Blog Tour- Instructions For Dancing by Nicola Yoon

BOOK BITE

Can a book capture the very nature of love? As Evie and X’s fates intertwine what will be the outcome? Bitter sweet YA with a pinch of magic stardust.

#Book Haiku

Evie and X dance

a slow tango as their hearts

connect with each step

ALL ABOUT NICOLA

FIVE FUN FACTS

Grew up in Jamaica and Brooklyn
Loves Karaoke, but cannot sing. “I. Am. The. Worst. My song of choice is “Making Love out of Nothing at all” by Air Supply, because AIR SUPPLY.”
A hopeless romantic
Jewellery making is among her talents
A proud member of the We Need Diverse Books team. Responsible for creating Joy Revolution with her husband David Yoon, an imprint that celebrates teen romance stories by and about people of colour.

QUOTES

Nicola on the nature of love

To love is as much a part of the human condition as breathing.”
David on Joy Revolution

“Nicki and I created Joy Revolution as an antidote for a media landscape where people of colour have relentlessly been erased, except for those rare occasions when their pain can teach white people about racism. Joy Revolution is a safe haven for readers like me and Nicki to see themselves as the romantic hero, free to pursue their bliss however they want, unrestrained and unencumbered.

Good Night To Read Review

Can a book capture the very nature of love? Is love worth all the pain and heartache and life changing decisions that come with it? Why love if you only lose?

Nicola Yoon, in response to a difficult time in her life, answers all these questions and more in her new YA novel ‘Instructions For Dancing’. Her protagonist Evie, disillusioned by her parents’ split, learns what poet Max Ehrmann counsels,

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.”
Max Ehrmann- Desiderata, 1920

Through a magical encounter, an unexpected meeting in a dance studio and a series of lessons from a feisty instructor Evie gets an insight into people’s relationships- the meet cutes, the honeymoon period, the struggles and the painful choices. She is also shown the endurance of love that is as solid as a rock. Resistant at first, she finds herself drawn into a tantalising world which gives her the opportunity to open her heart to forgiveness, acceptance, romance and the rhythm of the dance as she falls under the spell of X, a magnetic musician. From the Bachata to the Tango she finds her way into his arms but will she resist his charms?

Yoon builds strong secondary characters as Sophie, Cassidy and Martin support Evie while grappling with problems of their own. She creates believable friendships, highlighting strengths and vulnerabilities as they put the world to rights in their favourite waffle house. Her cast is diverse and representative of society.

Yoon also presents the reader with a conundrum- if you knew that something sad was going to happen in your future that you couldn’t change would you try to distance yourself from it? Should we run away from love if we know it’s going to hurt us? Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? As Shakespeare says,

Parting is such sweet sorrow.
Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet

Set in Los Angeles the book has a real love of location with the plot including a visit to the La Brea Tar pits. It also comes with its own playlist, which Yoon listened to while writing it, and can be heard on Spotify. If you thought about all the romantic songs in the world, which would you choose for your own playlist? Instructions For Dancing is poignant and bitter sweet with the ultimate message being to seize the day. You will cry and you will dream and maybe just be that little bit inspired. As Evie discovers, life cannot be lived through romance novels. Sooner or later readers must find their own story.

Book Chocoholic Rating- 4 Chocolate Libraries

Thank you to the brilliant @Write_Reads @WriteReadsTours @PenguinPlatform @NicolaYoon #UltimateBlogTour for including Good Night To Read on the ‘Instructions For Dancing’ Blog Tour.

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Twitter- @NicolaYoon

TAGLINE- ‘Love Moves to its Own Beat’

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