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Series: Academy of Stardom #1
Publication date: June 7th, 2020
Pages: 337
Synopsis:
From the gutter to the stars...
Dance is in my blood.
It's what keeps me sane, out of trouble. It used to keep them out of trouble too.
A group of boys I grew up with.
Xeno, York, Zayn, and Dax.
We were a crew once and we ruled the clubs.
Separate we were insanely good, together we were unbeatable. F*&ing on fire.
I was their girl and they were my Breakers.
Until they did something they promised they never would; break my heart.
We were sixteen when they left me.
You see, for kids like us, dance was all we had.
Growing up in a rundown housing estate in London with no prospects can make you view the world differently.
It can make you choose the wrong path.
I chose dance, they chose crime.
Three years later I've won a scholarship to Stardom Academy. I try to forget my past.
But how can I do that when the four boys who hurt me are back?
And this time they won't walk away even when I ask them too.
Freestyle is book one of this new gritty, contemporary reverse harem academy trilogy for 17+ readers and deals with adult themes and some subjects you may find upsetting. If you love dance, your men on the criminal side, alpha hot holes and the enemies-to-lovers trope, this is for you. Contains foul language and sexual scenes.
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Review:
I was hesitant to pick up this series even though I had seen it recommended all over BookTok. Something about a book about dancing just seemed a little hard to get into. Unless the author described each extension and each turned out foot position, it would be hard for readers to truly be able to find themselves engrossed in the emotional routines that sweep across the pages. However, even when hesitant I never dismiss a book entirely on the potential for it to flop. I always give them a fair shake. Which I did.
Pen auditions and receives one of the coveted scholarships for a dance academy that she has been dying to get into. She had put her dreams of dancing on the back burner for three years and is done doing everything for others and nothing for herself. The only problem is that she is not the only one who is seeking a dance scholarship. The boys of her past that broke her heart and disappeared into a life of crime are back and their angry eyes are turned her way. Of course, she did play a part in breaking their hearts right back, but the scathing looks of hatred were so unlike the boys she once knew that she feels the shock right now to the tips of her toes. Her only goal is to keep her head down, dance, and avoid her Breakers as often as possible. But they don't seem to be satisfied with anything but making her miserable. Can Pen survive being around the shattered remains of her heart or will she give up on all her dreams to escape the turmoil?
I have been reading a lot of reverse harem books and this is another of those. Of course my ranking of the boys is always going to be present and are as follows for this book:
1) Dax: He is the dark side of Pen's shiny coin. He understands her better than she understands herself and was the most destroyed by her absence. He was always her protector and her contemporary counterpart.
2) York: He was the light side of the crew. He had a perpetual smile on his face and was quick to joke and bring optimism to a truly shitty position. But after Pen left, he lost a lot of his light. He's the tapmaster of the group.
3) Xeno: He is the stereotypical domineering bad boy who is the cruelest to Pen because he struggles to let people in and he let her in completely. Her betrayal broke him almost beyond repair. His specialty is the bachata.
4) Zayn: He is the best friend turned lover and while I do like him, I find the other three a lot more connected to Pen than Zayn. He is not as dark and broody as Xeno and Dax but also not nearly as light at York. He's a middle man which is probably why he doesn't stand out as much to me. His specialty is hip hop.
I did thoroughly enjoy this book. The angst between the pages made my stomach clench with the desire to both tear into the Breakers and console Pen. While reading I would grab my phone and my air pods and play the songs mentioned in the books which made the whole experience even more enjoyable.
Freestyle is the first in a series that I wish would never end.
