Be prepared to commit, because this book is LONG!

I finished listening to The Dance a few days ago, and I've been struggling with what I want to say in my review. This is the first book I've read -- well, listened to -- by Alison G. Bailey, so I have absolutely no frame of reference for her writing. While I loved "the dance" that Bryson and Hart do throughout this book -- and to a lesser degree, the "dance" that she and Will end up doing -- I was so torn about the story itself and my feelings for Bryson as the lead character.

The fact that this book is nearly 17 hours long -- SERIOUSLY? 17 HOURS? -- could have had something to do with my frustration. There is SO MUCH drivel. Details that are mundane and have no bearing whatsoever on the story. Do we need to know what color leggins, socks, sneakers and tee shirt she's wearing to go do laundry? Do we need to know each step-by-step when she takes a bottle of wine out to have a drink by the pool? While I'm a big fan of wanting to be *shown* something in a story rather than told it happened, a reader can also assume certain things. You know, like the character walking into the kitchen, going to the cabinet, getting a wine glass, walking across the kitchen to the refrigerator, opening it up, grabbing a bottle of wine... we get the point! There was just SO MUCH of that, This book easily could have been half the length without the unnecessary minute details.

But back to the story itself. Was I supposed to be rooting for Will and Bryson, or Hart and Bryson? So much time was spent on her trying to save her marriage, but why? I knew that Hart was the real hero of this story, and I was getting so frustrated by the length of time it took her to get there! And Bryson is such a damn doormat when it comes to Will. I loved that Hart instilled the confidence in her to stand up for herself, but she just let Will walk all over her time and time again. And for as pissed as she was for what she considered Will's betrayal with his virtual life and porn addiction, she was the one who ended up being the cheater! Yes, their marriage was over for all intents and purposes, but they were still legally married. I also thought she was a hypocrite for not having issue with Hart's relationship with prostitutes, and how stupid was Bryson to not get herself tested if she thought Will was cheating on her?? She flipped out about that, but had let it go after he essentially raped her?

I don't know... the story had some good points. Hart was a gem. The dude had the patience of a saint when it came to Bryson's twisted relationship with Will. I loved how Hart and Bryson fit together, and his disability was a great non-issue to their relationship, but at the same time, made their relationship more interesting to me. Bryson really blossoms when she's with Hart, and there's really nice growth in her character. Because I didn't much like her until the very end.

There were no trigger warnings for this book, and it has a host of topics that could be problematic: miscarriage, AIDS, marital rape, depression, cheating, and many, many others. Details about the character ages and timelines didn't match up at times. The story had a lot of potential, but it wasn't executed well.

I received a complimentary download and voluntarily left a review.

1 person found this helpful

loved, loved, loved this story

Wow what a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Who knew that the one dance at homecoming with the bad boy, Hart, would have such a connection in Bryson's life 10 years later. Bryson had everything with Will , her high school sweetheart. The guy all the girls wanted, quaterback, rich, destined for a fairytale life! Their marriage is not all that it seems. Keeping up appearances are important no matter what is going on at home.
A myriad of emotions throughout this story, love, trust, friendship, betrayal, isolation, despair, loss, tragedy, forgiveness. It's Bryson gaining the confidence and finally follow her dreams. She finds true love after devastation. And taking the courage to forgive and give kindness and love to the one person that hurt her the most.
This is the first time I listened to a story narrated by Kelly Tager.
She is an excellent storyteller and superb narrator. She emotes every Feeling of love, anger, angst, fear, pain, humor and sarcasm of every character in this story. Bringing all the characters to life. Brilliant , I loved listening to it!. I was gifted this audio and offered my honest review.

What an amazing book!! 5 Stars is so not enough!!

Alison G Bailey has written a story that is so compelling and heart-wrenchingly beautiful... I laughed frequently, railed with anger multiple times, and cried many tears while listening. I was so taken with Brysons feelings from the first contact at the prom... and won’t lie that I got frustrated with her a few times..but her heart and fortitude in the end is what makes me admire her so very much.

I want to go on about this story and what happens, but I think everyone needs to hear this for themselves. It is such a great book. One so full of so many feels!! I can’t begin to tell you just how wonderful a story this is... but I CAN strongly suggest you go listen. And I can promise you’ll like it.

Kelli Tager has a great voice and was an excellent choice as narrator for this!!

A tearjerker with laughs

Worth the dozen tissues I soaked! There were plenty of laughs in between as well.

Beautiful Second Chance in Love!

This was my first Alison G. Bailey's book. This is an emotional second chance in love. Bryson and Hart are great main characters. Bryson is a strong and caring woman, compassionate, and supportive. Hart is handsome, optimist, loving, and supportive. The secondary characters are great, besides Will, Bryson's husband who is selfish, superficial, and careless. He is blessed to have Bryson in his life. This is a long story, filled with drama, angst, twists and turns, heartbreaking and heartwarming scenes, and a satisfying ending. Kelli Tager is a new narrator to me. She did an amazing job with the narration. She has a great voice, with a great range of voices.

Long but so good!!

This book was so will written and I loved it all. The narrator did a great job. This is a book that will stay with you for a while.

A story about the hardships of making bad choices.

“This story wasn’t at all what I expected. Alison isn’t a new author to me, I know her writing and development of the characters so I didn’t think twice about this book. First you need to know that this is a long and I really mean long story but every hour was so worth it. Till the end I got why the story needed to be that long. The Dance was such a deep emotional story. Kelli did an outstanding narration of this story. The emotions felt so real! A story about first love, friendship and the hardships of making bad choices. My heart ached for Bryson and her marriage but also I wanted so hard to punch her in the face. I kept staring at my ceiling while listening all she had to do and I really wanted to scream for the unequal roles in that marriage. Hart was the complete opposite of Will and to me he was a prince in shining armour, the way he treat Bryson was lovely. Sweetness at the highest levels!!! That twist!! Never expected it!!! Almost threw my earphones when I jumped after hearing that twist on the plot. I remember a quote I read long ago, honestly I don’t remember of whom but it said that people tend to be afraid of losing someone when in reality that person actually was never of them because it’s a fake love. Prepare yourself for an intense story with an emotional ending.”

A heart felt romance

My heart literally broke for Bryson. So much lying and deceit! Will was truly a jerk! I did not like him from the start. The relationship he shared with Bryson just seemed so one sided. I definitely understand why she felt the way she did when she discovered his secret. He also didn’t even really own up to his mistakes. Then insert Hart and my heart swoon. I feel that Hart’s lifestyle was extremely different than Wills considering he wasn’t MARRIED! So Bryson really can’t really judge him on that aspect of his life. However once Bryson came back into his life his whole demeanor on relationships changed. Reading their love story unfold was so heartwarming. This is definitely a book that will have you in all your feels.

Long but emotionally riviting!

Yes, if you're looking at the book than you're noticing the nearly 17 hours of book. This is a book that makes you think. It's an emotionally-charged story. I recommend it and enjoyed listening to the story. However, there is a lot of story added in that wasn't pertinent to the story. I bet 1/4 of this book could have been removed and it would have hit 5 stars! It does have that possibilities it it didn't have the unnecessary added in.

The narrator Kelli Tager was a pleasure to listen to... I mean thank goodness at 17 hours! lol I enjoyed her slight twang/country accent... it's slight. She has a very endearing voice. I'd happily listen to her in future books.

The dance of life

When I first saw the title, I thought this was going to be about a dancer. Then when I started the book, and we went to prom, I thought it was going to be about the dance. But I found out as I listened that this is about the dance of life. Bryson has her whole life mapped out for her. She marries her high school sweetheart and they are well on their way to creating their happiness. Only she didn't know the truth. Will is a man of appearances and while he likes Bryson, she is not the love of his life. When circumstances separate the two, Bryson is lucky enough to meet Hart. She knew him in high school and their attraction then still remains as strong years later. But will she find happiness with her second chance? This book had me frustrated, in love, happy, tearing and sad....every emotion you can think of, all signs of a great listen. Bryson both frustrated me and did me proud as she matured. She is a strong woman, much stronger than I thought and I love her compassion. Hart is the man we all want to end up with. He is passionate about life, knows what he wants and is caring and sympathetic. Will is the one that you love to hate, And end up loving. It's an unending dance and will fill your heart, empty and fill it again. Just keep that Tony Bennett playing and the dance never ends.

Kelli Tager delivers an amazing performance. This is my first narration by her and I thought she was spot on with every character. She has a variety of voices and melded each personality to each voice.I will be watching for more of her.