Instructions for Dancing
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- Create Date：2021-06-13 07:50:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Nicola Yoon
- ISBN：0241516919
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Summary
Evie is disillusioned about love ever since her dad left her mum for another woman - she's even throwing out her beloved romance novel collection。
When she's given a copy of a book called Instructions for Dancing， and follows a note inside to a dilapidated dance studio， she discovers she has a strange and unwelcome gift。 When a couple kisses in front of her， she can see their whole relationship play out - from the moment they first catch each other's eye to the last bitter moments of their break-up。
For Evie， it confirms everything she thinks she knows about love - that it doesn't last。
But at the dance studio she meets X - tall， dreadlocked， fascinating - and they start to learn to dance， together。 Can X help break the spell that Evie is under？ Can he change Evie's mind about love？
When she's given a copy of a book called Instructions for Dancing， and follows a note inside to a dilapidated dance studio， she discovers she has a strange and unwelcome gift。 When a couple kisses in front of her， she can see their whole relationship play out - from the moment they first catch each other's eye to the last bitter moments of their break-up。
For Evie， it confirms everything she thinks she knows about love - that it doesn't last。
But at the dance studio she meets X - tall， dreadlocked， fascinating - and they start to learn to dance， together。 Can X help break the spell that Evie is under？ Can he change Evie's mind about love？
Reviews
Hannah
，
This is a great quick read and another great story from Nicola Yoon。 I LOVE The Sun Is Also A Star， and while this one didn’t get me quite the same as that one， it definitely hit me in the feels。Single folk， hold on to your hats to be self reflective while reading this。 At times pieces of the story feel a little disjointed but the end does pull it together nicely。 The book is relatively short so things happen quite quickly， but it works for the lesson that is there to be learned。The book definit This is a great quick read and another great story from Nicola Yoon。 I LOVE The Sun Is Also A Star， and while this one didn’t get me quite the same as that one， it definitely hit me in the feels。Single folk， hold on to your hats to be self reflective while reading this。 At times pieces of the story feel a little disjointed but the end does pull it together nicely。 The book is relatively short so things happen quite quickly， but it works for the lesson that is there to be learned。The book definitely did some things I wasn’t expecting and well， I read it in under 24 hours so obviously it was good。 。。。more
Amy
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Heartbreaking in the best kind of ways。
Abbie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I thought for sure I would DNF this book because I felt like the first couple of chapters were used for political propaganda。 But once I made it to chapter 30， the book dived into the romance between Evie and X。 It had a lot of depth to it。 It was not your ordinary rom-com that you get from hallmark。 It was more serious and pragmatic， then one would guess。 I really liked the true lesson of forgiveness in this novel and how it is okay to be vulnerable no matter the age。 Evie was a little annoying I thought for sure I would DNF this book because I felt like the first couple of chapters were used for political propaganda。 But once I made it to chapter 30， the book dived into the romance between Evie and X。 It had a lot of depth to it。 It was not your ordinary rom-com that you get from hallmark。 It was more serious and pragmatic， then one would guess。 I really liked the true lesson of forgiveness in this novel and how it is okay to be vulnerable no matter the age。 Evie was a little annoying in the beginning， but you have to give her the benefit of the doubt because she was 18 and her parents were divorced。 But all if her relationships developed really well。 Her friendships， her family relationships and her romantic relationship。 It was nice to see all the lessons her relationships taught her。 If you want a mindless read， this is not the book for you。 It was very sad at the end and in the beginning。 If you want a book with depth and a serious tone then this is the book for you。 Know what you want and what you like before starting this read。 。。。more
Cora
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This book had no right to hit me this hard。 I don’t like dancing books or books with cartoon people on the covers。 The combination of these things left me none too excited to pick up this book for any reason。 However， I love Nicola Yoon’s work， so I did。 I DONT REGRET IT！！ This book follows a high school senior named Evie， disillusioned in love after her parents divorce， and contemplating whether looking for love is worth it if it ends in so much pain。 Into her life comes a copy of Instructions This book had no right to hit me this hard。 I don’t like dancing books or books with cartoon people on the covers。 The combination of these things left me none too excited to pick up this book for any reason。 However， I love Nicola Yoon’s work， so I did。 I DONT REGRET IT！！ This book follows a high school senior named Evie， disillusioned in love after her parents divorce， and contemplating whether looking for love is worth it if it ends in so much pain。 Into her life comes a copy of Instructions for Dancing， that leads her to a ballroom dance studio， and Xavier。 This book has great representation， and is perfect for those who are children of divorce， dealing with grief， disillusioned with parents， or have ever contemplated whether love is worth it if it can come with so much loss。 i cried at the little things。 five stars。 and now quotes “In darkness there’s still hope。 Some hidden things in places you can’t see。 Grief to me feels like an endless landscape of white light。 No secrets。 And no surprises either。 You can see clearly all you have lost。 Everything that’s no longer there。” “Love is the question and the answer and the reason to ask in the first place。 It’s everything。 All of it。” “How many versions of me will there be。。。？” 。。。more
Kayley's Bookshelf
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My heart is shatteredI loved this book
Michelle Gopaul
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i was under the impression this may be the first Nicola Yoon book that does not make me shed a tear。。。i was wrongnot to sound cheesy but this book will make you believe in love， think love is dead and there's nothing good in the world， then believe in love again。so cute but still emotional and powerful！*a movie adaptation would be so sick！ i was under the impression this may be the first Nicola Yoon book that does not make me shed a tear。。。i was wrongnot to sound cheesy but this book will make you believe in love， think love is dead and there's nothing good in the world， then believe in love again。so cute but still emotional and powerful！*a movie adaptation would be so sick！ 。。。more
Katie
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4。5 Stars！I want to so badly give this a 5-star rating because I loved this， but it's probably closer to a 4+ star book for me。 I might come back in a few days to bring my rating up because I have a feeling this book will stick with me for awhile！ I highly recommend this。 Don't let the cute cover trick you。。。there are plenty of sad moments in this book。 Instructions for Dancing follows Evie Thomas who is a senior in high school and has had her belief in love ruined when she catches her dad with 4。5 Stars！I want to so badly give this a 5-star rating because I loved this， but it's probably closer to a 4+ star book for me。 I might come back in a few days to bring my rating up because I have a feeling this book will stick with me for awhile！ I highly recommend this。 Don't let the cute cover trick you。。。there are plenty of sad moments in this book。 Instructions for Dancing follows Evie Thomas who is a senior in high school and has had her belief in love ruined when she catches her dad with another woman。 Evie gives away all her romance books at a free library where she finds a copy of a book called “Instructions for Dancing。” The book leads her to a dance studio where she ends up getting signed up for a local amateur dance competition and assigned a good-looking dance partner named X。 She also starts seeing weird visions of people’s relationships ending poorly and this helps her convince herself that relationships will never work out， but she’s also starting to become more and more attracted to X。 I wasn’t expecting there to be some magical realism in this book， so I was surprised when Evie had her first “vision。” I was worried because I don’t usually enjoy books with magical realism， but this played an incredibly small part in the book。 This book was more about Evie finding out that love isn’t about the ending moments， but the middle moments。 This book brings a new meaning to the saying， “Better to have lost and loved than never to have loved at all。” I love everything author puts out！ I will admit， it’s not a perfect book， and there were some loopholes that I wish would have been tied up more at the end， but I couldn’t put this book down。 I loved it。 Nicola’s writing is so easy to get pulled into and she tells such fun stories about love， family， and friendships。 I would have loved reading books like this when I was in high school！ Another Nicola does well in her YA books is she writes good chemistry between her characters。 I wouldn’t say that either of these characters were my favorite characters of the year， but dang， I was rooting for them！ I enjoyed how each brought their perspective and history into the friendship/relationship and neither of them pushed the other to change。 Instead， they brought out the best in each other。 They both had history and grief that made them who they were， but they were able to rely on each other and become close friends。 This was so well done。 Even the side characters had depth and felt so real and added to the overall story。 Nicola’s ability to write relatable and believable characters is why I come back to her books！ I especially loved the dynamics between Evie and her dad。 I completely understood how she was torn between wanting to forgive him but still be so angry with him。 This was a different dynamic in the book， and even though I’ve never experienced this in my life， I felt like I understood Evie’s anger and fear towards relationships。 Parts I didn’t love: -I enjoyed the dancing aspect of the book， but it also felt weirdly out of place in some parts。 -I wanted to know what Evie’s dad’s fiancé’s sad story was。 It was hinted at that her dad saved Shirley， and I guess I wanted to know more about that。-There were some pacing issues for me。 I loved the beginning and end of the book so， SO much， but there was a section in the middle that seemed a bit slow。 -A little more wrap up with the side characters/friends would have been really nice。Overall， I loved this book！ Don’t let the cute cover trick you…there are some sad moments in this book， but the message was well done！ 。。。more
Kareena
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Nicola Yoon takes my heart with every book she writes。 I absolutely loved this one， the characters were fantastic， the plot was well paced， the writing is divine。 Like all of her love stories， the ending isn't what you would pick， but you will certainly fall in love。 Nicola Yoon takes my heart with every book she writes。 I absolutely loved this one， the characters were fantastic， the plot was well paced， the writing is divine。 Like all of her love stories， the ending isn't what you would pick， but you will certainly fall in love。 。。。more
Sara
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Very unremarkable。 Nothing really to recommend it。
Jessica
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This was really， really good。 I loved the characters， the emotions， the love and the message that Nicola Yoon left readers with。 Such a lovely read。
Diana_bibliophile
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I mean， it was okay。
Tuddi
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All the stars！ Wow。I have loved every book Nicola has written and I was worried （after almost 5 years since her last books release） that this genre and her style would feel too young for me。 Let me just tell you how wrong I was。 Nicola has this beautifully unique way of writing。 It’s descriptive， conversational， engrossing， and so fun！ I found that I never craved multiple pov’s， or to spend longer in certain places or with certain characters（which I often do）。 I was never looking for more inform All the stars！ Wow。I have loved every book Nicola has written and I was worried （after almost 5 years since her last books release） that this genre and her style would feel too young for me。 Let me just tell you how wrong I was。 Nicola has this beautifully unique way of writing。 It’s descriptive， conversational， engrossing， and so fun！ I found that I never craved multiple pov’s， or to spend longer in certain places or with certain characters（which I often do）。 I was never looking for more information， everything was just there for the taking！Instructions for Dancing speaks straight to the soul。 It asks the age old question: do you choose love？ Do you choose it when the future is unknown？ Do you choose it when you know the ending？ Do you choose it despite everything？ Do you choose。。 to take that leap of faith？I would easily recommend this books to all ages but be ready for the feels。 Highly， highly recommend。 Absolutely beautiful。 。。。more
Sheila Spencer
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This books ending traumatized me and now imma read something to soothe me
Katie Reutter
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4。2 this was super cuteeeee
Sybil Mcguire
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Cried， cried again， bawled， cried。。。 Dammit woman， your unreleased books are probably better than most。 BRAVO
Cassi
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Instructions for Dancing feels like a classic romcom。 A cynical girl who has given up on love ends up taking up a new hobby and meeting a boy thanks to an unlikely event and a little bit of magic。 But what could have been cliche ended up being a heartfelt and fast read about finding love and learning what it really means even if you will eventually lose it one day。 I have loved every book by Nicola Yoon I have read， and this was no exception。 She is great at balancing the serious and tough momen Instructions for Dancing feels like a classic romcom。 A cynical girl who has given up on love ends up taking up a new hobby and meeting a boy thanks to an unlikely event and a little bit of magic。 But what could have been cliche ended up being a heartfelt and fast read about finding love and learning what it really means even if you will eventually lose it one day。 I have loved every book by Nicola Yoon I have read， and this was no exception。 She is great at balancing the serious and tough moments with the sweet and fun ones。 And while this did feel a little superficial and the ending felt rushed， I thoroughly enjoyed reading it。 。。。more
Emmeline
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This book reminds me why I love the young adult genre。 It has family drama， friendships， and first true love woven through a beautiful story。 It’s lovely to read and wonderfully paced。 I’ll definitely read more of Nicola Yoon’s books！
Tahia Tabassum
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I picked this book up on a hunch， because the synopsis made it sound like the perfect rom-com。 I expected sweetness， and love， and pure sugary fluff – the story in Instructions for Dancing has all of it。 What I wasn’t prepared for was the grief。 The novel’s rom-com core is entwined with sadness and the emotion hits you at points out of nowhere。 Throughout the 24 hours I spent reading it， I’ve both laughed and cried。 And yeahh I could use some chocolate now :3Before I go on， here’s a small synops I picked this book up on a hunch， because the synopsis made it sound like the perfect rom-com。 I expected sweetness， and love， and pure sugary fluff – the story in Instructions for Dancing has all of it。 What I wasn’t prepared for was the grief。 The novel’s rom-com core is entwined with sadness and the emotion hits you at points out of nowhere。 Throughout the 24 hours I spent reading it， I’ve both laughed and cried。 And yeahh I could use some chocolate now :3Before I go on， here’s a small synopsis:After her parent’s divorce， our protagonist， Evie， had all but given up on romance。 Until one day， an encounter with a mysterious woman leaves her with a peculiar superpower: whenever Evie sees a couple in love kiss， suddenly she’s whisked into a vision of their entire relationship。 She sees important fragments of their life， from their first encounter until their tragic breakup。 Desperate to find out what’s happening to her， Evie follows the only lead she has: an address for a dance studio scrawled in the back of a book given to her by the mysterious woman。 There she finds X – and that is where the real story begins。 You know， love is a funny thing。 It changes people， softens them。。。 turns them into a different， better version of themselves。 In the book， Evie knew better than anyone that despite the beauty and joy in the beginning， at some point， love ends。 And when love came for her， in the form of a charming， funny， and extremely hot boy， its power surpassed her cynicism and she was helpless to it。 No matter what we do， I think we humans were made to be helpless to it。Instructions for Dancing was genuinely funny， and Evie’s snarky narration made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion。 Oh and I loved the dance part – I’m terrible at dancing but， reading about the various forms was sooo much fun！ The author also chose to show many different types of love amongst the characters， ranging from a boy’s who’s crushed on a girl for years to an elderly couple’s who have loved each other all their lives and are still completely infatuated。 I think the novel’s main message was that sometimes， our hearts break and “break” is a very small word for it because it can feel like someone mowed it over with a tractor， burnt it， and then spent considerable time tearing it apart （and then stomped on the pieces）。 But， the point is。。。 heartbreaks can hurt like hell but they do not have the power to kill us。 We’re human。 Somehow， we grow around the pain and when love comings knocking again。。。 sometimes， we let it in。 Instructions for Dancing may not leave your heart feeling incredibly warm and fuzzy because the love stories of the characters are more realistic than Disney’s “they all lived happily ever after”。 But， what it will do is impart an extremely valuable message: live in the moment and love in the moment。 Even if it ends， at least you will have lived and loved your best life。 。。。more
Ashley
，
This book started so sweet and cute and ended up breaking my heart💜
Heather
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4。5 stars
i。
，
Writing three beautiful books in a row doesn't seem easy but Nicola Yoon has done it。 Instructions for Dancing is just as adorable as her two previous novels but it's not a book for the faint-heartedEvie， the main character， has just stopped believing in love and I can't blame her after her dad cheated and destroyed a long marriage and a family。 But love finds a way to get into Evie's heart again and she falls head over heels for a boy who can actually dance （and sing）。 When I was reading this n Writing three beautiful books in a row doesn't seem easy but Nicola Yoon has done it。 Instructions for Dancing is just as adorable as her two previous novels but it's not a book for the faint-heartedEvie， the main character， has just stopped believing in love and I can't blame her after her dad cheated and destroyed a long marriage and a family。 But love finds a way to get into Evie's heart again and she falls head over heels for a boy who can actually dance （and sing）。 When I was reading this novel I felt like Evie many times with a mixture of happiness and sadness。 Because this is not the kind of novel that depicts life as a bowl of cherries and it will make you laugh and cry。 It will make you think whether it's worth loving someone when you know that relationship may not end well or reading a book with a （view spoiler）[bittersweet （hide spoiler）]ending。 The answer to those questions is different for each person。 I think Nicola Yoon has moved a step further with this novel。 I'm eager to read her next one， but please， Nicola， （view spoiler）[don't make me cry （hide spoiler）]again。www。theleisurediaries。blogspot。com 。。。more
sunflower
，
I am thinking of giving it 4。5 stars but what the heck， this deserves a 5 star rating。 ❤️I was going to drop it at first because it feels too cliche for me。 Like poof， Evie decides to participate in a dance competition even though she just attended a workshop。 Of course， she has a secret talent for dancing， duh！！！ And voila， she got to do it with a very hot guy！ Because that’s just how the world works！ NO。 Idk why I was so pissed at that。 But you know what？！ I DID NOT REGRET FINISHING THIS BOOK。 I am thinking of giving it 4。5 stars but what the heck， this deserves a 5 star rating。 ❤️I was going to drop it at first because it feels too cliche for me。 Like poof， Evie decides to participate in a dance competition even though she just attended a workshop。 Of course， she has a secret talent for dancing， duh！！！ And voila， she got to do it with a very hot guy！ Because that’s just how the world works！ NO。 Idk why I was so pissed at that。 But you know what？！ I DID NOT REGRET FINISHING THIS BOOK。 It was worth it。 It’s worth all the tears shed。 We love to hurt ourselves right here， no？ Enough of the rambling， I can guarantee you this book will teach you something。 So go ahead and read it， finish it。 It’s worth it。 。。。more
maddi
，
（edit: 4。5 stars out of 5！） Nicola Yoon does it again！ I was cautious going in， because I read her other two books four years ago when I first started dating my boyfriend。 I was worried I'd read them with rose-coloured glasses on， and that this book couldn't live up to them。 Oh boy I was wrong！ Instructions for Dancing was such a vibrant， refreshing read！ I finished it in less than 24 hours， because the short chapters and constant moving story made it impossible to put down。 I was moved more tha （edit: 4。5 stars out of 5！） Nicola Yoon does it again！ I was cautious going in， because I read her other two books four years ago when I first started dating my boyfriend。 I was worried I'd read them with rose-coloured glasses on， and that this book couldn't live up to them。 Oh boy I was wrong！ Instructions for Dancing was such a vibrant， refreshing read！ I finished it in less than 24 hours， because the short chapters and constant moving story made it impossible to put down。 I was moved more than I thought I would be， and definitely closed the book with a new lesson on life & love learnt。 I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a quick， cheesy romance， or anyone who enjoyed her other two books！。 。。。more
Sierra （shesgotstories）
，
"But as much as I want to， I can't stop the world from changing。 Time passes。 People change。 Lives move on。"It's books like this that I enjoy going into blind。 I thought it was going to be a happy and cheesy YA contemporary romance based on the cover and I ended up wrong to an extent。 I wasn't ready to be in my feelings a little while reading this book。Instructions for Dancing certainly has its cute moments。 The main character who doesn't believe in love after her parent's divorce ends up on a f "But as much as I want to， I can't stop the world from changing。 Time passes。 People change。 Lives move on。"It's books like this that I enjoy going into blind。 I thought it was going to be a happy and cheesy YA contemporary romance based on the cover and I ended up wrong to an extent。 I wasn't ready to be in my feelings a little while reading this book。Instructions for Dancing certainly has its cute moments。 The main character who doesn't believe in love after her parent's divorce ends up on a fated path after a Little Free Library she donates books to offers up a dancing book that comes with the power to see people's love stories from start to finish。 The book leads her to a dance studio where she decides to test her new fate and take lessons that lead to preparing for a competition with the grandson of the studio owners。 Our main character， Evie， then learns that maybe love isn't so bad and takes a chance on the grandson， Xavier （AKA X）。 But then， the last couple of lines of Chapter 48 bursts the comfortable little bubble the book has thus far put you in when she sees her own love story with her power。 I was a little stunned and it took me a moment to process just how quickly things changed since I was not expecting it。 I should've known it had to have a little something to keep it from being too cheesy and perfect。 Evie then realizes after some moping and self-reflection that while she can't change people's stories once seeing them and failing to prevent her best friends' story from heartbreak， that perhaps spending time with those you love and enjoying your time together is for the best。 Just when she had thought love wasn't so bad， she felt like she was betrayed before realizing that all love stories come to an end， but there can be a new beginning for people too。 This was a rather quick read that I was able to get through in just a couple of hours and I really enjoyed it。 It was my first time reading a book by Nicola Yoon and it certainly has influenced me to add her other books to my TBR list。 The story was cute and for the most part what I would expect of a book in this genre， minus the little heartbreaking twist of course。 I loved the characters and how they both helped each other grow and rebuild parental relationships。 The ending is pretty satisfying since you know what is to happen to the characters in the future。Overall， I think this was a great book full of life lessons and a less typical contemporary romance story which made it unique。 A fun read that highlights how love stories may end， but there are new beginnings to be found that can be happy as well。 。。。more
Kaley
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ENDING
Aksa
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WOW！I don't even know from where to begin this book is unlike any other ya romance I've ever read。 Though my experience in this field is very poor I'd say this will be one of my favorite even in future no matter what。Nicola yoon made fall for her work so hard I'm still aching This book is about X and evie。 Evie，whose dad recently got seperated from her mom and she is having difficuly continuing notmally she turns from romantic and jolly to cynic and X who has pains of his own learned this life i WOW！I don't even know from where to begin this book is unlike any other ya romance I've ever read。 Though my experience in this field is very poor I'd say this will be one of my favorite even in future no matter what。Nicola yoon made fall for her work so hard I'm still aching This book is about X and evie。 Evie，whose dad recently got seperated from her mom and she is having difficuly continuing notmally she turns from romantic and jolly to cynic and X who has pains of his own learned this life is worth living always，there should be no regretSomething happens with evie and I definitely don't want to tell what but it is what leads them to a epic love and life lesson。 Check it out friends its definitely worth your time。 I sure loved it 。。。more
Yas
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This is an existential crisis in a book。 You go through so many different emotions with Evie and you feel just as heartbroken as she does。 Yoon portrays emotions perfectly， and you can’t help but fall completely in love with the story。 We follow Evie as she struggles with the meaning of love， and whether or not it’s worth it。 In the end she’s gone through so much and changed a lot。 This story is a wonderfully woven tale of love， heartbreak， and the meaning of life。 You see friendships fall apart This is an existential crisis in a book。 You go through so many different emotions with Evie and you feel just as heartbroken as she does。 Yoon portrays emotions perfectly， and you can’t help but fall completely in love with the story。 We follow Evie as she struggles with the meaning of love， and whether or not it’s worth it。 In the end she’s gone through so much and changed a lot。 This story is a wonderfully woven tale of love， heartbreak， and the meaning of life。 You see friendships fall apart after so long spent together。 A beautiful romance blossoming。 And familial struggles。 Instructions for Dancing is such a roller coaster。 In the beginning I was delighted and laughing my way through the pages。 By the end of it I was a mess。 I’m happy I decided to pick up this book and go through this journey with Evie。 Overall a stunning book with such a good message。 。。。more
Rhysand_Darling
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Ah！ I have so many feels right now😭My poor broken heart hurts so much。 Why did you did this to us？ Such a beautiful story❤️I loved it so muchGaaahhh I’m crying so much
Ky
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SO CUTTEEE。 Nicola Yoon's books are so readable。 So easy to fly through。 I can just imagine watching this movie。 SO CUTTEEE。 Nicola Yoon's books are so readable。 So easy to fly through。 I can just imagine watching this movie。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Instructions for Dancing
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Instructions for Dancing&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft