Up To This Pointe by Jennifer Longo

Harper Scott is a dancer. She and her best friend, Kate, have one goal: becoming professional ballerinas. But while Kate is a naturally gifted dancer, Harper has had to fight for every step. And now it’s make-it-or-break-it time: if their auditions go wrong, their dreams are over. Harper won’t let anything—or anyone—get in her way, not even the boy she and Kate are both drawn to.

Harper may not be a natural, but she is a Scott. She’s related to Robert Falcon Scott, the daring explorer who died racing to the South Pole. So when Harper’s life takes an unexpected turn, she finagles (read: lies) her way to the icy dark of McMurdo Station…in Antarctica.

Extreme, but also somehow fitting—apparently she has always been in the dark, dancing on ice this whole time. And no one warned her. Not her family, not her best friend, not even the boy who has somehow found a way into her heart. @goodreads

MY REVIEW:

5 STARS 

What am I going to say about this book? I'm not that great at reviews and when one touches my heart like this one, I don't want to mess it up. It broke my heart and it made it soar. I loved it so much and it's going into my favorites! ♥


I cried a river in this book, but it wasn't at the sad parts, it was at all of the good things.

So many characters in the book I loved so much. Harper being my favorite for all that she went through and all that she discovered. Harper's parents and her brother Luke for being some of the kindest people ever! Like Harper's dad is a big crier like me! And he owns a bakery and gives to different places and donates. Such wonderful people. Owen, Harper's love interest, is one of the sweetest guys and is so kind to Harper, even when he sees her horrific feet. (It's a ballerina thing) Charlotte who Harper assists in Antarctica. Vivian, who is Charlotte's other assistant - she is grumpy for a while but when she lets her guard down you will love her too. And Kate, Harper's best friend from her whole life. Willa, the little girl Harper teaches ballet. (she teaches a group of little kids) Willa's mother Hannah, who helps Harper get to Antarctica. These are all wonderful, wonderful people.

Let's Begin.

All Harper and Kate wanted to do since they were little kids is become professional ballerina's. They had no reason not to think this was possible. They were graduating early with 4.0 averages so they could go to the auditions to different companies. Harper even talked her parents into letting her have heel surgery because her feet weren't shaped right! She also worked at Simone's school to pay for her tuition there. That is where her and Kate performed and Harper taught the kid classes. Harper worked hard at everything she did and I was so proud and wishing I had that much ambition as a young person or old person!



Harper and Kate were going to live together and be professional ballerina's. But .... Simone wanted Harper to be a teacher. She wasn't as good as Kate. But she was, Harper had so much talent in other things and she just didn't see it. She had to make the journey to find herself and to see how wonderful she truly was and what she could do in the world.

Harper is a truly great character. Let me put in a little excerpt with Owen to show you how sweet she truly is:

"Why do you do that?"
"What?"
"Take all the blame. Belittle your saddness."
"Because . . . other people have real problems. People are sick. And starving. And they have terrible families. I'm in perfect health with a family who loves me, and I'm moping about ballet. And not just moping--I'm fully agonizing. I'm destroyed.
 
You see Harper is a Scott. Harper Scott, related to Robert Falcon Scott, an explorer who died racing to the South Pole. <--- that part is in the blurb. Harper grew up hearing all about this from her mom and all about Antarctica. Her mom works in a lab and her dad took the Scott last name because of her mom. He's sweet.

After so many things started going downhill for Harper, she had to get away. Owen begged her to stay but she had a plan. A plan that involved getting Hannah into going behind Harper's parents backs and getting her into the McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The spots for two teenagers had already been filled but Hannah new someone and she used the Scott name and the rest is history.

Welcome to Antarctica my dear Harper.



Harper is still devastated that Kate got in and Harper didn't. She's sad, she's grieving, she literally worked her whole life for this but it just wasn't meant to be. She slowly gets broken out of that shell by two wonderful people.

Charlotte is the person Harper is working under along with Vivian. They are working on ways to save the Adelie Penguins by researching them, their poop, the water - things like that.



Another awesome thing in the book. People trying to help wildlife.

When Harper is in Antarctica she doesn't talk to her friends and she only emails her parents a little bit because Charlotte makes her. Over time though, Harper slowly starts to read the emails from all of her friends, even little Willa (Hannah wrote for her) and it just about breaks her heart into more pieces. The things that truly get me is how much Harper finds herself in this hostile land, yet beautiful land. She makes two new amazing friends who help her and see her for what she is and even points her toward other things. They see a video of her dancing and think she is amazing. Harper doesn't think so, she keeps telling them to look at Kate and they say yeah but there is something amazing about you and they are right. Her heart may have been broken in San Fran but it was mended in Antarctica.

I am so glad that I found another book that touched me so emotionally. Another book to add to my favorites to read again and again. Not everyone thinks the same but I don't care. I only care how much a certain books opens up my emotions and lets them spill over onto the floor in a very beautiful way.

GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1686176061

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Up-This-Pointe-Jennifer-Longo/dp/0553537679?ie=UTF8&qid=1467934804&ref_=la_B00HLXQ4AE_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1