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danixwrites's review against another edition
5.0
First things first, if you’re going to read this book, you should know there is some TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Eating Disorders/Body Image, bullying, and some drug use.
I love when a book pulls me in immediately & this one did just that. It’s how I know I have a good book in my hand.
I’ve seen a lot of flack about the amount of bullying in this book & honestly, it’s pretty much the whole point, there wouldn’t be a book if it was just about dancing and everyone getting their way; it’s what kept me on the edge of my seat! You don’t know who has done what, at least, not all of it!
If you liked the Pretty Little Liars series, you’re going to really like this book. This book tells the story through three different points of view - 3 girls - and in two of the girl’s POV, you can’t really trust their narration. Sometimes the truth bleeds through and other times you don’t know what the truth is, it’s how I burned through this book in what could have been one day, but I had to choose sleep at some point, ya know?
Sometimes I was like “dang, they’re really willing to go that far?” But, these things DO happen to people regardless of the setting they’re in. The bullies don’t have perfect home/personal lives and it starts to become pretty clear where their behavior is learned. Also, keep in mind, these girls are 15 and 16 years old.. this is the pinnacle age of bullying and being bullied. ALSO, it’s not all bad! I laughed, I smiled, I cried, and I audibly gasped (a lot)… there is definitely good with the bad and that’s what keeps you rooting for the good girls, wanting redemption for the not so good girls, or just straight up wanting some answers.
I’m definitely on the hunt for the sequel, I can’t wait to see how this story concludes!
Eating Disorders/Body Image, bullying, and some drug use.
I love when a book pulls me in immediately & this one did just that. It’s how I know I have a good book in my hand.
I’ve seen a lot of flack about the amount of bullying in this book & honestly, it’s pretty much the whole point, there wouldn’t be a book if it was just about dancing and everyone getting their way; it’s what kept me on the edge of my seat! You don’t know who has done what, at least, not all of it!
If you liked the Pretty Little Liars series, you’re going to really like this book. This book tells the story through three different points of view - 3 girls - and in two of the girl’s POV, you can’t really trust their narration. Sometimes the truth bleeds through and other times you don’t know what the truth is, it’s how I burned through this book in what could have been one day, but I had to choose sleep at some point, ya know?
Sometimes I was like “dang, they’re really willing to go that far?” But, these things DO happen to people regardless of the setting they’re in. The bullies don’t have perfect home/personal lives and it starts to become pretty clear where their behavior is learned. Also, keep in mind, these girls are 15 and 16 years old.. this is the pinnacle age of bullying and being bullied. ALSO, it’s not all bad! I laughed, I smiled, I cried, and I audibly gasped (a lot)… there is definitely good with the bad and that’s what keeps you rooting for the good girls, wanting redemption for the not so good girls, or just straight up wanting some answers.
I’m definitely on the hunt for the sequel, I can’t wait to see how this story concludes!
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
3.0
Ooit, lang geleden, was ik een balletmeisje. Ik had balletles, droeg mijn haren in een knotje en had van die platte balletschoenen. Toen het tijd werd om van het spelen echt dansen te gaan maken, haakte ik af. Ik denk ook eerlijk gezegd niet dat de harde wereld van de ballet echt iets voor mij en mijn lijf geweest was. Dat wil echter niet zeggen dat ik het niet leuk vind om over deze wereld te lezen. Ik had dan ook ongelooflijk veel zin in dit verhaal.
Ik heb het boek een paar uur geleden dichtgeslagen en ik moet zeggen dat ik voor mijn gevoel toch een beetje op mijn honger ben blijven zitten. Ik vind het lastig om echt te zeggen waar het aan ligt, maar voor mijn gevoel was het het allemaal gewoon net niet. In vergelijk met bijvoorbeeld "duizend hoog" is dit boek dramatisch en emotioneel veel minder interessant en ook de spanning viel voor mij een beetje tegen in vergelijking met veel YA thrillers.
Daarnaast had ik ook iets meer verwacht van het dansaspect. Natuurlijk zat het er allemaal wel in, maar ik voelde het niet. Eigenlijk is dat sowieso een beetje mijn samenvatting van het gevoel dat ik nu heb na het lezen van dit boek. Ik voelde het niet. Dat kan aan de schrijfstijl liggen, die dan wellicht niet helemaal past bij mijn manier van lezen, het kan er ook aan liggen dat voor mijn gevoel dingen net niet helemaal lekker uitgewerkt worden.
Het is ook deels omdat ik geen echte band voelde met de karakters. Ik heb het gevoel dat deze meisjes, ook in hun eigen hoofdstukken, nooit echt het achterste van hun tong laten zien, alsof ik ze alsnog niet helemaal ken. Dat past wellicht heel goed bij de balletwereld, waar mensen leren om zwaktes en emoties opzij te zetten om te kunnen presteren, maar het is wel iets wat ik heel erg nodig heb in een boek.
Ik ga nog even nadenken of ik het tweede deel ook nog ga lezen. Wellicht als het boek een keer opduikt in een sale.
Ik heb het boek een paar uur geleden dichtgeslagen en ik moet zeggen dat ik voor mijn gevoel toch een beetje op mijn honger ben blijven zitten. Ik vind het lastig om echt te zeggen waar het aan ligt, maar voor mijn gevoel was het het allemaal gewoon net niet. In vergelijk met bijvoorbeeld "duizend hoog" is dit boek dramatisch en emotioneel veel minder interessant en ook de spanning viel voor mij een beetje tegen in vergelijking met veel YA thrillers.
Daarnaast had ik ook iets meer verwacht van het dansaspect. Natuurlijk zat het er allemaal wel in, maar ik voelde het niet. Eigenlijk is dat sowieso een beetje mijn samenvatting van het gevoel dat ik nu heb na het lezen van dit boek. Ik voelde het niet. Dat kan aan de schrijfstijl liggen, die dan wellicht niet helemaal past bij mijn manier van lezen, het kan er ook aan liggen dat voor mijn gevoel dingen net niet helemaal lekker uitgewerkt worden.
Het is ook deels omdat ik geen echte band voelde met de karakters. Ik heb het gevoel dat deze meisjes, ook in hun eigen hoofdstukken, nooit echt het achterste van hun tong laten zien, alsof ik ze alsnog niet helemaal ken. Dat past wellicht heel goed bij de balletwereld, waar mensen leren om zwaktes en emoties opzij te zetten om te kunnen presteren, maar het is wel iets wat ik heel erg nodig heb in een boek.
Ik ga nog even nadenken of ik het tweede deel ook nog ga lezen. Wellicht als het boek een keer opduikt in een sale.
imissyou's review against another edition
5.0
I ENJOYED THIS BOOK SO MUCH, IM SORRY BUT IT'S TRUE. First, you have murderous ballerinas running around ready to tear everyone's world apart and that's so fun.
June and Bette best povs, Gigi was nice but kinda boring so I pretty much skipped some of her chapters. And unpopular opinions but after reading the book I still like the netflix show a lot, of course they included more s3x and dr*gs and shit but it's still good.
Im reading the second book idc, this is the telenovela and drama I needed for this quarantine.
June and Bette best povs, Gigi was nice but kinda boring so I pretty much skipped some of her chapters. And unpopular opinions but after reading the book I still like the netflix show a lot, of course they included more s3x and dr*gs and shit but it's still good.
Im reading the second book idc, this is the telenovela and drama I needed for this quarantine.
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
3.0
I... don't know how to rate this book yet... It was definitely an interesting read but I just don't know...
Actual rating 3.5 stars
Actual rating 3.5 stars
decayoflyre_'s review against another edition
4.0
I LOVED the ballet school vibe, but it made me a bit confused at times
kaelaceleste's review against another edition
4.0
listen if there's one thing about me it's that I love some teen drama. Gimme some rich kids trying to kill each other and I'm all in.
the other thing you should know about me is that I'm a ballet dancer. so understandably...the only thing that could make the mentioned scenario better is that it takes place in a ballet school.
Predictably I loved this lol it was so wild, kept me reeling the whole time and I was gasping right up to the end. The last 1/4 or so is especially fun. I loved the drama and I also like that it actually felt like the authors knew what they were talking about with the ballet terms, they weren't just thrown around for the sake of it. I can't wait to read the sequel and see what happens to all my frenemies. I give this four out of five pointe shoes
the other thing you should know about me is that I'm a ballet dancer. so understandably...the only thing that could make the mentioned scenario better is that it takes place in a ballet school.
Predictably I loved this lol it was so wild, kept me reeling the whole time and I was gasping right up to the end. The last 1/4 or so is especially fun. I loved the drama and I also like that it actually felt like the authors knew what they were talking about with the ballet terms, they weren't just thrown around for the sake of it. I can't wait to read the sequel and see what happens to all my frenemies. I give this four out of five pointe shoes
vespurr's review against another edition
3.0
When I went to read this the second time, I was a bit surprised I had only rated it three stars. I recalled liking this book quite a bit, and didn't know why I would be interested in the sequel if I found it to be mediocre. Reading through it twice now, however, I recall why I only gave it three stars.
This book is primarily about mean girls doing terrible things to each other - a trope which I am always a big fan of. I can't help it, I'm a sucker for these stories. And overall I enjoyed the plot quite a bit. However, I personally struggled with the descriptions of June's eating disorder and the way these 100 lb girls think they are overweight and feel they are eating too much. While the book tries to shed light on why this is a problem and does not glorify these issues, it is difficult for someone like me (who has always struggled with being overweight) to read this kind of thing and not feel extremely uncomfortable.
Additionally, I was very put off by the character of Henri. While the girls were all terrible to each other in ways that mean girls are, Henri's behavior came off as sexual harassment. I struggled to put him in the same category as the others. The way he intimidates Bette is in a different category from the behaviors of everyone else and it troubled me a bit that the book didn't seem to see the difference.
Overall I enjoyed this book a lot, but I am going to leave the 3 star rating, as the parts that bothered me felt significant.
This book is primarily about mean girls doing terrible things to each other - a trope which I am always a big fan of. I can't help it, I'm a sucker for these stories. And overall I enjoyed the plot quite a bit. However, I personally struggled with the descriptions of June's eating disorder and the way these 100 lb girls think they are overweight and feel they are eating too much. While the book tries to shed light on why this is a problem and does not glorify these issues, it is difficult for someone like me (who has always struggled with being overweight) to read this kind of thing and not feel extremely uncomfortable.
Additionally, I was very put off by the character of Henri. While the girls were all terrible to each other in ways that mean girls are, Henri's behavior came off as sexual harassment. I struggled to put him in the same category as the others. The way he intimidates Bette is in a different category from the behaviors of everyone else and it troubled me a bit that the book didn't seem to see the difference.
Overall I enjoyed this book a lot, but I am going to leave the 3 star rating, as the parts that bothered me felt significant.