Three girls meet at ballerina school in Paris. The girls go on to be lifelong friends.
A story of friendship, love, loss, the hardships of professional dancers and so much more.
The ballet world is not an easy life. The struggle of always competing, even against friends is taxing.
I admit I had a hard time getting into this one in the beginning. It took a while to get all the characters straight. This is partly due to how the book switched back and forth in timelines (sometimes mid chapter).
I became much more interested in the story at mid point.
The characters were all somewhat unlikable in one way or another.
All in all a good book. Avid ballet fans would probably like this one more than I did.

Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc

This was my first book to read by this author but I hope to read more soon! The characters and the story stay with you long after you finish it. Good, fast read. Highly recommend!!

To be honest I didn’t do much research on the author and/or this story before I decided to read it. I was drawn in by the cover and the fact that it was about Ballerinas. The story takes place in Paris which also drew me in. So, I set out (in my mind) to read a theatrical, atmospheric, gripping read. The beginning of the novel is full of emotion and the author gives the readers a look behind the scenes of the fierce competition and the hard work that goes into being a Ballerina.

The author does a brilliant job in creating a gripping novel about being a prima ballerina, with its rivalry, hard work, grueling practices, and clawing their way to be the best, knowing they couldn’t stay on top for long. The novel was interesting as the author explains how men study differently than women and how they need to get used to lifts, turns, and touching, etc. The more I read the darker the subject matter was getting and there was also an increase in foul language. I don’t enjoy reading disturbing, dark stories. I was at 35% and the author used 22 “F” words and that’s not including the other colorful cuss words tossed in the mix. With the increase of profanity and the darkness of the story, I couldn’t finish. The writing was gripping but because of the above I couldn't read anymore.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

I was underwhelmed by this book. It sounded like a great thriller, but it was pretty slow. It actually took me awhile to read because I was a bit bored. There was a lot of switching back and forth between time periods, which didn't really add much to the story other than to break it up.

Not sure how I feel about this book. It was like a ballet version of "Mean Girls." None of the characters were likeable. I found myself skimming the end of the novel, because I really didn't care what happened to any of them.

Fascinated by ballet I find myself continually gravitating towards books on the discipline.

The book was your typical behind the scenes of the ballet world with your obligatory mediocre dark side - a constant in all ballet themed plots, unimaginable behavior and general dysfunction. A few twists and turns beefing up the plot avoiding the mundane along with its uncharming characters. No overly outrageous dark side as I was expecting. Despite the various storyline threads there was an aura of boredom. The story held a somewhat quick pace but there was a lingering aftertaste of dawdling mixed with boredom. The story was somewhat expected but unexpected too. Definitely nothing like DARE ME or BLACK SWAN in my opinion. I’m confident fans of ballet will enjoy, especially the second half when it increases its pace as a whole.

I loved how much background the author gave us into the life of a ballerina. The physical toll and grueling schedules are vividly described. The theme of power runs throughout this novel from the power of Delphine's mother's legacy, to the power of the male dancers, the gifted dancers, the men who Delphine desires, and then finally back to Delphine.

While the book was beautifully told with wonderfully lyrical prose, I had a hard time getting through to the end. That is possibly because of the slow pace. I really did find myself comparing it to The Black Swan and for me, this story didn't hold as much suspenseful action as I was expecting. But it was certainly worth reading, because the author has so much knowledge of the industry to share.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance reader's copy.

At first glance I thought this book would be scarier than it was. Which I appreciated since I don't do thrillers. I will say this book was a slow read. The switching timelines was a little confusing. Overall I felt like this book fell flat.

I’ve always been fascinated with ballerinas. Their ability to defy the human body’s natural order and spin, jump, dance, and twirl on the ENDS OF THEIR TOES just amazes me. I’ve always wondered, was this method of dance created by a sadist? But it’s lasted throughout history and continues to be revered, an amazingly graceful art.
Three young dancers meet at the esteemed and world-famous Paris Opera Ballet. The training and discipline far exceed that of sports figures, the endurance and will required to succeed are amazing. So the bond between Rachel, Margeaux, and Lindsey is forged out of a strong will to succeed. They support each other emotionally and physically with true affection and trust.
The story flashes to varying points in their lives and alludes to an event that occurred while they were in their early 20’s. This event changed the dynamics of the group, yet through the years they still maintained contact and their friendship picked up right where they left off whenever they got together.
The detail of the training required and the physical toll this method of dance does on the human body is fascinating. The terms of the dance and the knowledge of their training blended really well with the emotional aspect of their relationship with each other.
I especially enjoyed Rachel’s creativity as a choreographer while developing a dance routine in honor of Janice Joplin. Her respect for Janice and her style is refreshing. My favorite line, referencing Janice - “she’d longed for a traditional feminine beauty, and you could hear her inability to grasp it in the fierce roughness of her singing.” An honorable and insightful observation of an amazingly talented lady, who happens to be one of my top two female singers (tied for first place with Tina Turner, love, love, love).
This is a stark, yet compassionate look into the demanding, structured, disciplined, and sometimes abusive life of the ballerina.
Sincere thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is December 7, 2021.

Sadly, I struggled with this book. The plot was all over the place and a bit unbelievable. Some points seemed unnecessary. Delphine was a frustrating character. The plot was far slower than I expected, yet at times, it was way too busy with too many plot points going on, and I was surprised with the lack of the thriller angle that I thought I'd find based on the blurb. The ending was a surprise, but it wasn't enough to make up for the rest of the story.

Loved this! Character development was right 'on pointe' and really enjoyed the storyline. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this!

No, everything is not beautiful at the ballet. Ballerinas is a cross between Mean Girls, Big Little Lies, and Tiny Pretty Things, and tells story of three best friends at the Paris Opera Ballet. The novel is told in two timelines, the past as Delphine, Margaux, and Lindsay are working their way through the competitive ballet school and the present when they're facing middle age, the twilight of their dancing career, and some very grown-up problems. Man, these girls are very mean to each other and the world doesn't treat them very well either. There are #metoo moments, lots of secrets, and plenty of betrayals in this book. As the threesome grow old, can they grow wise?

I loved learning so much about the ballet world in this debut novel. We have such an idealized version of ballerinas and it was interesting to learn about the pitfalls of the sport. The only thing this book lacked for me was the relationships between the main trio. I didn’t feel very invested in their personal stories, unfortunately. Otherwise, I think this was a quick, good read if you are interested in the world of ballet with a bit of drama.

I have to admit that when I picked this up, I thought it would be a Black Swan type thriller, when in reality it reads more like contemporary fiction to me. Yes, there are lies and betrayal, but nothing of the sort that I was expecting for a book being marketed as a thriller.

As a former dancer, I loved how vividly the author describes the ballet world. The perfection that will never be achievable, the pain, the monotony of it all was captured very well. I can't say that I really liked any of the characters as people and found it difficult to side with any of them. I honestly don't even understand why they are all friends - they're terrible to each other and just toxic all around. Overall, I think that the book is well written - it just wasn't what I thought it would be.

As a millenial, I have to admit I loved Center Stage. And Save The Last Dance. And Step Up. And Black Swan. It seems we could not get enough of those dance-centered teen rom-coms, so when I came across The Ballerinas, it struck me as a little nostalgia-meet-psychological thriller and I knew I wanted to read it. Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy!

The Ballerinas is told from the main character Delphine’s point of view, flipping back and forth from present-day 2018 to her past at the Paris Opera Ballet (POB) starting in 1995. Delphine considered herself a musketeer of a sort with her two best friends, Margeaux and Lindsay, but after causing a tragic incident, Delphine runs off to St. Petersburg to choreograph ballets for her new boyfriend. When Delphine finally returns to Paris in 2018, she is forced to face her past and the aftermath of her decisions.

I had some mixed feelings about this book. For starters, it was a bit slow and I never really got into it. It was promoted as a psychological thriller and there was a ton of foreshadowing in the first half of the book about what the “tragic incident” was, but when I finally found out what happened, it was anti-climatic.

All three of the girls were self-absorbed and selfish, making them difficult to relate to or even feel bad for. While I didn’t necessarily love this novel, I do think it addressed some really important, serious situations and themes of female empowerment, sexual harassment and assault, and even motherhood and family. These topics were what kept me engaged in the end and I love that these conversations are becoming so much more open and prominent.

Hmmm... the spiel makes this sound like a thriller and it is nothing of the sort.

The story of three friends in a private ballet school in Paris, it is told both in the present tense and the past and explores their friendship and their journey in the world of ballet.

If Im being totally honest I found this one a bit of a slog. The first half of the book is extremely slow and, while it does pick up considerably in the second half, by that time the author had kind of lost me.

The characters also arent very unlikeable. Self obsessed and in a way narcissistic, it was hard to have any empathy with them and even care what happened to them.

The book certainly read a lot longer than 300 pages for me and I did feel like giving up a few times, especially in the first half.

To the authors credit, she has certainly done her research as the apparent level of detail in the world of ballet is impressive.

I`m sure there is a target audience for this one and I`m obviously not it. I wanted to like this one and I really tried but I just didnt.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

I think this book has had some weaker reviews because of the choice to compare it to "Dare Me meets Black Swan and Luckiest Girl Alive" in the blurb. It's not a thriller, it's something all of it's own.
I was blown away by this book. it's written in a two timeline style, with the "past" timeline slowly revealing the reason behind certain things that are in the "current" timeline. There is an interesting plot, friendship, understandable, flawed characters all set against the background of the ballet. As a non-dancer, there is enough ballet information to be interesting, but it's not too technical. It has some strong themes running though it, such as friendship, ageing, what love means, what brings meaning to a life. Big themes that sneak up on what at first seems like a very simple story.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's press for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this a lot and definitely would compare it to Luckiest Girl Alive meets ballet. The characters were well written and the pace was good. I liked the interplay between past and present and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have to say I wasn't too surprised by anything that happened but I still really liked this book. Definitely recommend, especially if you like ballet.

The Ballerinas comes out next week on December 7, 2021 and you can purchase HERE.

When you're the best at something, your world is small-- your life is small. And for a few years, I was one of the best dancers on the planet.

Here are books to get excited about coming this winter! 2022 is off to a great start with some incredible novels…
DECEMBER


The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale caught my eye right away. What a stunning cover! I was intrigued by the description:

Thirteen years ago, Delphine abandoned her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in St. Petersburg––taking with her a secret that could upend the lives of her best friends, fellow dancers Lindsay and Margaux. Now 36 years old, Delphine has returned to her former home and to the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House, to choreograph the ballet that will kickstart the next phase of her career––and, she hopes, finally make things right with her former friends. But Delphine quickly discovers that things have changed while she’s been away…and some secrets can’t stay buried forever.

This is a detailed book and I enjoyed reading about the lives of ballerinas. The story is slow to unfold, it’s not an intense suspense story as I first thought it would be. But I really liked learning about the competitive and brutal life of dancers. Definitely a solid, interesting read!

The Ballerinas was a novelty for me. I know know nothing about ballets or becoming a ballerina. Kapelke-Dale taught me everything I needed to know- including the ugly truth about their feet. The main storyline is about a complicated relationship 3 girls develop on their way to becoming some of Paris’s best ballerinas. The story goes back and forth between present day and their developing years. Sometimes it was too slow for me and characters storylines seemed to abruptly stop. But in the end I was happy with the life they had in front of them.