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rachelbookworm7's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Easy read! Really interesting and kept me excited. Liked it a lot
silver_anchor4's review against another edition
2.0
When I saw the word "ballet" on the blurb, I immediately knew I needed to read it. Even though I left ballet a long time ago, I'm still in love with it.
I liked this book, I really did. I do have my issues with all of the hate and ruthlessness the girls showed toward each other, but that is just a personal preference.
My only other problem is that I couldn't connect very well with any of the characters; I cared about the story, but not about anyone in it.
Still, it was a good book and I'm planning on reading the sequel.
I liked this book, I really did. I do have my issues with all of the hate and ruthlessness the girls showed toward each other, but that is just a personal preference.
My only other problem is that I couldn't connect very well with any of the characters; I cared about the story, but not about anyone in it.
Still, it was a good book and I'm planning on reading the sequel.
librarydosebykristy's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up because I saw there was a Netflix series coming out and I was curious. When I started this book, I thought it was Gossip Girl at Ballet School. And in many ways it is— cutthroat competition and backstabbing abounds. But I found this to be much more intense. Ballet sounds like a total nightmare machine- you can never be skinny enough, luminous enough, tough enough etc. The bullying and torture these girls experience and dole out is just brutal! And the detail in which they describe their disordered eating! So painful. And triggering, if I’m being honest.
Anyway, all of that is to say that this book was very powerful— not exactly pleasant reading but well done. I will
be curious to see how it is adapted for tv.
Recommended for readers who love high drama, ballet and mean girls on steroids.
Anyway, all of that is to say that this book was very powerful— not exactly pleasant reading but well done. I will
be curious to see how it is adapted for tv.
Recommended for readers who love high drama, ballet and mean girls on steroids.
kvreadsandrecs's review against another edition
3.0
Upon second read, I'm thinking 3.5 is a better rating. Mostly it took me forever to read and then longer to reread. There wasn't really a likable character, which is normally okay, but these girls were just evil.
The one part I still don't understand is Henri. I don't know what his purpose in the story is at all.
The one part I still don't understand is Henri. I don't know what his purpose in the story is at all.
kirstyreadsblog's review against another edition
5.0
Oh I am fuming. I know Bette didn’t do it. And whilst I don’t like her I know it wasn’t her. My bets are on either Will or Henri
leyfreoo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.75
annao's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
foraging_pages's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars!
(TW: eating disorders, mental abuse, mild violence)
Tiny Pretty Things is set in a New York City ballet school and told through multiple perspectives which I enjoyed. Gigi, June, and Bette are very different people, and it shows in their respective chapters. Sometimes I would go into a chapter thinking it was about one girl only for it to be another. I had to backup and redirect the tone from malicious or sweet or indifferent which normally goes hand-in-hand with whichever girl.
The professional ballet world is harsh, competitive, and sometimes unfair. Charaipotra and Clayton really dramatize the realities. The things the ballerinas do to each other, the favors the parents buy, the inappropriate relations between teacher and student, and the limits the dancers are pushed to are extreme and immoral.
At some points, I felt that the relationships were...strange? Both the romantic and platonic - and the ones hovering in between. The teenagers are used to acting professional and growing up quickly. Their relationships are stuck between the pettiness and ignorance of childhood and the discipline and hindsight of adulthood. It’s rough.
(TW: eating disorders, mental abuse, mild violence)
Tiny Pretty Things is set in a New York City ballet school and told through multiple perspectives which I enjoyed. Gigi, June, and Bette are very different people, and it shows in their respective chapters. Sometimes I would go into a chapter thinking it was about one girl only for it to be another. I had to backup and redirect the tone from malicious or sweet or indifferent which normally goes hand-in-hand with whichever girl.
The professional ballet world is harsh, competitive, and sometimes unfair. Charaipotra and Clayton really dramatize the realities. The things the ballerinas do to each other, the favors the parents buy, the inappropriate relations between teacher and student, and the limits the dancers are pushed to are extreme and immoral.
At some points, I felt that the relationships were...strange? Both the romantic and platonic - and the ones hovering in between. The teenagers are used to acting professional and growing up quickly. Their relationships are stuck between the pettiness and ignorance of childhood and the discipline and hindsight of adulthood. It’s rough.