Bunheads

As an ex professional ballet dancer, this is one of the only novels I’ve read that’s actually accurate! (And is written by a professional dancer so makes sense). It was one of my favourite books when I was younger and finding my feet in the dance world. Beautifully written, pulls you in, great characters and a real insight into what company life is really like. The good the bad and the ugly!

The only thing that I liked about this book was the ballet parts. The writing was not good, for example the author tried to be funny and just ended up confusing me (why is making red and green pancakes on Christmas morning ironic?). There was also other references to irony that were clearly incorrect leading me to feel that the author does not understand irony. Furthermore this book was clearly edited poorly (having a character say the same phrase twice in a row in response to another character is unrealistic and sounds stupid). There was no chemistry between the main character and her male suitors, it seemed like the only reason she liked either one of them was because they weren't ballerinas and they got to do normal things we she didn't get to do :/. This led me to not really care about the her, or her boyfriends. Furthermore the book doesn't really have a plot and I didn't like the end of the book. *SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT*The book ends with her quitting the ballet company. As someone who would absolutely LOVE to be as dedicated and able as you have to be to be a ballerina I thought it was such a waste as her entire life had been dedicated to ballet and she had gone so far and she just quit because she didn't have time to read and have a boyfriend or whatever. RUBBISH!

Loved this look at the life of 19 year old dancer Hannah and the glimpse into her performing for the company, a dream of mine. Good and well written read.

My daughter bought this as a gift for her sister who is reading this just now and is loving it she sdays it's a great book.

I Loved this book, so glad I brought it, I was hooked.

When Bunheads appeared on my reading radar there was very little doubt I was going to read it. I LOVE ballet stories, I have ever since I was a little girl. I took ballet lessons as a child, dreamt of being ballerina and even had a part as a mouse in a swish production of The Nutcracker aged 8. Sadly nature wasn't on my side and I definitely do not have a ballet dancers body! Or, to be fair, the dedication. But I do still like a good Ballet story.And Bunheads IS a good Ballet story. Oh, how I was transported into the gruelling, competitive and slightly mystical world of The Manhattan Ballet company while reading this book. Sophie Flack vividly brings a world, in which very few have access, to spectacular life. I could almost feel the pain and adrenaline of each performance.I really enjoyed Hannah as a character and her conflict between her dedication to the ballet and blossoming romance with Jacob. What surprised me was how mature this book actually was. Hannah is 19, and is written like a believable, if somewhat naive, 19 year old, and I think Bunheads would be enjoyed by people who don't usually consider books from the YA section as well as teens themselves. Hannah's naivety comes from her sheltered and reclusive life as part of the demanding ballet company and drives home the commitment these dancers make. I know it's not something I could ever do! Jacob is gorgeous romantic interest; sensitive, creative, patient and Hannah couldn't have wished for a better first love. I did wish she'd treat him kinder at times and got a little bit frustrated on his behalf when Ballet came before him time and time again, but then I'm not the most dedicated person, so understanding Hannah's focus was fascinating.If like me you grew up dreaming of being a Ballerina, you'll love Bunheads. I'd say an interest in dance would make this book more enjoyable as it is a HUGE feature, but you can also appreciate it as a lovely romance and coming of age story too. Recommended.

This book might not be compleatly perfect, but, it was the perfect read for me. I read the book on a plane ride from USA to UK, and it was 8 hours and 20 mins well spent! It made me laugh and cry and satisfied the part of me which is obsessed with ballet but wasn't good enough as a kid to pursue it.I agree that there was a little lack of chemistry between the love interests, but it was made up for by the impressive insight into the world of ballet. As soon as i had my feet back on the ground, i was looking up the author to see if she had more books as i was eager to read more! I really hope she goes on to write many more novels!!