I still can’t believe that next week it will be Christmas! Which means the Summer has long since passed us by. As I’m attempting to share reviews from all of the books I’ve read this year that I’ve neglected to write a review for, today I’ll be sharing a fun summery novel. Sue Watson’s writing is enjoyable any time of the year, no matter the subject. Maybe reading this will keep you warm on one of these cold nights!
Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams by Sue Watson
Publication: July 2015 by Bookouture
Book Blurb: 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 Dance Festival, 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.
Book Links: Amazon | Amazon UK | Goodreads
My Review
Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams is a classic Sue Watson novel filled with love, laughter and…a happily ever after? It was a beautifully entertaining story about embracing your passion, chasing your dreams and living life to the fullest.
Single mother Laura just wasted away her extremely hard-earned money on her daughter’s disastrous wedding that didn’t end with a marriage. Her young daughter Sophie was stood up at the altar by her fiancé who turned out to be a no-show. Although Sophie’s fiancé-to-be’s family was well-off, Laura was too proud to allow them to pay for the wedding and thus, worked her butt off to save the money that was needed for a lavish wedding for their 500 guests.
Laura’s entire life has been dedicated to trying to give her daughter a better life. She’s worked herself to the bone at her check-out job to try to give her daughter the life she herself would never have. Once Sophie leaves to travel in an attempt to mend her broken heart, Laura realized that she’s become bored with her life. After what happened with Sophie’s father in the past, she believes that she was meant to end up alone and that the chance for a fun life filled with love and laughter has already passed her by. The only fun thing to look forward to in her life is a show called Strictly Come Dancing, which is a dance show contest, as she particularly loves watching the Latin dancing.
Not only has Laura become bored with her life, she meets disapproval from all of the people in her life. She continues to visit her mother in a ‘retirement apartment’ and yet her mother still gives her a hard time about her weight, her pathetic job, and not having a man in her life. Soon enough, Laura is making changes in her life and allowing herself to do the things that make her happy, rather than focusing her entire purpose in life on making others happy.
One of the main themes of the novel is money and the hardships that come with not having enough of it. The desire to have financial freedom can be an ever-present ideology for someone that lacks that freedom but desires a bigger life than they can afford. Sometimes there’s comfort in having a small, safe life but it can lead to feeling like there’s no purpose to your existence. Is being happy enough, is it good enough if you’re not reaching beyond your simple life? ‘Life often gives you what you just what you need, even if you don’t realize it at the time.’
Laura finally begins to grow into herself and begins to feel liberated and free to live her life on her terms. She begins to put herself first and stops worrying so much about how everyone else will manage. I cheered for her as she began to make life-changing self discoveries and whooped along as she immersed herself in her dancing.
Great review, I love Sue Watson’s books!
Thanks! I recently read her new holiday one and loved it!! 🙂