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steffiraquel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexism
kikireads's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Sarah Dass' confidence sense of place creates an immediately transportive experience to a faltering hotel in Tobago where 17-year-old Reyna, taking over the reins from her mother who died from cancer, clings to her mother's vision and cuts herself off from her own dreams in a bid for some kind of stability and security.
If you've read Austen's <I>Persuasion</i> you know what to expect: the jilted ex appears as Aiden, a newly minted Grammy winner who his friends and band members whisk back home in an effort to push him out of a musical block. Their reappearance in each other's lives forces both to reckon with shared complicated pasts, suddenly reconnected present, and uncertain futures.
Dass' debut is slow burn second chance romance in a vibrant, detailed, Tobago setting that appeals to every sense and blooms in the imagination; convincing because Dass stints on nothing, from the language, the music and the food to the landscape and community dynamics. But right along with the catch breath moments of electric stares, dances under the stars, and social media drama is a poignant tale in which Dass shows the difficulties of how one goes about reconciling, if ever, with grief over a parent's death and a matrilineal legacy that can become a stifling bind rather than a reassuring anchor.
Fans of Persuasion will glean additionally rich readings from Where the Rhythm Takes You implicit parallels and critiques of the original.
If you've read Austen's <I>Persuasion</i> you know what to expect: the jilted ex appears as Aiden, a newly minted Grammy winner who his friends and band members whisk back home in an effort to push him out of a musical block. Their reappearance in each other's lives forces both to reckon with shared complicated pasts, suddenly reconnected present, and uncertain futures.
Dass' debut is slow burn second chance romance in a vibrant, detailed, Tobago setting that appeals to every sense and blooms in the imagination; convincing because Dass stints on nothing, from the language, the music and the food to the landscape and community dynamics. But right along with the catch breath moments of electric stares, dances under the stars, and social media drama is a poignant tale in which Dass shows the difficulties of how one goes about reconciling, if ever, with grief over a parent's death and a matrilineal legacy that can become a stifling bind rather than a reassuring anchor.
Fans of Persuasion will glean additionally rich readings from Where the Rhythm Takes You implicit parallels and critiques of the original.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Terminal illness
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