The Ballerinas is Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s debut novel that follows the lives of three friends at the Paris Opera Ballet.

Delphine, Lindsay, and Margaux were best friends since joining POB, but something happened when they were younger that caused Delphine to leave Paris. Now to make things right, she wants to choreograph her own ballet.

I used to take ballet so I was excited to jeté (leap) into this book. I could picture the dancers on stage and in classes while listening to it. However, I honestly struggled with the nonlinear timeline. This book would have been better if it wasn’t all over the place and started when the girls were 13 and went straight through to when they were 27. The way it was written was hard to follow.

This book is listed as a thriller which is not what I would consider it. There were no big pirouettes (twist and turns) and honestly I didn’t find the storyline thrilling at all. There is a bit of a mystery, but it wasn’t hard to figure out. I would consider this more women’s fiction because the primary storyline is the friendship between the three main characters.

Overall, I think this is a good book for ballet lovers like myself, but I’m not sure it’s a must read for anyone though. There are some content warnings for this book including statutory rape, cancer, and abortion.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for me honest review.

Don't be fooled by this voice-driven slow burn — it's so worth sticking with especially when it comes ablaze. What I thought was yet another thriller about toxic female friendships and damaged women turned out to be a well-crafted feminist read full of rage and power.

I have to admit: I was put off by the lukewarm reviews and took my time with this book, reading it in small bits every day. But this is exactly the kind of book that should be savoured slowly.

The protagonist, Delphine, had me yoyo-ing throughout. Sometimes I rooted for her and wanted so much for her, other times I was frustrated by her decisions. I also loathed what a crappy friend she was and her lack of self-awareness, with the minuscule character development she displayed coming too little and too late.

Yet at the same time, I found this to be a solid suspense novel and an incredibly satisfying read. I also particularly loved the Parisian setting. Even more fascinating was all the insight into the ballet industry as well as what dancers endure at every level.

Perhaps this book suffered from being marketed as a twisty thriller (it isn't), but I think it's rather misunderstood and deserves to be appreciated for what it is.

One of the things I learned last year is how much I love coming of age stories, and The Ballerinas is beautifully written, gritty coming of age story about three women in Paris.

"'I mean, you're not in charge of anything, all right? The only thing you're in charge of is your own body.'
You start out as a whole and then you break.'"

Delphine, Margaux and Lindsay are three girls who meet at the Paris Opera Ballet as pre-teens. All three girls are talented and hungry to succeed. And while this book is about ballet, it's also about so much more. It's about love and friendship and success and failure and what it means to be a woman and what it means to be a woman in a world of men. I love when a writer is able to take a subject that is so beautiful and expose all the hard ugliness of it, and Kapelke-Dale does that brilliantly.

"I wanted to show how even your wildest expectations--the handsome prince, the fairy-tale romance--they can all come true. And they can still ruin your life."

I knew as soon as I saw the cover of this one that I wanted to read it, and I'm so glad I did. This book was a perfect combination of two books I loved--The Brittanys by Brittany Ackerman and The Turnout by Megan Abbott. I can't wait to read more by Kapelke-Dale.

Delphine, Margaux and Lindsay are three dancers at the Paris Opera Ballet. They came up through the school together and joined the company together. Then something happens, Delphine moves to St Petersburg for 13 years and Margaux and Lindsay go on with their lives in Paris. The story starts as Delphine moves back to Paris to become a choreographer at POB. The chapters alternate between past and present. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. All three women were intriguing and had a lot going on. I didn't like that the plot moves so slowly through the middle that it almost lost me. And I also got lost sometimes in Delphine's ruminating about women and society and life in general. I just couldn't always follow her thought process. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend to others, especially if you like ballet.

The Ballerinas has a beautiful cover and the makings of a fun mystery set in the cut throat world of ballet however this one didn’t work for me.

I couldn’t get past the heavy ballet jargon to get into the story. The back and forth timeline and hint at a mystery wasn’t enough to keep me invested in the story so i decided to DNF.

Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest regicide.

Interesting novel about the complexities of female friendships set against the world of ballet. The story flips back and forth between the past and present in the lives of three friends who met while at a Paris ballet school. I definitely liked the depth of the story-I give it three stars though because there were times when the MC Delphine was just not likeable. I don't understand why the character of Stella was introduced just for the MC to treat her like dirty bathwater. Plus if these women are your closest friends (the other two ballerinas), why move to Russia and basically ignore them for 12 years? Still all in all, an interesting read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest (albeit late) review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I requested this book because it sounded suspenseful, with a helping of added drama, but as I read, I'm only finding the drama. I stopped at 23.7%.

This book switches between two timelines: 1999, and 2018. Both focus on Delphine and how her life intertwines with ballet: first at a student at a prestigious school, and later when she works as a choreographer - both in France. There are loads of different relationship dynamics, but the main theme seems to be drama and hurting people, which isn't what I had hoped to get from this. I could power through and I feel like it might get better, but right now, this isn't for me.

#TheBallerinas:

“You go through your whole life thinking you’re a good person, and then it turns out you’re someone else”

It reminded me more of Center Stage (but darker) than Black Swan. This solid group of friends with their drama, centered around ballet. But, boy is there drama. It’s a competitor world, where if you’re not willing to cut the competition, they’ll cut you.

It’s such a dark read of perfection and of revenge. I really enjoyed the 3 women’s relationship and how they grew apart, but were desperate to get back together. They all have secrets and have horrible taste in men, so why not.

I actually really enjoyed this one. It’s a little under 300 pages, and I flew through it. There’s a lot of technical detail about the ballet world that I really enjoyed. It is listed as a thriller, which I can’t really agree with. I think it’s more fiction with a dash of suspense. If I frame it that way, I think I enjoyed it a lot more and wasn’t waiting for the “thrill” part. We do have a quite a few TWs, so please do research before you pick up this book.

If you’re a fan of Center Stage or All The Girls Are So Nice Here, The Ballerinas is for you. Thank you so much St. Martins for the gifted copy! The Ballerinas is out now!

Delighted to include this thriller in December’s Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s top fiction for Zoomer magazine’s books section. (feature is online at related link)

Wow, this book really captured my attention. I loved the character development, scenery description, and storytelling. I found myself reading late at night. I thought the author did a great making the reader feel as if he or she were part of the ballet or walking the streets of Paris. What a heart-wrenching life journey, these three friends went on to become ballerinas. Highly recommend this one to a friend!

Thank you toRachel Kapelke-Dale, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Ballerinas is a story of Delphine and her close knit friends at the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet. A place where it is expected that one’s goal is to be the most exquisitely poised and talented in any given ballet production. A place where you are a pawn, a target, and you’re only as good as your last performance. There is no room for weakness or mistakes.

This story is told in duel timelines: Delphine and her close friends as teens/young adults and a secret that must stay buried AND in the present a 36 year old Delphine, now a choreographer who has a tense reunion with old ballet friends.

What to expect: This story - along with any story or movie about the ballet world - is dark, menacing, and is filled with jealousy and secrets.
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Honest talk: I have to admit, I struggled with this book. After about 30% through, I temporarily abandoned it, read 2 other books, and started this one all over. The second time around was definitely better.

There was a lot about this book that I really enjoyed. Such as the intimate look into the lives of these impressive athletes and the multiple timelines which kept the pace exciting. I liked Delphine's narrative voice and inner monologue.

What I didn't like was the huge build up to The Thing that Delphine and Margaux did which I definitely saw coming and the huge role that having children ended up playing near the end of the story.

Overall I think it was good, only I didn't like it as much as I had hoped I would. I was not this book's ideal reader but I am sure it is something that others will enjoy greatly.

The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Delphine, Margaux and Lindsay are best friends and fiercely competitive as ballerinas with the Paris Opera Ballet (POB) company in France.

Delphine narrates, and her story takes us to the past and back, as the young girls eventually age out and face new dilemmas. We see the love the girls have for one another, the trials and victories they share, and the toughness it takes to be a professional ballerina.

Men? The girls have a smaller platform from which to choose, but manage to find some companions. Not everything is as it may seem, however.

If you dance, appreciate classical ballet or just enjoy a good story, this book is for you.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press

Ok. I haven’t had to write a review like this for awhile. Wow. This booked sucked. It was just not good you guys. I was under the impression it was a thriller so I kept thinking something was going to happen…it’s NOT A THRILLER DON’T LET THEM TRICK YOU and yes, there was a murder but it was stupid. I should have DNF’d but I didn’t, so I guess that’s my fault!

‘The Ballerinas’ is about some catty, bitchy, self absorbed ballerinas, Delphine, Margaux and Lindsay. These three dancers are friends (although you wouldn’t know it because they’re so mean to each other) at the Paris Opera Ballet. Competitiveness rears an ugly head, etc etc. Then flash forward 20 some years later and everyone is old and trying to keep dancing and/or trying to rekindle friendships? I don’t know, I don’t really care. 😂🙃

The book was just so disjointed. Like, wait? Is this a revenge book? Is this book about friendship? Is this book about feminism/girl power? Is it about ballet? I don’t know. I guess a little bit of all of that but not like, enough to be any of that. At 64% I was like ok now we’re getting somewhere, by 94% I’m like that’s it? Ok.

Anywho, if you want to read a book about bitchy people watch Mean Girls instead, at least that’s funny!! Or if you want dancers, watch Black Swan because that movie is dark and awesome and this book ISN’T.

Put on your pointe shoes and pointe yourself to towards another book because this 👏🏼AIN’T👏🏼 IT.👏🏼

But you want to know what I did like? This pretty cover. I also like how the cover matches my new BEAUTIFUL bookmarks from @bookedwithbecca. They are so nice. I figured I should start using bookmarks instead of receipts or pencils… or chocolate bars.

Well, I can’t like EVERY book that comes my way but I always appreciate gifted books, so I want to thank @NetGalley and St Martins Press for this advanced digital copy. I won’t be tagging the publisher or author because I hated it so much. 😁 xoxo.

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I will read any book or watch any TV show about ballerinas with hidden pasts or agendas, and this one did not disappoint. Delphine, Margaux and Lindsay came of age together at the Paris Opera Ballet, and 20 years later, their lives have taken various twists and turns that bring them all back together. Delphine is choreographing a ballet with Lindsay as the star, and Margaux is struggling with family. Together, they navigate the always cutthroat world of ballet, each other, their pasts, and the men in their lives. Always surprising and never slow, "The Ballerinas" will keep you awake reading late into the night.

4 stars

As a female performer, The Ballerinas certainly hits close to home in its exploration of female friendships tempered by professional jealousies, the male gaze, and the politics behind the art we see.

It certainly starts out with a bang as our yet-unknown narrator tells us that someone will die by her hand before the book is done. From there, we get dual perspectives alternating between childhood and the present. I did think that the first half of the book somewhat lost the thread that the prologue set up by giving us excess amounts of exposition, which had me wondering where the novel was going for a while. We do end up getting back on track in the much more evenly paced second half, but I feel like there could have been some tightening up done at the top to make things flow a bit better.

While this is categorized as a mystery/thriller/suspense novel, I did not necessarily find those overtones to be consistent throughout the novel. After the prologue, there are maybe three or four other moments that could fall under those distinctions. However, Kapelke-Dale does a great job of peeling back the curtain throughout the last 25% of the novel to reveal how truly horrific the previous events of the novel have been and how desensitized we are to these everyday acts of violence.

The Ballerinas is not necessarily a nail-biting at the edge-of-your-seat kind of book, but it is definitely one that will leave you with a lot to think about.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

As someone who grew up in a dance studio, I really wanted to love this book. I think since I already knew the ins and outs of ballet and terminology, I struggled through a lot in the beginning. I found myself really bored and just wanting the "thriller" portion of the novel to begin. Unfortunately, this book was more of a drama than a thriller. The characters were all extremely unlikeable with the choices they made and the ways they treated each other, so I couldn't connect with any of them. I did feel like it was pretty accurate as to how the world of dance, and specifically ballet, is though. I think if the book would have been condensed a little bit more, it would have been stronger and held my attention.

I'm just not sure if ballet stories are for me. I always think the premise is so perfect - the juxtaposition between the graceful and elegant world of ballet and the grisly and dark crimes and fever around the characters drive pulls me in every time, but I just didn't care about the characters here which killed the story for me.

This story definitely has some unexpected twists I did not see coming.

Told from two different points in time, the story doesn’t give anything big away until close to the end and builds well. It has a women’s fiction feel for most of the novel. You get a real feel into the pressures young dancers go through and how cut throat it can be in the industry.

The characters themselves are very different and alike all at the same time. Delphine is one of those people that cares about others a lot but also can’t see when she’s only putting herself first over others. While Margaux acts tough and won’t let anyone push her around. And last Lindsay q naturally talented dancer who is willing to do what it takes to get where she needs to be in her career no matter who it hurts. The personalities are done so well that it helps build an intense tale of the pressures in youth and adulthood alike.

The Ballerinas is an interesting read full of drama and intrigue. I recommend this one if your looking for something a little more women’s fiction.

I have finally come to my last book of the year and I am so glad I stopped with The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale. This was a stunning book I adored it. It is the tale of three friends that unfolds across their lives. All this is wrapped around the unique world of professional ballet. Which if I was coordinated enough I would want to at least do one lesson as a child. However, being as I am 34 I will live my fantasies through books. I will say that this read specifically shows the dark side of the profession which I loved and hated in equal measure, this story somehow captures enduring truths about how women struggle to achieve their dreams and potential. While some struggle to be at the top some struggle to find love. The truth is I think that can be said about any profession and any lifestyle and job. You will love and hate the friendships in this book but you will have one person in your reading circle that you want to share this story with. It is twisty, dark, and a must-read for those who love a thriller. I am so pleased to say that I ended my year at 1033pm with a 5-star read.