Evie Thomas used to believe in love, but not anymore. Not after her father completely ruined their family and broke her mother’s heart. Fed up with the unrealistic romances of her favorite novels, she donates them to a Little Free Library—and meets a mysterious old woman. Only a few hours later, Evie witness a couple kiss and is struck by a vision of the beginning of their love story…and the end. Frantic to understand what’s happening to her, Evie ends up at the La Brea Dance studio and meets an intriguing boy named X. When the two enter a ballroom dance competition together to help the studio, Evie is forced to question everything she thought she knew about love. With her heart on the line, is love truly worth the risk?

Instructions for Dancing is breathtakingly beautiful in its depictions of life, love, and loss. Nicola Yoon has outdone herself yet again with a story that is sure to be an instant hit. All the characters are so developed, and the setting sparkles with charming descriptions. Evie’s not perfect (who is?), but her flaws make her realistic and the growth she experiences is both emotional and heartwarming. Even though Evie proclaims that “this is not a love story,” the romantic elements are flirty and fun, but also heartbreaking in the most genuine way. While I enjoyed reading about Evie and X, my absolute favorite character is Fifi, who comes to life so spectacularly. Some of her scenes had me snorting with laughter! Readers can identify with so many fantastic themes in this novel: love, heartbreak, family, loss, and more. Instructions for Dancing is perfect for those who enjoy sweet romances that also portray the full reality of love.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

I'm a big fan of Nicola Yoon's YA novels and this latest one did not disappoint. I absolutely loved the story and thought it was such a fun read. At first I was a little skeptical with the whole "seeing the future" piece it worked out so well. The book took a much deeper turn and I loved how realistic it was regarding young relationships and the message about living in the moment. Can't wait to get it in the hands of my students!

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon follows Evie Thomas who doesn't believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually. As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything--including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he's only just met.

Nicola Yoon has completely shattered my heart. Yoon has a talent for mixing completely adorable romances with heartbreaking events. I enjoyed the fantasy elements of this novel and as always loved Yoon's writing style.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved and devoured everything by Nicola Yoon so far. I was beyond grateful to receive an e-ARC of her latest, instructions for Dancing! I read this book in a few sittings- it was SO GOOD! This is definitely going to be one of my favorite books of this year. Yoon writes such beautiful and heartbreaking stories that I just cannot put down. I highly recommend this book to everyone and anyone.

This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story with supernatural elements. There were some lines that were so well-written that I had to pause to truly take them in. The language was as captivating as the story, and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. The one caveat for me was the romance, which I was never a fan of. It was hard for me to feel invested in their love story when I didn't believe in them as a couple. Regardless, this was a great coming of age that had it all-- humor, fleshed out characters, and complicated family dynamics.

This was cute and I loved the fact that I got the chills multiple times but the reason for only 3 stars is because the characters weren’t fully developed and the story line felt a little to fast paced for my liking. Overall I think it was a good story and I’d recommend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3 Awww Stars
I love to dance so when I saw this title and author, I knew this was going to be a story for me!

I read two other novels by Nicola Yoon ~ “Everything, Everything” and The Sun is Also a Star” I totally enjoyed both. After reading this story ~ I am totally a fan!!!

Eighteen year old Evie no longer believe in love! Her parents recently divorced and she sees her father kiss another woman. She is so upset she gathers all her romance novels and gives them away. She has one more sack full that she is taking to the library only realizes that the Library is closed on Sundays. She goes to a nearby park and sees a woman with a “Little Free Library Book” stand. She gives her the sack full of books. As she is leaving the woman says ~if you leave a book you need to take a book!
Evie really doesn’t want another book but accepts a book entitled “Instructions for Dancing”.

Evie soon finds that she has visions about people’s love life right after she sees them kissing. These visions are then, now and in the future and most cases the future is sad as they break up.
She doesn’t want these visions and believe the book is cursed. She tries to find the woman who gave her the book. There is an address in the book that states ~ If found, please return to La Brea Dance Club.. ~ So off she goes.
She discovers that she just might enjoy learning to ballroom dance. At first her style is a disaster, she quickly learns that ~ dancing is more than just knowing the steps. Once that is accomplished she is assigned a partner a hot’ guy, Xavier Darius Woods aka X and they train to do competition.
But the visions are still happening.
There, of course, is more to this story! So read on.
Totally loved this story, it has a great message ~ yep I say that with a lump in my throat!
As always, I enjoy reading the ‘Author’s Notes’ or ‘Acknowledgements’ aka ‘the inside scoop,
In this case, Ms. Yoon gives us a bit of background as to what was happening in her real life.

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacote Press for this early release granted to me for my honest professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 1 2021

Nicola Yoon does it again!!
For me, any book by her is an instant purchase. I know her works always have a great writing style, representation and hook me into new places and characters that make me feel as if I truly know them.
Instructions for Dancing follows Evie, a girl who used to love romance and hopefulness before she caught her dad cheating on her mom, and a boy named X, who winds up becoming more than just her dance partner. This book holds a magical element of a spell that allows Evie to see every couples future. She even got me with a plot twist that broke my heart, but that's not the point ;) Honestly, for me personally, I would recommend her other books to new readers first but I would still suggest this one to ALL YA readers and would keep it in my own classroom library for middle and high school students.

*THANK YOU NETGALLEY FOR AN ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

Ok, bookworms- have any of you seen the TV show Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist? It's a feel good show with copious amounts of music and lots of heart. The main character, Zoey has a superpower in that she sees and hears people break into song and dance while sharing their inner thoughts. Instructions For Dancing is a bit like that. Evie is our protagonist and she develops a superpower where if she sees a couple kiss, she has a vision of their relationship's beginning, middle and end. To Evie, this is both a blessing and a curse. This is a YA book and it is a sweet one, at that. Evie is a very likable high school senior with a small circle of friends. She grows as a person throughout the book, falls in love for the first time, realizes her parents are not perfect and learns to trust her heart instead of shielding it. Ballroom dancing is a large part of this book and for me, it added to the old-fashioned (in a good way) and magical essence of the book. Instructions For Dancing is about saying yes and taking chances. Yoon has written two other books that were optioned into movies. It would not surprise me if the same is true of this one. Pub date is 6/1/21. Thank you to @netgalley and @delacortepress for the complimentary ARC of this book. My opinions are solely my own. #netgalley #goodreads #bookstagrammer #bookreviewer #instructionsfordancing #delacortepress #nicolayoon #ya #booksandmrdarcy #withhernosestuckinabook❤️📚

This is a fairly light love story about two Black teens who meet while learning how to ballroom dance. Having read Yoon's two other books, I wasn't expecting it to be so light and I also wasn't expecting the magical element to the book. This will be a great, fun escape-type of book for teens this summer. Appropriate for ages 12 and older - there is some teenage drinking.

This book... I dont even know where to start.
Nicola takes you on a full, beautiful, bittersweet journey that I will never forget. I love these characters so much and see myself in them in so many different ways. I laughed, wanted to shake these characters so many times and of course shed some tears. Because an amazing book gives you all those feelings, but makes you love it and want to return again and again.

OMG, my poor heart. This was an amazing book that broke me and put me back together at the same time. I love Nicola Yoon’s writing and her characters so much and this book definitely captures the same charm as her previous novels.
Instructions for Dancing follows Evie, a high school senior, who used to swoon over romance novels, but she doesn’t believe in love anymore after finding out her father cheated on her mother. When she decides to rid herself of all her romance novels, she encounters a mysterious elderly woman and suddenly develops a special power. She can now see visions of a couple’s full romantic relationship from beginning to end. Determined to discover what’s happening to her, Evie finds herself at La Brea Dance studio, where she learns ballroom dancing with a boy named X. A boy who might just be the key to finding answers and opening her heart up to love again.
Nicola Yoon’s writing is so good! It’s vivid and descriptive without being too fluffy or drawn out. It’s so beautiful and keeps you so engaged with the story. I loved that she chose to add a magical realism element to this one. It definitely made things interesting and set up some important plot points. It made for a quick yet extremely meaningful read.
This was a really touching story. There were definitely some sad parts but heartwarming ones as well. There was so much discussion about the concept of love and happiness such as the question of whether happiness in the moment is worth heartbreak in the future. It took such an in-depth view of relationships and vulnerability that felt so impactful. I forgot that I was reading a YA novel during most of it because, while there were cute parts for sure, a lot was about questions I’m sure people ask themselves throughout their whole lives. It was ultimately all about love; the beginning and the end but mostly all the moments in between.
This was so poignant and moving, I had all the feels while reading this. Although it had a magical element, it was also extremely realistic and taught some important lessons: live in the moment and love while you can.

I adored this book. The characters are realistically flawed and have space to grow throughout the events of the story. What a gut punch of an ending.

I was so excited for a new Nicola Yoon book! Instructions for Dancing is a perfect beach read that's full of Nicola Yoon's signature style. It's a cute romance that also promises some emotional punches.

Instructions for Dancing has a unique hook that will keep you reading! Evie visits a little free library and finds a mysterious old book. Suddenly, she finds herself with the ability to see the future for how romantic relationships will end--and she's also entered a dance competition with a super cute boy. On top of everything else, Evie is dealing with her parents divorce and discovering that her father cheated. Evie definitely has a lot going on.

Read this one if you love quick reads with lots of interesting characters and a unique plot! Be ready for some tears though!

After her parents' divorce, Evie Thomas doesn't believe in love anymore. One day, she discovers that she has a "power" of sorts: if she sees a couple kiss, she can see how their romance started and how it will end. At the same time, Evie begins frequenting a dance studio where she meets a boy who challenges her stance on love.

I though this was super cute! Definitely YA but the story includes quite the shocker. I think that this book was much more plot-driven than character-driven; the characters didn't really seem to be fully fleshed out but I don't think that was necessary to move the plot along. I enjoyed the writing but I wish we could've gotten to learn more about the mysterious woman. This would be a great option to adapt as a movie!

I really enjoyed Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star, but for some reason this one just didn't have the same magic for me (even though it did have some LITERAL magic).

After her parents divorce, Evie has nothing but cynicism when it comes to love. When she finds a strange book and can suddenly see the past, present, and future of the couples around her, she doesn't have much hope, either...because most of those relationships end in heartache.

When Evie finds herself taking beginner dance classes, she also finds herself falling for her charismatic dance partner--something she wants nothing to do with. But X is hard to resist, and she begins wondering if love can work out sometimes. She even begins trying to repair her relationship with her dad.

But when Evie's new powers turn themselves on HER, she has a huge decision to make: is love about the ending, or the journey? And is it worth it?

“Time passes. People change. Lives move on.” Heartbreak is inevitable. So, embrace the moment and grab all the love and joy that you can.

That about sums up Nicola Yoon’s latest novel about a girl, Evie, whose belief in love and commitment is shaken after her dad cheats on her mom. Her disillusionment solidifies when, witnessing several couples kissing, Evie “sees” that all but one of those relationships will end in rupture and heartbreak. Thankfully, her visions don’t prevent Evie from falling in love with the irrepressible X, whom she meets after a strange woman gives her a book (Instructions for Dancing) that directs her to a dance studio, where Evie is persuaded to take lessons and enter a ballroom dance competition partnered by X.

I loved Nicola Yoon’s The Sun is Also a Star and was anticipating this book. It has Yoon’s trademark wit and appealing characters and is a quick, enjoyable read if you just roll with it and don’t think too much. But thinking about it, and even accounting for the magical realism, some plot points, for me, need more development: Who is the mystery woman; what’s her story? Why is Evie suddenly a visionary? Why aren’t Evie’s parents concerned she’s dating a high school dropout? Why is she, a new student and a total novice, chosen to represent the dance studio in a ballroom dance competition? In any case, the dance competition seems more of a metaphor than a driver of the story (though I did enjoy learning about the dances.)

In her endnotes, Yoon outlines the personal events that prompted the novel. That’s the book—a novel for adults about adults grappling with the decline and loss of loved ones—that I hope she’ll write next.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I am bawling my eyes out! Omg this book is so tragically beautiful I don’t know where to begin!

This story is so much more than a young girl finding her way! It’s about the beauty of life and how it’s nothing without LOVE! I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but what I got was soooo much more than expected!

The plot was unique and the story itself really flows! I love the growth of the main character and I didn’t want this book to end!

4.5 stars (when is Goodreads going to add half stars!) Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House publishing for this early advanced copy. This one will be released next month and it's being touted as one of 2021's most-anticipated books (huge tribute to Nicola Yoon who is already a New York Times Bestselling author).

I don't usually love romances but this one was cute and, though the two main characters are high school aged, there are enough other relationships to speak to readers of all ages.

About a week ago, I wrote a wedding ceremony speech that encouraged everyone to be present in every moment (rather than focusing on the ending, or what is going to go wrong). That is the exact message at the core of this book.

I liked all the characters, X was my favorite. Though I have a bone to pick with him about the ending of this story but don't want to spoil anything...

The only thing I didn't quite like is the title of the book and the whole dancing aspect (and I'm a dancer, too, I love it). Now, I realize that the dancing is what brought Evie and X together but meh... I am left to wonder if Yoon was going for something more metaphorical with the title, sort of like a: Yes, there are instructions for dancing and basic steps but THROWING yourself into dance, giving your all, and being passionate and PRESENT in the moment, during your dance, is what it's all about... Then okay. I hear ya Ms. Yoon!

A travel pack of facial tissue is not enough for this book. You have been warned. A fair amount of undignified blubbering may still be happening as I attempt to write this review. I guess I should have expected the tears, given my familiarity with Nicola Yoon's work. Nope. Not like this, anyway. Shoo. Alright, let me try to reign myself in. Instructions for Dancing is the story of Evie Thomas, a girl completely disillusioned with love after her parents divorce. When a strange vision of a couple's whole relationship unfolds before her eyes, Evie thinks she must have really lost it. Trying to figure out what is happening leads her to a tiny dance studio, where she meets X. X is tall and gorgeous, and a complication that Evie most certainly does not need at the moment. So why does she find herself agreeing to a ballroom dance competition with him? As Evie and X learn the intricate routines, and details about each other, will Evie be able to let go of her inhibitions, on the dance floor and with love?

It might sound cheesy, especially with my clumsy paraphrasing of the synopsis, but it's not. Instructions for Dancing has incredible moments woven in; lessons on anger, acceptance, friendship, and how every moment with someone you love really is a gift. Evie learns and grows a lot, and seeing her find a way to be comfortable in her new skin is really beautiful. I think this novel will be perfect for older teens and adults. This would be perfect for adaptation, and I'm already fan-casting Evie and X! Thank you to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for the chance to review this advance copy.