Review | Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Chairapotra & Dhonielle Clayton

Title: Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton
Series: Tiny Pretty Things #1
Genre: Young Adult
Publication: May 26, 2015 by HarperTeen
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis: Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

Thoughts: I really had no idea what this book was really about, because I usually borrow audio books from the library by how familiar or interesting the cover looks to me, but I am glad I picked this one up. I've seen Tiny Pretty Things described as Pretty Little Liars meets Black Swan and that is pretty accurate. Following the point of view of three very talented, and very competitive ballerinas, we are introduced to Gigi, Bette, and June and their world where they attend a very prestigious ballet school and compete for the most coveted roles. 

Gigi is the new girl who lands the lead role in the Nutcracker; Bette has been the best for years, trying to be as great as her sister was; June works hard at perfecting her dancing but has yet to land a leading role, so her mother threatens to take her out of the school. Each of the girls has a secret, as well, but they are willing to go to great lengths to keep those secrets safe, while struggling to be the best ballerina in the school. Not only do they compete in their dancing roles, but they also have personal conflicts that make their issues more difficult. These girls could be pretty awful to each other, but the mystery on who was doing some of these things kept me very interested in the story.

I am glad I grabbed an audiobook copy of this instead of reading the book, because the story was told in alternative point of views, but it also helped emphasize the diversity of the girls. Gigi is black, Bette is white, and June is half-Korean, so the different narrators made it easier for me to know who's POV we were following, and made each character more unique. 

The story does end in a bit of a cliffhanger, so I was left feeling surprised. The sequel was recently released and I am definitely looking forward to diving into this story again soon.