A review by serendipitysbooks
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

 
I didn’t read a single YA book in July which is unusual for me. It probably explains why I had a hankering for one. Thankfully Instructions for Dancing proved to be a good pick.

It features Evie, who no longer believes in love and romance after discovering her father has cheated on her mother. A trip to a Little Free Library to donate all her no-longer wanted romance novels leads her to a dance studio. The Little Free Library also seems to be where she picks up a magical ability to see the past, present and future of any couple she sees kissing. At the dance studio she meets X, an aspiring rock musician, and the two of them end up agreeing to enter a dance competition to hopefully gain publicity for the dance studio which is owned by X’s grandparents.

I liked the diversity in this book - Evie and X are both BIPOC characters (who have great chemistry) and two of Evie’s friends are in a lesbian relationship. I also liked the positive, supportive relationships between Evie’s friends and X’s band mates. Fifi, the no-nonsense dance instructor was hilarious while Martin, Evie’s nerdy friend was a quirky delight.

This story has plenty of joyful elements such as romance and dancing, but there are also tougher topics like grief woven into the plot so it isn’t totally feel good. And the ending is very bittersweet.
 
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