Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Rachel Kapelke-Dale for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

A trio of ballerinas met as a students at the Paris Opera Ballet School. She became close friends and keep this friendship though years of school, performances and long distance as one of them took a placing in St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre as a choreographer. Many years later, they reunite in Paris and live through another tragedy that bonds them together even more than their past.

Rachel Kapelke-Dale raises awareness about the ballet as a cruel discipline, about the place of men and women, about their power and what is happening when nobody sees, how sexist and how elite the whole establishment is. The relationship between powerful people (directors, board, etc) and dancers, friendship and betrayal, love and hate - the ballet is a little world within the whole world with its own rulers, benefactors and victims.

I think the message that the author tried to relay is powerful and very important. I have never thought about the issues she mentioned within a ballet world. What I saw was a perfect picture of the stage, performance, but I have never gave a though what was underneath all that. For making me ask questions and listen - I am eternally grateful to Rachel Kapelke-Dale.

Character-wise I think the author did a decent job, the girls came alive through pages, they lived and laughed, did some trouble and then payed for it. They seemed real - I could easily imagine this trio in any school. Plot-wise it was ok, with flashbacks and present narration the story built itself to be quite solid and interesting. I can't say I was always super engaged with it, it was just fine.

I am looking forward to read more work by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.

This is a book about more than ballerinas. It's about friends, secrets, and how powerful time can be.

The book wasn't extremely surprising, but it was entertaining none-the-less. We've all heard the stories of what ballerinas are willing to do to be the best. The women in this book are no different. Things are never the same when you return home. You cannot visit the past, but the past is always applicable in the present. I think this is painfully obvious in this book. I enjoyed the characters as well as the plot twist. Looking forward to seeing what comes next.

If you enjoy dancing and dark books, this is perfect for you.

I loved this fast-paced psychological thriller. Kapelke-Dale sheds a light on the world of professional dance and uncovers the ugliness behind the tulle and satin. Elite performers exist in another plane, single-minded and selfish to the outside world, but the author made the women relatable. She explores the dark side of ambition, the complexity of female friendship, and the power struggle between men and women. My only quibble with the book was the in the dramatic climax at the end—it was a bit over the top. But it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of this absorbing read!

I enjoy a well written book about the arts. When I saw the ballerinas on the cover I just knew I had to pick it up. This is my first by this author and she did not disappoint. I enjoyed the storyline and the character development. Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this - it was like a "what if the girls from Center Stage continued on with their careers" book haha. I listened to the audiobook and found it easy to keep up with the back and forth timelines. I was interested in each girl and their individual problems and I really enjoyed seeing how a prestigious company would handle a #metoo scandal.

I also liked the additional layering of how men see women as objects, even when they appear to be respectful of their careers. Sure, not all men are like that, but I find it highly believable that Jack, Daniel & Dimitri would think of their own egos and wants before any woman's. (Sorry if I'm misspelling any character names. No idea since I listened to the audiobook.)

I was also satisfied with the ending - it was somehow all wrapped up and somehow not, and yet, that was totally fine. I liked that through it all, the good and the bad, Delphine, Lindsay, and Margeaux continued to really see each other.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did but I really did. It was an informative look into the world of ballerinas, and while every character had major flaws that stuck out, everyone was memorable in their own way. The dual timelines provided insight into the character developments of the main characters, particularly Delphine, the narrator of the story. The ending threw me off a great deal, though, and there were some parts of the books that felt more unrealistic, particularly in the last 3-4 chapters of the book that didn't leave a great taste in the mouth but I still would recommend this book to others. You'd enjoy this if you're a ballet-enthusiast, if you enjoy settings in Paris, and character-driven books on complexity of long-term female friendships.

The Ballerinas was my first book by this author, and I definitely recommend it! It was difficult to put down and I stayed up way too late to keep reading.

The Ballerinas was one of my most anticipated reads of the year ever since I saw the ballerinas on the cover when it became available on Netgalley. I was super excited to have received a copy from BookSparks! I will say, I loved the imagery of Paris an The Paris Opera Ballet throughout the book. The author has a way of making you feel like you're in the studio, on the stage and dancing in the book. The challenges Delphine, Margaux and Lindsay face are all too real and represent the real issues in the dance world. I liked how the characters were written and the back and forth between the timelines worked for me and added to the dimension of the book. I REALLY wanted to absolutely fall in love with this book but in the end I found it a bit predictable. Maybe that's because I was a ballerina myself and I know all too well the types of scandals and horrors that happen in the ballet world? I'd still recommend this book I'm just not sure what genre I would have it fall under.

Everything beautiful has an ugly side.

Delphine has long since moved on from her ballet dancing career, preferring to bring her ideas to life rather than embodying someone else's. She jumps at the chance to return to the Paris Opera Ballet as a choreographer, ready to be independent after working closely with her ex-boyfriend in Russia. Reunited with her best friends Margaux and Lindsay, Delphine can't help but feel awkward and out of place, crushed under the weight of a secret that could ruin them. The ballet company swells with secrets, tensions, competition and the darker side of the industry. Greatness comes with a price, and losing it could cost them everything.
I chose to read this eARC and listen to the audiobook at the same time. I really loved reading about the ballet dancing and imagining it in my mind. I have always had an appreciation for the beauty of ballet, despite knowing that the performing arts industry harbours a hidden darkness. The characters in this story were passionate and driven, and I felt they were very well portrayed. Ell Potter was the narrator for this audiobook and I found her voice very soothing and relaxing. I liked how she changed her voice for different characters and how perfectly the voices went with their personalities. I really appreciated this novel's strong messages about female empowerment, strength, friendship, and forgiveness. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys powerful women's fiction.

This one was a tough one to rate..it truly is a 3.5, and I imagine if you love ballet, it would be even higher.

This was written BEAUTIFULLY. Even as someone who isn't into ballet, I felt myself immersed into this culture and never felt like I didn't understand what was happening because the author did such a great job of going over it all...BUT that also meant that I really felt like the first 40% of the book was nothing but ballet talk-plot development for sure, but I kept questioning myself...okay, how is this a mystery-how is this a thriller? Then you hit about 60% in the book and everything starts to unravel. It almost felt like it was two separate books. But I did enjoy that last 40% of it and that's what led me to put my rating right in the middle.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this book for an honest review.

I loved the ballet aspect of the story and I was fine with the unlikeable characters because I expected them to be unlikeable. However, this book has so much crazy drama in it that I just wanted it to end. Way too much of a rollercoaster ride of drama. However, even though this book was quite for me, I would recommend to fans who like their books heavy on the drama that's a bit over-the-top!

This was not my cup of tea despite the description having me think it was right up my alley. I came in expecting a thriller in the ballet world, but it was a rather convoluted story with minimal thrills. I found this to be a bit boring at times, which was 50-75 pages longer than it needed to be. It was alright, but I didn’t really enjoy this one. 3 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting book. I was drawn in by the premise of students at the Paris Opera Ballet, but it very quickly felt like a soap opera. If something dramatic could happen, it did. It wasn't for me, but I do think that there are definitely people who would enjoy it!

So many books too little time…after the first couple of chapters I gave up because nothing happens. And I have a massive TBR list so I DNF this book.
I feel disappointed because the blurb promises an exciting and suspenseful story and I guess if I was more patient I would’ve reached the exciting part but I’m not. If a story cannot pull me in after the first 2 or 3 chapters it probably won’t at all.
I really can’t give an honest review becuase there is nothing for me review just after the first 20%.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was excited to get my hands on this after reading the blurb. My sister was heavily involved in dance when she was growing up so I wanted to get a behind the scenes look at the competition and back stabbing that can go on. Unfortunately this ended up being much darker than I anticipated. There were some cruelties that seemed to be added for shock factor more than how I think the characters would have actually acted. There is also a lot of cursing which is a big turn off for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy in exchange for an honest review. The Ballerinas has an absolutely gorgeous cover that reminds me so much of a Degas painting. The book was a slow burn and it took some time for me to get into it. It's an intriguing look into a prestigious ballet school in Paris, and relationships forged there. The book was marketed as a thriller, but I wouldn't really call it that. I didn't end up loving this one.

Rachel Kapelke-Dale's debut novel, The Ballerinas, offers an excoriating view of ballet as an industry, an artform, a calling and a passion. It's the story of three women in the Paris Opera Ballet and how dance shapes their friendship, bodies, lives and, ultimately, understanding of themselves as women.

As the only daughter of one of the most legendary ballerinas in Paris, Delphine has lived and breathed ballet from birth: "Dance is what I do. It was as simple, and as messed up, as that." Ballet school is where she meets her childhood best friends Lindsay and Margot; the POB company is where they grow their friendship as women; and dance is what ultimately brings Delphine back to Paris after 13 years spent choreographing in Russia.

Kapelke-Dale trained in classical ballet, and her deep understanding of this world is evident in the nuanced way she captures complex tensions: between Delphine and her estranged friends, between the company and the dancers they employ, between the female ballerinas who shine and the men, as required by the artform, who "show them off," between an individual's love of dance and the sacrifice it demands. "We'd honed ourselves for so many years into something resembling perfection.... It was about taking our strength and making it pliable, supple, compliant." The Ballerinas reveals with sharp insights what happens when talented and passionate dancers like Delphine and her friends reject that compliance: the strength of the women they are and the friendships they have built, and the beauty of the dance they perform both on stage and off, and what it takes not merely to survive but to shine. --Kerry McHugh, freelance writer

Discover: A debut novelist offers cutting insights into ballet as an industry in this story of three ballerinas, their friendship and the lengths to which they pursue their love of dance.

Delphine, Margaux and Lindsay have been best friends since attending the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet school. Following their story in alternating timelines - past and present - we learn of a secret that Delphine and Margaux kept form Lindsay when they were young that has impacted all of their lives in a myriad of ways.

I have always admired people who have the discipline that it takes to get really REALLY good at something, and ballerinas definitely have that quality. I found it fascinating to learn of all of the little details about professional dance behind the scenes.

The characters and the character development were excellent, they were highly believable. I do wish that the author had given a bit more depth to Margaux's character, but otherwise I loved them and felt connected with them.

I don't think that this book should be marketed as a mystery. There were little moments of mystery, but overall I felt like it was a beautiful contemporary story about women, womanhood and power, and friendship. I will look for more from this author in the future, thank you for the ARC!

I loved being immersed in the world of ballet! It was easy to lose myself in the character's stories and to understand how intense career ballerinas can feel and how isolating being in that world can be.

This novel takes readers into the world of professional ballet, with all its intricacies and cut throat competition. The story begins when the main characters are girls, and continues to follow them into adulthood. This is a good women's read, with interesting themes and characters (and a secret), particularly for those who want to read about the arts and the world of professional dance. This book does contain profanity.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest read. The opinions expressed here are my own.