One Two Three

I'm generally a sucker for novels involving dance or gymnastics - myself being a dancer at a very young age, and a gymnast for many years. So the novel One Two Three, by Elodie Nowodazkij, seemed right up my alley. What I didn't expect was the overabundance of romantic relationships woven in the story - I'm generally not a fan of romance novels. However, I still really enjoyed the novel and zipped through it in two days.

Natayla is seventeen years old, and is getting ready to start high school in a new state, a new town, at a new house. Well, kind of. It's at her grandmother's house, where her and her mom moved to after her father was killed in a car accident that nearly took Natayla's life as well. Nata used to be a dancer, an amazing dancer, but the car accident ruined her knee, and there was little hope that she'd ever be able to train as a dancer again. Nata was trying to come to terms with this, as well as her mother's alcoholism getting really bad while trying to settle into a town she'd only known from the summer's she spent there as a child. The one good thing was her best friend Becca, who was always there for her, even when Nata pushed her away after the accident.

The author does a great job of showing the character's emotions, and doesn't let Nata hold anything back. I felt with Nata the raw emotions she was going through, even though I've never been in a terrible car accident or lost my father.

Nata's first day of school isn't what she expected though, a boy named Tonio won't leave her alone, even though Nata wants nothing to do with her. But throughout the novel, he won't go away and Nata slowly finds herself falling for him. Their romance is a bit like Perfect Chemistry, but we also have Becca's love interest blossoming that changes it up a little.

Nata is scared though. She won't do anything that means leaving her mom home alone longer than she has to, because she needs to be there for her. She often finds her mom passes out on the floor, one two many bottles of alcohol. Nata yearns for a normal family situation like Becca has, and actually finds great comfort when Becca's mom Mina gets involved and sends Nata's mom to rehab. Nata gets to move in with Becca, and finally feels like she has a real family taking care of her. Her parents used to fight so often, and Nata always wished her parents were more like Becca's.

But when a family secret comes bubbling to the surface, and Nata knows everyone is hiding something, she becomes angry and not being able to deal with her emotions, turns to alcohol. She's knows it's bad - look at what it did to her mother - but she liked the numbness is gives her. Luckily, Becca's parents step in and put a stop to that before she falls down the rabbit hole, and it's only with her strong support system - including Tonio - that she is able to deal with the big family secret that comes out and work towards forgiving her mother.

This novel had so much information and events that I barely scratched the surface. What is the big family secret? Will Nata ever dance again? What eventually happens between Nata and Tonio?

Pick up this novel NOW to find out :)