As a huge fan of Melanie Hamrick’s work, I can never resist diving into her latest, and this one did not disappoint. Right from the start, The Unraveling impresses with its attention to detail. The world of ballet comes to life in such vivid strokes that you can practically feel the scuffed floorboards, the pinch of pointe shoes, and the subtle terror and thrill of the stage lights. Every description, every mention of stretching routines and rehearsal rituals, makes you feel like you're in the wings with the dancers. It’s these small, rich details—the aches, the sweat, the little rituals of competition and self-discipline—that ground the story so well in the reality of ballet and the character's world.

The story itself, while taking time to truly unfold, builds tension around the characters’ ambitions and rivalries in a way that keeps you turning pages. This isn't just a story of dance; it’s a study of obsession, sacrifice, and the drive to achieve something lasting. And while some moments lean towards the predictable, the genuine love for ballet and the raw humanity of the characters had me transfixed all the way through.

For anyone with a fascination for the world of ballet, or just a love of a richly atmospheric setting, 'The Unraveling' is a nuanced look at a world where every movement holds meaning. Four stars!

TL;DR: The Unraveling pulls you into the competitive, high-stakes world of ballet with a story that feels gritty, graceful, and addictively real. A beautiful ode to art and it's inherited ambition!

I am always intrigued by stories about ballet and ballerinas. I loved the darkness behind this and how Melanie shows the "friendships" of ballerinas. The world is a competition of who can get the best spots and even though others act like your friends they are also against you. I loved following Jocelyn's story of finding her way back into ballet after taking time off and how she loses herself into it to avoid her grief. I did find though that as the book progresses Jocelyn does find herself and learns that she needs to change for things to get better.

I am defying at 31%. I was hoping for a Black Swan unraveling type story surrounding the ballet world. It was a lot of sex that I didn't care to read. It's just not for me.

Huge thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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This cover perfectly fits the tone of this book. This is Dark, twisty and complicated. Ballet can be beautiful and serene but this is the total opposite giving black swan vibes!
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This was such an enjoyable and thrilling read. You really get the sense of loss and disconnect and discomfort that Hamrick is trying to elicit in the main character, Jocelyn. She is untethered, unmoored and slowly unraveling until her situation finally breaks her and helps her break free of experiences that have bound her. She seems lost all throughout the story until certain situations unfold that force her to look closely at her life. I loved the atmosphere of the story and how each of o the characters came into her life at the right time. I couldn't help saying "GIIIRRRRL, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!!", multiple times throughout the story. I glad for how the story ended.

As someone from Louisiana I was a bit excited about this particular book. However, the main character, Jocelyn, got on my nerves. She was so focused on getting away from her past it seemed that she was intentionally ruining her future as well. Like she couldn't help but blow up her life. And she wasn't the most likable character, which made it harder for me to root for her. In the end I really just didn't enjoy the book.

This book was unhinged! I loved it! Thank you PRH Audio for the audio to go along with the print version.

The Unraveling is not a romance. That's not to say there isn't an HEA but it doesn't hit the second definition of a romance - the central focus is not the development of the relationship between the love interests. I'd say this is a dark women's fiction, maybe?

If you loved the movie Black Swan and want to spend your time seeing someone hit their lowest point before they become whole again, this is the book for you. The plot was immersive and there were some steamy scenes here but most of it was hollow - I needed more emotional investment.

If, however, you want your ballet reads to be more romance or more like my fave ballet movie Center Stage, this is likely not the book for you.

A ballerina spirals into a world of lust and luxury in this new addictive
But in an instant, Jocelyn’s world is turned upside down and she’s forced find a way back into the ballet world. But the ballet scene in London is completely different from the one in America. It's not just talent and drive that will move you forward; if you don't secure a sponsor to pay your salary, you will go nowhere.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 is an adult ballet fiction novel that follows Louisiana ballet dancer transplant Jocelyn Banks. She is currently living in London with her up & coming artist boyfriend Jordan; and on hiatus from dancing.
She receives a phone call one night that turns her life upside down; finding out that her mom has died and she is now in charge of her grandmother's care, who is currently living in an assisted living facility.
As Jocelyn is currently out of work, she is panicking over what to do until she finds herself tangled with Annabella, a Spanish ballet dancer. Annabella helps guide Jocelyn back to ballet, but Jocelyn begins to see that the donor-sponsoree relationship in Europe is completely different than in America.

This book had me googling ballet dancer salaries because I thought they were paid through the companies they worked for; not that they had to have a sponsor/donor (& the more your donor donates the faster you move up in a company). I also did not know that there were different dancer tiers, so I appreciate learning something new!

Now comes to the characters. Jocelyn is the type of character that is so unlikable she's likable. Some of her actions would have you saying "whyyyy" but you will also finding yourself rooting for her.

This book shows the catty side of dancing, plus how a donor/sponsoree relationship can cross a line.

This book gives Black Swan meets Zane vibes, in that it's veryyyyy spicy. One thing the author did not do is hold back on the steamy scenes (& they are very detailed!)

If you are a prude, you may not appreciate it but as a reader I appreciated the descriptive writing and how the story advanced. You think it's going one way and it's definitely going another. Do not judge this book by it's cover because I thought it was going to be somewhat of a thriller but it's definitely moreso like soft ballet erotica.

This story was unexpected but I liked that about it! This author does not hold back in terms of steam and spice. Our main character is down for anything and in the first half of the book we are introduced to this wild child.

But the story does not just revolve around her, per se. In fact, it is a lot about the backstabbing and manipulations, both subtle and not so subtle. The machine that drives people to do what they do in and around the art world.

This author took us on a tour of the ballet world through the eyes of our main character. She lived for her art, but she was dramatic and kind of mean. I did not like her at all in many places throughout the story.

But as the story evolved, so did she. We see the other side of people and what they will do to manipulate and get what they want. But there was one constant and he was amazing. The ending was so worth all of the drama, lies, and twisted people.

The Unraveling is a different type of romance. It is not dark but you don’t get all of the happy feels either. It is a blend of right and wrong, twisted people manipulating people, and finding yourself along the way.

Big thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the early copy! As the title describes, this book revolves around an exceptional ballerina, whose life is falling apart before her eyes.

Jocelyn Banks is a phenomenal dancer, but has left the ballerina life for reasons unknown. Aimless in her next steps, she resolves to drinking and partying and not much else. Upon the death of her estranged mother, Jocelyn sets into motion a domino effect of further self-destructive behaviors. She ends her stable relationship with the boyfriend she loves, sets out to become a dancer again, but finds herself connected to some questionable characters.

Her relationship with her donor starts to cross some lines, as does her relationships with other dancers and friends. (Be prepared for some spice!) As she becomes principal dancer in the newst ballet, she finds the story is representative of her own life. In her own search for family and home, she is spiraling into a life she doesn’t want and needs to make some tough choices.

I really loved having the ballet as the background to giving her a mirror into her own life. She was an absolute mess of bad decisions, all stemming from her fractured relationship with her mom; it was interesting to watch her come to terms with that relationship and move beyond it to get her life back. So good!

WOW! I absolutely loved this book! Melanie Hamrick’s wildly addictive sophomore novel grips you from the very first page. It tells the story of Jocelyn Banks, who is emerging from an early retirement as a ballerina to navigate the cutthroat ballet scene in London. The narrative exposes the toxic environment and highlights how influential donors hold the power to make or break a dancer’s career, regardless of their talent.

With vibes reminiscent of *Black Swan*, we witness Jocelyn’s life begin to unravel following the loss of her estranged mother. She makes a series of questionable choices, embarking on a path of self-destruction that is both compelling and heartbreaking to read. It’s fascinating how aware she is of her decisions, yet feels an almost magnetic pull toward them—as if she is eager to discover just how far she can fall.

The novel vividly portrays the brutal competition among ballerinas and the lengths to which they will go to sabotage one another, reinforcing the notion that trust is a rare commodity in this world. Yet, amidst the rivalry, it is also a story of grief, love, second chances, and healing. With its rollercoaster of emotions and a satisfying conclusion, it serves as a wonderfully escapist read. I highly recommend it to anyone intrigued by ballet or looking for a captivating tale about female rage!

This story follows a ballerina who experiences the dangers of her world and learns who to trust. As many people know, some ballerina’s don’t have the best of the world with their strict diet and having to keep a reputation in their world. This book follows that story. A young woman experiences the hardship of her career especially after her past. I loved the author’s writing style and how addictive it was to read. I do have to say there weren’t really huge conficts in the book. The story reflected mainly on sex, betrayal, and eating disorders but there weren’t the drama I was expecting. The story follows Jocelyn’s pov.

Jocelyn doesn’t know how she truly feels and is experiencing the toxic of her world. I enjoyed her character and seeing her grow. She goes through so much for her love of ballet but she asks to risk herself for it. There are many side characters in this book but I have to say that most of them were jerks. I loved Mimi and how she tried to help Jocelyn. There isn’t truly romance in this book as it’s mainly women’s fiction and coming of age, but there is a lot of steamy scenes.

The ending mostly well done but I didn’t get how guy came into the picture. I think my mind totally skipped on that fact. Overall this was a great book and I recommend checking it out. Remember to check the triggers for this book because the character has an eating disorder along with facing toxicity.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

The Unraveling by Melanie Hamrick
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After years of success at the North American Ballet, Jocelyn is taking a hiatus in London. In an instant her world is turned upside down when her mother suddenly dies, leaving Jocelyn responsible to pay for her grandmother’s care. Jocelyn must return to the world of ballet.
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What I liked:
-I loved how despite Jocelyn being a pretty flawed character, I kind of adored her and was rooting for her the whole time.
-The way Jocelyn’s relationship with her mother and grandmother was shown through the flashback chapters seemed so vivid and real feeling.
-I loved the realizations that Jocelyn started making towards the end. 💜💜💜😢 🥺
-That last chapter. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’ve seen other reviews compare this to Dark Swan, but I have never seen that movie so you will have to decide for yourself if that is an accurate comparison. I really enjoyed The Unraveling, it was moody and thought-provoking, yet kind of wild!

Ballet books have quietly become a favorite for me (also am excited about the upcoming RETURN TO MIDNIGHT novel) so I was enthralled while reading this one. I loved seeing Jocelyn navigate a new ballet world and deal with people who wanted to see her fail. If you’re already missing the Olympics like me then grab this one!

This was just an okay story for me sadly. I really enjoyed the author's last book, First position. Her ability to immerse readers in the world of professional ballet is unparalleled but for some reason the plot of this story fell a bit flat for me. There was plenty of steamy queer romance and explicit sex scenes but I just couldn't connect with the MC. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! Great narration by Summer Morton.

I love books/movies set the the world of ballet and this book was really what I wanted. I loved the London ballet setting and the different donors Jocelyn had to deal with. I thought the whole book was exciting and fun.

Know that this is less about ballet than it is about, well, spicy encounters. And a lot of them. Jocelyn who left the ballet seven months ago (at the start of the novel) must find her way back in order to pay the bill for her grandmother's care. And she must find a sponsor and navigate a path of jealous competition with Arabella, to whom she is also drawn for spice. I wish that Hamrick would write a realistic book about ballet that's focused on ballet, not on a ballerina's love/lust life. This has marginally more about ballet than her last novel but it still feels like a background. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Know that this is explicit in spots and that's fine if you're up for it but I wanted details about dance not (well, you know).

Follow Jocelyn and the toxic environment of the ballerina, following all the tropes like weight and competition. Change enters Jocelyn's life too fast as Jocelyn moves in with fellow ballerina Arabella (for no logical reason) as she re enters the back into the drama of the ballet world.

I wanted to like this story, this idea but nothing ever fully felt flushed out. There were so many different ideas and directions for Jocelyn that the author never fully committed to developing. It moved too fast for a slow burn but that would have been a better direction to go in. Unfortunately I never felt like the author committed to what they wanted the book to do. I think I kept looking for logic and it wasn’t anywhere in this story, which is definitely something that throws me off.
For the reader, everytime Jocelyn met a new sexual conquest, she would pretty much have the same consistent conversation about her past. So the story would become repetitive without much progress.
The details when Jocelyn reflects onto her ballet roles, previous and current, were the only pieces that I enjoyed.

The style of writing just wasn’t for me- it reminded me of when I read “50 Shades of Grey” which wasn’t for me either. If you’re looking for a book that just rushes through everything else to get to the “smutty” scenes, this could be for you but I couldn’t recommend based off the writing.