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alis_adventures_in_literature 's review for:
How to Dance
by Jason B. Dutton
REVIEW
cw: ableism, anxiety, emotional cheating
When professional dancer Hayley Burke meets charismatic karaoke singer Nick Freeman and asks him to dance, she doesn't immediately realise he has cerebral palsy, or that he requires the aid of a walker, and she's mortified. Nick doesn't want people's pity. He wants to be seen. But as they find their rhythm with each other, they discover they're more alike than either knew.
I wanted to love this book so much, and it was very much a story of two halves. The premise was cute, and the representation of everyday life for someone with cerebral palsy using a walker was sensitively but also accurately written, especially Nick's frustrations with how some people reacted to or treated him. I loved his snarky sense of humour, and he was an absolute cinnamon roll to the people he loved. Hayley was an interesting character, but I sometimes felt like she was talking in riddles, rather than really saying what was on her mind, so I struggled to connect with her until halfway through. There were some fun supporting characters. I particularly liked Gavin and Mel (who actually gave great advice), and Cal was adorable.
While I loved Nick and Hayley's chemistry, I didn’t enjoy the emotional cheating, even though we only really discovered what Kevin was like halfway through, and I wish he hadn't played as big a part in the overall story. That said, once Hayley and Nick started to really share their emotional conversations, I began to love her more. I particularly loved how both were there for each other in their most vulnerable moments, and I loved the dance analogies throughout, as well as their more tender moments. I also loved the moment Nick realised what Hayley actually needed from him, and I ADORED Nick's speech at the end as well as the epilogue.
A solid debut that flourished in the second half.
Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️.5
Heat Rating:
cw: ableism, anxiety, emotional cheating
When professional dancer Hayley Burke meets charismatic karaoke singer Nick Freeman and asks him to dance, she doesn't immediately realise he has cerebral palsy, or that he requires the aid of a walker, and she's mortified. Nick doesn't want people's pity. He wants to be seen. But as they find their rhythm with each other, they discover they're more alike than either knew.
I wanted to love this book so much, and it was very much a story of two halves. The premise was cute, and the representation of everyday life for someone with cerebral palsy using a walker was sensitively but also accurately written, especially Nick's frustrations with how some people reacted to or treated him. I loved his snarky sense of humour, and he was an absolute cinnamon roll to the people he loved. Hayley was an interesting character, but I sometimes felt like she was talking in riddles, rather than really saying what was on her mind, so I struggled to connect with her until halfway through. There were some fun supporting characters. I particularly liked Gavin and Mel (who actually gave great advice), and Cal was adorable.
While I loved Nick and Hayley's chemistry, I didn’t enjoy the emotional cheating, even though we only really discovered what Kevin was like halfway through, and I wish he hadn't played as big a part in the overall story. That said, once Hayley and Nick started to really share their emotional conversations, I began to love her more. I particularly loved how both were there for each other in their most vulnerable moments, and I loved the dance analogies throughout, as well as their more tender moments. I also loved the moment Nick realised what Hayley actually needed from him, and I ADORED Nick's speech at the end as well as the epilogue.
A solid debut that flourished in the second half.
Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️.5
Heat Rating: