A New Ballet-World Rom-Com From Chloe Angyal

Chloe Angyal follows her debut romantic comedy with a sequel set in the same fictionalized ballet world.

Pointe of Pride (May 21, Chicago Review Press) picks up a year after the events of Pas de Don’t, following Carly Montgomery—­career corps member at New York Ballet and best friend of Pas de Don’t protagonist Heather Hays—as she arrives in Sydney for Heather’s wedding during winter layoffs, only to learn that company promotions are happening much sooner than anticipated. Determined to get the soloist contract she wants under the company’s new director but unable to impress in-person from the other side of the world, Carly comes up with a plan: boost her social media presence by collaborating with dancer-turned-photographer Nick Jacobs, whom she’s already spending a lot of time with as they complete maid of honor and best man duties. The problem? They can’t stand each other.

A funny, compelling enemies-to-lovers romance, Pointe of Pride deftly handles topics like intimacy and pelvic floor dysfunction (a not uncommon issue for dancers), the precarity of dance careers, and the fears that can accompany transitioning away from performing.