Review: A New Dance by Lucy McConnell

Book Cover and Synopsis:

For most people, letting go of a "what if" can be difficult - for Kiley Roberts it's almost impossible. As her final semester of college begins, a past relationship prevents her from fully opening her heart to Brandon, her almost fiance. When TJ unexpectedly drops back into her life as an assigned dance partner, Kiley's sure that it's a sign. Only she's not sure if it means she should put their past behind her or try for a future with the man with the broken heart.

My source for book: Personal Library

My Thoughts:
Though the synopsis for this one made me really curious, I have to admit that from the very beginning I had a hard time buying the intensity of Kiley and TJ's feelings for each other. To me it didn't seem very plausible that when they saw each other for the first time in five years, they both just wanted to touch and hold the other, despite the fact that things had previously ended badly for them. They are basically consumed with each other, and to me it was more of an obsessive type of feeling, rather than being romantic.

Though Kiley and TJ are both Christians, there are elements of the story that have a more secular vibe. The college setting gives the story a more worldly feel, with mentions of parties and drinking. Kiley and TJ don't participate in these things, however Kiley's roommate does, and she sometimes doesn't come home at night.

Something that bothered me about Kiley was how she knew her boyfriend, Brandon, didn't share her faith and convictions, but she continued in her relationship with him regardless. I never saw any kind of connection between them at all, so I couldn't see why she continued to stay with him, especially when he pushed for intimacy with her. She made some bad decisions that nearly crossed the line. Ultimately, in the end I was disappointed that Kiley didn't take initiative to improve her situation...it seemed to me that the only reason she got her happy ending was because of a somewhat nasty twist of fate that worked in her favor, rather than anything she actually did herself to improve her scenario.

Overall, the writing style and dialogue were decent, I think it was just the story and the characters that I couldn't click with. The cover with the dancers on it is what initially pulled me in, and I really did like the dancing element, though it wasn't as large of a part as I imagined it would be. I certainly won't shy away from the author's future work, but for me this story was just "OK."

My Rating: 3 stars