Book Review: Instructions For Dancing by Nicola Yoon #InstructionsForDancing @NicolaYoon @penguinplatform @The_WriteReads @WriteReadsTours

Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star Nicola Yoon is back with a new and utterly unique romance.

Evie is disillusioned about love ever since her dad left her mum for another woman – she’s even throwing out her beloved romance novel collection.

When she’s given a copy of a book called Instructions for Dancing, and follows a note inside to a dilapidated dance studio, she discovers she has a strange and unwelcome gift. When a couple kisses in front of her, she can see their whole relationship play out – from the moment they first catch each other’s eye to the last bitter moments of their break-up.

For Evie, it confirms everything she thinks she knows about love – that it doesn’t last.

But at the dance studio she meets X – tall, dreadlocked, fascinating – and they start to learn to dance, together. Can X help break the spell that Evie is under? Can he change Evie’s mind about love?

My Review

When we first encounter Yvette (Evie) she has fallen out of love with reading especially romance novels after her parents divorce. Disillusioned with love because it’s nothing like the romance novels she adores, Evie starts to unhaul her romance novels. When she sees a free neighbourhood library she meets a mysterious woman who reminds her that if she’s going to leave a book she also has to take a book. The book she takes is called Instructions for Dancing and inside the book is a stamp which states if the book is lost it is to be returned to La Brae Dance with the address. As soon as Evie has the book she starts having visions when she looks at a couple. She can see the history of their relationship; their past, present and future i.e. when they first met, where they are now and their future including break ups.

The book also leads Evie to La Brae Dance which specialise in ballroom dance lessons. There she meets Xavier (X) who is also the lead singer of the band X Machine. Their first encounter is far from ideal from Evie’s perspective especially when she overhears a conversation he is having with his ex-girlfriend. It does nothing to improve Evie’s current thoughts on love. After one dance lesson she is quickly roped into a dance competition and to her surprise she is partnered with X. Evie isn’t keen on X but she’s about to spend a lot of time with him to build the chemistry they need to win the dance competition as she believes that the competition will help her get rid of her visions.

Is Evie’s new found power a blessing or a curse? What does the future hold for Evie and her own relationships? Can Evie find faith again in love? And will Evie and X win the dance contest?

This was a truly charming read for me and just what I needed after a long day at work. It was so easy to get lost in the story and it was the storyline that first attracted me to the book. Evie is a funny character and one I definitely bonded with. She is honest, says what she thinks and doesn’t hide her feelings. As for her new found power I loved the concept of it and this for me made the story original and unique. When Evie sees her own future my heart jumped into my throat. I loved the reference to Zoltar from the film Big with Tom Hanks because it was the perfect parallel to what Evie was going through. Evie and X are just perfect for each other. The banter between then was so cute and the more time they spent together the closer they got. I loved the format of the book especially the text messages that were sent between the characters. Fifi the dance instructor is hilarious and has some great one liners. As for that ending it was just adorable and pulled at my heart strings.

This is the perfect YA read for anyone who loves a romance novel.

Author Bio

Nicola Yoon is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Instructions for Dancing, Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star. She is a National Book Award finalist, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book recipient and a Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner. Two of her novels have been made into major motion pictures. She’s also co-publisher of Joy Revolution, a Random House young adult imprint dedicated to love stories starring people of color. She grew up in Jamaica and Brooklyn, and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, the novelist David Yoon, and their daughter.