YA Reviews: Instructions for Dancing, Cool for the Summer, & Misfit in Love
Happy Friday everyone! I’ve had a crazy, busy week and I’m behind on pretty much everything, which means you get mini reviews for my latest reads. Just because the reviews are mini doesn’t means the books aren’t fabulous though. I’ve got three great YA reads to share my thoughts on today.
Instructions for Dancing Goodreads Author: Nicola Yoon
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Publisher: Delacorte Press
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Nicola Yoon’s new novel Instructions for Dancing follows Evie Thomas, a senior in high school, whose world has been rocked because she walked in on her dad cheating on her mother. Her utter disappointment in her dad, coupled with her parents’ divorce, has left Evie feeling like there’s no point in falling in love if it’s just going to end in misery. Evie is so off the whole idea of love at this point, she takes all of her old romance novels to donate to a Little Free Library. An elderly woman there encourages Evie to take a book as well and gives her a book called Instructions for Dancing. Evie doesn’t want to be rude so she takes it and when she sees an address on the back for a local dance studio, she decides to check out the studio and while there, she meets ‘X’ (short for Xavier). They bond immediately as they begin taking dance lessons together and as they grow closer and closer, Evie starts to wonder if she’s wrong about love being a waste of time…
I don’t want to give away any further details about the story, so that teaser about how Evie’s emotional journey begins is all I’m giving you. Her path is a beautiful one, although painful at times. If you have parents who are divorced, you will relate very strongly to where Evie is emotionally. I know I did. As Evie finds, it can be hard to open yourself up to love when you know there’s the possibility you could get hurt. The message of this book though is that it’s not about how that love might end in heartbreak. Instead it’s about the journey of falling in love so deeply that when you do loose them, it crushes you, and the idea that we should all hope to be lucky enough to experience a love that deep. I thought this was such a powerful and important message both for Evie and for all of us and I loved how this beautiful sentiment, which reduced me to tears several times, balances out with some of the lighter and more fun elements of the story.
Oh yes, it’s not all doom and gloom by any stretch. Evie’s group of friends is a lot of fun and so are the people Evie meets at the dance studio. There’s intense training for a dance competition that brings Evie and X even closer together, as well as lots of dates for them as their instructor forces them to get to know each other better so that they have better chemistry on the dance floor.
Instructions for Dancing is a story that will tug at your heartstrings and make you believe that no matter what, love is always worth it. As the old Dr. Seuss quote says, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” 4.5 STARS
Cool for the Summer Goodreads Author: Dahlia Adler
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
Publisher: Wednesday Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
When Larissa arrives to school on the first day of her senior year, everyone can tell there’s something different about her and it’s not just the new haircut and blond highlights. It’s more that she has a new attitude, a certain confidence she didn’t have before. Whatever it is, it has gotten the attention of her forever-crush Chase Harding and now he has gone from barely acknowledging her existence to blatantly flirting with her. Chase Harding is everything Larissa has ever wanted, and between him, her close-knit friend group, and a fantastic job, Larissa is sure her senior year is going to be incredible…until Jasmine walks through the door. Jasmine, the girl Larissa met and had a summer romance with when she traveled to the Outer Banks in North Carolina with her mom. What is Jasmine doing here in New York, at Larissa’s school? And the bigger question, why is she now ignoring Larissa and pretending they don’t know each other? Was their romance just a summer fling or could it be more than that?
I really enjoyed the way the author lets this story unfold through a dual timeline, with the first timeline set in the present as Larissa and Jasmine try to navigate getting to know one another in a completely different environment from where they first met. The second timeline takes place in the Outer Banks over the summer and shows us how Jasmine and Larissa meet. Larissa had no idea she was possibly bisexual until she met Jasmine and I thought the author did a wonderful job of showing Larissa exploring this newly discovered aspect of her sexuality in a positive light. There is of course a bit of a love triangle in the present-day timeline and even though I’m not usually a fan of those, it works here because the triangle reflects how Larissa finds herself torn between the person she used to be and the person she has grown into since meeting Jasmine. She has some big decisions to make and doesn’t want to hurt anyone or get hurt in the process. Larissa’s journey is somewhat painful at times as she attempts to navigate this awkward terrain, but I really enjoyed watching her grow throughout the story. Cool for the Summer is a satisfying coming of age story that left me feeling nostalgic for my own summer romances from years gone by. 4 STARS
Misfit in Love Goodreads Author: S.K. Ali
Publication Date: May 25, 2021
Publisher: Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster for Young Readers
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I loved S.K. Ali’s debut novel Saints & Misfits when I read it a couple of years ago so I was beyond excited to hear that we would be returning to that world with Ali’s latest novel, Misfit in Love. I adored Janna, the protagonist from both books, just as much this time around. She’s a little older now and will be off to college soon, but before that, she has a big family wedding to attend. Her beloved brother Muhammad is getting married, which means that Janna will soon be surrounded by family and friends, including Nuah. The last time she saw Nuah, Janna had told him she wasn’t ready to start a relationship, but now that she’s about to see him again, she thinks she has changed her mind and hopes he’s still interested even though he has been away at college.
There’s so much to love about Misfit in Love. I really enjoyed reading about all of the wedding traditions as well as the preparations and, of course, the fun shenanigans, as well as some of the drama between Muhammad’s family and his bride’s family. It was also so much fun to see old friends from Ali’s first two books. I was especially excited to see Adam and Zayneb from Love from A to Z as wedding attendees. I would love to revisit their world with another book at some point too. They’re just so sweet together. In addition to the fun surrounding the wedding, I also enjoyed watching Janna continue to grow and mature. She is still somewhat of a misfit when it comes to love and relationships but she’s finding her way, and I was especially proud of her when she has a very difficult conversation with her father about his racism. She makes a statement that many of us should take to heart. If you see someone being racist and hateful, you can’t just sit there passively. If anything is ever going to change, you have to speak out against the hate. Misfit in Love might be a light summer read about a wedding and falling in love, but it also packs a strong punch with that message from Janna. I don’t want to say anything else because of spoilers, I think fans of Ali’s other books will adore this one too and I’ll be sitting here hoping that we get another book that follows Janna when she goes off to college. 🙂 4 STARS.
Top Ten Tuesday – Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences. This topic was surprisingly challenging for me, not because there aren’t plenty of titles out there that are actually complete sentences, but because I’m apparently way more grammatically challenged than I ever realized. I had to swap out a handful of my original choices for this topic because when I looked at them more closely, they were just really long descriptions that didn’t even have a verb in them, haha! I pulled out the old grammar book and saw imperative/command sentences, which led me to add Talk Bookish to Me and Act Your Age, Eve Brown to my list.
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Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences
3. WE CAN’T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS
6. MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY
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Question: Do titles that are sentences tend to grab your attention when you’re looking for something to read?
Reviews: The Break-Up Book Club & Talk Bookish to Me
I’ve got a totally bookish theme going on for today’s reviews. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on a book about a most delightful book club and on a book that features a romance author desperately seeking inspiration for her new book. Fun times!
The Break-Up Book Club Goodreads Author: Wendy Wax
Publication Date: May 18, 2021
Publisher: Berkley Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I couldn’t resist a chance to read a book about a book club so I was excited to dive into Wendy Wax’s new novel, The Break-Up Book Club. The story follows four women of different generations whose lives have been turned upside down by the men they love. They each go to their local book club’s meetings in hopes of finding a distraction from their problems, but what they find is so much more. There’s nothing quite like the healing power of good friends and good books.
The story is told from the perspectives of these four women. I really like how the author chose to present their stories, with us following each woman’s individual journey but also having them come together regularly at their book club meetings. There’s Sara, whose husband is always out of town for work which leaves her saddled with Dorothy, her incredibly difficult mother-in-law who has been living with them. There’s Judith, whose children have grown up and moved out, leaving her at home alone to ponder the state of her marriage and how she feels like nothing but a supporting player in her husband’s life. Rounding out the main cast of characters are Jazmine and Erin, who work together at a sports agency. Jazmine is an agent and a single mom, trying to make it in an arrogant man’s world, and her young assistant, Erin, has just been dumped by her high school sweetheart less than a week before they were supposed to get married. I really liked all of the main characters and found them all to be quite sympathetic.
I also really enjoyed all of the secondary characters as well. The members of the book club are a fun, diverse, and quirky bunch and I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in on their meetings. There’s always good food and wine, a spirited debate about whatever book they’ve read, and there’s also a fun contest to finally give their little club a name that really brings out the competitive side of these book lovers. I loved watching the friendships blossom within the club and just how therapeutic these relationships become over time for Jazmine, Erin, Judith, and Sara. The book club is basically their “found” family, which just made this such a feel good read.
If you’re in the mood for an uplifting read about the power of friendship and community that will leave you with a smile on your face, you’ll definitely want to check out The Break-Up Book Club. 4 STARS
Talk Bookish to Me Goodreads
Author: Kate Bromley
Publication Date: May 25, 2021
Publisher: Graydon House
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Kate Bromley’s debut novel Talk Bookish to Me is a contemporary romance that was irresistible to me because it features so many of my favorite things. It’s set, first in Manhattan and then later in Italy, it features a romance author as the protagonist, and it’s equal parts enemies-to-lovers and second chance romance. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you can see this book practically has my name written all over it. Talk Bookish to Me didn’t disappoint either. It’s filled with loveable characters, witty and hilarious banter, some seriously intense chemistry, and, as if all of that isn’t enough, there’s also an adorable bulldog named Duke.
The story follows Kara Sullivan, who is a romance writer with no inspiration to write. With the deadline for her latest novel fast approaching, Kara needs to find the spark that will get her writing mojo back on track. That spark unexpectedly appears in the form of her ex-boyfriend, Ryan, who she runs into because he is in town for their friend’s wedding. Kara and Ryan parted on bad terms ten years ago and after this tense and awkward reunion, Kara is suddenly able to crank out a few chapters for her book. When Ryan’s dog, Duke, destroys their hotel room and gets Ryan kicked out, Kara surprises herself and offers to let Ryan and Duke stay at her place. Her thought behind this crazy idea is that if she continues to trade barbs with Ryan, perhaps she’ll be inspired enough to actually get her book written on time. What could possibly go wrong?
I had so much fun reading this book. I loved Kara right away and found her so relatable. She’s fun, sweet, quirky, and not only is she an author, she also loves to take photos of books and post them on Bookstagram. In many ways she felt like a kindred spirit. She’s also carrying around some pretty heavy emotional baggage involving her father’s death that put me in her corner rooting for her all the more.
Ryan is a great character too. I loved watching him with his dog and his banter with Kara is just so entertaining. It’s clear from the moment they reconnect that he still cares for her and would love a second chance. The more I watched them interact, the more I wanted him to get that second chance as well. I will say there was one moment where I really wanted to kick his butt and wanted Kara to kick it as well, but he eventually digs himself out of that hole and then I was rooting for the two of them to get their long-postponed happily ever after.
I also enjoyed the way the author gave us Ryan and Kara’s journey but also mixed in chapters from Kara’s book as she was writing it. It was fun to see what her interactions with Ryan inspired her to write each step of the way.
Talk Bookish to Me is a fun and sexy read that is sure to please romance fans. 4 STARS