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OLDER FICTION
Dass, Sarah

Where the Rhythm Takes You

352 pp. | HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray | May, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-06-301852-5 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-06-301854-9 $10.99
(2) YA Reyna, an artistic Afro-Caribbean teen, comes to terms with the past and paints a new picture of the future in this Caribbean spin on Austen's Persuasion set in the author's native Tobago. After her mother's death, Reyna has all but accepted her narrow existence as the primary caretaker of her family's oceanfront resort. Everyone seems to be moving on except her--her father has a new love interest, her best friend is heading off to college, and her first-and-only ex-boyfriend, Aiden, has become a global music star after leaving the island two years ago. When Aiden's glamorous, jet-setting friends book a villa at the resort as a birthday surprise for him, Reyna's dad inveigles her into acting as their tour guide. Romantic tension builds as the old flames are forced to revisit their bad breakup and unresolved feelings. Faced with big changes at the hotel, Reyna must decide if she's ready to heal from loss, reclaim her stifled artistic talents, and give love a second chance. The narrative seamlessly moves back and forth from the present to the early years of Reyna and Aiden's childhood friendship and eventual star-crossed love. Populated with a cast of believable characters and flush with authentic Trinidadian English dialogue, the story artfully draws from its captivating tropical backdrop. A layered, bittersweet tale of young love, self-discovery, and redemption that marks a promising debut for Dass.
Reviewer: Summer Edward | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

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