Although this is a ghostwritten autobiography, the writing is more than adequate to engage the reader in the subject, Joy Womack, and her story.

Born and raised in California and Texas, she began ballet at a young age and always dreamed of dancing at the Bolshoi Ballet. As a teen, she left the US for Russia and immersed herself in the Russian lifestyle, Moscow, and eventually the Bolshoi where her childhood dream came true.

As she became familiar with the Russian ballet world and the Bolshoi, she began to sense dishonesty and corruption. Around that time Sergei Filin, the Bolshoi director, was attacked with acid, disfiguring him. These changes provoked Womack to speak publicly about her experiences at the Bolshoi. She was fired.

She began dancing at the Kremlin for politicians including Putin. There were severe rules. She traveled Russia performing and felt at home.

The book is a tribute to her determination to succeed, in theatre as well as life (2 marriages and a deadly eating disorder to deal with concurrently with rigorous dance).

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

I appreciated getting to read this story, it really added to learn about what was happening and enjoyed the ballet element in this. It was an engaging story and was hooked from the first page. It told the story perfectly and was glad I got to read this. It was a strong story and glad the author got to share this story with the reader.

Ballerinas and that amazing art world has always fascinated me. I enjoyed getting this behind the scenes and up close and personal look at the demanding and exciting world of ballet.