Rebecca, Rebecca…always tugging on the heartstrings. And this one is no different.

TBH, I know very little about the world of ballet and even less about the life of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, but boy, oh boy, was I invested deeply in Allie and Hudson from the jump. Yes, that jump.

There is just something about when the guy is unabashedly open about his feelings and so determined to let her know how he feels about her even when he knows she won’t say it back. Hudson is just THAT MAN. Damn. He is everything.

This book has it all. Friends to lovers, second chance romance, fake dating, found family, small town, he falls first, dual POV. And the spice. Phewwwww yup.

Thank you to Rebecca Yarros and her team for this advanced copy!

I was blessed to get this in arc copy it was very well written book and I’m glad that I was able to read it. I would suggest to give this to everybody. This is the book that should be on everyone’s shelf.

Rebecca Yarros can do no wrong in my book, and this lovely novel was everything that I have come to expect from her: exquisite romance, wonderful writing and characters, and most importantly, the ability to draw you in with an amazing plot that doesn't let up until the final sentence. Book Hangovers are real, and because Rebecca Yarros is so fantastic, I get one every time I read her books. This is probably a new favorite. I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!

RY just knows how to write contemporary!!!!! I loved Allie & Hudson’s story and going through their journey with some twisties that I did not see coming 👀

Allie & Hudson meet one summer and then their lives are changed forever. They’re reunited 10 years later, old feelings start to resurface, but do you let love win or your career? Hudson will lay down his life for Allie but can she learn life balance?

Growing up as a Rousseau meant you strove for perfection because nothing less would be accepted. Allie learned to value predictability, control, perfection, and her mother’s approval. Her family’s legacy took priority over everything including her own true happiness. Hudson Ellis was reckless, dependable, and loved adrenaline filled moments. It’s your classic vacation in a small town for the summer and return to your privileged life in September and don’t fall for the small town boy who doesn’t run in your social circle story. Secrets, grief, loss, and miscommunication lead to Hudson and Allie chasing their dreams separately to only be brought back together by Hudson’s niece searching for her birth mother.

I was so captivated that I read it in a single day. Allie and Hudson’s friendship, along with their evolving love story, truly drew me in. The flashbacks offered glimpses into a much larger narrative you don’t even see coming—even if you think you have it all figured out. There were a few times I was shaking my head, because the author did not hold back with her punches. She was real and raw with her characters, and this is what makes this book so great. If you’ve read the author’s work before, you know she has a gift to rip your heart out in the most beautiful way. There were moments I was waiting for it, moments I said, “Rebecca don’t” (like we are bff’s and she can hear me!). But when I flipped the last page of this book, I was like “damn, she did it again”. You’ll cry, laugh, gasp, think wtf, and overall be captivated by the strength, hope, and grace you will find within the pages of Variation.

Some of my takeaways after finishing Variation: Grief and loss are intense experiences, and therapy helps unpack the complex emotions associated with them. Healing and breaking generational trauma begin with the desire to improve upon past experiences. Loving someone means being present in their highs and lows. It's acceptable to love your family while pursuing your dreams, which can evolve over time.

✨Book Review✨

Variation - Rebecca Yarros

📖 Hudson is a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Allie is an elite ballerina who just suffered a major injury. When Allie returns to her summer home to recover she finds herself face to face with Hudson - and a past she doesn’t want to remember. Childhood best friends, until they weren’t - their past is endlessly complicated. Will they be able to be pulled back together, or will they be driven apart forever?

📚 Rebecca Yarros is the antithesis of, “I’ll stop when I get to the end of this chapter.” Her cliffhangers are unable to be ignored and left me turning pages well past my bedtime. I really enjoyed this plot, the characters, and the intricate family dynamics that were included. While there were a lot of ballet references, Yarros did an excellent job weaving the information into the story in a way that felt natural and easy to understand. The twists were serious but utterly believable and the bedroom scenes are sizzlingly hot with a door that’s wide open.

I was so lucky to read an Advanced Readers Copy! Thank you to @rebeccayarros and @NetGalley for the opportunity to review early!

🌟 When this hits shelves on November 19th you’re going to want to pick up a copy! This is a contemporary romance you don’t want to miss.

#BookReview #Variation #RebeccaYarros #AllieHudson #NetGalley

I swear, everything this woman writes is pure gold. Rebecca Yarros has a knack for pulling you in with drama and suspense while simultaneously wrecking your emotions. I loved it and I loved Variation. I felt all the feelings from Allie and Hudson with this Dual POV. Despair, anger, hurt, love, fear, joy, more despair... I understood both of their situations and their feelings for each other, and there was still plenty of mystery for all the plot twists at the end. I love that they owned their feelings and didn’t play immature games with each other throughout the whole book and I adore that he fell first within the first chapter. The nod at the “one bed” trope had me cackling. Just when I thought I could predict what was going to happen, I was taken another direction. ALSO - the spice was *chef’s kiss.* The barre scene?? DAMN..

Seeing their reunion after 10 years based around a little girl trying to find out who her birth parents are hit home for me because I was adopted as a baby too, and reading Juniper’s curiosity and her feelings brought me back to my own curiosities about my birth parents.

Overall, I loved how the title “Variation” had so many meanings in this book, from the initial ballet term, to the variations of stories told and believed (of Lina’s death, Allie and Hudson’s relationship, their mom’s “institution, Eva’s quarter life crisis) It was so well done.

By the end, my mind was completely blown, my heart shattered, stitched back together, resulting with me ugly crying.
5 stars!

Hudson & Allie are are really interesting characters that you instantly warm to, as always with Rebecca Yarros it is a perfect book to lose yourself in. Without giving too much away it is not as devastating as The Last Letter, so it is possible to read in public! A superb addition to the romance genre.

I grew up in ballet so this was an interesting read. There is a lot of nuance related to the dance world, and a sweet romance on the side. There is some miscommunication at the center of the plot but the great characters make up for it.