First published 2009
Maya Chen steps into the studio mirror's harsh light, her reflection showing every imperfection she needs to fix before tonight's audition. The lead role in the contemporary company's new production could launch her career or end it. She has trained for fifteen years, sacrificing relationships and financial security for this moment. Her rival Jessica already has the director's attention. Maya's mother calls daily from Ohio, asking when she'll give up this dream and find real work. Her body aches from yesterday's eight-hour rehearsal. The other dancers circle like sharks, friendly on the surface but calculating underneath. Maya knows she dances better when desperate, and tonight she is exactly that. The audition will decide whether her years of discipline and pain lead somewhere or nowhere. Everything comes down to three minutes of movement in a room full of people who hold her future in their hands.
Genres: fiction, drama, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, underdog
Setting: Ohio
Paperback · Scholastic