This is a stunning debut novel. I didn’t fully know what to expect going in because I obviously had nothing to base it off of. Personally, I think this book was perfect.

Nick and Haley are such fun characters and I loved seeing how their relationship developed throughout the book. They had a fairly awkward first meeting, but I think it had the best payout. They both just wanted to make the other person happy and genuinely get to know them.

Sorry, but Kevin sucked so bad and having to read about him for a decent amount of the book was kind of annoying. It served a purpose though, and I understand why he was there. He was someone who Haley felt like she needed for her dancing. but never fear, Nick was there to show her real love and companionship. Kevin wanted what was bets for him, now what was best for Haley.

I felt like the way Nick and Haley’s friendship progressed was very natural and they just couldn’t help but tell each other everything. They were always on each other’s minds and they just gave each other purpose. Haley was able to show Nick that he can dance in his own way.

Nick was also able to be Haley’s safe space. She felt so trapped in her old dance company that she didn’t know what to do. Nick brought that joy back into her life and reminded her that she can dance again because it is part of who she is. The cute moments when they were just caught up in each other were my favorite.

Now, the book does have a third break up, but it’s my favorite kind of throwback break up. It’s the kind of break up where they’re throwing insults at each other and both of them really hurt but it’s so fun to read. They both then have to have a real moment where they really think about where they are in life and what they want. Essentially they have to come to the conclusion that they love themselves because that was the problem was that neither one of them believes that they deserved love.

Personally, I would love more bonus content where we see them actually get to be together. I wouldn’t be mad about a a marriage proposal bonus chapter.

“How To Dance” by Jason B Dutton

Originally, I requested this book from NetGalley because of the title, but I honestly got so much more out of it than I expected!

The MC has Cerebral Palsy and and is very obviously written from a place of understanding and real world experience. I have a very good friend with CP, and I was so excited to read this as CP isn’t something often featured in the books I read.

In addition to the AMAZING disability rep, this book offered incredibly insightful commentary for the able-bodied, in regards to how we treat , react, and respond to the disabled and how that can be interpreted.

This book had SO much to say, and while it did get a little wordy at time, I loved that the MCs helped each other navigate life and that they “got” one another and that they never felt truly “seen” until they met the other.

As a dancer, I totally connected with Hayley and her inherent NEED to dance, as well as the feeling of being consumed and burnt out by performing for others instead of dancing for the joy of it and for yourself.

“How to Dance” is a fantastic debut album with excellent rep!

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Alcove Press. All opinions are my own.

How to Dance is a book that follows the main character Nick, a teacher who has Cerebral Palsy, and a passionate dancer who just moved to the area with her long term boyfriend, Hayley. Told in dual POV, this book gives the reader a clear idea of both characters emotions and experiences throughout the story.
This is a fun friends to lovers romance with a lot of depth in terms of disability representation. Nick has a chip In his shoulder due to how he has been treated in the past because of his disability, this theme is recurrent throughout the story. Nick is a technology whiz who teaches and loves to sing karaoke at the neighborhood bar, where he meets Hayley.
Although Hayley moves to Nicks town with her long term boyfriend, their relationship goes through adjustments due to new working situations and components in their relationship. During this time, Nick is a great friend to Hayley and supports her ongoing dream of wanting to dance for her career.
I really enjoyed this book and the story it told with a male MMC and a great our-story/disability representation. This book does have a third act breakup which was a little annoying for me... but all worked out in the end.

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Nick has cerebral palsy and because of that, he has put an emotional barrier between him and others. In comes Hayley, who is a dancer new to town, and sees through this facade of his. They become friends but neither of them can deny their attraction for one another. Here we see Nick overcoming his demons.

"Like, there are good times, right? And there are bad times, and there are times wen the universe comes together. Like everything up until now has just been puzzle pieces creeping closer and closer, and then everything fits."

"It means dancing isn’t about what you do with your body. Dancing is about your relationship to the rest of the world. How you react. How you interact. Dancing is movement, but that movement isn’t always physical. Sometimes it’s in a conversation, or a song."

Would I recommend this? Yes, here we see someone with a disability overcoming his demons and a beautiful story of two individuals who understand each other on a deeper, meaningful level.

Nick Freeman lights up a room with his incredible voice. One night at a karaoke bar, where he is king, he spots a woman who outshines. She's dancing her heart out, and in that moment, he sees what he's missing. Hayley spots the longing in his eyes and offers to dance with him, then realizes that Nick has cerebral palsy. What follows is a relationship fraught with misunderstandings, but, is ultimately a journey of self-discovery for them both.

This book is full of deep statements and highlightable lines. You can tell, even before reading the author's note, that the author lives with the same condition as his main character, Nick. The strong emotions absolutely jump off the page. Many themes in this story, such as the assumptions we make about how others perceive us, were really profound. This book also allows the reader, who may not have ever dealt with some of these situations, to understand frustrations felt by people who deal with a disability.

I had a hard time with this book. Much of it felt abrasive. I was not fond of how the characters interacted. The derogatory terms used to describe differently-abled people were jarring. I also became frustrated in the third act when, instead of seeing more of the couple together, each of our main characters went off and had side conversations with other people. It was a device meant to help each of the characters grow as individuals, but it felt like it turned the book from a romance to a general fiction book. I'm glad that the characters matured and found happiness with each other, but the ending, in my opinion as a romance reader, needed to have far more of the couple together.

Trigger warnings: derogatory terms used for differently-abled people, bullying, miscarriage (off page), (emotional) cheating, derogatory terms used for women, the possibility of a child dying young, frustrations related to cerebral palsy

I'd like to thank Alcove Press and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I like disability representation and can’t resist a book with dancing in it. This book has both and I really enjoyed it.

Nick and Hayley have an awkward meeting and the friendship that follows is messy. The entire thing is so real. It was refreshing to read. Their journeys through self discovery and acceptance are moving and sweet. There is tension, wit and great chemistry.

I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it. This book comes out Feb. 6th and I really hope you add it to your TBR. This is Jason’s debut novel, and I can’t wait to read his future works.

This book just didn’t work for me. The romance felt weirdly forced since one of the main characters started in the book in a completely different relationship. It was weird to have Nick pining for his friend while being friends with her boyfriend. The writing was decent and the author did a good job telling a story.

I loved the cerebral palsy rep in this book because I don't see that a lot in romance stories. I liked the characters friendship and chemistry. I was put off because their friendship felt like emotional cheating to me, and I have a hard time when things start to cross the line from friendship to something else. Hayley and her boyfriend, Kevin, seemed to have a good relationship, and I don't see why she wouldn't just end things with him to pursue something with Nick. It felt like lying and cheating, and I'm just not a fan of that in romance. After that, I just couldn't feel connected or root for the couple.

Nick is a math teacher with cerebral palsy who regularly lights up the stage during karaoke night at the local bar. Nick’s life is turned upside down when he meets Hayley, a passionate dancer who just moved into town, but Nick and Hayley’s friendship gets off to a rocky start. Hayley, after seeing Nick’s reaction to her dancing, tries to convince Nick to give dancing a try, only to be embarrassed when she discovers that Nick can only walk with the aid of a walker. Despite having a long-term dancer boyfriend, Hayley is determined to make things right with Nick and the pair eventually form a close friendship. The more time Hayley spends in Nick’s world, the more the boundaries between friends and lovers begin to blur.

How to Dance is an own voices, closed door romance novel featuring the love triangle and “friends to lovers” tropes. The writing is reminiscent of authors like Gayle Foreman, John Green, Jesse Andrews, Jennifer Niven, David Levithan, and Kristina Forest; so, if you like any of these authors, you should definitely check out Jason B. Dutton. How to Dance would also probably be a good fit for fans of novels with representation like those written by Talia Hibbert, Chloe Liese, and Helen Hoang. Some themes and topics present in How to Dance include disability and accessibility, ableism and stereotypes, communication, self worth and self love, appearance versus reality, music and dance, overcoming fears, family roles, and mental health. A significant quote that I took away from this novel is, “dance with your heart” (both physically and metaphorically).

I want to preface this review by saving that How to Dance ended up being fairly different from the often spicy adult romances and fast-paced fantasy novels that I usually read, so for me, the plot seemed to be comparatively slow. This novel may be better suited for readers who enjoy unique stories and clean romances. If you love dancing, you may be disappointed that there wasn’t a ton of actual dancing in the book—even though the female main character is a dancer—the book focuses more on metaphorical dancing (like the emotional connection between two partners), which was quite lovely.

On the positive side, the book was unique in that I don’t often come across characters who have cerebral palsy and the disability representation in this novel comes across as accurate and informative. One of the enjoyable parts of the book was Nick’s toddler aged pseudo-niece Rosie because her impromptu singalongs with Uncle Nick were adorable and her character added some welcome playfulness to the plot. Lastly, even though there wasn’t as much dancing as I would have liked, I still appreciated that Dutton incorporated dancing and music into Nick and Hayley’s story.

- Debut Author
- Disability Rep
- Opposites Attract
- Friends to lovers
- Clean Romance
- Third Person/Dual POV

I went into this one completely blind and honestly requested because I thought the cover was adorable. Turns out I really enjoyed Nick & Hayley’s story. There was a bit of drama, defiantly some emotional conversations, but ultimately I felt this was a very lighthearted read that breezed right through.
My only dislike was that I found it a bit confusing when the POV would change mid-chapter and the characters weren’t even in the same scene.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for the eARC.

I've been dragging my feet on writing this review because I had such high hopes for this book and was so excited to read a romance where the main character has cerebral palsy, and I couldn't even force myself to finish it. While I'm at a point where I've come to terms with my disability, reading a book where the main character constantly refers to himself in ways that echo the most negative things I've heard about my body was only causing me harm. I'm sure that this book will find its way into the hands of the right readers, but unfortunately I'm not the right target audience for a book where the main character constantly refers to himself derogatorily and his entire personality is hating his body and his disability.

This book was really good! It was a cute and emotional romance about loving and accepting yourself. The characters had a lot of depth and personality. The main characters also had a great character development. It was fast paced and very entertaining.
It was a really touching slow burn romance and I can definitely recommend it, if you like a good friends to lovers romance with a bit of drama!

How to Dance is a beautiful romance that highlights the journey of accepting oneself and being authentic, despite the pain and challenges that life throws. This book was powerful and emotional, at places incredibly raw. You could tell the author felt an emotional connection to his characters and their journey. I thought what was incredibly thoughtful was that Hayley had much of the same challenges, being plagued by self doubt and anxiety and external pressures where on the outside she had everything going for her. The male lead, Nick's struggle with self doubt while hyper focusing on everyone else's needs was beautifully written. The description of the struggles of a life with Cerebral Palsy, taken from the author's own life, wasn't glossed over or hyper focused upon, but gives the reader food for thought about inclusivity and what that actually means. And Nick and Hayley together...just simply wonderful. Up late reading this one.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Alcove Press for the ARC.

An emotionally charged romance book that hooks you really early and keeps you hanging on. I thoroughly enjoyed the two MCs. Nick's character has alot of depth to him and is the type of character you wish you had as a friend in real life.

This touched my heart and has me thinking about how I dance in my life.

Nick is doing what he does on a Friday night, acting the part and spinning a tale to try and pick up a girl when he is struck by the joy from a dancer. He wants and is jealous of that joy. Hayley wants to share the joy and encourages Nick to dance only to discover that he uses a walker. After this awkward first encounter they find a way to create a friendship and fall into a rhythm. But are they being honest with each other and themselves or are they only acting the expected part? What will happen if they stop acting and be honest about what they really want? Can they find a way to dance together?

This was a great #ownvoices debut featuring a MMC with cerebral palsy and his journey of self-love and romantic love as he falls for a dancer coworker who's already in a relationship and she helps him with the giant chip on his shoulder.

On the surface this was a fun friends to lovers romance but it also had a lot of depth and great disability rep. Good on audio and definitely one not to miss. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: some open door scenes, mild details

3.5 stars

This was such a well done book. I adored the MCs and side characters and the story. Rosie was the cutest kiddo!

Everyone played such an important part to the story and developed so well. However, I really disliked the third act break up and found parts of the book dragged a bit.

Thanks to NetGalley & Alcove Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

How to Dance-a standalone

By Jason B. Dutton-debut author

Publication date 2/6/24 , read 1/20/24

📃 Page Count: 348 kindle

Rating: 4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spice level 2/5🔥🔥 kissing only

⚠️H has a disability

🤷🏾‍♀️ What to Expect:

⭐Contemporary Romance
⭐️ Opposites Attract
⭐️ Slow Burn
⭐️ Found Family
⭐️H sings, h dances

Summary: Nick goes to the karaoke bar The Squeaky Lion every week to sing and make people happy. He sees Hayley on the dance floor and he's enamored of her. Her and her boyfriend Kevin just moved from Indian to Ohio looking for dancing jobs. Kevin tap dances with the Vivez Dance Company, but there was no openings for Hayley so she took a job at the karaoke bar as a server. When they first met, Hayley didn't know Nick had cerebral palsy and walked with metal walker. They got off on the wrong foot but became good friends. The lines between them are blurred with a kiss.

🤔 My Thoughts: Both Hayley and Nick had serious self esteem issues. They cared too much about what other thought about them. Nick was lonely and self depreciating while navigating his life with CP's challenges. Hayley needed to follow her gut and drop Kevin immediately. I loved Nick's relationship with Rose, Melanie, and Gavin.. They were his found family and childhood BFFs who depended on each other a little too much. It took a talk with Mel and Hayley with her mother to make them see the light.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this ARC💙! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

I was glad to pick up this debut and overall it was just ok. The premise is unique but it simply seemed to drag most of the book. The relationship between Nick and Hayley is a sweet one and I did like that Nick's hesitation to dance was carefully considered by Hayley. They have a definite chemistry and I was glad the thoughts of dancing could be interpreted in many ways than the obvious. But perhaps it may been just a bit too long and felt dry in spots so it didn't grab me like I was hoping.

But I am forever in awe of those who can finally put their thoughts to paper, which is what Dutton did and applaud the hard work in getting his first book published. It just wasn't for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨’ 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤'𝙨 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧—𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙤 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.

📍 Read if you like:
• Opposites Attract
• Disability Rep
• Found Family
• Singing/Dancing

This was a fun read, I’ve been trying to read more diverse books and this was a great one that had disability representation.

I absolutely enjoyed the dancing aspect in this book, I thought it was fun and loved how the story portrays that anyone can do anything (regardless of their situation). In this we follow Nick and Hayley, I found both of them to be interesting. Nick does have Cerebral Palsy, which I thought the author expressed perfectly.

This is a debut novel which was quite surprising. I loved the way this story pulls on your emotions (tears and giggles). I also loved the Dual POV in this, I got a better understanding of the characters and there was more depth to them.

It did take me a while to actually get pulled into the story. The beginning wasn’t my fav, but the second half of the book was great. While I loved the side characters in this, some of the decisions they made weren’t very enjoyable.

Overall, the characters in this were super relatable and rootable. I had not heard of this book prior to requesting it on NetGalley, but it sounded so unique and interesting. I’m so glad I gave it a read.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Alcove Press for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!