i loved reading this book it was a great friendship story... i really dont know that much about serious ballet, but i found the ballet parts very interesting.. the friends are all ballerinas and have been friends since their youth... 2 of them have a secret that colors all the years following...... its interesting to see how this unfolds.... i will def be interested to see other books by this author!! thanks for letting me read this book!!

A gorgeous and captivating affair of a novel, focusing on three aspiring ballerinas and the lengths they would go to in order to bring their artistic dreams come true. The beautiful and descriptive setting made me feel as though I was present there... But underneath all that beauty, there is always a streak of evil present...

Wow, this is a really powerful book, and as I wipe away some tears I'm shocked this is a debut novel! I know next to nothing about the world of dance (now I do), but I know a little about female friendships and how they can be extremely strong but also emotionally toxic when things take a turn for the worse. Delphine, Margaux, and Lindsay are all ballerinas when we first meet them at the age of 13; they must compete for places in order to succeed and will stop at nothing to ensure their own progress, even if it means stopping someone else (even a friend). Alternating between their childhood and their 30's when Delphine is a choreographer, and Lindsay is cast in the lead spot, we see the turmoil, the adulation, the missed chances, but above all, the ties that bind female friendships. Kapelke-Dale speaks to so many relevant issues; love, betrayal, jealousy, blackmail, marriage, pregnancy, and parenting; overall it's just a lovely story about how we choose to live our lives in the face of adversity and the challenges we must overcome to find our own truths and live the life we were meant to appreciate.

One of my favorite types of book: books about ballerinas. Even better, ballerinas in PARIS. I love books about the hard, grueling side of ballet because I don’t think most people realize what a difficult industry the ballet industry is. In fact, it’s just as bad as the modeling industry. It’s cutthroat, brutal, full of fake friends who will backstab you to come out on top, people who pick apart your body, at least 5 hours a day of dancing, pushing your body and feet past what it should ever handle on a daily basis. You put yourself through all of this, just for a teeny tiny minuscule chance of success (fewer than half of them make it to company and even then, most dancers end up as one of many ballerinas in the background. The chances of stardom are really against you). Ballerinas know of all this and they know their odds. Therefore, no one does ballet unless they genuinely, truly love it. It’s cutthroat unlike any other sport. I love books like this which show how ballet isn’t just glitz and glamor. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know this. In fact, I myself didn’t know it until I read a similar YA book about ballerinas several years ago. Since then, I’ve never seen ballet the same way, and this is the reality of it.

My main issue was when I got to about 50% of this book, I was like, where is this going lol. Halfway through is plenty of time to set the groundwork for where the story is going, yet at that mark, I still had no idea what this book was even about or what the point even is. It was just day to day life of ballerinas and friend drama and such. I could not even tell you what the central conflict of the book or what the point was. This book just didn’t seem to be going in any direction and it made me want to quit early on because I had no urgency to find out what was going to happen at the end because there was NO REAL PLOT. I also found the too frequent skipping timelines confusing. I would be reading it and forget which timeline I was on, past or present.

This book just didn’t have enough urgency to make me want to continue reading. To be honest, if this wasn’t an arc I probably would’ve dnf’d it. All in all, it wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t interesting enough to be enjoyable for me. Not enough happened plot wise and too much of it lacked direction.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley for. giving me the ARC of this wonderful book.

I can not say enough good things about this book! It is a tale of three ballerinas who became friends in a very competitive field. Being in the Arts I could totally appreciate the competitiveness in this field as well as trying to find some form of normalcy in their lives.

Very interesting and extremely worth reading. Will look forward to reading more books by this author.

Three young girls become best friends in ballet classes and stay in touch. Delphine moves back to Paris from Russia 13 years later as choreographer and 3 friends work together again. Explores friendship, choice of love or career,, difficulty of career in ballet. Too much foul language not needed. Slow book but good ending

The book was so bad I couldn’t finish it completely. I feel like it has no story line. It also had many complicated names that I couldn’t pronounce. I read 22 percent of the book and all it talked about was Delphine writing a play.

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

The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is a gripping, emotional thriller about three ballerinas in the vein of Netflix's Tiny Pretty Things. Delphine is a 36 year-old choreographer who recently moved back St. Petersburg back to her home city of Paris, where she grew up and attended the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet. She is moving back to choreograph a piece starring one of her best friends, Lindsay. But moving back to her childhood city and seeing her old friends brings back painful memories - of first loves, betrayals, and unforgivable sins.

Here is an excerpt from the Preface of the book from Delphine's point of view: (This isn't a spoiler because it's from the first pages of the book.)

"Before Nathalie emailed and offered to take me back, before I killed anyone, I saw variations of the same quotation everywhere: Paris is always a good idea... At the time, they seemed like a sign that I should do it. I should go home. When I'd lived in Paris, I'd never had starry-eyed notions about what the city was, but I was perfectly ready to buy into them if they meant I could come back. Paris is always a good idea? Great. Bring on the macarons, the endless wine, the strolls along the Seine.
...
Always a good idea? Paris is nothing more than an empty stage. It's only as good or bad as the people in it, and the willful naivete of that statement turns my stomach. I don't see what it does to mythologize a city. Sure, it's pretty. But how much is pretty worth?"

The book alternates between the past, when the three main characters were teenagers, and the present, when they are in their mid-thirties. While this book is thrilling and there are some scary scenes, it is more than a thriller. It's an in-depth look into the mindset of ballerinas and what they will do and give up to achieve their dreams. I was reminded of another book that came out this year, The Girls Are So Nice Here. Both books speak to the darkness in memories of the past and how sins of the past can follow you into the future. In addition, both books are more than simply thrillers; they explore the psychology of women as they confront sexuality, growing up, and the darkness within themselves.

Overall, The Ballerinas is an intensely feminist thriller set in a top ballet school and company in Paris. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers or if you're intrigued by the description, you won't regret checking out The Ballerinas when it comes out in December!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so, I'm a little confused by The Ballerinas if I'm being completely honest here. The synopsis made this seem like it was going to be an addictive mystery thriller kind of book. So after reading that, I was super excited to dive into this one and yet... I was devastated after doing so.

It's not like I didn't try to find something likable about this book because I did. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters in this one. I feel like I learned a lot of ballet and friendship but that's basically it. It was interesting to see how their friendship developed throughout the years and what their reunion was looking like as well. That's it though.

As for the mystery and thriller? Well, I'm currently still looking for that because I didn't really get that vibe with this one. It had a few twists that were nice but they also felt a bit predictable. The one I didn't see until the last second was the ending. I honestly think that was the best part of the book because it brought them all closer.

In the end, it had potential to be a great book but I think I just had high expectations for this one.

I really enjoyed the second half of this book, but the first half I really had to push through. I considered this more a story about self-discovery, personal growth, and friendship than mystery/thriller, although the end was quite surprising. While the three female main characters (the narrator, Delphine, and her two best friends) appear to be quite complex, I found many of the characters (especially the males like Jock and Dmitri) to be pretty one-note and would have liked to see more depth there. Overall, a like but not a love.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, but the first half seemed to drag on. The last half picked up with some exciting twists thrown in. I’m a fast reader and had a hard time getting into it, hence the 3 star rating instead of 4. I loved the lyrical prose used to get a feel for what the ballet lifestyle is like, even if you’ve never been exposed to it.

This book is told from Delphines POV and follows her, Margaux, and Lindsey throughout their years at the Paris Opera Ballet (POB). The earlier years remind me of Center Stage while the later years are reminiscent of Black Swan.

What I enjoyed about this book is that the characters were relatable and felt real. As a reader, I could see the motivation behind actions and could tell the 3 main characters, while flawed, were not evil beings. This is a story of friendship, heartbreak, betrayal, forgiveness, and feminism.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for a review.

"We are all stuck in our own stories. And it is so easy to see someone through only one lens: the role they play in yours."

Delphine, Margaux, and Lindsay are all dancers with the Paris Opera Ballet. They have been friends since they were 12 and 13 years and have seen each other through all the drama and trouble that comes with their lives. Now in their 30s, their careers are ending and their lives are changing.

I know next to nothing about ballet, but that won't stop you from enjoying this book. It's about friendship and growing up and trying to move forward when your dreams aren't working out. The story is darker and troubling and very well written. I wish there had been more about Margaux, but that was my only issue.

THE BALLERINAS has a stunning cover and a winning premise. However, I think it's a disservice to call the novel a mystery or thriller.

I enjoyed the dual timeline, seeing the characters as girls and then as young women trying to find their way. The relationships between them seemed complex and genuine.

However, the plot is fairly slow moving and there's not much mystery to figure out--and even fewer thrills...

If this has been described as literary fiction or even book club fiction, that might be more accurate. I was expecting a grown up version of Tiny Pretty Things and this ended up being pretty different.

It took me a little while to get through this book, and to write the review because I really, really wanted it to redeem itself… But it just got worse.


As someone with two lifelong best friends, I was excited to read about a triumvirate of strong and unique women. However… The main character is just whiny, selfish, self-indulgent, and unrepentant. And she got worse, and worse as the story went on, culminating in a final, horrific, unpunished crime. The other women were: 1. Weak and stereotypical and 2. Unfinished, undeveloped, and stereotypical (oh! Wait! She’s a lesbian! That makes the story inclusive, right? ... not!)

The men are sexual creeps, the women are innocent victims. Done?

The story is billed first as a “Mystery & Thriller.” I’m wondering if that was a typo. I had to really think about it, but I guess the “mystery” was something about what two of the characters did to a third. It wasn’t mysterious, it wasn’t interesting, it’s wasn’t a plot-twist, it was barely mentioned throughout the story, and it was revealed - almost in passing - towards the end. As for thriller... I have no idea. Does pushing a guy out a window count? It wasn’t thrilling.

So.Many.Unpunished.Serious.Crimes.
Am I really expected to have sympathy for a saboteur and murderer because she didn’t like the way he treated her friend? This justified a murder?

But, the biggest, and most serious problem I had with this story - and it repeated, constituting a dangerous message - were the countless sexual predators and perpetrators or actual sex crimes basically unpunished and discussed in such a non-alarming way that it was disturbing. I get it ... ballet (like gymnastics and figure skating) are sports that are filled primarily with young girls and this attract a certain “bad character type.” So, if shining a light on the rampant excused behavior of these rapists and child molesters is the purpose of the novel... make it purposeful. Show a consequence. Explore the victims from a new perspective. Don’t just make it acceptable behavior because of the environment. Ok, so one guy lost his job... seriously?

I read to the end, because I kept waiting, and hoping, for some sort of justice. Had I known it wasn’t coming, I would have dropped it when the “strong woman” followed a sexual predator and serial cheater to to Russia.

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. Once she comes back she realizes that those friendships are not like what she remembers. Years apart and a secret that could unravel everything weighs on them all.

The book was well written. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. I read it all in one sitting. I definitely recommend giving this book a read.

Can we talk about how stunning this cover it? I love it! I was immediately drawn into this story and I loved it. It's a little slow but I didn't find this to be an issue. The pacing was necessary to tell the whole story. The Ballerinas blends the past and present together perfectly. It grabs you and takes you on a wild ride filled with secrets, passion and ballerinas. It does a great job at exploring the dark world of Ballet.

The Ballerinas is not usually my cup of tea, but sometimes I do enjoy a glass of wine. That is what this novel was for me, sophisticated, delicious and refreshing. It was beautifully written and pulled on a world ion ballet that is so restrictive and demoralizing to woman portrayed as objects but also so beautifully artistic. I felt the rage and despair in the writing but also the triumph and passion and I am so glad I read it.

Thank you netgalley for this arc

Growing up I was a competitive dancer and ballet was my favourite style. So, I always get excited about ballet books. I really enjoyed this book!

I found this to be a really interesting book that was character driven that anyone who is interested in the ballet world will enjoy. I thought it did a good job showing how destructive the dance world can be with dancers wanting to reach that perfection.

I didn't view this as a thriller; I thought it was more of a an emotionally filled drama. I liked the following Delphine's
progression through the years.

I thought this was such an enjoyable read. Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book!

This is definitely a story that I knew nothing about!
Ballerinas to me, are always talented dancer who I think live in the studio and then the stage. They live to dance forever and ever.
This book tells the intense story of three young girls who are in the ballet. They become friends at the Paris Opera Ballet School.
The novel alternates with the present timeline where they are beginning to age out in their mid-thirties and how they cope with this.
It is not easy for these ladies as time marches on and many decisions that have been made in the past will cause problems in present times.
It is truly an interesting read!

“Ballerinas are like point shoes : you have to break them down before they’re of any use”
One of my favorite quotes from the book, A ballerina is not just a pretty girl twirling on the stage, there is so much more to her !
“The ballerinas“ is about a trio of ballerinas who meet as students at P.O.B. Paris Opera Ballet School and the story moves between the trios teenage years and the present day times.
“The Ballerinas” delves into the complex and sometimes difficult aspects of female friendship and gives you a taste of the world of being a professional ballerina.
The ballerinas strive toward the almost impossible physical perfection that their career demands along with dealing with the difficulties that only occur in a ballerina’s world but compounded by the hardship of regular life issues.
I really enjoyed this escape into the world of the life of a professional ballerina.
This book would be great for Book Club‘s so much to discuss!
I did receive a complementary digital copy (ARC) from net galley and the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.