With You

What happens when pursuing a dream means working with the one person you would rather avoid? In With You, Zarin Madiyha brings together competitive ballet, clashing personalities, and the complicated emotions that emerge when two people are forced to work as a team. Amelie Devereaux has dedicated herself to becoming a prima ballerina. Her ambition is clear: she wants to earn a place at a prestigious summer intensive and take the next step toward her dream. However, obstacles stand in her way, including difficulties within her university's ballet program and a disappointing decision at the annual showcase. When Amelie is denied the principal's solo, she needs a partner who can help her attract the attention of the intensive's scouts. Her best option is River Campbell—the frustrating boy she considers her personal nightmare. River has a different relationship with ballet. Although dancing and academics come naturally to him, he has lost some of the passion that once made ballet meaningful. With his future in the family business already mapped out, he struggles to find something that genuinely excites him. Amelie's determination presents an unexpected reason to reconsider his priorities. As the pair navigate their forced partnership, their shared dance becomes more than a practical arrangement. Their conflicting personalities and individual ambitions create tension, while rehearsals give them opportunities to see each other differently. The novel explores ambition, perseverance, personal expectations, and the possibility of discovering connection where rivalry once dominated. Ballet provides both the setting and a source of emotional tension, making the characters' developing partnership central to the story. With You is suited to readers who enjoy contemporary romance, dance-centered fiction, ambitious protagonists, reluctant partnerships, and relationships that develop through shared challenges. It is the first book in the Institut d’Étoiles series.