4 Stars: A Great Read
Series: WiHi #1
Paperback: 248 Pages
Publication: November 15, 2011 by Harlequin Teen
The videos went viral…
EVER FEEL LIKE SOMEONE’S WATCHING YOU?
ME TOO.
BUT LATELY IT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN MY ROOM.
WHEN I’M ALONE.
A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I’m no longer Alicia Ruffino. I’m dancergirl. And suddenly it’s like me against the world—everyone’s got opinions.
My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy—even he’s acting weird. And some stalker isn’t content to just watch anymore.
Ali. dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you’ve seen me online, I’ve trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.
dancergirl is a chilling story: because of the plot and the realness of the story. Today, the Internet is such a big part of our lives, and many people don’t think twice about posting videos of themselves online. Ali thrives on stardom and protests little before allowing Charlie to shoot more videos of her (after posting an initial one without her permission) to post on Zube, an online video site in the book.
There is enough dancing in the book that it ties the story together, but there isn’t so much technicality that readers will be daunted by it. In fact, readers will be able to relate to Ali whether or not they have ever danced in their lives. Tanzman makes it clear that dancing frees Ali and empowers her. When dancergirl videos start going viral, that is when Ali’s strength and determination will be tested.
Nobody thinks that it will happen to them. It isn’t until she recognizes the signs that she realizes that the dancergirl videos have brought her a stalker. Then Ali begins suspecting everyone, including her closest friends. Tanzman brings Ali’s emotions and fear to life–our greatest fears of going viral–in dancergirl, surprising me over and over again when various characters’ motivations were revealed.
I admire Ali’s strength and that of the friends that rise to her defense. Going up against a stalker is no easy feat, especially when you begin suspecting those close to you. While I did end up guessing the stalker before the end of the novel, I honestly didn’t know for sure until the very end. Tanzman is a talented author, and I will be looking forward to the second book in the WiHi series. dancergirl ended so well that I honestly have no idea what to expect!
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An ARC was provided by the publisher for review purposes
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Raimy-rawr says
this one sounds great, Im off to add it to my wishlist!
Giselle says
Oh I'm glad you enjoyed this I really did as well. It's so scary because this happens really often! Excellent review, Kris!
Giselle
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