‘Where the Rhythm Takes You’ is a modern, racially diverse, tale with loosely the same structure as Jane Austen’s classic novel ‘Persuasion’. Sarah Dass’ novel is about a 17 year old girl named Reyna who basically runs her deceased mother’s hotel in Tobago. She lives grimly, feeling stuck in her situation, as many of her friends are planning on traveling or moving out or going to college elsewhere. Reyna, however, is obligated to continue running the hotel, and feels hopeless. The plot really takes off as Reyna’s ex-boyfriend, Aiden, moves back to Tobago after having left to go to the United States to pursue a music career. Reyna has not moved on from her feelings for him, and his return shakes her world. She internally struggles with her desires and her obligations-- what she’s compelled to do, and what she believes she must do. The book has tons of mundane teenage conflict and pining, which makes it a super fun, quick read. Most of the story lines centering around Aiden and Reyna’s friends were underdeveloped and, at times, quite boring. In fact, the majority of the supporting characters provided little to no value to the story’s strongest feature; its depiction of Reyna trying to stay clear-headed while unprepared for the new changes she’s experiencing. On a final note, the playlist included in the story matches its tone well, and was a pleasant addition. I'd especially recommend checking it out to anyone interested in soca music or wanting to expand their musical horizons to foreign tastes.