Variation by Rebecca Yarros is not exactly what fans of her romantasy work might expect. Instead, Yarros is switching it up, giving readers a contemporary romance, but with all the same trademark spice and emotional turmoil.
On an ill-fated boating trip as a sixteen-year-old, Allie Rousseau is clinging to a sinking boat with her little sister when aspiring rescue swimmer Hudson Ellis spots them and swoops in with a heroic rescue. From there, the two form a tight friendship, even though they have to sneak around to avoid the disapproval of both of their families. They are best friends, until a tragic accident tears them apart, with only broken hearts and anger left behind.
Ten years later, Allie is a world-famous ballerina, and a tragic accident brings her back to their hometown in Cape Cod to recover. Hudson is back working as a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard and helping take care of his ten-year-old niece. Now, this niece is devious, and on a mission to convince her mother to let her take ballet classes.
Her first step in her master plan is to get Hudson to introduce her to his old friend Allie. Maybe if her mother gets to know Allie and sees that not all ballerinas are awful, she will let Juniper take classes. What unfolds is a a fake dating plot that ends up revealing a great deal of long-buried secrets, and forces Allie and Hudson to reckon with their past.
Variation employs many of the sweet, beloved tropes often found in contemporary romance. Allie and Hudson’s second chance romance starts with a fake dating scheme, where they encounter the only one bed phenomenon. Sometimes using all of those tropes in a contemporary romance comes off a little cheesy, but in this book, it works absolutely seamlessly with the plot and works perfectly.
Allie and Hudson are both wonderful characters, well-developed, and relatable. Hudson is the perfect man, and Allie displays wonderful character growth throughout the story. It’s Juniper, Hudson’s niece, however, who really steals the show. She is an absolute hellion and I adore her. She is so smart and so strong. She stands up for herself and she gets what she wants and I love that for her.
This story contains a multitude of family dramas, both small and large, with decade-old secrets that are both salacious and tragic, which I just love. Every few chapters some new earth-shattering piece of information is revealed that complicates or clarifies the impossible situation these characters find themselves in, and the result is a book that keeps readers turning the pages to find out what happens next.
By the third act, I was waiting with bated breath for the whole situation to blow the fuck up. I knew this drama was going to have an explosive third-act revelation moment, and I was absolutely correct. Everything popped off, and it made the happily ever after all the more perfect for the personal battles the characters fought through to get there.
Variation had a fast-paced, accessible writing style perfect for any romance reader. It was so sweet and so well written, with a plot that was both emotional and deeply sexy. This is an excellent book.
Writing: 5
Spice: 2.5
Kindle: free with Kindle Unlimited
Paperback: $13.10
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