Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it's that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk?
For fans of Y.A. romance, Yoon’s work is well known and well loved ... . She has a deep understanding of the romance genre, which she passed on to her latest leading lady, Evie. But she’s also given her heroine, and this novel, a self-awareness amid the romantics. Evie highlights the clichés she stumbles into ... she attempts to sidestep the chemistry pulling her toward a love story she fears can only end in tragedy ... the chemistry between Evie and her new dance partner, X, makes the story engrossing. Where Evie’s upheavals have left her cautious, X’s own recent losses have made him want to live in the moment. It’s not a surprise that their scenes make the book come alive: Yoon is a master at writing teenage banter. Over the course of her previous books, she’s honed the ability to create a romance of opposing philosophies ... The real power of the story is that Yoon’s exploration of love isn’t confined to romance, and deals with platonic and familial love as well ... Prophetic visions aside, that’s a refreshing realism to find in a romance novel.
Nicola Yoon’s Instructions for Dancing will break readers’ hearts and put them back together again several times. Evie and X are both healing from their own tragedies while also balancing family expectations with their personal needs and desires. Teen readers will relate to the authentic and sometimes messy way they navigate these journeys ... Excellently developed secondary characters add richness and depth to Evie’s experiences as she tries to reconcile her cynicism with her undeniable feelings for X—all while dealing with the new configuration of her family and her unwelcome visions of heartbreak ... Yoon delivers this captivating story of first love with beautiful prose, clever dialogue that swings between laugh-out-loud funny and wildly insightful, clear respect for the complexity and nuance of her teen characters’ perspectives and emotions—and just enough magic to make it all truly unforgettable.
Yoon returns with another irresistible romance, this time with a metafictional look at the genre and a dash of magic that makes the proceedings all the more engaging—and fun. There may be nothing easier than slipping into Yoon’s smooth, flowing prose and into the hearts of her characters ... And the resonance only grows when Evie and X share a climactic kiss on the dance floor and Evie’s ensuing vision changes everything. An endearing, affecting exploration of the journey of love.
