"Turning by Joy L. Smith is a powerful and heartfelt story that dives deep into themes of resilience, healing, and rediscovering oneself. If you’re a fan of emotional, character-driven stories, this one is a must-read.

The story follows Genie, a once-promising ballet dancer whose dreams are shattered by a devastating accident. As she grapples with her new reality, Genie must find a way to rebuild her life and her identity outside of ballet. The journey is tough, filled with raw emotions, but also moments of hope and strength.

Genie is a complex and relatable protagonist. Her struggles with loss, self-worth, and finding new passions are portrayed with honesty and sensitivity. The book doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, making it a compelling and thought-provoking read.

What makes Turning stand out is its authentic depiction of the healing process. Joy L. Smith’s writing is poignant and engaging, capturing the ups and downs of Genie's journey beautifully. The story is inspiring and will resonate with anyone who has ever had to overcome a major setback.

In short, Turning is a beautifully written, emotionally rich novel that offers a powerful message about resilience and self-discovery. Perfect for teens looking for a story that’s both moving and uplifting."

Turning does a great job navigating the difficulties and devastations that a life-altering injury can present, especially for a young person whose future is hinged on their physical capabilities.

An amazing YA debut novel that is emotional and raw. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Raw, emotional, and painful debut young adult novel For Genie, ballet dreams cut short by a terrible accident, she shuts out her friends, denies her new limitations. The only way forward is to confront the past...

This book was received as an ARC from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing - Denene Millner Books - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book screams inspiration, and motivation. The struggle Genie went through when suffering through a traumatic injury leaving the lingering thought in her mind that professional ballet is no longer a career she can embark was so heartbreaking. The pain she was suffering mentally weighed her down, until she meets Kyle, a former gymnast who is struggling with an injury similar to Genie and shares the same physical therapist. This exemplifies the fact that you are never alone, and you'll never know who you'll meet along your path. On top of all of that, we learn that this accident might not have been so accidental and Genie also struggles with mental injury along with physical in the high demands others put on her. It's important to listen, and see the struggle of others especially sons and daughters, talking to them and finding out what their struggles are, and working with them rather than leading them in a direction they are not comfortable with. This is a great book, especially if you can relate to Genie's situation and looking for some inspiration.

An inspiring, heart-warming story of triumph of physical and mental greatness. This book deserves 5 stars.

(Read a combination of library copy and arc)

TW book has mentions of domestic violence, drinking, and abortion.

Turning follows Genie, who is a teenage ballerina who has her sights set on being a prima ballerina. That dream sadly gets crushed when she has an accident after getting into an accident. She is now paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair to get around. At physical therapy one day though she finally talks to a fellow new disabled person Kyle who is also learning how to move on. They find comfort in each other as they talk about there 'used to be' and the hopes and plans they had for their futures and the changes they are now making.

Overall this book was so good. It deals with a lot of the struggles that people with disabilities can face and the anger that is sometimes felt. I saw some people talking about how they didn't like her attitude, and while I get that I think it's also important to note that her attitude was because of how her entire life changed in an instant when her accident happened. Every ballet dream she had had up to that point was gone, and she didn't know how to move on because of that her anger and frustration was boiling over a lot. Coming to terms with something as life-altering as what Genie went through so suddenly takes time and it's not always a pretty thing while this acceptance is happening. From learning how to do basic everyday tasks, to having to pick a new career hope, and deal with accessibility issues, on top of all the emotions of fear, anger, frustration, etc. Is a lot and it takes time to learn it.
Because of all this though, we do see Genie really grow throughout this book, we see her deal with her accident and learn how to move on, and find new ways to be involved in ballet that she still loves so much.
With this growth that Genie has throughout the book, you see her go from living in a tense house with her mom where both of them are about to burst it seems from all the stress and anger. By the end, they have talked about things and in Genie's case come to terms with her accident and telling her mom finally the secret she had been keeping from her. We also see Genie learn how to deal with the accessibilities issues, the way her friends might see her now, and how they are also having to realize things about accessibilities when it comes to going out to places.

I know I've missed something in this review, but please read this book if you can and want some pretty good disability rep. (please note this is of the books I've read so far.)

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this one, though I mistakenly thought it was middle grade. I also didn't realize this was about a disabled girl. I think I completely forgot the synopsis between requesting and finally reading it. I believe this story is not own voices for wheelchair use, please see reviews written by a wheelchair user for whether the representation of using a wheelchair in this was done well.

Turning is the story of teenage Genie. She was a ballet prodigy until an awful accident resulted in a spinal injury. Genie now uses a wheelchair and her dreams of being a principal dancer have been gutted. Even though her ballet school wants her back in any capacity, Genie can't bring herself to go back and think of what could be. It doesn't help that her ex-boyfriend won't leave her alone and continues to blackmail her into hanging out with him.

Just like Genie attends physical therapy to learn how to use her wheelchair and maneuver with it, she must also think of healing mentally and emotionally. When she strikes up a tentative friendship with Kyle, another PT student, she might find someone who can relate and empathize with what she's gone through. Through connecting with other disabled kids, Genie might finally realize she still has her whole life ahead of her and she can still do the things she loves.

This was a powerful but really hard book to read. The plotline dealing with Genie's ex-boyfriend was so hard to read. He is controlling, manipulative and emotionally abusive. I hated every moment she had to deal with him. She deserved so much better. Not only does Genie have to untangle all their baggage, but she's also dealing with a huge transition and all the internal ableism of going from being able bodied to disabled. By the end we see her start to realize that she's still herself, she's still worthy of love and respect, and that she deserves to pursue her dreams.

Genie's internal strength really shines through this book. She was a compelling character to read about, even when she was angry or bratty. I definitely related to her moods, because when I first started having my chronic migraines, I was similarly irritable and angry. Pain definitely makes people mess up and make mistakes.

I really enjoyed Genie and Kevin's friendship. I loved how they pulled each other out of their shells. There is some romantic tension in their relationship and while the end hints that romance might eventually bloom between the two, they're both in different parts of their recovery journeys and friendship would better benefit them. Lastly, I loved seeing Genie find a new way to connect to ballet. It was really touching and emotional to see her journey back to the world of ballet.

Rep: Black cishet female MC who uses a wheel chair, Black biracial cishet male side character with a traumatic brain injury, stutter and uses various mobility aids, recovering alcoholic Black cishet female side character, Black cishet male side character, various other Black side characters.

CWs: Toxic relationship (romantic: MC and side character, between side characters), alcoholism, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, medical trauma, medical content. Moderate: Abortion, ableism (including internalized), abandonment, gaslighting, injury/injury detail, homophobia/homomisia, racism, violence, blood, grief (for abled body), past mentions of pregnancy, sexism, misogyny. Minor: Physical abuse, drug use, past mention of car accident, excrement, mentions of uncontrollable bladder/bowel movements, sexual content.

Genie is a dancer who has lost the ability to walk. Ballet has been her life and was going to be her future but she fell and everything changed. Genie now uses a wheelchair to get around. She’s keeping a secret hidden from her family and she has more than one secret that’s pulling her down. Her ex-boyfriend is pushy and she has to force him to listen to anything she tries to say. This frustrates Genie tremendously and she wants to move on. She meets Kyle in physical therapy and he has his own tragedy that he’s struggling with. The two of them become friends. When her secrets are revealed, Genie will hopefully have the love and support she needs. A realistic fiction story that helps readers realize that troubles and struggles could be much worse. 4 stars!

This book was so good! I picked it up for the cover, and I was drawn in by the story. This is a really strong coming of age story about Genie who’s lost her ability to dance and wonders what life is like without ballet. Through therapy she meets Kyle who also has to deal with something difficult as well. She’s dealing with a lot of complicated things, including her mom being a recovering alcoholic. It’s just a raw yet stunning debut novel. I also love this because it’s about BIPOC in ballet and gymnastics, which is great to see

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Turning

Author: Joy L. Smith

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Paraplegic Black Depressed MC, TBI character, Hispanic character, OCD character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, realistic fiction, paraplegic MC

Publication Date: March 1, 2022

Genre: YA Contemporary

Age Relevance: 16+ (language, internalized abelism, abelism, alcoholism, abortion, blackmail, domestic violence, depression, sexual content, sexual coercion, forced pregnancy, underage alcohol consumption, gore, homophobia, drugs, racism, grief, and violence)

Explanation of Above: This book talks about the MC’s change in her life after a traumatic incident leaves her paralyzed from the waist down (L1-L3 spinal cord injury) and how she reacts to it. There is a lot of discussion around abelism and internalized abelism surrounding that, as well as grieving of what she has lost due to that injury. There is a bit of cursing in the book and mentions of alcoholism in an adult character and underage alcohol consumption. There are mentions of an abortion throughout the book and how a character deals with it. There are mentions of blackmail, flashback scenes of domestic violence, gore involving blood, and violence involving punching and kicking that is shown in one scene. Depression is shown throughout the book. There are flashback scenes involving slight sexual content in the book, and mentions of sexual coercion and attempted forced pregnancy. There are a couple of insults that are homophobic thrown towards two characters. There are very small mentions of drugs in the book and racism is also slightly present as well.

Publisher: Denene Millner Books/Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Pages: 352

Synopsis: Genie used to fouetté across the stage. Now the only thing she’s turning are the wheels to her wheelchair. Genie was the star pupil at her exclusive New York dance school, with a bright future and endless possibilities before her. Now that the future she’s spent years building toward has been snatched away, she can’t stand to be reminded of it—even if it means isolating herself from her best friends and her mother. The only wish this Genie has is to be left alone.

But then she meets Kyle, who also has a “used to be.” Kyle used to tumble and flip on a gymnastics mat, but a traumatic brain injury has sent him to the same physical therapist that Genie sees. With Kyle’s support, along with her best friend’s insistence that Genie’s time at the barre isn’t over yet, Genie starts to see a new path—one where she doesn’t have to be alone and she finally has the strength to heal from the past.

But healing also means confronting. Confronting the booze her mother, a recovering alcoholic, has been hiding under the kitchen sink; the ex-boyfriend who was there the night of the fall and won’t leave her alone; and Genie’s biggest, most terrifying secret: the fact that the accident may not have been so accidental after all.

Review: For the most part I really liked this book. The book is very raw and deals with an onslaught of different emotions in the wake of an accident that leaves our MC paralyzed. She was once a ballerina, but is now facing a world where she can’t dance anymore. I thought while the book had internalized abelism that the author was able to navigate the issue well and explore the MC coming to terms with her new life. I also enjoyed how the author was able to show the dysfunctional relationship and bit of generational trauma in the MC. The character development was well done and the world building was great. Definitely one book you need to grab tissues before reading.

The only issue I had with the book is that I felt like it needed a happier ending and that I’m a bit sad that some things felt unfinished, but such is life. I also felt that there was very little positive influence in Genie’s life. Every parent was shitty. The ex was shitty. The friends were… meh. I was like “damn can this girl get a break?!”

Verdict: It’s super well done!

A compelling concept here. When you lose the ability to do the one thing you used to define yourself, how do you adjust? When it came to the actual line by line writing, though, I didn't love it. It moved too slow and I found the protagonist hard to like.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I absolutely enjoyed this book. Genie and Kyle's characters is enjoyable. This is a fast paced story. This authors writing style is great. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This book is in stores for $19.99 (USD).

I spotlighted Turning by Joy L. Smith as book of the day and included it in my weekly and monthly roundups of new releases on my Black Fiction Addiction platforms.

Turning follows Genie, an up and coming ballet dancer who just made her first magazine cover her junior year before a sudden accident, making her a paraplegic no longer able to walk let alone dance. With a controlling ex-boyfriend who won't leave her alone and trying to figure out how to not be so angry with the world and everyone in it, Genie doesn't know where to go from here. Turning follows Genie finding her magic again, even as it looks different from where she found it before the accident.

Genie is an angry character. Adding on the YA angst with the anger of grief for her life lost, I found Genie's POV hard to read at times. She lashes out suddenly at everyone around her from her mom, her best friend, and her new friend Kyle she meets at physical therapy. Without having my own knowledge of living through anything like this though, it felt so real that this anger would be pushing out for someone going through this along with other parts of her life that are spoilers (CW are at the end of this review).

I also ... enjoyed isn't the right word .. but felt that the way the controlling/abusive relationship was portrayed also felt very real and definitely hard to read at times. On goodreads you can see that I have 25 highlights throughout this book and almost all of them are me angrily "wtf"-ing the situations and things that come out of this boy's mouth, which unfortunately can be all too real.

I also absolutely loved the aspect of dance woven through the story. I was never focused on ballet but I did dance in high school - not nearly as well as the characters in this story. It always lifts my heart to see the love dancers have for their craft whether it's on the written page or on screen. It's so special and I love getting to reminisce about my own love for it when taking in stories like this one.

CW (and light spoilers):
-abortion
-physical abuse
-alcoholism
-discussion of coercion of sexual encounters
-physical assault
-racism

*Thank you to Netgalley for approving this e-ARC*

This emotional young adult debut features a character at a crossroads. Genie, a promising Black teen ballerina, is now paralyzed after an accident and finds that her life will be completely different. The author explores how to navigate grief and find a new beginning after such a life-changing experience. Genie has big complicated emotions and she's given the room to lash out, cry, and come to terms with her new path. She has so much growth throughout the novel and learns how to forgive herself and find grace when she needs it.

This book also sensitively and realistically depicts domestic violence. Genie has witnessed her father abusing her mother when she was a kid and also experiences emotional and physical harm from her ex-boyfriend. Genie must confront the pain and trauma these experiences have caused and learn to heal from these wounds too.

An excellent choice for teen readers looking for contemporary stories they can relate to.

This was an emotional book for me to read. It felt very real and , like others have mentioned, very raw. There is struggle, hurt, pain, abuse… but also, healing. I love the authenticity of the main character and the struggle that she goes through when her life so drastically changes.
I highly recommend this book and a box of tissues.

The Turning by Joy L. Smith was a wonderful debut novel!
I thought Smith tackled some heavy topics throughout the novel and she did so wonderfully.
I loved how emotional the story was but yet very inspiring in many ways!
I really enjoyed this novel.
The drama, relationships and lies was amazingly done here. And honestly I think would be make a great TV adaptation.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

SimonTeen,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Turning is emotional from start to finish. Genie's story is full of anger, resentment, grief, and joy. Her story is one that begins with still reeling from her accident. From her entire relationship to her body, herself, and her future changing. Turning is about lashing out and making mistakes, about saying things out of pain you know will hurt because of how deeply you are hurting. Smith does not shy away from Genie's rage and pain. At the same time, Smith celebrates Genie's search for agency and evaluation of her future.

Turning is is very much a story about Genie (re)evaluating her family, both the ones who stick by you and the ones who leave. It's also about toxic relationships and how we can be tempted to fall back into patterns. Breaking away from what we know, to (re)creating dreams, is a scary process. It's one that takes a lot of work and soul searching to change. About how we see these patterns of love, of family, and how these experiences can shape us - whether we like it or not.

This is an excellent debut novel that expertly tackles some heavy topics through the experience of Genie, a Black teenage ballerina who was paving the way for other youth of color in ballet when she sustained a life-altering injury. The aftermath leaves Genie struggling with grief, her identity, changes in her relationships, and navigating new plans for her future. I love that we see Genie dealing with both challenges related to her injury as well as difficulties that already existed in her family and other relationships. The story does an excellent job show the complicated journey of surviving and healing from traumatic events, both the pain and the joy. It also shows so many relatable moments of being a teenager, like falling in love, fighting with parents, making mistakes with friends, and discovering new dreams.

This book does deal with some heavy material, and content warnings include significant injury, parental alcoholism, abortion, domestic abuse, emotional abuse. I feel like the story could have gone a little deeper into some of this stuff and how it affected Genie, but I do think it did a really good job of showing the impact that generational trauma and abuse can have on a person. It also portrays both healthy and toxic romantic relationships. Genie goes through a lot, but she gains a deeper understanding of herself as well as others in her life as the story goes on, and I liked seeing all of these aspects of her journey.

I think this was a really good debut. A story that can spark a lot of emotions. Genie's journey is one that I think people will enjoy following, and even be inspired by. I can't wait to see what else this author comes out with!