I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I am someone who loves mental health representation in books and I can appreciate that a ballerina would undoubtedly feel so many pressures.
It has been a while since I've read this one, but I do remember enjoying it.

Sparrow is a.book about a gifted ballerina who is also gifted at keeping secrets. Once her mother dies she thinks it all in her past, but her worst nightmare is yet to come.

A sad and suspenseful story, it keeps the pages turning

A compelling and memorable read that will do really well with many of my student readers who have requested more books like Speak. This book stands on its own in terms of voice and storytelling and it will also not surprise me when I am asked for more books like Sparrow. This was a favorite read of 2020.

This book was quite frustrating to read at times. The main character had so many nicknames, which was just an unnecessary confusion. It was a darker story that was emotionally difficult to read at times, however I still didn't feel very connected with Sparrow. This could also be a triggering novel for some readers.

Great YA Contemporary novel. This really left me with that nostalgic feeling of the books I used to read in my pre-teen/teen years, which is part of why I enjoyed it so much! While the story is juvenile, it's intended audience, I could still appreciate it as a women in adulthood and just devoured it in one sitting. Highly recommend for teens or adults who want a walk down memory lane of books from our childhood. Will most likely reread this any time nostalgia calls my name.

I read this one a bit ago, but I remember it being a powerful read about an unhealthy relationship and an injured ballerina. I wish my library were open to the public so I could recommend this one, but alas, it has been sitting untouched in our patron-less YA room.

This book broke me in ways I have never been broken before. Imagine this – you are curled up on your bed about to read for about an hour before going to sleep because #retaillife means you work at 9am on a Sunday. Next thing you know you are 20% in and starting to feel just a tad uncomfortable with the whole thing, but you have another 15 minutes before sleep time. Now it’s midnight and you’re crying. 1am and you are sobbing like a baby because, damn, he’s super messed up. Suddenly, its 2am, your husband is demanding you go to sleep and you have just finished. Then you stare at the roof for an hour because holy shit that hurt you in your blackened, dead heart.

Going into Sparrow I expected a bit of a love story, some ballet fun, a guy who was a bit of a dick and slapped his gf around, the hero friend to come to the rescue and then it to all be tied up into a neat little bow because it’s a YA and you wouldn’t leave a defenceless teenager broken into 1000 pieces would you? I was SO wrong. This novel is so heavy and ridiculously confronting. Not only does Sparrow play the role of the domestic abuse survivor to a tee – she has mannerisms that so many adapt to cope with their abusers actions – her abuser/s act in ways that I have seen firsthand.

So, I really need to put a trigger warning here because although I’m fairly sure Tor would have had the insight to include warnings in the published work, I don’t remember seeing any on the proof file. There is substantial abuse (we are not talking only verbal and mild physical abuse; Sparrow is beaten to within an inch of her life and left with some absolutely devastating injuries to accompany it), alcohol abuse, what comes across as victim shaming, abuse of a minor, discussion of mental health, discussions of psychosis and many more minor ones that have slipped my mind I’m sure. Just know that if you have been subjected to this sort of behaviour in the past you are more than likely going to need to head into this with the knowledge that things will come up that may affect you profoundly.

But back to the review. As I said before, Sparrow is a heavy hitter when it comes to emotional journeys. It is told from the alternating points of view of Sparrow and her pas de deux partner Lucas. While she thinks she is in love and slowly becomes the victim of her boyfriend, Tristan, Lucas plays devils advocate and calls her out on all the things he sees Sparrow do to protect her abuser. Following the scene that leaves her fighting for her life, the tale is predominantly focussed on Lucas and his battle to come to terms with the fact that Sparrow’s abuser is walking free. Finally, it evens out in the final third so as both POV’s occupy about half the novel. While both POV’s feature very unique themes, they balance each other out well.

As for the narrative, it felt loosely like a play on the Black Swan’s decline into madness from that movie that we all love to hate. Sparrow starts out a strong and confident woman and throughout the first 1/3 of the novel, the reader sees her lose that quality until it comes to a point whereby her friends start questioning her actions. Then there is the big scene that changes everything, and we get to see not only Sparrow but also Lucas deal with the fallout of Tristan’s actions. Now take into account this whole saga takes place over close to a year, so it gives a fairly short time for grieving, healing and all those things that accompany catastrophic events in ones life. I have seen many reviews where they have commented on the timing of everything and that sometimes we go ‘back in time’ when there is a change in POV – all of these are clearly stated in the chapter titles so should one get lost, it is fairly easy to work out who is where while everything plays out.

Overall, it’s just a beautiful novel that will quite possibly affect you in ways you cannot comprehend. While it is brutal and occasionally a little graphic (you can almost feel Tristan dragging you down a rocky path at one point), it tells a story of hope as well as loss. All I can say is you need to make the decision about this novel for yourself because it seems a little polarising from what I’ve read.

This book tore me to pieces. The entire first quarter of the book, I was cringing because I knew what was coming, and it gave me anxiety. I didn't want to know what was going to happen because I knew it would destroy me. Then it happened. I haven't cried so much through a book as I did here. Luckily the book redeemed itself and left me with a feeling of everything is going to be alright. I loved this book and the emotional rollercoaster it took me on. By far, my best read of the month. 5 Big Shiny Stars for this one. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC. I was AMAZING. Trigger warning: physical and emotional abuse

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This was heartbreaking and even horrifying at times. I think it's good for young people to see depictions of these types of abusive relationships. To see all the subtle ways the abuser takes control of the other person's life. They way they get in their head and take advantage of their emotions. I expected to read about all that, but what was even more devastating for me was uncovering part of the reason she bought into the lies and manipulation.

I appreciated Lucas' point of view as someone who felt like he failed Savannah. At first, I didn't understand why he was getting so many chapters, but I liked seeing some of the events through his eyes. Getting that alternate perspective as to how Savannah viewed what happened.

Overall: A darker tale, which was both broke my heart and left me hopeful.

"My name is Savannah Darcy Rose. And I am still prey."

WOW. This book. I'm shocked that this is the author's debut because she created such an emotional and powerful story on the topic of abuse. This book was insanely hard to get through because of how intense parts of the story were, and you just wanted to grab hold of Savannah, known by everyone as Sparrow, and make sure she never gets hurt again, but you also have to keep reading because you need to know that she gets through it. Sparrow is an insanely talented ballerina, but her real talent is keeping secrets. She's been keeping quiet for years, even after her mother passed away. She believes that being the kind of girl who doesn't tell will let her live a normal and happy life, until her seemingly perfect boyfriend brutally attacks her and she has to find the courage to talk about her past in order to move forward with her present. This story is told in two POVs, Sparrow's and one of her best friends, Lucas's. Lucas is dealing with his own struggles, on top of what has happened to Sparrow, and he isn't coping in the best ways. We get to watch his and Sparrow's growth through the story and watch them work towards a place of healing. The author does a fantastic job of using Swan Lake as a form of symbolism throughout the story, as Sparrow and Lucas were the leads in it at their ballet school until everything that happened. The author wrote a beautifully dark story that gives everyone dealing with the aftermath of what happened to Sparrow a voice, and a chance to grieve differently. This book made me feel so much, and it will make you feel too.

Thank you so much to Torteen and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This was a riveting, harrowing novel. I loved the dancing and the descriptions throughout.. My biggest issue with this is the pacing. I would have liked a little more time before going into the abuse in this story. It also felt like the author relied on shock value a little too often. However, I did enjoy the story overall.

My Thoughts
I'm conflicted on my review for this book. On one hand I feel that the plot line was fantastic and I love a story about a ballerina. On the other hand, the dialogue wasn't my cup of tea. Even for a YA book the dialogue between characters got to me by the end, and I felt myself cringing at certain points.
The storyline itself is brilliant. Savannah Rose or Sparrow, is the top ballerina in her town. She pushes herself harder than anything but she also hides who she is, even from her friends. When she starts to date the most popular boy at school, trauma from her childhood starts to resurface. When she ends up in a coma, her recover will be determined by how she is able to handle her past and more forward.
I found Sparrow's character to be extremely realistic and I liked the domestic violence that is portrayed at a teen level. I say that because I think we forget that teens are the most susceptible to toxic relationships, since they're just learning how to share emotions and how to express them in healthy ways.
I loathed the second POV Lucas. I honestly would have enjoyed the story so much more without his parts. They take place at the same time as Sparrow's POVs, so we basically get events from two sides, which could be nice. But instead Lucas ruins it with his teenage angsty and manchild ideals. I couldn't stand his relationship with Sparrow and while he was no where near as bad as Tristian, he could be considered toxic to Sparrow as well, since he has this notion that he has say in her life.
Maybe I'm just getting to old and cranky to read YA, which is entirely possible, but I just could not handle the teenage antsy in this book. I did really enjoy the story line and the depth that came with it but I could have done with a single POV in this particular book.
If you like YA books or have a teen in need of a good contemporary fiction this book is for you.

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Sparrow. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books. Huge thanks to netgallery & Tor Teen for my copy!

Meet Savannah Darcy Rose, also known as Sparrow. She's a highschooler from Virginia, USA, and she's also a ballerina. She has a couple of close friends called Lucas and Delaney, and a perfect boyfriend called Tristan, but she also has a dead mother and a dark secret.

The prologue for this book hooked me instantly. There's danger and mystery, and I couldn't stop reading because the answers aren't given straight away. After the prologue, we're thrown straight into Sparrow's hectic life. This book has a typical American YA feel to it, full of teen drama and angst. The teenagers feel like teenagers, except that for some reason they can all quote Shakespeare? I don't know, maybe American teenagers are more literary than British teenagers!

There's a lot I loved about this book. The imagery is beautiful. It started in the prologue, and the book is consistantly beautiful the entire way through. It's also Aesthetic™. Some of the descriptions are just wonderful. I particularly loved the perfect latte that Sparrow had in one of the chapters. There's also something about ballet that's just really alluring. Perhaps the beauty of it, perhaps the discipline behind it. I'm fascinated by it, and I know I'm not alone in that feeling. I really liked the little details about ballet that Jackson included in the book. I also appreciated the inclusion of Lucas as a male main character who is also a ballerina, because boys do ballet too. Overall, Lucas was actually my favourite character. The book switches between Sparrow and Lucas as narrators, and I felt Lucas's perspective really made the book for me. I found the story easier to get into when he was narrating. I really loved the friendship and chemistry between Sparrow and Lucas. Speaking of characters I loved, Sophie and Granny Deirdre were also high on the list.

This book is pretty fast paced. In some ways this is good; I didn't get bored by it. But sometimes the speed made things feel unrealistic or underdeveloped. The relationship with Tristan was one of these things. We keep getting told by Sparrow that Tristan is wonderful and perfect, except when he's angry, but we rarely see that. He feels over the top, almost too perfectly evil as a villain, and for a lot of the book, because I couldn't see the side of him that Sparrow supposedly saw, I felt like I wanted to shake some sense into Sparrow. The relationship just didn't feel particularly real or dynamic. The fast pace of the book also didn't really give justice to the relationships between Sparrow and the other characters. I really would have loved to see more about Delaney.

I have one other issue, and it's with the clothing descriptions. Perhaps it's because I'm not the target audience, and maybe these descriptions would interest teenage girls, but I was just overwhelmed by the in depth descriptions of what the characters were wearing. I don't care about their clothing, unless it's something that really shows off their personality or is related to the plot, and I found myself skipping over these parts.

This is the sort of book I would have absolutely loved as a teen. Drama, angst and dangerous romance. There's the hint of a love triangle (and would a book even be YA if it didn't have this?), and a mystery to slowly piece together, and an exploration into mental health and abuse. By the second half of the book, the characters felt a lot more real, and it was a rollercoaster of emotions. This book is an easy read, with difficult subject matter, a good read for an older teen.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

I have to admit I was intimidated by this book when I read the description. Once I read it I found the details to be lacking. I didn't completely understand Sparrow's family and who is who. The evolution of the relationship went quick but left out information that then showed up later. I was already confused at this point. I think there is more development that could help this story along.

This one was difficult to read. It was triggering in some ways, but also so far from my story. Sparrow is the story of a 17 year old ballerina named Savannah (nicknamed Sparrow) who falls in love for the first time. She and her best friend Delaney have always thought Tristan King was incredibly good-looking, but when he almost hits Sparrow with his car in the school parking lot and asks her out, it feels like her dreams are coming true.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B94Pkd-AAi7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Sparrow is a very dedicated ballerina. She has made ballet her passion and studies at the local conservatory where she has landed the role of Odette in Swan Lake. One of her other best friends, and fellow ballet dancers, Lucas, will be playing the prince. She spends much of her free time practicing ballet and taking lessons. When she begins dating Tristan, however, he is very controlling and does not like her spending so much time with Lucas.

As the story goes on, we learn that Sparrow lives with her father and his sister, her aunt Sophie. Her mother died when she was young, and we get glimpses into a terrible childhood spend with a mother that was violent. Sparrow’s relationship with Tristan begins to spiral out of her control. Her friends and family start noticing changes in her and try to reach out, but she denies everything and insists that Tristan loves her. Eventually it all culminates when one evening while driving Sparrow mentions to Tristan that they should take a break and he loses all control and lands Sparrow in the hospital fighting for her life.

From here we also get Lucas’ perspective. He recently lost his father to a very aggressive form of cancer, so once Sparrow is hospitalized his life begins spiraling as well. He and Sparrow have been friends their whole lives and he has been realizing lately he has feelings for her. He can see what Tristan is doing to her and tries to reach out, but she doesn’t listen.

I said before, this is a very difficult read. Sparrow’s life hasn’t been easy since she was a small child and I was brought to tears so many times throughout this book. While difficult, I also think it’s an important book. Reading this and seeing some of the warning signs could save someone from an abusive relationship before things get out of control. While I absolutely recommend this book, please proceed with caution and heed the trigger warnings. Please stay safe friends, and know that if you need help, it is out there.

Thank you so much to the Fantastic Flying Book Club for having me on this tour and giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

This was a hard book to read, and it never quite gelled.

It tackles a lot of tough subjects, including trauma, abuse, and victimhood, so I knew that it was going to be a tough, painful read. Even as prepared as I was, I found that I was uncomfortable with how the book lingered in the experiences of gaslighting and abuse.

If I had not received this as an ARC, I think I would have DNFed it. It was just too uncomfortable to watch Sparrow weather a very damaging relationship, and it didn't feel like witnessing this in such a drawn out way was actually meaningful to the narrative.

Ultimately, I think that this book was overly ambitious, and tried to fit so many elements into one book that the overall effect was weighed down and watered down at the same time.

The reader witnesses the growth of an abusive relationship from its first moment to its last. Separately, the reader witnesses the inner world of an entirely different boy who has strong feelings for the girl who is the victim of the abuse. Then there's a thread of Shakespeare quotes that never really came to anything.. And a thread of ballet and Black Swan references, that never really came to anything. We witness the death of a family member of someone other than the protagonist. We witness pieces of a police procedure. There's a single passing chapter from the perspective of a psychologist. There's a thread of childhood abuse that only really comes together in the last third of the book.

I honestly think this would have been a stronger book if the first 75 pages or so were removed entirely, and some of the C and D plots were cleared away.

To me, this felt like a book that hasn't yet decided what to be. There were elements in it that I really liked, that could have been meaningful if the books structure had set up compelling questions to pay off with compelling answers. But this just never came together. And I wish it had.

I could not put this book down. It was riveting and I had an obsessive need to get to the end. I absolutely loved the dancing throughout and I thought so much of the raw emotion were great.

My issues lay in the writing. First and foremost, I think this book relied heavily on shock value. We follow a girl falling in love with a boy who turns out to be abusive and we see this very quickly, as in within 20 pages we start to see big red flags. I wish this book and the author had taken a little more time before going into the graphic exchange of abuse in this story.

I also found a weird consistency of a lot of english verbiage and wording, although the book is set in the US and the author is also from the US. There is a grandmother character who is from Ireland but many of the characters use some terms more commonly seen in the UK, which I found distracting. I also found a lot of the nicknames characters used for each other distracting. They seemed to have the intent of cute and affectionate, but in reading it they felt rude. For example, the main character's nickname is "Sparrow" and her best friend often calls her "bird head."

Overall, I think there are better books about the topic of abuse out there. I thought the dance aspect was amazing. I felt like not enough people saw the red flags that were obvious almost immediately to me as the reader, which felt a little unreal. At the same time, this happens in real life all the time so I give this a lot of grace.


Trigger warnings:
relationship abuse
child abuse
graphic violence
emotional abuse

I decided not to finish this one because I didn't connect to the story. I agree that the subject matter is an important one, but I didn't want to read through the execution because of Sparrow. I didn't like her instant love connection with Tristan and decided at that point not to finish the book. I knew where the story was heading since I've read many similar books and didn't want to read through another.