Most readers have heard of tiger moms and “daddyballs”—those hyper-competitive parents who live vicariously through their children’s achievements. In What’s Yours Is Mine (Lake Union, 2025), Jennifer Jabaley dives into the intense world of Atlanta’s pre-professional ballet, where one mother takes that rivalry to a chilling—and dangerous—extreme. Fans of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere and Scott Gummer’s Parents Behaving Badly will find much to appreciate in this gripping domestic drama.
Valerie Yarnell, a single mom and delivery-room nurse, is struggling to stay connected to her fifteen-year-old daughter, Kate. She often feels like she’s failing as a mother—especially when Kate pulls away. Some days, Val admits, “motherhood [feels] like swallowing glass.” She blames Kate’s growing selfishness on the toxic atmosphere of her ballet studio:
“She should never have enrolled her daughter in that damn studio. Its collection of orbiting mothers promoted the idea that the girls’ entire existence revolved around dance. That’s why her daughter was so self-absorbed; she worshipped those other moms. Especially her best friend Colette’s mother.
Elise Carrington. She of the country club elite, with her understated elegance and obvious judgments. The queen bee of the dance moms, always clad in expensive athletic wear, like she was ready for an impromptu yoga class or, more likely, as a constant reminder that she’d once been a professional ballerina.”
Val usually shows up in hospital scrubs, rushing from work, with little time to linger at practices like the other mothers. She’s also hesitant to support Kate’s dreams of becoming a professional dancer, hoping instead her bright daughter will choose a more practical and financially stable career. The class divide between the Yarnells and the Carringtons, along with their clashing ambitions for their daughters, sets the stage for the inevitable conflict that fuels this compelling novel.
Rotating points of view increase the tension and add emotional depth by slowly unveiling secrets and inner conflicts. Through Kate’s journal entries, readers see the increasingly vicious rivalry with Colette as both girls compete to become prima ballerina. Other chapters offer Elise and Colette’s perspectives, revealing that Colette dances primarily to please her mother, not because she loves ballet. She just wants to keep Kate as her best friend. Elise, however, suspects a more sinister motive:
“She recalled those brutal memories of the professional dance world, how there could only be one prima. How every bloodthirsty ballerina would stop at nothing to reign supreme; toe pads that went missing before a performance, needles stuck inside tutus, costumes purposely mistailored and ill-fitting. Nothing was off-limits. Elise knew that firsthand. All the drama and backstabbing from her years in New York bubble to the surface.”
Tensions mount further as Elise’s husband disapproves of her obsessive behavior and relentless pressure on Colette. The two families become even more entangled: Colette’s brother is dating Kate, and Val finds herself drawn to Elise’s husband.
The story brims with high-stakes questions that keep the pages turning:
- Will Colette choose rivalry over friendship?
- What extremes will Kate and Elise go to in pursuit of victory at an elite competition?
- When scandals erupt, whose side will Elise’s husband and son take?
- Will Valerie risk the children’s happiness to pursue a forbidden romance?
- And when Val’s violent ex-husband resurfaces, will she finally reconcile with her daughter—or lose her for good?
Suspense builds relentlessly throughout this expertly woven tale of ambition, loyalty, and parental pressure. What’s Yours Is Mine challenges readers to ask: How far would you go to achieve your dream—or your child’s?
Jennifer Jabaley
Jennifer Jabaley, a graduate of James Madison University, practices optometry with her husband. In her spare time, she writes award-winning fiction. Her first two young adult novels earned multiple honors, including Georgia Author of the Year and the Pennsylvania Reader’s Choice Award. When she’s not checking eyes or writing, you’ll likely find her reading, playing tennis, or cheering on her two kids in the North Georgia mountains—while trying very hard not to be a crazy sports mom.
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