Starred review from April 19, 2021
After her parents’ divorce, romance enthusiast Evie Thomas, 17, swears off love. Donating the last of her romance book collection in the process, she comes across a neighborhood library box and a mysterious woman who encourages her to take a book for herself. Evie doesn’t think much of the volume, Instruc-tions for Dancing, but realizes that something strange is occurring when she sees her sister, Danica, kissing her boyfriend, and has a vision of both how they got together and how they’ll break up. After Evie sees the romantic fates of other kissing couples, her best friend urges her to visit the “please return to” address in the book—the La Brea Dance studio. There, Evie is sucked in by the magnetic owners, fiery instructor Fifi and the owners’ grandson, X, and is persuaded to join the LA Danceball competition to help the studio gain clients. With X as her partner, she learns the steps to leading with her heart. With deadpan humor, realistically wrought relationships among the Black principal cast, and a well-executed fantastical element, Yoon (Everything, Everything) delivers a story of love’s unpredictability and the importance of perspective that unfolds with ease and heart. Ages 12–up. Agents: Sara Shandler and Joelle Hobeika, Alloy Entertainment.
Starred review from June 1, 2021
Gr 7 Up-This heartfelt, swoon-worthy love story cements Yoon's reputation as a must-read writer of teen romance. High school senior Evie used to believe in love, with romance novels her favorite genre. But ever since she caught her father with another woman, she's given up on love in real life as well as in books. When she goes to donate these novels to a Little Free Library, she winds up with a book called Instructions for Dancing. This book leads her to a ballroom dance studio, and to an intriguing boy named X. His open heart, adventurous spirit, and personal philosophy to say "yes" to everything is the opposite of Evie's cynicism. Soon the pair are preparing for a ballroom dance competition, with their rehearsals slowly breaking down Evie's emotional walls. This seemingly straightforward love story is complicated by Evie's new psychic ability to see the beginning, middle, and end of the love story of every couple she sees. Surrounded by constant reminders that all romances come to an end, can she open her heart to X, knowing that even the greatest romances are finite? Evie and X's thoughtful, respectful relationship is engaging and easy to root for. Their conversations are fun, energetic, and wholly believable. Alongside the love story, Evie's personal journey toward a broader understanding of interpersonal relationships is satisfying and relatable. Evie and X are both Black; secondary characters have a variety of ethnicities. VERDICT This tender love story is sure to appeal to fans of Yoon's previous novels, as well as to anyone who enjoys a heartfelt romance. A sweet, genuine love story sure to pull on the heartstrings.-Ann Foster, Saskatoon P.L., Sask.
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2021
When her parents get a divorce due to her dad's infidelity, Evie is thoroughly disillusioned with the notion of love. A chance encounter while disposing of her romance novels results in her obtaining a book titled Instructions for Dancing that gives her the ability to foresee the fate of any couple she happens to see kissing. With the book's help, she finds herself at a dance studio, where she is swept up in learning ballroom dance. As her new dance partner becomes her love interest, Evie, burdened with upsetting information, begins to explore whether love is ultimately worth the pain it can potentially cause. While the romantic and fantastical elements of the premise seem light, Yoon's (Everything, Everything, rev. 11/15; The Sun Is Also a Star, rev. 11/16) novel includes thoughtful messages about loss, grief, and the power of love. At times joyous and heartwarming, this emotional roller coaster of a story also has moments of melancholy and sorrow, and it ends with a bittersweet conclusion, much as readers may root for happily-ever-after. But as Evie sees stories of love and eventual heartbreak and weighs the cost of falling in love, she eventually learns just to enjoy the dance. Monique Harris
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from March 15, 2021
A girl's views on love and heartbreak are full of confusion--and then a dance book leads her to romance. High school senior Evie Thomas thought she had the perfect family until she caught her dad with another woman. Formerly a genuine romantic, she is devastated. Even as her mother and sister appear to move on, she leaves her romance novels at a Little Free Library, where she meets a mysterious woman who insists she take the book Instructions for Dancing. It leads her to a dance studio run by an elegant older couple who have an attractive grandson, Xavier, who goes by X. Evie and X start practicing to represent the studio in a dance contest--as well as spending time together off the dance floor building a connection that will improve their performance. Meantime, Evie has been having visions that show her when and how people's relationships will end. Despite herself, she falls for X and allows herself to reconcile with her father. Evie is guarded and careful while X is passionate and intrepid; both are likable characters whom readers will instantly love. Main characters in this richly textured novel featuring clever dialogue and expert pacing are Black; it includes diverse secondary characters who are interesting and fully realized. The elements of fabulism deliver an unexpected twist, presenting the question of whether love is worth the pain of loss. A remarkable, irresistible love story that will linger long after readers turn the final page. (Romance. 12-18)
COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starred review from May 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* After catching her dad cheating, Evie stopped believing in Happily Ever Afters, but when a trip to donate her romance-novel collection leads to an eerie encounter with a witchy old woman, Evie finds that she's been bestowed with a supernatural power: whenever she witnesses a couple kissing, she receives a vision of their entire relationship, from hopeful beginning to inevitable end. Her search for an explanation leads her to La Brea Dance studio, where she meets gorgeous, spontaneous aspiring rocker Xavier (or X), and the two are paired in an amateur dance contest. As Evie and X practice, they develop their undeniable chemistry, but Evie's visions--and her father's impending remarriage--continue to shake her faith in love. 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. The story layers in Evie's troubling superpower, her reluctant crush, the dance competition, the changing relationships in her friend group, and the fallout with her father without stumbling or overcomplicating matters. 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.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Everything Yoon touches turns to gold--and gets a film adaptation--and this cinematic supernatural romance will be no exception. Stock up!
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
July 1, 2021
When her parents get a divorce due to her dad's infidelity, Evie is thoroughly disillusioned with the notion of love. A chance encounter while disposing of her romance novels results in her obtaining a book titled Instructions for Dancing that gives her the ability to foresee the fate of any couple she happens to see kissing. With the book's help, she finds herself at a dance studio, where she is swept up in learning ballroom dance. As her new dance partner becomes her love interest, Evie, burdened with upsetting information, begins to explore whether love is ultimately worth the pain it can potentially cause. While the romantic and fantastical elements of the premise seem light, Yoon's (Everything, Everything, rev. 11/15; The Sun Is Also a Star, rev. 11/16) novel includes thoughtful messages about loss, grief, and the power of love. At times joyous and heartwarming, this emotional roller coaster of a story also has moments of melancholy and sorrow, and it ends with a bittersweet conclusion, much as readers may root for happily-ever-after. But as Evie sees stories of love and eventual heartbreak and weighs the cost of falling in love, she eventually learns just to enjoy the dance.
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)