An extremely fun and well-written romance! I really liked how both main characters came to the story feeling like their own persons, not just figures to act out a romance; they had their own troubles and trials as people, but were able to tackle them independently AND together through the building of their relationship. I also thought this was actually a fun way to do a "forbidden" romance in a contemporary novel. Usually that trope is awful, but here it was really intelligently done.

Definitely recommend!!

I loooved this book! As a former ballet dancer, I appreciated the ballet elements and never felt like I was being talked down to or anything like that. The relationship that developed between Heather and Marcus was amazing and I loved their chemistry. The cast, while smallish, was well written and entertaining. The author’s writing style is lovely and I absolutely would read their work again! If you love dance and romance this book is for you!

Okay, so I might have did not read the book but it's on my TBR. I was going through some major book-slump on that time period which lasted more than six months. I could not pick up books. I did not have it in me to force myself either as it would lead to a bad mood and a bad review. Hopefully I will pick this book up soon.

I don't know what I expected, but I really loved the book. The last few (english) books I read often showed me romances I didn't like because the protagonists were only all over each other but had no real interest in anything else. And this book was completly different from my last experiences.
Chloe Angyal doesn't just show an honest look on the ballet world but also created characters that are so lovely (or to be hated like Jack, but that is on a different page) and I really enjoyed reading their story. It felt so honest and realistic and I am just glad that there are novels about the ballet world that don't just romanticise it but show how the dancers often feel and what is often wrong in dance companies like in this case the NYB and ANB.
Also the chemistry between Heather and Marcus was incredible. I just loved every page of it. Especially how they communicate and don't just keep things to themselves but how they actually cannot do that because it feels to wrong for them not to keep talking to each other.
Big recommendation!

In Pas de Don't we find, in addition to a beautiful love story, a denunciation of the problems that currently abound not only in ballet, but in almost all jobs in the world: psychological, sexual and power abuse, inequality of gender and the worst, indifference.
I loved the author's style of narration: simple and direct, casual and elegant at the same time. She presents us with protagonists, Heather and Marcus, very human, with weaknesses and doubts and brave enough to face them and move forward, even stronger than at the beginning. And an antagonist, Jack, who has not been denied anything in life and therefore feels he has the right to trample on others. I think what makes this novel a success is that we all know at least one Heather, one Marcus and, unfortunately, more than one Jack.
Reading this story, it is easy to forget that with Pas de Don't, Chloe Angyal makes her debut as a novel writer.
Pas de Don't is an excellent debut that deserves a standing ovation and several curtain calls. I hope that Ms. Angyal will delight us very soon with another magnificent novel.
I thank the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The opinion I have expressed above is based solely on what I think and feel about this book.

An exquisite ballet romance — I was throughly swept away by the story and the characters. Chloe Angyal is a skilled author and I can’t wait to read what she writes next (fingers crossed some of the secondary characters here get their own time in the spotlight)!

This book is SO GOOD! It is moving, powerful, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "Pas de Don't", I was whisked away, and could not put this book down!

I am a dancer, and as soon as I heard about this book, I just knew I needed to read it!

Chloe Angyal is such an incredible author! Her storytelling jumps off of the page, and her storytelling is incredibly moving and impactful. Her characters feel like such real people, and I truly was hooked from the first page to the last.

(Possible Spoilers)
I truly found myself pulling for Heather and Marcus. They support one another, and understand one another on a deep level.

Also, KOALAS!

If you enjoy Contemporary Romance, I recommend this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Chicago Review Press - Amberjack Publishing for the ARC of this book! I look forward to reading what Ms. Angyal writes next.

Escaping her life to the Australia - Heather is a relationable and fun character. We see how she handles her love life disater, rebuilds herself and still succeeds in her craft. Marcus is equally through grief and pain. I really enjoyed their pairing. The tension between the two was delicious. Pay attention to the content warnings at the beginging though - this is a light read.

This book was an absolute delight! After reading Chloe Angyal's amazing non-fiction debut, Turning Pointe, I was interested to see how she would write romance. Let me tell you, she did NOT disappoint. MCs Heather and Marcus are each battling their own demons when we meet them.

Heather has just left NYC after finding out her fiance was cheating, and she couldn't escape him or the other woman since they were all ballet dancers there together. She struggles with imposter syndrome and self confidence. She has been emotionally abused and beaten down and made to feel like she's not good enough. She goes to join the Australian National Ballet Company as a guest dancer in hopes it will spark a new career for her and let her really stand on her own.

Marcus has suffered an Achilles tendon injury, meaning he has not been able to dance in months. On top of that, his father has recently passed away, and now his brother is pressing their mom to sell her house. I was in awe by the way that Ms. Angyal was able to weave in such heavy topics such as grief, and the current housing crisis (which is apparently international), AND difficulties for older adults living on a fixed income, all while giving these characters room to grow individually and as a couple.

While Heather and Marcus had some insta-lust (that butt!), nothing between them felt rushed. They are careful with each other and there is so much tension and pining since they are not supposed to be together while working together, and it becomes absolutely swoony! Chloe writes excellent, steamy love scenes, that made it worth the wait for this impatient reader.

This book made me laugh, it gave me butterflies, it makes me want to jump on a plane and go to Sydney! Most of all, it makes me chomp at the bit to read the author's next book!

Heather Hays finally has everything she's worked for—she was promoted principal dancer and is engaged to her forever crush, ballet royalty Jack Andersen.

Content warnings upfront? LOVE and definitely appreciate.

Oftentimes books about dance are not technical nor accurate. As a dancer my whole life I felt fully immersed in Heather's world and that made her that much more relatable. She is a strong character (both physically and emotionally) which had me rooting for her and willing to follow her until the very last page.

The romance was charming and cute and full of chemistry. I did some research and found that Chloe Angyal pulled inspiration from real life events as a ballerina. She also has a work of nonfiction which I am very interested to read. I love that this fiction version was realistic without being cynical.

If you want to be pulled fully into the world of ballet and its characters, I highly recommend this book.

the average rating on goodreads for this book was so high so i must say that my expectations were quite high as well. i absolutely loved the contrast between the darker side of ballet, the abuse, power imbalance, pain and the sweet and swoon worthy romance which reflected what the spectator sees of ballet vs/ the reality of it for the dancers. heather had an amazing development throughout this book and i absolutely rooted for her. i was angry at jack, giggled at certain scenes with marcus and it made me want to watch so many ballets! totally recommend it, 5⭐️ and probably a new favorite!!!

A warm, sweet, sexy romance, a fairy tale of a story with its roots firmly grounded in reality. I've enjoyed Chloe Angyal's nonfiction writing for a long time, and while I think the technical ballet details in Pas de Don't are contextualized just fine, her previous book, Turning Pointe, an exploration of the ballet industry's failings, pairs well with this romantic yet realistic love story between two dancers trying to make their way, and make a relationship work, in the often fraught world of professional ballet.

Heather and Marcus are both complex, richly described, and deeply appealing as protagonists, with swoon-worthy chemistry as well as their own compelling individual journeys. They're surrounded by a small but solid cast of supporting characters (is it too much to hope that both Carly and Alice get their own sequels?), with a well-paced plot that comes to a satisfying conclusion. A successful fiction debut, and a welcome addition to my romance shelf!

Thanks to Amberjack Publishing for the advance review copy.

Pas de Don't has everything I didn't know I needed all in one book - romance, drama, all-too-real commentary on the state of professional ballet but also insight into the lives of professional dancers - and koalas!

There wasn't a page in this book I didn't adore. The only thing I genuinely disliked about it was that it ended. Listen, I just need an entire series of these books and it looks like we're getting another featuring some of the same characters, so there's that!

Chloe's prose is funny, engaging, and inspiring. She leans on her deep knowledge of the professional ballet world to address important issues while simultaneously creating a story that's impossible to put down. I cannot wait to read the next one.

Thanks to Chicago Review Press and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I love a good ballet book or movie and Chloe Angyal's first novel does not disappoint! Angyal captures the backstage drama of the ballet world perfectly and I loved how modern the romance felt, even as it addressed the all-too-common misogyny and sexism of professional dance.

Marcus and Heather are such a great couple. I really felt how their relationship helped Heather heal from an abusive ex and I really appreciated the dual POV throughout this book. The description of the dancing was beautiful and it never felt too "inside baseball" to exclude people not familiar with the steps. I gobbled up the descriptions of Sydney, Australia and loved reading a romance not set in the US or England.

All in all, a really enjoyable story that I inhaled during a stressful week and really adored. I can't wait for Carly's story!

There is so much to like about Pas de Don't. Angyal knows what's she's writing about when it comes to both Australia and ballet, and if you find talented people being excellent in their chosen field to be hot (competence porn yes) you'll certainly be drawn to Heather, who is an excellent dancer. This book also made me not only want to go to Sydney but made me feel a bit as if I had been there before, so well done for the immersiveness.

I didn't love the book; while I got Marcus and Heather being attracted to each other, it didn't feel like an epic love to me. I like Heather a lot0 and also liked Marcus, but I didn't get the sense that this was a HEA so much as a HFN (which is perhaps more realistic but less satisfactory) I understand what Angyal was getting at with her critique of anti fraternalization policies, but that section felt more like a point being made and less like an organic plot point.

Still, I'm so glad I read Pas de Don't and I've been reflecting on it and what it says about work ever since. And I'm extremely glad Angyal has signed a deal and a sequel will be coming; one thing I wished about PDD was more Carly, and I'm so glad that concern had been addressed. Angyal is a new voice in romance and I definitely plan on purchasing her future work as well.

* I received an Arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After a devastating betrayal by her boyfriend and dance partner, Heather Hayes, a principal ballet dancer for the NY ballet company, packs her bags and goes to Sydney to dance as a guest artist. In Sydney, she meets Marcus, another dancer, who shows her around the city. Their attraction is undeniable, but the Australian ballet company has a strict policy against dancers dating. Will Heather and Marcus jeopardize their dancing careers for a chance at love?

I love the beautiful cover and the cheeky title. I enjoyed the premise of the book. Heather and Marcus had great chemistry, and Marcus is a sweet cinnamon-roll hero. Overall, Pas de Don't is an enjoyable romance but a bit slow-paced.

Heather Hayes finally has it all, with getting promoted to principal dancer and being engaged to Jack. After she catches him cheating her life comes crashing down. She gets a guest position with another ballet company and meets Marcus. They tour together, with an attraction growing between them but due to a company rule of no dating coworkers, have to hide their relationship.
I loved this book, it was a great romance. I liked that Heather grew as a person and that she realized how toxic her relationship with Jack was. I think Heather and Marcus had great chemistry also. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

heather's life crashed down just after she was promoted to became the principal dancer in new york because her shitty and misogynistic fiancé cheated on her. the unfair part? he's not the one who got kicked out of nyb, heather is. the good part? once she finally got a new position in australia, she met marcus... by accident in the men locker room, not very cute. but he is. he is the dreamy guy type. and then the worst part came, pas de don't, the company rule where dancers are not allowed to date each other. but well, some rules aren't meant to be followed, right?

what a unique story! ballet romance is new to me and i'm amazed at how the author takes us into the world of real world of ballet with all its unflattering side especially inequities in treating women. the ending of the book is just what i needed, it's perfect and heather is a certified queen both in ballet and in general. the characters interact so naturally with one another and very supportive, i'm talking about you, carly!! she's the best friend everyone wants and her support for heather is what we all need in life.

loving the forbidden romance trope but it's unfortunate that this is written in third person pov, i would love to know what's on heather and marcus' minds! especially during the camping with koala bear scene and all the sneaky scenes.

thank you netgalley for the arc, all opinions are my own ♡

Perfect for the start of summer, a little romcom (more rom than com) with some steamy moments.
Set in the ballet world – just like Chloe Angyal’s previous non-fiction book, Pas de Don’t is about Heather’s recovery from a pretty ugly breakup.
She is an international star in the ballet world, but when her ballet star fiancé cheats on her and they break up, it seems everyone only saw her as part of a package rather than her own worth. As her future mother-in-law used to say: it’s only because of Jack that she made it out of the New York Ballet Corps to become a principal dancer. And now everyone thinks like that.
The only place that offers Heather a job is the Australian National Ballet as Giselle for a month, dancing at the Sydney Opera House.
It’s the perfect escape, and ANB has a very different vibe to NYB: modern rules, female leads and choreographers, very unlike the the reign of Mr K back in New York.
One rule turns out to be tricky though because right on her first day, Heather walks in on Marcus in the changing room and they quickly become close friends. Still recovering from an accident, Marcus is assigned as his Sydney guide and soon they are very close to breaking the famous Pas de Don’t rule at ANB: Absolutely no dating allowed between dancers. Should they do so – and get caught – dismissal is certain. But Heather and Marcus think they can pull it off.
They have a beautiful couple of weeks in Sydney together as Heather prepares for her role and Marcus’ Archilles is healing. They make a cute couple (behind closed doors and away from the city) and the bedroom scenes are definitely hot. But these arrangements tend to go wrong, and so does this one…

This was a really great debut romance. You can tell the author is very knowledgeable about ballet by the way it comes across in the details in her writing. The writing style worked for me, and I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I loved the story, the characters and the setting (most of the book is set in Sydney, Australia). I will definitely be looking out for what Chloe writes next!