whatellaread 's review for:

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

4.0

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When I was in college, I had a wonderful dance professor who used to tell me that I had to learn how to “throw yourself at the ground”, by which she meant that I had to learn how to get out of my own head and my own way and throw myself full speed into what I was doing. Evie’s journey in this book encapsulates that concept, as she learns to get our of her own way and throw herself full speed into life, into love, and into possibilities…even of by “throwing herself at the ground” she risks getting hurt. Evie really felt like such a real teenager to me, on the cusp of next things and grappling with what it means to be in the middle of so much change. Even in her curmudgeonly “love is dead” ways, she is a joy to spend time with, in part because she is surrounded by such equally complex and well drawn out characters. From X, who starts as a Mysterious Loner Dude and quickly morphs into something so much more, to her tight knit friend group, to her family relationships and learning how to forgive each other even when you cannot forget what happened, to her funny (and accurate) dance teachers…the whole cast was just marvelous. Nicola Yoon paints such a vivid picture of each person and every scene that the book felt alive to me. The only thing that pulled me out of this was the “magical book” which felt like a convenient plot device that didn’t really go enough of anywhere to make me feel like it fit in with the rest of the story. I’m not sure it as needed, and the ending (specifically the epilogue) felt a little rushed to me. But these were small prices to pay for what was ultimately just such a lovely book that I will be recommending again and again to friends and students for years to come. 4.5 stars.

Cheers to NetGalley—many thanks for the copy in exchange for a review!