It's 1:33 am, and I have just finished Up to this Pointe, 29 hours after starting it. This is the first book I've started and finished in 2016, and I'm happy that to say that I wholeheartedly give this five stars. 
 I first got this book because I had a coupon for Barnes and Noble, and I wanted to buy something Contemporary YA. Something fun, maybe a bit of romance. Up to this Pointe caught my attention because of its cover art, and the way "pointe" was spelled. I picked it up, saw that it was YA contemporary for sure, had a hint of romance, and (an added bonus) was about ballet, and also had to do with a teenage girl going to Antarctica. Which was an intriguing combination. The book opens with "The thing about Antarctica that surprises me the most? The condoms. They're absolutely everywhere." And I then decided to buy it. 
 Up to this Pointe follows Harper Scott (no, not like To Kill a Mockingbird, descendant of one of the explorers of Antarctica, and aspiring ballerina. The story is told in time jumps, with chapters alternating between San Francisco (the "beginning" of Harper's story) and Antarctica (where she is now). I honestly love this format, and I think it was the best way to go for this book. We know from the start that Harper's quest to become a ballerina is doomed to fail (why else would she go to Antarctica?) and yet it's engrossing to see how she got to the point (ha) in her life where she felt the need to go to our beloved southernmost continent. And of course, we get to see how Harper's life is now in Antarctica, and where she's going to decide to go from there. 
 Why do I give this book five stars? The characters are well thought out, the dialogue is written naturally, the story is interesting and definitely original, Harper (as well as the other characters) is funny and thoughtful without being pretentious, the author describes San Francisco in a way that made me fall in love with it... and Harper's journey hits close to home. I'm currently waiting anxiously to hear back from colleges (only two more weeks now) and it's all I can think about. It's out of my control at this point, and it's nice getting to see someone dealing with issues very close to my heart right now, and essentially coping (or not coping) with their world collapsing around them. All her life, Harper has held the singular belief that she has to be a member of the San Francisco ballet company, and it just doesn't work out. But she still has options. And it's reassuring to see that... if things don't pan out the way I hope they will, it's not the end of the world. And it's nice knowing I won't have to go all the way to Antarctica to realize that. 
 Earlier Review (as I was currently reading it) 
 I know it's kinda dumb to start my review when I'm only 50 pages into the book, but I'm really liking it so far, so here it goes. 
 Bought this book on a whim today (thanks B&N coupon) and so far I really like it! The writing is great, and it's told in time jumps. Not totally disconnected ones, but the ones that say "this is where I ended up" (which for Harper is Antarctica) and then "this is how it all started" (San Francisco!) and kinda leave you guessing about why she ended up where she is and what's gonna happen now. I just really enjoy the format because it leaves you with two big storylines to figure out, and it's a lot of fun if it's done correctly. I knew going in there would be a romance, and (slight spoilers) thank goodness it's not the jerk who keeps insulting her. I really like all the characters so far, and if I like this one enough I'll be purchasing Six Feet Over It as well! 
 P.S. The title is a pun on three different levels (She's on the southern point of the earth, she does pointe in ballet, and she's explaining how her life got to be this way) and I love it so much. Also the tagline ("she had a plan. It went south.") is a pun as well. I think I'm in love with this author.