Great book bur rather slow moving. It was interesting to get an intro into the ballet behind the scenes, but the book lacked in other aspects of it. The mothers were rather unlikable so it was not always interesting to follow their perspectives. Overall, great premise but not so perfect execution.

Overall, an enjoyable read. It felt a bit long at times with the alternating chapters of the different characters’ POV’s. I think I might have liked it better if I was more interested in the world of ballet.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book! The story intertwines the lives of two characters separated by time and geography, exploring the emotional and physical distances between them. It's a slower book with much more of a focus on character development and less on a plot driven novel. For some readers that may make it too slow for them, but with the right mood for me (aka a rainy day) - it was an excellent read!

I enjoyed The Still Point, however like some of the other reviews, I didn’t think the narrative was as enticing as it could have been. The overarching theme of the dance school gave great insight into the pressures young dancers feel when they are perusing their dreams. However the mothers… none of them were likeable and I found myself skipping some of their stories.

I liked this but I think it didn't quite reach its full potential. I really enjoyed the different mother-daughter dynamics and the portrayal of the competitive dance world. I thought the entertwined perpectives worked really well but I wish the author had embraced the drama a little more. This was a solid story and I wasn't bored at any point but it didn't have the wow factor I hoped for.

QUOTE: "Why waste all that time on something that just disappears. . .We dance and then it's all just a memory."

My introduction to Award-winning author T. Greenwood was her twelfth novel. RUST & STARDUST, published in August 2018. The story is the gripping, heart wrenching novel of Sally Horner, the 11-year-old kidnapping victim whose abduction in 1948 inspired Vladimir Nabokov's LOLITA. I was surprised that she was now writing about the lives of young dancers.

FIRST LINE: "The world is on fire."

THE STORY: Three young dancers. Three supporting mothers. All friends and competitors. Life has seemed good until a well-known French instructor comes to their coastal California town to bestow a Paris scholarship on an outstanding ballerina.

WHAT I THOUGHT: If you are paying attention, you will glimpse the personal elements the author has scattered throughout the story. Although she has written that THE STILL POINT is not a memoir, Greenwoood raised her daughter, now a professional ballerina, and certainly understands the intense world of dance classes and rivalries. The storytelling makes the book a remembrance of when we were young, took dance lessons, but stopped.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended because the writing is beautiful and the plot will keep the reader fascinated by the behind-the-scenes descriptions.

DISCLAIMER: A copy of was provided to me by Kensington Books / Net Galley for an honest review.

The Still Point was a fairly good mystery about ballet culture. As a fan of the show Dance Moms, I enjoyed seeing similar mom drama with the added mystery of a broken friendship and mysterious fire. This would be an excellent summer read for reality TV fans.

i had high expectations for this book

the idea was good and the author is quite good with words and the story does not really get bored. however plot could be better.

i thought we would get some crazy things done by ballet moms because they can be so involved in their children's career, but it was only some "childish" things.

i liked mother-daughter relationships and how it was different for each family. i also liked the role of fathers and their approach toward everything


i believe parts of the grief were described quite well too

i just wish it had a bit more crazy

This story provided the viewpoint of a variety of characters. While I was never involved in dance or had a daughter who was drawn into the world of dance, I can appreciate from the comments of friends with children in such programs. There are a lot of mean girls and mean mommas out there and this definitely portrayed the negative side of that world. The story will delve into mother-daughter relationships and the competitive nature of the dance world. A little drama at the end but it wasn’t as big of a shocker as I had hoped would happen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

The Still Point by Tammy Greenwood

A well written story that made me once again wonder if parents help their children fulfill dreams of or if they push their children to live out the dreams they once had for themselves. As a child, I wanted to take ballet classes but was never allowed to do so. I love attending ballet and have enjoyed stories and movies since childhood that had ballet as the theme. As I began to read, I realized that this was not a book I was willing to invest time in reading word for word. I could not relate to the mothers or their daughters, become invested in the plot, or feel moved. In the end, I read the first part, the end, and skimmed the middle.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars

In this complicated and messy novel, Tammy Greenwood brings readers into the ultra competitive ballet world and to a ballet academy located on the California coast. As the Level 6 seniors approach their final performances at the academy, a top tier dancer from France arrives with a prestigious scholarship for one dancer, shaking the whole town to its core. As dancers Bea, Olive, Savvy, Phoebe, and the rest of the dance class duke it out for the top spot, they also have to contend with the events of last summer’s bonfire, and their mothers Josie, Ever, and Lindsay have to come to terms with their own relationships and losses as the world changes around them. Greenwood’s characters are viciously realistic and challenge each other in the studio and out in the real world, and she balances the many different perspectives that tell the story incredibly well. Her characters are all strongly developed in ways that complement and contrast with the other characters (major and minor), and the town, Costa de la Luna, also has its own personality and character which is critical to this novel. Greenwood’s latest novel is a strong fiction and thriller combo that shines a light on small town community and competitive ballet.

Thank you very much #netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Still Point by Tammy Greenwood. This is the story of three high school seniors who have been doing competitive ballet dancing for years. And it’s the story of their mothers. A new director comes into their ballet company and shakes everything up. The competitiveness makes the worst in everyone come out. Part coming of age and part parents behaving badly, along with directors behaving badly. I liked this story, even though I don’t know anything about ballet. #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #arc #thestillpoint #tammygreenwood #balletstory #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #booknerd #whattoread #readingtime #bookaddict #ilovetoread #ilovebooks #needtoread #readallday

Dance mom drama but with ballet. I am a reluctant dance mom so I have seen and unfortunately been pulled into some drama over the years. This story follows students and their parents at a ballet company in California who are preparing for the Nutcracker and competing to receive a scholarship to a prestigious ballet company in Paris. The story has teen angst, mama drama, and deals with grief, competitiveness, and many other issues. It was a fun read but the pacing was a bit inconsistent at times. It was fast in the beginning and the end but dragged a bit in the middle. Overall, a solid, fun story that peeks behind the curtains of the ballet world.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoy books about the arts, and this book was no exception. I appreciated how this book was not only about the dancers, but even more about their mothers, and what every one of them would do to achieve their dreams. Whose dreams they are though is the real question. The short chapters, and alternating points of view kept me turning pages. Without giving spoilers, I appreciated that the story is about more than what it seems to be. The ending was great, and could leave room for a follow-up. I would definitely read more about these characters.

I love books set in the world of ballet. The Still Point takes place in a ballet studio in California. A well known ballet professional from France has come to the studio to work with the students on their upcoming production of The Nutcracker. He has a film crew that will be documenting the process for a documentary and he will be awarding a scholarship to one lucky ballerina for a place in a famous company in Paris. Needless to say, he shakes things up for the young women and their mothers.

The book is told from the point of view of both the moms and the daughters. Think Dance Moms crossed with a compelling domestic drama. It could have verged into soap opera, but gets right up to the line without crossing it. Really well done. I cared about all of the characters; the heroes and the villains.

Excellent reading experience. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishers for the arc. The novel is out now! READ IT!

Tammy Greenwood is a master storyteller. Her latest portrays the highly competitive world of ballet, which was fascinating.

An arresting exploration of love and commitment in a world of dance and ambition. Thought provoking in the way love shapes our lives, even amidst inevitable changes.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

"The Still Point" ist eine Geschichte, die authentisch Einblick in die Welt des kompetitiven Balletts gibt. Das Buch folgt mehreren Familien und Tänzerinnen, deren Mütter, sogenannte "Dance Moms" stehen besonders im Vordergrund. Freundschaft, Feindschaft, Rivalitäten und menschliche Abgründe - auch all das gehört zur Welt des Tanzes dazu. Teilweise verliert sich die Geschichte etwas zu sehr in den Problemen, insgesamt ist es aber ein lesenswerter Roman.

This book was a RIDE and made for us dancers. You could tell how much the author knew about dance and how she eloquently incorporated ballet terms. She explains them, but it doesn’t feel like the whole book is definitions, it’s woven in extremely well. As someone who grew up dancing and en pointe, it was incredibly interesting to see all the layers and studio dynamics that I recognized. While I ended up quitting in high school to focus on competitive dance and because the studio got so toxic, I still saw so much of myself in these pages.

While at times it did get confusing who was who, it was so immensely gripping and I just wanted to see what happened next with every POV there was! There’s about four switching POVs, one of the daughters, her mother, and two other mothers. They are all so intertwined and had their own situations and issues that were so interesting to read about. So much was going on in this book, but it was super easy to follow and you couldn’t help but keep reading! It also deals with so many topics that are important, including the impact of social media, infidelity, grief, bullying, and more. As someone who has around 15 years of dance and ballet under their belt, I personally think the author did fantastic at educationally providing an insight into the competitive world of ballet.


Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this e-ARC!

I really enjoyed this one. I loved the alternating character chapters. It had great drama and even though I don’t do ballet it felt like the author highlighted the industry and competitiveness/jealousy very well. The ending was so satisfying yet unexpected. I loved it. Thankyou so much for the Arc!