Series: None
Author: Nisha Sharma
Published July 22nd 2021 by Stripes Publishing
Goodreads Synopsis
Radha is on the verge of becoming one of the greatest Kathak dancers in the world . . . until a family betrayal costs her the biggest competition of her life. Now, she has left her Chicago home behind to follow her stage mom to New Jersey. At the Princeton Academy of the Arts, Radha is determined to leave performing in her past, and reinvent herself from scratch.
Jai is captain of the Bollywood Beats dance team, ranked first in his class, and an overachiever with no college plans. Tight family funds means medical school is a pipe dream, which is why he wants to make the most out of high school. When Radha enters his life, he realizes she's the exact ingredient he needs for a show-stopping senior year.
With careful choreography, both Radha and Jai will need to face their fears (and their families) if they want a taste of a happily ever after.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
Radha has always loved dancing, and is one of the greatest Kathak dancers there is. But when she is on the verge of becoming international champion, she discovers her mother has been having an affair, and with a judge no less. Now, she has lost her dance joy, and her anxiety is through the roof. Moving from Chicago to New Jersey for a new opportunity, she agrees with her mother to join the dance track at the Princeton Academy of the Arts, in return for funding for her college in the future. But Radha still can't face performing on stage, and when participation in the Winter Showcase is a requirement for graduation, she finally agrees to Jai's requests for help with his Bollywood Beats dance team, but as the choreographer, not a performer. Jai needs to win the Showcase, and the Regional Championships that follow, in order to have any hope of going to Columbia to study medicine. However, he still feels guilty over his wish to leave, as his family need his help in their store, after his father was injured in a traffic accident when Jai was a child. Can they both find their happiness and plan for the future, while coming to terms with their growing feelings for each other?
This book blew me away. I wasn't expecting to be so hooked, but I started reading it one night, and next thing I know, over 100 pages had passed. Radha and Jai felt like real people, not characters in a book. They both had hopes and wishes for the future, and like any other 17 year old, they were at a stage in life where big decisions have to be made. Radha lost all her confidence and control when the truth about her mother was revealed in January, and even now, months later, she still is coming to terms with it, and the panic attacks and anxiety which have become common for her. Slowly, while making friends with Jai, and the rest of the Bollywood Beats team, she is finding her dance joy again, and learning to cook via video chat with her father. Honestly, I really disliked her mother, but appreciated the effort her father was putting in to get to know Radha, even across the many miles between them. For Jai, he feels guilty dreaming about going to college to study medicine, following in his Nana Veera's footsteps, when his family need him working in the store to keep it going, and so they can start a new store too. However, it is his dream, and no matter how much he argues he's happy staying home, all though around him, including the director of the programme at school, his honourary aunt, want what's best for him, and that's going to Columbia. There were some moments in the book where I felt like some communication could've solved later angst - especially around who would be dancing in the Winter Showcase performance, but all in all, this was a really good book.
Dates Read:
August 13-15, 2021
Rating
4 Stars
