Ballet novels often show the dark and devious side of dance, but debut author Melanie Hamrick’s First Position may be the most sensational yet. Showcasing the complexities of being in competition with your fellow dancer, while also being at war with the ruthless ambition that lives in yourself, First Position is a multi-layered novel about what it means to live and breathe ballet.

First Position tells the stories of two dancers - one with an inherent talent, frenetically driven to succeed to the point of self-destruction; while the other lives and dances with passion and verve, embodying her roles in an utterly mesmerizing way. They are each other’s opposites - and rivals. Told from the POV of both girls, First Position takes us behind the scenes of the fictional elite North American Ballet Company, and pays tribute to the blood, sweat, and tears that go into being a prima ballerina. But don’t be deceived … there’s a lot more that builds a ballerina, as you’ll soon discover while reading this gritty, emotional book.

First Position is a tour de force debut, and is a complicated, compelling read. Hamrick surprised me time and time again throughout the course of this novel, lighting fire to secrets and scandals that I never saw coming. Steamy and salacious, First Position explores flawed, chaotic characters and demonstrates the lengths people will go to follow their dreams.

Overall, this book kept me invested and interested. I was disappointed when the first POV change happened because I wanted to stay with the first ballerina’s story - I found the second POV to be lacking - and I felt like the ending was a bit too neat for the overall darker tone of the rest of the novel.

Recommended to fans of Megan Abbott’s The Turnout.