I was expecting a fairly lighthearted romance. What I got was a gut-punch to my emotions. This book is so much deeper than the cover and description implies. As much as I enjoyed the relationship between Evie and X, I loved seeing the relationship between Evie and her dad, mom, and her sister. The book explored not just romantic love, but love for parents, siblings, and friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for access to this arc.

Where does one even start? “Instructions For Dancing” swept me off my feet. Rarely have I read a book so touching that managed to be so fun at the same time. (Fifi is the love of my LIFE. I want one.) I loved the magical realism aspect, loved the characters (FIFI! But I also especially adored Martin), I loved the dancing scenes, I loved the lessons learned, and the final twist nearly took me out. My heart is in the sort of happysad shreds that it’s always in after a bittersweet ending right now, and I feel incredibly lucky to have had the chance to read this wonderful novel ahead of its publication date.

I loved this book! It was cute, fluffy, and the perfect read for a cold winter day.

For as long as I can remember, I've been watching Dancing With the Stars with my mom. Because of this, I absolutely loved the focus on dancing! I really wish that there had been more of it, because it disappeared throughout the entire middle of this book, but I still really loved it.

I also loved how little of the "magic" was in this. I'll admit, I was skeptical when I read the blurb, and Evie could see the end of people's relationships. Thankfully, it was a minor part of the book.

And finally, the relationship between Evie and X was adorable!! I will admit that it was kind of insta-lovey, and might’ve bothered me if I was in a different mood, but I loved it so much! It felt realistic, and not like it was constructed for drama.

If you're in the mood for a light and romantic read, this is for you! I fell in love with this immediately, and read the entire thing in one sitting. I'd definitely recommend!

Thanks to Nicola Yoon and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's and Delecorte Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

Instructions for Dancing is the latest book by Nicola Yoon, I was excited to read this and it didn't disappoint. Evie Thomas is jaded by love - formerly a romance novel addict, she soon becomes cynical after her parents' divorce. One day she comes across a Free Library box and encounters a mysterious woman who will change her life. It's hard not to write this review to give away too many spoilers, but Evie ends up training for a dance competition with X, a teenage musician who has some sadness in his life as well.

The characterization is great, the writing is skilled, and the plot is very thought provoking. It deals with the themes of growing up, life, love, loss and trying to get the most out of what you have and not always think about how quickly things might end. I thought it was going to be a fun and lighthearted tale, and there are definitely happy and humorous moments, but this book really made me think about life itself and made me really care about the characters.

I know that a lot of people will have this book on this TBR lists, I think they will enjoy it as much as I did!

My Review will be on my blog, The Reading Fairy, on May 28th.

TW/CW: Grief, death (mentioned), neglect (mentioned)
Rep: Black (Jamaican-American) MC, Black Love Interest, birracial (Korean, Black) prominent character, sapphic side romance, BIPOC side characters

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion. All thoughts are my mine.

“If you get very, very lucky in this life, then you get to love another person so hard and so completely that when you them, it rips you apart. I think the pain is the proof of a life well lived and loved.”

This book was just too adorable and honestly I am okay with that. The stress that this year have brought alone with some hopes of it being back too a little bit of pre-pandemic times as long as the hygiene and masks wearing are normal. I haven’t read Nicola Yoon’s books since I was a little freshman brand new to high school life. My junior self is just really into romance, anything with socialization and just cuteness in general.

This book did not disappoint. Ever since I was scrolling on Twitter like I somehow always do, I was got wind that something like a certain cover reveal and the title was in the works for Nicola Yoon’s newest book. Of course, that day passed and I saw the cutest cover belonging to Instructions for Dancing. I immediately got hooked, practically wanting to give this book five stars for the cover alone. Somehow, scrolled through Netgalley despite not reading my ARCs oops and discovered this book was available for request. And I immediately jumped into the book with the confirmation that I was accepted.

And y’all this book was so soft, so precious and in the adorable way ever 🥺🥺. This book would probably rival Kristina Forest’s books or even S.K. Ali’s, Love From A To Z, with the cuteness, and just somewhat adorable.

Instructions for Dancing follows Evie, a once-proclaimed boookworm who always loved reading rom-coms, at least until she found out that her father cheated. With her broken heart, Evie sets out in giving away her books that no longer gives her joy to her local library. There she meets a mysterious person who gives her a book called Instructions for Dancing and a gift/curse that will allow her to be able to see people’s romance when it begins and how it ends (with heartbreak) . Evie travels to a place where she learns how to ballroom dance and meet someone unexpectedly.

Nicola Yoon has done it again. Can I say, this maybe one of my favorite books by her ever? I actually grew attach with Evie and her story about her heartbreak, than her passion for dancing and than meeting X, her dance partner for the competition. I can’t. MY HEART. Of course, it wouldn’t be a classic Nicola Yoon story if their wasn’t a bittersweet ending. Why does this author like destroying me with her endings because this isn’t fair!

The characters were one of my favorite characters ever. We have Evie, our protagonist, who is Jamaican-American, suffering from heartache about her father’s betrayal who was gifted a book from a strange woman and the return address was a local dance studio-La Brea. She learns to waltz, fox-trot among other sorts of dances with a boy named X.

She was so likable. I felt her emotions and I felt so sad that Evie’s heart was broken because of her family, happy when she was with X etc. This book dealt with quite a bit of emotions and how difficult love can be when it comes from people you trust. It’s also quite possible to find yourself falling in love with a person despite a heartache from your past.

We also have Evie’s love interest, X. X is so sweet, so special and the fact that he is in a band and plays the guitar. Yes, I am swooning over a fictional character. I am now wondering where I can find a guy like this in real life, and maybe teach me how to dance because I am hopeless at it.

This book is so sweet. Y’all the chapter titles is just also adorable, and made my heartache at times. Like it was just so adorable, just like everything else in this book that it’s hard not to give this book five stars alone.

I do have some criticisms about this book. It’s just slight ones that doesn’t affect my opinion. It kinda felt like the last 30 pages didn’t really go well with this book and that threw me off. There was also some nit picky things about it that I am sure will get corrected in its final version.

5/5

I'm-

I will need a few business days to recover and process this book.

This was such a cute, heartwrenching, sweet read. Nicola Yoon has done it again, but I think this is my favorite of her books so far.

The story follows Evie and X as they get paired up to compete in a dance competition. Evie is struggling with love and whether she believes in it after her parents' divorce, and X complicates things further by being perfect for her.

It seemed like a pretty solid, cute YA Contemporary Romance, but I should have known better. Things took a little bit of an unexpected turn, and it made me like the book even more. I won't say more because I think this book should be read without knowing too much.

All in all, the moral of the story is simple, but important, and I think this book does a wonderful job of delivering its message. I'm so glad I got to read this!

As always, Yoon knocks it out of the park with Instructions for Dancing. The slight touch of magical realism was just perfect. A wonderful read.

Ohhhh my poor, broken heart! It hurts like hell! Don’t get fooled by this beautiful, vivid, inspirational cover promises you sweet, soft, entertaining YA romcom!
It’s heart wrenching, extremely emotional, magical, though provoking story shakes you to the core!
True love, epic dance moves, kindred hearts, quirky best friends, a girl’s magical ability to see the kissing couple’s heartbreaks !

They’re the first words come into my mind when I read this book. I’ll barely gathered my words because the author threw a big bomb in my lap and ran away. After finishing the book, I’m still giving blank looks, looking at the walls, my tears drop against my cheeks automatically ! I think I’ll stay like this throughout entire weekend! Ms. Yoon turned me into statue of misery!

Yes! This book is magical! It’s sweet! It’s sensational! But it delves your heart, rips it apart! You keep saying what what what? No way! I might have read it wrong! This shouldn’t happen! It can’t ! No freaking way!

Without giving spoilers: I have to tell you : this is book is true introduction of how to gather your pieces of your heart after it broke into tiny pieces! It’s about true love! It’s about falling in love and falling out of love! It’s about choices we made! It’s about taking risks! It’s about living fulfilled! It’s about being bold!

Short summary of the story: after her parents decided to divorce and seeing her father kiss another woman, 18 years old Evie stops believing in love, gathering her entire romance books collection to donate to the library but when she leaves her house abruptly to give space to her sister and her boyfriend, she realizes it’s Saturday! The library is closed!

So she walks to the park close to their home for spending time and bumps into a woman who displays books at the corner, accepting her books in return to give her one book as a gift. She finds herself holding “Instructions for dancing” book. She keeps the book for not being rude to kind woman who suddenly disappears when she looks at the other way! Weird!

And things get weirder for Evie after taking that book because in front of the house, she sees her sister and boyfriend kissing and this triggers images in her mind: how her sister and boyfriend met, how they fell for each other and finally how they broke up!

Evie doesn’t share her visions with her sister. She only shared with Martin who is more open minded person than her other two best friends who are flirting with each other!

And guess what? Everything happens like she visioned about her sister’s love life! From now on when Evie sees a couple who are in love, she resumes to see how their relationship will end!

She wants to get rid of her curse and she thinks the book the woman at the park gave her could help her. There is an address at the book drags her to the La Brea Dance club. She finds herself sign for dance lessons and become dance couple X ( short for Xavier) the owners’ grandson. She also finds herself sign for dance competition, learning bachata, West coast swing, hustle, Argentine tango, salsa!

She doesn’t only learn to dance! She starts to develop feelings for cool, charming, lead singer of rock band Xavier! As she sees people’s heartbreaks , could she learn to risk her heart to be broken?

Overall: beautiful characters, creative, heartfelt, inspirational story developing, meaningful ending!

Ms. Yoon did it again! It’s a big hit! It’s probably going to be adapted to big screen. And I know I will watch it without thinking any further and cry for weeks !

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children ‘s / Delacorte Press For Sharing this powerful digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Wow, just wow. I went into this thinking that this book would just be a cute, little love story, but boy was I wrong. I expected a lot from this book, and Nicola Yoon did not disappoint me. The story follows Evie after she is granted the power to see how a relationship began and, more importantly to her, how it will end. In hopes of figuring how she ended up with that power, she finds herself in a dancing competition with X. Throughout the story, Evie tries to figure out the point of love if it's destined to end tragically. By the end, Evie is left with a newfound understanding of love and so are the readers. Instructions for Dancing is both heart wrenching and heart breaking, and I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a bittersweet romance that explores love, endings, and living in the moment.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!

4.75 stars. It would be 5, but the last 30 pages didn't really fit with the rest of it and turned it into a completely different type of book. The ending was decent for the romance and family parts, but basically no resolution with Cassidy and Sophie's friendship besides some vague philosophical statement? I can't let that go. Yeah, they're friends with Evie still, but I wanted more between THEM. But the rest of it was too good, I couldn't stand taking any points off.

Ever since she witnessed her parents' marriage fall apart, Yvette Thomas has given up on romance and believes "true love" isn't real. Whenever her sister, Danica, gets a new boyfriend, Evie is already counting down the days until their relationship ends. And her once beloved collection of romance novels is no longer even acknowledged.
But after an encounter with a mysterious old woman at her neighborhood lending library, she gains the ability to foresee a couple's entire love story, right up until the end, as soon as she sees them kiss.
This new ability only confirms her previous belief that every relationship is doomed to end in some way. When her two best friends, Sophie and Cassidy, start dating, Evie knows that they are eventually going to break up and ruin their friendship. Even though she tries to warn them, Sophie and Cassidy don't think it matters as long as they're happy right now.
But when Evie starts taking ballroom dancing classes at a nearby studio and meets Xavier Woods, she decides that it might be worth it to pursue love after all. Even if she knows that they have to end someday.

The message of this book was one of the best things about it. Evie starts out wishing she could know everything about her future, thinking it will be safer and keeping her prepared, but she ends with the belief that it doesn't matter if something isn't forever, but what does matter is that you make the most of your limited time with someone. At one point early on, Evie asks her friends if they would want to know in advance how and when they were going to die-- she says yes, X says definitely not. My answer is also the biggest NO, as I think that sometimes knowing what to expect can make things even worse.
I'll try not to spoil anything, but here goes: Initially, I thought this was going to be like a lighter version of When or To Whatever End or the several other books out there about someone who can predict future endings. But it got pretty dark in the last 30-40 pages, as some of Evie's visions do involve someone's death, and she knows there's nothing she can do to stop it. (I should've known better than to expect a light romance story from this author!) But it also turns out that seeing the end to a relationship wasn't supposed to be her goal, but rather seeing all the great moments in between.
Evie reminded me of Sophia from "I Think I Love You" a lot, but she was way more likable. In between visions and dates with X, we see her try to forgive her father for cheating and breaking up the family. Their resolution wasn't 100% forgiveness, but it was realistic, and it was there. I appreciated that.
Finally, the dance part! The whole reason I requested this ARC (besides the fact that I hadn't read a book by this author in almost four years) was because I used to take dance classes, and I still miss it. That aspect of the story did not disappoint (and I especially liked that Evie won her competition!) Neither did the descriptions of the sights of Los Angeles. It made me wish I could just get on a plane and fly there (if it was safe.) Setting is a huge deciding factor on my opinion of the book, and this had one of the best settings I've ever seen.
Also, the relationship between the owners of the studio was one of the cutest I've ever seen. I wanted so much more of their story, but I still got a good amount.

This book was an absolute binge read that I spent pretty much every waking minute reading until I was finished, save for the time I needed to take a break because the story gave me literal goosebumps.

Nicola Yoon wrote one of my all-time favorite YA books, The Sun is Also A Star,

About 3/4 of the way through the book I thought it was a solid read- a romance-reading teen loses her love of reading in the wake of her parents’ divorce. Then she finds a book that will change her life in more ways than she could have imagined.
Then suddenly Yoon worked her beautiful heart-wrenching magic and it became clear that this was going to be so much more than a sweet romance or a coming of age story. It is both of those things but there’s so much exploration of love and loss and embracing life that really takes this book leaps above your average YA book.

Yoon writes characters with so much heart - I loved the family dynamics and male love interest in The Sun is Also a Star so much and this book nailed those aspects as well.

In Instructions for dancing X is charming and sexy- definitely nailing that "bad boy rocker with a heart of gold" that you can't help falling in love with.

Evie is a loveable and relatable heroine as well - she's a word nerd and bibliophile that- things that will resonate with many readers - and her insights into the romance genre were a lovely touch.

The dynamics between Evie and her father are strained, but I loved the journey of their relationship healing after she discovered him cheating on her mother. Evie's mom also had her own lovely arc and moment to become more than just a mother in the book, and Danica, Evie's sister was a fun character to read as well. Each of the minor characters in the book- Evie's family and friends have their own full storylines and I loved the thought the author put into these details.


Add this book to your TBR if you loved In Five Years, Oona Out of Order, and the author's previous works.

Many thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.

While I’m not particularly a huge fan of Everything, Everything, I read this book on the same day that the ARC was given to me simply because Nicola Yoon is a wildly popular Young Adult author and this is her newest work in nearly five years!

Instructions for Dancing is a light but heartfelt tale of Evie, a girl dealing with her life in the aftermath of her parents’ divorce and her father’s betrayal. Just when she decided to change her entire view on love and dating and after a strange occurrence with a ‘library’ and a strange woman, she suddenly discovered she had a newfound ability to see glimpses of relationships; what happened, what is happening, and what is going to happen, whenever a couple kissed.

This book made me feel a bunch of emotions. I love the way the story leans more toward acceptance than anything else. I love how she wrote the dynamics between Evie and her friends, and I could feel how deeply personal Evie’s journey in this book is. But most of all, I like the way this book wrapped: that people can fall in and out of love, but what matters is what is happening in the present, and that yes, people can fall out of love too, but that doesn’t mean that what they had wasn’t real or that the love they had was pointless. It’s not all about how it ends; it’s also about the beginnings and the in-betweens.

Nicola Yoon also wrote about the high school experience rather splendidly. Even though the 'high school experience' isn't the focus point of the book, some of the details and prose she inserted that describes the last year of being in school is very well done. Aside from the story as a whole being such a heartfelt experience, it is also a nostalgic one too.

One of the things I noticed about this book is how rushed some of the parts are, especially the competition scenes where everything seemed to happen in a blur. Though I do understand that this is an ARC and there might be changes with the final book.

One of the other cons in this book is that in the end, we don’t get any solid ‘conclusion’ after all. We didn’t get to see what happened afterward to our characters. This book didn’t end with a “happy ending” but it wasn’t a “sad ending” either. But in a way, I do understand that it’s also how life works, and I like the ‘openness’ to the ending which also means the readers can make it what they like it to be, so in a way, it’s a thing that I felt a little skeptical about but eventually came to like.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars!

Im still swooning after reading this book. First off that cover pulled me in immediately. So whimsical and fun. Second, I could not put the book down. The author did an amazing job with this book. I instantly feel in love with Evie and was rooting for her the entire time. I fell in love with X too. The way Evie works through her emotions and fear is a beautiful thing. Love is something so powerful, it is only natural to be scared. Our past has helped shape who we are BUT we can redefine our future.

Im not going to lie but I now want to go to a random dance studio and see what may happen to me! This book is a such a classic and it is so beautiful! Do yourself a favor and read it!

First off, I LOVE Nicola Yoon. She writes a gorgeous story, and Instructions for Dancing is no exception to that. If you are a fan of Everything, Everything and/or The Sun is Also a Star, then pre-oder this book stat!

Instructions for Dancing is about high school senior Evie. She is struggling after her parents get divorced, and she decides that she no longer believes in love. She gives away all of her romance books to a Little Free Library in town, and meets. a mysterious woman who tells her to take the book entitled Instructions for Dancing. From that day forward, something strange happens when she sees couples kiss. She consults her best friend Martin, and they decide she has a journey to go on.

The book takes her to a dance studio in town where she meets Fifi, Amelia, Archibald, and X. As she begins to take dance lessons, she begins to learn more about herself. Evie begins taking lessons and learns to dance. X is her partner, and he teaches her his philosophy to always say yes. She begins to open up and begin understand the importance of holding on to love and feeling happiness in the moment.

Instructions for Dancing is a beautiful read, and I highly recommend it.

Nicola never fails to weave emotion throughout her stories.

Evie has given up on love when she finds out her dad cheated on her mom... and is now marrying the new woman. Evie is ready to give all of her beloved romance books away when she meets a mysterious woman who hands her a dancing guide, bringing her to a studio. X is a devilishly charming, tall, rocker boy happy to hang around his grandparents’ establishment. When the couple asks X and Evie to enter a dance competition to help out the studio, the only correct answer is “yes.”

But a new challenge is the gift that the mysterious woman gave Evie— the power to see the full love story of couples when they kiss. Some endings are just not meant to be seen. Especially when they relate to people you love.

Will Evie give love a chance again? This is a beautiful story to be devoured in one sitting. I did have a tear streak down my face somewhere in this story, but the message is clearly loving.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I look forward to more of Nicola’s beautiful writing!

Every book I read by this author gets better! I loved this one. What a neat premise. Evie’s family is ripped apart when her parents get divorced, but somehow, Evie seems to be the only one affected: she stops believing in love.

And then, Evie suddenly has the power to see kissing couples’ entire relationship, from start to the inevitable, heartbreaking end, which only confirms her own beliefs that love isn’t real. At the same time, she’s drawn to a local dance studio and somehow finds herself learning ballroom dance with X, a gorgeous high school dropout musician living with his grandparents, who own the studio. And even crazier, she finds herself falling for him as she simultaneously has to watch other people’s relationships crumble before it actually happens.

What I liked about this was how the author didn’t try to magically fix the character’s flaws. The book didn’t wrap up neatly with a bow. There’s an acceptance here that life is messy and heartbreaking and that love doesn’t always last; but there’s also an underlying message that in spite of all of it, life is still worth living and people are still worth loving, no matter what might happen in the future. I really, really enjoyed this.

Yeah, so...I'm having all of these feelings, which is annoying, but I'm basically happy about it, which, I think, might be Nicola Yoon's particular gift.

Instructions for Dancing is a beautiful, compelling story about a teenager learning about love and pain and when the rewards outweigh the risks. Evie is disillusioned about love in the wake of her parent's divorce and her newfound ability to see visions of other's relationships. Everything has to end sometime whether by choice or by circumstances beyond our control, so why bother with romance at all?

I appreciated the romantic relationships in the book and their varying dynamics, but friendships and family relationships are also well-represented.

I couldn't put this book down (literally read it in one sitting) and highly recommend it to others.

Nicola Yoon writes swoon-worthy modern YA romances. Instructions for Dancing is a fun, lighthearted, and surprising book about two teens who are thrown into a dance contest together. While the premise is a bit kooky (our heroine starts getting visions of how all relationships she sees will end), the characters and their journey to each other is sweet and fun to go on.

Yoon gives us black characters experiencing all of the joys and heartbreaks of being an American teen today. I think this is a good addition to a YA library, but I would recommend Yoon's The Sun is Also a Star over this title.

Read it straight through from the moment NetGalley gave it to me and ended as I always do with books by the inimitable, spectacular Nicola Yoon: in tears. Sobbing. Clutching my chest and cursing the fates that brought me to this place. Or just really freaking grateful for the fact that she writes such loveliness. Such utter truth. So much joy and pain. I adored it and I am so sad for all of students and the other folks out there that have to wait for it to be published. Pre-order it now and be glad you did. I will, too, for my library. 💜💜💜📚