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She slid off him and knelt between his legs, relishing the view of his taut, muscular thighs. God bless every ballet teacher who ever made this man do pliés, she thought.” What an interesting romance, making us witness the life of a few ballerinas through the years. Brutality and rigorous regime required to bring such a beautiful performance on stage. All in all, I wasn't bored, but I wasn't intrigued either. Tiny Pretty Things (Netflix show) did something similar where the story became more about raw sex and human flesh than it did about ballet and what it is actually like to be a dancer in a major company. If it's what you're looking for, then you will have a good time, but all said and done, I wish there had been better characterization and a stronger emphasis on dance. I did enjoy the sapphic elements and wish that had been cultivated more, with the predatory male lead(s) left out. The bits where Sylvie is thinking about what it means to be a ballet dancer were what I truly enjoyed the most! It is both horrifying and awe-inspiring to learn about what dancers go through to achieve their dreams. The heat from her body comes at me like an assault. Her energy is always like that … I feel like prey in the wild. When she’s around, I can feel her there. As if she’s waiting to pounce.”
First Position By Melanie Hamrick | Used | 9780008602536 First Position By Melanie Hamrick | Used | 9780008602536
As a story about professional ballerinas, there is no one setting. Instead, the characters and readers with them find themselves in some of the most beautiful cities in the world. I loved this world tour and how it makes ballet seem that much more exotic. And though there are a LOT of super cringey sex scenes, the intriguing friendship and rivalry between the two protagonists is more than enough to make up for it in terms of plot. So, so edgy, so different, with a constant undercurrent of tension whether on the stage or in the bedroom... Raw and addictive. I loved it.' Even though there is no sound, everyone can hear the scream from within me. So loud in my own head that I almost want to cover my ears. I almost lose my absent voice.’
AP: And why a romance novel?
falling out in a hissed bravado before I can catch them. “I have to be in my head! If I’m not, then my form falls apart. Or it would. I have to be on the stage, in the music, and I have to be thinking in my head. Of course I do.”
First Position - Kindle edition by Hamrick, Melanie First Position - Kindle edition by Hamrick, Melanie
After finishing this novel, I can report that it's pretty good. It's fine, but it does not leave up to the potential of this subgenre.Though a bit short on actual ballet, this is entertaining if you’re into this subgenre, and boasts two intriguing and likable protagonists. I don’t know what I want anymore, and I used to know exactly what I wanted. I know that I did. Somewhere along the way that changed. And I know exactly when.’ What?” Then I remember that I had laughed out loud. Like a crazy person. “Oh, that. No. Nothing is funny.” So edgy, so different, with a constant undercurrent of tension whether on the stage or in the bedroom... Raw and addictive. I loved it.' What I didn't expect, however, was the aforementioned overabundance of spicy sexual scenes that took up SO much of the book that I often had a hard time remembering what else in the plot was supposed to be relevant. Between this and Sylvie's constant drug abuse (often for no reason at all) I got pretty frustrated trying to stay invested in her journey. The dialogue also at times felt very clunky and fake... one such scene had the 'alluring' older man watching Sylvie and best frenemy Jocelyn and urging them: "Have fun, girls-do not forget to have fun! For god's sake, you're on drugs!"
First Position – HarperCollins Publishers UK
Is it for that finger? Yes. But are we like, horny teenagers where we’re giving each other... In my mind, it’s a promise ring. We’ll be immature and call it a promise ring.” He looks like Robert Graham in his younger days, but with a better hairline. He has a mischievousness to him. A playfulness in his eyes. Sylvie came across as highly unlikeable and selfish. I understand the issues that she had, but the way she treated people throughout the story just rubbed me the wrong way. I thought surely there would be some sort of growth in her, or the author would try to redeem her, but that didn’t happen. She was the same old Sylvie until the very end when I am supposed to root for her because she decides to stop drinking and treating everyone badly.Sylvie and Jocelyn have their own chapters where they tell their story to the reader on their own terms. Both describe their perceptions of their past and present – starting with when they first entered the NAB. It is never confusing and instead highlights the tragedy of what Sylvie went through. The pacing is consistently a medium pace that only slowed down on a few brief occasions, making this book a pleasant read in terms of pace. Coupled with that pretty cover, this would be a great beach read for this summer. Whether you’re headed on vacation or just headed outside on a walk, First Position is worth adding to your summer TBR. We are in such similar careers, to keep it separate is better. You’re working with the person all day, and then you’re with them at night. It’s like, too much.”
First Position | Melanie Hamrick | 9780008602550 | NetGalley First Position | Melanie Hamrick | 9780008602550 | NetGalley
I also think the politics of ballet are extremely well rendered here, frustrating and infuriating as they may be to read about at times. I adore books involving dance and female athletes. So many of my favourite books fall within this niche subgenre. So I was incredibly eager to read this new release.She did not tell you that you don’t have passion. Not at all. And neither did I, by the way.” He remains expressionless. “She said you’re in your head. This is not a damning insult.” This timeline also bops around to THREE different points in time for absolutely no reason, and also has narratives from Sylvie AND occasionally Jocelyn: so unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. The one upside to this is at least Jocelyn's sections had a bit more energy and punch, although she's just as unlikable as Sylvie, if not moreso. To give you a bit more insight into the bulk of her personality, here's how Jocelyn's mind works: "He pushes his hips into mine and I remember again why I'm having this fling. He's got no personality but he's an amazing dancer with a huge d***" (Yep, this is ACTUALLY Jocelyn's inner monologue...such as it is.) There's one really good scene here--it's when we see a ballerina injure herself mid-pirouette and the main narrator basically says internally "awful, but great. now the rest of us have a chance"--and I found that tension to be delicious, and I wanted more of THAT. But instead, for most of this book, we follow Sylvie (mostly, sometimes Jocelyn) while she trains, does drugs, goes to sex clubs, doesn't feed herself, etc, etc--and maybe this IS a realistic portrayal of ballet life, but it does not a novel make. This NEEDED a through-line, some sort of plot, and it just didn't have that. At first his eyes stay on the stage, even as he turns his head toward me, and then with a slow blink, he looks me in the eye.
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