Tiny Pretty Things (Tiny Pretty Things, #1)

by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

[Angie]

Ballet is freaking intense, and Tiny Pretty Things puts us right in the midst of a very competitive ballet conservatory where the girls will do whatever it takes to be the star. Bette and June have been at the American Ballet Conservatory forever. Bette believes that she is the best, while June is struggling to get noticed. Then, new girl, Gigi suddenly gets the starring role in the Nutcracker, June is her understudy, and Bette is just furious. She takes matters into her own hands, but she might not be the only one out to get Gigi.

Tiny Pretty Things was super good! Following the three girls’ POVs put us deep into the world of ballet. It’s just amazing to me how far dancers go to perfect their craft. Not all of it is safe though, and I liked that the authors pointed that out. For instance, June keeps her weight unhealthily low and has some tricks to make the scale think she weighs more (but still underweight). Meanwhile, Bette self-medicates to keep her focus, and Gigi basically tries to ignore her heart condition. I was completely fascinated, but also horrified by all of this, and it certainly kept me flipping pages to see what would happen to these girls when they push too far.

I also really loved how Tiny Pretty Things highlighted diversity, but also shed light on the discrimination that dancers face. Gigi is black and very aware of that fact, because pretty much all of the dancers are white or at least white-skinned. June is half-Korean, but doesn’t fit in with the other Korean girls or the white girls; she feels invisible. Then there are gay side characters (male and female), and we get some bits about how the gay male dancers are viewed unfavorably by their instructors. There’s just a lot going on on this front and I enjoyed it.

Of course, there’s also an awesome suspense plot at the center of Tiny Pretty Things. And even though we get three POVs, it’s never totally clear who is the culprit. Someone really hates Gigi. Bette is obviously one of them and she is behind a lot of what’s happening, but then there’s June who is always in Gigi’s shadow, waiting for her chance to shine. By the end, the pranks have gone way too far. And that ending chapter? I must know what comes next! That certainly throws a wrench in these girls’ plans!

Tiny Pretty Things was really great. I loved getting to know these girls, even if two of them are quite awful at times. I loved to hate them! I just had to know how far they’re willing to go to get the lead role! There’s also the mystery of who June’s father is, and I can’t wait to see how that plays out!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.