Where The Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Das is a novel about a seventeen-year-old girl named Reyna who works and spends her life at her family's resort in Tobago called “The Plumeria”. But ever since her mother passed away her father has been in charge of the resort. While everyone else is moving on with their lives, Reyna still seems stuck in the past, her best friend Olivia will be moving to England for art school. While Reyna’s childhood friend and first love, Aiden, has moved to the US to become a successful songwriter/singer, since then he has gotten a girlfriend and has come back to visit Tobago for his birthday. Reyna is convinced that she has gotten over Aiden while Olivia is not so convinced. So to prove it Olivia asks her to get a random person's number at a restaurant they work at, turns out he actually knows Reyna from elementary school and invites her to help volunteer for little children's arts and crafts since Reyna likes to paint. After this encounter, Reyna realized that she is in fact still not over him, and watching Aiden flirt with his girlfriend doesn't help her situation either. I rate this book a 5/5 for its passionate romance while having some comical events. This book also revolves around family, having a shallow and superficial dad, and demanding aunts that expect too much. This book is a good read if you are into romance and literary fiction
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About This Book
Seventeen-year-old Reyna has spent most of her life at the Plumeria, her family's gorgeous seaside resort in Tobago. But what once seemed like paradise is starting to feel more like purgatory. It's been two years since Reyna's mother passed away, two years since Aiden-her childhood best friend, first kiss, first love, first everything-left the island to pursue his music dreams.
Reviews
Anonymous
Where The Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Das
Anonymous
'Where the Rhythm Takes You' by Sarah Dass
‘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.