The Other Side of Perfect

by Mariko Turk

For fans of Sarah Dessen and Mary H.K. Choi, this lyrical and emotionally driven YA follows Alina, an aspiring dancer who suffers a devastating injury and must face a world without ballet—as well as the darker side of her former dream.

Alina Keeler was destined to dance, but then a terrifying fall shatters her leg -- and her dreams of a professional ballet career along with it.

After a summer healing (translation: eating vast amounts of Cool Ranch Doritos and binging ballet videos on YouTube), she is forced to trade her pre-professional dance classes for normal high school, where she reluctantly joins the school musical. However, rehearsals offer more than she expected—namely Jude, her annoyingly attractive castmate she just might be falling for.

But to move forward, Alina must make peace with her past and face the racism she experienced in the dance industry. She wonders what it means to yearn for ballet—something so beautiful, yet so broken. And as broken as she feels, can she ever open her heart to someone else?

Touching, romantic, and peppered with humor, this debut novel explores the tenuousness of perfectionism, the possibilities of change, and the importance of raising your voice.

• ISBN10: 0316703400
• ISBN13: 9780316703406
• Publish Date: 11 May 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Poppy Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

This certainly was the not other side of perfect, but perfection itself! I gotta say, THIS IS A DEBUT?!? It definitely does NOT read like one! I look forward to future works by this author! My GOD, so AMAZING!

A Junior in high school, who has spent her whole life dedicated to ballet, & intended on being a professional ballerina, shatters her leg while dancing, and despite physical therapy, can no longer dance on pointe, which is something ABSOLUTELY life-shattering for her. She grapples with some really hard stuff— her identity outside of ballet, anger, rage, jealousy, and other issues, but this book handles them perfectly & realistically, and then lets this girl, the main character, Alina, truly blossom. Her journey back to feeling comfortable in her own skin is so emotionally provoking, and yet the author manages to create just an amazingly fun atmosphere, and also a fun, yet relatable, wonderfully diverse cast of characters that feels so natural!

Despite Alina going through a crisis, she is still the star of this novel, & shines beautifully; she is funny, strong, relatable, kind, & just a WONDERFUL character to read about.

I can't be as impartial as i'd like (