Little Movements is a graceful, deeply felt debut that captures the breathtaking beauty and brutal cost of chasing your dreams. Layla’s journey is raw, complex, and achingly real, exploring the tension between art, ambition, marriage, and identity with striking honesty. The writing is vivid and alive, full of tenderness and sharp insight. Every page pulses with emotion, and Layla’s struggle to carve out space for her voice, her art, and her full self made this story feel both intimate and urgently necessary. This is a novel that dances right into your heart and stays there. I absolutely loved reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC copy of this book.

I really enjoyed the pacing of this book and the writing. The author did such a great job describing scenes and the flow to each chapter kept me reading. I don't normally read books with dancing as a big topic, but I enjoyed how the author wrote the dancing scenes and it was fun learning more about the behind the scenes in the dancing career.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed.  I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.



****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Little Movements is the kind of debut that quietly guts you while also reminding you why you love art, and why we fight to make space for it. It’s introspective, brave, and deeply human. I felt every ache in Layla’s journey, her longing to make something beautiful, to be seen, to be more than what the world expects of her. The tension between artistic ambition and emotional survival is written with such care, it never feels forced or dramatized. It’s just real, aching, bold, and beautifully written. I couldn’t put it down.

Layla, a Black choreographer, has just accepted a prestigious residency in rural Vermont. But upon arrival, she quickly notices unsettling patterns: her (white) boss only compares her work to that of other Black choreographers, and the dancers selected for her piece are exclusively Black as well. As Layla tries to focus on her craft, she’s also grappling with unresolved questions about her marriage. But pressure builds, and when it finally boils over, Layla is left to confront the wreckage—both personal and professional.

This beautifully written debut explores how race quietly but powerfully shapes interactions, even (and especially) in spaces that claim to be inclusive. Little Movements is a quiet storm—thought-provoking, intimate, and honest in its examination of what lies beneath the surface.

3.5 stars, rounded up for its grace and nuance.

Little Movements follows Layla Smart, a Black choreographer who simply wants to create beauty in the world without the crushing weight of controversy that follows her. While following her passion, she discovers the art institute that hired her is only following the money. Soon, the story comes out in full force, and Layla has to reconsider the goal of her art.

Layla’s journey of navigating personal struggles and societal pressures resonates deeply. When can we pause from the fight to simply appreciate the world's beauty as it exists?