Starting from Here: A Novel

by Paula Saunders

A Midwestern girl balances her dreams of becoming a dancer with the complications of growing up on her own, far from her working-class family, in this “stirring, stunning novel about the desire for a certain kind of life and the quest to find it” (Meg Wolitzer).

“The sharp physicality of Paula Saunders’s writing hooked me; it was utterly engrossing to feel chills, hunger and lust through the body of this young dancer.”—Miranda July, New York Times bestselling author of All Fours

She could look in the mirror and see it all happening, everything she’d dreamed of, the potential everyone had seen in her blossoming right in front of her eyes, as if her spirit and flesh were merging, being born as one into light.

More than anything, René wants to be a dancer. Eve, her mother, supports René despite the overwhelming financial burden and increasing tension her training places on the family. But one thing is René’s dreams are never going to come true in Rapid City, South Dakota, circa 1973.

Setting in motion a journey that will transform her from the inside out, René is sent to train alongside stick-thin, sculpted girls in Phoenix, then on to Denver and beyond, encountering along the way a dazzling sequence of eccentric and sometimes dangerous creepy dads, mean girls, predatory radio announcers, kindly ex-opera singers, sham teachers, and avaricious cult leaders. Through it all, René pushes herself, doing everything she can to excel at her art while at the same time finding her way through the trials of adolescence.

But leaving home is not the same as escaping it. And try as she might, René can’t quite shake the aching she has for someone to love and accept her just the way she is, dancer or not, successful or not, perfect or imperfect.

Lyrical and incisive, Starting from Here is a story of facing the many challenges and terrors of girlhood, of reaching for something that exceeds your grasp, of the enduring contradictions of familial love, of right steps and wrong turns, and of somehow finding your way from wherever you are to wherever you need to go.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2025

About the author

Paula Saunders grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota. She danced as an apprentice with the Harkness Ballet in New York City, under David Howard. She is a graduate of Barnard College, as well as the Syracuse creative writing program, and was awarded a post-graduate Albert Schweitzer Fellowship in the Humanities at the State University of New York at Albany under then-Schweitzer Chair, Toni Morrison. She lives in California with her husband. They have two grown daughters.

Reviews

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

René dreams of dancing—but 1970s South Dakota is nobody's first thought when it comes to ballet. And so René finds herself living with strangers in Arizona, in Colorado, in a precarious existence designed to somehow get her to a place her family can't really understand.

This is a fairly quiet story, designed to peel away whatever glamorous veneer the reader has attached to ballet and show the grit—the unsophisticated grind—behind it. René's parents support her dancing, but they also resent the financial burden; her mother, in particular, seems to resent that René has opportunities that she was never afforded. What she doesn't see is the cost those opportunities carry for René, who understands early on that hers will be a lonely journey and one with precious little comfort.

I read this as a standalone book, but after finishing I looked up the author and saw that her previous book features the same characters, just younger; I wonder now whether this is best read as part of a family saga. (In the context of a first book, and based on where this book ends, it would not surprise me if there were to be a third book in the future, following René's early days in...well, her next adventures. I wonder, too, how autobiographical these books are meant to be (not that it matters, of course, but I'm afraid I'm perpetually—even terminally—curious).

One of the two things that interest me most is the understated nature of René's experiences. Or—I'm not sure "understated" is the right word. Rather, she has some dramatic moments and lands in some dangerous situations, but they're just part of her broader experience rather than single defining moments of the book. It makes for a very coming-of-age feeling for the book but also leaves some things feeling a bit unresolved. (Again, I wonder whether this book is best read in tandem with The Distance Home.)

The second thing that interests me is the focus on...I'm not sure how to put this. The focus on someone who isn't "making it" in the traditional sense but who is striving towards her dreams nonetheless, I suppose. René wants to dance in New York—she doesn't know the ballet world well enough to be more specific than that—but she's from a working-class South Dakota family; this is not a story of a girl studying at top-tier studios or elite academies, and it's not a story of a girl who is going to be scouted and catapulted into success. She also doesn't have laser focus; she's a teenager who gets distracted and somtimes makes questionable decisions. It's an everygirl story, the sort that is more realistic and more common but seems less told in fiction.

One for a day when you want something quiet and low-drama.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

[DianaRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

this was a coming-of-age novel following our young fmc rené as she works towards becoming a ballerina, but her home life provides many road blocks for her to even begin to attain the skills and knowledge needed to achieve her ballet dreams.

the immense child neglect depicted in this book was extremely alarming, especially all of the casual sexual assault by much older men rené experiences, and was handled with such a blasé manner.


——

i've been sitting on this ARC for months so i'm excited to dive into this read!

[Stephanie Daige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting From Here by Paula Saunders is a poignant coming-of-age story about a teenage girl striving to be a dancer in the 1970s. René has to endure such hardships in pursuit of her dream! She's from a podunk town in South Dakota, so she has to move to a big city and live with strangers in order to receive the finest training. René's family struggles financially, and her mom, Eve, constantly reminds René how much this is costing her and causing her stress. Though at times she doubts whether it's worth it, René continues to pursue dancing. This book was well-written and an interesting glimpse into the life of a young dancer.

Thank you to Random House for providing a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own. Now available in the US!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those novels that keeps you pondering as you're not sure where it will end up! Rene is a ballerina who begins starving herself to fit in and practices until she's dead on her feet. But she and her mom must continually travel as they have no real "home base" so Rene must make friends wherever she goes. You can almost feel her emotional and physical pain as she attempts to be the best as the competition is merciless. It's a tribute to athletes everywhere as discomfort can often lead to success!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 3 out of 5]

This coming of age story never really caught fire for me. It seemed more like an exercise or better yet, a YA rather than a literary treatment.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of things I liked about Starting From Here, a bittersweet coming-of-age novel, but it all felt rather surface-level. Rene, our teenage protagonist in 1970s South Dakota, dreams of becoming a ballerina in the big lights of New York and is sent away by her family to various ballet schools to follow her dream. From a working-class background, Rene's family struggles, however, to fund her dreams. Not only is the economic hardship of having a talented child discussed, Starting From Here smacks a punch, covering topics such as eating disorders and abuse.

Nevertheless, it all left me wanting more depth. Across the novel, we visit Rapid City, Denver, Phoenix, and New York City. But it is only the latter city that I felt we ever really got a true glimpse at how Rene saw the place. Additionally, while set in the 1970s, there was little cultural context provided. I would have loved to have seen how this particular era shaped and defined Rene. This really could have been a book set in any era and in any place, and I think it's this lack of grounding that I felt disjointed about. Not to mention how super inappropriate several of the teachers were in this book. That was super uncomfy. Also, Rene just reads really young, probably reflected in how passive she is in everything. I actually thought she was a young teen in the first half of the book until I learn she's about to get her driver's permit.

All in all, Starting From Here is a likeable and quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

[MrsHarvieReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting From Here by Paula Sanders is a bittersweet coming of age story featuring Rene, an aspiring ballerina from a working-class South Dakota family. Rene experiences both challenges and glimmers of hope as she attempts to achieve her dream of dancing professionally in New York.

I was intrigued by the premise, but the novel did not resonate with me. It may be more suited to YA audiences. It is well written, but I struggled with the subject matter and the relationship between Rene and her mother, Eve. It was difficult to watch Rene struggle when she is sent out of state to train under more talented ballet instructors. Each living situation with the host families is darker than the last. Rene soon becomes anorexic has to deal with hazing, sexual abuse and even a cult before she’s even graduated high school. I was uncomfortable when her mother, meanwhile, was neglectful and upset that Rene wasn’t more grateful for this “opportunity”. Against the odds, Rene remains ever hopeful that her big break will come. Unfortunately the hopeful resolution couldn't quite redeem the novel's somber subject matter. 2.5/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, from the description, I thought this book sounded interesting. For me, the story was more geared to a young audience. And the ending was so abrupt, I think the author must be planning to write a sequel. The main character, a young woman who had no hope of a decent future without pursuing a highly competitive career as a professional ballerina, was someone to root for, but everyone around her was so much a caricature of the mean subsitute caregivers, the even more mean daughter of said caregivers, the inept birth parents, etc., that it was just hard to hope for a good ending -- and then the ending isn't what I expected at all. I think the pre-teen, teenage audience would be more receptive to the story, but even then, it's not the rags to riches story that you normally see with this type of plot.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House for the ARC and the opportunity to read this novel. All opinions are my own.

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read the first book, which may have changed my response to this book.
As others have said, this should probably be a YA genre. I found this book very unrealistic.
I do know that girls wanting to be gymnasts moved to where coaches are, but I didn't know ballerinas did. The year is 1973.
Rene lives in South Dakota and when her teacher retires, she finds her a teacher in Phoenix and she goes to live with a family there. The daughter is also a ballet student and a student at the Catholic High School Rene would also attend. There is the requisite ballerina austere diet to become thin and reed like, as well as jealousy among students. The next year Rene goes to Denver, but the teacher is not very helpful, for reasons you will discover. Nonetheless, after high school graduation, Rene and her mother make their way to New York where the book completely falls apart for me.
This is a coming of age story that may hold an appeal for fans of that genre, or interested in ballet.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. This is my honest review.

[Tilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serious and melancholy portrait of a teenage ballet dancer coming of age in 1970s America. René’s parents don’t agree on much except the importance of her dancing, sending her to live in Phoenix, Denver, and finally New York City, doing whatever it takes to help her achieve her dreams. Jumping from foster family to foster family, René is often alone and lost, but she remains focused on her goals, sometimes in misguided ways. Though I do think Saunders managed to capture the tangled emotional logic of a teenager, I was more interested in René’s feelings about dance than I was in the multiple repeated instances of men taking advantage of her, so unfortunately I can’t say I truly enjoyed this book. The tense relationship between René and her mother Eve was well-drawn, and the prose was smooth and engaging, but I found the story ultimately unsatisfying.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Jackie Sunday · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sight of a ballerina often times creates magic to the eye and many young girls are allured to the desire of being there on stage. René was no different.

When her mom, Eve, enrolled her older brother in a class, she wanted to do the same. He dropped out but she didn’t. She discovered that it’s much more than a dream and takes a tremendous amount of determination and support. Her parents were willing to give it a go.

Readers followed René from her home town in South Dakota to Phoenix, Denver and finally NYC to train in the 1970s. Besides the discipline involved with dance classes, the author touched on a number of issues: eating disorders, jealousies and boyfriends.

I read the story quickly with short chapters. It seemed, however, that this book is more ideal for young girls with big dreams. Maybe if it was from two sides: René and her mother, Eve, I would have been more invested in the story. There were several comments about the expense and I’m sure Eve would have much more to say about it along with the family’s hardships.

My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 26, 2025.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a difficult book to rate for me. It is a coming of age story about Reńe who is in high school and an aspiring ballerina in the 1970s. She has aspirations of being a ballet dancer in NYC, but because she lives in South Dakota there is no opportunity to “make it”, so she is sent by her family to several states for training. Along the way she encounters all kinds of people, trouble, and hardships. I did enjoy reading this and l always looked forward to picking it back up, however I just wasn’t quite sure where it was going. I wanted more about her family, specifically her troubled brother. I did appreciate the mother/daughter relationship between Reńe and Eve - not always easy, definitely flawed, but loving. The end felt rushed for me and a little too tied-up. Overall a good read! Thanks to NetGalley and Madison D. at Random House for the advanced copy! This book hits shelves 8/26!

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 rounded up. Very mediocre coming of age story of René who wants to be a ballerina. Her parents and family sacrifice for her, but not totally supportive as they can’t understand what she is going through. Her loneliness, eating disorders, creepy (if not abusive, inappropriate for sure) teachers and living situations. navigating friendships and boyfriends. She finally makes it to New York. Meh.

[BookwormishMe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming of age tale of pursuing your dream and the stumbling blocks along the way.

Rene is a young girl with a gift for ballet. She’s grown up in a small town in South Dakota, but dreams of being a prima ballerina someday. When her local teacher retires and moves away, Rene is bereft, lost without someone to guide her in her training. So follows several cities and several homes and many unexpected follies. Rene hasn’t even finished high school but has been around the block.

This novel touches on what it takes to pursue what your heart desires more than anything. While for Rene it is ballet, you could substitute your dream for Rene’s and most of us have been there. Told with honesty and pain and triumph, Starting from Here takes us through several years of a young, naive girl’s life in the 1970s.

While I did love most of this novel, some of it was hard to take. There were times that I felt as though Rene’s family had forsaken her completely - sending her off to other states to live with people they didn’t know and situations that she never should have been subjected to. Yet, then there is Rene’s desire to do this one thing - dance. Maybe the family was just doing what they could to help her escape her small town life.

This novel was so beautifully composed and presented. I loved the shorter chapters that really captured a moment in time. The only two characters that were fully formed were Rene and her mother Eve, though that’s all I felt you really needed. The remainder of the characters were simply supporting cast members seen through Rene’s eyes.

I read this book in two sittings, which points to how engrossing it is. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it.

[Ashley Cohoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3 out of 5 stars

This is a quiet, introspective coming-of-age story that follows René, a teenage girl from South Dakota in the 1970s, as she tries to carve out a path for herself in the competitive, often unforgiving world of ballet. It’s not a glittery, center-stage kind of tale- it’s more of a slow-burn look at the real, often painful cost of chasing a dream when you don’t have the money, support, or connections to make it easy.

There’s a lot to admire here: Saunders writes with care and subtlety, and René’s journey feels authentic. I appreciated that this wasn’t a “she makes it big” kind of story, but rather one about persistence, loneliness, and small victories. You really feel the weight of her choices, especially the tension between her love for dance and the sacrifices it demands—from both her and her working-class family. That emotional nuance was a highlight for me.

That said, the book left me wanting just a little more depth. The settings, Rapid City, Denver, Phoenix, felt a bit interchangeable, and the 1970s backdrop didn’t come through as strongly as I hoped. Some moments, especially ones involving inappropriate adults or sketchy situations, were unsettling but kind of brushed over instead of deeply explored. And René herself felt oddly passive at times, which made it hard to stay fully invested in her arc.

It’s a good read for when you’re in the mood for something quieter and more character-driven. If you’re looking for a high-drama ballet narrative, this might not be it, but if you appreciate stories that reflect the messiness and uncertainty of real life, it’s worth picking up.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★☆


Review: Starting From Here by Paula Saunders


Starting From Here by Paula Saunders caught my attention immediately—it’s the story of a girl from South Dakota coming of age in the mid-1970s. That’s me! The difference is that the protagonist, Rene, is sent away to study ballet, while I stayed in my cowpoke town. Still, Saunders’ story resonated deeply.


Saunders has said the novel is semi-autobiographical, and Rene’s experiences reflect the author’s own. Set in the 1970s, Rene finds herself in the predatory world of that decade—ill-equipped by her Midwestern upbringing and lack of parental guidance to navigate the industry’s exploitation and the era’s “accepted” male behavior. Saunders captures this reality with honesty; what Rene endures feels both authentic to the time and painfully believable for her age.


Beyond Rene’s arc, I especially appreciated Saunders’ portrayal of her mother, Eve—the quintessential Midwestern mother of the 1970s. The novel also highlights the cultural limits of South Dakota: Rene lives in the state’s second-largest “city,” but fine arts opportunities were nearly nonexistent. To pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer, she had to travel far beyond what her hometown could offer.


I listened to the audiobook, narrated wonderfully by Melora Hardin. Her range of voices and characterizations brought the story to life.


Starting From Here is a thoughtful, authentic coming-of-age tale, and I recommend it to readers who enjoy small-town 1970s stories layered with grit, honesty, and heart.

[Yaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting from Here is a poignant coming-of-age novel that follows Rene, a gifted young ballerina from South Dakota, as she chases her dream of becoming a dancer in New York City. Through relocations, strained family dynamics, financial limitations, and the darker sides of competitive dance culture, Rene’s journey is both inspiring and heartbreaking.

What struck me most about this story is its honesty. Rene’s path is far from glamorous—she encounters loneliness, questionable choices, and circumstances no teenager should face. Yet her determination to keep dancing makes her resilience stand out. While at times I wished for more resolution with some of the supporting characters, the focus on Rene and her mother felt intentional and ultimately very powerful.

The narrative captures the messy reality of growing up, of wanting something so deeply while navigating all the obstacles in the way. Whether or not you’ve pursued a dream as ambitious as ballet, Rene’s story resonates on a universal level. Beautifully written and deeply moving, this is a book that lingers after the final page. I would highly recommend it to readers who enjoy raw, realistic stories of ambition, family, and perseverance.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting From Here is the coming of age story of Rene, a teenager from South Dakota who yearns to become a dancer in New York. With no local opportunities left for her to dance, she travels alone to Phoenix and then Denver to continue her pursuit. Along the way, she lives with strangers in unusual households, attends new schools with mean girls, dabbles in an eating disorder, and has to contend with boys and men that want to use her. Her intense loneliness and need for connection cause her to make bad decisions.

As a mother, it was very difficult to read what Rene was experiencing. Her mother’s part-time care and emotional availability were neglectful and the behavior of the adults in Rene’s life were appalling.

The end of the book takes on a more uplifting tone with Rene traveling to NYC with her mother who is thankfully very supportive. The story is open-ended and I was disappointed that we didn’t get to learn if she succeeded. I found myself wishing that Rene and her mother had connected earlier in the book and that we could have learned more about Eve’s dreams.

I was a Goodreads giveaway winner.

[Barb Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading "Starting From Here" was a lot like passing a multi-vehicle crash on the highway: You hope everyone comes out of it OK, but you can't resist gawking at their trauma.

A young teen girl leaves her family in South Dakota to live with strangers in order to pursue ballet. She desperately is trying to live up to the expectations thrust upon her by her dysfunctional family while struggling alone with adult responsibilities and hardships. Even the adults entrusted with in loco parentis (acting or done in the place of a parent) fail to offer basic guidance or support.

While I enjoyed the novel overall, I did have some concerns about its portrayal of eating disorders. All it took to resolve her anorexia was for her father to order her to get over it??? Highly unlikely.

Equally unlikely, in my view, was the end result for this young woman who traveled to various states to study under ballet teachers of questionable merit. I've never studied ballet, though. What do I know?

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I liked it just fine. It was a quick read, and I cared about our young ballet dancer.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. It is 1973 in South Dakota, and Rene dreams of becoming a classical ballet dancer, even as the classes become more of a financial burden for her family. Rene eventually leaves to train in Arizona, where the competition is fierce and her host family does not exactly welcome her. As Rene continues to pursue her dream, she starts to question what it is that she really wants: to excel at ballet, or be content just existing as is.

This is a good read for people who enjoy the journey of identity and self-fulfillment. It's a great book for readers who want to be introspective and follow a girl coming into her own. While this book has a lot of depth in terms of emotions and the thought process, I would have liked just a tad more to propel the plot forward.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Firetruckmama · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I thank them.

“Starting From Here” is by Paula Saunders. This book is a coming of age book - told from the viewpoint of the daughter, Renee. Renee wants to be a professional ballerina and, in search of that, did what numerous people did for their sports (think the Olympic gymnastic hopefuls under the coaching of Bela and Marta Karolyi) moved elsewhere to get better coaching. I don’t know how common this is in present day, but the leaving the family so child does better was very common in the 1970s, when this book is set. However, Renee isn’t living with her coach - she lives with different families (who agree to take her in in exchange for money from the family), so it’s a bit different. I never really felt like I felt much about Renee - the writing felt very YA (though it also could have been the short chapters) and I think I would’ve appreciated this book more if the mother’s viewpoint had been added.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

💫Happy Publication Day!💫

4 Stars! Thank you to Random House for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Starting from Here follows Rene as she follows her dream to become a professional dancer. Rene is from South Dakota, where this story begins. She comes from a turbulent, but loving, home life, and realizes to become a professional dancer she needs to leave South Dakota. So, Rene sets out to Phoenix where she soon realizes that she will need to change herself to become a competitive dancer here and experiences the loneliness of being a young teenager on her own. Further on in the book Rene moves between South Dakota and Denver, finding herself, and figuring out her way in the world on her own.

What I liked most about this book was Rene's journey of self-discovery. We all go through periods in our life where we are lonely, and uncertain what the future holds, while trying to live up to our own and other's expectations. No matter how old you are, this is a shared experience. I felt like this book really captured what it's like to be a teenage girl trying to find herself while pursuing her dream.

This is a quick read, but it kept my attention the entire time I was reading. I will note, it dealt with some difficult situations, like Rene being taken advantage of by adult men in her life. Overall though, a really solid story from Paula Saunders about finding oneself and the challenges along the way in doing so.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming of age story with ballet as a sort of backbone. Rene is following her mother Eve's dream when she leaves South Dakota in 1974 to board with a family in Arizona in order to study at a ballet studio. Ballet as a plot element takes a back seat in general but in Arizona to the hateful way she is treated by the daughter and her raging eating disorder. After a year there she's off to Denver where the family is pleasant if odd (and filthy). It's in Denver that she deals with teen boys and a jealous ballet teacher. Her periodic visits home mean struggles with her parents and her brother Leon. It's all told in a detached way. It wasn't until I finished reading this novel that I discovered that Saunders has written about this family before in The Distance Home. This will be fine as a standalone. I would have liked more ballet and to feel Rene's dream. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good period atmospherics.

[Jax · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books about young women in sports or other activities that place extreme demands on the body and require corresponding discipline seem to be trending. In this book, Rene, a young girl living in the 1970s, wants to be a ballerina. She has talent and parental support, though the family can ill-afford the cost of training. Rene travels to various cities to live in situations and work with trainers where she faces abuse. The road will not be easy for her as she starves to align her body to the ballerina ideal and maintains a grueling practice routine to meet her goal. It is unclear if the author incorporated the mentality of the period in which Rene lived when plotting and developing characters, though that should be assumed. Regardless, one wonders if much has changed for young girls who seek to fulfill their dreams when seekers exponentially outnumber the available roles.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
#StartingfromHere #NetGalley.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

STARTING FROM HERE, is a coming of age story packaged as a tale of commitment to ballet. The challenge in reading this book is that once the protagonist ‘comes of age’ nothing much happens. There’s just no pay off for reading the book. Our heroine leaves home to live in places where she can continue her development in ballet. Is she good at ballet? Hard to say and even harder to gauge by her surroundings. She lives as an unwanted boarder in different locales, and experiences homesickness and isolation. People are mean to her. All of this would be compelling if she experienced a breakthrough or acclaim as a dancer. I don’t know why the author didn’t consider offering readers some insight into her later years; it would have made the tale more compelling. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley..

[Lee Woodruff · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s 1973 and Rene’s dreams of being a dancer will never be realized in her hometown of Rapid City South Dakota. Her mother, Eve, is also invested in the dream, and she devises a way for her daughter to go to Phoenix and live with a (horrible) family in order to get the best lessons. Rene tries desperately to fit in, and begins to starve herself to compete with the other girls, but when that fails, she moves on to Denver, encountering a new crop of eccentric, dazzling and shystery folk all bent on some level of predation. Lest you think the book sounds like a total downer, this book makes you root for Rene, and even the fame-driven mother Eve to a degree. All of us are indeed imperfect and the author carries that off in this story about the turns and twists of adolescence. It’s a well-written book about love and perfection and the ties that yank us back home.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rene wants to be a ballerina but living in South Dakota is far away from the bright lights of New York City. With her mother Eve’s support, Rene starts the journey to fulfill her dreams.

I had a very difficult time with this book, I found the writing lackluster, the characters were flat for me, what I thought would be a coming of age story felt like an dragged out teenage high school drama. The experiences the young dancer struggles with range from mean girls, to body shaming, to predatory teachers, and continued family angst. Leon, the brother character to me was a filler character and did nothing to add to the plot. Overall, I didn’t enjoy this book and felt underwhelmed by it. Thanks for the advanced reader copy.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline of this book was definitely different. It was about a family with three children. The oldest one was a boy/young man who had a substance abuse problem and the dad was always yelling at. The other two were girls. The middle girl was in high school- either a sophomore or junior who aspired to be a ballerina. She was supposedly a really good dancer and her teacher was retiring/quitting. The teacher and mother found her a new teacher in Arizona- they lived in another state. And the story took off. Some of it was too much and some not enough. It wasn’t real cohesive. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t great either. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

[Andy Krahling · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars.

This was interesting, I have to say. The writing style was pretty straight-forward, which I appreciate, and pretty down-to-earth. This is a coming-of-age tale of a young dancer from South Dakota, who has a dream to make it to New York. This journey makes her leave home, first to Phoenix, then to Denver, and is unflinching in presenting the difficulties René faces.

It also takes place in the early 70's -- a fact that really isn't utilized much in the plot, which sort of surprised me.

I liked the ending, but I also wished for a little more...

All in all, this was worth reading. Would I read more from the author? Yes.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

[Stroop · Rating 4 out of 5]

René wants to be a ballet dancer. The trouble is, she lives in South Dakota. Her mother is determined to help René and arranges for her to stay with a family in Phoenix, and then Denver. All the while, René faces challenges and difficult, mean, and creepy people. Will she be able to achieve her dreams?

I enjoyed the pacing of the story and the writing style. René is a compelling character and I was hoping things would turn out well for her. I wish we had a little more time with her mother and brother as their characterizations were intriguing. I think readers who enjoy a leisurely paced coming-of-age story without a neat ending will appreciate this.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.