Thank you to NetGalley for exchange of this honest review. I don’t usually enjoy romance, but I love everything Nicola Yoon writes. I actually told patrons about this book before I could even get it in the library. She does teen romance with magical realism so well, I can’t keep her books on my library shelves! In this one, Evie sees the beginning, the kiss she is witnessing and the end of the relationship. It makes her afraid to take a chance on love and question why anyone would ever do that to themselves. But then, she meets X at a ballroom dance class, and she begins to realize that, even if it ends, falling in love and having time with that person is a pretty great experience too.

Nicola Yoon writes another great YA love story. After the heartbreak of 2020 it was just the book I needed to read. I only wish it was longer!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of “Instructions for Dancing” by Nicola Yoon. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book just spoke to my brain with the protagonist disillusioned by love stories. I loved Evie’s journey and I adored X so much. My one issue was I felt like sometimes the visions of people’s futures was forgotten by me while reading but it came back with a vengeance to set up the ending which was just... I can’t even. Like how dare you but bravo but still how DARE you??

I would definitely recommend this story even though my heart still has not recovered.

4/5 stars

Instructions for Dancing was a good book. It hit all the right notes: the intrigue of Evie’s “visions”, the awkward chemistry between Evie and X while learning to dance, and the boiled-down emotions that people go through when they process things that happen in their lives. That being said, I just didn’t connect with this book. I expected to feel a little more with the emotional cliffhanger at the end of the book, but it feels like the emphasis of the emotional connection was placed on Evie’s relationship with her family and her father instead. This left me feeling disconnected to the story . It was enjoyable but I probably wouldn’t read again.

This is the perfect book for romance novel enthusiasts; the main character, Evie, is one of us. Or, she used to be, before she stopped believing in love. After giving away her romance books, Evie gains the power to see a couples’ love story from the sweet beginning to tragic end. In an effort to learn how she got this strange gift of sight, she follows the trail to La Brea Dance Company. At the studio, Evie meets X, and through a twist of fate they enter into a ballroom dance competition, which means they have to get to know each other more. (Romance trope spotted: forced proximity alert!) As they get to know each other, they compare contrasting life philosophies and Evie gets a firsthand look at the difference between risking it all or playing it safe. When a choice comes up for Evie, she has to decide what her ability to see heartbreak before it happens really means.

The writing is phenomenal and the story is so unique! The love stories going on around Evie is a great addition to everything going on in her life, even as it all piles up in front of her. And her friend group has a great mix of personalities - I’m a sucker for good characters in a story and these ones all hooked me in. In addition to the writing, I really love that some chapters are interludes describing the best romance tropes, leading man characteristics, or best shifter romance groups. All in the main character’s voice, they not only help with characterization (and comparison to events in the story itself) but give the book a meta-feel that increases the fun as you wait for the ball to drop.

The romance between Evie and X builds up in the best possibly way - slowly at first and with plenty of banter, and then it reaches the moment that makes you squeal and smile. Opposites make some of the best pairings, and Evie and X are pretty different as far as characters go. However, they learn from each other (which is so cute), and when they dance together - wow. I also appreciate that their romance isn’t the only one in the novel! It’s a book about love, and the author really explores that in a variety of relationships and through a variety of windows (through Evie’s visions, through other characters, through side stories). Like all the greatest romances, this one breaks your heart and patches it back together again as you learn what it really means to love.

Nicola Yoon is so good at creating realistic romances that you can easily get invested in. In INSTRUCTIONS FOR DANCING we also get something of a supernatural bent to her usual realistic fiction YA romance, which is an interesting change of pace and a welcome one! I really liked Evie as our main character, as she has a fair amount of depth and complexity. She's snarky, funny, loving, but cautious, given that she's still processing her parents' divorce (as well as her father's infidelity, which she has had to keep secret from her sister). I loved seeing her journey from hopeless romantic to cynic, and then back to believing in love again, partially thanks to meeting X at a dance studio she stumbled upon after finding one of their books. I will say that the supernatural angle, in that Evie starts seeing visions of people's relationships when she sees people kiss, felt a little underused, until it was VERY much used (no spoilers as to what I mean by that). Once I got why it was a device, it made sense, but up until that moment late in the book the supernatural angle felt like a bit of an afterthought. I also felt like we really got to know Evie, but we didn't really get to know X as well as I would have liked (granted it's from Evie's POV, but I just felt like we didn't dive as deep as I wanted into X, even through her perspective).

All that said, I enjoyed INSTRUCTIONS FOR DANCING. It's lovely, bittersweet, and another enjoyable YA romance from Nicola Yoon!

4.5/5 stars

“This is not a love story.”

“Instructions for Dancing” is a YA contemporary with a hint of magic. It features Nicola Yoon’s brand of lyrical writing that I have come to absolutely love. Evie Thomas does not believe in love. Not after she witnesses her father’s infidelities, and he ultimately leaves her mother for another woman. She has given away all of her romance novels. Love is a lie and that is all there is to it. Right? One moment changes everything when Evie has a strange encounter that leaves her with an even stranger ability. She soon finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio where everything she has come to know is tested.
The characters in this novel were very dimensional. Evie is hurt. That hurt in and of itself pushes her to act and react in various ways throughout the story. I loved to see her transformation and growth. X was a breath of fresh air. Absolutely loved him. The entire cast of characters were fun and diverse. They were well needed and offered so much to the story. Although dancing is a big part of this book, it is not the main focus. I really enjoyed Evie’s lists throughout.
“Instructions for Dancing” gutted me. It was heartbreaking, humorous, sad, and heartwarming all at once. It has been a while since a book left me sobbing but this one definitely took me there . It is such a hard pill to swallow when you realize that those you have put onto a pedestal are not perfect. Acceptance, grief, and forgiveness are all part of the healing process. There were so many little messages throughout. Be unafraid. Take all the risks. You might fall, you might fly but either way, you will be okay.

Loved 'Instructions for Dancing'! Super cute YA novel with a more moving twist along the way. Highly recommend this one!

Freaking adorable. Following your twist of fate with a handful of independence made for a lovely combination. Just. Adorable.

First of all, thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the advance copy of Instructions for Dancing! Evie has always loved love... that is until her parents divorced and she started keeping a secret from her sister. Now the last thing she is interested in, or believes in, is love. But when she stops at a Little Free Library to donate her romance novels, she gets "Zoltar-ed." Now, when she sees people kiss, she can see the beginning, middle, and, sadly, end of their relationship, which only serves to solidify her wariness about the whole concept of love. That is until she meets X.

I really enjoyed this outing from Nicola Yoon, whose books always serve to make me think and make me feel. The only thing really holding me back from five stars is that I don't know whether I love the ending or hate the ending. Regardless, I think this will be a solid choice for all of my students, grades 7-12, and will perhaps be a good Battle of the Books fit once it hits paperback.

This was a cute and tender YA romance. I grew up doing competitive dance like jazz and such, but was not exposed to ballroom. I loved learning about the different dances. The chemistry was amazing between the two main characters and I enjoyed watching their love grow. The end did break my heart a bit, but I liked the story.

I have so many thoughts!!! Nicola needs to do a masterclass because her writing is so heartfelt and heart wrenching at the same time. What's the quote about it's better to love and lost than to not have loved at all? If I was writing a high school essay about the themes of this book that would be the quote I'd start with. This book is a love story. 100%. But through Evie's power that lets her see others heartbreak and her struggle with her parents recent divorce, we're also shown that love isn't always forever. Sometimes it ends, in a lot of different ways. Still, Nicola expertly demonstrates that there's still joy in that. The ending isn't the most important part. It's the middle. That's what this book is about. And obviously I loved it.

Romance books have lost their magic for Evie after her father cheats on her mother and the two separate. When talking with her sister, Danica, Evie suddenly has a vision about Danica and her boyfriend's imminent breakup, which comes true later that evening. Evie realizes that any time she sees a couple kiss, she sees their past, present, and future.

This is a perfect book for readers! Evie talks about her favorite tropes, top qualities in a love interest, little free libraries, and the magic of falling in love. I loved Evie's growth throughout the novel as she grapples with some difficult things, as well as the idea that growing and changing is a natural part of life. Fair warning that the ending is a bit bittersweet, which I'll fully admit hurt my heart a little!

I don't know what I expected but the ending completely destroyed me!
AND THAT'S COMMON KNOWLEDGE FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EVER READ A BOOK BY NICOLA YOON!
Safe to say though that this book was amazing - there were so many moments of love and loss and the fear of both that I felt like I was learning life lessons with Evie.
I loved that this book played out all the tropes - love scorned, meet-cute, shipwrecked, meant-to-be, with Evie narrating how each of these tropes, why they work, and why these moments with X are not like that at all. *wink, wink*
What I love most about Nicola Yoon though, is that she allows her characters to feel angry. Oftentimes her characters are put in impossible situations and it's so amazing to see them fight against it. How many times are we put into situations where we just need to complain a little bit before we do it?
Evie loves so fiercely and it was a treat to see how that love plays out even when she swears off it.
This is a hurt/comfort read - It will destroy you but you will hold your bloody beating heart in your hands and say thank you.
Is that dramatic? Yes, but it's how I feel.

A sweet heart warming book about a girl learning to love again after watching her parents divorce. She starts having visions of how relationships end and is determined not be hurt.

I read this book in one day. And although my first reaction to it was a total delight, I finished it with my heart a little broken. This story is cute and tender, but it will also leave you in tears.
It's a beautiful YA romance that delves into the question of if love is worth it if you know it will end - does the happiness outweigh the pain when it's over?

I was swept away by INSTRUCTIONS FOR DANCING, which I sped through in two sittings. Nicola Yoon has such a knack for writing compelling characters, believable and beautiful love, and stories that feel real and complex and genuine. This was no exception- I loved this story of Evie and X, loved seeing Evie grow and learn about love and loss and herself.

I kindly received an ARC from Delacorte Press and Netgalley exchange for my honest review.

Oh Nicola Yoon, you sure do know how to write a book that absolutely wrecks me. From the very beginning this book caught my interest and was heartbreaking and poignant while still being funny and sweet. There is also a bit of magic realism in this book, which isn't usually my cup, but it worked really well. This book will sit with me for a long time.

Delightful teen romance with an ending to give the story great depth. Evie, senior year is dealing with divorced parents (well used theme lately) and can't understand how one can be in love and then out of love. Basically given up on hope on love until a book leads her to a dance studio where X becomes her dance partner and boyfriend. Evie has a great support from her small group of friends, all well developed characters. Evie does a lot of growing up to understand to live in the moment and also to take love when it comes, not dwell on the future

Evie is an 18-year-old high school senior struggling to come to terms with her parents’ divorce. She is angry and heartbroken. She wants little to do with love or hope. In distancing herself from these vulnerable emotions, she decides to donate all the romance novels she used to love. A chance encounter with a stranger while donating the books leaves her with a special gift. When she sees a couple kiss, she gets a vision of their relationship - how it begins...and how it ends. When her mysterious encounter leads her to La Brea Dance Studio, Evie has no idea how her life is about to change. As she finds herself getting closer to her dance partner, X, Evie has to decide if love is worth the risk.

An adorable quick read, I really enjoyed this book. So many young adults are coping with divorce and the resulting change in their parental relationships. Yoon makes Evie so relatable and even encouraging to any teenagers finding themselves in a similar situation. Sure, stuff sucks right now, but it gets better. Take the chance. Live and love while you can.

I really enjoyed the way the book ended. The twist was not expected, but worked perfectly and made the novel a much deeper read than I had anticipated. Heads up, I needed tissues.

This one comes out in June. Personally, I think it would make a great addition to graduation gift baskets, as it’s perfect for teenagers and young adults.

Huge thanks to Nicola Yoon, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.