Thank you, NetGalley, for my e-ARC.

Although my exposure to ballet is limited to taking a childhood class and watching Flesh & Bone, a TV series, I am in awe of the artists. The physical, mental, and emotional stress they endure is unimaginable. And, from childhood, ballet is their whole world. Their single-minded focus. Their obsession. Above everyone and every thing. Much is sacrificed : romance, family, friendship...morals.

Delphine, Margaux, and Lindsay : friends and ballerinas from their time as students, rapidly approaching the end of their dancing careers. As is the case with many female friendships, theirs is also complicated. They comiserate and compete.

The plot shifts in time from the past to the present and is told from Delphine's perspective. As a legacy at the Paris Opera Ballet, she would inevitably be compared to her mother, a legend, whose photo was displayed prominently at the academy. She felt pressured to measure up and prove herself. It was this relentless pursuit of excellence, of being the best, that led her to do something desperate. She convinced herself it was for the best. But, things didn't go according to plan.

Unable to endure the guilt, she runs, leaving everything and everyone behind. But, for how long? Will she ever find redemption? Forgiveness?

Overall, I liked this book, but I would not categorize it as a thriller. It did not have me on the edge of my seat. I was intrigued by the plot and setting. And the cover art is beautiful. However,too many under-developed sub-plots and wordy writing style made it seem interminable.

This book opens your eyes to the world of professional ballet and the sacrifices it demands. The characters were well written; some were lovable, some very much unlovable. I came away feeling for the young girls who make ballet their world and how it affects every aspect of their lives.

The image of the ballerina that is imbedded in us from little girlhood is one of pretty ladies dancing to beautiful music dressed in yards and yards of lovely tulle. That sugarplum fantasy is unspoiled by visions of sweaty tights and ravaged feet that is the reality in the backstage of the ballet world and in this very interesting story of that world. It is also a book about long time female friendships through good times and bad with a generous dose of feminism that is valuable in plotting a women’s course in those times. I enjoyed The Ballerinas very much! Thank you St. Martin’s for allowing me this early read.

I loved this story about 3 ballerina friends and their life from preteen to finally becoming an adult as told by Delphine. The sometimes dark journey of the ballerina world where they would do anything to get ahead, even if it meant hurting the friends they love physically or emotionally. Everyone wants to be at the top, to be the star, but the struggles along the way are great. This took a huge toll on their lives, limbs and decisions. And yet they come back to each other as its family. Well written as the story takes you back and forth from then and now. Highly recommend reading.

I mainly requested this because i have a niece and nephew who do dance--including ballet. The book does center about ballet and the ballet world, but we also see friendships and those dynamics. An enjoyable read! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for a review.

This story follows three ballerinas, Delphine, Lindsay, and Margaux, friends since their teens, as they work their way up the ranks in the Paris Opera Ballet. The story is told in two timelines, present day and their early years. Their friendship has been tested by betrayals and competition, and there is a secret that if revealed could change everything. Delphine abandoned her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in St. Petersburg and is now returning to her former home as a choreographer, with a plan to begin her new career with a bang. It ends with a twist that will leave you stunned.

This book was not meant for me. I don’t know what I was expecting but boredom was not it.

Everyone was just so flat. I felt stupid for not understanding terms and references because there was no explanation given for them. If I know ballet or any kind of stage performance maybe this would have worked out for me.

I really enjoyed this book! It was so well written, I would not be surprised at all if the author was a ballerina herself, as it was quite detailed. I really felt like I was going through everything with Delphine!

I wouldn't say this was a Thriller though, it should really be classified as a dark women's fiction.

The first thing that irked me was the cover - I love the cover, but I have *never* seen any ballet dancers wear bicycle shorts under their leotards or tutus. The dancer on the left of the cover... just no.

By about halfway through I was getting really tired of the intentional vagueness of "what they did to Lindsay".

Other than that, a good read. I really felt almost a part of the ballet world of Paris!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I tore through this book. I really enjoyed being immersed in the rarefied air of professional ballet. Plot grabbed my attention from the start and was well paced, and I liked how the dual timeline storytelling converged. I found the characters interesting, although I think the development of Delphine and Lindsay was far stronger than Margaux, and that felt like a miss to me. I saw another reviewer described this as a cross between Center Stage and Black Swan, and I think that’s an apt description. This would make a great vacation read!

Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. There is a dual timeline, going back and forth between the past and present, but the past was written from the perspective of the present, meaning that the reader is not fully immersed in the past. I found myself getting confused about which storyline I was reading, because details from the present were included in the past narrative. This also made the past storyline seem insubstantial.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to review this interesting look into the world of ballet.

Margaux, Lindsay, and Delphine are 3 childhood ballet school friends. The story is told from their childhood perspectives and their adult perspective s in present time. Delphine comes as a choreographer for a ballet that her friends are involved in.. We get to know each of the girls as individuals, their loves, and their flaws as the ballet comes together.

I was happy to read this because it was way out of my usual book choices and I was glad I challenged myself. This really showed the power of female friendships. My only issue was I didn't really root for any of the female characters. They were so flawed.

I find stories about the ballet world absolutely fascinating and I enjoyed reading The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelle-Dale very much. Add in friendship, secrets, and tragedy and I raced through the pages!

While this book definitely had some suspenseful elements, I don't know that I would necessarily market this as a thriller. I did love the going back and forth between time periods, and the characters all seemed very realistic and well-written; they definitely weren't one-dimensional, and were flawed (in a good way - I love a flawed character; to me, that makes them more realistic and relatable). That said, it was incredibly slow moving. I wasn't particularly motivated to pick it up due to the pace, and it took me a while to finish it for that reason. I definitely would classify this as a mystery/drama rather than a thriller/suspense.

This beautifully-written novel tells the story of three women, friends since their girlhood as students of the Paris Opera Ballet training school.. Their lives intertwine from youth through their mid-thirties as they progress from the training school to the ballet company, their existence always bound and defined by the demands of the ballet world. The story is told from the viewpoint of Delphine, whose mother was a famous ballerina with the POB. It alternates between two timelines, the dancers' past years and their more recent ones, until the two converge as the story builds to its climax. The claustrophobic world of the classical ballet is authentically invoked as the physical, mental, and emotional lives of the ballerinas play out over the years in a world populated mostly by women but dominated and controlled by men. The novel explores the obsessions, betrayals, secrets, and ties of friendship among them as the story builds to its explosive climax. This is a gorgeous book that stays with the reader for a long time after finishing it.

I'm trying to recall what exactly drew me to request the ARC, 'The Ballerinas' because it was not at all what I had expected. The set up of the chapters are present and past. We meet Delphine who returns to Paris after a 13 year absence from her former life as a performer in a prestigious Ballet Troupe, now as a choreographer. She is now in her 30's and romanticizes her relationship from the past with 2 other women and doesn't understand why they aren't the best of friends again despite the fact that she chose to be absent from anything important in their lives over the years. She is self-absorbed, and a horrible friend. Everything is about her. Her other 2 friends are no better. Every tragedy happens to her, never mind that the real friend who is struggling with addiction and infertility is the one who needed to be fleshed out more, was the one flat and flailing in the background as though Delphine's problem of never being number 1 in her career, or relationships was the most important story to focus on. The pace of the story was excruciatingly slow, and I was not vested in any of the characters, they were horrid. In the end, a woman got away with murder just by acting demurely and the fake friendships continued. Thank you #NetGalley and #St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pardon my language here but, I’m sorry, what the fuck was that? The pacing is incredibly slow, the narration of past and present is confusing at best, and the characters are mind-numbingly boring. Delphine is whiny and self-loathing, as if communicating with her friends her true feelings would actually kill her. Lindsey is selfish and childish, vindictive without consequences. And Margaux was so flat that it felt like even the author sometimes forgot the character existed in the book.

What was the twist in this book? That men are terrible? I’m missing how this was supposed to be a surprise to any female reader. I was lost as to what the plot exactly was, in this book. This was a disappointing read. There is no suspense, no thrills, and honestly, not a single twist.

Full review August 20th, 2021.

A good, but for me not great read. I really enjoyed the parts of the story from when the girls were young and trying to make it up the ranks of the ballet company. Their friendship was sweet, while at the same time competitive and stressful and provided a great background into the world of ballerinas.

Where it didn't come through however, was as the story progressed, I disliked the adult versions of each of the girls and in the end, did not feel any empathy for any of them.

Overall a good look into the life of ballerinas and the story of friendship highs and lows.

I could not put this book down. I loved the quick pace and storyline of all of the characters. This is a book that combines my love for dance, suspense, and Paris. I felt like I was watching a movie blend of Center Stage and Black Swan.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.