What do you think?
Rate this book
Heart Beats #2
Body Lines
Daly has it all: she’s gorgeous, smart, and one of the best dancers at Dance Tech. And now she’s got one more thing to add to her list: the cutest guy in school, Ray Catelano is not only her dance partner, he’s also her boyfriend.
But Daly’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems. To keep her scholarship at Dance Tech, she’s got to be the best. And to Daly, that means losing a few pounds. At first, everyone says she looks great. But soon her new diet is spinning out of control. And it could cost her not only her career, but her life. Can Ray get her the help that she needs?
But Daly’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems. To keep her scholarship at Dance Tech, she’s got to be the best. And to Daly, that means losing a few pounds. At first, everyone says she looks great. But soon her new diet is spinning out of control. And it could cost her not only her career, but her life. Can Ray get her the help that she needs?
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1998
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 31, 2020
Oh, 90s YA series. It's about what you'd expect, with All the Issues packed into one slim volume. It's unsurprisingly outdated* (one girl is basically treated as a juvenile delinquent because she apparently snuck out in Book 1), but with some more complicated themes than you necessarily get in this sort of book: a girl thinking about sleeping with her boyfriend (without black-and-white morality applied by the book), characters who make out with each other without commitment or either of them being 'bad'... The main conflict in the book (a character developing anorexia in pursuit of the 'ideal' ballet body) is pretty par for the course, and I can't be bothered to hunt down any of the other books in the series, but all things considered it could have done much worse.
*Someday she'd get organized, but meanwhile, somewhere on this desk she'd put the number.
Finally she found it tacked safely on the bulletin board above her desk. He had jotted down a number he'd said was his own. Imagine having your very own number. Laverne envied him, then she dialed. (128–129)
*Someday she'd get organized, but meanwhile, somewhere on this desk she'd put the number.
Finally she found it tacked safely on the bulletin board above her desk. He had jotted down a number he'd said was his own. Imagine having your very own number. Laverne envied him, then she dialed. (128–129)
April 2, 2015
I did not care for this book was written at all, for several reasons.
1) The author attempted to make everyone a main character. which cannot be done. By doing so, some character's stories were left incomplete. "Lavergne made for her own car. It wasn't until she climbed in & turned on the ignition that she remembered: Cat never had said why he had come here [ Hillcrest Manor] today." But neither her, nor Cat are mentioned in the book again. Is it implied just because he suggested Hillcrest Manor for Lavergne's charity work that he knew someone there that was terminally ill?
(Maybe some parts were left open since the book is part of a series?)
2) In other places, the author bogs the book down with too many details. For example, the scene on the bus: The author could have just had the characters have their conversation, but instead bogged down the paragraph by noting which way the bus was turning, what it passed, etc...
2) On the cover of the book, Daly is supposed to appear to have the perfect life. Her home life seems hardly ideal with an overcrowded house, & expecting another addition to the family after her father is laid-off from his job.
3) The book begins with Daly already dieting & her friends complaining that she is "too thin". Besides her dancing, it never really states what compelled her to first diet, or what caused it to go out of control. If the author had incorporated Daly's stresses at home to be the cause of her continuing to lose weight, it would have made more sense.
4) In my opinion, any attempt made by the media (whether it be books, television shows, or commercials) to make sure all diversities are depicted so that they can be considered politically correct usually come off appearing "phony". Especially when it is coupled with the use of so many stereotypes Daly's family is Irish, so of course they have a big family, half of which have red hair. Carlos is Hispanic . His family is depicted as poor, struggling immigrants with the over-masculine father. And of course the people that run the dance studio are Russian...The book is full of such stereotypes.
1) The author attempted to make everyone a main character. which cannot be done. By doing so, some character's stories were left incomplete. "Lavergne made for her own car. It wasn't until she climbed in & turned on the ignition that she remembered: Cat never had said why he had come here [ Hillcrest Manor] today." But neither her, nor Cat are mentioned in the book again. Is it implied just because he suggested Hillcrest Manor for Lavergne's charity work that he knew someone there that was terminally ill?
(Maybe some parts were left open since the book is part of a series?)
2) In other places, the author bogs the book down with too many details. For example, the scene on the bus: The author could have just had the characters have their conversation, but instead bogged down the paragraph by noting which way the bus was turning, what it passed, etc...
2) On the cover of the book, Daly is supposed to appear to have the perfect life. Her home life seems hardly ideal with an overcrowded house, & expecting another addition to the family after her father is laid-off from his job.
3) The book begins with Daly already dieting & her friends complaining that she is "too thin". Besides her dancing, it never really states what compelled her to first diet, or what caused it to go out of control. If the author had incorporated Daly's stresses at home to be the cause of her continuing to lose weight, it would have made more sense.
4) In my opinion, any attempt made by the media (whether it be books, television shows, or commercials) to make sure all diversities are depicted so that they can be considered politically correct usually come off appearing "phony". Especially when it is coupled with the use of so many stereotypes Daly's family is Irish, so of course they have a big family, half of which have red hair. Carlos is Hispanic . His family is depicted as poor, struggling immigrants with the over-masculine father. And of course the people that run the dance studio are Russian...The book is full of such stereotypes.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews