Silhouette

Scarlett Stirling is hardworking and fiercely ambitious. She loves the blisters and the strict regime of her dance classes at the National Academy of Performing Arts. Her life is measured and balanced. Perfect. But when Scarlett meets charismatic musician Moss, she enters another world – a world without restrictions – and is swept up in a heady whirlwind of sex, drugs and celebrity. Spread thin between her commitments and her desire to be with Moss, Scarlett pushes herself to the limit, unaware she's playing a dark game.

Silhouette is not just another dance book. This gritty young adult novel follows the strong and determined Scarlett as she navigates her way from the safe, structured Academy into the adult world of commercial dance. It explores a cut-throat industry, where talent and ambition are paramount, and one mis-step can cost you everything.

For readers ages 14+.

Reviews of Silhouette:

Going against the grain, this is a YA dance book which looks at the dark side of ambition, desire and success—a tale of caution and redemption, about losing everything in order to find your true self. The balance between real world issues and escapist melodrama is enjoyably spot on, backed up by strong characterisation, some unexpected turns, and a satisfyingly bittersweet ending. Bookseller + Publisher magazine, April/May 2012.

Silhouette is a fascinating insight into the ambition and sheer hard work required from young dancers. Readings Books.

Silhouette is powerful, beautiful, engrossing and crazy good with its hypnotic prose and engaging characters. I was stunned and awed by the writing. It was simple yet elegant. It was exactly the kind of writing that made readers fall in love with the story by the first five pages. Silhouette is one of the best books from Australia. I highly recommend this to readers of YA contemporary novels! Fragments of Life

Silhouette is another fantastic addition to Aussie YA contemporary that will appeal to dancers, non-dancers, and those that enjoy a descent into the dark side and the struggle to maintain control. Eleusinian Mysteries

I also didn’t realize the direct relationship of the front cover to the book content until I’d finished it and I think it makes it all the more perfect. It’s already a beautiful cover, and I love it when the covers are all the more relevant and important to the text. Literary Life

The whole story line was genius! A 17 year old girl, posing as an older one, just to score a spot in a hot singers music video. Overall, it was a great read! Bundles of Books

This book was full of raw emotion and was an absolutely beautiful to read. The author wasn’t afraid of facing issues that teenagers face head on including drugs, sex and alcohol and I loved this about the book, if felt real and genuine. A wonderfully written and an amazing YA contemporary novel. Moonlight Reader

I know a lot of bloggers are fans of the Australian tv show, Dance Academy, as well as movies like Centre Stage. As I read Silhouette I could definitely see the resemblance to both, so if you’re a DA fan you will definitely enjoy this, it felt so similar but a bit more grown up.Vegan YA Nerds