November 1, 2023
DEBUT Hayley Burke loves and lives to dance, and when she sees a grumpy man watching her, she tries to get him to let loose and join her. What she didn't expect to see was him pulling out a wheelchair from behind his seat and snapping at her about how not everything is sunshine and rainbows. She is mortified. Nick Freeman knows he and Hayley got off to a rough start that night, and he's intent on apologizing and charming his way back into her good graces, especially since she's now bartending at his favorite karaoke spot. The closer the two become, the more they begin to find their own rhythm in each other's lives. Dutton's novel features a heroine who moves with grace and a hero who doesn't believe he can do anything smoothly. The author uses his own experience with cerebral palsy to give Nick's disability the care, attention, and detail that it deserves. VERDICT Dutton's debut is a charming novel that will keep readers glued to the page.--Amanda Toth
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2024
Falling in love exposes the insecurities of a seemingly confident man. Nick Freeman has good friends, loves his job as a high school math teacher, and is the star of the weekly karaoke night at his favorite bar in Columbus, Ohio. The only thing missing from his life is a romantic partner. One night at the bar, he's enthralled by the joyful, fluid dancing of Hayley Burke. She and her boyfriend are professional dancers who have just moved to Columbus, hoping to make it big at a local studio. Hayley notices Nick's interest and encourages him to dance, but she's mortified and embarrassed when she realizes he uses a walker. Although Nick knows Hayley wasn't trying to be hurtful, her casual assumptions run headlong into his own painful insecurities. During college, Nick's long-term girlfriend unexpectedly dumped him, and he believes that she couldn't see a future with him because of his cerebral palsy. Nick's experiences in the intervening years have proved to him that women aren't interested in a lover with a disability. After their initial misunderstanding, Hayley and Nick strike up a friendship and spend time together while her boyfriend is at work. The strength of Dutton's debut is his portrayal of Nick, a man who longs for love but is afraid of being hurt. Hayley is not a fully realized character, and romance readers will balk at plotting that keeps her in a relationship with her boyfriend for more than half the book. The ensuing romance between Nick and Hayley is rushed and underdeveloped, with both characters stuck in negative patterns of thinking. One strong, interesting character isn't enough to save this underdeveloped debut romance.
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Starred review from January 8, 2024
Debut author Dutton, who has cerebral palsy, draws inspiration from his own life in this thoughtful portrait of how disability can affect dating. Nick Freeman, whose cerebral palsy makes it hard to walk without assistive devices, may not be the most sure-footed person on the dance floor, but he’s one heck of a karaoke singer in the Columbus, Ohio, bar where he holds court every Friday. After a recent breakup, he’s taken a blow to his self-confidence and all but given up on love, but that doesn’t stop him from seeking out one-night stands. Hayley Burke is a transplant from Indiana, having recently relocated with her boyfriend, Kevin; both have dreams of dancing professionally. When they meet at the bar, Nick is immediately attracted to Hayley’s warm energy and utter lack of guile (and recognizes Kevin as a jerk), but he’s convinced that she would never seriously consider a romance with him and throws obstacles into his own path. Dutton empathetically chronicles the ways in which well-meaning able-bodied people can unwittingly make life harder for those who are disabled. Readers will root for Hayley and Nick through thick and thin, and a robust supporting cast (especially Nick’s best friends’ daughter, three-year-old Rosie, who steals every scene she’s in) add even more charm to the well-crafted plot. The result is a refreshing and romantic treat. Agent: Leslie Zampetti, Odom Media.