Nicola Yoon had made me fall in love with love yet again. Evie’s fear of loss after love is so relatable, and her journey to discover if love is really worth it is captivating. Every one in a while, I get the sensation of new love from readying, and this book didn’t disappoint. I loved how Evie and X’s relationship developed, and how her other relationships changed over time. It can be so easy to focus on how things end, but Evie’s struggle to figure out how to enjoy the middle is so well described in this book. It is a great lesson for everyone, learned through all types of relationships, I loved this book so much. It is every synonym for excellent.

Instructions for Dancing was such a delightful read. Immediately you fall in love with the characters and the setting. Nicola Yoon really catches the essence of falling in and out of love in this young adult novel. This one will definitely keep you entertain and on your toes. You'll thoroughly enjoy this fresh take on love and definitely will not want to put this one down. It's a definite page turner.

Nicola Yoon does it again! Evie has the power to see a couple's romantic life - past, present, and future. She sees a lot of heartbreak, and after her parent's divorce, Evie doesn't believe in love. She meets X and starts to fall for him. Of course there is a breakup, and heartache, and all the things that make a YA romance a YA romance. What I liked most about this was its honesty. Life isn't always tied up neatly with a bow and it's refreshing to read a book that doesn't do that.

“Given enough time all love stories turn into heartbreak stories.”

“Heartbreak = love+time”

“Life’s short. Seize the day. Live in the moment.”

Evil has read too many romance books that she believes romance leads to heartbreak. It doesn’t help that she actually witnessed her Dad cheating on her Mom. It’s so crazy I can relate to Evie because I went through my Dad cheating on my Mom after them being together for thirty years. When he left my whole world was crushed. And to this day I still haven’t forgiven him. It’s true who I thought he was changed when he left.

The most important elements of ballroom are footwork, musicality, artistry, bravery, showmanship, and chemistry.

“People don’t come back. The time we get is the time we get.”

You can miss the future with people dead and or alive.

Because of heartbreak Evie is afraid to give in afraid of what may happen. She is holding herself back.

“Happiness is tricky. Sometimes you have to fight for it. Sometimes, though - the best times it sneaks up behind you, wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you close.”

My heart is hurting for Evie and her visions. I know she loves X and then she has the vision of losing him in the studio and runs away and breaks up with him.

Pain when you lose someone is proof that it was a life well lived and loved.

“Just because a thing ends doesn’t make the thing any less real. Just because everything is different now doesn’t mean we didn’t love each other once. Maybe we will again.”

The power to see love. It doesn’t matter that love ends. It just matters that there’s love.

Love can last forever!!! When you find love, hold on!!!

I am so glad that Evie went back for X!!!

You know, as I started reading this, I thought "Huh, Nicola Yoon's books usually are a bit heavier than this."

I wasn't complaining. I love a breezy love story to get lost in.

And then BAM, in comes in the heavy stuff.

Still, I'm not complaining. Nicola Yoon writes delightful teenage characters and I'm thrilled to see a new book from her. I'll be recommending it widely for summer reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for the ARC!

This one hit me majorly in the feels. As the description says, Evie Thomas doesn’t believe in love anymore since her parent’s divorce. But one day after finding a particular book she can somehow see how an in love couple’s relationship started, is, and ends...

Our love skeptic, of course then meets X (Xavier) at a dance studio, and things go on from there. It’s a great tale of love and loss, and all of the things in between.

Nicola Yoon is one of my fav authors and I am so thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc for this.

First off it's a great book and I can't wait to see it on the big screen.

Second I LOVED this book! Nicola Yoon has the power to just make us feel all the emotions. I loved every second of it and just like Yoon's other books, it centres around the NOW and LOVE.

Third I absolutely adored X and Evie and how Yoon has managed to write a sort of fantasy with a lot of love set in the contemporary world.

Fourth, as I said I love Nicola Yoon, and her books and I love how she makes a diverse world and since I am a PoC I loved this book extra more and I loved to see the Indian references too.

Once again Nicola Yoon has taken my heart!

This is my favorite book I’ve read in a long time. I guess that makes me a masochist because I’ve been crying for the last 30% and feel completely gutted, but I just love this story so much. The characters were witty and the rapport was easy. I’d say I want to see a movie adaptation, but really, I want an entire show. I want more of this universe and more of the visions (which were written with cinematic precision that I could imagine every bit of). This is a book that is going to sit with me for awhile, in a beautiful heartbreaking way.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nicola has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I will read anything she writes and then grovel at her feet.

Her books all have a quirky, unique writing style and this one is no different. I never knew I needed a book about ballroom, but it was EVERYTHING. And I cried. I thought I would make it out, but my heart couldn’t take it. There were so many feels, but I can’t wait to buy those one. I can see myself reading this over and over. It quickly became of my favorites. Such a gem.

*Thanks to the folks at NetGalley for giving me an eArc*

Instructions for Dancing, by Nicola Yoon , is the perfect example of a YA book! I love to read YA when it’s done right and this story is done right! The most beautiful and heartbreaking story, that leaves you wanting more but also feeling such contentment. Nicola’s writing is flawless and her characters have you feeling like you know them and everything they are feeling. I have loved her other two books and this one is just as wonderful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Nicola Yoon is one of the authors whose books got me back into reading in my early twenties, so to say I was excited about a new release from her is an understatement. Her books always have heartfelt love stories, as well as believable twists and turns. I was surprised to find this book had supernatural elements to it. I was even more surprised at how well-executed it was in the story.
From the moment X comes into the picture, their chemistry is obvious. The love story between the two of them developed so effortlessly. But don’t be fooled, this book has it’s beautiful, heartfelt moments, but it will also leave you wanting more. And if you’re anything like me, with tears in your eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nicola Yoon's YA books always fly off my library shelves, and her newest book, Instructions for Dating, will be no exception. Evie loses her faith in love after her parents divorce and is cursed with a psychic ability to "see" couples love stories and demises when they kiss. Because of this, she has closed off her heart until she enters a ballroom dancing competion and meets X. Their love story takes the reader on a series of highs and lows and in true Nicola Yoon fashion, the ending is one that I did not see coming.

Nicola Yoon delivers again! I don't know if it's because I tend to read more YA fantasy, but lately these realistic fiction offerings in YA are hitting it out of the park! You have a lot of things to love in this novel; well-fleshed out characters, a driving plot, a bit of magic realism, and so many lessons in love and life that you'll keep forever. I don't want to say much for fear of giving too much away, as I think the blurb pretty much explains the synopsis well, but this book certainly is all that and more. Excited to have this in our HS library collection and I will personally recommend this to our readers! 4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and RH Children's for providing this e-arc!

"Why did you only focus on the ending? ... It was supposed to be a gift."
Evie used to believe in love - the OTPs the HEAs - all of the magic that love is supposed to be. That is until her parents divorce, leaving her questioning why anyone would think love is worth the risk. But, then Evie finds a book about dancing that happens to lead her to meeting a boy that just might make her believe again.
I absolutely LOVED this book. I finished it in one sitting, I was that absorbed in this story. It was cute and adorable, but also really hit me in the feels closer to the end. I loved following Evie's journey. As always, Nicola Yoon has written an amazing book that sucked me into the story and wouldn't let go. 5 stars from me.

I just finished reading Instructions for Dancing, and already I am missing the world of Evie and X. This book was full of everything I look for in a young adult novel: a narrator who is flawed but willing to change, a love interest that is not some perfect savior but instead his own complex character, a solid group of friends that show how strong those friend-connections are to teenagers, a dynamic give and take parental relationship that never paints one or the other as the evil and heartless villain but rather their own whole human beings, and, of course, the witty dialogue that makes me laugh out loud. This book is amazing. It has something for everyone, but at its core, it is a book full of heart with a big message for young readers - especially teenagers who are already going through major life changes - do not be afraid to love. It does not matter if that love is romantic or platonic, but it is important to love despite all the fears and problems that can come from it. This is a book I will definitely recommend to my students for them to read. I cannot wait for them to immerse themselves in this world and hopefully see some of their own world reflected.

This has an interesting premise. I loved Everything, Everything. After reading the acknowledgments, it seems like this was a cathartic creative venture for her. I wanted to love it. I felt like parts were rushed & others dragged out. Time was a suggestion & some storylines were underdeveloped. The underlying messages were rich in potential power, but they ultimately seemed to get lost in the development. I think that I’ll have kids who will eat this one up & won’t have the same expectations that I do. I think they’ll float along on the story of x & Evie without blinking an eye. I wish that had been the case for me!

4.5 *
My heart hurts!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book!


This was my first Nicola Yoon read. I was excited but hesitant - as of lately I have been eating up the sexy smutty adult romance books. SO jumping into a YA I was nervous I may dismiss it, but YOU GUYS! So good, please read it.

This is about Evie & her struggle believing in love after the divorce of her parents. With that comes a twist, she becomes able to see couples futures from first kiss to their end.

It’s fast paced with lots of depth. You really follow Evie with her friends and romantic interest as she navigates her new outlook on life. It wasn’t all tears, but just know at the end, I criiiiiiiiied! My heart broke 💔

If you have loved heavy contemporary romance before or want to try it, DO NOT dismiss this book. So good 👌🏼
A great surprise read for me!

Thanks to Random House Childrens + Delacourte Press + NetGalley for the advance review copy of "Instructions for Dancing" by Nicola Yoon.
Expected pub date: 6.1.21

Nicola Yoon's third book does not disappoint!
A YA ode to romance novels and how love can rock your world with the just right amount of magical realism to remind us all that love, in all of its forms, is all about the journey.

Evie (Yvette) loves love until her dad cheats on her mom. When she takes her favorite romance novels to a Little Free Library she picks up a magical dance instruction book... "Instructions for Dancing" is all about realizing love isn't about how it ends up (nor are friendships), it's about the moments you spend together on and what you choose to focus on..

I tried to savor this quick read, as the characters and plot were both charming. I especially enjoyed Evie and X's relationship and the connection to dance. This was a great YA read!

I really REALLY wanted to love this book as much as I did the author's other books. I am glad that other readers loved it. But the gut-wrenching feelings I had throughout Everything Everything were not evident this time.
It's almost like the book isn't finished yet--it needs more: more building of the romance, more of Evie's character changing because of what happened to her, just MORE. Once Evie and X got together, the author spent little time on their romance. Sure, we learned about all the dancing, but I needed that slow burn romance! After a few months of dancing together, Evie sees X without his shirt on and is blown away. Am I really supposed to think she hadn't seen him without a shirt yet? The couple's visceral reaction to each other hints at a hot-and-heavy romance, but the reader never learns of it.
The supernatural side of the plot, where Evie can see the moment when other couples break up is also not well-developed. In fact, a lot of time goes by in the middle where it isn't even mentioned. The reader just learns that Evie figured out how to look away from people when they were about to kiss so she wouldn't see their future.
I could keep going with things that I wanted more of, but I think you get the idea.