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The Other Side of Perfect

Mariko Turk (Goodreads Author)

4.64 · Rating details · 14 ratings · 8 reviews

Alina Keeler was destined to dance, but one terrifying fall shatters her leg--and her dreams of a professional ballet career along with it.

After a summer healing (translation: eating vast amounts of Cool Ranch Doritos and binging ballet videos on YouTube), she is forced to trade her pre-professional dance classes for normal high school, where she reluctantly joins the sch ...more

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Expected publication: May 11th 2021 by Little, Brown/Poppy

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Average rating 4.64 ·

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· 14 ratings · 8 reviews

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Jan 06, 2021 katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, gorgeous-covers, bipoc-ownvoices, highly-anticipated, i-need-this-now, asian-rep, arc

lskdfjlkj i loved this so much 🥺💞

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thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Other Side of Perfect in exchange for an honest review. (i'm freaking out!!!)

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i am going crazy over this cover ahhh it's absolutely perfect 🥺💞 ...more

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Sep 02, 2020 Sara marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2021-releases, asian-rep, contemporary

the way this cover is absolutely perfect 😭

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Nov 23, 2020 Lea (drumsofautumn) marked it as to-read

Shelves: most-anticipated-2021, to-be-released

Reading this synopsis literally just gave me chills. I absolutely cannot wait to read this book!!!

Instagram | Blog | Booktube Channel | Twitter ...more

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Dec 28, 2020 Marti Leimbach rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult

Mariko Turk's THE OTHER SIDE OF PERFECT is a sophisticated, nuanced look at the inner life of a teenage girl who has been forced to abandon a longed-for dream and is having a hard time with it.

Alina has been studying to be a professional ballerina for as long as she can remember. The road to success meant grueling rehearsals, tough (unfair) instructors, and many sacrifices in the face of fierce competition. Just when it is all coming together and she's on her way to a top flight school that wil Mariko Turk's THE OTHER SIDE OF PERFECT is a sophisticated, nuanced look at the inner life of a teenage girl who has been forced to abandon a longed-for dream and is having a hard time with it.

Alina has been studying to be a professional ballerina for as long as she can remember. The road to success meant grueling rehearsals, tough (unfair) instructors, and many sacrifices in the face of fierce competition. Just when it is all coming together and she's on her way to a top flight school that will take her career forward, she breaks her leg. Badly.

Though she can still dance, there will be no more serious ballet for Alina. That career path is closed. She does not take this well. How do you "get over" the one thing you love? How do you stem ugly feelings of jealousy and resentment toward those who can and will succeed in living the dream you longed to live yourself?

These are tough issues to tackle but Mariko Turk is up to the task. Her exploration of the inner lives of competitive dance among young people - or anyone whose ambitions push them harder than is typical - is beautifully executed. Turk's writing is streamlined and clear, well organized, unshowy yet expressive. She creates a fascinating character in Alina, who is not always portrayed in flattering light. Few heroines in fiction are allowed to be "real" in a way that Alina is. The quiet rage that she feels as the result of the broken leg that destroyed her longed-for career causes her at times to make ungenerous remarks and have thoughts about others that occasionally border on nasty. She just can't help it. She misses the life she had, that she worked so hard for, and that she lost in an instant.

But before judging Alina too harshly, ask yourself this: how would a real life teenager (or an adult for that matter) deal with such disappointment? Wouldn't she be jealous? Wouldn't she find it difficult to cheer for friends who can still live the life that has now been closed off from her? Of course she would. And here is the true magnificence of this writer's abilities. Turk gets us to root for a heroine who isn't always the "nicest" girl in the world. She allows us to experience Alina's darker side, the part we all sometimes feel but keep hidden and are reluctant ot admit to. We see a little of ourselves in Alina, and we embrace Alina just as she is, even before the transition (a beautifully written character reversal) that will make us proud we cheered her on from the start.

Alina is fascinating character portrayal, a three-dimensional girl who will stay with me a long time. I don't want to give away too much, but she will learn to accept what happened to her, tempering the bitterness with something new. Her response to people around her will change, friendships deepen, and she will develop a new courage she didn't know she had. She will stand up to racist stereotypes in the world of dance and empower others to do work that is even more important than performance. Oh, Alina will always be edgy. Alina is Alina, but her drive and intelligence, her wit and honesty, will be used for larger purposes. Her story is one of silver linings but without the cringe. And Turk throws in a nice bit of romance to boot. ...more

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Sep 01, 2020 Diana Bautista marked it as to-read

i'm gay for this cover ...more

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Dec 10, 2020 paperbackfruit rated it really liked it

4.25

Thank you to Edelweiss and Unplugged Book Box for this ARC; in return, here is an honest review!

The protagonist Alina is a ballerina; however, she terribly injured her ankle and can no longer dance professionally. After doing a summer-long therapy (physically and mentally), she begins to live a normal lifestyle by attending high school full day, which she can’t stop feeling like the world has ended. She joins the school musical with a new friend's help, and she discovers something else, per 4.25

Thank you to Edelweiss and Unplugged Book Box for this ARC; in return, here is an honest review!

The protagonist Alina is a ballerina; however, she terribly injured her ankle and can no longer dance professionally. After doing a summer-long therapy (physically and mentally), she begins to live a normal lifestyle by attending high school full day, which she can’t stop feeling like the world has ended. She joins the school musical with a new friend's help, and she discovers something else, perhaps someone else. (Ooooooooo!). However, as Alina tries to truly move forward, she navigates issues such as guilt, jealously, racism, and accepting past events with open arms.

As a dancer who injured her knee and could no longer dance competitively, I resonated a lot with Aline. I felt her pain through the writing and descriptions, hence why I feel like the writing is very impactful. And for those who may not have experienced what Aline went through, they would still find her mental state somewhat relatable –– the feeling of guilt, unjust, jealously, sadness; like the world has just crashed down, leaving nothing behind; the feeling of being lost, with no sense of direction. Reading about Alina’s issues had made me more aware of my own behaviours, and I often thought back to think if I acted the way she did after my injury. Thus, reading about Alina’s growth may also help readers navigate their troubles.

The setting is realistic as it is set in a high school and all. The characters were also quite lovable, and I really enjoyed the friendship fallouts and blooms. I just really loved all character developments and growths.

Sometimes I felt like the characters were quite extreme, which made it a tad bit unrealistic and annoying. Alina’s growth was towards the end, so she was quite stubborn throughout the entire book, which at times made me feel a bit annoyed –– however, this could link to her personality and the sense of forlorn and annoyance she felt for herself.

The love section was alright. Alina and Jude (her love interest) are cute together, but sometimes I felt like it was a bit forced.

Themes: self-growth, personal development, friendship, love, moving on

Overall, a nice read, and I would recommend it! ...more

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Dec 18, 2020 Alicia added it

Shelves: voices, sports-hobbies, romance, friendship, female, family, asian, amexperience

Reviewing for professional magazine, see review there.

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Nov 11, 2020 Maddy marked it as to-read

I am so excited for this book!!!

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About Mariko Turk

Mariko Turk

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Mariko Turk teaches writing and rhetoric classes and works as a writing tutor at the University of Colorado Boulder. She received her PhD in English from the University of Florida, with a concentration in children's literature. The Other Side of Perfect is her debut novel. ...more