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She Came Back Different
Underneath the beautiful world of ballet lurks the dark side of perfectionism in this eerie tale!
The Stadler Ballet Conservatory prides itself on turning out not only perfect dancers but perfect pupils. Perhaps too perfect.
Gemma has been sent by her demanding mother in the hopes that her “rough edges” will be smoothed. But the life of a ballerina feels so far out of reach, she hardly dares to dream of it. Neve, on the other hand, is there on a rescue mission. Her once rebellious older sister returned from Stadler as a smiling, empty shell of her former self. If there are answers, Neve will find them.
In a tale alternating between their perspectives, both girls must brave a world of rules and conformity. One in which beauty hides a hideous and sinister truth that will devour their very souls if they cannot overcome their differences. Can they embrace each other’s flaws and their own in order to dig up the school’s rotten roots and unmask what’s really growing . . . and feeding . . . behind Stadler’s walls?
The Stadler Ballet Conservatory prides itself on turning out not only perfect dancers but perfect pupils. Perhaps too perfect.
Gemma has been sent by her demanding mother in the hopes that her “rough edges” will be smoothed. But the life of a ballerina feels so far out of reach, she hardly dares to dream of it. Neve, on the other hand, is there on a rescue mission. Her once rebellious older sister returned from Stadler as a smiling, empty shell of her former self. If there are answers, Neve will find them.
In a tale alternating between their perspectives, both girls must brave a world of rules and conformity. One in which beauty hides a hideous and sinister truth that will devour their very souls if they cannot overcome their differences. Can they embrace each other’s flaws and their own in order to dig up the school’s rotten roots and unmask what’s really growing . . . and feeding . . . behind Stadler’s walls?
304 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Heart-pounding, creepy fun! She Came Back Different is both a deliciously uncanny thrill-ride and an ode to girlhood in all its weirdness and wonder. Perfection has never been freakier than inside Stadler's secretive, shadowy halls.
September 19, 2026
She Came Back Different by Stephanie Willing is a middle grade book, which is to say that it is aimed towards 8-12 year olds. Despite the young age of the target demographic, this book tells a prescient story about standards of conduct and behavior imposed on us from the outside as well as the insidious nature of those standards which take root within.
You can read Wade's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Wade's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
E ARC provided by the publisher
The Stadler Ballet Conservatory in Vermont is very exclusive, but some of the pupils are not excited to begin their studies there. Neve has seen how the school affected her older sister Bex, and she remembers the phone call four years ago when Bex told her to never come to the school. Now Bex is prim, proper, and follows all the rules, and the spark seems to have gone out of her. Gemma doesn't fit the profile of a Stadler student, but her mother and stepfather think the school will help her to gain some poise and social skills. Once they arrive at the school, the girls meet the others in their cohort; Chloe, Chris, Esther, and Ivy. The teachers, who are all referred to as "Madame" along with the color of their outfits, have a lot of rules. Students are not to be alone, and may only be in designated areas. The older students all seem to have been conditioned like Bex, and eat very little and calmly follow the rules. Gemma balks at this, and does some exploring, but of course gets in trouble. After Esther seems to have changed in the same way that the older girls have, Gemma is devastated to lose her friend, and she and Neve combine forces to try to solve the mystery of what is affecting the students. Are the vines that surround the campus somehow draining their personalities? Gemma manages to break into the office to try to get back her phone to call for help, but is aghast to find from her file that her mother sent her to the school because she considered her socially awkward and friendless. When she wins the lead role of Clara in the production of The Nutcracker, she thinks that turning into one of the "perfect" older students might not be all bad. Still, as the investigation leads the girls into town, they stumble across a possible antidote. Will Neve be able to rescue her sister, and will the girls be able to retain their own personalities?
Strengths: I picked this book up because it reminded me a bit of Duncan's Down a Dark Hallway; I wasn't a big fan of Gothic horror, but there was something about a creepy boarding school that is intriguing. There are a lot of students who dance, and very few ballet books. The world building is strong, and there are lots of good, mysterious details about how the school is run. Most of the book is from the alternating perspectives of Gemma and Neve, but we do get a little peek at Ivy, whose family started the vines. The sisterly bond is nice, and there is even so science connections with the vine's relationship with fungus that reminded me a little of Short's The Mutant Mushroom Takeover. There are a few scenes of solid ballet work, and plenty of drama surrounding the casting of The Nutcracker, which are both things my readers who like ballet stories request. I can't think of any other ballet horror books unless you count fairy tale ballet themed books like Sutton and Hannuniemi, The Song of the Swan or Smith's The Toymaker's Apprentice as horror.
Weaknesses: There isn't much ballet until page 100, and the story isn't all that scary. This starts with very poetic, philosophical language, so will need a very specific reader. The cover is not overly appealing.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want to combine performing arts with gentle horror and enjoyed Parris' Stage Fright or Key's Twelfth.
The Stadler Ballet Conservatory in Vermont is very exclusive, but some of the pupils are not excited to begin their studies there. Neve has seen how the school affected her older sister Bex, and she remembers the phone call four years ago when Bex told her to never come to the school. Now Bex is prim, proper, and follows all the rules, and the spark seems to have gone out of her. Gemma doesn't fit the profile of a Stadler student, but her mother and stepfather think the school will help her to gain some poise and social skills. Once they arrive at the school, the girls meet the others in their cohort; Chloe, Chris, Esther, and Ivy. The teachers, who are all referred to as "Madame" along with the color of their outfits, have a lot of rules. Students are not to be alone, and may only be in designated areas. The older students all seem to have been conditioned like Bex, and eat very little and calmly follow the rules. Gemma balks at this, and does some exploring, but of course gets in trouble. After Esther seems to have changed in the same way that the older girls have, Gemma is devastated to lose her friend, and she and Neve combine forces to try to solve the mystery of what is affecting the students. Are the vines that surround the campus somehow draining their personalities? Gemma manages to break into the office to try to get back her phone to call for help, but is aghast to find from her file that her mother sent her to the school because she considered her socially awkward and friendless. When she wins the lead role of Clara in the production of The Nutcracker, she thinks that turning into one of the "perfect" older students might not be all bad. Still, as the investigation leads the girls into town, they stumble across a possible antidote. Will Neve be able to rescue her sister, and will the girls be able to retain their own personalities?
Strengths: I picked this book up because it reminded me a bit of Duncan's Down a Dark Hallway; I wasn't a big fan of Gothic horror, but there was something about a creepy boarding school that is intriguing. There are a lot of students who dance, and very few ballet books. The world building is strong, and there are lots of good, mysterious details about how the school is run. Most of the book is from the alternating perspectives of Gemma and Neve, but we do get a little peek at Ivy, whose family started the vines. The sisterly bond is nice, and there is even so science connections with the vine's relationship with fungus that reminded me a little of Short's The Mutant Mushroom Takeover. There are a few scenes of solid ballet work, and plenty of drama surrounding the casting of The Nutcracker, which are both things my readers who like ballet stories request. I can't think of any other ballet horror books unless you count fairy tale ballet themed books like Sutton and Hannuniemi, The Song of the Swan or Smith's The Toymaker's Apprentice as horror.
Weaknesses: There isn't much ballet until page 100, and the story isn't all that scary. This starts with very poetic, philosophical language, so will need a very specific reader. The cover is not overly appealing.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want to combine performing arts with gentle horror and enjoyed Parris' Stage Fright or Key's Twelfth.
April 28, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for an ARC of this story. The Nutcracker will look a little differently from now on.
This was a different, and sinister, take on your typical boarding school for girls story.
Gemma is a girl from Texas just trying to fit in after a mom who doesn't pay attention to her enrolls her in Stadler Ballet Academy. Neve is trying to rescue her older sister from the same ballet academy. One trying to fit in, one trying to get out.
But there is something seriously strange about all of the girls, and Madams (teachers) of the academy. The other girls are too happy, too agreeable, just too...
Except the new group that both Neve and Gemma are a part of.
Sinister things start to happen almost as soon as the gates to the school close. Until the last day, there is only one other time during the school year when other people are allowed on the grounds of the school, and that is when they have their annual performance of The Nutcracker, the performance that is sure to change the course of the entire school year. And this year, that change will mark the end.
After all six new girls notice things are not right all around, they start to see Stadler as it truly is. And they do everything they can to change the outcome other students have faced throughout the years.
Let's just say, you will see flowers and the color orange differently after reading this story. And you may just think twice before you see The Nutcracker again.
This was a different, and sinister, take on your typical boarding school for girls story.
Gemma is a girl from Texas just trying to fit in after a mom who doesn't pay attention to her enrolls her in Stadler Ballet Academy. Neve is trying to rescue her older sister from the same ballet academy. One trying to fit in, one trying to get out.
But there is something seriously strange about all of the girls, and Madams (teachers) of the academy. The other girls are too happy, too agreeable, just too...
Except the new group that both Neve and Gemma are a part of.
Sinister things start to happen almost as soon as the gates to the school close. Until the last day, there is only one other time during the school year when other people are allowed on the grounds of the school, and that is when they have their annual performance of The Nutcracker, the performance that is sure to change the course of the entire school year. And this year, that change will mark the end.
After all six new girls notice things are not right all around, they start to see Stadler as it truly is. And they do everything they can to change the outcome other students have faced throughout the years.
Let's just say, you will see flowers and the color orange differently after reading this story. And you may just think twice before you see The Nutcracker again.
September 2, 2026
2 stars
This is a strange little book with the potential to be _Suspiria_ or _Black Swan_, but instead, I struggled to stay for the curtain call.
Why are girls who are just okay when it comes to dance being invited to join a private dance academy?! This was absolutely confounding to me. In the actual world of dance academies and schools, things are extraordinarily competitive to say the least. This initial detail was so bizarre to me that I was quickly put off.
There's a Stepford vibe happening here, which could have worked well, but there's nothing particularly unique or compelling about how it happens or why. There are also missed opportunities for deeper explorations of themes around friendship, sisterhood, found family, and the importance of individuality.
Potential? Yes. A successful performance? For me, this one didn't quite hit the marks.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This is a strange little book with the potential to be _Suspiria_ or _Black Swan_, but instead, I struggled to stay for the curtain call.
Why are girls who are just okay when it comes to dance being invited to join a private dance academy?! This was absolutely confounding to me. In the actual world of dance academies and schools, things are extraordinarily competitive to say the least. This initial detail was so bizarre to me that I was quickly put off.
There's a Stepford vibe happening here, which could have worked well, but there's nothing particularly unique or compelling about how it happens or why. There are also missed opportunities for deeper explorations of themes around friendship, sisterhood, found family, and the importance of individuality.
Potential? Yes. A successful performance? For me, this one didn't quite hit the marks.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC for review. To be published September 1, 2026.
2 stars
A ballet boarding school with a secret! But it was a boring one and readers don’t get much ballet in the book either, so it is kind of a whole lot of nothing a the little that does exist is never explained properly.
So, a washout for me. I gave it an extra star because it had a nice cover. Oh, and why in the world would people who can’t dance go to a ballet boarding school? You really need to already know this is for you., you know?
2 stars
A ballet boarding school with a secret! But it was a boring one and readers don’t get much ballet in the book either, so it is kind of a whole lot of nothing a the little that does exist is never explained properly.
So, a washout for me. I gave it an extra star because it had a nice cover. Oh, and why in the world would people who can’t dance go to a ballet boarding school? You really need to already know this is for you., you know?
September 21, 2026
I could not stop reading this once I started! It was absolutely delightful. A great tale about friendship and girl power, and sticking together with even your maybe not-so-favorite classmates. I loved it.
September 28, 2026
An excellently spooky ballet read. I loved the emphasis on ballet and the character development. I found it all very eerie. I wish we found out more about the big bad in the story but it was still a thrilling read.
September 19, 2026
This book is good for young readers who want a book with a little spook but not a lot.
September 23, 2026
I am obsessed with this audiobook! I was hooked from the get go! The story is set in a ballet conservatory deep in the Vermont woods where things are not as they seem. Perfect students, perpetually smiling teachers with a weird vibe and creepy vines! Seen through the eyes of the new students, we join the girls as they navigate new friendships, discover who they are and literally fight to stay true to themselves!
The narration is perfection!
Highly recommend!
The narration is perfection!
Highly recommend!
September 3, 2026
A Ballet boarding school thriller! I was so excited and instantly downloaded it on the PRH audio app for influencers as soon as it became available but I was met with such disappointment. I feel like we didn't get the book that was promised in the description. It reminded me of some "sports romances" where they mention a sport but that's the extent of it. It is just a convenient backdrop without much substance.
That being said there were parts I enjoyed, they were just short-lived.
That being said there were parts I enjoyed, they were just short-lived.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews