Scan barcode
itstesaa's review
3.0
For some reason I thought this would be like "Tiny Pretty Things".
I have this pet peeve where I don't read what books are about before picking them up. So just like that, I didn't have even the slightest idea as to what the plot of this book would be.
I was quickly disappointed with finding out she actually won't be dancing in the book at all but that's a mistake on my part, nothing to do with the book.
There's some things about this book that I really didn't like:
) The way Genie speaks to her mother
My balkan self doesn't approve of this honestly. If there's anything growing up in a balkan country will teach you, it's that the only people that you should have more respect for than for your parents are your grandparents. So to see Genie speak the way she was speaking to her mother made me dislike her character. I'm not saying I completely despise her, I'm just saying that that was one of the things that made me dislike her
) For the majority of the book, I felt like nothing was happening. And when something did happen, it was at the forty pages til the end mark. We followed Genie through countless arguments with her mother, Nolan, and Hannah. That was mostly it. Besides meeting Kyle, nothing seemed positive, and it didn't look like she was welcoming of positive thoughts in the first place. Just the overall bitterness of her character I didn't get on very well with.
) I did not like how unaddressed the accident was throughout the story. Not unaddressed in the way that it wasn't talked about, but in a way where it felt like the scene depicting it should've come way earlier in the story, considering the fact that it is mentioned all the time. It almost seemed like we were supposed to know what happened when we didn't, and at points, that made me confused.
This is what I liked about it:
) Kyle. Kylito. I absolutely love him. He deserves the whole world, and deserved better than to get beaten by Nolan. And, unpopular opinion, but I don't think Genie deserves him
) The ending with the little girl Leilani, and "Magic" turning out perfectly was really wholesome, made me really happy that at least something good happened.
Overall, this was an okay read for me, only thing is, it took me so long to actually finish it, maybe because I was a little bored, maybe because I have a habit of dragging things out a lot. But either way, if you like coming of age stories, touching on important issues like toxic relationships, I feel like this would be a good read for you
I have this pet peeve where I don't read what books are about before picking them up. So just like that, I didn't have even the slightest idea as to what the plot of this book would be.
I was quickly disappointed with finding out she actually won't be dancing in the book at all but that's a mistake on my part, nothing to do with the book.
There's some things about this book that I really didn't like:
) The way Genie speaks to her mother
My balkan self doesn't approve of this honestly. If there's anything growing up in a balkan country will teach you, it's that the only people that you should have more respect for than for your parents are your grandparents. So to see Genie speak the way she was speaking to her mother made me dislike her character. I'm not saying I completely despise her, I'm just saying that that was one of the things that made me dislike her
) For the majority of the book, I felt like nothing was happening. And when something did happen, it was at the forty pages til the end mark. We followed Genie through countless arguments with her mother, Nolan, and Hannah. That was mostly it. Besides meeting Kyle, nothing seemed positive, and it didn't look like she was welcoming of positive thoughts in the first place. Just the overall bitterness of her character I didn't get on very well with.
) I did not like how unaddressed the accident was throughout the story. Not unaddressed in the way that it wasn't talked about, but in a way where it felt like the scene depicting it should've come way earlier in the story, considering the fact that it is mentioned all the time. It almost seemed like we were supposed to know what happened when we didn't, and at points, that made me confused.
This is what I liked about it:
) Kyle. Kylito. I absolutely love him. He deserves the whole world, and deserved better than to get beaten by Nolan. And, unpopular opinion, but I don't think Genie deserves him
) The ending with the little girl Leilani, and "Magic" turning out perfectly was really wholesome, made me really happy that at least something good happened.
Overall, this was an okay read for me, only thing is, it took me so long to actually finish it, maybe because I was a little bored, maybe because I have a habit of dragging things out a lot. But either way, if you like coming of age stories, touching on important issues like toxic relationships, I feel like this would be a good read for you
sassyykassie's review
4.0
Turning follows Genie, an up and coming ballet dancer who just made her first magazine cover her junior year before a sudden accident, making her a paraplegic no longer able to walk let alone dance. With a controlling ex-boyfriend who won't leave her alone and trying to figure out how to not be so angry with the world and everyone in it, Genie doesn't know where to go from here. Turning follows Genie finding her magic again, even as it looks different from where she found it before the accident.
Genie is an angry character. Adding on the YA angst with the anger of grief for her life lost, I found Genie's POV hard to read at times. She lashes out suddenly at everyone around her from her mom, her best friend, and her new friend Kyle she meets at physical therapy. Without having my own knowledge of living through anything like this though, it felt so real that this anger would be pushing out for someone going through this along with other parts of her life that are spoilers (CW are at the end of this review).
I also ... enjoyed isn't the right word .. but felt that the way the controlling/abusive relationship was portrayed also felt very real and definitely hard to read at times. On goodreads you can see that I have 25 highlights throughout this book and almost all of them are me angrily "wtf"-ing the situations and things that come out of this boy's mouth, which unfortunately can be all too real.
I also absolutely loved the aspect of dance woven through the story. I was never focused on ballet but I did dance in high school - not nearly as well as the characters in this story. It always lifts my heart to see the love dancers have for their craft whether it's on the written page or on screen. It's so special and I love getting to reminisce about my own love for it when taking in stories like this one.
CW (and light spoilers):
-abortion
-physical abuse
-alcoholism
-discussion of coercion of sexual encounters
-physical assault
-racism
*Thank you to Netgalley for approving this e-ARC*
Genie is an angry character. Adding on the YA angst with the anger of grief for her life lost, I found Genie's POV hard to read at times. She lashes out suddenly at everyone around her from her mom, her best friend, and her new friend Kyle she meets at physical therapy. Without having my own knowledge of living through anything like this though, it felt so real that this anger would be pushing out for someone going through this along with other parts of her life that are spoilers (CW are at the end of this review).
I also ... enjoyed isn't the right word .. but felt that the way the controlling/abusive relationship was portrayed also felt very real and definitely hard to read at times. On goodreads you can see that I have 25 highlights throughout this book and almost all of them are me angrily "wtf"-ing the situations and things that come out of this boy's mouth, which unfortunately can be all too real.
I also absolutely loved the aspect of dance woven through the story. I was never focused on ballet but I did dance in high school - not nearly as well as the characters in this story. It always lifts my heart to see the love dancers have for their craft whether it's on the written page or on screen. It's so special and I love getting to reminisce about my own love for it when taking in stories like this one.
CW (and light spoilers):
-abortion
-physical abuse
-alcoholism
-discussion of coercion of sexual encounters
-physical assault
-racism
*Thank you to Netgalley for approving this e-ARC*
notinjersey's review
3.0
I am attracted to reading books about dancers since my daughter is one! Turning is about a former ballerina who is now paralyzed and uses a wheelchair. Genie is determined to do things for herself, though she is dealing with a manipulative ex boyfriend, her mom’s struggles with alcoholism, her absent father, and the loss of her dancer dreams. This book had a lot of potential, as it features a person of color who did ballet and is now a wheelchair user and all that goes along with these identities. I found it somewhat slow though. As a note – there is no scene in the book with Genie’s mother having booze under the sink, although Genie does search her bedroom for alcohol. The second book I read in a row with a manipulative boyfriend!
sarie_reads's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This story is filled with sadness and triumph. A great option for Middle Grade kids.
jessicasilfenroy's review
4.0
This book is very emotional yet hopeful. It's all about overcoming a life-changing tragedy and how to pick yourself back up when your world is flipped upside down.
Genie was the star ballerina in her NYC dance school with a successful career ahead of her. That is until she suffered from a devastating fall that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Three months after her accident, Genie is having a hard time coping with life's changes, and she lashes out and detaches from everyone who cares about her, including her mother and best friend, Hannah. One day at her rehab clinic, Genie meets Kyle, another "used-to" who is recovering from a TBI. With Kyle's support to move forward and her friends encouragement to come back to the world of ballet in a new role, Genie garners the strength to confront the past and heal despite all the barriers.
I love how this story combines the themes of grief, denial, regret, identity, love and hope. It beautifully shows a teenager who perseveres despite the obstacles she encounters in all facets of life, which I think many readers can relate to. There was a ton of representation within the story: a black ballet dancer, a hero who stutters, a main character in a wheelchair, another main character recovering from a TBI, a single parent who was in an abusive relationship and honestly so much more.
While the story itself was powerful, I thought at times, parts of the plot were disconnected and some messages and lines were repetitive. Also, when I finished reading, there were still some questions I wanted answered that could have been intertwined into an epilogue or closing chapter. Still, I couldn't put it down and found it to be a fast read despite the heavier content.
Read if you life:
-Emotional reads with some harder themes
-The healing and recovery process after severe injuries
-Accessibility around NYC and barriers when in a wheelchair
-Brooklyn setting
-Black main characters
-The Ballet world
-Nicola Yoon books
Content warning: Abusive relationships, abortion, alcoholism, paralysis, abandonment of a parent
Thanks Simon and Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review
Genie was the star ballerina in her NYC dance school with a successful career ahead of her. That is until she suffered from a devastating fall that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Three months after her accident, Genie is having a hard time coping with life's changes, and she lashes out and detaches from everyone who cares about her, including her mother and best friend, Hannah. One day at her rehab clinic, Genie meets Kyle, another "used-to" who is recovering from a TBI. With Kyle's support to move forward and her friends encouragement to come back to the world of ballet in a new role, Genie garners the strength to confront the past and heal despite all the barriers.
I love how this story combines the themes of grief, denial, regret, identity, love and hope. It beautifully shows a teenager who perseveres despite the obstacles she encounters in all facets of life, which I think many readers can relate to. There was a ton of representation within the story: a black ballet dancer, a hero who stutters, a main character in a wheelchair, another main character recovering from a TBI, a single parent who was in an abusive relationship and honestly so much more.
While the story itself was powerful, I thought at times, parts of the plot were disconnected and some messages and lines were repetitive. Also, when I finished reading, there were still some questions I wanted answered that could have been intertwined into an epilogue or closing chapter. Still, I couldn't put it down and found it to be a fast read despite the heavier content.
Read if you life:
-Emotional reads with some harder themes
-The healing and recovery process after severe injuries
-Accessibility around NYC and barriers when in a wheelchair
-Brooklyn setting
-Black main characters
-The Ballet world
-Nicola Yoon books
Content warning: Abusive relationships, abortion, alcoholism, paralysis, abandonment of a parent
Thanks Simon and Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review
louiselidand's review
2.5
ja helt ok men oxå idk weird
hennes relation med hennes ex var utdraget imo... men svårt för mig att förstå a toxic abusice relationship samtidigt som hela hennes värld vänts upp o ner
relationen med mamman var painful men blev bättre o ja boken foksuerade mest på hennes healing journey o accepting her new reality o hur hon fortfarande kan ha ballet i sitt liv
hennes relation kyle var cute, möts på rehab, han lyssnar o är sweet o hade sitt egna trauma o damn depressing stuff, men inte i fokus så man udne inte riktigt feel it deep... men they got each other now
aja fattade inte alltid varför hennes vänner var sura men oxå förstår för hon var distant o stand offish men yeah idk hon var inte alltid likable main character syndrome i guess
hennes relation med hennes ex var utdraget imo... men svårt för mig att förstå a toxic abusice relationship samtidigt som hela hennes värld vänts upp o ner
relationen med mamman var painful men blev bättre o ja boken foksuerade mest på hennes healing journey o accepting her new reality o hur hon fortfarande kan ha ballet i sitt liv
hennes relation kyle var cute, möts på rehab, han lyssnar o är sweet o hade sitt egna trauma o damn depressing stuff, men inte i fokus så man udne inte riktigt feel it deep... men they got each other now
aja fattade inte alltid varför hennes vänner var sura men oxå förstår för hon var distant o stand offish men yeah idk hon var inte alltid likable main character syndrome i guess
booknerdkc's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
1.5
andrearbooks's review
3.0
The premise of this book is about a dancer who suffers a traumatic injury, so she can no longer dance. However, this story is so much more than that. Said simply, Genie is navigating some really heavy stuff. This includes grief, unhealthy relationships and determining what she must do now that her dreams have been shattered. While this is explained as a book about Genie the dancer, it's really about Genie the human. For me, I wish there would have been some more about who Genie was before and just more about the characters in general to really get that strong emotional connection to the story. Thanks to the publisher for an early copy of this recent release.
violetreader's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
calamitywindpetal's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Racism, Alcoholism, and Abortion
Minor: Drug use