Tiny Pretty Things Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet-star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever.When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.
Series: Tiny Pretty Things
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (May 26, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062342398
ISBN-13: 978-0062342393
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.4 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #541,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #47 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Performing Arts > Dance #1354 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Being a Teen #1419 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Girls & Women
With multiple POVs, Tiny Pretty Things makes us see ballet in a whole different way. With girls having such high hopes for a lead position, non-stop training, and backstabing at every corner, this is definitely an intense novel that's filled with drama. The only problem that I had with it is that it was a little too immature for me.You have Gigi, Bette, and June who are completely 3 different girls going to a prestige and exclusive ballet school with dreams of becoming the lead for some of the largest pieces that are put on stage. But with the weight ins, family issues, and trying to keep your head up high at the same time, it is not as easy as it seems. When girls get hurt, they have come back up and show that they are worth being on stage because of their dreams and their family's dreams.I was shocked at the pave in which this book was written. The characters made me wish that the society wouldn't be so hard on them but having them fight with their inner self and having all the confidence they could get was actually motivational. But the moments where those "teenage love" came out weren't for me. And I am not sure if it was the way it was presented or just me but I did not find them interesting. Overall, the book itself was a great read and I will read more from this author.
So... This book. I had some ups and downs with it. Starting off, I loved the permise because I am a sucker for any kind of artsy book involving anything from music lovers and band members to actual painting artists to dancers and it just sounded like something I'd enjoy, plus I'm kind of in love with the cover but that's beside the point! Starting off this book immediately steps into the drama and backstabbing and it's a little shocking, I think. And right after the first chapter I started doubting this book. I made a deal with myself though, I had to read at least 30% of the book before deciding whether or not to DNF it. So I read that and it was intriguing for sure so I kept reading and...eh. I guess it's time to start the real review.This book follows three main characters, they each have alternating chapters and the authors did am excellent job of character voice, I was never confused whose chapter I was reading, never got them mixed up because all three were wildly different and unque. First you have Gigi, who is the new girl and the classic nice girl but not also not because she is just generally nice, she doesn't try to be that way, doesn't try to be perfect because of her family or something, it's just who she is. Then there's June, who's one of the few Korean kids at the ballet school and has her own set of issues starting with not knowing who her father is and ending with her mom threatening to pull her out of ballet if she doesn't land a lead role. Lastly, you have Bette, the queen b, the bitch. Bette has always been the best, she has to because her sister was the best. Bette does not like the fact that Gigi is stealing her lead roles and that's where we start in this story.A Few Of My Favorite Things:The Writing. I really liked the writing and despite my many issues with this book I think anyone(including me) can appreciate all the diverse characters you have in this book. Out of three main characters, only one of them is white, not to mention the gay and lesbian characters. So A plus on that front.June. June was actually the only character I liked. She was very complex and not likable exactly, but I feel she was the best written. She's been dancing forever but she's never good enough for the rest of them, never good enough to be a soloist. She was betrayed by her best friend, ignored by her mom, and only wants to know who her dad is. I'm no entirely sure why but I liked her so much more than the others.A Few Of My Not So Favorite Things:Where's my character development!? Because I never found it. Also...plot? Are you playing hide and seek with me? If so, I'm losing. This book is one mean prank and backstabbing after another, it's full of pettiness instead of plot. Bette is supposed to be the top dancer, so what if she seriously injures people along the way? And what's the school to do, that's just the way competitive dance is! I really hope not. I just kept waiting for all of this to lead to something, everyone is targetting Gigi, and she's supposed to just accept it and be careful. June wants to be Gigi's friend but also she doesn't want to be the understudy. Bette might be growing...but probably not? I don't know, I honestly felt like the characters were flip-flopping a lot. Gigi is fine one moment, the next she's completely paranoid and yelling at everyone, then she's calm again. Bette might be feeling remorse, June doesn't really know what she's doing. There's hints of character development, this whole mystery of who June's dad is, but there's no follow through so, in the end, you're left feeling like nothing means anything to these characters so why should you care?The "relationships": First we have the insta love with the jackass, Alec. Alec and Bette have been dating forever, they're the power couple. Until Gigi gets the lead role. Then Alec dumps Bette for Gigi. I was fine with this at first, but I was expecting a slow building thing between Alec and Gigi, but nope. Instead they're just suddenly together and their relationship has basically no front time in the book, it's all tell no show. I don't think Alec actually is supposed to be a jackass but how would I know? There's no DEVELOPMENT!- Then there's June. I can't remember the boy she likes but he's also Korean, but not a dancer and he's June's arch nemesis(can't remember her name either)'s boyfriend. I liked this relationship, I liked June for the most part, I liked all her problems and her struggles, but again. There's no face time with them, everything's simply told after it's happened so that you never feel anything for any of these characters.Side characters. They have even less face time than the main characters, nothing becomes of them. They are two-dimensional and pointless plot devices in this book. You have Henri, who's Cassie's ex-boyfriend. Cassie, who is kind of only hinted and talked about after the first chapter, who was the last new dancer who Bette was threatened by. Will who is Alec's best friend, Bette's ex-best friend and is in love with Alec. I ended up being completely disgusted by Henri and I still don't know what his part in this was. Will could have been an epic character but was just forgotten it felt like for most of the book.The end. You know, that part where nothing happened? I felt like we were leading up to this whole big thing only...NOTHING HAPPENED. It was like this through the whole book. I kept waiting for Henri to do something, to have a part in the story...but no. Kept waiting for Will to do something...nope. Waited for some character development...but of course, why would I expect that! Waited for the reveal that was way too obvious about who June's dad is and by the time it came around I didn't care anymore. Waited for the other evil prankster to be revealed only...it didn't happen. I mean, I'm pretty sure I know who it is but that was just so unbelievably frustrating, I don't understand why I read the whole book just for that.Overall: This book fell really short for me. It had potential but no real plot, no character development. It was drama filled with one little backstabbing and pity party after another and nothing was resolved. None of the characters even began to reach their full potential and there was no plot I could find and I'm still just waiting for it to get better. I think this might be a series? Maybe? I think I read that somewhere, but I can honestly say I will not be reading any further books. In the end, I can get over the lack of plot and the severely open ending but I can't get over the underdeveloped characters that I never felt like I knew at all-I guess that was part of the mystery? I don't know, the "mystery" is something I also never found.Would I Recommend This? Sure.To Whom? Mean Girls fans.Will I read more from this author(or series)? Nope.
****Also featured in Goodreads*****This book was a bit of a rollercoaster. Every chapter was filled with drama and it was so hard for me to put this down (or my kindle down at least lol).The story centers around three of the Manhattan Ballet School's top dancers, Gigi, Bette, and June. Gigi is a newcomer to the school and it hasn't been easy for her. She's one of the only black faces there and possesses a sort of innocence that makes her vulnerable to the more experienced dancers. Not only that, but SHE'S GOOD and that makes her an even bigger target, especially for people like Bette. I liked Gigi. Her personality was fresh and vibrant. This isn't to say that she doesn't have her problems. There were times where I wanted her to wake up and not act so naive but her innocence made me want to protect her and I think a lot of readers will enjoy her character.Bette embodies the look of the "perfect" dancer: blonde, petite yet lean, and amazing at what she does. However, she has big shoes to fill. Her older sister was one of the biggest stars at the academy who went on to become a professional and so this put a lot of pressure on Bette to become just like her. As a result, she becomes aggressive, dangerous, scheming, and willing to do whatever it takes to stay on top. She's certainly not a likeable character. Even though I understand what pressure can do to people, it was so hard for me to sympathise with her because of the things she did in the story. I won't spoil anything because the drama unfolds pretty quick so it won't take long to see what I mean.Then there's June.I have to admit, her character what the hardest to connect with. Whenever I read her pov, there were so many thoughts going on inside my head that I didn't know if I should feel sorry for her or hate her. (I think I felt both). She, like Bette, wants to be at the top but has never been able to get there mainly because of her Korean heritage which lands her less desirable roles. Not only has she suffered from constantly being casted as an understudy (which in the ballet world amounts to almost nothing) but she deals with even darker issues that makes her do and think some really nasty things. For me she was even harder to like. Her attitude was generally crude, unwelcoming, and passive aggressive. She did things that disappointed me because I wanted to root for her but ugliness is something I can never support.Overall, I really enjoyed Tiny Pretty Things. Even though the characters were no angels, their stories made the book interesting and engaging. I finished it in less than a day because I had to see how everything played out. The ending was quite surprising so it'll be interesting to see what happens in the sequel. If you're skeptical about this one, I say give it a try because it does contain some serious themes that I think even adults wouldn't mind reading about.
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