Monday, November 28, 2011

Dancergirl 
by Carol M. Tanzman

Published November 15th 2011
248 Pages

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 stranger 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 more than just my love of dancing.
I could lose my life.

Why I Picked This Up: HarlequinTEEN for review! I'll read any of their books! They are all fantastic!

Why You Should Read It: An interesting take on internet fame and stalking! A great and realistic lead character with a sweet romantic interest.

"The sick feeling that someone's staring at me. Only I'm not on the subway. Or the bus. Or even a park bench. I'm in my bedroom. Alone." A creepy beginning prologue. I was hooked from the very start. Ali Ruffino loves to dance and one day even dreams of Julliard or a career in dance. So when her film buff friend Charlie takes some footage of her dancing at a party and posts it onto Zube she decides to go with it. A little fame and recognition for her dancing can't be so bad, can it? Then after 50,000 hits Charlie still wants to keep up the internet sensation story line. He plays shyboy who is watching dancergirl from a far.

Fame has brought on more than Ali bargained for. Everyone is talking about her, whispering around school, recognizing her on the street and putting in their opinions. Even assuming the most horrible things about her. "My friends and I think you're a bitch. You should leave a message for shyboy, tell him you want to meet." She decides to put an end to the videos but when another video ends up on Zube, one where she is in her underwear, in her bedroom, where no one should have been filming her, Ali begins to realize someone must be stalking her. But who could it be? Charlie with a grudge since she told him no more videos? Her best friend Jacy developing deeper feelings for her? Pot head Luke Sorezzi who is trying to date her? The angry girls at her dance school or their creepy boyfriends?

A close, intriguing and real look at internet fame. How someone can deal with thousands of people talking about your looks, your personality, who you might be dating or blowing off, your every move without ever even meeting you. Ali has to deal with the crippling and creepy feeling of constantly being watched. She doesn't know if it is paranoia or her imagination but she can't escape the feeling. Her best friend Jacy has been distant. He won't tell her what is going on with him so she feels extremely alone. Jacy was a sweet and wonderful best friend character. Going through some extreme life difficulties he does end up being there for Ali. I love when a love interest is a real and sweet guy. No angsty bad boy here. I was rooting for him all along.

When Ali finally discovers a camera hidden in her alarm clock she knows someone is taking their dancergirl obsession to a scary and dangerous new level. On a hunt for the truth, Ali slowly starts crossing suspects off her list. I loved that everyone was a true suspect. It took me awhile to figure it out. I was as shocked and creeped out as Ali. I will definitely keep any personal videos of myself off youtube! This book definitely made me see the scary side of the internet. But sometimes danger is closer to home...

"There she is-dancergirl. But she doesn't even notice me. To her, I'm invisible. Should I go up to her, say something? Not a chance! All I can do is watch from afar. Hoping that one day, she'll see me."

"That's when I understand why I dance. For some people, it's the only way to make sense of the past, to get to the meaning behind the present. To find your true self."

Rating 4/5 Video Cameras!

             

22 comments:

  1. Oh, this one sounds really good. I really enjoy Harlequin Teen books too. I'm going to add this one to my wish list.

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  2. @Mrs Q Book Addict This was a really unique read for me! But it is why I try everything because I love it! I just finished Saving June and it was also amazing even though it is not a type of genre I usually read. Mostly because I cry easily and I cried like crazy during the book.

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  3. I haven't heard much about Dancergirl. I didn't realize it was so creepy! I will have to check this book out. Thanks for the review!

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  4. @Kristina It was definitely creepy! Thanks for stopping by.

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  5. This book sounds really good, but it also sounds really creepy. Still want to read it. :D thanks for the review.

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  6. Ooh this sounds really good. I haven't heard of it until now thanks to your review. This will defo be going on my TBR pile :)

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  7. Wow... this book looks really intriguing!! Thx for your great review. I feel like I got a taste of reading it, enough to want more!

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  8. @TayteH Definitely creepy but that is what makes it good!

    @Yvonne It was unexpectedly good. I wasn't too sure about it but I read right through very quickly. I enjoy books about dance but the stalker was an interesting twist on the story!

    @Burgandy Ice Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting!

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  9. I have heard such good things about this one. I keep trying to squeeze it into my reading, but I have not found the time yet. Thanks for the review, it makes me want to read it now.

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  10. sounds like a good read.
    watch full too eh
    thanks for the review.

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  11. Sounds like an interesting read!
    Thanks!
    Laurie Carlson
    laurieisreading at gmail dot com

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  12. I've been wanting to read dancergirl for awhile now! I danced up until a couple years ago when I physically became unable to, but hope to start dancing again as soon as I recover. Very good review!
    Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday season!
    ~Jaclyn~
    www.jaclynsmusings.com

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  13. @LisaILJ I totally understand. I try to squeeze in about 200 books a year but really I want to read 500 books a year. But I would never be able to read that many unless I never slept. LOL It was a great read though. Throw it on the list and then maybe one day!

    @Vinci Thanks for commenting. It was a good read.

    @Laurie Carlson Very interesting read. Thanks for checking it out!

    @JaclynsMusings I hope you start dancing again too! I love to dance but I only do it for fun. I took some tap and ballet when I was little then some modern dance in college. But it interests me and added an interesting element to the book. Thanks for checking out my review. Hope you have a wonderful holiday too!

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  14. This is such a relevant topic!

    Thanks for the review:)

    I'm Christina Kit. in the rafflecopter

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  15. Okay, I'm creeped out just reading the review. I've got goose bumps. Going to have to add this to my ever growing tbr pile!

    Danielle
    http://knowntoread.blogspot.com/

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  16. I don't think that I've ever read anything HarlequinTEEN, but this sounds really good. Thanks for the great review.
    Internet could be pretty scary....

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  17. Wow! Creepy... I'm always afraid of revealing too much of my peronal life on the internet. I hope Ali finds her happy ending and the stalker get caught.

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    1. Personal info on the internet can be scary! I would hate to have a stalker sooo creepy!

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  18. I just met Carol recently and adore her so I'm glad to hear you liked her book and how suspenseful it is!!

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    1. So cool! I love meeting authors! I really enjoyed the story. I can't wait for the next one. It is part of a series but the next one will have different characters.

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  19. I have to say that the internet stalking issue is a scary one. I understand someone wanting to become a celebrity perhaps going that route, but I don't think it is a step someone under 18 should ever due. I am a firm believer that once you are an adult you can do what you want, within legal and nonharmful limits of course,but as adult as young people feel they are (we were all 13 going on 30 at one time) there does hopefully come a certain level of commons sense and wisdom the older and more experience you gain. I would love to read this book.

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    1. Yeah sometimes kids don't realize the affect the internet can have. It spreads too. In this book it started as just a little funny movie between friends but then more and more people saw it. Sometimes you think only a few people will see something online but there is the potential for millions to see it. Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy the book!

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