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Sweet Dreams
Dance of Love
Ever since third grade, Polly and Jennifer have shared everything from ballet lessons to boy talk. They both dream of becoming famous dancers...and falling in love. Then Polly meets Cott Townsend, and her plans get turned upside down. Can Polly win Cott's love, keep Jennifer's friendship and still be true to herself?
- GenresYoung AdultTeenRomance
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 28, 2018
Polly and Jennifer are best friends and talented ballerina dancers, preparing for an audition for a scholarship. They have their whole futures mapped out. All this changes when Polly starts dating Cott Townsend, the new boy in school, a rich boy with a father who has connections to the entertainment world. Polly must find a way to balance her friendship with Jennifer with her exciting new romance with Cott. Other opportunities regarding her future also arise.
Surprisingly good teen romance. I didn't think Polly was that much of a bad friend! She sometimes got forgetful in regards to Jennifer, but that was understandable in the context of her new romance with Cott. Plus, she was always trying to consider Jennifer's feelings, and felt bad and conflicted when she got things wrong. As you can do when you're a hormonal teenager! It was Jennifer who was the awful friend! This is a girl who is ready to start an argument with Polly because she doesn't approve of the haircut Polly wants to get! She is constantly trying to undermine Polly's decisions, or point out all the negatives, or tell Polly that she is doing the wrong thing. She was awful! I wanted to reach into the pages of the book and give her an attitude adjustment. Polly had the patience of a saint in putting up with her deplorable behaviour!
I liked that even though Polly was quite caught up in the rush of her new romance with Cott, she was still an independent character with independent goals outside of being with a boy. This story is as much about learning to accept curveballs that life may throw at you, how it might affect your future, and how to prioritise and juggle what is important in your life. Polly has always dreamed of being a ballerina, but when exciting new career opportunities arise - with a possibly uncertain outcome, she must decide whether or not she wants to take that risk. Even Cott's character had shades of development, with his "cool cat" exterior masking his own insecurities about stable relationships, as it seems he doesn't get that from his father and stepmother. Oh yeah, and he's "the hottest guy since Harrison Ford, only younger!" Lol.
There's actually more going on under the surface than you would expect for a quickie 80s teen romance. Even the awful, awful Jennifer eventually becomes more tolerable as the book proceeds. I enjoyed the poignancy of the book's exploration of daring to follow your dreams, even if you don't know where they'll take you.
Surprisingly good teen romance. I didn't think Polly was that much of a bad friend! She sometimes got forgetful in regards to Jennifer, but that was understandable in the context of her new romance with Cott. Plus, she was always trying to consider Jennifer's feelings, and felt bad and conflicted when she got things wrong. As you can do when you're a hormonal teenager! It was Jennifer who was the awful friend! This is a girl who is ready to start an argument with Polly because she doesn't approve of the haircut Polly wants to get! She is constantly trying to undermine Polly's decisions, or point out all the negatives, or tell Polly that she is doing the wrong thing. She was awful! I wanted to reach into the pages of the book and give her an attitude adjustment. Polly had the patience of a saint in putting up with her deplorable behaviour!
I liked that even though Polly was quite caught up in the rush of her new romance with Cott, she was still an independent character with independent goals outside of being with a boy. This story is as much about learning to accept curveballs that life may throw at you, how it might affect your future, and how to prioritise and juggle what is important in your life. Polly has always dreamed of being a ballerina, but when exciting new career opportunities arise - with a possibly uncertain outcome, she must decide whether or not she wants to take that risk. Even Cott's character had shades of development, with his "cool cat" exterior masking his own insecurities about stable relationships, as it seems he doesn't get that from his father and stepmother. Oh yeah, and he's "the hottest guy since Harrison Ford, only younger!" Lol.
There's actually more going on under the surface than you would expect for a quickie 80s teen romance. Even the awful, awful Jennifer eventually becomes more tolerable as the book proceeds. I enjoyed the poignancy of the book's exploration of daring to follow your dreams, even if you don't know where they'll take you.
July 6, 2026
4.5🌟 I cannot believe how much I liked this vintage YA book! Wow!
I've tried rereading the favorite books of my early teen years (specifically Sweet Valley High) and they were a bit of a disappointment (which is very sad!) [Not only that, but I forgot how frustrating and horrible Jessica could be when it came to any situation where Liz might outshine her. Ughhh.]
Anyway, I went into Dance of Love with low expectations (just in case) and it was SOO GOOD! Here's what I loved:
💖 Excellent writing
💖 Characters that you could really root for and love
💖 Challenges in a teen friendship met with loyalty, understanding and encouragement (yay!)
💖 New love and romantic relationships
💖 Lots of lovely details about ballet, clothes and food
💖 Boyfriends who are a fantastic mixture of supportive, kind AND handsome
Much love and many thanks and love to Liz (@pony.books on Instagram) for gifting this book to me for my birthday this year. The cover is so cute, but I thought it would be a "meh" reading experience (which is still fun in its own way). I was SO wrong...it's now one of my favorite vintage ballet books! Woo-hoo! 😊💕🩰
Highly recommended if you love vintage young adults books about friendship, ballet, or books in the Judy Blume style!
I've tried rereading the favorite books of my early teen years (specifically Sweet Valley High) and they were a bit of a disappointment (which is very sad!) [Not only that, but I forgot how frustrating and horrible Jessica could be when it came to any situation where Liz might outshine her. Ughhh.]
Anyway, I went into Dance of Love with low expectations (just in case) and it was SOO GOOD! Here's what I loved:
💖 Excellent writing
💖 Characters that you could really root for and love
💖 Challenges in a teen friendship met with loyalty, understanding and encouragement (yay!)
💖 New love and romantic relationships
💖 Lots of lovely details about ballet, clothes and food
💖 Boyfriends who are a fantastic mixture of supportive, kind AND handsome
Much love and many thanks and love to Liz (@pony.books on Instagram) for gifting this book to me for my birthday this year. The cover is so cute, but I thought it would be a "meh" reading experience (which is still fun in its own way). I was SO wrong...it's now one of my favorite vintage ballet books! Woo-hoo! 😊💕🩰
Highly recommended if you love vintage young adults books about friendship, ballet, or books in the Judy Blume style!
December 26, 2011
Ahh, a delicious, trashy, early-80s ballet/romance/teen novel. So full of promise! So full of bad fashion! So full of tropes!
We have Polly and Jennifer, two friends on a quest for ballet and love. They exceptional young ballerinas- no doubt there!- and win every award that comes their way. They even have a summer camp break their rule about only giving one scholarship- they both get one, leaving another dance in the dust! So off they go, pirouetting their little hearts out, when Polly goes and falls in love with a slightly dodgy older boy. Not gonna lie, folks, I was totally hoping he'd go and screw her over, get her into drugs, do something like that. But nope, he's a nice boy whose parents are just dodgy as all hell.
So we reach the main plot line, and the ballet features sort of get left in the dust... but never fear, everyone makes up and Polly goes to Hollywood! Yippee! And then it's The End.
Y'know, the novel is so-so and the writing is fairly average and the characters are fairly bland... but I like that Jocelyn Saal showed the two sides of the dance world. You have dancing for TV shows, movies, that sort of thing, but you also have the option to become a dancer for a company. There's other things you can do, sure, but I like she gave the two girls an option.
We have Polly and Jennifer, two friends on a quest for ballet and love. They exceptional young ballerinas- no doubt there!- and win every award that comes their way. They even have a summer camp break their rule about only giving one scholarship- they both get one, leaving another dance in the dust! So off they go, pirouetting their little hearts out, when Polly goes and falls in love with a slightly dodgy older boy. Not gonna lie, folks, I was totally hoping he'd go and screw her over, get her into drugs, do something like that. But nope, he's a nice boy whose parents are just dodgy as all hell.
So we reach the main plot line, and the ballet features sort of get left in the dust... but never fear, everyone makes up and Polly goes to Hollywood! Yippee! And then it's The End.
Y'know, the novel is so-so and the writing is fairly average and the characters are fairly bland... but I like that Jocelyn Saal showed the two sides of the dance world. You have dancing for TV shows, movies, that sort of thing, but you also have the option to become a dancer for a company. There's other things you can do, sure, but I like she gave the two girls an option.
July 22, 2012
I would give this book a 4, but can't manage it. All the Cott, Cott, Cott just made me sick, sick, sick! Polly is one of those girls, you know the one. When she gets a boyfriend her best friend of many years gets the heave-ho treatment. That's what I hated about Polly, not just that she became obsessed with Cott, but that Jennifer became secondary to her in just an instant. It was a matter of days before it was Jennifer who? Polly wasn't mean, she wasn't cruel about it, and she did care about hurting Jennifer, but Cott was first and that's all there was to it. Cott, Cott, Cott and more stinkin' Cott. It hurt me when Polly and Jennifer bought tickets to a ballet in advance; a while in advance, and then I don't know, maybe a month later Cott's father gives him passes to a broadway opening or premier that just happens to be on the same day and Polly doesn't even remember! When it comes up, all she really says is that she "HAS" to go to the premier with Cott. It never even occurs to her to keep her plans with Jennifer. Jennifer has to come out and say this to her, that she could do that. Polly is baffled, it's like say whaaaat? Not go with Cott, Cott, Cott? That's impossible!
The book is good, no doubt. I just didn't care for Polly's over-the-top love for Cott, Cott, Cott!
The book is good, no doubt. I just didn't care for Polly's over-the-top love for Cott, Cott, Cott!
February 21, 2011
The cover was so promising - I love ballet-themed books! But then the story itself just did not live up. As expected, it's a Sweet Dreams book after all ;)
October 2, 2013
Too much wish fulfillment. I wish Polly goes through a little pain to make her feel more like a person than a fictional character, but life is so perfect for her even when she's being such a meanie.
June 27, 2015
2.5 stars
Polly is a shitful friend, but no one ever calls her on it.
Polly is a shitful friend, but no one ever calls her on it.
July 29, 2017
1. Polly is a good dancer but a shitty friend who drops her besty almost immediately for the new boyfriend.
2. Jennifer is also a good dancer and admirably hangs in there to remain friends with Shitty Polly.
3. Cott (short for apricot...) is the new boyfriend (who I instantly picture as James Spaders character in Pretty in Pink) seems at first like a weed smoking wannabe but turns out to be just a tryhard to impress Shitty Polly.
4. Andy is the childhood friend who has always been in love with Shitty Polly but ends up with Second Place Jennifer.
4. Both girls miraculously win every competition and audition and everyone gets everything they ever wanted. Just like in real life...
2. Jennifer is also a good dancer and admirably hangs in there to remain friends with Shitty Polly.
3. Cott (short for apricot...) is the new boyfriend (who I instantly picture as James Spaders character in Pretty in Pink) seems at first like a weed smoking wannabe but turns out to be just a tryhard to impress Shitty Polly.
4. Andy is the childhood friend who has always been in love with Shitty Polly but ends up with Second Place Jennifer.
4. Both girls miraculously win every competition and audition and everyone gets everything they ever wanted. Just like in real life...
February 24, 2010
Synopsis (taken from http://sweetdreamsseries.com):
Ever since third grade, Polly and Jennifer have shared everything from ballet lessons to boy talk. They both dream of becoming famous dancers...and falling in love. Then Polly meets Cott Townsend, and her plans get turned upside down. Can Polly win Cott's love, keep Jennifer's friendship and still be true to herself?
Ever since third grade, Polly and Jennifer have shared everything from ballet lessons to boy talk. They both dream of becoming famous dancers...and falling in love. Then Polly meets Cott Townsend, and her plans get turned upside down. Can Polly win Cott's love, keep Jennifer's friendship and still be true to herself?
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September 17, 2014I took ballet, so naturally I ended up reading this (I think someone gave it to me).
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews