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ihateprozac's review against another edition
2.0
CW: eating disorders, insect/animal death
Don’t be fooled by reviews that tout this as Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars. It’s got Black Swan vibes but Pretty Little Liars it is not.
This is first and foremost a character driven story, and that prevents it from being fast paced and compelling like PLL.
I didn’t love the writing style. It was too slow, got bogged down in uninteresting minutiae, and there were whole characters I wanted to skim over. I enjoyed June’s and Gigi’s chapters, but given that Bette is one of the main villains, her chapters were surprisingly wildly uninteresting and felt like wading through mud.
I’ll be honest though, none of these characters were very interesting. They’re all awful people - and not even in an enjoyable Mona Vanderwaal or Chuck Bass type of way - and they’re just allowed to walk around being awful. The only one with any decency is Gigi, who starts out as a joyful underdog and and then becomes naive to a fault.
I wanted more tension, drama, and faster pacing. While there is a lot of backstabbing and manipulation going on, it’s all at a lower level and the book feels at least 100 pages too long. The story eventually crescendoes but it never builds properly: it just feels like 400 pages of toxic attitudes and eating disorders before something goes BANG!
This was a disappointingly slow read and I wanted more from it. I might pick up the sequel at a later date but I’m in no rush for boring backstabbing ballerinas at this moment in time.
Representation: black main character, half Korean main character, multiple Korean side characters
Don’t be fooled by reviews that tout this as Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars. It’s got Black Swan vibes but Pretty Little Liars it is not.
This is first and foremost a character driven story, and that prevents it from being fast paced and compelling like PLL.
I didn’t love the writing style. It was too slow, got bogged down in uninteresting minutiae, and there were whole characters I wanted to skim over. I enjoyed June’s and Gigi’s chapters, but given that Bette is one of the main villains, her chapters were surprisingly wildly uninteresting and felt like wading through mud.
I’ll be honest though, none of these characters were very interesting. They’re all awful people - and not even in an enjoyable Mona Vanderwaal or Chuck Bass type of way - and they’re just allowed to walk around being awful. The only one with any decency is Gigi, who starts out as a joyful underdog and and then becomes naive to a fault.
I wanted more tension, drama, and faster pacing. While there is a lot of backstabbing and manipulation going on, it’s all at a lower level and the book feels at least 100 pages too long. The story eventually crescendoes but it never builds properly: it just feels like 400 pages of toxic attitudes and eating disorders before something goes BANG!
This was a disappointingly slow read and I wanted more from it. I might pick up the sequel at a later date but I’m in no rush for boring backstabbing ballerinas at this moment in time.
Representation: black main character, half Korean main character, multiple Korean side characters
marcosbedbooks's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 Stars
I listened to this book on audiobook.
Okay, so this is not a book I would recommend but I enjoyed it anyways. It is filled with problematic issues and plot holes and writing that wasn't the best but was so much fun! This is one I would recommend if you're looking for some trashy overdramatic YA and can handle lots of drama. The characters are actually diverse which is great, but there is also some eating disorder discussion that isn't done well so know that before going into it.
I listened to this book on audiobook.
Okay, so this is not a book I would recommend but I enjoyed it anyways. It is filled with problematic issues and plot holes and writing that wasn't the best but was so much fun! This is one I would recommend if you're looking for some trashy overdramatic YA and can handle lots of drama. The characters are actually diverse which is great, but there is also some eating disorder discussion that isn't done well so know that before going into it.
wordsbetweenlines's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved this show on Netflix so had to come back and read the book.
The teenage drama. It was for me.
I was nervous as it’s a 13 hours audiobook, which is long for YA. But it kept me interested. The multiple POVs really pushed the story along and kept me wondering who and what I could trust.
bugsybugs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lafaycttc's review against another edition
4.0
On découvre les coulisses et revers malsains du ballet dans une lecture addictive et très sympathique. Hâte de lire la suite !
eviecan's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sarahtribble's review against another edition
3.0
Bunheads meets Pretty Little Liars in this dark, steamy suspense novel about how ferocious teenaged girls can be when denied what they want. Plus, ballet.
khe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
naomi123's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75