Book Review: Toe to Toe
A lot of us are fascinated by what happens when two dancers fall in love. But you probably haven’t seen a ballerina fall for a male entertainer in a dance revue who has a traumatic past with ballet….and that is the premise of Toe to Toe by Falon Ballard.
Allegra Hart is laser-focused on becoming a principal ballerina in her New York City ballet company. Only one (or two) things stand in her way: she needs to get in touch with her sensual side to audition for the lead part and fall in love with a new way of dancing, and maybe, just maybe, a male revue dancer. The other “thing” in her way is her a-hole, sexually harassing boss who will judge her audition; he has the power to give her the role of her dreams or leave her in the corps.
Oh, hey…
Enter Cord Donovan, an entrepreneur and owner of a male revue dance company, reminiscent of Magic Mike and Thunder Down Under. He is a classically trained ballet dancer, a fact he keeps under wraps, but he and his twin sister have a traumatic past with ballet. After Allegra sees Cord do a solo dance at her sister’s bachelorette party, she knows that Cord can teach her to get in touch with her sensual side; he reluctantly agrees to help her prepare for the audition…and wow, a lot of very tense and sexy dance scenes follow. Cord gives Allegra assignments to get in touch with another side of herself and discover why she truly loves dance again. There was a lot more to this book than I initially anticipated and I really enjoyed it!
Film-a-likes?
If you liked the movies Center Stage or Save the Last Dance, congratulations, you are probably a nostalgic millennial, and you will love Toe to Toe by Falon Ballard. And if you have ever re-watched any of the scenes from the original Magic Mike (ahem, “Pony”), you might just fall in love with Toe to Toe. Overall, I think you will enjoy Toe to Toe because it gives the vibes of intense dance partnerships, while being a little bit lighter and steamier.
Bookalikes?
I also enjoyed novels like Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead, literary fiction set in the world of ballet, following two dancers (American Joan and Soviet defector Arslan) from childhood through adulthood, and The Favorites by Layne Fargo, set in the intense world of ice dancing and a reimagining of Wuthering Heights. If you liked those books, I think you will enjoy Toe to Toe even though the vibes and genres are different.
Other books by Falon Ballard I highly recommend are Right on Cue and All I Want Is You (set during the holiday season).
Toe to Toe by Falon Ballard will be released on March 10, 2026 in the United States. Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
