My expectations were higher after reading the interesting plot line that gave off Black Swan vibes and a promising, dark introduction to the world of ballerinas. However, I found that I watched a very detailed, smooth, and technical documentary about ballerinas instead of reading a riveting thriller about them.

The depictions of ballerinas' compelling lifestyle, their hard work amidst harsh and excruciating circumstances, the rivalry, exploitation, abuse, and debauchery were skillfully written. However, the lack of character depth and emotional intensity caused me to give up on caring about the characters. I didn't feel invested in finding out what would happen to them and I struggled to finish the book as if it was a mandatory task that I didn't enjoy.

The pacing was slow and dragging, but the conclusion was well crafted. Nevertheless, I still had a hard time getting into the main story and connecting with any of the characters, which is why I decided to give a flat, uneventful, solid three stars. I wish I had enjoyed the book more than its alluring cover!

A special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I did not read this book past the frist couple chapters because of the gratuitous and gross sex scene therein. So I will not recommend it or buy it for any library. While I read books with sex scenes = this one was disgusting. Way to ruin a book Haamrick.

I wasn’t personally getting into the story and stopped at 11%, but dance isn’t particularly “my thing.” I feel like this will best appeal to dancers and those interested in ballet. It didn’t feel like it delves as much into the characters, at least to start, so it won’t be as broad with its appeal because there is less for readers to connect with outside of dance. The prose seems great with showing, not telling, but it’s not quite fast paced enough to keep me moving and lacks intensity or thrill.

It seems (from an outsiders perspective) the author either danced themselves or researched thoroughly, as it seemed to get technical, which I liked. I wish more authors dug deep!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

First Position by Melanie Hamrick while being informative about the high demands of discipline and difficult schedules of ballerinas and their profession, lacked the intensity and desire to continue to read on to discover what happens next. Besides being taken advantage of by older men and drinking, drugs, and sex, their lives were dull. The ending was pleasant but not enough to satisfy the means.

4 stars
This book is a giant step out of my norm (horror/thriller), but sounded so intriguing. I found it to be very well written and the author seems to have quite a bit of knowledge concerning ballet. The characters were all fully developed and the story was so much more profound than I was expecting. This was such a great reading experience and I hope to see more from Melanie Hamrick in the future.