Synopsis:
Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in Tiny Pretty Things; a soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.
From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Belles, Dhonielle Clayton, and the author of the highly anticipated Symptoms of a Heartbreak, Sona Charaipotra.
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:
After watching the TV show back in 2020, I wanted to see if the book was as unhinged and chaotic. Sadly, they’re not alike in the slightest other than a few character names and the fact they’re at ballet school. However, I did quite enjoy the book version of Tiny Pretty Things.
Despite the show having mature scenes, I actually think the book is far more mature with its themes and content. This is potentially because most of the show’s cast are professional dancers with acting being something they’ve started later. That’s not to say the acting is bad, but the narrators of this audiobook did such a great job it’s hard not to compare.
While I don’t think the mystery element of the book is as interesting as the show, the characters are definitely way more complex. None of them are good or nice but that’s what makes them so interesting. There’s a lot of pranks pulled on each other that end in serious injury or outright psychological trauma, but the world of ballet is clearly really harsh so these don’t seem that out of place. Not that I’m condoning the behaviour of any of these characters, there’s no excuse for putting razor blades in pointe shoes.
Each of the main characters are facing pressure in some form or another. These range from themselves, parents and the expectations of being a ballerina. I was actually surprised by how deep and complex each of the characters were. Is it weird that I find June much more likable in the book? I found myself feeling actual empathy for her. Her problems run much deeper than just being an average dancer like in the show. June’s chapters were some of the better written and I found her character the most interesting.
I also liked Bette’s chapters. Her book character is the most like her show version. However, show Bette has far more compassion. I like how cutthroat her character is though. You know something devious is going to happen when it’s a Bette chapter.
I listened to the entire audiobook of Tiny Pretty Things in one sitting, which does mean I left myself no time to sit on any of the content – does that make sense? I spent the whole time doing other tasks (cleaning, cooking etc.) so I made exactly zero notes on what I thought of the earlier parts of the book. So apologies for such a short and disjointed review. This wasn’t helped by me rewatching the show right after so everything has blurred into one.
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[…] Like this post? Why not read this one too: Audiobook Review: Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton […]