Where the Rhythm Takes You

Starred review from March 29, 2021
In Dass’s debut, 17-year-old Reyna is thrown for a loop when her now-famous ex-boyfriend, Aiden, 18, returns to Tobago with his music group and some socialite friends. After the group comes to stay at her family’s hotel, the Plumeria, Reyna and Aiden decide it’s best to avoid each other. Unfortunately, his friends insist on having Reyna help with planning his surprise birthday activities. As she becomes more involved with this new group and reminisces about how she and Aiden first fell in love, she’s forced to face changes to her mother’s hotel, her best friend moving away to art school, and having no direction for herself. As her spark with Aiden reignites, she is plagued with regret for giving up her love of painting as well as a festering resentment of the expectations her deceased mother placed upon her. Inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Dass interweaves the allure of the source material with the warm tropical winds and scents of Tobago. Readers, even those unfamiliar with Austen’s work, will appreciate this cast of characters with believable motivations and fleshed-out ideas as they realize what they want and embrace second chances for love and for new adventures. Ages 13–up.

April 1, 2021
Reyna still has feelings for the hometown boy who left to become a global pop phenom--but now he's back staying at her family's hotel and nothing will ever be the same. When Reyna's Mummy got sick more than two years ago and passed, the Plumeria Hotel became a lovely yet suffocating weight atop Reyna and her future. Now 17 and without much help from her relatively carefree father, Reyna essentially runs the hotel, leaving no time for her friends, her art, or boys. But Aiden isn't just any boy; he's the Grammy-winning songwriter for the soca EDM trio DJ Bacchanal, and he has only gotten cuter in the years since he left Reyna and Tobago for life in the States. When Aiden, his band mates, and their glamorous friends book the luxury villa at the Plumeria, Reyna's relentless focus on work won't be able to protect her from potentially being hurt again. Dass uses flashbacks to build dramatic tension in the story as readers see past relationships develop and present ones frayed by the sense that Reyna's future is both limited and lonely. Jane Austen fans will enjoy this reimagining of Persuasion while some readers may be frustrated by the will-they-won't-they element. Reyna communicates and narrates with an earnest and relatable amount of self-doubt and a propensity to deny obvious truths. Most main characters are Afro-Caribbean. A love story with classic beats and a unique rhythm. (playlist) (Fiction. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2021

Gr 8 Up-Seventeen-year-old Reyna has devoted her life to following her mother's wishes and working at the Plumeria, their family hotel in Tobago. This included giving up her first love, Aiden, two years ago when he moved to the United States. Now Aiden is a famous musician back visiting Tobago with his band and celebrity friends while Reyna is stuck managing her late mother's hotel. When Aiden's friends book Reyna as a tour guide for their visit, the two must confront past emotions and current struggles, and decide if it is worth rekindling what they once had. Dass gives Jane Austen's Persuasion a Caribbean twist. Dass, who is Tobagonian, uses her experiences to create a rich atmosphere that will make readers feel as if they are experiencing the islands. While romance is the main theme, other themes such as grief, artistry, and influencer culture are also included. VERDICT Part Jane Austen's Persuasion, part love letter to Tobago, readers will enjoy getting lost in the lush atmosphere of the Caribbean. Give this #OwnVoices novel to romance readers and fans of Jane Austen retellings.-Ashley Leffel, Griffin M.S., Frisco, TX

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.