist. She very often talks about how much she regretted not removing Annie from dance lessons when she was young, and she had a valid excuse, but the entire book is written as if she is being held hostage by the studio. While I, as a reader, could understand that she did not want to break her little girl's heart, but I kept being vividly reminded that she was a literal toddler and, as a mom, she should not have enabled to the point of financial ruin. It becomes almost painful to read by the end of the book, when she is aware that Annie is not even enjoying herself by dancing, and yet Lydia will not pull the plug and keeps wanting the pre-teen to make decisions.

I started reading knowing that this book would probably deal with some very real issues face by dancers, such as the elitism, stress, body image problems, and a lot of anxiety. I was aware that there would be some very dark themes. But I was completely unprepared for some very graphic description of things that were not even related to the dancing world! It is a series of very potentially triggering chapters that contribute nothing to the story except for shock value. While the parallels between Annie and Kelly is certainly interesting, and we can see why Lydia sometimes acts the way the does, those chapters were completely unnecessary, especially with that level of detail.

I really wanted to enjoy this book because it explores a topic that I am actually interested in, and if the book had remained what it proposed to be: a book about competitive dancing, it certainly would have received a higher rating. Unfortunately, what we ended up having was the story of a very entitled mother who wants to fit in, has no notion of limits, and projects some of her dreams onto her daughter, to the point that she will “sabotage” actual children. It just so happens that, those dreams ended up putting her daughter in a toxic environment, but by the second-half of the story it no longer feels like a driving force.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Wiggins, and The Book Guild for the advanced copy. This review is left voluntarily and honestly.

Making the Cut by Sophie Wiggins sounded like a book that I would love, set in the world of ballet, or more specifically in a dance school with ambition. The book follows Lydia Moffat and her daughter Annie from the toddler to teenage years as she moves through the ranks in her dance school from beginner to one of the most talented students with the potential to make a career in dance. I can imagine that this book was inspired by reality television shows like Dance Moms, given that the characters are a mix of autocratic dance teachers and competitive mothers pushing their daughters harder and harder, in fact there are really no likeable characters other than some of the children in the dance school. The blurb references the cutthroat world of competitive dance and I think the best thing about this book is how vividly the author brings that to life on the page, from mean moms and even meaner daughters to the exorbitant costs of classes, uniforms, costumes and entry fees to the back stage hustle before a show and the nerves before a competition and the very serious issue of eating disorders and the pressures faced by the young dancers. I think that the latter is a topic that needs to be handled sensitively and I appreciated how well the author did it in this book. Where it all fell apart for me is that the book actually feels like two stories that were smashed together, and I don't think that either plot line benefitted from that, in fact I would argue that the second storyline of Lydia's past trauma was not needed for this book to work. It felt forced and rushed in order to fit with the main plotline and it really did not work for me.
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Just finished Making the Cut by Sophie Wiggins and whew… I need a minute 😵‍💫 Solid 4⭐️!
• The character work? So sharp. Everyone felt uncomfortably real (yes, even the ones I wanted to throttle).
• The mum? Genuinely terrifying. Gave me goosebumps more than once.
• The dad? Iconic in his uselessness.
• And the twists? Unhinged—in the best way. I was flipping pages like my life depended on it.

If messy families, dark secrets, and ballet-fueled tension are your thing, this one will absolutely get under your skin!