Finding Your Feet by Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections #2)
Review by Lauren
source: copy from Netgalley; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: While on holiday in Toronto, Evie Whitmore planned to sightsee and meet other asexuals, not audition for a dance competition. Now she’s representing Toronto’s newest queer dance studio, despite never having danced before. Not only does she have to spend hours learning her routine, she has to do it with one of the grumpiest men she’s ever met. Tyler turns out to be more than a dedicated dancer, though—he might be the kind of man who can sweep her off her feet, literally and figuratively.
Tyler Davis has spent the last year recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship. So he doesn’t need to be pushed into a rushed routine for a dumb competition. Ticking major representation boxes for being trans and biracial isn’t why he went into dance. But Evie turns out to be a dream student. In fact, she helps him remember just how good partnering can be, in all senses of the word. Teaching her the routine, however, raises ghosts for him, ones he’s not sure he can handle.
Plans change, and people change with them. Learning a few steps is one thing; learning to trust again is another entirely.
Review: Finding Your Feet is the second book in the Toronto Connections series, the first being Blank Spaces (you can read my review here). The couple in Blank Spaces does appear in Finding Your Feet, which I love when it comes to companion novels. As for the main characters in this latest book, we have Evie Whitmore from England and Tyler Davis who is living in Toronto as a dance teacher.
Evie is asexual and she's in Toronto to check out the sights (she'll be back in a few months time to attend grad school) and meet an online friend named Sarah. As for Tyler, he's a friend of Sarah's but he's not in the best place when the book begins as he's still trying to get used to being out of a relationship after dealing with an emotionally abusive ex. When Evie is pushed into trying out for a dance competition, she ends up being paired with Tyler for a Pride Day dance competition between the studio Tyler works at and another in the Toronto area.
Despite being very different, the two eventually get to know each other better - after a rough first start - and Evie even finds that she loves to dance. As someone who never danced growing up, but has taken a couple of dance classes as an adult, I could really understand Evie's enthusiasm. Granted, I didn't have to practice as many hours in one day as she did, since all the couples only have one week to get a dance together for the competition. It was an intense project, but I loved hearing about the various dance lessons.
One of the things that I really loved about this book - and the other, Blank Spaces - is that it's full of diversity. Finding Your Feet has Evie who is asexual but isn't opposed to sex if she really falls for someone. Then there is Tyler, who is a trans, biracial man. I liked the secondary characters too and they are all equally as diverse! The next book in the series (Growing Pains) will focus on Gigi and Brock, who you meet in Finding Your Feet. I can't wait!
Want to buy a copy of Finding Your Feet? Check it out on Amazon (I'm an associate, so I get a small percent of any sale. Thanks). Oh, and if you want to start with Blank Spaces, find it here.
7 comments:
Wow! This sounds like a really great read! The asexual character would be interesting to me as you don't read a lot of characters like that. Especially that she is open to sex, just only with the right person. Thanks for sharing this review, I may have to try it out. Heading to Goodreads now to add it to my TBR list. Great review!
Ah, I really want to read this series! When I found out that this book features ace and trans protagonists I knew I had to have it. And I'm glad that you liked it, Lauren! I'll be sure to give the first book a read before this one, because I love it when previous couples show up in companion books :D I hope you like the third one, too! Lovely review as always <3
It sounds wonderfully diverse! I agree that trying to get a dance routine down in one week seems incredibly intense. Great review :D
Oh my, I like this! Especially around dancing. I'm the most uncoordinated person ever, so I admire anyone who can move with any sort of rhythm!
This sounds like a sweet book! And it does sound wonderfully diverse.
I'd love to read a book that involves dance. I'm not a dancer myself, I did take a couple classes as a teen but was never too good at it, but I always wanted to learn ballroom dancing or some sort of partner dancing. So that aspect sounds really fun too!
Hmm, it sounds a bit like a modern and more diverse Dirty Dancing (see how old I am?!), and I am definitely interested in books featuring dance, despite my own lack of skill and grace. I'll check this series out!
I also like that with companion novels if you see the couple from earlier books in later books or the other way around where you already meet the characters of future books in earlier ones. The focus on dance also sounds neat. It sounds like this one is really full of diversity!
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