Synopsis:
Two people couldn’t be more opposite.Kellen Peterson, the gorgeous star quarterback of the Griffin High football team, seems to have it all. Until the night of the Homecoming game, when Kellen gets tackled and suffers a traumatic brain injury – an injury that changes his life – including his ability to walk, talk and throw a football.Ivy Ly is a senior and counting down the days until she can escape to college. Though her parents have big plans for her to be a doctor, Ivy is afraid to tell them she’d rather pursue music as a career.Ivy’s best friend, Mira, is obsessed with Kellen. When Ivy is asked to tutor the injured football player upon his return to school, she thinks it’s the perfect opportunity for Mira to get to know him better – but sparks fly – in more ways than one…
The Last Dance took me through so many different emotions. I was happy, I was sad, I was shocked, I was laughing. This is one of those books that makes you feel things. It takes you on an emotional journey. Ivy and her friend Mira are a hoot. Where Ivy is serious, Mira is totally zany and unpredictable. And then you have Kellan. And honestly, those three characters are enough to make this book great. But the story is also so compelling. Kellan had a super serious injury from football that kind of mimicked the symptoms of a stroke. I have witnessed first hand what a stroke can do to a person and it is a very scary thing to lose control of your body in the way that Kellan did.
Ivy’s parents push her towards what they think greatness is. They make her take all AP classes, and play classical instruments, and go to a great school to become a great doctor. And Ivy likes all of that and she is the perfect daughter, but she likes making and playing music more than the idea of medical school. Her link to Kellan is when she becomes his tutor after his injury. Kellan is bitter at first for obvious reasons, but as soon as he gets to know Ivy, he starts to see what an awesome person she is. And he opens up too.
The book is told in split point of view, alternating between the two of them. This is always a plus for me. I just love getting that inside peek into a guys head. And as usual, the writing is great. I love Kiki Hamilton’s writing style. She makes all the of the characters very approachable.
Mira is a hoot. She is always dressing in crazy outfits and always saying exactly what she is thinking. And overall, she is a really solid friend to Ivy. Sure they had a little snag and a few bump in the road, as you can probably expect, but she always came through in the end. The one thing that bugged me a little was that she changed her outfits. I wasn’t exactly sure why she changed her super unique style and she never really talked about it. I would have liked to have gotten some more insight into that decision of hers. I also kind of wanted Kellan and Ivy to talk about the Homecoming dance. They never did, even after Kellan found out what happened that night. I thought it was a little strange to just let it hang there. But those are both small points overall.
The Last Dance is a very feel good book. I just felt happy after reading it. And it is a pretty quick read too. I devoured it in one sitting and when I was done I was just satisfied. It could have a follow up if Kiki Hamilton wanted to write one but it also stands great on its own! The Last Dance will put a smile on your face.
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| 3.5/5 gavels |
Kiki Hamilton is the author of THE FAERIE RING fantasy series and the YA contemporary novel, THE LAST DANCE. She believes in magic and the idea of hidden worlds co-existing with our own. Kiki lives near Seattle, though she dreams of living in London one day. Visit her website at:www.kikihamilton.com
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Kiki