Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Instructions for Dancing

It's been a couple of years since I read a Nicola Yoon book, and I really loved Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star (a favourite of all time). To say that I'm disappointed is downplaying it. The more I thought about this, the more I disliked it.

Not What I was Expecting

I'm usually the kind of person who barely remembers/knows what a book is about before reading it. However, when it's a new release from an author I've really enjoyed in the past, I tend to know what it's about. In this case, going into it, I thought I knew what I was getting. Boy was I wrong. I mostly blame it on the misleading synopsis. The synopsis is the most catfish, clickbaitiest thing I've ever encountered in a book. No spoilers. Long story short, not what I wanted.
When I finished this book I felt sad, disappointed and lowkey angry. Also, for someone whose parents are also not together, this really put me in a shitty mental space.
Although I fully sobbed when reading [b:The Sun Is Also a Star|59626544|The Sun Is Also a Star|Nicola Yoon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636936587l/59626544._SY75_.jpg|48954670], I wasn't expecting this to have such a sad undertone. This is not a happy and fun contemporary romance, which is what I wanted.

Characters

Fifi lowkey carried this book for me. She was funny.

"Fiona, be a dear and don't undress my grandchild with your eyes," says Maggie.
"You prefer I should use my hands?" asks Fifi.

"Sexy is small word. Why so difficult for you to understand?"

The rest of the characters were bland in my opinion.

X and Evie

For someone who didn't believe in love, I would've thought that Evie wouldn't have the insta lovey moment page 43... Felt kind of pointless. Although they had some cute moments and their banter was fun, I didn't get the same feeling as with Nicola's other couples.
Both of them were underdeveloped and the ending, although the plot twist was well done and I did not see coming, was not for me.
Spoiler Also, he dies because he has a faulty valve in his heart. I'm not a doctor but couldn't you fix that with surgery?

Dancing

The competition had less focus that I thought it was going to have, since the book is literally called Instructions for DANCING. The whole book was leading to the competition. It wasn't bad but I expected more..

Cheating

I fucking hated the fact that the dad cheated and that everyone but Evie was lowkey fine with it. Nothing in this world would make me forgive my dad if he did that. Ever. Evie should've been angry for longer.

The Dad, Shirley and Shirley's mom pissed me off.

"But, miracle of miracles, he pleased me. First of all, he's a good man. A family man. I'm so glad to have two new grandchildren to fuss over."

Ma'am, do you even know how your daughter and him got together? Because that's the literally antithesis to a family man. If I had a daughter who knowingly married a man who cheated on his wife... disowned.

SpoilerAlso, Evie's mom forbidding her from telling her sister.... Absolutely not. She should have known. Especially at the end when she EXPLICITLY ASKED.

I know that, according to the acknowledgements, Nicola was in a bad place when she wrote this, and I'm sorry she went through some shit when she wrote this, but I'd rather not feel like shit more than I already do after reading a book. And that's the end of my rant.

Content Warnings

autumnreads98's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

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