I am very excited to support a Canadian author today: Maya Ameyaw released her debut novel, When It All Syncs Up, the story of Black teen ballet dancer as she manages her career preparation with friendships, mental health and family expectations. I learned a lot from this thought-provoking book and am thankful to TBR and Beyond Tours for letting me showcase this beautiful work and launch the tour with my review. Read the synopsis and then check out my review.
When It All Syncs Up
By Maya Ameyaw | Goodreads
A Black teen dancer with dreams of landing a spot in a prestigious ballet company must learn to dance on her own terms in this explosive debut about the healing power of art and friendship, perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Tiny Pretty Things.
Ballet is Aisha’s life. So when she’s denied yet another lead at her elite academy because she doesn’t “look” the part, she knows something has to change–the constant discrimination is harming her mental health. Switching to her best friend Neil’s art school seems like the perfect plan at first. But she soon discovers racism and bullying are entrenched in the ballet program here, too, and there’s a new, troubling distance between her and Neil. And as past traumas surface, pressure from friends and family, a new romance, and questions about her dance career threaten to overwhelm her. There’s no choreography to follow–for high school or for healing. Aisha will have to find the strength within herself–and place her trust in others–to make her next move.
Content Warning: Brief mention of physical and sexual abuse, on page verbal abuse, racism, colorism, depictions of an eating disorder, body dysmorphia, disassociation/depersonalization, depression and alcohol dependency
When It All Syncs Up – Review
The Opening
Aisha loves ballet. Even since she was little, she has enjoyed dancing and been encouraged to embrace it in a professional capacity by both her parents, her mom in particular. In When It All Syncs Up, I meet Aisha when she is sixteen years old. It is the last day at the ballet academy and today she will learn whether she got accepted into an apprenticeship program or not. Her past experiences of being ignored and mistreated by fellow ballet students and teachers does not give her a lot of hope. Breaking into the classical ballet scene is hard enough. Being Black, there are fewer role models she can look up to.
When the inevitable does happen, Aisha finds herself reaching out to her childhood friend, Neil. They used to dance together and in spite of being in different provinces, they have kept up with each other and continued to share their love for dancing. But something is not right on Neil’s end either and when Aisha reaches Toronto, she finds her friend at the hospital. A blessing in disguise is Neil’s school is having auditions for their dance program. Could this be her chance to create a strong application for college?
Aisha: A character sketch
There are many layers and nuances to Aisha and I enjoyed discovering them through the book. She and Neil used to dance together and would have competed for a championship a few years back but that did not go as planned. The pressure from her mom and instructor led Aisha down a dark road. She wasn’t eating enough and when her dad found out, it led to the divorce of her parents. Her dad lives in Japan to make their ends meet while she attends an in-residence dance academy. When she moves to Toronto, he discourages her from seeing her mom who also lives there and over time, it becomes clear why.
The divorce did not change Aisha’s dream to be a ballet dancer. She knows it is expensive and she is giving it her best. She loves ballet but the extent to which she wants to embrace it is unknown to her at sixteen. This book is the journey of her finding out.
Ballet has cut-throat competition. Aisha is used to discrimination and racist remarks at her previous academies. When she was in a private ballet school, the toxicity was even more. I was glad to see her move to a public school and connect with people outside of her planned career. It is not easy to embrace a new environment and shed the negativity of past experiences. The challenges that Aisha and others in the community faced were integrated into the storyline well. Sometimes Aisha is flippant towards people who may just be curious and want to know more about her or want her to stand up for herself. As she makes new friends, she starts to open up and find a support group around her in Ollie, Khadija and Ebi.
I expected Neil and Aisha’s relationship to be more centre-stage in When It All Syncs Up since they share a long history. But as it happens in life, the very people we are closest to are the ones we expect the most from. Aisha is unhappy with the way Neil is handling his drinking issues and they are both avoiding the topic as much as they can. Thankfully, they are in the same modern dance class where the instructor is using dance therapy to get the students connected to their emotions and use dance to express themselves. It’s brand new for Aisha and seeing Neil transform in this class gives her the courage to connect with herself too. The teachers in all her dance classes encourage and support her and for once, she finds adults who see her potential and genuinely want her to succeed.
Ollie is Neil’s other best friend and he and Aisha hit it off when they first meet, united in their concern for Neil. I enjoyed their growing relationship through the book. He has a calming presence and Aisha learned a lot from him. Being able to count on someone to be there for her if things go south, to put faith in someone, is huge for her.
When It All Syncs Up is written from the perspective of Aisha. As the reader, I was privy to her thoughts, insecurities, strengths, hopes and dreams. She is only sixteen years old and there is a lot of time to grow. This year turns out to be pivotal in her training as a dancer as well as a person. When she sees herself falling back into old unhealthy patterns, she takes the initiative to change. She has hit rock bottom before and she doesn’t want to go there again. She is in a tough spot: the parent she trusts is out of the country and the other never looked kindly at her mistakes and pains. She has to turn to her friends and dance for support.
As young kids, when we are good at something, we think the next step is to make a career. As we grow older, we may realize that doing something we love does not mean we have to make it a job. Aisha feels the pressure to be someone. To be seen and be part of the classical ballet community where few people who look like her have made it. But in reality, that is still far away. She needs to be herself first, find a healthy balance between her dreams and the effort to make them true. When It All Syncs Up ends on this hopeful note. I felt the end came too soon and some characters could have been fleshed out more. But that aside, it is a good story and I enjoyed it.
About the Author: Maya Ameyaw
Maya Ameyaw worked as a bookseller in college and currently works as a community arts writing instructor. Her contemporary debut WHEN IT ALL SYNCS UP has been awarded grants by the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.
A deleted excerpt of her upcoming novel is included in the anthology BRILLIANCE IS THE CLOTHING I WEAR, which was featured in Quill and Quire literary magazine.
In her free time, Maya enjoys hanging out with her adorable dwarf rabbit and devouring as many books as possible. She also loves exploring all the bookstores that Toronto has to offer. Connect with Maya on her website, Twitter, Instagram and Goodreads.
Many thanks to the author and TBR and Beyond Tours for having me on this tour and providing me with a review copy of the book for my honest thoughts. Add When It All Syncs Up to your TBR on Goodreads or get a copy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or IndieBound.
Today is the kickoff day of the tour. Head to the tour schedule on TBR and Beyond and follow the tour on Instagram with #WhenItAllSyncsUp #TBRBeyondTours #MayaAmeyaw.
Readers of Instructions for Dancing and A Whole Song and Dance will enjoy this book!
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