Making the Cut

When starting this book I thought it would be a soap opera type of story similar to the reality Dance Moms but I was completely mistaken. This book follows a mother and her beloved daughter over the course of many years as they navigate the world of dance. But, this book is about so much more than that as we begin to learn about the mother’s past and hidden secrets. The mom Lydia is a character which is constantly stirring up conflicting emotions. In one chapter you can go from loving her, to feeling sorry for her, to wanting to grab her and shake her with rage. As a mother it is almost impossible to navigate the winding paths of parenthood. It can be easy from the outside to judge another parent but we don’t dare use our skills of observation to see ourselves. As we come to see past unresolved traumas will hurt those we love the most. Lydia is such a complex character but the story really begins to unfold and reveal itself in the last chapters of this book. Be ready for the unexpected! This is a fantastic book and I will beg everyone I know to do themselves a favor and pick this one up.

“You should bring Annie,” a casual invitation from a friend introduces Lydia to the captivating, competetive and expensive world of dance. After a few lessons, Annie is an eager student and Lydia is a dance mom. Her afternoons and weekends are spent driving to classes, watching classes and paying exorbitant fees for classes while Annie blooms with natural talent. As the years pass, Lydia sees the darker side of the dance academy and Annie reacts to her fellow dancers’ jealousy and bullying. Making the Cut is not just a simple behind the scenes, Reality TV type look at a ballet school. Behind the glamorous costumes and competitions are worrying, unsettling secrets. Lydia’s story is told in horrifying flashbacks. The trauma she suffered as a teenager has affected her whole life, seeping into some disturbing actions. As Lydia often wonders, would Annie now be a different child is she had never studied dance? If the ballet school staff been less money oriented and more focused on each student, would Annie have received the help she needed? This issues raised in Making the Cut will stay with you long after you finish the final pages. 5 stars. Thank you to NatGalley, The Book Guild and Sophie Wiggins for this ARC.

we all know of these worlds. weve all seen the good and bad side of them. sadly ive been witness to far to much of the darker side. so for me i was absolutely taken by the cover, title and then premise of this book. to explore this topic without the realities of actual people involved felt like a win. when you read it thought you cant help feeling how sadly realistic it was. and thats where this book managed to hit harder, it was far enough away from a real pers'on and close enough for it to be possible. Lydia is a single mum trying to be all things. so when she signs her little girl up for ballet class she thinks it will be all the cute feels and something great for her daughter to get involved in. ohhhh but does this not become what she wished it to, because she wasn't ready for the competitive or should i say backstabbing dance parents, pass agg and agg agg world she is about to enter. not to mention the dancing world itself being harsh 'cutting' and at time cruel. on top of that Lydia has her own issues that are weighting her down both from the present and past traumas. she is trying to hard and something will have to break. you cant hide from these things and neither can you dance them away. the tension you get from this book takes everything you know about that world to another level. you are there with gripping fingers and angst as the plot moves forward. its that type of weirdly horrid feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when reading books like this because surrounding Lydia is so much i want to hold very tight but also have a firm word with(nicely of course). Lydia was trying to fix everything for her daughter when infact she had so much she needed to fix within herself. Sophie did this story line such beautiful justice. her writing is emotional and whip smart. she keeps it tight so you feel like you are in this world feeling these feels but all the while able to do nothing as you have to sit and wait out whats to come. this book was deeply emotional and hit so many notes on your heartstrings. oh and basically lesson number one. gently push your toddler away from life on a stage!(im joking.kind of. not) i will add this book touches on eating disorders. its done well but this topic is heartbreaking and a book could never give it enough time it needs. so if you are in that space either recovered, in it, or even slightly tingly about the illness id swerve it. sometimes we can think we are find and subconsciously even things like mentioned in this book can awaken a monster. noone in recovery or recovered needs to be fighting that back if they can help it. so be cautious and only do it if you KNOW you can. its better to step away, always better to protect you head with this set of illness.

Thank you for this ARC! Rating: 4.75 ⭐️ I enjoyed this book so much. I went into it not knowing exactly what it to expect but it kept me captivated throughout. I really enjoyed the writing style of the book. It kind of reminded me of diary entries in a way. There are quite a a few TW: SA, eating disorders, death. it can get a bit heavy at times but it was so eye opening. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys deep meaningful books that will leave a lasting imprint.

As a former dance mom this book gave me a little PTSD. The costumes, the other dance moms, the money- oh the money! Annie is nothing but a pawn in an adults game of who can be on top, which was so sad to read. Lydia was likeable at the beginning, but I liked her less and less as the book went on. Hearing her backstory was helpful in understanding her character more, but I still didn't like her. All in all the book was an interesting read that dragged in parts but really picked up at the end.