3/5 stars
Flux, 2013
294 pages
YA Contemporary
Scheduled to release November 8
Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I adored Bavati's debut Dancing in the Dark so I was thrilled to see another work from her, especially because it also focused on ballet. Performing arts books are one of my weaknesses so it was a no-brainer that I'd want to check this one out too. Unlike Dancing in the Dark, this is a much lighter tale. It had some good moments but ultimately failed to make much of an impression on me.
The plot is pretty easy to describe (think The Parent Trap): twin girls are orphaned at nearly at birth and adopted by two separate families, both located in Melbourne, Australia. Both take dance, in homage to their birth mother. While one's life utterly revolves around ballet to her dismay, the other craves more in her life. They meet when both are enrolled at a summer dance school and hatch a crazy plot to switch places long-term. Therefore Simone can have a break from dance and experience a more academically rigorous schedule while Hannah will get to dance full-time. But can they keep this up?
I adore switching places plots a la The Parent Trap and even Freaky Friday despite their improbability. Something in there just speaks to me and my wish fulfillment. I totally wanted an identical twin when I was a child and I would have loved trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. Still I do wonder about the plausibility of it all: could you really sustain such a long-term masquerade with no one getting suspicious? These girls have families, friends, teachers, etc. who know them to some degree and no one really caught on?
Also as a big fan of dance books, I didn't feel like I got enough dancing in this book. The story seemed more concerned with the girls (as is its right) than with describing the difficult life of a dancer with the foot pains as they're crammed into toe shoes and the exquisite pleasure of mastering a difficult step. Instead there are romances for each of the girls and the struggles of maintaining a secret life before the ultimate unveiling, which was cool though I'm not sure about the steps they took to bring it about. I mean, they got some help from people I don't think should have helped. Anyway all's well that ends well.
I don't have much to say about the girls. Simone is more quiet and reserved to Hannah's boisterous outgoingness. This much is noticed but the girls do enough to fake it and get by. Their parents are interesting enough with limited sketches of the other people around them. I never felt much of a connection to anyone and was actively rooting for the girls to reveal the truth instead of being on pins and needles to see how they'd keep going (which I think might have happened if I had felt more connected.)
Overall: This was a cute enough story-perfect for a palate cleanser after something tough and it goes by very fast if you just want a light easy read.
Other Opinions:
A Noble Tale
Always Lost in Books
Luna's Little Library
I liked the Parent Trap! would like this one too.
ReplyDeleteProbably-that is just such a fun movie and I can't resist a premise that seems to reference it!
DeleteI adore Twin Plots and books set in Australia, but since you felt a bit lukewarm I'll keep my expectations in check. Jen @ YA Romantics
ReplyDeleteThe execution just felt messy-there's such promise and there were some good moments but it never quite gelled for me.
DeleteCute sounds good, but sorry there wasn't enough dance
ReplyDeleteI loved her previous book Dancing in the Dark so much and was hoping for something similar albeit lighter but I think it went too far and lost some depth of characterization.
DeleteI might pick this one up. I'm a huge fan of dance books.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend her other one DANCING IN THE DARK first though-I found it to be very powerful and thought-provoking, more worth reading than this one.
DeleteI think this sounds like a fun story. I always loved those twin swapping movies and books when I was a kid. I might have to buy this for my library's collection. It will help balance all the dark dystopian fiction and paranormal romance :)
ReplyDeleteI did appreciate its lightness after some darker reads-I can't read too much dark stuff without it dragging me down.
DeleteI do like fun light reads and I love the swapping theme so this sounds pretty good!
ReplyDeleteIt's got its cute moments but I was let down after so thoroughly adoring her previous book.
DeleteAw, it does sound cute :) Glad you managed to enjoy it, even if you didn't love it. Glad you like dancing :D That is pretty cool. Thank you for sharing your awesome review. <3
ReplyDeleteI love dancing books so much-can't decide if I prefer dancing or (classical) music books more...tough call!
DeleteSounds good, too bad it didn't have a dance parts in it thought.
ReplyDeleteIt had some dance parts, just not enough for my taste though maybe I want too many. Dance plays an incredibly important part throughout the book.
DeleteI am OBSESSED with twins because they always have such great potential for mischief - mainly the Harries twins on Youtube and the Weasley Twins - and also because they tend to have a great bond. And I will also admit to the secret wish to be an identical twin, but I totally agree with you, this "meeting as strangers and swapping lives" thing always seems a bit far fetched. I remember a TV show I watched as a kid with one twin from the UK and the other from Australia and they met at a club or an airport or something and swapped lives. One of them was an actress and seemed to be able to seamlessly switch into an acting persona. But even something like school would be difficult - schools learn different subjects and yet they never seem to fail the first couple of exams as they struggle to catch up on material.
ReplyDeleteStill, it's a ultimately a fun concept for escapism.
I agree that the seamless switching is a bit ridiculous but I still can't resist the premise-I would have loved to cause some mischief as an identical twin!
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