I like Nasrin, but the whole creating a website and faking bills from NYU business school just didn't quite fly for me. Cute NYC story with fun LES moments and a cool look how to stay true to yourself while pursuing your dreams.

Nasrin is an aspiring actress who has been keeping a huge secret from her parents: she is not attending business school as they believe, but instead is enrolled at Tisch School of the Arts. Additionally, she is secretly filming a web series in her spare time and developing a crush on her statistics tutor. When her cousin arrives as an exchange student, the secrets get harder and harder to keep, especially since her cousin has secrets of her own.
Overall, this story covers a lot of ground, causing some details to be skipped over and leaving the reader wondering how things got resolved or how characters got out of certain situations. However, this was a great look at how tough freshman year can be, why secrets like these never stay hidden forever, and how it’s important to stand up for what you want in your future rather than what your parents want for you.

What a fun book! I love that Nasrin is secretly majoring in theater while her parents think they are paying for business school. In addition, I appreciate all the behind the scenes info about what goes into a musical production!

This was an entertaining #ownvoices YA novel about Nasrin Mahdavi, an Iranian-American college freshman who is struggling to pursue her acting dreams, double major in theatre and business to please her parents and also keep her true love for drama hidden from them.

Feeling pulled in too many directions, Nasrin is increasingly feeling exhausted acting the token person of color part on a new show, seemingly competing with her cousin for the affections of her new boyfriend and trying to find a way to get her parent's acceptance.

Good on audio and recommended for fans of books like Emma Lord's When you get the chance or Sajni Patel's My sister's big fat Indian wedding. This was a bit dramatic for me at times but I still enjoyed it a lot. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Whole Song and Dance is the story of Nas, an aspiring actress at NYU, and she's just landed a spot on a web series. The only problem? Her parents think she's at NYU as a business major. When her cousin shows up in New York, the truth about Nas threatens to come out at every turn.

I had a really hard time believing that Nas was in college. Why? Because she acted like a high school kid this entire book. I started reading this book thinking she was a high school kid whoe Doogie Howser'd her way into NYU. Since she was so immature about literally everything, I had a hard time liking Nas. The other characters in this book weren't so great either. Minu: terrible. Max: boring. Bennett was at least fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney for the ALC. I enjoyed Emily O'Brien's narration. However, in the end this book just was not for me.

OOOOOOF the number of bad-to-worse choices in this book made it so painful to read! There were a lot of parts that were really compelling, but even more that were just trash fire level difficult to sit through because of the compounding errors in judgement. Admittedly, i am in my 40s and heavily judging the actions of a fictional 18-year-old, so.

NetGalley ARC

Thank you to netgalley for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story was super cute. Very fast paced following Nasrin and her starting her dream school at Tisch in New York. She's lied to her parents and they think she is going to business school. I liked Nasrin's friendship with Beckett and their look into acting school. I also liked Nasrin's romance with her TA Max. Some may not like Nasrin and this story because of the characters unlikable and frustrating traits but I liked the ease and pace of the story and just went along for the ride! I would recommend this book!

Audiobook Review - This is a fun and dramatic coming of age new adult title. Perfect for fans of Glee and musical theater. While the characters are in college this title reads at more of a lower high school level and is accessible for lower level high school aged readers.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit! This one is great for those YA that love musicals, and are getting ready for post secondary school.. If you liked Emma Lord's When You Get The Chance, I think you will love this one.

I loved this book! What a cute slice-of-life/coming-of-age story about a young first generation Iranian woman born to immigrant parents. I really enjoyed the conflict here, and how Nasrin grew and changed throughout the story. The characters were all wonderfully flawed, which I really believe makes a book believable and relatable to anyone who picks it up. We all know someone who has lied out of fear, who has made questionable choices after living in a way that was restricted and finding freedom in their environment. The relationships between Nasrin and her family are rich, beautiful, and the conflict was handled wonderfully. Add in the smidge of romance and this book becomes a feel-good comfort you can't wait to come back to! My only comment would be that it is set in a New Adult world while still feeling very, very YA. I was not expecting a college story when I picked up this book, and feel almost that it could have been a but more 'grown up' and moved from a YA category.

Such a fun story, especially if musicals/theaters is your jam. There was a lot of language which is more than needed. I love the message of the story though.

I had the chance to read and listen to this book. Both a different experience but the audiobook really brings the story to life.

I love a theatre centered book, this one did not disappoint. The drama!

I also the chaos of the main character, Nasrin, leading a double life. Everything piles on and adds up digging into an even deeper hole. When everything comes to light what will she choose? Her dreams? Or her family’s?

This was a sweet read I definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Book Title: A Whole Song and Dance
Author: Sarveraz Tash
Narrator: Emily O’Brien
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Genre: YA/Teen, Young Adult Romance
Pub Date: May 2, 2023
My Rating: 4.2 Stars

Nasrin’s parents came to America in hopes of a better life for their family.
They started their own from the ground floor.
Nasrin loves the theater, and although she knows it is a tough industry, Theater life is her dream.
She is on cloud 9 when she is accepted into NYU’s TISCH School of the Arts. TISCH is one of the most elite theater programs in the world, it is highly competitive acceptance rate is 15%. Nasrin’s parents believe she applied to NYU’s Stern School of Business is which is also an elite program.
Story was fun!
I know I am not the target audience for this story however, as a High School Guidance Counselor I love reading a good YA story. I often recommend books to my students. The only thing with this story is that I was disappointed with some of the nasty language. I know teens talk like this but as an adult I am not comfortable in suggesting teens read a story with unfiltered nasty language. Since I liked this message I will recommend with a disclaimer that I would have preferred a filter with some of the words used.

On another Note: This story reminded of me of actor Kevin Costner who attended a local high school as well as a local college here in Orange County, Ca. His parents were hard working German immigrants. His mother Sharon Rae insisted he major in Business as she was fearful he wouldn’t make is as an actor and needed something he could fall back on. He earned a BA in Marketing & Finance at California State University, Fullerton. Like Nasrin he was able to please his parents and also to use his Business degree along with his acting talent.

Want to thank NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for granting me the pleasure of reading this early eGalley.
Audiobook Publishing Date scheduled for May 2, 2023

This book gave me the feels. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook. The narrator was very easy to listen to and made the story come alive.
It was a beautiful story of Nasrin's journey as she starts her first year of university. She's going out into the world for the first time to follow a path she wants to follow.
I enjoyed that it came full circle and that the reader can learn through the example of Nasrin that lies don't help situations and that once the truth is told we can heal, grow, and keep going.