He thought he knew what he wanted.
Turns out, all he wanted was her.
Collette
I’d kill to be the kind of dancer my mom wants me to be, but it’s just not in the cards. I’m sick of dieting. I’ll never fit into the perfect ballerina mold and I’m tired of wishing that I could. I’m over it. I’m done trying. I’m perfectly content to dance alone in the dark while the rest of the school is … could.
I’m over it. I’m done trying.
I’m perfectly content to dance alone in the dark while the rest of the school is sleeping.
Ethan
Coach says our football team needs discipline. That dancing alongside a bunch of prissy prima donnas is how we’ll learn our lesson.
Only problem?
I don’t have time for ballet. Not when I’m busting my butt to be the star quarterback, the dutiful son, and the perfect student…all so I can achieve my father’s dream.
When I meet Collette, I can’t help but take notice. She’s a vision of grace and beauty all wrapped up in snark and sass. And she helps me see that my own dreams aren’t so stupid after all.
I just wish she could see that in herself. But when I try to bring her out into the light, I can feel her slipping away. Her walls are built up so high, I fear they’ll never come down. I want to love her like she deserves—but that’s just the problem.
She doesn’t believe she deserves it.
For fans of Dumplin’, To all the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before, and The Kissing Booth, you’ll love this brand new series by two Amazon best selling authors!
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A quick fun read with characters that had depth and well written growth. Super cute.
The ballerina & the quarterback – talk about two different worlds. Collette was one spunky girl that I just loved and Ethan was such a sweetheart. Loved how he would not let her push him away because of what she “believed” to be true about herself. I wanted Collette to talk to her mom and her mom to talk to her – glad it finally happened. The ending was so sweet and I loved the ending ending – set up for book 2. Liked that we got to know these characters in this book because it makes me want to read their story.
An inspiring YA romance about loving your body and going after your dream no matter what.
I highly recommend this book.
This was a great, young adult book focusing on football, ballet, and young love. It was interesting to see how much body shaming to be stick thin went on in the world of ballet in this story.
The two main characters, Ethan and Collette were wonderful. Neither one wanted to disappoint their parents while also wanting to follow their own dreams. I really liked the message that Collette just needed to be herself and she needed to believe in herself first. It was nice to see Collette through Ethan’s eyes.
I wish the epilogue had focused on what the results were from the audition. At first I was confused when I read it until I went back and discovered the chapter did not say Ethan or Collette but was a lead in to the next book in the series. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
This delightful book had lots of whitty dialog along with plenty of teenage angst as Collette and Ethan see clearly what each other needs to do to transition from obedient child to finding their true path. But fear of hurting a parent stifles them both. This book has lots of action and pathos that keep the pages turning! And a HEA ending guaranteed to please!
Collette loves to dance and while she’s good at it, she’s always been told that she doesn’t have a dancer’s body to become a professional, so she quits dancing at her school and secretly practices on her own. Ethan’s his school’s star quarter back, who’s “life plan” has been mapped out by his dad and not in the way Ethan wants it to. The two meet when Ethan’s coach makes the team take ballet lessons. Ethan is immediately smitten with Collette the moment he trips over her…while Ethan would like to be more than just her friend, Collette is afraid to be more than his friend. Great YA read to see how they help each other with their self-doubt and to be themselves vs hiding within!
A beautifully written young adult romance, this novel touched my heart as Collette and Ethan break through the barriers and boundaries set by their parents. When Ethan first sees Collette dancing, something breaks open in the young quarterback’s heart. His sole purpose up to that point had been pleasing his father and bowing to his demands. However, when observing Collette’s deeply emotional dance when she thought no-one was looking, Ethan discovers a new and deeply satisfying response to her artistic ability. However, caught in the crosshairs of his father’s ambition, Ethan finally takes an irrevocable step that not only affects his future but Collette’s as well. Collette has tried and failed at fitting the mold of the consummate ballerina. However, through Ethan’s sacrifice on her behalf, she is finally faced with choices that will affect how she sees herself for the rest of her life. The story is well written, emotional with life lessons for everyone. I enjoyed the main characters and found myself cheering them on, hoping throughout they would find their own path to happiness. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
A quarterback who only really enjoys playing his guitar (but doesn’t really know what he wants to be). A wanna be dancer Hogwarts-nerd (which, by the way, I am too so thats not a criticism), who really wants to be a dancer. Add in the complex relationship between the dancer and her dance teacher mom, who seemingly inexplicably (though we do get explanations by the end) doesn’t want her to dance. Such are the ingredients for Colette and Ethan’s YA romance in Anne-Marie Meyer and Maggie Dallen’s The Quarterback and the Ballerina (The Ballerina Academy, Book 1). This is most definitely the promised Sweet YA Romance. It’s also totally fun and well told – and easy to highly recommend.
PS: a pro tip – you can skip the epilogue. It’s not really part of the story, even if involving the two biggest supporting characters. Instead it’s basically just a teaser for book 2 in the series. If you intend to read that book (as I certainly do) then I’d hold off reading this epilogue until it’s time to turn to that book.
ONE EXCEPTIONAL ADVENTURE!!!
Splendid! This talented, imaginative and compelling duo delivers all the feels with such exuberance, finesse, style and jazz, laying it out skillfully and precise with a uniquely dynamic approach. A raging tempest of fervent events chocked-full of stirring circumstances, blasting those swirling emotions with a life altering, mind-blowing culmination. Bumbling through the trials and tribulations, noting the disarming twists and progressive turns, looking for answers, testing our characters in ways they could have never anticipated. Unveiling a foray of drama, angst, intrigue, misgivings, turmoil as revelations spirals, melding this gem together piece by piece brilliantly. The characters flow and blend together smoothly transforming into amazing personalities with depth and qualities that make them unique and relatable. Embellishing abundantly detailed descriptions intertwining each scenario with all the zeal and gusto bringing them to life before your eyes. Fantastic job guys, thanks for sharing this little fella with us.
(4.5 Stars) Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever grow too old to enjoy these clean teen romances and I sure hope that never happens, although sometimes I have no patience for the extreme drama. I always wanted to be a ballerina, but had no idea how brutal that world could be and after being planted firmly inside this story for a time, I’m kind of glad that competitive dancing wasn’t a part of my coming-of-age.
Collette and Ethan have more in common than they first realize, especially as they each seem to come from such opposite worlds. I love finding hidden messages and meanings in stories and this one has some resemblances to Cinderella, in a modern and flipped way, yet again, both Collette and Ethan show those affinities to this beloved fairy tale.
I couldn’t help it and was completely sucked into this story and into the lives and world of these characters. My heart ached for each of them, yet I was the front and center cheerleader for them, waving my inner pom-poms for their growth and victories. I absolutely loved how things weren’t as they seemed and how self-awareness led to discoveries of self and others. And that epilogue was a perfect segue to the next book, which I can’t wait for.
Content: mild romance
*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
Dallen Strikes Again – With A Friend. This is my first book Meyer has been a part of, but I’m very familiar with Dallen’s work (as my review history shows 😉 ), and this reads very much like a solid Dallen HS romance. If any real difference was noted, it was that much of the drama was more internal and less relational (whereas a pure Dallen tale tends to have some internal but mostly relational to some degree). The ending was a bit interesting in that it began to play with the timeline a bit, which provides a nice little tease for the presumptive Book 2 in this series. So when can we get it? 😉 Very much recommended.
This book is an excellent start to the new series by Anne-Marie Meyer and Maggie Dallen! It’s not only a beautifully written opposites-attract YA romance, but also an inspiring story about living up to (mostly others’) expectations and finding your own way in life.
I’ll admit, my heart broke for Collette, and it gave me all the feels to see how she worked so hard and finally overcame her fears and insecurities:
“For now, I could have fun. I’d deal with reality when the music stopped.
For now, I’d be a dancer.”
I loved the characters (extra kudos to Ethan’s little sister Chrissy), and I’m looking forward to reading more about the ballerinas and the guys on the team. The setup for the (hopefully) next story looks just as promising!
Collette and Ethan meet when Coach Reynolds, the football coach at Oakwood High, sends Ethan and his teammates to Academie de Ballet to take ballet lessons. Collette doesn’t take ballet lessons because her mom says she doesn’t have the body for it, so Collette dances after hours. Ethan happens to see her dancing and she’s amazing. They form a friendship that progresses to more. Will they continue their relationship once Ethan’s team is through or will it end? I won’t leave any spoilers because I want people to read this book and form their own opinions. I know some people won’t agree with me, but I didn’t like the way this book ended. I did enjoy the book, but I wanted more.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.
This is a well written YA story with strong characters in Collette and Ethan. The authors do a great job developing the story and bringing it to life with their detailed scenes. They do a wonderful job showing the insecurities Collette feels as well as the support Ethan gives her. They bring out all the emotions and move the story fluidly. I enjoyed reading their story.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.