Barre Fight

by Chloe Angyal

The eagerly-awaited follow up to Pas de Don't and Pointe of Pride!

“If you're not reading Chloe Angyal, what are you even doing with your life? Barre Fight is a swoony, sexy, sparkling gem of a romance.” - Denise Williams, USA Today bestselling author of Just Our Luck

The only spotlight ballet dancer Justin Winters wants is the one that shines on him when he’s on stage at the Sydney Opera House. Then one moment of anger, caught on camera, turns into viral infamy and weeks of negative headlines—and Justin knows just who to blame. He’s loathed journalist Ivy Page since she savaged him in a review years ago, and now Poison Ivy’s coverage of the fight has put his place on Australian National Ballet's New York tour in jeopardy.

Ivy Page is allergic to failure. So when she's abruptly laid off, she panics and accepts a job in PR at ANB. Now, it’s her job to put out the fire she started so Justin can go on tour. There's just one he can’t stand her, and he won't cooperate. But Ivy is determined to win him over, and when Ivy decides to do something, nothing stands in her way.

Once they're in New York, the thrill of sold-out crowds at Lincoln Center and Ivy's infectious enthusiasm for the city has country boy Justin falling—reluctantly, but hard. But can this showmance survive the return to real life, and the crisis that awaits Justin in the rural hometown he thought he’d escaped?

“Chloe Angyal is an auto-buy for me, and Barre Fight continues her streak of hot, thoughtful romances. This book delivers exactly what I needed right a messy, lost heroine doing her best, and a hero who punches bigots.” - Helena Greer, USA Today bestselling author

“A sharp-witted, heartfelt, and breathlessly sexy enemies-to-lovers finale to a series that will have readers doing a standing ovation.” - Andie J. Christopher, USA Today bestselling author

“Relentlessly sexy with a ferocious heart. Another must-read by one of the genre’s best new voices.” - Ella Dawson, author of But How Are You, Really

“Delicious. If you want a book that makes you kick your feet and point them at the same time, this is it. Barre Fight is perfect for the reader who wants all the heat with all the heart.” - Elise Wayland, author of Rivals to Lovers

Genres: Romance, Fiction

424 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2025

About the author

Chloe Angyal, PhD, is the author of the non-fiction book Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers is Saving Ballet From Itself and the romance novels Pas de Don’t and Pointe of Pride. When she's not writing, you can find her reading, cooking for her friends and family, or rubbing the tummy of her extremely cute dog. She's from Sydney, Australia and lives in the Iowa City area.

Reviews

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One or my absolute favorite reads this year! Fully formed characters, delicious banter, and perfectly spicy. I've been recommending this to all my friends!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot to love in this novel. As always with Chloe Angyal, she gets the ballet so right, down to all the little details. She is clear eyed about the problems with ballet as an institution, but also captures what is beautiful about it. She creates really good characters, & she has an excellent sense of place. I largely really enjoyed this book. However- it’s too long. It does not need to be over 400 pages. Every section goes on a little too long, even the travelogue of NYC (which as an egocentric New Yorker, I will always enjoy a celebration of my city, especially when it celebrates some off the beaten path places). This book felt intensely personal (one of the protagonists is a ballet dancer turned journalist, much like Angyal herself), but it felt packed with too much stuff. Also (& I can’t believe I am saying this) I think there were too many sex scenes. They were hot, but it took over 200 pages to get there, & then there were so many, I skimmed the last 2. I am so glad these books are in the world, I love that they exist, they are largely excellent, but I wish that a) this one had been edited better (I did catch quite a few typos), & 2) maybe that would have happened if Angyal’s publisher hadn’t dropped this book & she had to publish it herself (although again, glad she did!).

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little sad that this is the end of the trilogy, but loved the ride! Looking forward to reading anything this author writes in the future (& still need to track down the nonfiction book she wrote so I can devour it, too).

[Maura Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admire Chloe Angyal for pursuing the publication of Barre Fight to complete her “Dancers Down Under” trilogy, even after the publisher of her first two books declined to release the third. This is a very nice wrap-up to the series, bringing us the story of journalist Ivy Page and Australian National Ballet principal dancer Justin Winters. The pair begin the book at odds with each other but soon acknowledge that there’s a thin line between love and hate.

Like Angyal’s previous books (both fiction and non), Barre Fight dives deep into problems within the ballet world, as well as in the journalism industry, and also includes a significant plot point dealing with climate change. Neither Ivy nor Justin has a carefree life, and their story ends on a positive but not entirely resolved note—this is a happily ever after, but it’s not a fairytale.

There’s a meta element to Barre Fight, as Justin admires Ivy for her tenacity and willingness to press on against adversity. This is clearly a characteristic that Chloe Angyal shares, as she overcame many obstacles to ensure that she’d deliver the series wrap-up her readers deserved.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed all 3 books of this romance series, based on ballet dancers in Sydney, Australia, but this was definitely the weakest of the bunch. There wasn't really enough tension in the story (they were "enemies" but only barely so), so it felt a little flat. I also read the Kindle version and there were numerous typos, which was frustrating (this one was self-published I believe, unlike the others in the series. Boo to the publisher that didn't allow the author to finish the series!!). Even with those issues, this was still better than a lot of the romance books out there, and worth the read - particularly for ballet people.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe Angyal does it again! I am so glad she fought to get Barre Fight out in the world because Ivy and Justin (aka the horny dum-dums) absolutely deserved to have their moment to shine. I love that this book ended up equal parts continuing advertisement for traveling to Sydney (seriously, Australia, why aren’t you paying Angyal tourism royalties?!) and love letter to New York City, which, as a born and raised NYC girl, made me so so so happy. Once again, the characters were highly relatable, especially Ivy (but maybe that’s just because I too am an eldest daughter who is allergic to failure). Her handling of all the sensitive topics she touches - from depression to homophobic bullying to the Holocaust - continues to be a highlight. I have to give a specific shoutout to how she handled home loss due to wildfires in this novel. As a former California resident, I really resonated with Justin’s experience; my high school almost burned down in the Palisades fire earlier this year and the sleep-away camp I grew up at nearly burned down in the Thomas Fire in 2017. The way Angyal handled the subject was really well done. I’m sad there won’t be any more Dancers Down Under novels to read, but what a high note to end the trilogy on!

[Ella Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I blurbed this book and I'll say it again: Relentlessly sexy with a ferocious heart!!! Unrequited loathing to lovers!!! Let's f*cking go!!!!

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars: not my favorite of the series, but still a fun dance read

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barre Fight is the third book in the Dancers Down Under trilogy. No worries, if you haven't read the first two books I feel like Barre Fight reads well as a stand alone book. That being said, if you haven't read the first two books, what are you waiting for? This series if full of realistic and relatable characters that are incredibly talented, and yet also face complicated life issues, because shit happens! To all of us! This third installment introduces us to another amazing couple to get to know and fall in love with, as they fall in love with each other. I'm impressed with Chloe's ability to weave together a magical love story, steamy sex scenes, and real world issues in a story that flows seamlessly. Ivy is by far my favorite FMC of this series. Her understanding of self was a motivating personal growth story to watch unfold.