Tiny Pretty Things

Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 31, 2015

Review

Give this soap opera/drama to fans of "Pretty Little Liars". Enter the cut throat ballet world through the eyes of Bette, Gigi and June who are all vying for the lead role in Giselle at the American Ballet Academy school. Chariapotra & Clayton plunge readers into the dangerously competitive world of ballet with all the pressures of body image, looks and daily pain. Bette has to live up to her sisters past success and she takes pills to cope. African American Gigi is the new girl on the scene from California who lands the lead role of Gisselle, but hides that she has a heart defect which would take her out of the school. June, due to the pressures of her Korean mother and her unresolved abandonment issues about her, yet-to-be-identified father, purges every meal and lives with the fear of being suspended due to being underweight. Add to the mix the constant infidelity of boyfriends, backstabbing friendships and hidden secrets and you have a quick moving, intense building drama. The one flaw is the lack of clearly defined treachery in the end. This reviewer was unsure which character was responsible for certain career ending pranks.

Although this is clearly a bad girl drama/soap opera plot, there were patches of standout writing concerning anorexia, what motivates dancers and the details of going on pointe, preparing shoes, stretching with a partner and other dance related issues.

Overall Book Score: good