Waiting on Wednesday (7): The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Waiting on Wednesday's is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. *It appears that Breaking the Spine hasn't been active since 2016, but I still want to credit them as the creators.

For my 7th Waiting on Wednesday, I want to Spotlight The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale 

Expected publication date: December 7, 2021

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Goodreads Synopsis

Dare Me meets Black Swan and Luckiest Girl Alive in a captivating, voice-driven debut novel about a trio of ballerinas who meet as students at the Paris Opera Ballet School.

Fourteen years ago, Delphine abandoned her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in St. Petersburg––taking with her a secret that could upend the lives of her best friends, fellow dancers Lindsay and Margaux. Now 36 years old, Delphine has returned to her former home and to the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House, to choreograph the ballet that will kickstart the next phase of her career––and, she hopes, finally make things right with her former friends. But Delphine quickly discovers that things have changed while she's been away...and some secrets can't stay buried forever.

Moving between the trio's adolescent years and the present day, The Ballerinas explores the complexities of female friendship, the dark drive towards physical perfection in the name of artistic expression, the double-edged sword of ambition and passion, and the sublimated rage that so many women hold inside––all culminating in a twist you won't see coming, with magnetic characters you won't soon forget.

Why I Can't Wait

The first sentence of the synopsis from Goodreads compares it to Dare Me and Black Swan, and I am a huge fan of both of those, so immediately after reading that, I was intrigued. This book is also classified as adult general fiction, which is different than my usual realm of YA but it's always good to expand your horizons, and I am looking forward to doing just that with this book once it is released