The review for Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams is by guest reviewer, Katrina
Dance like nobody’s watching. Love like you’ll never get hurt…
Laura Watkin’s heart isn’t broken, she’s just forgotten how to use it.
After years on her own, the highlight of single mum Laura’s week is watching Strictly Come Dancing with a glass of Pinot Grigio and a large helping of imagination.
With her daughter Sophie going travelling, Laura knows the time is right to do something for herself for a change. One disastrous Zumba class later and Laura ends up at the feet (literally) of gorgeous dance instructor Tony Hernandez.
A natural dancer and inspiring teacher, Tony rekindles in Laura a passion she inherited from her ballroom dancer father – and with it comes a dream… to make him proud.
But when Tony enters them to perform at the National Championship, can Laura’s new-found confidence survive the test? And with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn Flamenco in Spain, could Laura truly learn to dance like nobody’s watching… and love like she’ll never get hurt?
A laugh-out-loud, uplifting comedy about finding the courage to be yourself, the importance of dreams, and learning to grab life by the glitter balls.
When Laura asked if I would like to review a book for her from her NetGalley page, this is the one that immediately caught my eye. From the blurb it appeared to be an easy reading chick-lit and that is exactly what the book delivered.
The story starts with the protagonist Laura trying to comfort her daughter, who's just been jilted at the altar. Laura's left feeling more than a little sorry for herself when her daughter Sophie gives her a few 'home truths', her marriage was supposed to save her from becoming like Laura. She didn't want to end up as a single supermarket cashier who relishes in watching Strictly once she reaches her age. This obviously hurt Laura, even if she does see a little truth in it, and six months later when her daughter goes travelling, she decides to kick start her new life with a Zumba class, a decision which eventually does change her life.
The Zumba class was a complete disaster (I could emphasise with Laura's self consciousness in the class) however she is rescued by the gorgeous Tony Hernandez who is a dance teacher and is keen for Laura to join his class. Her parents were brilliant dancers so she joins in and ends up being just as amazing as they were, which sparks the start of a new life for Laura.
We see a big change in Laura, as the pounds drop off her, her confidence grows and she develops into Lola the dancing queen. I won't spoil the end of the book for you, but one of the key messages for me is that it is never too late to make a change in your life and to try and live your dreams.
The crazy chapter titles made me laugh, as well as other moments in the book however the story is also tinged with sadness as you learn about Laura's parents and why she is so determined to succeed with her dancing.
There were no big shockers in this book, it was just a nice easy read, perfect holiday reading material. Laura is a character that everyone can relate to in one way or another and was a very likeable protagonist. Her friendship with Tony is also one of the great things in this book. The moral of the story is that sometimes you just need that push of motivation, and with that it is possible to achieve your dreams if you get out there and try. It's never too late to do so.
I did enjoy this book and I look forward to giving some of Sue Watson's other books a read in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sue Watson and the team at Bookouture for the copy of this book and to Laura for letting me review it on her behalf.
I would like to thank Kat for reviewing this for the blog ~ Lx
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