I have nothing but praise for this book! The Other Side of Perfect was a perfect read. I read it so quickly and was extremely hooked to the story.

‘Scars and steel don’t decide if you’re a dancer or not.’

I loved the themes of recovery and growth throughout this. The book begins with Alina in the hospital room where she is told she won’t ever be able to dance like she used to. This news completely shatters her hopes and dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. This book deals with her feelings of anger, depression, and her other thoughts and feelings as she goes through this transition of trying to adjust to life without ballet. I thought the author dealt with this amazingly and I felt very attached to Alina’s journey and her emotional growth. After the first chapter, there is about a 5-month time jump, and Alina is attending her school for full days rather than half days for the first time. Her school friend Margot has encouraged her to try out for the school musical and she overcomes some fear of dancing again. It was heartbreaking to read that she had stopped replying to her best friend Colleen, as she was struggling to come to grasps with not being able to dance on pointe again.

‘Not everything is so broken it has to stay that way, Alina. Some things, you can fix.’

I really liked how this book was not solely about romance (even though I am a sucker for that), there were very important messages about racism in dance, and racism in general. Alina is Asian-American and by the end of the book she learns how to stand up for herself and call people out on their blatant racism. Alina had previously overlooked racism in dance because of her love for it, and it isn’t until she is out of that situation where she can truly reflect on her experience.

‘I should have kissed you when I wanted to kiss you.’

I loved the growing relationship between Alina and Jude, who is facing struggles of his own after his Dad left. This book is so much more than your average YA contemporary, and I am obsessed with it. I loved the messages throughout, and it made me feel very emotional. If you read any YA romance this year, make sure it is this one!

I don’t even know where to begin with this book, it touched me in so many aspects, I cannot even try to explain them all. And oh my, this book made me soo emotional I cannot. But first can we have a moment of appreciation for the book cover and how accurately it describes the essence of this book. Not gonna lie while reading this book, I was fully getting the feels of an ongoing series or drama. I cannot even begin to piece together my feelings.
I freaking loved all the characters, okay? Except maybe Kira. But omg Alina, Josie, Jude, Ethan, Margot, Colleen, Diya, Harrison, Laney, Adi, Birdie all very sooo truly beautiful and amazing and they just made this story touch me so much more!

Dance has been always a very integral part throughout my life, so it was natural for me to attach to this story. And by attach, I mean obsessed in such a way that I was honestly just thinking and talking about it (well, the fact that there was a South Asian rep with my same name did not help me… I now feel how truly uncomfortable it is to have one’s name in books :’ ) anywhere possible. Alina is a character that is extremely relatable because it is not easy to lose something you worked years on to building. Especially when it comes to professional arts, any form really, hours and hours are put into it and the fact that you will not be as perfect as you were before, is truly terrifying. And the particular thing about this book was how it was separate from the common trope of romance uk? The main character knew what she wanted with her life and was grieving her loss for it.

The Anger, Jealousy, Hate, Desperation – all those things combined made this book even more difficult but also so, I don’t know how to explain it, real? It is hard to believe that everyone’s life is always put together. What pained me most was the relationship that had developed between Alina and Josie, her younger sister. The jealousy she felt was so raw and real in the beginning, it really hurt. And then there was Alina and Colleen… You could see how much desperate Alina was to be with her, talk to her again but she couldn’t somehow do it. Her character development is sooo amazing, like AAAHHH!

And then there is Jude… it is honestly difficult to picturize him being like a real human being. HOW CAN ANYONE BE SO GOOD AND SWEET? I am genuinely still trying to grasp about it but he, as a person, was definitely one of the characters I would want to be friends with. And oh my, his character development is also something I rooted for so much. And then there’s all the other side characters that just blow my mind away. For a debut novel, this one was soo amazing and I am truly hoping to read more works by the author!

Rep: Japanese-American (ownvoices), Black SC, Latinx SC, m/m side romance
*Trigger Warnings: Microaggressions, Racism, Strained relationship, MC dealing with anger and depression

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Books for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars rounded up!

Oh em gee, this one got me good in the feels and it was completely unexpected?! Mariko Turk's debut is a beautifully written, deeply emotional YA contemporary that explores many important themes that I thought were handled so well. Alina's story is one of grief, friendship, love, finding happiness and the power of standing up for yourself and for what's right, It was so hard to put this book down and the story ends perfectly and left me feeling *so* happy and satisfied!

There were so many elements in this that I loved: relatable characters, hilarious and heartwarming friendships, a gender stereotype defying, adorable and swoon-worthy love interest, realistic family (particularly sibling!) relationships and really enjoyable and believable character growth. This is my second time reading a YA set in high school around the production of a musical and I have to say that I really like this setting. I love the acting and dancing scenes, the new friendships and bond that grows between those who have to spend so much time learning and performing together. Turk's writing also flowed off the page seemingly effortlessly, especially when it came to the passages about dance and ballet—the words radiated with such passion that it was hard to not get caught up in the beauty of the art.

The story is told from Alina's perspective. When we're introduced to her she is full of bitter jealous rage as a result of losing her life-long dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. She has essentially walled off the world so that she can sit in her misery and pain, not only physically but mentally and emotionally. There are many times when she lets the anger take over and although she feels guilty for lashing out, she justifies it because she's so lost in her grief. Characters like Alina usually put me off because they tread a fine line of being horrendously unlikeable or passing redeemable, so I was surprised when I found myself rooting for her from very early on.

Even though I was a swimmer in school, I participated in several musicals but neither was I so highly competitive or absorbed by either of these extracurricular activities, so it wasn't that I related to Alina's character on that level. However, I think her passion for ballet and drive to succeed at something she's pursued her whole life is something many can relate to. What Alina experiences would be harrowing for anyone especially when they're so intensely passionate about a thing as she was for ballet. It was easy to put myself in her shoes even during those times she would lash out negatively because it was such a realistic reaction and on top of that, the guilt, confusion and self-doubt she now feels in trying to move forward make it so easy to be empathetic to her situation. I thought Turk handles the processing of grief and loss (both with Alina and another character, no spoilers!) very well throughout the whole book—there's no end journey when everything suddenly becomes perfect like before but that change is okay and not a bad thing. I also really enjoyed Alina's growth in terms of acknowledging the uglier side of ballet and confronting the prejudices and racism she experienced as an Asian-American. There are many ways that Alina grows throughout the story and it's never rushed as she is given the space to reflect and learn in her own time and terms but ultimately seeing her find peace and her spark again was so satisfying!

The side characters also didn't suffer from a lack of development and personality. I really liked Alina's friendship with Margot, Ethan and Jude! Jude was my favourite and the romance! Ah, *chefs kiss*! I loved the comfort and friendship they built that slowly turned into more. I found myself giggling as if I was a high school girl again because Jude was just... perfectly adorable. So sweet, considerate and sensitive. I absolutely loved what we learned of his character and seriously, we need more love interests like Jude, please and thanks! I also really appreciated the realistic portrayal of the sibling relationship between Alina and Josie. They bicker and hurt each other but they also care deeply and it was nice to see Alina allow herself to be more vulnerable in front of her younger sister. There were times when I felt the characters thought or acted more maturely than a teenager would (I sometimes had to remind myself this was high school lol) but it personally wasn't so unrealistic that it took me completely out of the story.

Needless to say, Mariko Turk's debut really took me by surprise in the best way possible! This YA contemporary was so full of heart. I love when a book can send me down a Google rabbit hole researching things that I'm reading about and that happened here and it was very illuminating. While Turk's messages came across quite strong at times, I think the intended audience (and everyone, really) will be able to easily relate to the messages. I'm so looking forward to reading more by Turk in the future!

A fascinating exploration of what happens after your biggest dream is snatched away from you in a moment. Alina is a relatable and endearing character, grieving for the life she wanted so badly, while struggling to come to terms with the dark side of ballet. Mariko Turk expertfully delves into complex feelings around the competitiveness and racism in the ballet world making us feel deeply for Alina on every page. I also have a soft spot for Jude and Alina's parents, who are so warm and fun.

Alina Keeler’s life is in shambles the day her leg is shattered. Right from the prologue, it was just waves of upsetting emotions from Alina. She doesn’t know who she is without ballet when it had been her everything her whole life. No longer able to be a professional ballerina, Alina needs to adjust to being a regular school teen.

Confronting her fear head-on was never an option. Afraid of what life means now, Alina rejected all kinds of possibilities. She wallowed in her own room eating chips and watching ballet clips during the summer and refused to connect with anyone properly. Even though she made friends with Margot, Ethan and Jude, she didn’t want to be too close so she opted out from meeting them outside of school and refusing to talk anything personal including her past with ballet.

While Alina reflects upon her time with ballet, she slowly recognized the embedded racism in something that she loved wholeheartedly. Never was Alina and Colleen, her best friend, chosen for the main parts in performances despite being perfect for the roles. Even when they questioned their instructor, the answer would always be because the girls are lacking in some ways and never that because of the color of their skins. I liked that she gradually started to develop her own opinion about the racism that she faced in ballet.

The romance was definitely adorable. Jude’s the most sensitive, charming, and gentlest boy ever. It’s not a surprise that Alina would fall for him. What’s unexpected is how easily Alina could talk to Jude about her injury and the devastating consequences of her fall. His responses to her anxiousness and fear are adorable and sweet. Beneath his happy-go-lucky and sunshine disposition, Jude struggles with issues around his father who had been quite absent in his life and has all sorts of “manly” expectations such as wanting Jude to play lacrosse instead of being in a school theatre.

As Alina befriends Margot, Ethan, and Jude, she struggles with her jealousy towards Colleen, who she had been avoiding for months. While Colleen strives further into her ballet career, Alina’s stuck in the past unable to move on without being fully happy for her best friend.

Not only did The Other Side of Perfect focused on Alina creating different types of bonds with people, but it also highlighted the sibling relationship with Josie. Due to her hectic schedule as a ballerina in the past, Alina never really spent time with her younger sister. Now, she realizes how much she doesn’t know about Josie’s life and found herself blowing up on Josie more than before. I really liked how the sisters slowly grew closer with Josie being really straightforward about what she thoughts while Alina paid more attention to Josie.

Alina’s inability to cope with her shattered dream was painful and devastating to read. It must be such an unbearable experience. Despite her harsh words and refusal to be close to others, I liked Alina’s sense of self-awareness. She realized that everyone was being unfair to Diya, that she was being explosive of some of her closest people, and that she should call out the racism in ballet.

Her healing journey is an arduous and upsetting one in the beginning. However, Alina finds acceptance and courage eventually. Mariko Turk’s writing highlights the pain, unjust and anger that Alina experienced but also, brought out hope and light as Alina regains her courage and strength.

I really REALLY enjoyed this book and the main character, Alina. Her life has been nothing but ballet for as long as she could remember. She's dreamed of being a professional ballerina since she was a child and she's been determined to make that dream come true.. until she falls and is told that she'll never dance the same again.

What I loved most about this story and Alina was how Mariko Turk showed the anger we all feel but especially teens when it feels like your world is falling apart. I felt Alina's pain and her anger. I read her grief over losing who she always was and how hard it was for her to find herself again.

"It wasn't just my body that was broken.
My brain couldn't let go of what I'd lost.
And my heart - my heart clearly didn't work anymore. It was mean and jealous and awful, and it couldn't be fixed."

I feel like a lot of people won't give Alina a chance because of the way she comes off.. but if you do decide to pick this book up (which you SHOULD) then I hope you go into Alina's story putting yourself in her shoes. Think of how you would feel if you were to lose the most important part of yourself in a split second. Hold onto those feelings and see what a beautiful story Alina's is.

Highly recommend :)

My review contains information about my life because it's relevant to how I feel about the book.
I did ballet into my early teens. Unlike protagonist Alina I was never on the (pre)professional track. Also unlike Alina, I'm a huge musical theatre nerd (though I have very poor stage presence, so I wasn't involved in many school productions). Like Alina I had an injury that ended my teen dancing aspirations and took a major part of my life away.
Reading about Alina adjusting to "normal" life, finding new hobbies and friends, and going through her coming of age journey in the midst of such a huge life change was very personally touching. The fact that Mariko Turk addressed systemic racism in dance and the way some instructors train their students into submission and acceptance of historic wrongs was fantastic.
Even though Alina was a pretty horrible friend at times (I think most of us have been, especially as teens), seeing her with her friends and resolve issues brought me joy.
I was also happy that even though there are multiple romantic relationships brewing they don't overwhelm the platonic ones.
A truly fantastic read (and I'm now going to be guest hosting in June with this as the book for the ballet book club I'm part of).

This book has such satisfying growth in it. It's not overly cheesy or preachy. It's just teens realizing that they can change as they grow up. This author is very good at referencing media and describing what is important about that media so readers can appreciate its connection to the story. A very satisfying ending.

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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The original premise of The Other Side of Perfect is very unique and intriguing. Luckily, the execution was done quite well. I loved the talk about racism in the ballet industry. It's something you never hear about, so I'm beyond happy the issue was addressed.

Our main character Alina Keeler is going through a rough patch. Due to an injury in her leg, she can't dance Ballet anymore. At first, I thought she was unnecessarily rude and judgmental. Eventually, as time passes, Alina learns to grow from her experiences. Towards the end, I started to admire her character much more than I did when I first started reading the book.

The side characters were all quite diverse and intriguing. Unfortunately though, Alina's best friend Margot was infuriating and annoying. Throughout the whole book, she's mean and crude to others for no reason. Thankfully, our main character's other friends are all very sweet. Each of the characters go through development, and change throughout the novel. That's actually one of the reasons why I'm rating The Other Side of Perfect higher. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the dynamic between Alina and her younger sister Josie. It felt realistic and raw. Can we also talk about the fact that the bullies in the novel are named Jake and Paul. Okay social commentary, I see you.

I'm not going to lie, the dialogue wasn't my thing. I couldn't connect with it much, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It just wasn't for me.

In addition, the writing was just okay. It wasn't very engaging, and thus bored me a bit. However, the author crafted Alina in a way that made her feel very three dimensional. Mariko Turk successfully created a character that actually felt like a teenager. The story is told through Alina's perspective, and is done very well. She's a morally grey character that's a teensy bit selfish. But you can't help but like her! The author captures Alina's emotions and sentiments perfectly!

The overall enjoyment level of The Other Side of Perfect is well, fine. The first 70% was quite boring and repetitive. Luckily, the last 30% was very enjoyable! If you're looking for a coming of age novel on dance, racism, and grief, than this is definitely the book for you!

---Overall Rating---

Age Rating: 14 and up
TW: Profanity
Final Rating: 7.5/10 or 3.75 stars

Firstly, a huge thank you to the publishers and TBR and Beyond Tours for the opportunity to be able to read the arc for this book, I really appreciate it.

The main character is Alina who is a ballerina (notice the rhyme) but after an accident leaves her with an injured ankle, her hopes of professional dancing are all but lost and she has to become a normal teenager again and attends high school full time. To her the world has ended which seems a little dramatic. With the help of a new friend, she gets involved with the school musical and starts to find a love of something new, something that can take away the pain of losing dancing forever. Issues such as guilt, jealousy and racism are addressed by the main character and she strives to move past it all and into a new life for herself.

I found it a little hard to relate to the main character, possibly because I was a swimmer and not a dancer and competition was not something I was interested in either, it was just a sport and hobby for me so I cannot relate to someone who create their whole life around a sport. It did not stop me from enjoying it though, I thought that some very interesting points were brought up within this book and the writing was very well written.

It is set in the real world in a realistic as possible high school, with the usual drama that accompanies this type of setting. The characters each had their own personalities which was nice but possibly could have had a bit more depth to some of them but the overall growth was appreciated. Some annoyance was felt towards certain characters, I will not name names so that you can have your own opinion of these but I will say that it most books will have characters you do not get along with so this is not new. I was not really feeling the love interest in here either but I guess this was less about love and more about personal growth for me.

I recommend picking up a copy and have a read of this book for yourself and see what you think. Let me know.

** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley.

Alina was on her way to becoming a professional ballet dancer when one fall shatters her leg. From the beginning of the novel, we see Alina struggle to move on to something new. Alina reads but does not reply to texts from her best friend, Colleen, and sort of half-way attends school all day every day for the first time in years. A new friend, Margot, convinces her to audition for Singing in the Rain at school and she meets Jude, a boy who she can't help feeling connected to.

Throughout the novel, we come to know Alina's struggle with losing her dream. She had worked on ballet solely for years with the intent of being professional. When it all falls through, Alina isn't sure how to deal with it. Her sister, a more modern dancer, tries to get Alina to see the racism behind a few of her parts. One of the things I really enjoyed was Alina's growth. While the beginning is hard to read, Alina makes you understand what it is to be completely passionate about something. It also helps that she sees this passion in others as well.

The friendships that we see and the author's intent of making friendship a big part of this book is really what drives it. All of the characters struggle to be themselves and also to be a good friend to each other. I loved Jude and his honest discussions of his father and how he knows it affects his relationships with friends and ex girlfriends. I think this book really delves into emotional maturity and how we should strive to find it as adolescents and adults.

I recommend this book to those who love musical theater, ballet, and overcoming intense pressure and injury.

It'd be a lie to say that I had low expectations for this. After all, it combined two of my biggest interests--dance and racism, so how could I not be interested! This was a delightful exploration of love and a journey full of grief that ends with a breathtaking finale.

The Other Side of Perfect follows Alina, a biracial high schooler who used to do ballet. She struggles with the sudden loss of dance, unable to move on from that once-major part of her life. As she learns to live without ballet, she reflects back on her dance career cut short ad faces the racism she had grown to accept.

Of all the things to love about this book, I found Alina herself the most narratively interesting. She was an incredible character who was so well-written and I enjoyed reading through her point of view immensely. Her emotions and thoughts were felt clearly, and I was in awe of her resilience. As she remembers the past, memories from her ballet career illustrate Alina's doubts on what might be offensive, but is actually just blatant racism, and you can't help but root for her in the end.

Jude, an optimistic boy who still misses his dad years after he left, and Alina, a cynical former ballet dancer who's struggling to find her place in the world again, find each other. Their relationship is surprisingly not one focused on romance, but one about healing, and both of them eventually realizing that love is undeniably real.

The Other Side of Perfect immerses you into the beautiful, wondrous world of dance, but also sheds light on the presence of racism that still impacts dancers of color today.

I really loved this. The story, the characters, everything felt very real and raw. It didn't immediately impress me, but Alina's trauma, how she deals with it, and the introduction to a new environment and people keep you interested.

Alina overall was a well-written character. Teenagers are not the easiest characters to write, but I'll say Mariko did a fantastic job. Alina was relatable, even if you're not a dancer. The way she reacted to the trauma from her leg injury and her dreams of being a ballerina felt real. She doesn't get over it immediately, but she also doesn't dwell on it forever. Seeing Alina slowly recover and accept what her life is now and how she can never go back was satisfying. This was character development done right. Sure she makes mistakes and catches herself backtracking, but what teenager doesn't. We all make them, even when we realize we're wrong anyway.

I also really like Jude. He was such a cute character and perfect in getting Alina out of her shell. I'm glad that there were layers to his character, but not too much where he becomes too complex because that would've been too much for the plot since there were enough feelings going on already. Also, the romance between him and Alina was absolutely adorable. I liked how well they were together and how their dynamic/relationship wasn't the most simple, but also wasn't really complex. It was just perfect. Aside from Jude, I also enjoyed the supporting characters as well. They don't have the most perfect relationships with Alina, but what teenagers do anyways? It's the imperfect relationships in the story that help Alina realize what she's been doing wrong with her life, and I'm glad things happened the way they did because they helped her grow a lot as a character.

I also really appreciated the racism that Mariko incorporated into the story. I've read books that included ballet before and this might be the first time racism, at least to this level, was involved. I don't really know much, or anything at all, about ballet, so this was an eye-opening experience for me. Mariko even tackled racism not only in ballet but also in school, because kids are kids and they say stupid things. I would say the more serious topics overall in this story were handled really well.

Overall, this was a beautiful book.

Alina Keeler used to be a talented ballet dancer who dreamed of getting into a summer intensive at the American Ballet Theater. But after she breaks her ankle in practice and can no longer dance en pointe, she has no choice but to go back to school full-time for her junior year and struggle to find another interest.
When her new friend Margot takes her to auditions for their school's production of Singin' in the Rain, Alina doesn't expect to meet anyone worth her time. She's never really had time for friends, and she doesn't know anything about the musicals they like. But when she does end up getting a part, she finds a whole new group where she's more than just "the girl who used to dance." She even befriends the female lead, Diya Rao, who her new friends don't like because she's too serious and focused, and finds herself wanting to be more than friends with the male lead, Jude Jeppson.
Meanwhile, Alina's younger sister, Josie, is almost relieved that Alina is done with ballet. Josie is a dancer too, but she takes more contemporary classes at a different studio. Alina realizes that while she loved ballet, she hasn't always been treated right by the sport. She and her friend Colleen (who is Black) were always overlooked for the lead roles, and those roles were given to the same two blonde white girls. And every year they performed the Nutcracker, Alina was always cast as "Chinese Tea" and Colleen as "Arabian Coffee," and they accepted the parts every time because their teacher convinced them that her decisions were always right.



Easily 5 stars. Yay for positive representation of musical theater! I've read too many books where the characters who like theater are antagonists, and the protagonist is shy and hates performing. This is the opposite of that! Alina is extremely dedicated to her work, and she and Diya both show that there is so much more to the "theater kid" stereotype. They're not here for anyone's bullshit. Alina convincing her friends to be more respectful to Diya was one of the best parts of the book. (Another favorite was when she stood up to the guys who kept saying racist and sexist things to her).
I always say we need more musical theater books, and this is the best one I've ever read. There's no "I'll just hide in the back of the chorus" here.

Alina is a high schooler whose life was once dedicated completely to ballet. After breaking her leg, she no longer can pursue ballet as a profession, sending her into a spiral of anger and frustration.

Alina enters normal school and decides to live life like a normal teenager but she still often thinks about ballet. Her once busy schedule is now clear and she finally has time to find her path again.

She decides to join the school musical and meets a great group of friends there. They help Alina cope with the loss of ballet and help her enjoy her last years of high school.

The author's portrayal of grief and hurt in Alina was great. I could feel the emotions that took over her and the struggle it was to not be able to do something she loved. It made her seem like a very real person.

The friendships between Alina, her little sister, and friends were complicated, but they showed the growth of Alina. At first, communicating with others was hard for her, but as the story went on, she slowly opened up towards everyone.

Overall, The Other Side of Perfect was an incredible story about a young dancer's recovery journey after an accident. Even though professional dance is no longer an option for Alina, she discovers other interests as we watch her character grow in the book.

**Review posted as part of TBR and Beyond Tours**

The Other Side of Perfect was a nuanced, raw, and honest look at a teenager’s life after her passion was ripped away from her.

And I loved it.

I was so impressed. This surpassed all my expectations. The story, the romance, the depth of Alina, were so amazing. I’m surprised this is the author’s first book.

The protagonist, Alina, was so incredibly realistic. Dance was her life. And she couldn’t do it anymore. So it makes sense that she’s angry, and sad and feels alone. Who wouldn’t? I loved how she was shown as not the nicest person. She can be a jerk sometimes, she can be rude, yet I still rooted for her the entire time. Mariko Turk portrays her feelings so perfectly so you understand her. She was real in a way that not many protagonists are. I can’t say I completely related to her, but a lot of people can, and I admire that the author did that.

Jude was adorable. He was Alina’s love interest, and he was so freaking cute. He was so sweet and understanding of Alina and she liked him but she didn’t like him and he liked her and AGH. I loved his loving of trampolines, green tea, baths, mysteries and knitting. He knits, everyone. How can you not love him?

I also loved Ethan and Margot. Ethan was so charming, and points to the author about the LGBTQ+ representation. And Margot was a badass, don’t argue with me.

I loved how the author explored competitive and talented people of color in a racist community. The author is up to the task when it comes to these issues. I liked the way Alina slowly realized that her dance teacher was stereotypical and racist when it came to ballet. Her eyes had been covered her entire life, and she was beginning to realize how serious it all really is.

I really enjoyed Alina’s budding friendship with Diya, a fellow cast member. Despite Jude, Ethan, and Margot hating Diya because she went to a singing competition instead of going to the dance with Jude (when they were dating), Alina is sympathetic towards Diya. You know why? Because Alina realizes that she would have done the same thing if it came to dance or a relationship. And I found that to be really interesting.

The romance between Jude and Alina was so good. I loved the way they met, and Alina holding up the finger to him, just because she was angry and he looked too happy.

I mean, don’t you love this romance?

All jokes aside, though, the romance was so sweet. Jude was so understanding of Alina, and he was so supportive, and such a great friend to Margot and Ethan. I loved their chemistry, and how they became friends despite Alina holding up the finger. I mean, how much better can this get?

The answer, is better. I don’t usually care about things like writing style, and this wasn’t super breathtaking or anything, but I really enjoyed it. The writing sounded like it was coming from a teenager, but it wasn’t juvenile or anything, which happens a lot in YA contemporary books. I loved the way the writing style helped portray the mood of the book and I liked how it showed Alina in a honest light. She wasn’t perfect. Just like anyone.

Overall, this was a great book. I’m looking forward to reading more of Mariko Turk.

Disclaimer: I got this book in exchange for an honest review. Full review will be up on my blog by May 11th.

This book is perfect for fans of the Disney movie Ice Princess! This is also ideal for fans of Sarrah Dessen and Mary H.K. Choi. Alina dreams of being a professional dancer but after a tragic incident she's no longer able to dance due to her leg injury. When she's forced to leave ballet for a normal high school life, Alina joins the school musical. When she's working on the musical, she gets to know her castmate, Jude. Jude is insufferable, but as Alina gets to know Jude she starts to fall hard. This book tackles dance and racism. I've never been a huge fan of dance, but I loved learning about it in The Other Side of Perfect! I highly recommend reading this and stay tuned for my blog review for a full review on this by May 11th.

link: https://linktr.ee/AmaniSalahudeen/

The Other Side of Perfect is a gorgeously constructed deep-dive into the world of of Alina, who sustains a career-ending injury and struggles to figure out who she is without ballet, which has been her sole passion and focus for most of her life. I think fans of Sarah Dessen will LOVE this novel.

Mariko Turk's writing is wonderful, and she explores this period in Alina's life with nuance and heart. There's a meaningful subplot where Alina deals with microaggressions that I thought was incredibly well-handled and informative. The romance was sweet and slow. But the real achievement here is how gradually Alina changes over the course of the novel, navigating relationships with friends, ex-friends, parents, her sister, even her ex-dance teacher, and I loved going on that journey with her.

I'm not a dancer myself, but I've always been fascinated by dance, and ballet in particular is so beautiful. I enjoy attending the ballet, but I also can't imagine the dedication that goes into pursuing it as a future career--or the complete devastation that would accompany having that dream crushed.

THE OTHER SIDE OF PERFECT by Mariko Turk explores that theme, as Alina shatters her leg in a way that means she can never dance on pointe again. She joins the school musical as a substitute, where she begins to make friends outside the world of ballet.

I found this story completely gripping. Alina's heartbreak was so real. At times as a reader I started to feel as frustrated with her as the other characters felt, until I would remember that she had lost her lifelong dream, and there's no time frame on moving through that sort of grief. There was an important theme throughout about the racism she and her best friend had faced within ballet and how to reconcile loving dance while still working toward a better future for it. (Alina is half-Japanese and her best friend is Black.) I also really enjoyed the supporting cast of characters, and the romantic story line was both adorable and had depth. The tension between Alina and Jude was off the charts!

A beautiful, nuanced portrait of a former pre-professional ballerina finding her way through full-time public school, friends, and the high school musical after a devastating injury dashes her ballet dreams. Absolutely magnificent.