MAYA & NATASHA centers on Russian twin sisters who are both in training at the Vaganova, the school for the
world famous Kirov Ballet. They are the best of friends as children, but as they near the end of training, Maya fears that Natasha may defect when the ballet tours, and does something diabolical to sabotage her sister’s dream of becoming a soloist. Thus begins a rift that is irreparable. Their lives diverge , and their fates seem to always be on opposite trajectories— when one is happy, the other is miserable and vice versa. The two women navigate personal and professional obstacles separately, but the other twin is forever present in their minds.
Debut author Elyse Durham does an excellent job of bringing the reader into the world of professional ballet—the commitment required, the inevitable jealousy and envy, as well as the daily grind of it all. The book also immerses the reader into the thick of The Cold War, and how tension between the US and Russia were reflected in all aspects of life, including movies and ballet. The book mixes fictional characters with actual historical figures and events, and makes for a very compelling read.

This heartwarming book takes us from 1941 when twins Maya and Natasha are born to a prima ballerina in Leningrad Russia, who takes her own life shortly after their birth.
They are raised to be ballet dancers in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Maya and Natasha take different paths in life-one choosing freedom in the west and the other one staying in the Soviet Union.
This is a tale of loyalties to country, but most of all the bonds of being sisters.

Maya and Natasha are twin sisters born into the competitive world of ballet in the Soviet. From fear of deflection a new law is passed where family members may not travel together, which now makes them compete with each other.

Anyone who likes epic dramas revolving around sisters, will enjoy this. There’s so much that makes it interesting; the Cold War setting and what it’s like to live under Kremlin, and the details of professional ballet. To me this book was broken into two parts, before and after. In the after the girls are older and I didn’t enjoy this half quite as much. It was slower than the first half for me. I enjoyed learning of their two different paths though and how they come together.

“They were all being pitted against one another, turned into animals - a crowed of starving circus bears, charging after a single bowl of food.”

Maya and Natasha comes out 2/18.

For twin sisters Maya and Natasha, there is only one future: born the daughters of a ballerina during the Siege of Leningrad and raised in the theatre, they have never known anything but dance. Natasha is the fiery one and Maya the quiet one, and they dream of dancing together in the Kirov—until they learn that the Kirov, which tours internationally, will take only one of them to lessen the risk of defection. And so the fabric of their lives begins to unravel.

"Being seventeen is an exercise in cruelty. Those unfortunate enough to be so know a little of the world, a little less of love, and less still of themselves, but not enough of any of these to avoid heartache." (loc. 891*)

I love ballet books, despite having no ballet background myself; I loved this one more for its so specific time and place as context. Were Maya and Natasha being raised in the ballet world in, say, contemporary New York, their trajectories would be wildly different than they are here; even if they found themselves competing for the same roles or the same company spot, their options beyond that company spot would be quite different than they are deep behind the Iron Curtain.

"But the senior dancers busied themselves the same as always: they went to class; they leapt and spun and were commended; they stumbled and were scolded; they sat in history class and pinched their legs to try to stay awake; they stole naps in the library between classes; they snuck away to the storage closets and made love to each other, or pressed an ear to the door and listened to lovemaking and wished they were the ones inside; they ate too much; they ate too little; they sewed ribbons onto new pairs of pointe shoes and seared the ends with matches; they lifted rusty dumbbells in the gymnasium; they fell into bed and slept so hard it made them, somehow, more tired." (loc. 898)

The plot spans decades, starting as Maya and Natasha are born and then skipping ahead to their last year at the Vaganova (a, or perhaps the, premier school of ballet in Russia) and on through what follows. They are such distinct personalities, and I suspect that readers will each find themselves sympathizing more with one character over the other—and that which character you sympathize more with will tell you something, if something small, about yourself.

What is evident is how difficult it is to envision an outcome of their final exams and audition for the Kirov that will not devastate one—or both—of the sisters. It's a system set up...well, not for failure, but it's a system that ignores the humanity and personal desires of artists; there's a certain ruthlessness required in order for one to succeed, and for Natasha and Maya the questions becomes not just what but whom they are willing to sacrifice for the sake of their own futures.

"How quickly the rest of it happened was a great surprise to Maya, and something she would marvel at for years afterward—how everything in your life can change in the span of time it takes to wash your hair." (loc. 3598)

All in all, an excellent debut.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Maya and Natasha are twins abandoned by their mother during the siege of Leningrad in 1941. Now, in 1958, they are seniors at The Vaganova Ballet Academy which makes them eligible to compete to dance with the Kirov Ballet and join the company on its tour to America the following year.

A new Kremlin law prevents two family members from the troupe to travel abroad together because of feared defection. As a deterrent, if one defects, the family that remains in Russia is punished.

Although the tension between Maya and the man who loved her was lacking, it was countered by the depth of Natasha explaining how the clinical explanation of her injuries differed from recounting to her lover the events in her life that led up to the injuries. The distinction was poignant.
It seemed like no matter how the sisters’ actions hurt each other, they only served to bring them toward a moving conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publisher for an advance copy of this novel.

An absolutely beautiful debut -- ballet, historical fiction, politics, twin sisters torn apart by circumstance, and the tiniest dash of War and Peace. As we pass back and forth between Maya and Natasha's stories, we see two women, broken by time and circumstance, find their own individual moments of peace and triumph. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

calling all ballerinas, this is a fabulous read! Post WWII, Soviet Union. Two sister are deserted by their mother, a Prima Ballerina with the Kirov Ballet, and taken by a family friend. THe girls are enrolled in the Vaganova Ballet Academy and ask to tour with the company year later. In political ballet piece, your heart will pull for these girls. I loved every page!

This was a beautifully done story from Cold War Soviet and I always enjoy the Ballet elements to that concept. I was invested in the sisters bond and how everything was realistic and well written. The rest of the characters were wonderfully done and was engaged with the story overall. Elyse Durham has a strong writing style and can’t wait for more from the author.

“Maya & Natasha” by Elyse Durham is an absolutely fantastic story of family loyalty and betrayal in the brutal world of ballet. The story revolves around twin sisters born in Soviet Russia during the Cold War who were fortunate enough to study ballet at the famed Vaganova Academy. Bound emotionally together because of the suicide of their mother, we follow their journey through the rigorous years of training to the ultimate audition in their senior year for the one coveted spot in the country’s famed ballet company. As their relationship cracks and they begin to betray each other to further their careers, the reality of the unforgiving world they live in is mesmerizing.
The author did an exquisite job of adding the historical content into her beautiful prose. It is hard to believe this is a debut novel, I loved every word and and would give this more than 5 stars if I could.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for the eARC. I am rounding the book up to 3.5 stars.

The book was very interesting of how the ballet world operates in Russia. Therefore, it led to the family dynamics between the twin sisters. Later, each sister got to experience their own path separately. Overall, a good book to read.

Maya & Natasha by Elyse Durham is a great historical fiction that takes place in during the Cold War era.

This is a book that is not just about eastern Europe and the Soviet Union in the dramatic Cold War years, but also about family dynamics and tested relationships.

Maya and Natasha are sisters that through internal and external circumstances are tested in many ways. Trust, loyalty, love, loss, and what we in the end truly choose as our path are all concepts that are tested and delivered within this novel.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Mariner Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/18/25.

Beautiful and heartbreaking. Enchanting as it was passionate.

Thank you Netgalley and Mariner Books for the digital ARC!

An absolutely heartbreaking story of family bonds and betrayal.

Natasha and Maya are twin sisters whose life begins with a dark beginning in Soviet Russia. The two have a lucky upbringing through Vaganova, Russias elite ballet academy. The two are inseparable and learn to overcome hardship together. As the two enter the final year in school that is where bonds are tested, and the cut throat world of ballet challenge the sister’s alliance to each other.

As the women grow, the distance between the two increases. The heartbreak they cause each other leads to a broken bond, one that can be directly related to the deep divide caused by the Soviet nation.

A beautiful story of family and the ultimate forgiveness both have to extend to each other to renew their broken relationship.

Oh the thrilling, brutal world of Ballet - it is endlessly fascinating to me, and even more so when you throw in delicious historical and cultural twists like 2 ballerinas in Cold War Russia...This was my first book by Elyse Durham - but it definitely won't be my last. What a fantastic, unputdownable story. It had everything I was looking for - lyrical writing, a captivating heroines you can't look away from, wonderful historical accuracy, and that special twin-sister bond and loyalty. One of the things I really appreciated was that it felt authentic to me - that these heroines felt authentic to the times and culture that they were born into (not 21st century Western women magically implanted into the Soviet era). I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I wanted to know how this would end. Highly recommended and I can't wait to own this novel in print!

A beautiful family saga that had me keep returning for more! Maya and Natasha follows two twin sisters native to the Soviet Union over the course of a decade. It has heart, drama, and betrayal. Research is clearly prevalent throughout this novel and as a fan of historical fiction, I loved every snippet. As my own grandmother grew up in East Germany (which was under Soviet control), this offered me an insight into how my own family lived during such a tumultuous time in history. I cannot thank NetGalley and Mariner Books enough for this arc!

MAYA & NATASHA is a wonderful novel that I recommend for fans of historical fiction. The author has clearly done her research, and the 1950s time period and the setting of Soviet Russia are expertly conveyed. The ballet academy details must have been hard to get right, but I feel like the author does a fabulous job. We feel like we are right there with the sisters.

Speaking of sisters, the dynamic between Maya and Natasha rings true as well, and I especially appreciated the psychological insights about their bond as well as their competitiveness.

My one minor complaint is that the novel could have been shorter. However, the length did not detract too much from my overall enjoyment.

I look forward to more from this author. Brava!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are 100% my own.

Ok first what an absolutely beautiful cover I love how their tutus almost melt into each other. Ok now to the actual review. I loved this book, I was a ballet dancer for a long time growing up so it was nice reading about the competition and it being realistic and not just a phoned in part. You can tell the author did actually research into every part of this book so it was authentic. I liked the alternate narrations from the sisters. Also learning and understnading how their lives and personalities were shaped by their childhood and their environment was really interesting.

Amazing debut by Elyse Durham! If you’re a ballet lover who enjoys historical fiction, you must add this novel to your to-read list. Before I jump into my review, a quick definition: In ballet lingo, a pas de deux is a dance for two. The Kennedy Center defines it perfectly, explaining that a pas de deux represents “the coming together of two people who carry with them all kinds of intense emotions, including love, grief, fear, deceit, joy, and longing.” This novel is pas de deux between twin sisters who grew up in Russia during the Cold War and studied at the famed Vaganova Academy. Bound together by the untimely death of their mother, the totalitarian regime they live under and the notoriously rigorous training at the Vaganova, the girls have come to rely on each other completely. But as they enter their final year as Vaganova students and approach the time to audition for a coveted spot at the Kirov Ballet (now known as the Mariinsky Ballet), cracks start to appear in their relationship. Both sisters end up betraying one another at different stages of their artistic careers, literally shattering their once-unbreakable bond. The novel paints a vivid picture of Soviet-U.S. relations during the Cold War and gives readers a glimpse into ballet history (with appearances by George Balanchine, Lincoln Kirstein, Jacques D’Amboise and more)—with a bit of Tolstoy’s classic War and Peace thrown in. Some sections did move a tiny bit slowly, but overall this was a wonderful debut that I highly recommend. 5/5 pointe shoes!

"Maya and Natasha" is a breathtaking debut novel that masterfully intertwines the intricate world of Cold War Soviet ballet with a deeply emotional family saga. The novel's remarkable attention to detail and thorough research shines through on every page, offering readers a vivid and authentic glimpse into the harsh realities and mesmerizing artistry of the era.

Set against the backdrop of 1950s Soviet Russia, the story of twin sisters Maya and Natasha is brought to life with stunning precision. The author’s meticulous exploration of the Vaganova Ballet Academy and the Kirov Ballet immerses readers in a world where every pirouette and jeté is steeped in historical significance and personal sacrifice. The complex portrayal of the Soviet regime's impact on the arts and the lives of the characters is both insightful and poignant.

The novel deftly balances historical accuracy with emotional depth, allowing readers to fully engage with the sisters' struggles and triumphs. The portrayal of Maya and Natasha's evolving relationship—marked by both fierce competition and unbreakable bonds—adds a powerful dimension to the narrative. Their personal journey, shaped by a world that is as unforgiving as it is mesmerizing, is rendered with a sensitivity and nuance that make their story both compelling and unforgettable.

In "Maya and Natasha," the combination of supreme research and exquisite storytelling results in a novel that is as educational as it is enthralling. This debut not only captures the essence of an era but also delivers a deeply moving tale of dreams, loyalty, and the complexities of sisterhood.

Okay this book was FANTASTIC!! I had no idea what to expect and I was just blown out of the water with this story. It was so well done. Highly recommend!