Reviews

Dancing Barefoot by Alice Boyle

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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

Dancing Barefoot is author Alice Boyle's debut novel, although you'd never know it from the confident, assured writing style that brims over with heart and humor. And it is unapologetically Australian, which I love to see.

The FMC, Patch, is a fantastically written protagonist - flawed, messy, good-hearted, and witty. She is incredibly easy to sympathise with - if you've ever felt like you didn't fit in or have felt pressured to live up to other people's expectations, you will find something to relate to in Patch.

I may come back to this review once I have more time, but here are my thoughts on a couple of other things about this book I liked:

The parents! So often in YA, the parental figures are lacking - sometimes they're barely present at all - so it was lovely to see such responsible, loving parents who truly cared about their kids and wanted the best for them. Shout out to Patch's dad in particular here. And Evie's parents were pretty cool too.
Patch's best friend Edwin is transitioning from male to female and is out as trans. While I'll leave it to trans folk to speak on their accuracy, I thought the scenes discussing his dysphoria and medical treatments were handled very sensitively.

The reason I didn't give this the full five stars is because I initially felt that sometimes Patch made poor decisions and jumped to conclusions - although these issues do get addressed later on. I also have mixed feelings about the

Spoiler

redemption arc of Abigail, the "mean girl" of the tale, and how much she really deserved that arc.

But that may just be my own feelings getting in the way.

I truly enjoyed reading this.

Content Warnings

shipqueen394's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

jas_goose's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

lvjy's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.25

i have such a soft spot for australian wlw novels like i think i’d die without them.

this book is wonderful, and just perfectly captured the giddiness of being able to come to terms with and be comfortable with your sexuality, especially combined with a long time high school crush.

idk it’s just very nice to have a book that i can relate to so deeply

Content Warnings

textpublishing's review against another edition

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The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Dancing Barefoot

‘I loved everything about Dancing Barefoot—its strong characters, its laugh-out-loud moments and its irresistible narrative voice that engaged me from the first page.’
Erin Gough

‘Sweet, funny, charming and romantic. I adored it.’
Nina Kenwood

‘Dancing Barefoot brings a warm and uplifting queer contemporary romance to the #LoveOzYA, #AusQueerYA and #OwnVoices scenes...a queer hipster’s dream.’
Books+Publishing

‘If you’re ever in the need for a feel-good, heartfelt romance, or simply a book to cosy up to like a warm, fuzzy blanket by the fireside, I recommend Dancing Barefoot. Beautifully written with a natural laugh-out-loud humour, [it] encapsulates the angst and seemingly apocalyptic emotions teenagers feel towards love.’
Readings

‘Phenomenal…I want to spread my love of this novel as far as possible!’
Cosy Dragon

‘An uplifting, romantic comedy.…While debut author Alice Boyle shines a light on the serious issues of sexuality, gender identity and bullying the joyful characters and plot twists ensure this is a highly engaging read.’
CBCA

‘Heartwarming…Delightful…[A] story about fitting in, believing in yourself, being a good friend and navigating first love, whatever that may look like.’
Glam Adelaide

‘[A] breath of fresh air…[and] a sweet novel about young love.’
NZ Booklovers

‘Both heartfelt and hilarious…This is an empowering and queer-positive coming of age story that romantics will adore.’
Readings

‘Gorgeous contemporary realism that reads like a warm hug.’
Michael Earp, SMH/ Age