Review: Dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman

  Title: Dancergirl
  Author: Carol M. Tanzman
  Publisher: Harlequin
  Publication date: November 15th 2011
  My rating: 4 stars

 

Description from Goodreads: Ever feel like someone's watching you? Me, too. But lately it's been happening in my room.

When I'm alone.

A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I'm no longer Alicia Ruffino. I'm dancergirl. And suddenly it's like me against the world.— everyone's got opinions.

My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy,— even he's acting weird. And some stalker isn't content to just watch anymore.

Ali. Dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you've seen me online, I've trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.

Dancergirl was a realistic and suspenseful read.  I couldn’t put it down once I started!

Ali has spent most of her life dancing.  It’s her passion.  She works at the local dance studio so she’s able to take all the free classes she wants.  She never imagines the thing she loves most would end up turning her life upside down.  While at a park concert with her best friend, Jacy, Ali’s filmed dancing.  One of her film geek friends catches her, doing what she does best, and loads the video up on the internet. He edits it out as sort of a mini show with her as “dancergirl” and him as the quite crushing boy in the sidelines “shyboy.”  It immediately goes viral and Ali is thrust into the spotlight with everyone at school and elsewhere, suddenly taking an interest in her.  At first Ali is flattered by all the attention.  Everyone has had the desire to feel special and wanted at some time in their life.  But soon the initial excitement at the popularity wears off.   What’s more disturbing is this video has brought Ali into the sights of a stalker, which becomes apparent when a video of her dancing in her underwear in her bedroom gets posted!  As soon as Ali sees this, she is beyond freaked out and wants nothing to do with all this “dancergirl” business.   Ali and Jacy try to figure out who could be behind the stalking.  Ali becomes more and more paranoid, suspecting anyone and everyone around her.  Add to this, Jacy has been acting strange and sullen.  Ali thought he might have just been about to kiss her at the park concert which would be a very bad idea.  They’ve been best friends forever and know way too much about each other to go down that road, right?   Oh so wrong, Ali!!

I adored Jacy, he was such a lovely and protective best friend.  My favorite type of love interest in books is the best-friends-that-turn-into-something-more kind.  Even if Ali didn’t see it right away, they were a perfect match.  You realize early on, even when Ali doesn’t, that Jacy has something major going on.  I wanted Ali to figure it out sooner, and wanted to shake her a couple of times when the light-bulb didn’t go off!  Jacy was in need of support just as much as she was.   

This story is something that could easily happen, and probably has in some form already.  With surveillance and camera phones everywhere, we’re often filmed without our knowledge.  This story pointed out the many ways this can go terribly wrong.  I was riveted by this tale and had to keep reading as the suspense level keep being ratcheted up, page by page.  I could easily put myself in Ali’s shoes; I would’ve been as creeped out by all this as she was!  Her level of anxiety kept rising with each new invasion.  I was a little annoyed that she didn’t immediately confide in her mother but we don’t always think with a clear head in an emotional situation.   There were several suspects and just when you think you know who’s responsible, you find out you’re wrong. 

I really enjoyed this suspenseful mystery!  Everyone who knows me, knows there must be romance in my reads.  While this is a little light on romance, I still found it satisfying and sweet.  The last few chapters were a definite thrill ride.   I’m now off to read the companion in this series: Circle of Silence.