ari_reading_'s review
3.0
➸Trigger Warnings for Anxiety, Bullying, Surgery/Surgery recovery.
Girl on Pointe was not just about dance, it was about resilience, family, bullying, and everything in between. I loved this book for its tips and tricks, the bloggy vibes I was getting, and how down-to-earth Chloe felt to me while writing. The book recommendations and movie recommendations were great as well, and the secret recipes were too!
This book isn't just a memoir and is really inspirational with a good message.
Girl on Pointe was not just about dance, it was about resilience, family, bullying, and everything in between. I loved this book for its tips and tricks, the bloggy vibes I was getting, and how down-to-earth Chloe felt to me while writing. The book recommendations and movie recommendations were great as well, and the secret recipes were too!
This book isn't just a memoir and is really inspirational with a good message.
liralen's review against another edition
2.0
I know nothing about Dance Moms (although I assume it's full of Drama) and about as much about Lukasiak (can't speak to whether there's Drama there), but I picked this up because I have a thing for books about dance. Unfortunately for me, there isn't much dance to be found within. There's also not a lot of Drama (or drama, for that matter)—this was written when Lukasiak was fifteen, and there's a clear intent to be squeaky-clean, present as a relatable good role model. Perhaps consequently, there's almost nothing specific from her time on reality TV, nothing about dance competitions, etc.
I'm disappointed that there's so little about dance competitions in particular—as I understand it, it's an entirely different world from the more traditional dance world I've read so much about, and I'd really have enjoyed learning more. Instead this is...well, lists of things Lukasiak likes (or liked when she was fifteen), and short stories that were definitely written by a teenager, and a rather tone-deaf section about how unglamorous her life actually is but that's full of things like '[I] wake up whenever jet lag lets me wake up' (177) and photos of her having her makeup done (179) or doing a fully staged, multi-person team photo shoot for social media (180).
I don't want to be too harsh here: again, she was fifteen when the book was written, and I have no doubt that Lukasiak has worked hard to turn her childhood fame into something more long-lasting. But I also expect that she'll be able to write something more interesting when she's significantly older and is willing and able to talk more directly about the ups and downs of a childhood spent on camera, in a context designed to create drama; when she has a better understanding of the ways in which parents renting 'a little apartment in Los Angeles so we could live there part-time and I could audition for roles' (146) is not just about supportive parents but also about wealth and privilege; and when she (or her publicist) doesn't feel the need to present as squeaky-clean and inoffensive.
I'm disappointed that there's so little about dance competitions in particular—as I understand it, it's an entirely different world from the more traditional dance world I've read so much about, and I'd really have enjoyed learning more. Instead this is...well, lists of things Lukasiak likes (or liked when she was fifteen), and short stories that were definitely written by a teenager, and a rather tone-deaf section about how unglamorous her life actually is but that's full of things like '[I] wake up whenever jet lag lets me wake up' (177) and photos of her having her makeup done (179) or doing a fully staged, multi-person team photo shoot for social media (180).
I don't want to be too harsh here: again, she was fifteen when the book was written, and I have no doubt that Lukasiak has worked hard to turn her childhood fame into something more long-lasting. But I also expect that she'll be able to write something more interesting when she's significantly older and is willing and able to talk more directly about the ups and downs of a childhood spent on camera, in a context designed to create drama; when she has a better understanding of the ways in which parents renting 'a little apartment in Los Angeles so we could live there part-time and I could audition for roles' (146) is not just about supportive parents but also about wealth and privilege; and when she (or her publicist) doesn't feel the need to present as squeaky-clean and inoffensive.
kellytopia1013's review against another edition
4.0
Another book I'm definitely not the intended audience for. I literally only read it because I loved dance moms and she was my favorite little dancer. She was like 8 or something so it's like I watched her grow up.
I think it have a nice overview of Chloe's life thus far, and it reminded me a little if myself as a teen so I gave it an extra star lol.
Really though, I think it'd be a good book for teens and I definitely would have loved this at the age to see someone so relatable.
I liked that she has some poems and snipits of short stories, those were super cute.
Some of it was a bit repetitive, but it has a good message.
I don't know if it's because I was reading it on the Kindle, but some of it seemed disjointed. like there's random pictures that don't fit with what she's talking about and there's parts where she skips to another topic, but then she comes back to it. Kind of annoying, but I wonder if in the printed version it's separated on different pages.
My favorite review of this book is from her grandmother, who promises it didn't get 5 stars because of that. It made me laugh.
I think it have a nice overview of Chloe's life thus far, and it reminded me a little if myself as a teen so I gave it an extra star lol.
Really though, I think it'd be a good book for teens and I definitely would have loved this at the age to see someone so relatable.
I liked that she has some poems and snipits of short stories, those were super cute.
Some of it was a bit repetitive, but it has a good message.
I don't know if it's because I was reading it on the Kindle, but some of it seemed disjointed. like there's random pictures that don't fit with what she's talking about and there's parts where she skips to another topic, but then she comes back to it. Kind of annoying, but I wonder if in the printed version it's separated on different pages.
My favorite review of this book is from her grandmother, who promises it didn't get 5 stars because of that. It made me laugh.
emilia_thereader's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
5.0
laurenl5876's review
3.0
Chloe was always my favorite girl on dance moms, and I have no shame. (Well, her and Nia) I'm usually not one to buy celebrity biographies because I typically think they are a scam for money, but because I love Chloe, I had to read this book. I knew of her love for reading, and genuinely feel she has been interested in writing, and me as someone who wants to publish a book someday wanted to support someone with the same dream.
Now even though I admire Chloe, I can't ignore that realistically, this isn't a five star book for me. Was it cute? Of course it was, it was written by one of the most adorably pure human beings on the planet, but it wasn't perfect, which makes sense since this is Chloe's first book.
The organization of the little stories/ information didn't make tons of sense for me. Now this was clarified, so that makes it a bit more tolerable for it to be organized the way it was, but I didn't like the " hear more later". Either mention what you want to mention now, or just later without using that phrase. This is only a little issue, though, it's just something small that bugged me.
I do like Chloe's voice. Her writing definitely has potential. You can definitely tell this was written by Chloe, and even gave me a better understanding of who Chloe was.
I wish the topic of anxiety was discussed more. Chloe mentioned her anxiety and I think this could have related to more teens, especially me as someone who deals with the same issue. It seemed too fluffy, and almost too fast paced. Most topics were brushed over and underdeveloped, and I think with a bit more meat to it, it could be a lot stronger.
Overall, this book was fun to read and cute, but it wasn't the best structured. Still love Chloe though, and if she writes something new I'll most likely check it out.
Now even though I admire Chloe, I can't ignore that realistically, this isn't a five star book for me. Was it cute? Of course it was, it was written by one of the most adorably pure human beings on the planet, but it wasn't perfect, which makes sense since this is Chloe's first book.
The organization of the little stories/ information didn't make tons of sense for me. Now this was clarified, so that makes it a bit more tolerable for it to be organized the way it was, but I didn't like the " hear more later". Either mention what you want to mention now, or just later without using that phrase. This is only a little issue, though, it's just something small that bugged me.
I do like Chloe's voice. Her writing definitely has potential. You can definitely tell this was written by Chloe, and even gave me a better understanding of who Chloe was.
I wish the topic of anxiety was discussed more. Chloe mentioned her anxiety and I think this could have related to more teens, especially me as someone who deals with the same issue. It seemed too fluffy, and almost too fast paced. Most topics were brushed over and underdeveloped, and I think with a bit more meat to it, it could be a lot stronger.
Overall, this book was fun to read and cute, but it wasn't the best structured. Still love Chloe though, and if she writes something new I'll most likely check it out.
ashleysbooknook's review
4.0
I liked this better than the other books written by girls from Dance Moms. Chloe is so down to earth and uses her influence and fame for much more good than any other the other girls. She has a great relationship with her little sister (I’m a little jealous because my sister and I are the same distance apart but definitely not close) and loves to read and learn. She’s someone I would love my daughter to know and look up to!
This book was still a silly teen book, but had interesting things and good advice for girls. I enjoyed reading it.
This book was still a silly teen book, but had interesting things and good advice for girls. I enjoyed reading it.
satin's review
5.0
I love reading auto biographies, but don't read much of them. This was incredible and instantly lifted my spirits!
readingmaria's review
4.0
This “guide to taking on the world” does just that. You can learn some pretty sweet relaxation tips, organization skills, and how Chloe tackles the world in general – literally everything I would want to know about her is in this book! She talks about a side of Dance Moms that I never knew about, which is one of the main reasons why I wanted to read this book. I just knew I would get the Dance Moms fix I needed, and there’s not one, but TWO chapters! Yay!
What I love the most about Girl on Pointe is how real Chloe keeps it. I genuinely enjoyed this book, and I personally think it’s the best biography to-date amongst other similar titles. Dance Moms fans won’t be disappointed, and I think new fans who are curious to learn more about Chloe will benefit from reading this book.
Full review on my blog, ReadingMaria: https://mariazuppardi.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/book-review-girl-on-pointe-by-chloe-lukasiak/
What I love the most about Girl on Pointe is how real Chloe keeps it. I genuinely enjoyed this book, and I personally think it’s the best biography to-date amongst other similar titles. Dance Moms fans won’t be disappointed, and I think new fans who are curious to learn more about Chloe will benefit from reading this book.
Full review on my blog, ReadingMaria: https://mariazuppardi.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/book-review-girl-on-pointe-by-chloe-lukasiak/
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