Book Review: Spiral by Bal Khabra

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Hockey, Sports, Fake Dating, Hockey Romance
Pages: 367
Format: Ebook | Libby
Rating:

Initial Thoughts

I am still in my reading books half-blind phase, so what that means is I had this book saved on my Goodreads, but I don’t remember why. I’m also still on my fantasy romance / romantasy break, so this book seemed appropriated based on the cover: a dancer; a hockey player; and of course, romance.

I had kind of high expectations for this one because the FMC was a black ballerina, and I also used to do ballet for more than half of my life. That representation isn’t something I often see (or maybe I’m not looking hard enough! Please recommend me books with black dancers that you like!) so I was excited for this read.

The Plot (Spoiler-Free!)

Sage and Elias have problems that the other can solve.

Sage is a ballerina whose dream is to land the principal role in a Swan Lake production, but she isn’t considered. Not because of her talent, but because her lack of social media presence.

Elias is one of the newest members of the Toronto Thunder hockey team. While he was a star player in college, his performance in the NHL has been lackluster. He hasn’t been able to score a goal, and the media is putting out a narrative that he’s a playboy whose focus is more on women than the game. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Together, Sage and Elias see that they can help each other out. By dating Elias, Sage can gain her social media presence, and by dating Sage, Elias doesn’t have to worry about media scrutiny, and focus on scoring his goal.

The plan seems simple. Until it isn’t. And real feelings start to develop.

What I Liked (Small Spoilers Ahead)

I liked the overall plot. The story flowed nicely, and there were unpredictable moments. Sometimes with the fake dating trope, I don’t always see the appeal because we know the main characters will be together by the end, but in this book, I liked the way we got there. Sage and Elias didn’t seem like two main characters I’ve read before.

I also really appreciated the Misty Copeland mention in the beginning of the book, as she is also my favorite ballerina and I adore her. I am very sad she’s retiring and I never got to see her in Swan Lake :(. I actually met her once as pictured below (please ignore my outfit, I was going through a dress casual phase and also happened to go to her meet and greet / book signing on a whim).

I liked Sage as an FMC, she definitely speaks her mind, says how she feels, and also tries to make the best out of every situation. She does have this mentality of having to do everything herself, because that’s all she knows. Her parents are drug addicts, and she puts the weight of raising her younger brother on herself. She lives in a rundown apartment and drives a hoopty because she has no choice. She’s tough as nails and has a fighter mentality.

Elias is just another example of how fictional men aren’t fair and create unrealistic expectations! (But I still love to read them all the time!) Where to start with Elias? Well he buys Sage flowers every week because she doesn’t have a favorite kind, so he gets her a different bouquet each time until she finds a favorite. He sees through her exterior of not needing anyone to take care of her, so he does it for her. He cooks for her. He baked her favorite cake for her birthday! She isn’t able to do her annual birthday tradition with her brother, so Elias surprises her and replicates the activities she would typically do. He watched previous performances so when he saw her perform, he knew what to look out for and what to expect. He packs extra dance supplies for her. He listens, he’s respectful, he’s caring, he’s just perfect.

What Didn’t Work for Me

Maybe my expectations were too high as former dancer, but I kind of expected more dancing. Don’t get me wrong, the story had a good plot, but for all of the dance aspects, I wanted more.

More ballet!

We don’t really see Sage rehearse for Swan Lake, we just know she goes to rehearsals. One of the hardest parts of Swan Lake is the iconic 32 fouettés Odile does in Act III. This is very difficult to do, and not every principal can even get to 32. But it’s a known part of the dance and we don’t even see her practice that or talk about it. I know this is more of a love story with a side of ballet and hockey, but I was really looking forward to the ballet.

Also fun fact, I watched a documentary once and a lot of principal dancers don’t like the 32 fouettés – they see it as a circus trick that takes away from the artistry of ballet.

As a black ballerina trying to become a principal, there’s just so much more that could’ve been done and talked about to show the black dance experience:

Pointe shoes are very expensive and professionals can go through 2-5 in a week. It could’ve been explored more how Sage was avoiding these shoes when she was dealing with financial hardships. Also, was she buying skin tones pointe shoes? Those can be hard to find.

Hair & Daily Routine Details

I’m also really into hair, and getting our hair texture into buns isn’t impossible, but not as simple and easy as other hair textures. So her natural hair routine, or any hair routine could’ve been touched on more than it was. There was also a scene where she washes her hair in Elias’s shower, and again, our hair texture requires an extensive wash-day routine: detangle, shampoo, condition, deep condition, moisturize, style, and that’s at a minimum.

Wash days can take forever and requires lots of products. As a black dancer, this is something I would’ve liked to have seen Sage go through. Especially since her boyfriend is white and it could’ve been a learning opportunity for him and the reader.

There is also never a mention of Sage wearing a bonnet while sleeping over at Elias’s. Are we to believe she really didn’t protect her hair this whole time? Is it supposed to be assumed?

Lifestyle Realism

I know that as a society we are trying to be more body positive, so while I can appreciate that, Sage ate whatever she wanted when she wanted. I felt like it would’ve been a bit more realistic if she had some kind of regimen. She also doesn’t workout outside of dance. If you’re a non-dancer you may be thinking, “isn’t dance the workout?” And yes you are correct, but outside of dance we are also in the gym. Pilates, light strength training, cardio, we have some kind of workout routine.

Final Thoughts

I think this was a cute book, worth recommending. I did like the plot and the two main characters. Elias is actually too perfect.

This is the second book in an interconnected standalone series. I did not read the first book and I probably won’t read any of the others in the series. But overall, this was a four deer-star book and I do recommend it if you like the fake dating trope, and a sports romance.