Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams by Sue Watson: Audiobook Review

Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams is a lovely summer read that provides a fun escape. If you’re looking for inspiration to take a chance at making a better life for yourself, look no further

From The Publisher:

Dance like nobody’s watching. Love like you’ll never get hurt…
Laura Watkin’s heart isn’t broken, she’s just forgotten how to use it.

After years on her own, the highlight of single mum Laura’s week is watching Strictly Come Dancing with a glass of Pinot Grigio and a large helping of imagination.

With her daughter Sophie going travelling, Laura knows the time is right to do something for herself for a change. One disastrous Zumba class later and Laura ends up at the feet (literally) of gorgeous dance instructor Tony Hernandez.

A natural dancer and inspiring teacher, Tony rekindles in Laura a passion she inherited from her ballroom dancer father – and with it comes a dream… to make him proud.

But when Tony enters them to perform at the National Dance Festival, can Laura’s new-found confidence survive the test? And with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn Flamenco in Spain, could Laura truly learn to dance like nobody’s watching… and love like she’ll never get hurt?

A laugh-out-loud, uplifting comedy about finding the courage to be yourself, the importance of dreams, and learning to grab life by the glitter balls.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. Laura is a highly likeable and relatable middle-aged woman whose life is stuck in a rut. She has a job which she is tired of, a daughter who has left home to discover the world, and a hard-of-hearing mother who recently moved into a retirement community.

When a friend invites her to a Zumba class, a calamity of incidents occurs. She also meets dance teacher Tony who invites her to take one of his dance classes. Laura has always enjoyed dance and remembers fondly when her parents entered dance competitions. But that was before the accident that changed everything. Nevertheless, Laura wants to make a change in her life and so takes Tony’s class.

Laura not only enjoys Tony’s class but really does well in it. He invites her to be his partner, and soon the two are entering local competitions. As her dancing prowess increases, Laura gains confidence in all areas of her life. A trip to Spain to learn flamenco has Laura (and her alter-ego Lola) has finding romance, and an even stronger passion for dance. The reader is treated to a vacation in Spain with a discussion of the culture, food and wine of the country. I loved it.

I love a story where the protagonist has such strong personal growth. As many of us reach middle age, we start to reflect upon our lives thus far and what we want to change to make us more fulfilled. Laura takes that leap of faith and creates a life outside of what she had always known.

Tony’s character also experiences change throughout the book. Laura and Tony bring out the best in one another – signs of a true friendship. There is a discussion of homophobia in this book and Tony is physically hurt at one point in the story. The author writes this with respect and empathy which I appreciated.

I listened to the audiobook version of Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams which was narrated by Mary Woodvine. Her performance was easy to listen to and full of enthusiasm and age-appropriate for Laura’s character. I have no hesitation in recommending the audiobook to those that enjoy this format.

What I Liked:

• Laura’s level of personal growth
• The vacation feel while Laura is in Spain
• Laura’s determination to find an improved life

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to Saga Egmont Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Similar Books I’ve Reviewed:

The Bright Side Running Club by Josie Lloyd

One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle