Ratings4
Average rating3.5
He thought he knew what he wanted. Turns out, all he wanted was her.
Collette
I’d kill to be the kind of dancer my mom wants me to be, but it’s just not in the cards.
I’m sick of dieting. I'll never fit into the perfect ballerina mold, and I’m tired of wishing that I could.
I’m over it. I’m done trying. I’m perfectly content to dance alone in the dark while the rest of the school is sleeping.
Ethan
Coach says our football team needs discipline. That dancing alongside a bunch of prissy prima donnas is how we’ll learn our lesson.
Only problem?
I don’t have time for ballet. Not when I’m busting my butt to be the star quarterback, the dutiful son, and the perfect student - all, so I can achieve my father’s dream.
When I meet Collette, I can’t help but take notice. She’s a vision of grace and beauty all wrapped up in snark and sass. And she helps me see that my own dreams aren’t so stupid, after all.
I just wish she could see that in herself. But when I try to bring her out into the light, I can feel her slipping away. Her walls are built up so high, I fear they’ll never come down. I want to love her like she deserves, but that’s just the problem. She doesn’t believe she deserves it...
Reviews with the most likes.
Dallen Strikes Again - With A Friend. This is my first book Meyer has been a part of, but I'm very familiar with Dallen's work (as my review history shows ;) ), and this reads very much like a solid Dallen HS romance. If any real difference was noted, it was that much of the drama was more internal and less relational (whereas a pure Dallen tale tends to have some internal but mostly relational to some degree). The ending was a bit interesting in that it began to play with the timeline a bit, which provides a nice little tease for the presumptive Book 2 in this series. So when can we get it? ;) Very much recommended.
This book is an excellent start to the new series by Anne-Marie Meyer and Maggie Dallen! It's not only a beautifully written opposites-attract YA romance, but also an inspiring story about living up to (mostly others') expectations and finding your own way in life.
I'll admit, my heart broke for Collette, and it gave me all the feels to see how she worked so hard and finally overcame her fears and insecurities:
“For now, I could have fun. I'd deal with reality when the music stopped.
For now, I'd be a dancer.”
I loved the characters (extra kudos to Ethan's little sister Chrissy), and I'm looking forward to reading more about the ballerinas and the guys on the team. The setup for the (hopefully) next story looks just as promising!
Featured Series
5 primary booksThe Ballerina Academy is a 5-book series with 5 primary works first released in 2020 with contributions by Anne-Marie Meyer and Maggie Dallen.