Flirty Dancing by Jenny McLachlan

How did I get the book? Netgalley, thank you Bloomsbury Children’s

Genre: Contemporary

Synopsis: Bea Hogg is shy but fiery inside. When national dance competition Starwars comes to her school looking for talent, she wants to sign up. It’s just a shame her best friend agreed to enter with school super-cow Pearl Harris. Bea will fight back! But when school hottie, Ollie Matthews, who also happens to be Pearl’s boyfriend, decides to enter the competition with Bea, she will have more than a fight on her hands.

This warm, nuanced, hilarious story about friendship, fortitude . . . and dancing is impossible not to fall in love with. Jenny’s voice is fresh and convincing, and she handles both darker and lighter elements of the story with equal panache.

200words (or less) review: I absolutely flew through the pages of Flirty Dancing. Bea is a wonderful character, instantly likeable. You just can’t stop reading about her and her family. I adored Nan in particular.

Jenny McLachlan pulls you into Bea’s story from the very first sentence. I thought her descriptions for the dance routines Bea and Ollie were visual without being too detailed and thus distracting you from the story.

There is a joy to reading Flirty Dancing, it makes you smile throughout. I can see me handing this to anyone that appreciates good writing and fun. It’s also an excellent book if you need cheering up.

While Flirty Dancing is essentially a happy book it does deal with bullying. I thought Jenny McLachlan handled the subject very well, Bea’s character growth is subtle but effective.

Flirty Dancing will make you grin like those big cheesy smiles you see on TV sitcoms. A must read and I don’t say that often.

Recommend it?

Sunshine Star

Expected publication:
July 3rd 2014 by Bloomsbury Children’s