Brandy Colbert’s Pointe is a standalone novel. Ever since Theo was little, she trained to be a dancer. She spent hours training at a dance studio in Chicago, but one day, her best friend Donovan is kidnapped. In her depression, she severely limits her eating leaving her malnourished and in need of therapy. Four years later, Donovan and his kidnapper are found, but he isn’t talking. His silence opens up the possibility that his kidnapper might walk away without repercussions. Theo has a secret that could help Donovan, a secret that could destroy everything she has worked hard for.
Theo is messed up in many ways. She is broken apart by the disappearance of her closest friend. His disappearance allowed her to develop many bad habits that are detrimental to her health. She has a tendency to let emotions bottle up inside her and keep secrets from even her closest friends. Despite her flaws, she is super passionate about ballet and a hard worker. She is a well written character that is easy to empathize with. Pointe was a great read. It touches many dark themes like drugs, disorder, and rape. During Theo’s journey, we learn about multiple mental illnesses and how they affect people. Theo is a high school girl so she and all of her friends drink, smoke and do some kind of drug. There is even a drug dealer in their school. None of these are viewed in a negative light as the book chooses to focus on mental illness. The plot was relatively fast-moving, for a contemporary book. The story never seemed to drag. Most of the side characters were very flat compared to Theo, but Theo was a well-developed character. I give this 333 page book 4 stars.