Evie is disillusioned about love ever since her dad
left her mum for another woman - she's even throwing out her beloved romance
novel collection.
When she's given a copy of a book called Instructions
for Dancing, and follows a note inside to a dilapidated dance studio, she
discovers she has a strange and unwelcome gift. When a couple kisses in front
of her, she can see their whole relationship play out - from the moment they
first catch each other's eye to the last bitter moments of their break-up.
For Evie, it confirms everything she thinks she
knows about love - that it doesn't last.
But at the dance studio she meets X - tall,
dreadlocked, fascinating - and they start to learn to dance, together. Can X
help break the spell that Evie is under? Can he change Evie's mind about love?
It sounds like a love story but it isn't. Although love is a central theme in Instructions for Dancing it is there without it becoming a smutty romance novel like those our main character, Evie, used to love. Evie Thomas is the biggest love cynic there is. After witnessing her dad's affair break her family apart she is adamant that love isn't real. Her hatred of love is cemented when she is awarded with an unusual gift - being able to see a couple's history from beginning to end, when she witnesses them kiss. This ability only leads to further heartache for Evie as she witnesses her sister's relationship breakdown, her friend's fall apart and the relationships of strangers disintegrate before her eyes. However, this ability also brings her to La Brea Dance School in a desperate search for answers, where she meets X and the fierce Fifi who are both determined to teach her to dance and perhaps to realise that not all love needs to be negative.
What I loved most about Instructions for Dancing was the realism presented in all the love stories Evie encounters. Yes, she gets her prophecy powers via a strange woman in a library, but the rest of the plot is firmly cemented in reality. All the love stories presented are totally believably, including Evie and X's. I liked the fact that they weren't instantly besotted with one another, nor were they enemies that swapped to lovers. Yoon presents a slow-burning, realistic teenage romance, which relies on friendship first before turning into love.
For a YA novel, Instructions for Dancing deals with love in a mature, yet appropriate way. Like all teenagers, Evie has an idea of what love should be, based on her favourite novels and the films she sees on TV. Yet in her story she encounters love of all ages, helping to open her eyes to what love really is as she sees realistic examples around her.
Without realising, I read this in only two sittings - a testament to the nature of Yoon's writing that makes you desperate to learn the fate of her characters. The ending pulls at your heartstrings, but there is enough interest throughout to keep you invested in the story and ultimately, invested in love.
A super YA read, perfect for romance cynics and lovers alike!
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