Freestyle: 1 (Academy of Stardom)

Product Information

I think a lot of reverse harem series, this one include, have a lot of similar plot points with one thing that's supposed to set them apart. Of course in that time they were 16 and "just friends" but if she got that uncomfortable how would the idiot not know it was not okay or nice? She takes nothing for granted, and selflessly sacrifices for the happiness and well being of others. However, since the rest of this book is so similar to a lot of other RH books, I think more of a focus on the dance plot rather than the gang plot would have made this stand out more.

If you are looking for a new and exciting series to start that is intriguing, different and spicy – then pick this one up for sure. It’s more that I had issue with the stupid manipulations that get the group into the mess that leads to a separation between them all for a few years. I know the basics of dance, but I did feel like it took me a while to understand what was happening during the dance scenes. This has a lot of the hallmarks of a reverse harem book and while I'm intrigued, I hope this series starts to differentiate itself more. If you love dance, your men on the criminal side, alpha hot holes and the enemies-to-lovers trope, this is for you.Over the past few days I’ve been seeing posts for LYRICAL by Bea Paige, and after reading the blurb I just knew I had to read this trilogy. It’s dark, it includes a reverse harem and there are many triggers and content warnings that you will need to be aware of. I like the dance plot, and I like how their lives are tangled up with each other, but the execution isn’t my favorite.

But this author gives us her version, one that is completely different and in a way that screams BETTER! She’s the kind of heroine you can admire and root for, the kind of heroine who you empathize with and hurt for. Meanwhile the guys sleep with whoever they wanted, she still has feelings so she don´t which annoyed me just because the guys do.I mean okay, Xeno is like the lider of the group, but if the guys really love her, how are they so okay with that ultimatum? They are loyal to a fault, possessive, protective, funny, loving, mysterious, sexy dancing bad boys.

Not my fav approach normally because I’m impatient, but here it really worked, even if it meant the overall progress in the story is slower because we’re building two concurrent stories. The boys on the outside they are so angry, full of rage, but deep down when you look closely beyond the anger and rage. Here we have that classic drama, that i personally hate, were the heroine and the heroes were friends when younger and started liking each other, but something happens that breaks them apart, and both parts blame and hate each other.

I was loving getting to meet Pen and her guys, Xeno, York, Dax and Zayn trough her flashbacks and all. Took me a while to get familiar with all the characters and remember what name goes with what character but after I did, I rolled into the story without much trouble.

This is described beautifully with only a few things being revealed at a time, leaving the reader in a perfect place of knowing nothing but having all the guesses. I really like how the hints of their pasts and hints of something more to be revealed is interwoven over the story, even while my mind is spinning on WTF happened and trying to stay patient as it's only book 1. At the start, it took me a while to understand who was who, but it honestly didn’t take long and wasn’t a big deal.The love for dance, the power of it as an artform bleeds off the page, elevating dance to a living, breathing character of this complex story. While I do wish it was Multi-POV, the author does convey a lot of depth, empathy, and emotional connection with the Hs through the interactions and experiences from the single POV by the FMC.