With a Twist. Staci Hart. 2015. 386. Promise Socks Publishing. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.]
This is a cute enough story about a group of friends and their trials/tribulations in love. It focuses on professional ballerina Lily as she navigates what she hopes will be a whirlwind romance with her longtime crush and fellow principal dancer Blane (insert dreamy eyes here). Sadly, all that glitters is not gold, and she’s stuck trying to figure out whether to put her efforts into Blane or fly solo. Her close-knit group of friends is there to support her either way, especially her neighbor West, whose own love life is as complicated.
With a Twist is definitely a simple read, one you can get through in a few hours. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a remarkable read to me. I found nearly all of the relationship trajectories predictable. This is partially a mix of the author’s blatant foreshadowing and my having read one too many romance novels. As it was, I felt like I knew what the outcome of the book would be and just needed to trudge through the book to prove myself right. Along the way, peripheral relationships tended to play out how I expected, though they did make for a bit of entertaining (at times) drama.
I found Lily, the main character, frustrating and contradictory. Throughout the book, she lamented her hardcore health-conscious lifestyle, yet constantly binged on greasy food and was drunk. Moreover, her lack of fortitude with others within the ballet company just made her look weak. Her friends seemed to always have to talk her through her decisions and take care of her through her recklessness. The other characters are more generally more likable, though they don’t get nearly as much attention.
I don’t find this to be the greatest book, but it’s not horrible either. If you’re looking for a quick read to enjoy on a quiet Sunday, this will probably do the trick. I also get a sense that this is just he first in a series, so maybe the other characters will provide more compelling stories.
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