Given enough time, all love stories turn into heartbreak stories.
instructions for dancing, nicola yoon
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publication Date: 1 June 2021
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Page Count: 304
Reading Method: Physical [Thank you to the publisher]
Dates Read: July 23 – 24
Synopsis:
Evie Thomas doesn’t believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.
As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything–including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he’s only just met.
Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it’s that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk?
Review:
I have yet to meet a Nicola Yoon book that I didn’t enjoy. Instructions for Dancing is no exception!
Evie is struggling with the aftermath of her parent’s divorce. After donating all of her cute romance novels – because she obviously doesn’t believe in love anymore – she starts to have visions of couple’s futures every time she sees them kiss. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of magical realism, but Yoon makes it work. Through these visions, Evie is proven right time and time again – all love ends in heartbreak.
One her journey to discover the root of her new power, she ends up in a dance competition with a dreamy guy named X. I loved X. His personality jumps off the page and makes it easy to fall in love with him. I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom because Yoon did a great job of showing how Evie’s recent experiences with love impact her ability to connect with someone. It wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine. There was hard work involved. But the chemistry between X and Evie is just impossible to ignore.
One thing I really loved about Instructions for Dancing was the characters. Evie’s friend group was so effortlessly cool. What I wouldn’t give to have Sunday brunch with the group, or just hang around a bonfire on the beach together. They were so supportive of one another and had no issue welcoming in new members. Evie’s sister seemed impossibly cool too. And of course, our main gal Evie… She was going through so much but it made it easy to relate to her.
The beauty of Instructions for Dancing is the overall message of love and heartbreak. Yes, relationships end. One way or another, every relationship will come to a close – but there is so much to be experienced along the way. Evie just has to decide if it’s worth it.
