A review by amateur_bookworm
Variation by Rebecca Yarros

emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Variation by Rebecca Yarros is a contemporary romance. Let me tell you, do I hate the wait between the Empyrean series books, but WOW, do I love her contemporary romances too! This is a fantastic book. Allie and Hudson both had my heart right from the start and I loved seeing their second chance romance unfold. 

I was immediately pulled in by this story and it didn’t let up until the very last page. I love Allie’s strength and resilience. Hudson is just the most tender-hearted badass. One of my favorite parts of the story is definitely Sadie the Golden Retriever. And Juniper was a delight that tied everything together. Anne is also one of my quiet favorites here too. 

I don’t know a whole lot about the culture of ballet but I’m afraid this is likely pretty realistic. I think Rebecca Yarros did a great job showcasing the beauty and the treachery of it. Ballet isn’t something that I’d normally enjoy but this left me wanting to go watch a professional performance. At the very least, it leaves me with a healthy respect for what the dancers go through to put on a beautiful show. 

I put this one off a bit because I saw it involved a coast guard rescue swimmer and immediately equated that with it having a tragic and emotional storyline related to that. But don’t worry, albeit there are a few heart stopping rescue moments, all the tragedy here lies in other unrelated aspects. My only regret with this book is waiting so long to read it because I worried it was going to be a tearjerker. But no tears were shed and I really enjoyed this one. 
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