Pointe of Pride Review

Chloe Angyal strikes again — I read the entire book on publication day 21 May 2024.

Carly is one of my favorite characters in Pas de Don’t and I’m so glad she gets more focus in her own book instead of being just a best friend character. It’s also heartening to see a romance with a main character who has pelvic floor dysfunction. Chloe Angyal herself has pelvic floor dysfunction, as discussed in her non-fiction book Turning Pointe. This part of the experience felt very lived-in and relatable, especially around all the doctor appointments Carly went to that outright dismissed her and accused her of making up or exaggerating her pain.

It’s a bit on the nose that fiery Carly has wild red hair, but I choose to believe she’s the ballet Anne Shirley just needing a chance to grow into herself. Perhaps it has taken her longer to get to this growth because of her position of relative privilege and because the ballet industry is not comprised of kind Cuthberts willing to listen to the experience and ideas of its dancers in-re the status quo. But it’s okay because Carly does get there in the end. But not before yelling about pelvic floor dysfunction in a hotel lobby. Then again…who amongst us?

Carly’s counterpoint Nick has not given me the same deep thoughts on his character that Carly has on hers, but he is still up there in my rankings for men in romance books. He’s a retired dancer himself and so understands Carly’s simultaneous love for and frustrations with the ballet industry…to a point. His opinions about the corps de ballet are also correct. As a side note, many of my favorite ballet performances and choreographies are for the corps and I think dancing in sync with 20–30 other dancers is more impressive in some ways. Shades!

I have a deep appreciation for Angyal’s ballet and industry knowledge, especially because she uses it in her fiction to create detailed backstories for her characters and gives her characters something to strive for in the betterment of the flawed world of dance. In Pas de Don’t a major subplot was ousting a male dancer who created a toxic work environment through misogyny and coercive control. In Pointe of Pride, the ballet improvement subplot is more subtle, but it is still foundational to the overarching plot and character development.

Nick and Carly both value friendship and loyalty, which is what helps them move past their acrimonious hate-at-first-sight feelings. Giving Heather the perfect wedding and a stress-free wedding run-up is what makes Carly agree to make a professional pact with Nick and Nick’s appreciation for Marcus’ opinion allows him to see Carly in a new light (photography pun unintended). This part of the plot also harkens back to Angyal’s discussion in Turning Pointe about the pressure on dancers to be #Instagrammable on top of their dancing responsibilities and talents.

Nick’s need for everyone around him to feel “okay” was very relatable to me and I enjoyed seeing him dig himself out of his maladaptive habits to become healthier and more comfortable in himself, especially after retiring from ballet. Putting your entire identity into just one thing, especially something as short-lived as a ballet career, is tough and I appreciated Nick’s struggle with it, especially since the audience never actually gets to experience him as a dancer, only a retiree.

Nick and Carly’s romance was very satisfying to me, especially given Carly’s history with terrible men. Nick isn’t just the first man who is kind and understanding when it comes to accessible sex, though. That would be boring and reductive. Nick is enthusiastic about going at Carly’s pace because he appreciates her as a complete person outside of sex, and even dance. Nick’s pedantry (or “accuracy”) is charming to me personally because I value accuracy as well, so I very much enjoyed that aspect of their squabbles and then more comfortable conversations.

Heather and Marcus’ romance is still my favorite, but Pointe of Pride is not a diminished version of it. I need Chloe Angyal to continue working on this series. Every classical dancer in Australia needs their own romance arc, and I will not rest until I get it. These books are everything I had hoped Icebreaker would be and more. Give sports romance contracts to authors who know the sports!