Summary: Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.
Review: I was unprepared for how much I was going to enjoy Tiny Pretty Things. I'm not a part of the dancing world but, thankfully, not much of the dancing terminology was lost on me. The characters were all fascinating. Lately, I've seen a lot of people drag books where there's girl hate and they wish there was more female friendships. Honestly, this book was refreshingly familiar. You don't have to go to a dance school to be surrounded by girls who want to watch you fail. This hit me in a very special place. Bette is much like a lot of girls I grew up with. She's used to getting her way and begins to unravel when her plans fail. June struggles with being just barely not good enough. She's always in someone's shadow. Because of this, she heavily relies on purging her body in an effort to make her dancing better. Gigi is the new girl who is naturally gifted. My biggest complaint with her is she seemed too nice. She has medical issues which is her big, dark secret, but she was usually nice and perky. That isn't a bad thing, it just seemed weird. Though, that could have been a large part of why her character stood out to everyone. Instead of being raised in this intense dancing school, she came from a smaller dancing community filled with girls who were loving and supportive. Finally, we gotta talk about Cassie. I have my own suspicions, but I really enjoyed Cassie's part in this book. The book opens with her narrative, and then she is gone for the rest of the story. Yet, other characters talk about her enough that it feels like she is still very much part of the school and the story. I applaud Sona and Dhonielle for making that work.
The story itself was engaging from the start. Again, this is not my community, but I felt like I could visualize the school and the dancing. At the very start, it is clear what expectations the characters have for themselves. Bette has her family's legacy and, more specifically, her sister's shadow covering her. June struggles with being bi-racial and not feeling quite right for either group. She's also constantly having pressure put on her by her mother's unreasonable expectations. Gigi loves to dance and doesn't want her medical problems to get in the way. She also knows how incredibly dangerous this lifestyle is for her, but she's willing to risk it much to her family's dismay. Things heat up when Gigi lands the lead role of their seasonal showcase. From there, bullying and harassment are endless. What was interesting was how none of the other characters seemed innocent. Even smaller characters like Liz, Eleanor, Henri, and Will all have something at stake throughout the story. The mystery of "who is harassing Gigi" always feels fresh. The moment you think you know who it is, something else happens to make you question your suspicions. I found myself questioning everyone. It was interesting seeing all the characters scramble to prove their innocence. There are some romantic subplots going through the story as well. I do wish the discussion of sexuality was brought up a bit more. Hopefully, things will be discussed further in the second book. Overall, Tiny Pretty Things was dark, but great. Definitely would recommend checking them out.
5 howls
Comments