aravenclawlibraryx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Classism, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Racism, Hate crime, and Medical content
danaslitlist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was on board with this book until 80, where some red flags popped up and then at 90% my fears were confirmed that yes, the book was going in that direction. I don’t appreciate the one Black character (arguably the main character) being absolutely gaslit and abused, especially when the book tries to make commentary on the racism black ballerinas face in the industry, only for her to really just suffer at the end.
It just felt mean and not rewarding. If the ending had been different this wouldn’t have been a problem but the last 10% buried my hopes.
This books also tries to cover some really dark and heavy topics but doesn’t give enough time to flesh them out and feels like a cop out.
Probably won’t be picking up book 2 (I thought this was a stand-alone but apparently not). Honestly this should’ve been one book with some edits done to cut back on parts that drag.
Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, and Hate crime
leahmaslin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, and Sexual content