Review: Variation by Rebecca Yarros

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by Montlake.

Before she took the world by storm with her ongoing The Empyrean romantic fantasy, aka romantasy, series, Rebecca Yarros captivated countless readers with her contemporary romance novels. From military to new adult--and those are just general romance tropes--Yarros already made a name for herself and amassed many a loyal fan and reader. My first read from this author was a decade ago via her debut release, Full Measures, the first in her Flight & Glory series and I've been hooked on her writing ever since. (Yup, proud Flygirl here, over ten years and counting.) She returns to her contemporary romance roots with a brand-new standalone published by Montlake, the same Amazon imprint that released In the Likely Event last year. Variation features two best friends who were well on their way to becoming more before tragedy ripped any chance away from them, only for fate (and a wee bit of meddling) to bring them together again nearly ten years afterward. Will the odds finally be in their favor or lead them astray?

Alessandra Rousseau was sixteen and Hudson Ellis was a year older when he rescued her and her younger sister. Like her mother and three sisters, Allie was a ballerina. She belonged to a wealthy family and her life was all about pointe shoes, barres, and pirouettes. On the other hand, Hudson's one dream was to become a rescue swimmer. He loved his parents and older siblings, but meeting Allie made him realize a different kind of love. Allie and Hudson became the unlikeliest of friends, and their relationship seemed destined for a whole new level. Everything changed fifteen months after they first met. Fast forward almost a decade later, and Allie is now a prima ballerina with the Metropolitan Ballet Company in Manhattan. An injury leads her back to Cape Cod, yet recuperating isn't the only things she has to contend with. Dark family secrets are waiting to be unearthed and the Coast Guard rescue swimmer whom she never forgot could hold answers to questions she hadn't been prepared to bring up...till now.

It may have taken a number of years, but Allie and Hudson found their way toward their happily-ever-after. Inasmuch as Allie had been a member of the corps and Hudson a part of a team, there was something about them that made them seem like lone wolves, i.e. Hudson taking risks, even to his own life, in order to rescue those who need his help. When it comes to ballet, a solo performance is known as a variation, and Allie may have been following in the footsteps of her mother and dancing in honor of her oldest sister, but it was almost as if she was waiting in the wings to live her life for herself. Their reunion in Cape Cod sets off a series of events that, once again, becomes life-changing for the two main characters. There's a rekindled romance that's just begging to come to fruition and secrets within two sets of families that ties them, all making for an intriguing read that felt fresh yet still quintessentially Rebecca Yarros. Whether you're new or not to this author's writing, Variation is worth reading. Five stars.

Release Date: 19 November 2024

Date Read: 17 November 2024

Learn more about Rebecca Yarros.

Pre-order Variation on Amazon.