Language: R (48 Swears 12 'f'); Mature Content: PG13 (College parties with lots of alcohol); Violence: PG13 - Bullying, emotional/physical abuse
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Nettie's audition for an elite college theater program was a bust. Still reeling from the recent death of her mother, Nettie finds herself unable to sing, at all. What used to be a beautiful singing voice is gone, when Nettie tries, she can't - only the tiniest sound comes out. So why did she win a place at Duke? It seems the head mistress Miss Duke was a friend of her mother. While some of her teachers are patient and adore her, her ballet teacher is openly hostile, and they don't even know her yet. Nettie didn't know her mother when she was a famous dancer, and all of this comes as a great surprise, but there's no time to pursue this mystery, Nettie needs to get her voice back, avoid the mean girls, and catch the eye of Fletch, the beautiful boy in the year ahead of her.
While I enjoyed the theater references, and the glimpse at a fancy theater school, I hated that there were so many stereotypes: the mean girl has a rich father so her actions have no consequences, the best male dancer is gay, the best female dancer is obsessed with her weight, the musician is lost in his music. I couldn't believe that an audition-only school would take her anyway and then enable her to continue without improvement for so long. And there was so much drinking! Some of it supplied by the school! Most of the plot involved Nettie having a bad experience (afraid to sing in class, encounter with mean girls, traumatic ballet class, boyfriend trouble) then talking to her supportive friends about it. I didn't see growth or change, so many questions were left unanswered about Nettie's mom's relationship with everyone - why tease us with that and then not go anywhere with it? Overall, I think the hardcore drama geeks will enjoy the story, but it would be a hard sell to anyone else.
Lisa Librarian
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