My first book of 2023 was They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howry - thanks to @doubledaybooks for the ARC! This book follows a professional choreographer, Carlisle, as she looks back on her life and decides whether to say goodbye to her dying father, who she has been estranged from for years. Carlisle once dreamed of becoming a professional ballet dancer like her mom, and throughout childhood relished the few weeks each year she got to spend in NYC with her father, Robert, and his partner, James, until one summer damaged their relationship irreparably.

Overall I really liked it, though I felt it was little unpolished. Specifically, the way the dialogue was written confused me at times because it would break the same speaker into multiple paragraphs, which would throw me off. Still, I liked the ballet themes and the complex family story.

The relationship between Carlisle and James reminded me of the one between June and Finn in Tell the Wolves I’m Home. This book felt like a mix of that one, The Great Believers, and the movie Center Stage (a fave of mine still haha), so if you love any of those, you’ll probably enjoy this one too.