Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Being a high school junior is already hard enough, but having to completely revamp your life lends to extra drama. Alina Keeler has to do just that after a life changing injury. This book is nuanced and a completely necessary read for anyone who needs to overcome a life changing event.

I really loved this book! It made my Save the Last Dance loving heart happy. The characters are all very diverse and unique and I do really love the personal journey Alina is on. Maybe not intentionally, but to others she came across as kind of snobby and stuck up, only caring about ballet. Once the blinders were removed she began an emotional path of self discovery and realization, not only about herself, but having to rebuild friendships, her relationship with her family and even experiences romance for the first time.

It is an emotionally challenging book at times as you really feel the struggle Alina is going through. It was beautifully written and the story line was fantastic. I definitely recommend!

I went into this book without knowing a lot about it and let me tell you, it's just a delight!

Ballet novels are a favourite of mine and this one is fantastic. It shows the ballet world and brings in other rich elements and developed characters that you can't help but route for, even at their messiest.

It brings up conversations about jealousy, feeling lost, how to stand up for yourself, navigating relationships and addresses institutionalized racism. It also showed that people can make mistakes, and sometimes big ones, but this doesn't define them and they can move forward.

It's also a book full of joy- the joy of musical theatre, of dance, t of friendship and of romance.

I highly recommend it to readers of all ages.

Thank you Little, Brown Books for Young Readers & Netgalley for the ecopy to read and review. This one is out now!

4/5⭐ to The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk. Thank you so much to Little, Brown for Young Readers for an egalley copy to review! This was an impressive, emotional debut that embodied so much of what I love in YA contemporary books. I think due to the nature of the MC's challenge, recovering from a career & life-changing injury, it allowed for a lot of character growth for Alina. There was a real storytelling quality to the narration which really helped me connect and empathize with her and made me want to read more about her story and how she would overcome these challenges. I have never dealt with such an injury personally, but I appreciated how supporting characters continued to push Alina back towards dancing (her life's passion). Although it's not professional ballet, entering into the world of musical theatre allowed Alina to heal and still experience a life full of dance in a way that her post-injury body could handle. I think it could have been quite easy for Alina to have just stayed with the feeling of "If I can't dance ballet the way I used to then I won't dance at all" attitude. This brought in themes around life, life goals, meaning/purpose of life and explored what happens in a teen's life when that is challenged. I think these are fantastic questions to explore within the realm of a YA story and Alina is a character probably a lot of prodigy/gifted kids can relate to and provide them with perspective for their own lives. Also of important note are the discussions around racism, specifically that against Asian-American people. This is a very contemporary issue, and I think readers will find these valuable. Whether providing solitary of their own experiences of racism and microagressions, or putting readers in these individual's shoes temporarily, I'm glad the author included this within her story! Do you like high school stories revolving around dance, musical theatre, and overcoming adversity? Then go check out The Other Side of Perfect! I look forward to future books from this author :)

One of the biggest talents of this book is the way it ensures to keep you on your toes (pun very much intended), and never does what you predict from it. I also love that rather than a fluffy happy lead character, which does seem to be the norm sometimes, we have an angry, grieving lead. These feelings, having lost my ability to dance myself, resonated with me, and Turk does a wonderful job of portraying the character development, but more importantly the character changes, that take place because of this giref.

I thought this book was okay. I had a hard time with the main character although I understand why she felt so angry. It was hard to read about how she treated her new (and old) friends. I thought the topic of racism in ballet was really interesting and I liked reading about the MC growth and desire to speak up and change things. Would spark great discussions. The character growth did occur at the end but I would have liked to see some kindness and change of heart a little sooner. It was still a thoughtful read and one I would think would be valuable to have in a school library.

I absolutely loved this book. I sat down to read it and finished it in one sitting. Please add this to your TBR if you love ballet, Broadway, musicals, or a story about friendship.

I did ballet from ages 4-16 and felt deeply connected with Alina. My ballet school did a production of the Nutcracker and I was always cast in Chinese. I felt similar to Alina in feeling that I was cast specifically in that role because I was the only Asian at the school.

I was so invested in Alina's story. From the devestation of lost dreams, to finding love, passion and new dreams.

I appreciate that there was a conversation regarding race and racism in dance. As we see more and more POC in more mainstream dance companies, it is important to address these issues in regards casting and workplace culture.

The friendship between Margot, Elliot, and Jude is the best. Reminds me of the relationships I have with my college friends.

I cannot dance, I have never been a good dancer. I do, however, love dancing and often find myself gravitating towards books with dancers, even if the dancing isn't a common on page occurrence. Seeing the plot for this book, I just had to get it. I loved the writing, and the plot just pulled me in and refused to let me go. I can't really fault anything.

I was so excited for this book when I found out about it - and not just for the cover! I find I'm drawn towards books about dancers. I had high hopes--and it exceeded them!

I enjoyed Mariko's writing. I found it easy and well written. Mariko writes amazing characters that felt realistic and you become attached to them quickly. I loved Alina, Margot, Ethan, Jude, Harrison, and yes even Diya! I found them all memorable and very relatable. Diya is meant to be the snobby outcast and misunderstood, I felt horrible for her--to be surrounded by that many people, but to always be alone. There were moments where I couldn't stand Alina--but I understood why she had acted the way she did. Alina was dealing with a lot throughout this book and there were many points in her struggles where I could relate to her. I loved that Mariko gave each character their time to be in the spotlight, not just Alina. I learned more and more about each character as Alina did and that made them all-the-more interesting to see in scenes. There was never a point where I was uninterested in learning more about each character--I didn't have a character where I would be ok if we never saw or learned more about.

The things we learn as readers and the messages coming across are ones that need to be made. I like that Mariko was able to show multiple dimensions of depression and racism--both uncomfortable topics. At no point during this book did I feel talked down to or belittled--which isn't always easy to do.

If you enjoyed Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra for the dance aspects and The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life by Dani Jansen for the theatre then I highly recommend this to you. If you want more dance/theatre/musicals in your books then 100% pick this one up!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Other Side of Perfect - Mariko Turk

Okay okay okay, I went into this book having no idea what to expect, but I hadn't seen it around much so my expectations weren't very high. But omg this book is SO cute and well written. I absolutely loved it, the characters, the struggles, what a beautiful YA story that should be added to every classroom!

Fans of Sarah Dessen need to make sure they pick up this book!

As a lover of dance, theatre, and high school angst, I was SO excited to read this book and Mariko Turk did not disappoint! In this beautifully written debut, Alina is forced to remake her life after a devastating injury ends her career as a pre-professional ballerina. She finds herself attending school full time, mingling with people she barely recognized before, and auditioning for the school musical. There were so many things I adored about this debut novel, but the lyrical prose and evocative imagery was a standout throughout. I also was blown away by the complicated (and unbearably real) depiction of Alina's struggles to understand her own place in ballet and the imperfections of her dream (even after that dream was no longer achievable). I can't wait to read more from this author, and I would highly recommend this novel to teens, especially ballet and theatre lovers!

The Other Side of Perfect was a lovely read! Alina was destined for ballet greatness, until she shatters her ankle and is instead doomed to normal teenage life. She auditions for the school musical out of coercion and starts to find a new community and friends not based in dance. In doing this, she seems to neglect her best friend Colleen who is still deeply entrenched in the ballet world.

This former dancer LOVED this book. Alina’s relationship with dance was messy and complicated and very realistic. I could relate to so many of her struggles to make peace with the artform while at the same time starting to acknowledge the issues within it.

One of my favorite parts of any book is the friendship group, and this one was flawed and messy and great.

The Other Side of Perfect is a glittering, evoking story with characters you can’t help but connect to and want to fight the world for. As an ex-ballerina myself, I knew I’d be jumping into a book that would hit a bit close to home. But not only did this book ‘wow’ and amaze me, I fell completely in love with the story and its characters.

Alina is a girl who’s grieving the loss of the biggest thing in her life. After a shattering injury (no pun intended), she’s forced to step away from dancing on pointe. She’s in pain, she’s angry, and so many other emotions any reader can find themselves understanding and connecting to. I think the author captured every part of Alina’s feelings and emotions really well. People change after losing something important to them, and to see Alina undergo that change and learn to live without the constant pressure and timing of ballet in her life was really amazing to see on the pages.

On top of that, this was one of the few books where I felt like the relationships between the characters were genuine. This book honestly was made for teen readers, and you could just tell by the way the characters spoke and acted around each other. Of course, there were a few cliche scenes, but instead of being obnoxious, they were welcomed and needed additions to the story.

My only dislike about this book was the length. I feel like this book could’ve been shorter, and there were a few scenes I felt dragged on longer than the others. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every part of this book, but some of those parts were just too long, pacing-wise, for my liking.

Lastly, I wanted to pinpoint a pretty large topic of discussion this book brought up. Ballet may be a beautiful art, but there are a lot of pieces and factors that are overdue for change and inclusivity. I completely agreed with the characters when it was brought up that, for dances like Chinese Tea and Arabian Nights in The Nutcracker, there are some very racist stereotypes performed in the dances. As someone who danced as one of the Chinese Tea dolls when I was a younger girl, you never really questioned it. Alina brings up in this book that ballerinas are taught to withhold things and to take what they are given with pride. But what is prideful about upholding the stereotypes and racism, especially in such a popular performance that is performed every year like clockwork? I loved seeing the call for change in ballet with dances such as those two, and I hope we see more of it in the coming months and years.

Overall, I really loved The Other Side of Perfect. It was a book I can definitely see myself re-reading, and I hope to see more from Mariko Turk in the near future. For that, I rate this book 4.5 stars. If you haven’t already decided to pick it up, I’d highly suggest doing so, as this is one you’re not going to want to miss out on.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an interview with the author, and promotion of this book on my blog, and not a review! However, I loved this one for its poignant themes and messages and would definitely recommend it to someone looking to swoon, cry, and laugh all in one!

As someone who loved dancing, I was so excited when I picked up this book and it didn't disappoint me, AT ALL! Reading this book brings back those nostalgic moments. This book exceeds my expectation. I can see that I will enjoy it, but I didn't expect that I will so be invented with the story. I finish it in one sitting because of how easily I got sucked into the story even though the story is kinda gloomy and dealing with depression.

Things that I love the most is the character's growth. It's at a perfect pace. Seeing how she is dealing and overcome her struggle is makes Alina as our MC feels so real. The friendship is adorable! I love everyone in Alina's circle. Each of the characters is so unique and distinctive and it brings some color to the story. And of course, we can't leave out JUDE. I can't say too much unless I want to spoil you but TRUST ME. You will not NOT fall for him!

This book also touches on racism especially in the ballet industry. Our MC is half Japaness. I love the way this topic brought up. It is educating yet didn't feel like lecturing as we learned about it along with our character. You will fall in love with this book regardless if you have almost or ZERO knowledge about Ballet. Instead, you might find end up checking on some ballet and musical performances after reading this book.

I highly recommend it if you are looking for YA fiction with beautiful story that will make you hooked since beginning.

Final Rating: 4.5/5

***Review posted as part of TBR and Beyond Tours.
Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The Other Side of Perfect was a brilliant book. It was thought provoking, emotional, nuanced, and honest. I’m many years removed from being a teenager but this book took me straight back to those days where I didn’t know who or what I wanted to be. It drug up a lot of emotions, some I didn’t even realized I held a resentment for, even after all these years. I was so impressed with this book; absolutely loved it.

The story follows Alina after she badly broke her leg and is no longer able to pursue her love of ballet as a career. She is heart-broken, angry, depressed, and feels utterly alone. I mean, who wouldn’t be? I know I was when I was forced to leave my passion behind. Alina was written so well, so realistic, and all of her emotions were believable. She is honestly one of the best characters I have read so far this year. Dance was her life, she lived, breathed, ate ballet, and to not be able to do something that you are that passionate for; it hurts on a whole different level. It’s soul shattering, and then to have to try to make peace with it, to find a way to move on; the raw emotions that come from that kind of healing is overwhelming at the very least and definitely not an over the night process and the author completely captured it perfectly.

I loved the romance in this story, it was sweet and endearing. It was slow to build and felt realistic. Alina has this amazingly funny meet-cute with a boy, Jude, in her high school at an audition for a musical. She also makes friends with two others, Margot and Ethan. The friendships she cultivates with these three is so wonderful. Jude is an amazingly sweet and understanding guy. Margot is a bad-ass girl, and Ethan is charming, and witty, and props to the author for the LGBTQ+ representation with him. All the side characters were well written, three-dimensional people.

The plot was well thought out, and the world building was good. Not much creating to do there but I greatly enjoyed it. The book read like it was written by a teenager, which made it a seem a tad juvenile but it totally worked for the story. It was a very easy read for me, and I can definitely see myself rereading it, especially to see if the story hits me differently a second time. And I would absolutely recommend this book to someone wanting a quick read, and that loves contemporary stories. Overall, a splendid book!

If you're looking for a book full or heart and devastating truths, you've come to the right place. This YA novel gets into the nitty-gritty lessons about grief, hardship, and the injustices we encounter in this world.

This book is darker than most YA contemporary novels I read because the main character, Alina, is going through so much. She's just lost out on her dream of becoming a dancer and must come to terms with her new future, on top of other cruel encounters along the way. Our former dancer is angry and upset and hurt and in pain over what she nearly had. There are a lot of hard emotions she's trying to cope with. I think Turk did an amazing job of presenting these emotions and helping our character work through them with the help of new and old friends around her.

And there are a lot of great characters in this book. We get to meet a whole new group of friends in the theatre, as Alina has to try to find something to replace dancing in her life. They are fun and encouraging and I just wanted to give them all a big hug.

I am especially a fan of Jude (obviously). I think Turk did a great job of adding in the romance of Jude and Alina without taking away from the more serious parts of this book. Alina needed more support in her life and she was able to find it through her new group of friends, but especially through Jude. He was always there and just understood her so well. And even when he didn't quite understand, he was there to lend a shoulder to cry on.

There are lots of lessons to be learned from this book. While there were times it felt like Turk was trying to teach an advanced lesson through teenagers, I was mostly okay with it. They were lessons that needed to be taught and talked about so I'm glad they were brought up in this book.

As I've said before, something that really affects the rating of a book for me is pacing. Unfortunately, this book could be pretty slow at times. It was talking about a lot of hard topics so I think the focus was more on discussing these things rather than advancing a plot, but still. I like to be entertained and there were a few moments where I found myself bored.

Overall, however, this was a very enjoyable book. I'm so happy I got the opportunity to get to know Alina and take this tough journey with her. I can only hope all dancers of color out there and those who have suffered devasting loss can receive the justice and healing they need.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved so many things about this book. I loved Alina and how her emotions were presented. I loved how Turk presented the dilemma of having your passion ripped away from you. And I loved Alina’s journey as a whole and the changes that we see her go through. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have any of my passions ripped from me and Alina’s reaction to it is not a pleasant one, but a very real one. We get to see the ugly side of not being able to pursue your dreams. We see the hurt, the disappointment, and the jealousy. Sure, it is always nice to be immediately positive when something tragic like this happens, however, the more realistic emotions are the ones that are not good to feel. Turk does an excellent job at conveying these emotions to her readers.

Alina’s journey as a whole was not an easy one. One day she is doing what she loves and persevering through the hardships that her passion presents her and then the next she told she will never be the same dancer as she was before. The steps that our MC takes after this to figure out who she is without her passion is not lock-step at all. She is truly put through the ringer physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is definitely one of my most raw reads of this year. I look forward to seeing what Turk has in store for us with her future writing.

Honestly, this debut had me hooked from the beginning with the powerful character growth Alina experienced and the beautiful language of ballet. It was all just mesmerizing.

Alina’s dreams of ballet have been crushed ever since she shattered her leg in a fall while dancing. Convinced that she has nothing without ballet in her life, she turns her friends away and even tries to keep herself from falling for her cast mate, Jude, in the high school production of Singin’ In the Rain. But, how long can that really last?

I really loved the characters in this story. Alina is going through a lot right now. Ballet is her passion and I could only imagine losing something that is that close to your heart and that important to you, so I think some of her attitude was justified. She just lost something that she has had for years, so what is she supposed to do? I do agree that she might have been too harsh with her friends, like Margot and Jude. They encouraged her to come out of from under her rock without knowing the full story of how she felt, but she kept turning them away and isolating herself. So, sometimes, the attitude went a bit too far. However, it’s clear that her steps toward recovery is something she hasn’t dealt with before. She’s young, too, so it’s going to take a harder push for her. I think her growth was well played out and was at a good pace and the way Marika mapped it out was perfect because it also dealt with themes of race and connecting with people like her.

There is romance between Jude and Alina, of course. It’s kind of a slow burn, but not too much. More so on Jude’s side, I would say. It’s not the main focus of the story, though, so I think that’s what helped make the story flow well and focus on what’s really important. One thing I loved about Jude is that his character is not your typical YA male lead: macho, athlete, blah blah. He loves musicals, he knits, he is basically the opposite of what you would think a male lead in a book would be. He embraces that feminine side, but I don’t want to categorize him as heterosexual. It’s not specifically stated what his sexuality is, just that he has had a girlfriend before. But, I loved his character even more because of the uniqueness that isn’t always shown on the page in typical M/F romances.

There is other rep present of two boys in the musical having feelings for each other, which was adorable on its own. Like I mentioned above, the language used for different ballet moves or certain scenes from ballets was really beautiful. Even if I didn’t understand it completely because I don’t know much of anything about the art, the terminology and description and the way I saw it in my head when the characters would dance was just enchanting, so I really enjoyed it. It helped make the story beautiful.