thebookhangover's review against another edition
5.0
This is the Second book in the Academy of Stardom series which is a dance, gang, bully, RH, dark romance and must be read in order. This series also has characters that pop up from other series already written that take place in the same story universe. This book unlike the first is told in multiple POV. I thought the first book was an emotional rollercoaster but oh no, it was just the tip of the iceberg compared to this one. And the spice is definitely dialed up a notch too. The chemistry and connection that Pen has with all the guys is just…. OMG so gooood!!!! There were also more twist and secrets revealed then that ending……. WTF! Now, book 3… Breakers here I come! Please check your TW before reading.
kaeliesreads's review against another edition
5.0
I really like this book, and I can't wait to see what happens next and how the male main here just helps her get out of her situation.
tanzireads's review against another edition
5.0
If you love a good Playlist with your books, say no more! The Breakers' story continues in Lyrical, where you get more character development, more spicy scenes, more beautifully written dance scenes and a Playlist that backs it up! I swear, now any time I hear the songs on this (and the books that follow) Playlist, I immediately think of the scenes they were playing in.
low_vely's review against another edition
5.0
Freestyle gave us the beauty of first love and building connections between Pen and her Breakers, woven together with the pain of their split and the fierce anger once they reconnected. Lyrical was so different from that. Bea still gave us the incredibly deep feelings of longing and pain, but she also managed to weave in a sliver of hope that gave us something to hold onto and fight for, just like Pen was attempting to do. Pen recognized her inability to let go of these boys, these men, even with this chasm of past decisions separating them, and her acknowledgement of that happens very early on with her opening dance showcasing her pain. With her pain on display, the Breakers finally began to see her truth and the fact that it would’ve been impossible for Pen to hurt them intentionally.
Just like with Freestyle, Bea works her magic to make a visual artform show up in her words. The thought of every dance move being described in words may seem awkward, but I assure you, Bea will make the dances come to life for you. Her skill with words is incredible and I have this hope that while she writes, she’s forced to get up and try some of these moves in order to describe them just right. Every dance number in Lyrical has a purpose, even those required for class, and the purpose is always to expose some buried emotion to the viewer, either us or Pen and her Breakers. All of the key players lay themselves bare for us and each other.
You should know that Bea is the queen of dangling what you most want in a book, then pulling it away at the last second, only to start over again! She finds pleasure in this teasing game she plays with her readers, but as I’ve said before, it really is a strategy that pays off, because it builds this emotional need under your skin, a need for the next fix that Bea can give you. Because we know, once we finally finish this journey, she is going to bathe us in serotonin in a way that will leave us with a happy and satisfied book hangover. At least...that’s what I better be getting at the end of all this!!
Just like with Freestyle, Bea works her magic to make a visual artform show up in her words. The thought of every dance move being described in words may seem awkward, but I assure you, Bea will make the dances come to life for you. Her skill with words is incredible and I have this hope that while she writes, she’s forced to get up and try some of these moves in order to describe them just right. Every dance number in Lyrical has a purpose, even those required for class, and the purpose is always to expose some buried emotion to the viewer, either us or Pen and her Breakers. All of the key players lay themselves bare for us and each other.
You should know that Bea is the queen of dangling what you most want in a book, then pulling it away at the last second, only to start over again! She finds pleasure in this teasing game she plays with her readers, but as I’ve said before, it really is a strategy that pays off, because it builds this emotional need under your skin, a need for the next fix that Bea can give you. Because we know, once we finally finish this journey, she is going to bathe us in serotonin in a way that will leave us with a happy and satisfied book hangover. At least...that’s what I better be getting at the end of all this!!
jumana_megahed's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
matildabui's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
b_ellice's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
kfriend's review against another edition
5.0
Freestyle was the kind of story you remember what you were doing, where you were, when you first read it. A story that strikes you- with its creativity, with its novel point of view, with its passion. So, Lyrical had a lot to live up to, and a lot to address, but WOW, boy does Bea ever rise to the challenge. Lyrical is an expressive opus- a story about the power of emotional vulnerability and connection-even if you channel that energy in a way that not everyone can understand.
Our story picks up after that soul crushing finale- and we immediately learn some important truths. We learn yet again that Pen is one of the most interesting and captivating heroines of all time- we learn again to admire her strength. We learn that nothing is as it seems- and that we’ve only begun to explore how weighed down these characters are by their hurt and anger. And we learn just what role dance is going to play in this story- just how our characters are going to confront themselves and each other. And confront themselves they do. Even better, we get to spend a lot of time in the Breakers heads, and WOW- I was not ready. These men tore into my soul.
The tone and pace of Lyrical is markedly different from Freestyle- and that is because this is a story about pain, a story about the messy act of reconciliation, a story about the weight of healing. And as such, Bea brilliantly creates a story that carries that weight- there is a permeating melancholy, an emotive sentimental that threads the narrative. While we have a few snippets of jaw dropping action, for the most part, the story is more insulated- quiet and focused- and with good reason. Because Lyrical is not about defeating the bad guy, getting all the answers, or confronting the enemy- Lyrical is about confronting your own pain, facing your greatest hurts and insecurities, and finding the inner strength to work through them. And for these characters- that means finally facing each other.
Pen and the Breakers are all broken- broken by each others’ (especially Pen’s) innocent mistakes when they were mere kids, further broken by the destructive decisions they’ve made since- exacerbated by their own isolation. Now, they are adults trying to reconcile those mistakes with new truths- and with their conflicting emotions for each other. Their connection exists at the fragile threshold of love and hate- and Lyrical is a turning point. They can no longer exist in that place and not lose themselves- and that journey? That journey is the CORE of this story, and the core of who these characters are. Their sadness, their pain- it’s DEFINING. So smartly, Bea slows down the story, makes it more emotionally centered, and forces us to wallow in it- to get deep into the trenches of their emotional crises, because we can’t truly understand and connect with them unless we do….but even more importantly, these characters can’t understand each other and heal if they dont’ also SIT in it. And that narrative choice - that brave story telling when we’re surrounded by the sparkly intrigue of villains and intrigue and imminent danger- THAT is brilliant. Bea makes us wait, because she needs us to FEEL. And like the powerful grace of a lyrical dance, WE FEEL it in Lyrical.
As such, Lyrical is really a story about connection- or in this case, the weighty task of reconnecting. This is a story about the power of loyalty and love- how no evil machinations, no nefarious intentions can ever destroy that- but they can confuse it, warp it, bury it- so Pen and the Breakers, they have to dig it back out, they have to free it from under the burdens they are each carrying. And that requires the most beautiful, simple, and challenging thing- trust and honesty. Taking the leap of forgiveness. Of all the challenges that these characters have faced, all the trauma and pain they’ve endured, that is perhaps the most gutting, the most challenging of all- because the stakes matter the most. Healing requires hurting- digging into the wounds. And Bea lets that shine. Lyrical is unapologetically about the growth of these characters- the maturation of kids who make mistakes into adults who want to fix them . She allows our story to be about them working through their pain and mistrust carefully re establishing their profound connection with each other. And they find it through, of course, dance.
I will continue to scream from the rooftops that this is one of the most inspired, innovative, and creative approaches to storytelling I’ve ever read. Bea has taken a visual art form, a physical act of expression, and breathed life to it through words. The symmetry of the role of dance is not lost on me- in Freestyle we see our characters forge a powerful and life altering connection of a dance. In Lyrical, dance is the catalyst to REconnecting. In Book 1, dance almost operated as another character, a tangible presence that wrapped these characters in a warm embrace. But Bea explores dance in a different way- in a lyrical way. Here, dance serves as the emotional catalyst for every turning point in the story. Our characters grow, they hurt or heal, and our plot progresses because dance inspires it- because dance DEMANDS it. These characters struggle to express themselves in words- that's not the language they speak- so they speak in the way that only they can understand. With movement.
Like the namesake, Lyrical is an emotional purging- about the catalytic expression that will make or break the Breakers. And Bea is somehow able to capture these key emotive moments with words. This story does NOT work if we do not connect to the dance- Lyrical is told almost entirely through it. But damn, it works- somehow I can see it as if I were watching it live. But more importantly, I FEEL it. It is riveting, captivating and the mark of a truly gifted storyteller. And we aren’t the only ones who “get it”- every character has at least one key dance moment, a moment of raw and unabashed expression. And that is how they are able to reconnect and heal- dance allows them to SEE each other.
The story is fluid and expressive, in the style of a lyrical dance. Lyrical is a virtuosic illustration of the beauty of emotional connection, the power and pain of honesty, of the liberation of emotional healing. Bea gives us the story interpretation of a lyrical dance- words that draw us in emotionally, that captivate, that connect us. Of course, we also get a jaw dropping conclusion that sets us up for Breakers (clearly a title that will also carry a bunch of meaning), but Lyrical does the hard and important work of making our characters, and us, ready for what is to come. And it certainly leaves our hearts swimming with feelings long after the last few words of Lyrical dance across the page. I am so ready for the finale!
Our story picks up after that soul crushing finale- and we immediately learn some important truths. We learn yet again that Pen is one of the most interesting and captivating heroines of all time- we learn again to admire her strength. We learn that nothing is as it seems- and that we’ve only begun to explore how weighed down these characters are by their hurt and anger. And we learn just what role dance is going to play in this story- just how our characters are going to confront themselves and each other. And confront themselves they do. Even better, we get to spend a lot of time in the Breakers heads, and WOW- I was not ready. These men tore into my soul.
The tone and pace of Lyrical is markedly different from Freestyle- and that is because this is a story about pain, a story about the messy act of reconciliation, a story about the weight of healing. And as such, Bea brilliantly creates a story that carries that weight- there is a permeating melancholy, an emotive sentimental that threads the narrative. While we have a few snippets of jaw dropping action, for the most part, the story is more insulated- quiet and focused- and with good reason. Because Lyrical is not about defeating the bad guy, getting all the answers, or confronting the enemy- Lyrical is about confronting your own pain, facing your greatest hurts and insecurities, and finding the inner strength to work through them. And for these characters- that means finally facing each other.
Pen and the Breakers are all broken- broken by each others’ (especially Pen’s) innocent mistakes when they were mere kids, further broken by the destructive decisions they’ve made since- exacerbated by their own isolation. Now, they are adults trying to reconcile those mistakes with new truths- and with their conflicting emotions for each other. Their connection exists at the fragile threshold of love and hate- and Lyrical is a turning point. They can no longer exist in that place and not lose themselves- and that journey? That journey is the CORE of this story, and the core of who these characters are. Their sadness, their pain- it’s DEFINING. So smartly, Bea slows down the story, makes it more emotionally centered, and forces us to wallow in it- to get deep into the trenches of their emotional crises, because we can’t truly understand and connect with them unless we do….but even more importantly, these characters can’t understand each other and heal if they dont’ also SIT in it. And that narrative choice - that brave story telling when we’re surrounded by the sparkly intrigue of villains and intrigue and imminent danger- THAT is brilliant. Bea makes us wait, because she needs us to FEEL. And like the powerful grace of a lyrical dance, WE FEEL it in Lyrical.
As such, Lyrical is really a story about connection- or in this case, the weighty task of reconnecting. This is a story about the power of loyalty and love- how no evil machinations, no nefarious intentions can ever destroy that- but they can confuse it, warp it, bury it- so Pen and the Breakers, they have to dig it back out, they have to free it from under the burdens they are each carrying. And that requires the most beautiful, simple, and challenging thing- trust and honesty. Taking the leap of forgiveness. Of all the challenges that these characters have faced, all the trauma and pain they’ve endured, that is perhaps the most gutting, the most challenging of all- because the stakes matter the most. Healing requires hurting- digging into the wounds. And Bea lets that shine. Lyrical is unapologetically about the growth of these characters- the maturation of kids who make mistakes into adults who want to fix them . She allows our story to be about them working through their pain and mistrust carefully re establishing their profound connection with each other. And they find it through, of course, dance.
I will continue to scream from the rooftops that this is one of the most inspired, innovative, and creative approaches to storytelling I’ve ever read. Bea has taken a visual art form, a physical act of expression, and breathed life to it through words. The symmetry of the role of dance is not lost on me- in Freestyle we see our characters forge a powerful and life altering connection of a dance. In Lyrical, dance is the catalyst to REconnecting. In Book 1, dance almost operated as another character, a tangible presence that wrapped these characters in a warm embrace. But Bea explores dance in a different way- in a lyrical way. Here, dance serves as the emotional catalyst for every turning point in the story. Our characters grow, they hurt or heal, and our plot progresses because dance inspires it- because dance DEMANDS it. These characters struggle to express themselves in words- that's not the language they speak- so they speak in the way that only they can understand. With movement.
Like the namesake, Lyrical is an emotional purging- about the catalytic expression that will make or break the Breakers. And Bea is somehow able to capture these key emotive moments with words. This story does NOT work if we do not connect to the dance- Lyrical is told almost entirely through it. But damn, it works- somehow I can see it as if I were watching it live. But more importantly, I FEEL it. It is riveting, captivating and the mark of a truly gifted storyteller. And we aren’t the only ones who “get it”- every character has at least one key dance moment, a moment of raw and unabashed expression. And that is how they are able to reconnect and heal- dance allows them to SEE each other.
The story is fluid and expressive, in the style of a lyrical dance. Lyrical is a virtuosic illustration of the beauty of emotional connection, the power and pain of honesty, of the liberation of emotional healing. Bea gives us the story interpretation of a lyrical dance- words that draw us in emotionally, that captivate, that connect us. Of course, we also get a jaw dropping conclusion that sets us up for Breakers (clearly a title that will also carry a bunch of meaning), but Lyrical does the hard and important work of making our characters, and us, ready for what is to come. And it certainly leaves our hearts swimming with feelings long after the last few words of Lyrical dance across the page. I am so ready for the finale!
katrinatuna's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
tashasbookss's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5