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. 💜💜💜📚

When her parents get divorced, Evie gives up on love. She then has an encounter with a mysterious woman. As a result, she has the power to see a romantic couples past, present and future. She meets X, who becomes her dance partner in an usual series of events. They get to know each other and fall in love while preparing for a dance competition. All the while, Evie is terrified that loving someone leads to losing them. The book has smart, well-developed characters, some great banter, an interesting plot and made me cry at various parts (including the ending). I loved it!

"The problem with broken hearts isn't that they kill you. It's that they don't." -Nicola Yoon

Nicola, why did you do this to me???

Oh, man. I loved this book. It was an extremely easy fast paced read, I was approved for this on NetGalley less than 24 hours ago and I’ve already finished. I couldn’t put it down.

On June 1st, you’re all going to cry the tears I cried today. It’s been a long wait since Nicola Yoon published Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star but believe me when I tell you, the wait was worth every moment.

This incredible heartwarming and heartbreaking story of love and loss and anger and emotion just has all the feels that encompasses a Nicola Yoon novel and as a child of divorce I felt so wholly connected to it.

5 🌟