Ezeekat's Book Club discussion

Let the spoilers fly is this thread where all spoilers are welcome!

I read this book in July and I absolutely loved it! I was drawn in from the first page! I knew from the first page that X would be my favorite character, which made he ending even more sad, if you know what I mean.

There was one part of the book that made me sad, which wasn't the ending. I felt so sad when Evie left the dance competition and left X stranded, because I felt like it was going to be a huge moment, which is was, but in the wrong way.

I adored all of the characters in it. They made me laugh and cry on multiple occasions.

i just read this last month. A great story all the way through. I was cheering on Evie to not quit dancing regardless.

oh god I always thought it'll hard to love someone when you always grieve over your ending but this book taught me to enjoy the moment be in the now and hold on.y is this so gooood

I really had mixed feelings about this story. I loved the conceit of the main character having the special power to see love story arcs. I think the way she wielded that power felt very...human? So that was well done. And I really enjoyed her love story with X. The ending felt very ... rushed ... somehow? I know I am using a lot of ellipses and question marks, but I guess those speak to my ambivalence about the tale as a whole. Overall, I gave the book 4 stars so I clearly liked it, but maybe I don't like my fiction to be so "real". Not sure how I feel, TBH. The fact I am still thinking about it says a lot tho. :)

I don't really read YA Romance (especially Romance), but for this book club I pulled through - and I don't regret it at all!

In all, I enjoyed it. The first half, I read it at a regular pace, a few dozen pages a day, but by the second half I crushed it and read it all in one sitting. I would love to discuss and talk about parts that stood out to me, because my gosh, I just need to know what others think!

"Maybe I should eave this for someone who wants to learn how to dance," I say, and start to put it back. "That someone could be you, dear." (15)
Dancing seems to be a bit of theme in this book, and how the story stays connected - what was it about dancing and why a dancing competition out of all things? How was it a theme?

My thoughts: This could easily be justified with "Just because" followed by, "the author wanted to,", but there were other ways these characters could have connected that I'd like to think wouldn't have been as good. For example, a concert. I think "Instructions for Dancing", and the randomness of a dance competition was what both characters needed because it was something they both didn't want to particularly do. I was also thinking, YA books always need some sort of out-of-place push that don't really have any rhyme or reason for happening. This book, "Instructions for Dancing," being one of them. Till now, I still don't really know what the symbolism was (if any), other than Evie loves to read, and they were dancing. But even still, having them at the dance studio, the only true thing I could think of that would make this YA romance need it was the forced closeness. This isn't a negative critic on the decision, but rather a curiosity. The whole dancing aspect didn't even seem that important by the end - did it have to be dancing between these two?

Parents don't usually love when kids take risks with their futures. (91)
How was the theme of parenting affecting the story, and what are your thoughts on how they handled things? How would you have handled these situations as a parent?

My thoughts: Oh goodness, I could go on forever about how these parents handled things, particularly Evie's, but also X's. I'm no parenting expert, and it was a very real situation - but it also brings up the discussion of how parents are real people, too, and I think that's a good lesson for true Young Adults reading this story. In chapter 55 when Evie's mom was talking about her side of the divorce, I think that was the most raw part, and in all honesty, one of the most climactic parts of the story. (IMO) cheating makes me upset, so I understood Evie's anger towards her father a lot and wasn't annoyed when she was difficult with him (though some would disagree). Since it's a YA, I know the parenting aspect had to be shown in the perspective of the teenager, but I liked how by the end the was a maturity in their conversation. I think it's a big thing in a teenager's life when their parents start talking to them like an adult.
X's dad seemed to be a story I've heard dozens of times, so I can't say I have a new opinion on it - I think it was smart of X to consider finishing high school, and the dad's ideas were justified.

"No way," I say. "Dad would never do that." Her relief is acute, and I feel like a good big sister. (267)
Evie seems to be protecting everyone from the truth - from the heartbreaks and the scary endings. Do you think this is an overarching symbolism of something much bigger, or was this just her personality in the story? Why?

My thoughts: Me asking this means that I do think there is a much bigger symbol of Evie having all these secrets and not telling anyone. Besides the fact that no one will believe her or rage her with falsities (Cassidy and Sophie), Evie still had the chance to tell Danica everything and get the support she needed - Danica got cheated on within the first 5 chapters and cried her heart out, so obviously she doesn't particularly love it either (imagine if her father found out that she was cheated on - the heartbreak!). I think that Evie not telling Danica specifically what was going on was an extension of Evie's parents not telling her the full story for a the few months of their separation, and understanding that not everyone is ready for the truth - especially when it ends in heartache. I found it interesting that even though Evie knew a little bit more, she was still upset about not knowing everything, while Danica was the living definition of ignorance is bliss. Danica understood love in a way Evie's romance books didn't teach her, and I think having both perspectives on the divorce was interesting (because to my understanding, if Evie's dad didn't cheat, she would have still been upset if he left). I think Evie not telling anyone anything, and the backfiring of her telling people the truth, also sort of goes back into dancing. Her emotions and her frustration couldn't be expressed towards these people, and Fifi had a strong belief that dancing is intertwined with expression and emotion (which it is). I think her choosing dancing, and going into dancing, feeling the emotions of those heartbreaks and the love that was experienced and faded was represented when the fiery passion of the Tango, or the romance in the Walts, or the sexiness of the Salsa - when the dances end and the music stops, it stops. So in all, Evie not being able to tell anyone anything kind of goes into her love for these people, but also how she finds the outlet and maturity of keeping these "secrets" from people. Experiencing love, for these people, should be left as a surprise for them to discover - as she discovered dance.


All in all, this book really had me by surprise and I did feel for these characters! This was my first Nicola Yoon book, so thank you for the push to read it. I'm still not a fan of YA Romance, but this was worth the read. I'd love to hear anyone else's thoughts and points too, because surely I can't be the only one overthinking a book with an obviously important message!

Thanks again - happy reading, everyone!

hello everyone! I'll be honest, this is the first book of the bookclub that I didn't like. I was almost about to quit. I feel like the first part of the book is really boring: there are some interesting part like evie's vision but that's it. the characters are so flat, you get to know basically nothing about her friends, all you know about her sister is that she changes boyfriend every couple weeks.
the second part got me a little back in but still.. not my book! sorry ❤

I was already so eager to read this book and loved it so much, I finished it in one sitting!
I usually prefer my books with a little bit more fantasy and a little less realism, but the way this book talks about the ugly side of love and why even though you might not know if or how long it'll last, it's still so much worth it, really captivated me.
I agree that the ending felt a little rushed and I would've loved a couple more chapters but still a great example of a not so happy ending.
The only part I didn't like was everybody hiding the affair from Danica, I feel like they underestimate her strength and (maybe that's just me) I think it's also fair for her to know. Her father should own up to his mistake and let both his children decide if or when to forgive him.
Thank you for choosing this book and bumping it up my TBR! <3

I finished reading this yesterday and gave it 4/5 stars. Not my fave book of the club but I still enjoyed it. The one part that got to me was that her visions were set in stone and that their future was inevitable. I don’t believe that about time. I believe futures can be changed with choices made today and the fact that the author let it play out without any attempt to change the future that Evie saw was a bit of a let down for me. Still a great love story and well written. No regrets here 🤓💕

I absolutely loved this one! I'm usually not a big fan of romance novels so I was hesitant at first. The way the author made this feel so real and not fluffy like a lot of romance novels was amazing.

The moment when Evie had a vision of her and X's future and how things would end up I literally had to put the book down for a minute to process what had just happened. I was heart broken knowing that they wouldn't grow old together.

The only thing I didn't like has already been mentioned, but I wish they hadn't kept their dad's affair a secret from Danica. Danica was old enough to know what happened and decide if and when she was ready to forgive him. She isn't a little kid who needs to be sheltered.

Overall, I loved this book and how real it was about love and heartbreak. I will for sure be reading it again in the future.

This story broke my heart.

I managed to trick myself that this was your “average” romance novel and that everything would turn out fine in the end up until Evie has the vision of Xavier’s grandparents and the funeral. I just had this sneaking suspicion that is was his funeral, but GOD it still broke my heart when Evie finally sees her and X’s future and it’s confirmed . I mean yes, to a certain point we know that we don’t have forever with anyone and that the people we love can be taken from us either through choice or through death. But to know exactly when you’re going to lose someone… that’s absolutely terrible. I felt so heartbroken for her.
I also felt angry on her behalf throughout the book with both of her parents. Honestly I think asking her to keep the secret of her dads affair from her sister was a bad choice. That’s kind of an awful thing to ask of your child, especially when it makes Danica question why Evie still is so angry with her dad. It kind of leaves Evie alone in dealing with her grief and anger surrounding the situation. Everyone’s pressuring her to just forgive her dad when she’s not ready. I do think her mom was looking out for her best interests and just wanted her to still have a relationship with her dad. And I never doubted that they both loved her. You just can’t force people into forgiving you before they’re ready. And what he did absolutely hurt Evie too, she had every right to be angry. But that’s one of the messages of the book! Parents aren’t perfect, learning that and still being able to love them is a part of growing up.
This entire story is a coming of age story and a love story. And it’s about different types of love and how we really only have right now. I’m really glad I read it. It was definitely already on my radar, but I’m not sure when I would have gotten to it if it hadn’t been picked this month. Anyway, clearly I loved it and have a lot to say about it. It’s a beautiful story overall

This book ripped me apart…but in the most beautiful way ❤️😭 easiest 5⭐️ this year

This book was great; such a gem. I liked how much fun it was to read and all the unexpected things that happened. It did also have me sobbing, I was so pleased Evie had the courage to fight for her relationship with X despite knowing the truth. Hurrah for this book club choice thank you Jaysen