Variation

A Novel

De: Rebecca Yarros

Narrado por: Teddy Hamilton, Carly Robins

Instant USA Today, Amazon Charts, and Publishers Weekly bestseller.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing comes a new contemporary romance about the summer a celebrated dancer returns home and unearths years of family secrets and deep regrets with the Coast Guard rescue swimmer she never forgot.

Elite ballerina Allie Rousseau is no stranger to pressure. With her mother’s eyes always watching, perfection was expected, no matter the cost. But when an injury jeopardizes all she’s sacrificed for, Allie returns to her summer home to heal and recover. But the memories she’s tried to forget rush in and threaten to take her under.

As a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hudson Ellis knows that hesitation can mean the difference between life and death. He’s always prided himself on being in the right place at the right time, especially when it came to Allie Rousseau…until the night he left for basic. After the biggest regret of his life, the secrets he keeps mean he can never be with the one woman he wants more than his next breath.

When Hudson’s niece shows up on Allie’s doorstep, desperate to find her birth mother, Allie finds herself in an unimaginable position. Allie and Hudson’s past and present might be endlessly complicated. The thread that tied them to each other all those years ago may have unraveled, but the truth could pull them back together, or drive them apart forever.

©2024 by Rebecca Yarros. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Carly Robins and Teddy Hamilton mesmerize listeners with their performance of this emotional contemporary romance.… Robins’ intimate, poignant narration paints a vivid picture of Allie's past pain, desire for Hudson, and hope for the future. Hamilton's warm, enveloping tone captures Hudson's raw determination and protective instinct for his family and Allie. Both narrators create expressive, distinct character voices that transition flawlessly throughout the story.”—AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

“Rebecca Yarros’s stand-alone romance novel is a graceful departure from her bestselling fantasy juggernauts Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. With shades of The Summer I Turned Pretty and Bunheads, this winter-appropriate beach read begins with an ocean rescue off the coast of Cape Cod. Hudson, a local Coast Guard swimmer in training, swoops in to save Allie, a wealthy young ballerina, from a sinking rowboat. Metaphors and plot twists abound as Yarros’s story bobs neatly into the future. A decade later, her star-crossed characters land back where they started, for different and equally complicated reasons. The question of whether they’ll find their way back to one another is a fun one to ponder over a slice of leftover pie.”—Elisabeth Egan, The New York Times

“Yarros keeps the twists coming as her complex but lovable characters find their way back to each other in the face of impossible odds. Readers who like their romance on the soapy side will be more than satisfied.”—Publishers Weekly

Very Hallmark/Lifetime

I liked it... but that's about all I think. I'd just suggest reading it for yourself. Was not extremely long and a pretty easy read.

Good plot, but lots of clichés

Well I didn’t love it as much as other reviewers. The story started out with so many romance novel clichés, fake dating scenario, sex on a kitchen island (definitely tired of that idea), teenage love intact a decade later. But the plot improved. The story revolves around sisters raised by a ballerina mother who cares about nothing else. It centers on one sister who is a gifted ballerina recovering from what is often a career ending heel injury in her Cape Cod summer home. Her teenaged almost-boyfriend Hudson (a very romance novel name) is now a coast guard rescue swimmer. He broke her heart 11 years previous by leaving town without seeing her in the hospital after a car accident that left her sister dead. Why??? In addition to the romance at the center of the story there are multiple mysteries that are unwound and make for a good listen.
I am not a huge fan of Teddy Hamilton, especially when he describes intimacy. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it more if it was Zachary Webber narrating. But the narration was in general, good.

I think I’ll stick with her fantasy books in the future.

Nearly perfect 🩰

Rated 4.5. Not a perfect read, but rounded up.

Listened to audiobook. It kept my attention through entirety. Mild spice, but more romance. 🥰

Personally, I feel Yarros did a great job of bringing together two very distinct worlds of ballet and rescue swimming, alongside NYC and Cape. I'd have a field day with all the metaphors in a book club discussion.

I enjoy when an author sprinkles in little crumbs to remove possibilities through the story as my brain tries to connect the dots and anticipate what's next. I didn't guess correctly on Juniper's father at any point. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Juniper was a lot for a 10 yo. I agree with a few others that some of her actions felt more like a teenager (13-15), and I'm not sure if the age felt believable at times. Example: How did she sneak onto a yacht or even get to the yacht party after the showcase? However, I understand that she was a linchpin in driving much of the plot forward. Maybe I'm too far removed from today's average 10 yo.

I removed 0.5 star because I felt the book could have been a bit shorter and didn't like how Sophie Russo was integrated into story.

Note: First read by Rebecca Yarros

So good

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed it. The story had me hooked from the start. I loved the narrators!

Romance&Ballet&Life-Saving Hero

I liked it all. Especially the author poking fun at the tropes every once in a while.