Audacity Book Club: May Read

By Nic Daniels

Welcome back, audacious readers!

Hope your April showers have led to the May flowers you deserve. Last month, we talked about reconciling with the past with Japanese novel, Tales From the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Now, we’re going back to the states with Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon.

The story follows Evie, a high school senior who has decided that she is giving up on love after the heartbreaking divorce between her parents. No more romantic movies, books, or relationships for her. To throw salt in the wound, she gains the ability to see the beginning and end of a relationship every time she sees a couple kiss, further solidifying her decision. At least until she meets Xavier “X” Woods, an aspiring rock n’ roller who’s “Just Say Yes” philosophy results in becoming her dance partner in a ballroom class she decides to take.

Whether they met by fate or coincidence, the more time Evie spends with X, the more she falls for him. But in the mist of her being conflicted over her feelings, she’s forced to watch her friends go into a doomed relationship and wrestle with forgiving her dad for breaking up their family. Between the shifting dynamics in her life and her new power, Evie feels she has seen every way a relationship can end. But maybe, through all the ups and downs, she can also learn the journey of love may not be so bad after all.

Instructions for Dancing is a heartfelt, YA romance that shows that relationships are not about the destination but rather the journey. This book is available wherever books are sold (now in paperback!) as well as your local library. I hope you enjoy, and I will see you guys at the end of the month for the full review.

Until then, don’t forget to read audaciously!